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== Etymology of Revelation ==
== Etymology of Revelation ==
; [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=reveal Online Etymology Dictionary--"reveal"]
; [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=reveal Online Etymology Dictionary — "reveal"]
: Late 14th century, from Old French ''reveler'' (14c.), from Latin ''revelare'' "reveal, uncover, disclose," lit. "unveil," from ''re-'' "opposite of" + ''velare'' "to cover, veil," from ''velum'' "a veil" ... Revealed religion, as opposed to natural religion, is attested from 1719.
: Late 14th century, from Old French ''reveler'' (14c.), from Latin ''revelare'' "reveal, uncover, disclose," lit. "unveil," from ''re-'' "opposite of" + ''velare'' "to cover, veil," from ''velum'' "a veil" ... Revealed religion, as opposed to natural religion, is attested from 1719.


; [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=revelation Online Etymology Dictionary--"revelation"]
; [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=revelation Online Etymology Dictionary — "revelation"]
: Circa 1300, "disclosure of information to man by a divine or supernatural agency," from Old French ''revelacion'', from Latin ''revelationem'' (nominative case, ''revelatio''), from ''revelatus'', past participle of ''revelare'' (see reveal). General meaning "disclosure of facts" is attested from late 14th century; meaning "striking disclosure" is from 1862. As the name of the last book of the New Testament (Revelation of St. John), it is first attested circa 1400 ...; as simply Revelations, it is first recorded 1690s.
: Circa 1300, "disclosure of information to man by a divine or supernatural agency," from Old French ''revelacion'', from Latin ''revelationem'' (nominative case, ''revelatio''), from ''revelatus'', past participle of ''revelare'' (see reveal). General meaning "disclosure of facts" is attested from late 14th century; meaning "striking disclosure" is from 1862. As the name of the last book of the New Testament (Revelation of St. John), it is first attested circa 1400 ...; as simply Revelations, it is first recorded 1690s.


== Apocalyptic jargon ==
== Apocalyptic terminology ==


=== Adventism ===
* [[Eschatology]]
The Church does not have a dogmatic definition of the sequence of events that will happen at the end of the world.  Not every verse in Scripture is asserted as "literally true" by the Magisterium (Latin, "teaching authority"; a single word standing for the "apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists, and teachers" in Paul's epistles).  No one will be exempted by the age in which they live from the obligation of justice to personally repent of all of our sins and to make reparation for our own wrongdoing.  The dogmatic teaching of the Church is in the Nicene creed: "He will come [Latin, '''"advent"'''] again in glory to judge the living and the dead." 
* [[Adventism]]
 
* [[Rapture]]
Catholics are therefore Adventists, but without any "countdown to kickoff" clock running and without any definite map of the end-time (Greek, "eschatological") events.  We know THAT Jesus will come and make all things new, but we do not know HOW or WHEN. 
* [[Tribulations]]
 
* [[Thousand Year Reign]]
=== Eschatology ===
::- [[Millenarianism]]
'''Eschaton''' is Greek for "the end."
::- [[Millenialism]]
 
::- [[Chiliasm]]
'''Eschata''' is the plural of '''eschaton''', so it means "end things" or "last things."
* [[Antichrist]]
 
* [[Parousia| Parousia (Second Coming)]]
'''Eschatology''' means "study of the end things"--striving to understand what God wants us to know about the end of the world.
* [[Judgment Day]]
 
=== The Rapture ===
 
==== 1 Thessalonians ====
; [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/1thessalonians/1thessalonians4.htm#v13 1 Thes 4:13-18]
<div style="margin-left:4em">
<sup>13</sup> We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.<br>
<sup>14</sup> For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep.<br>
<sup>15</sup> Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep.<br>
<sup>16</sup> For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.<br>
<sup>17</sup> Then we who are alive, who are left, will be '''''caught up''''' ''[raptured!]'' together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord.<br>
<sup>18</sup> Therefore, '''console one another with these words.'''
</div>
 
==== Theories about the Rapture ====
 
* Carl Olson, [http://www.ignatius.com/Products/WCBLB-E/will-catholics-be-left-behind-ebook.aspx?src=iinsight ''Will Catholics Be Left Behind?'']
 
{|{{Prettytable}}
|-
! Term
! Definition
|-
| Premillenialism
| The Rapture comes before the Millenium.
|-
| Postmillenialism
| The Rapture comes after the Millenium.
|-
| Amillenarian
| There is no Millenium; the Rapture coincides with Judgment Day.
|-
| Mid-tribulation
| Christians get Raptured after 3.5 of the 7 years of Tribulation.
|}
 
=== The Tribulations ===
=== Millenialism ===
 
=== Chiliasm ===
 
=== The Antichrist ===
Scripture speaks of more than one [[Antichrist]]. 
 
There always have been and always will be [[Judas Factor|traitors in the midst of the disciples.]]
 
=== The Parousia ===
 
=== Judgment Day ===


== The Scriptures ==
== The Scriptures ==
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=== New Testament Apocalypticism ===
=== New Testament Apocalypticism ===


== The dogma ==
:; [http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10:23 Mt 10<nowiki>:</nowiki>23]
From the [[Nicene Creed]] in 325 AD:


"He will come [Latin, "advent"] in glory to judge the living and the dead."
:: "When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes."


