18:16 purple . . . scarlet . . . gold . . . jewels . . . pearls: The finery of a harlot (17:4). Back to text.

18:21 a great millstone: Recalls the words of Jeremiah about Babylon (Jer 51:63), as well as the teaching of Jesus about one who leads others to sin (Mt 18:6; Mk 9:42; Lk 17:2). Back to text.

18:22-23 The millstone falling silent, the lighted lamp going dark, and the bridegroom and bride no longer heard singing are scenarios drawn from Jeremiah's oracles prophesying the desolation of Jerusalem (Jer 7:34; 16:9; 25:10). Back to text.

18:24 blood of prophets . . . saints: The harlot city is a murderous city, stained with the blood of the Lord's faithful ones (17:6). all . . . slain on earth: A prophetic hyperbole, stressing that the city's bloodguilt has reached an extreme level. • The wording is borrowed from Jer 51:49, where "the slain of all the earth" were said to have fallen in Babylon. Back to text.

19:2 avenged . . . the blood: In answer to the pleas and petitions of the martyrs in 6:9-10 (CCC 2642). Back to text.

19:4 twenty-four elders: Heavenly saints. See note on Rev 4:4. four living creatures: Heavenly angels. See note on Rev 4:6. Back to text.

19:7-9 Christ and the Church are forever united in a covenant of marital love. In one sense, this is a present reality for the Church, who is joined to the Bridegroom by the grace of Baptism (Eph 5:22-32); but it is also a future hope, inasmuch as that union will reach perfection in the glory of heaven (Mt 25:1-13). John envisions the Church dressed in a bridal gown sewn by a life of purity and righteousness. Later, the Bride of the Lamb is described as the heavenly Jerusalem, the virgin city gilded with gold and adorned with precious stones (21:9-21) (CCC 757, 865). • The marriage of the bridal city recalls Ezek 16:8-14, where the Lord joined himself in wedlock to ancient Jerusalem, having cleansed her in water and clothed her in gold, jewelry, and fine linen. Similar images of glorified Zion appear in Is 61:10 and 62:5. Back to text.

19:9 Blessed are those: The fourth of seven beatitudes in Revelation. See note on Rev 1:3. Back to text.

19:10 Worship God: The worship of any created thing is idolatry. John, of course, is not an idolater but is overcome by the heavenly glory radiating from the angel (22:8-9). He receives no such rebuke when he falls prostrate before the glorified Christ (1:17). Back to text.

19:11-21 Christ appears as the warrior Messiah, riding into battle with a full cavalry of angels trailing behind him. His mission: to execute judgment on the beast and the false prophet who allied themselves against him and his followers. This is the battle of Armageddon, for which preparations were made in 16:14-16. • The depiction of Christ dressed in a robe covered with blood (19:13) and treading the wine press of wrath (19:15) recalls Is 63:1-6, where the Lord marches forth to war, his garments splattered with enemy blood and his feet stomping down the nations in a wine press. The depiction of Christ as the Word (19:13) who swings a sharp sword (19:15) recalls Wis 18:15-16, where the divine word leaps down from heaven as a warrior armed with a sword. Back to text.

19:12 many diadems: Jesus is crowned with many crowns, symbolizing the plentitude of his royal authority as "King of kings" (19:16). a name inscribed: Either on his crowns or possibly on his forehead, like the saints who bear his name (14:1). Back to text.

19:13 The Word of God: Jesus, the divine Word of the Father (Jn 1:1), enacts the divine word of judgment (Jn 5:22) against those who reject his gospel (Jn 12:48). Back to text.

19:15 a rod of iron: The scepter of the Davidic Messiah (Ps 2:9). See note on Rev 12:5. Back to text.

19:17-21 Jesus condemns his enemies to a dreadful destiny. The judgment in question is spiritual, leading to the eternal lake of fire, though it is possible that historical events of the first century lie in the background. For instance, the overthrow of the beast may be linked to the suicide of Nero in A.D. 68. Not only was his name the number of the beast (note on Rev 13:18), but he had waged a violent war against the Church (11:7; 13:7). Likewise, the judgment of the false prophet may be linked to the massacre of Judea's religious leadership in the first Jewish revolt against Rome (A.D. 67 to 70). So understood, this is a vision of divine punishment being imposed on the first persecutors of Christianity. Ultimately, however, it foreshadows the final battle of history, when Christ returns and destroys the powers of evil once and for all (20:710; 2 Thess 1:5-10; 2:1-12). • The imagery of the great supper comes from the apocalyptic war scenes of Ezek 38-39. After the Lord destroys those who assault his people, birds are invited to gorge themselves on the flesh and blood of fallen enemies strewn across the battlefield (Ezek 39:17-20). Back to text.