All Nicene Christians, and therefore all Catholics, are Adventists.
::: NAB footnote: ''"Before the Son of Man comes:"'' since the coming of the Son of Man at the end of the age had not taken place when this gospel was written, much less during the mission of the Twelve during Jesus' ministry, Matthew cannot have meant the coming to refer to the '''parousia'''. It is difficult to know what he understood it to be: perhaps the “proleptic parousia” of [http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/28:16 Mt 28:16-20,] or the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70, viewed as a coming of Jesus in judgment on unbelieving Israel.


=== Catechism of the Catholic Church ===
=== The "left behind" are the survivors ===
Part One: The Profession of Faith


Section Two: The Profession of the Christian Faith
==== Old Testament ====


Chapter Two: I Believe In Jesus Christ, the Only Son of God
:; [http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/isaiah/4:2 Isaiah 4:2-3]
<div class="hang">
<sup class="versenum">2</sup> On that day, <br>
The branch of the LORD will be beauty and glory, <br>
and the fruit of the land will be honor and splendor <br>
for the survivors of Israel.


Article 7: [http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c2a7.htm "From Thence He Will Come Again to Judge the Living and the Dead"]
<sup class="versenum">3</sup> Everyone who remains in Zion, <br>
 
everyone left in Jerusalem <br>
=== I. He Will Come Again In Glory ===
Will be called holy: <br>
 
everyone inscribed for life in Jerusalem.
==== Christ already reigns through the Church. . . ====
</div>
 
[http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c2a7.htm#668 #668] "Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living."<ref>[http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/romans/romans14.htm#v9 Rom 14:9.]</ref> Christ's Ascension into heaven signifies his participation, in his humanity, in God's power and authority. Jesus Christ is Lord: he possesses all power in heaven and on earth. He is "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion", for the Father "has put all things under his feet."<ref>[http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/ephesians/ephesians1.htm#v20 Eph 1:20-22.]</ref> Christ is Lord of the cosmos and of history. In him human history and indeed all creation are "set forth" and transcendently fulfilled.<ref>[http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/ephesians/ephesians1.htm#v10 Eph 1:10;] [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/ephesians/ephesians4.htm#v10 cf. 4:10;] [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/1corinthians/1corinthians15.htm#v24 1 Cor 15:24,27-28.]</ref>
 
[http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c2a7.htm#669 #669] As Lord, Christ is also head of the Church, which is his Body.<ref>[http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/ephesians/ephesians1.htm#v22 Cf. Eph 1:22.]</ref> Taken up to heaven and glorified after he had thus fully accomplished his mission, Christ dwells on earth in his Church. The redemption is the source of the authority that Christ, by virtue of the Holy Spirit, exercises over the Church. "The kingdom of Christ [is] already present in mystery", "on earth, the seed and the beginning of the kingdom".<ref>LG 3; 5; cf. [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/ephesians/ephesians4.htm#v11 Eph 4:11-13.]</ref>
 
[http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c2a7.htm#670 #670] Since the Ascension God's plan has entered into its fulfillment. '''We are already at "the last hour".'''<ref>[http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/1john/1john2.htm#v18 1 Jn 2:18;] cf. [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/1peter/1peter4.htm#v7 1 Pet 4:7.]</ref> "Already the final age of the world is with us, and the renewal of the world is irrevocably under way; it is even now anticipated in a certain real way, for the Church on earth is endowed already with a sanctity that is real but imperfect."<ref>LG 48 § 3; cf. [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/1corinthians/1corinthians10.htm#v11 1 Cor 10:11.]</ref> Christ's kingdom already manifests its presence through the miraculous signs that attend its proclamation by the Church.<ref>Cf. [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/mark/mark16.htm#v17 Mk 16:17-18,20.]</ref>
 
==== . . .until all things are subjected to him ====
 
[http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c2a7.htm#671 #671] Though already present in his Church, Christ's reign is nevertheless yet to be fulfilled "with power and great glory" by the King's return to earth.<ref>[http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/luke/luke21.htm#v27 Lk 21:27;] cf. [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/matthew/matthew25.htm#v31 Mt 25:31.]</ref> This reign is still under attack by the evil powers, even though they have been defeated definitively by Christ's Passover.<ref>Cf. [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/2thessalonians/2thessalonians2.htm#v7 2 Thess 2:7.]</ref> Until everything is subject to him, "until there be realized new heavens and a new earth in which justice dwells, the pilgrim Church, in her sacraments and institutions, which belong to this present age, carries the mark of this world which will pass, and she herself takes her place among the creatures which groan and travail yet and await the revelation of the sons of God."<ref>LG 48 § 3; cf. [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/2peter/2peter3.htm#v13 2 Pet 3:13;] [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/romans/romans8.htm#v19 Rom 8:19-22;] [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/1corinthians/1corinthians15.htm#v28 1 Cor 15:28.]</ref> '''That is why Christians pray, above all in the Eucharist, to hasten Christ's return by saying to him:<ref>Cf. [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/1corinthians/1corinthians11.htm#v26 1 Cor 11:26;] [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/2peter/2peter3.htm#v11 2 Pet 3:11-12.]</ref> ''Marana tha!'' "Our Lord, come!"'''<ref>[http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/1corinthians/1corinthians16.htm#v22 1 Cor 16:22;] [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/revelation/revelation22.htm#v17 Rev 22:17,20.]</ref>
 
[http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c2a7.htm#672 #672] Before his Ascension Christ affirmed that the hour had not yet come for the glorious establishment of the messianic kingdom awaited by Israel<ref>Cf. [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/acts/acts1.htm#v6 Acts 1:6-7.]</ref> which, according to the prophets, was to bring all men the definitive order of justice, love and peace.<ref>Cf. [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/isaiah/isaiah11.htm Isa 11:1-9.]</ref> According to the Lord, the present time is the time of the Spirit and of witness, but also a time still marked by "distress" and the trial of evil which does not spare the Church<ref>Cf. [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/acts/acts1.htm#v8 Acts 1:8;] [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/1corinthians/1corinthians7.htm#v26 1 Cor 7:26;] [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/ephesians/ephesians5.htm#v16 Eph 5:16;] [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/1peter/1peter4.htm#v17 1 Pet 4:17.]</ref> and ushers in the struggles of the last days. It is a time of waiting and watching.<ref>Cf. [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/matthew/matthew25.htm Mt 25:1, 13;] [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/mark/mark13.htm#v33 Mk 13:33-37;] [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/1john/1john2.htm#v18 1 Jn 2:18;] [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/1john/1john4.htm#v3 4:3;] [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/1timothy/1timothy4.htm 1 Tim 4:1.]</ref>
 
==== The glorious advent of Christ, the hope of Israel ====
 
[http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c2a7.htm#673 #673] Since the Ascension Christ's coming in glory has been imminent,566 even though "it is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority."567. This eschatological coming could be accomplished at any moment, even if both it and the final trial that will precede it are "delayed".568
 
[http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c2a7.htm#674 #674] The glorious Messiah's coming is suspended at every moment of history until his recognition by "all Israel", for "a hardening has come upon part of Israel" in their "unbelief" toward Jesus.569 St. Peter says to the Jews of Jerusalem after Pentecost: "Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for establishing all that God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old."570 St. Paul echoes him: "For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?"571 The "full inclusion" of the Jews in the Messiah's salvation, in the wake of "the full number of the Gentiles",572 will enable the People of God to achieve "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ", in which "God may be all in all".573
 
==== The Church's ultimate trial ====
 
[http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c2a7.htm#675 #675] Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers.574 The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth575 will unveil the "mystery of iniquity" in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh.576
 
[http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c2a7.htm#676 #676] The Antichrist's deception already begins to take shape in the world every time the claim is made to realize within history that messianic hope which can only be realized beyond history through the eschatological judgment. The Church has rejected even modified forms of this falsification of the kingdom to come under the name of millenarianism,577 especially the "intrinsically perverse" political form of a secular messianism.578
 
[http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c2a7.htm#677 #677] The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection.579 The kingdom will be fulfilled, then, not by a historic triumph of the Church through a progressive ascendancy, but only by God's victory over the final unleashing of evil, which will cause his Bride to come down from heaven.580 God's triumph over the revolt of evil will take the form of the Last Judgment after the final cosmic upheaval of this passing world.581
 
=== II. To Judge the Living and the Dead ===
 
[http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c2a7.htm#678 #678] Following in the steps of the prophets and John the Baptist, Jesus announced the judgment of the Last Day in his preaching.582 Then will the conduct of each one and the secrets of hearts be brought to light.583 Then will the culpable unbelief that counted the offer of God's grace as nothing be condemned.584 Our attitude to our neighbor will disclose acceptance or refusal of grace and divine love.585 On the Last Day Jesus will say: "Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me."586
 
[http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c2a7.htm#679 #679] Christ is Lord of eternal life. Full right to pass definitive judgment on the works and hearts of men belongs to him as redeemer of the world. He "acquired" this right by his cross. The Father has given "all judgment to the Son".587 Yet the Son did not come to judge, but to save and to give the life he has in himself.588 By rejecting grace in this life, one already judges oneself, receives according to one's works, and can even condemn oneself for all eternity by rejecting the Spirit of love.589


=== In Brief ===
==== New Testament ====


[http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c2a7.htm#680 #680] Christ the Lord already reigns through the Church, but all the things of this world are not yet subjected to him. The triumph of Christ's kingdom will not come about without one last assault by the powers of evil.
Paul speaks twice of a [[remnant|"faithful remnant"]] preserved by grace. The word for "remnant" in Romans 9:27 literally means "the ones left behind."  Those left behind are the lucky ones!


[http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c2a7.htm#681 #681] On Judgment Day at the end of the world, Christ will come in glory to achieve the definitive triumph of good over evil which, like the wheat and the tares, have grown up together in the course of history.
* [http://biblesuite.com/greek/5275.htm τὸ ὑπόλειμμα]


[http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c2a7.htm#682 #682] When he comes at the end of time to judge the living and the dead, the glorious Christ will reveal the secret disposition of hearts and will render to each man according to his works, and according to his acceptance or refusal of grace.
The same verb appears in a different form in Romans 11:3: "Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me."


"We who are alive, ''who are left,'' shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" ([http://usccb.org/bible/1thes/4:17 1 Thess. 4:17;] emphasis added).


566 <ref>Cf. Rev 22:20.</ref>
::  ἔπειτα  ἡμεῖς  οἱ  ζῶντες  οἱ  [http://biblehub.com/greek/4035.htm '''περιλειπόμενοι'''] 


567 <ref>Acts 1:7; Cf. Mk 13:32.</ref>
[http://biblehub.com/greek/3007.htm λείπω] is the root of ὑπόλειμμα and περιλειπόμενοι.