19:20 the lake of fire: The molten sea of hell, where the damned are destined to writhe in everlasting torment (21:8). Eventually the devil himself will be hurled into its flames (20:10) (CCC 1033-37). Back to text.

Word Study

Hallelujah (Rev 19:1, 3, 4, 6)

Hallēluia (Gk.): A transliteration of two Hebrew terms meaning "Praise the Lord!" It occurs only four times in the NT but is often used in the OT as a liturgical acclamation, especially in the Psalter. Certain psalms, for instance, are framed by this expression, which serves as an opening and closing line (Ps 135, 146-50). It is also a recurrent acclamation in the Hallel Psalms that were traditionally sung during the Jewish Passover meal (Ps 113-18). Some scholars thus maintain that the Passover liturgy is the background of the repeated "Hallelujah" in Rev 19:1-6, since the song builds up to the "marriage supper of the Lamb" (Rev 19:9). This is the triumphal banquet celebrated by the redeemed of the new Exodus, saved by the blood of Christ, the new Passover Lamb (Rev 5:6-10; 15:2-3). The "Hallelujah" has since passed into the liturgical vocabulary of the Church, where the Eucharist is celebrated as a memorial of the new Exodus accomplished through Christ (CCC 1340).

20:1-6 The binding of Satan and the millennial reign of Christ. Three views of the millennium have dominated theological discussion over the centuries. (1) Premillennialism is the view that Christ, when he comes again, will establish his reign on earth for 1,000 years. Also called chiliasm (from the Greek word for "one thousand"), this interpretation was popular in the second and third centuries (e.g., St. Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 80). A modern version, advanced by Protestant dispensationalists, holds that the Church will be gathered into heaven at the Second Coming, after which Christ will restore the theocratic kingdom of David in Jerusalem for 1000 years and fulfill all of God's promises to ethnic Israel. (2) Postmillennialism interprets the 1000 years as symbolizing that period of history during which the gospel goes forth and gradually has its full effect of Christianizing the world. Once this global process is complete, Christ will return in glory. Advocates generally hold that the length of the millennium is beyond our ability to calculate. (3) Amillennialism, like postmillennialism, holds to a symbolic view of the 1000 years and does not envision Christ reigning on earth in visible form. The millennium is said to represent the entire stretch of history between the First and Second Coming, that time when Christ reigns in a spiritual and sacramental way through the Church. Rising to prominence in the fourth and fifth centuries, this has probably been the most widely held view among Catholic theologians throughout history (beginning with St. Augustine, City of God 20, 9). • The background of the millennium may be traced to the period of the Davidic covenant, which was established almost exactly 1000 years before the coming of Christ. This age began with David extending his rule over Israel and other nations (2 Sam 5-8) and with Solomon instructing the nations in the ways of righteousness (1 Kings 10:1-10, 2324). It is also a time when the faithful of Israel first experienced martyrdom for their faith (Dan 3:16-23; 2 Mac 7:1-42). The images in 20:1 also have links with Davidic traditions: the key recalls the key of David in 3:7; the pit of the netherworld was believed to be sealed off by the foundation stone of Solomon's Temple; and the chain that prevents deception may reflect the tradition that a chain hung in Solomon's courtroom and was used to verify the truthfulness of testimony given under oath. These and other features of the Davidic age prefigure the messianic age, during which Christ reigns over the Church and the world as the royal Davidic Messiah. • The Catholic Church rejects all forms of millenarianism (i.e., chiliasm), which contends that Christ will come again to establish a visible kingdom on earth and to inaugurate a golden age of peace and prosperity within human history (Decree of the Holy Office, 1944) (CCC 676). Back to text.

20:1 the bottomless pit: Or, "the abyss". See note on Rev 9:1. Back to text.

20:2 that ancient serpent: The devil as disguised in Gen 3:1-14 and exposed in 12:9. Back to text.

20:4 I saw thrones: A heavenly court, or possibly the thrones of apostolic government in the Church, as in Mt 19:28 and Lk 22:28-30. • The scene recalls Dan 7:9-11, where the beast from the sea is condemned and thrown into the fire, and Dan 7:26-27, where the kingdom of the Son of man is given to the saints. beheaded for their testimony: Martyrs such as John the Baptist (Mk 6:27) and the apostles James (Acts 12:1-2) and Paul (Christian tradition). These and others killed for their faith reign with Christ in a special way (Rev 20:6), even though all believers share in the royal-priestly reign of Christ, whether in heaven (Rev 2:26-27) or on earth (Rev 5:10). Back to text.