568 <ref>Cf. Mt 24:44; 1 Thess 5:2; 2 Thess 2:3-12.</ref>
I believe this is the proper interpretation of the gospel parable, which says that some will be taken by the enemy and some left behind. The "Left Behind" novels and movies, based on an idiosyncratic interpretation of the [[Rapture]] get this exactly backwards!


569 <ref>Rom 11:20-26; cf. Mt 23:39.</ref>
:; [http://biblesuite.com/greek/3062.htm τῶν λοιπῶν]


570 <ref>Acts 3:19-21.</ref>
:: The "left behind," the rest, the remainder.
 
571 <ref>Rom 11:15.</ref>
 
572 <ref>Rom 11:12, 25; cf. Lk 21:24.</ref>
 
573 <ref>Eph 4:13; 1 Cor 15:28.</ref>
 
574 <ref>Cf. Lk 18:8; Mt 24:12.</ref>
 
575 <ref>Cf. Lk 21:12; Jn 15:19-20.</ref>
 
576 <ref>Cf. 2 Thess 2:4-12; 1 Thess 5:2-3; 2 Jn 7; 1 Jn 2:18,22.</ref>
 
577 <ref>Cf. DS 3839.</ref>
 
578 <ref>Pius XI, Divini Redemptoris, condemning the "false mysticism" of this "counterfeit of the redemption of the lowly"; cf. GS 20-21.</ref>
 
579 <ref>Cf. Rev 19:1-9.</ref>
 
580 <ref>Cf Rev 13:8; 20:7-10; 21:2-4.</ref>
 
581 <ref>Cf. Rev 20:12 2 Pet 3:12-13.</ref>
 
582 <ref>Cf. Dan 7:10; Joel 3-4; Mal 3:19; Mt 3:7-12.</ref>
 
583 <ref>Cf Mk 12:38-40; Lk 12:1-3; Jn 3:20-21; Rom 2:16; 1 Cor 4:5.</ref>
 
584 <ref>Cf. Mt 11:20-24; 12:41-42.</ref>
 
585 <ref>Cf. Mt 5:22; 7:1-5.</ref>
 
586 <ref>Mt 25:40.</ref>
 
587 <ref>Jn 5:22; cf. 5:27; Mt 25:31; Acts 10:42; 17:31; 2 Tim 4:1.</ref>
 
588 <ref>Cf. Lk 21:12; Jn 15:19-20.</ref>
 
589 <ref>Cf. Jn 3:18; 12:48; Mt 12:32; 1 Cor 3:12-15; Heb 6:4-6; 10:26-31.</ref>
 
 
== References ==
 
<references />


== How should we prepare for the end of the world? ==
== How should we prepare for the end of the world? ==
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and all these things will be given you besides.<br>
and all these things will be given you besides.<br>
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.<br>
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.<br>
Sufficient for a day is its own evil” [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/matthew/matthew6.htm#v33 (Mt 6:33).]
Sufficient for a day is its own evil” [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/matthew/matthew6.htm#v33 (Mt 6:33).]


"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me" [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/matthew/matthew16.htm#v24 (Mt 16:24).]
"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me" [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/matthew/matthew16.htm#v24 (Mt 16:24).]
Line 214: Line 94:
God is not going to grade us on how accurate a map of the future we have drawn from reading the Scriptures.  No calendar specifying the sequence of future catastrophes has any saving value.   
God is not going to grade us on how accurate a map of the future we have drawn from reading the Scriptures.  No calendar specifying the sequence of future catastrophes has any saving value.   


Trying to calculate the amount of time left before the Eschaton, the End of Everything, is a waste of the time God has given us.  God does not expect us to follow hand-drawn maps of a future that has not yet arrived; He expects us to pick up our cross and follow Jesus here and now.  If God decides that we are to see Jesus coming in Glory, He will provide what we need at that moment--just as He has provided and will provide what we need at every moment in our lives.
Trying to calculate the amount of time left before the Eschaton, the End of Everything, is a waste of the time God has given us.  God does not expect us to follow hand-drawn maps of a future that has not yet arrived; He expects us to pick up our cross and follow Jesus here and now.  If God decides that we are to see Jesus coming in Glory, He will provide what we need at that moment — just as He has provided and will provide what we need at every moment in our lives.


At the end of the Gospel of John, Jesus reveals to Peter that he will be murdered for the sake of the gospel.  When Peter asks Jesus what is going to happen to the Beloved Disciple, Jesus replies, "What concern is it of yours? You follow me" [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/john/john21.htm#v21 (Jn 21:22).]  
At the end of the Gospel of John, Jesus reveals to Peter that he will be murdered for the sake of the gospel.  When Peter asks Jesus what is going to happen to the Beloved Disciple, Jesus replies, "What concern is it of yours? You follow me" [http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/john/john21.htm#v21 (Jn 21:22).]  
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I was baptized in the Spirit in Peter Kreeft's seminar on "Modern Man" at Boston College in January of 1971; I was present when Tommy Dilorenzo prayed over him for the Baptism in the Spirit at the Cenacle in Chestnut Hill and joined the next Life in the Spirit Seminar sponsored by that prayer group.  I was a member of the pastoral team that started the Boston College Charismatic prayer group in 1971.  I lived in the Cleveland Hill Christian Community in 1971-1972 and in Marian House in 1972-1973.
I was baptized in the Spirit in Peter Kreeft's seminar on "Modern Man" at Boston College in January of 1971; I was present when Tommy Dilorenzo prayed over him for the Baptism in the Spirit at the Cenacle in Chestnut Hill and joined the next Life in the Spirit Seminar sponsored by that prayer group.  I was a member of the pastoral team that started the Boston College Charismatic prayer group in 1971.  I lived in the Cleveland Hill Christian Community in 1971-1972 and in Marian House in 1972-1973.


In the fall of 1972, I became convinced that the End Times were upon us and that the "signs in the sky" would appear on Friday, October 13th, around 8:30 PM (if I remember correctly--I might also have picked Thursday, October 12, Eastern Standard Time).  I was delighted with the thought that once the End of Everything was underway, I wouldn't have to finish my term papers but could start preaching the gospel full-time.  My fall-back date was November 13 or thereabouts.
In the fall of 1972, I became convinced that the End Times were upon us and that the "signs in the sky" would appear on Friday, October 13th, around 8:30 PM (if I remember correctly — I might also have picked Thursday, October 12, Eastern Standard Time).  I was delighted with the thought that once the End of Everything was underway, I wouldn't have to finish my term papers but could start preaching the gospel full-time.  My fall-back date was November 13 or thereabouts.


I told only one person of my premonitions, in a very vague way.  When he asked me what I had been predicting after my dates came and went without any worldwide signs and wonders of any sort, I mumbled and changed the subject as soon as I could.
I told only one person of my premonitions, in a very vague way.  When he asked me what I had been predicting after my dates came and went without any worldwide signs and wonders of any sort, I mumbled and changed the subject as soon as I could.
Line 240: Line 120:
The date I picked was not the end of the world.  Nor was my stupendous error in judgment the end of the world.  It was what folks in some [[Twelve Step Programs]] call "Another F[ree] Growth Opportunity" (AFGO), except that they don't say "Free."  I pretty much got out of the game of predicting when the world will end, although I couldn't shake my superstitions about 1984 until 1985 rolled around.   
The date I picked was not the end of the world.  Nor was my stupendous error in judgment the end of the world.  It was what folks in some [[Twelve Step Programs]] call "Another F[ree] Growth Opportunity" (AFGO), except that they don't say "Free."  I pretty much got out of the game of predicting when the world will end, although I couldn't shake my superstitions about 1984 until 1985 rolled around.   


I believe it was Gordy Henry, a man who suffered from Down Syndrome, who told me at Daybreak in 1979, "I am a slow learner--but I learn!"  I think I've learned from my mistakes; I hope and pray it is the right lesson.
I believe it was Gordy Henry, a man who suffered from Down Syndrome, who told me at Daybreak in 1979, "I am a slow learner — but I learn!"  I think I've learned from my mistakes; I hope and pray it is the right lesson.


== A Kierkegaardian Postscript ==
== A Kierkegaardian Postscript ==
One of my favorite titles is [http://www.uri.edu/personal/szunjic/philos/conclud.htm ''Concluding Unscientific Postscript''] by Sören Kierkegaard, sub-titled "The Subjective Truth", and published under the pseudonym, Johannes Climacus.
One of my favorite titles is [http://www.uri.edu/personal/szunjic/philos/conclud.htm ''Concluding Unscientific Postscript''] by Sören Kierkegaard, sub-titled "The Subjective Truth", and published under the pseudonym, Johannes Climacus.