20:5 the first resurrection: The meaning of the two resurrections is uncertain. The first may refer to a spiritual resurrection to new life through faith and Baptism (Jn 5:25; Rom 6:3-4), followed by a bodily resurrection at the return of Christ (Jn 5:28-29; 1 Thess 4:15-16). Or perhaps both resurrections are bodily, the first being that of Christ and the saints of the OT (Mt 27:52-53) and the second involving the rest of humanity Rev (20:12-13; 1 Cor 15:22). Back to text.

20:6 Blessed: The fifth of seven beatitudes in Revelation. See note on Rev 1:3. the second death: The spiritual death of hell (20:14). The first death is bodily death (20:5). Back to text.

20:8 Gog and Magog: Names that symbolize the coalition of evil nations summoned by Satan to besiege the Church of the last days. This will be the final explosion of the devil's fury before his consignment to hell (20:10). • The two names come from the apocalyptic war vision of Ezek 3839, where Gog and the land of Magog assemble an international army to plunder the beloved People of God. Their plans are foiled, however, when fire and brimstone rain down from the Lord and destroy them (Rev 20:9). Back to text.

20:9 camp of the saints: Like the Exodus generation of Israel, the pilgrim Church on earth is still journeying toward the rest of the Promised Land. the beloved city: Another image for the Church, this time pictured as the heavenly Jerusalem (21:2). Back to text.

20:10 the lake of fire: Hell, where the devil joins his former agents, burning since 19:20. tormented: The damned are not annihilated or disintegrated, but kept alive to be tortured for eternity (Mt 25:46; Mk 9:47-48). Back to text.

20:11-15 The Last Judgment, when the souls of the dead are rejoined to their bodies (the second resurrection) to stand before Christ the Judge. Their secrets will be revealed, and every thought, word, and deed catalogued in the heavenly books will be reviewed. This is the Last Day, when both the righteous and the wicked will be raised (Acts 24:15) and sent their separate ways (Dan 12:2; Mt 25:31-46; Jn 5:29) (CCC 677, 103841). Back to text.

20:11 great white throne: The judgment seat of Christ (2Cor 5:10), the description of which recalls the ivory throne of Solomon (1 Kings 10:18). Elsewhere in Revelation, Jesus appears with white hair (1:14), wears a white garment (3:5), moves on a white cloud (14:14), and rides a white horse (19:11). The angels and saints are also robed in white (4:4; 6:11; 7:9; 15:6; 19:14). Back to text.

20:12 the book of life: A listing of all the saints destined for glory (3:5). It will be opened for the final roll call of the righteous at the Last Judgment, with the names of the saved read aloud (21:27) and the names of damned nowhere to be found (20:15). • The book of life is a metaphor based on a comparison with human affairs. For it is common practice among men to inscribe in a book those who are chosen for an office. Now, since all the predestined are chosen by God for eternal life, the enrollment of the predestined is called the book of life (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, I, 24, 1). Back to text.

20:13 Death and Hades: See notes on Rev 6:8 and 9:1. Back to text.

20:14 the second death: The state of spiritual death and damnation (20:6). Back to text.

21:1-22:5 The final vision of the book unveils the Bride of the Lamb, the heavenly city of Jerusalem, which awaits the saints. It depicts the state of glory in terms of a marital union (21:2), a holy city (21:10), a divine temple (21:22), and a garden of paradise (22:2). Back to text.

21:1 new heaven . . .new earth: Not entirely new, but entirely renewed (21:5). John sees all creation transformed and made radiant with the glory of God. It is no longer a world subject to death and decay and suffering the damaging effects of human sin (Gen 3:17-18; Rom 8:20-22). The process of cosmic regeneration has begun in the New Covenant as believers are made part of the new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17), but John is presented with heaven and earth once this process is complete (CCC 1042-48). • The imagery comes from Isaiah, who prophesies a new beginning for Israel and the world in terms of a new creation (Is 65:17). He envisions this in connection with the universal worship of the Lord by all flesh (Is 66:22-23). the sea was no more: The abode of death and evil will be drained away (13:1; 20:13; 21:4). In apocalyptic and poetic texts, the sea often represents chaos and the habitation of all things dreadful and demonic (Job 7:12; Ps 74:13; Is 27:1; Dan 7:3). Back to text.