In this postscript, I hazard a guess that I could never prove.  It is not a Church teaching but just a personal opinion that you may take with as much salt as your doctor allows in your diet.
In this postscript, I hazard a guess that I could never prove.  It is not a Church teaching but just a personal opinion that you may take with as much salt as your doctor allows in your diet.
Line 266: Line 146:
as we wait in joyful hope<br>
as we wait in joyful hope<br>
for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
== Harold Camping (2011) ==
* [http://www.ncregister.com/blog/doomsday-preacher-beclowns-himself-in-public-all-over-again/#ixzz1mwsMslrh "Doomsday Preacher Beclowns Himself! In Public! All Over Again!"]
== Mayan Calendar (2012) ==
What is slated to happen on or near 21 December 2012 is the completion of the current Long Count cycle of the Mayan calendar.  It is not the end of the calendar, any more than 2000 was the end of the Gregorian calendar.  Just as we use twenty-four hours in a day, seven days in a week, approximately 30 days in a month, twelve months in a year, ten years in a decade, ten decades in a century, and ten centuries in a millenium, so the Mayans had a series of cyclic groups in their calendar.  When we reach 31 December 2012, the old year "dies" and a new year is "born."  The fact that our one year's calendar ends does not foreshadow the end of the world.  It's just time to buy a new calendar.
* [http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/the-mayan-calendar-2012-end-timing-is-inot-i-everything#ixzz1mwrUNtqi "The Mayan Calendar 2012: End Timing Is Not Everything."]
* [http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=686 ''Ask an Astronomer:'' "What's going to happen on December 21st 2012?"]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayan_calendar ''Wikipedia,'' "Mayan calendar."]
:: Misinterpretation of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar is the basis for a popular belief that a cataclysm will take place on December 21, 2012. December 21, 2012 is simply the day that the calendar will go to the next b'ak'tun, at Long Count 13.0.0.0.0. The date on which the calendar will go to the next piktun (a complete series of 20 b'ak'tuns), at Long Count 1.0.0.0.0.0, will be on October 13, 4772.
:: Sandra Noble, executive director of the Mesoamerican research organization Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc.(FAMSI), notes that "for the ancient Maya, it was a huge celebration to make it to the end of a whole cycle". She considers the portrayal of December 2012 as a doomsday or cosmic-shift event to be "a complete fabrication and a chance for a lot of people to cash in."
* [http://www.bizarrocomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/BizarroMayan-12-21-09-WB.jpg Bizarro comic:] A Mayan stone carver says, "I only had enough room to go up to 2012." His friend replies, "Ha! That'll freak somebody out someday."
== End Time Prayers ==
The end of the world is coming for me in my lifetime.  I know neither the day nor the hour.  I will face judgment with perfect justice.  God will ask me what I did with what He gave me.  I will not be judged on how accurately I predicted the time and sequence of events associated with the Second Coming of God the Son.  I will be judged on how well I loved and served Him with the life He gave me.
=== Apocalyptic Prologue for any prayer ===
"Dear Jesus, I am feeling anxious and fearful about the end of my life and the end of the world.  I have been buried with you in Baptism; I hope to rise with you after my death, whether it comes today, at the end of the whole world, or at any time between now and then.  In your will is my peace.  I rely on Your mercy and love.  Be it done unto me according to your will."
== A few failed predictions ==
:; [http://www.foxnews.com/science/2018/04/19/rapture-prediction-for-april-23-just-latest-kooky-doomsday-calls.html "Rapture prediction for April 23 just latest of kooky doomsday calls"]
● 1997: Author Richard Noone predicted in his book, “Ice: The Ultimate Disaster,” that on May 5, 2000, the planets would align and cause melting ice to strike the Earth's Equator.
● 2000: Y2K fears were rampant that the end of one century and start of the next would lead to computer mayhem, affecting electricity and even causing airplanes to drop from the sky.
● April 2007: Evangelical Christian leader Pat Robertson set that month and year as the end of the world. It is one of several times that Robertson warned about the end.
● September 2009: The Large Hadron Collider fired up, leading to the speculation that the world's biggest atom smasher could create a black hole that would swallow Earth.
● October 2015: Chris McMann, the leader of the eBible Fellowship group in Philadelphia, warned that a fire would end the world. When it failed to happen, McMann expressed shock.
* [[New_translation_of_the_Mass#Libera_nos|Deliverance prayer from the Mass.]]
* [[New_translation#Prayers_of_the_priest|Priest's prayers before Communion.]]
* [[Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel]]


== References ==
== References ==
<references />
<references />


[[Category:Eschatology]]
== Links ==
 
* [http://www.foxnews.com/science/2017/09/22/doomsday-timeline-dates-when-david-meade-others-said-world-was-supposed-to-end.html A few failed predictions of the end of the world.]
 
[[Category:Apocalypticism]]
[[Category:False Prophets]]
[[Category:New Testament]]
[[Category:Spirituality]]
[[Category:Spirituality]]
[[Category:Scripture Studies]]
[[Category:Scripture Studies]]

Latest revision as of 09:58, 13 December 2022

Apocalypticism is enthusiasm about what will happen at the end of the world.

Etymology of Apocalypse

Online Etymology Dictionary
Late 14th century, "revelation, disclosure," from Church Latin, apocalypsis "revelation," from Greek apokalyptein "uncover," from apo- "from" + kalyptein "to cover, conceal" (see Calypso). The Christian end-of-the-world story is part of the revelation in John of Patmos' book "Apokalypsis" (a title rendered into English as "Apocalypse" circa 1230 and "Revelations" by Wyclif circa 1380).

Etymology of Revelation

Online Etymology Dictionary — "reveal"
Late 14th century, from Old French reveler (14c.), from Latin revelare "reveal, uncover, disclose," lit. "unveil," from re- "opposite of" + velare "to cover, veil," from velum "a veil" ... Revealed religion, as opposed to natural religion, is attested from 1719.
Online Etymology Dictionary — "revelation"
Circa 1300, "disclosure of information to man by a divine or supernatural agency," from Old French revelacion, from Latin revelationem (nominative case, revelatio), from revelatus, past participle of revelare (see reveal). General meaning "disclosure of facts" is attested from late 14th century; meaning "striking disclosure" is from 1862. As the name of the last book of the New Testament (Revelation of St. John), it is first attested circa 1400 ...; as simply Revelations, it is first recorded 1690s.

Apocalyptic terminology

- Millenarianism
- Millenialism
- Chiliasm

The Scriptures

Old Testament Apocalypticism

New Testament Apocalypticism

Mt 10:23
"When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes."
NAB footnote: "Before the Son of Man comes:" since the coming of the Son of Man at the end of the age had not taken place when this gospel was written, much less during the mission of the Twelve during Jesus' ministry, Matthew cannot have meant the coming to refer to the parousia. It is difficult to know what he understood it to be: perhaps the “proleptic parousia” of Mt 28:16-20, or the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70, viewed as a coming of Jesus in judgment on unbelieving Israel.

The "left behind" are the survivors

Old Testament

Isaiah 4:2-3

2 On that day,
The branch of the LORD will be beauty and glory,
and the fruit of the land will be honor and splendor
for the survivors of Israel.

3 Everyone who remains in Zion,
everyone left in Jerusalem
Will be called holy:
everyone inscribed for life in Jerusalem.

New Testament

Paul speaks twice of a "faithful remnant" preserved by grace. The word for "remnant" in Romans 9:27 literally means "the ones left behind." Those left behind are the lucky ones!

The same verb appears in a different form in Romans 11:3: "Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me."

"We who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thess. 4:17; emphasis added).

ἔπειτα ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες οἱ περιλειπόμενοι

λείπω is the root of ὑπόλειμμα and περιλειπόμενοι.

I believe this is the proper interpretation of the gospel parable, which says that some will be taken by the enemy and some left behind. The "Left Behind" novels and movies, based on an idiosyncratic interpretation of the Rapture get this exactly backwards!

τῶν λοιπῶν
The "left behind," the rest, the remainder.

How should we prepare for the end of the world?

In view of the Church's dogmatic Adventism, "what must we do to gain eternal life?"

  • Repent of our personal sins and believe the Good News.
This is how we "accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior." Jesus is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life." When he reveals that He will come in glory to judge the living and the dead, He reveals that He is the Good Shepherd who personally guards and guides each member of the flock.
  • Make amends to those whom we have hurt.
  • Obey God's commandments and the precepts of the Church.
  • Cultivate the natural and supernatural virtues that make us fit to take our place in the Communion of Saints
  • Love God with our whole hearts, our whole minds, and all our strength and love our neighbor as ourselves.
  • Spend today in God's service. There is a proverbial saying to the effect that yesterday is gone, tomorrow may not come, so today is the day to live life to the full (Latin proverb: "Carpe diem," "Seize the day!").

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given you besides.
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.
Sufficient for a day is its own evil” (Mt 6:33).

"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me" (Mt 16:24).

God is not going to grade us on how accurate a map of the future we have drawn from reading the Scriptures. No calendar specifying the sequence of future catastrophes has any saving value.

Trying to calculate the amount of time left before the Eschaton, the End of Everything, is a waste of the time God has given us. God does not expect us to follow hand-drawn maps of a future that has not yet arrived; He expects us to pick up our cross and follow Jesus here and now. If God decides that we are to see Jesus coming in Glory, He will provide what we need at that moment — just as He has provided and will provide what we need at every moment in our lives.

At the end of the Gospel of John, Jesus reveals to Peter that he will be murdered for the sake of the gospel. When Peter asks Jesus what is going to happen to the Beloved Disciple, Jesus replies, "What concern is it of yours? You follow me" (Jn 21:22).

None of us knows whether we will be alive to see the End of Everything. We do know that, in any event, we will come to the end of our lives, one way or the other. The gifts and tasks that God has given to other Christians in other ages, past, present, or future, is none of our business. At the end of our lives, we will face God's judgment of how we have lived our own lives. It is none of our business how other Christians will or will not be put to the test. God will ask us, "What did you do with what I gave you?"

What should those Catholics who believe that "the end is near" do differently from other Catholics? Nothing whatsoever. The ordinary life of a good Catholic prepares each one of us for death and judgment. Except for a few privileged mystics to whom God gave a special, personal revelation about when and how they would die, the rest of us know "neither the day nor the hour" nor the month nor the year of our death. "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Amen!"

The earth can shake, the sky come down,
The mountains all fall to the ground,
But I will fear none of these things:
Shelter me, Lord, underneath your wings.[1]

Once burned, twice wary

I was baptized in the Spirit in Peter Kreeft's seminar on "Modern Man" at Boston College in January of 1971; I was present when Tommy Dilorenzo prayed over him for the Baptism in the Spirit at the Cenacle in Chestnut Hill and joined the next Life in the Spirit Seminar sponsored by that prayer group. I was a member of the pastoral team that started the Boston College Charismatic prayer group in 1971. I lived in the Cleveland Hill Christian Community in 1971-1972 and in Marian House in 1972-1973.

In the fall of 1972, I became convinced that the End Times were upon us and that the "signs in the sky" would appear on Friday, October 13th, around 8:30 PM (if I remember correctly — I might also have picked Thursday, October 12, Eastern Standard Time). I was delighted with the thought that once the End of Everything was underway, I wouldn't have to finish my term papers but could start preaching the gospel full-time. My fall-back date was November 13 or thereabouts.

I told only one person of my premonitions, in a very vague way. When he asked me what I had been predicting after my dates came and went without any worldwide signs and wonders of any sort, I mumbled and changed the subject as soon as I could.

I will now write down the three hardest words for a man to say: "I was wrong." (I have a cassette tape entitled, "Man Talk," and I periodically practice saying these words when no one is listening. They may yet come in handy again.)

The date I picked was not the end of the world. Nor was my stupendous error in judgment the end of the world. It was what folks in some Twelve Step Programs call "Another F[ree] Growth Opportunity" (AFGO), except that they don't say "Free." I pretty much got out of the game of predicting when the world will end, although I couldn't shake my superstitions about 1984 until 1985 rolled around.

I believe it was Gordy Henry, a man who suffered from Down Syndrome, who told me at Daybreak in 1979, "I am a slow learner — but I learn!" I think I've learned from my mistakes; I hope and pray it is the right lesson.

A Kierkegaardian Postscript

One of my favorite titles is Concluding Unscientific Postscript by Sören Kierkegaard, sub-titled "The Subjective Truth", and published under the pseudonym, Johannes Climacus.