21:2 new Jerusalem: The heavenly city, whose builder and maker is God (Heb 11:10). It touches down to earth so that the worshiping Church can join in the heavenly liturgy of the angels and saints, who never cease to praise the Lord and the Lamb (Heb 12:22-25). Visions of this eternal liturgy punctuate the Book of Revelation (4:1-5:14; 7:9-8:5; 11:15-19; 14:1-5; 15:1-8) (CCC 757). Also, there are several antithetical parallels between the new Jerusalem and the harlot city stricken with judgment in chaps. 17-18. (1) In 17:1, John is invited by an angel to "come" and see the harlot; in 21:9, he is invited by an angel to "come" and see the heavenly city. (2) In 17:3, John is carried by the Spirit to see the wicked city in the wilderness; in 21:10, he is carried by the Spirit to see the holy city from a high mountain. (3) In 17:4, the woman city is dressed like a prostitute, wearing gold, jewels, and pearls; in 21:11, 18, and 21, the woman city is adorned like a virgin bride, bedecked with gold, jewels, and gates made of pearl. (4) In 18:2, Babylon appears as a dwelling place of demons; in 21:3, the new Jerusalem appears as the dwelling place of God. (5) In 18:7, Babylon is accused of glorifying herself; in 21:23, the new city is wrapped in the glory of God. (6) In 18:23, the harlot city deceives the nations with her sorcery; in 21:24, the holy city leads the nations by her light. prepared as a bride: The Church is made ready for her everlasting union with Christ the Bridegroom. See note on Rev 19:7-9. Back to text.

21:3-4 The saints look forward to a joyous and painless existence with God. • The hope that God will dwell with his people restates the promise of the New Covenant in Ezek 37:27. The wiping away of every tear and the elimination of death recall the vision of the messianic banquet in Is 25:8. Back to text.

21:3 the dwelling: Or, "the Tabernacle" (15:5). Back to text.

21:6 the Alpha . . . the Omega: God created all things in the beginning, and he calls them back to himself in the end. See note on Rev 1:8. the water of life: The supernatural life of the Spirit (Jn 4:14; 7:37-39; 1 Cor 12:13). Note the contrast with Rev 21:8—here the saints are refreshed with living water; there the wicked are scorched with deadly fire (CCC 694). Back to text.

21:7 he shall be my son: The words of 2 Sam 7:14. • The promise of divine sonship was made to David's royal heirs and is ultimately fulfilled in Christ as the Davidic Messiah (Rom 1:3-4; Heb 1:5). Believers become sons and daughters of God by grace (Rom 8:15-16), but the full blessing of divine sonship awaits the resurrection of the saints and the glorification of their bodies, an event that coincides with the renewal of the cosmos (Rom 8:21-23). Back to text.

21:8 the second death: The spiritual death of the wicked (20:14). For similar lists of damning vices, see 1 Cor 6:9-10 and Gal 5:19-21. Back to text.

21:9-22:5 A dazzling description of the heavenly Jerusalem. • The vision draws from the architectural blueprint of the glorified Temple-city in Ezek 40-48. The city is seen from a high mountain (21:10; Ezek 40:2); it is filled with divine glory (21:11; Ezek 43:5); it has twelve gates named after the sons of Israel (21:12; Ezek 48:30-34); it is measured with a measuring rod (21:15; Ezek 40:3); its dimensions are foursquare (21:16; Ezek 42:15-19); it is the place of God's throne (22:1; Ezek 43:7); and it is the source of life-giving water (22:1; Ezek 47:1-9), which causes the trees along its banks to bear fruit each month and put forth healing leaves (22:2; Ezek 47:12). Other visions of Jerusalem adorned with gold and every jewel (21:18-21) are found in Tob 13:16-17 and Is 54:1112, and as a city bathed in light with gates always open (21:23-25) in Is 60:1-3, 11. Back to text.

21:10 in the Spirit: On this expression, see note on Rev 17:3. Back to text.

21:14 the twelve apostles: The apostolic foundations laid by Christ (Mt 16:18; Eph 2:20). Inscribed with the names of the OT tribes and the NT apostles, heaven is the dwelling of all the righteous of covenant history. Back to text.

21:16 length . . . breadth . . . height are equal: The eternal city is pictured as an enormous cube, each side measuring nearly 1,500 miles and its walls measuring over 200 feet thick. • The city is modeled after the innermost room of the Temple, the Holy of Holies, which was an all-gold chamber with a cubic shape (1 Kings 6:20). Back to text.