In this postscript, I hazard a guess that I could never prove. It is not a Church teaching but just a personal opinion that you may take with as much salt as your doctor allows in your diet.

I think the apocalyptic mentality is fueled by the joy of knowing something that other people do not know. There is a special kind of pleasure in possessing knowledge known only to a few and hidden from the many. You can hear and feel the exultation of the preachers who say, "We know how this story ends. We've looked in the back of the book. We win!"

The certitude that Jesus is the Victor King and that all who remain faithful to Him will share in His victory is an essential ingredient in the faith. The joy of those who are saved is indeed a "blessed assurance" that can carry us through the darkest times we can imagine: earthquake, fire, flood, famine, pestilence, war, persecution, and disaster. That joy is our birthright. It is a free, unmerited gift from God that is lavished upon us when we are "born again." We should guard this joy as carefully as a sacred fire and never let it be extinguished by any evil that comes to us or to those whom we love.

At the same time, Jesus commands us not to be anxious about tomorrow. If we serve Him well in our state in life, we will enter into the joy of our Master. He will say to us, "Well done, good and faithful servants!"

I think the desire to know all of the details of the End Times is a kind of spiritual drunkenness. Having tasted the joy of Jesus' victory, we become thirsty for more than we have received at present. We want to know things that make no difference to us in our present state. We need to hear what Jesus said to Peter: "What is that to you? I want you to follow Me."

"I'll be living the life I should when I get advance notice on Monday evening that the Second Coming of Jesus is on Wednesday, and I don't need to change my Tuesday schedule."[2]

The end of the world will be glorious. It is something to look forward to with joy, because when Jesus is finished with His work of salvation, "every tear will be wiped away" and all of our sorrows will turn to joy. "All will be well, and all manner of things will be well again, I know" (Julian of Norwich). As we "wait in joyful hope" for that great day, we must not let apocalyptic enthusiasm rob us of our peace of mind and heart. This is the great apocalyptic prayer of the Church that we say at every Mass:

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil,
and grant us peace in our day.
In your mercy
keep us free from sin
and protect us from all anxiety
as we wait in joyful hope
for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Harold Camping (2011)

Mayan Calendar (2012)

What is slated to happen on or near 21 December 2012 is the completion of the current Long Count cycle of the Mayan calendar. It is not the end of the calendar, any more than 2000 was the end of the Gregorian calendar. Just as we use twenty-four hours in a day, seven days in a week, approximately 30 days in a month, twelve months in a year, ten years in a decade, ten decades in a century, and ten centuries in a millenium, so the Mayans had a series of cyclic groups in their calendar. When we reach 31 December 2012, the old year "dies" and a new year is "born." The fact that our one year's calendar ends does not foreshadow the end of the world. It's just time to buy a new calendar.

Misinterpretation of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar is the basis for a popular belief that a cataclysm will take place on December 21, 2012. December 21, 2012 is simply the day that the calendar will go to the next b'ak'tun, at Long Count 13.0.0.0.0. The date on which the calendar will go to the next piktun (a complete series of 20 b'ak'tuns), at Long Count 1.0.0.0.0.0, will be on October 13, 4772.
Sandra Noble, executive director of the Mesoamerican research organization Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc.(FAMSI), notes that "for the ancient Maya, it was a huge celebration to make it to the end of a whole cycle". She considers the portrayal of December 2012 as a doomsday or cosmic-shift event to be "a complete fabrication and a chance for a lot of people to cash in."
  • Bizarro comic: A Mayan stone carver says, "I only had enough room to go up to 2012." His friend replies, "Ha! That'll freak somebody out someday."

End Time Prayers

The end of the world is coming for me in my lifetime. I know neither the day nor the hour. I will face judgment with perfect justice. God will ask me what I did with what He gave me. I will not be judged on how accurately I predicted the time and sequence of events associated with the Second Coming of God the Son. I will be judged on how well I loved and served Him with the life He gave me.

Apocalyptic Prologue for any prayer

"Dear Jesus, I am feeling anxious and fearful about the end of my life and the end of the world. I have been buried with you in Baptism; I hope to rise with you after my death, whether it comes today, at the end of the whole world, or at any time between now and then. In your will is my peace. I rely on Your mercy and love. Be it done unto me according to your will."

A few failed predictions

"Rapture prediction for April 23 just latest of kooky doomsday calls"

● 1997: Author Richard Noone predicted in his book, “Ice: The Ultimate Disaster,” that on May 5, 2000, the planets would align and cause melting ice to strike the Earth's Equator.

● 2000: Y2K fears were rampant that the end of one century and start of the next would lead to computer mayhem, affecting electricity and even causing airplanes to drop from the sky.

● April 2007: Evangelical Christian leader Pat Robertson set that month and year as the end of the world. It is one of several times that Robertson warned about the end.

● September 2009: The Large Hadron Collider fired up, leading to the speculation that the world's biggest atom smasher could create a black hole that would swallow Earth.

● October 2015: Chris McMann, the leader of the eBible Fellowship group in Philadelphia, warned that a fire would end the world. When it failed to happen, McMann expressed shock.


References

  1. ↑ "Shelter Me" by Julie and Buddy Miller. Sung by Buddy Miller.
  2. ↑ John Diller, The Station of the Cross on Facebook, 5 March 2011.

Links

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