21:22 its temple is the Lord: The Trinity is the sanctuary of the heavenly city, which is encompassed by the Father (Lord) and the Son (Lamb) and filled with the glory of the Spirit (light). If the old Jerusalem was built around the Temple, the new Jerusalem stands within a Temple, and one that no longer has partitions or veils to prevent access. In theological terms, this means that communion with God in heaven will be unmedi-ated, exceeding in closeness and directness the access to God's presence once enjoyed in the sanctuary of Israel. Back to text.

22:1 the water of life: Symbolic of the Spirit flowing through the main street of the city (21:6; Jn 7:38-39). • The imagery alludes to the river of Eden (Gen 2:10), the river that gladdens the city of God (Ps 46:4), and the fountain of living water springing from Jerusalem (Zech 14:8). For the primary allusion to Ezek 47:1-9, see note on Rev 21:9-22:5. • The water issuing from the Lord and the Lamb is an apocalyptic expression of a trinitarian mystery: in eternity, the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. See note on Jn 15:26. • A single stream issues from the throne of God, and that is the grace of the Holy Spirit in the stream of the Scriptures. That stream has two banks, the Old Testament and the New, and the tree planted on either side is Christ (St. Jerome, Tractate on the Psalms 1). the throne: According to 3:21, the Father and the Son share the same throne. Back to text.

22:2 the tree of life: The reappearance of this tree, not seen in the Bible since Gen 3:24, hints that heaven is the celestial counterpart to Eden, i.e., a place of intimate fellowship with God, uncorrupted by sin and death. See note on Rev 2:7. Back to text.

22:4 shall see his face: The direct vision of God is the great hope of biblical spirituality (Ps 11:7; 42:2) and the preeminent blessing of heaven (Mt 5:8; 1 Cor 13:12). Seeing the face of God points to a profound personal intimacy with him; it is an experience of knowing God that is the fulfillment of human existence. Tradition calls this the Beatific Vision (CCC 102328). Back to text.

22:6-9 The book draws to a close by restating ideas from the introduction (1:1-3). Once again, the sense that Christ is fast approaching dominates the tone (22:6-7, 10, 12, 20). See note on Rev 1:1. Back to text.

22:7 I am coming soon: Jesus is speaking, as also in 22:12 and 22:20. Blessed: The sixth of seven beatitudes in Revelation. See note on Rev 1:3. Back to text.

22:8 I John: Probably John the Apostle. See introduction: Author. Back to text.

22:9 Worship God: Recalls the earlier incident in 19:10. Back to text.

22:10 Do not seal up: John is forbidden to seal the scroll shut. The urgency of his message makes reading it a top priority for his churches. • This is in deliberate contrast to Dan 12:4, where the prophet was instructed to seal up his prophecy because the time of its fulfillment was still in the distant future. Back to text.

22:13 the Alpha . . . the Omega: Christ gives himself the same title given to God in 1:8, showing that he, too, is the divine Lord over history and the world. Back to text.

22:14 Blessed: The last of seven beatitudes in Revelation. See note on Rev 1:3. Back to text.

22:15 Outside: The heavenly city is protected from sinful contamination, with evildoers kept far outside its walls. Back to text.

22:16 the root and the offspring: Jesus is the Davidic Messiah (5:5). • The heir to David's throne is called the "root" of Jesse in Is 11:10 and the "offspring" of David in 2 Sam 7:12. morning star: See notes on Rev 2:28 and 2 Pet 1:19. Back to text.

22:17 the Bride: The Church wedded to Christ (19:7-8). She joins the Spirit in summoning the world to salvation (CCC 2550). Back to text.

22:18-19 A warning not to tamper with the Book of Revelation, whose contents were carefully dictated by heavenly visions (1:11). Strictly speaking, this is not a general warning against tampering with the Bible, though that, too, is certainly wrong. Moreover, it does not exclude the possibility that there may be Christian revelation outside the books of Scripture, such as in unwritten traditions handed down by the apostles (1 Cor 11:2; 2 Thess 2:15). • Moses used similar words to caution Israel against adding or subtracting from the Book of Deuteronomy (Deut 4:2). Back to text.

22:20 Come, Lord Jesus!: The cry of the saints, who long for Christ's return. It is probably connected with the liturgical acclamation in 1 Cor 16:22, preserved in Aramaic as marana tha, "Our Lord, come!" (CCC 451, 671). Back to text.