Introduction

The Book of Revelation is an example of apocalyptic literature, a literary form that does not exist today but was very popular during the period from 200 B.C. to 200 A.D.   The term "apocalypse" literally means "revelation of something hidden."  Apocalyptic images appear at various points in the Gospels including, for example, the birth narrative in the Gospel of Luke, the accounts of Jesus' baptism in all four gospels, and the "Little Apocalypse" in the Gospels of Matthew (ch 24), Mark (ch 13), and Luke (ch 21).  The idea is to present an image that reveals an otherwise hidden reality.

So what is the hidden reality being revealed in the Book of Revelation? Ultimately, it is God's work to restore creation to its intended purpose, finally achieved in Chapter 21 with the unveling of the new heaven and the new earth.   In this sense, the Book of Revelation represents the conclusion of the entire Biblical narrative that began with God's creation of the Universe in Genesis, and so it is entirely fitting that it appears as the last book of the Bible.

But there is more.  The Book of Revelation also reveals the hidden Reign of Christ as Lord and Savioir of the World.  This is exactly the same theme that underlies much of the Apostle Paul's writings, stated most clearly perhaps in his first letter to the Corinthians (e.g., 1 Cor 2:6-13; 15:20-28).   To fully understand what this means, we must remember that in the first century A.D., everyone in the Roman Empire knew that the Emperor Caesar was the Lord and Savior of the World, the Son of God.  These were emperial titles.  The early Christian proclamation of Jesus as Lord and Savior put Christ squarely in opposition to Rome.  The persecutions that thus followed were therefore not at all surprising.

The persecutions also raised a critical question:  if Jesus is Lord and Savior of the Word, why don't we see the Kingdom?  Why is Caesar sitting on the Throne of the Empire and not Jesus?  The Book of Revelation is the early Church's answer to these questions.

A Liturgical Celebration

The Book of Revelation is carefully organized around a liturgical celebration that unites the Church on Earth with the much greater Church in Heaven.  What happens in the heavenly liturgy changes what happens on Earth.  The overall structure and activity of this liturgical celebration mirrors and intensifies the structure and activity of Christian worship centered on the Eucharist, called "the Mass" by Catholic Christians today.  As a result, it is helpful to map the contents of the book of Revelation to the major parts of the Mass, as follows:

• The Introductory Rites
  • Salutation/Vision of Christ (ch 1)
• The Liturgy of the Word
  • Letters to the Seven Churches (ch 2 and 3)
• The Gloria
  • Liturgy of the Father (ch 4)
  • Liturgy of the Lamb (ch 5)
• The Homily (Proclamation of the Gospel)
  • The Seven Seals (ch 6 to 8:5)
  • The Seven Trumpets (ch 8:6 to 14:20)
  • The Seven Bowels (ch 15 to 18)
• The Eucharist
  • The Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Ch 19)
  • The Binding of Satan, the Reign of Christ, and the Judgment (Ch 20)
  • The New Creation (Ch 21)
• The Concluding Rites
  • The River of Life (Ch 22:1-7)
  • The Benediction (Ch 22:8-21)

As is apparent, most of the book (Chapters 6-18) maps to the proclamation of the Gospel, which in Christian worship consists both of the reading of the Gospel and the homily that follows.  Too often parishioners in the pew wait for the homily to be finished and miss what is really happening.  For, as John's Revelation makes crystal clear, the proclamation of the Gospel leads to judgment on those who hear and fail to respond.  Moreover, because each judgment is itself a call to repentance, failure to heed the call leads to greater judgment until the final end when God restores creation to its intended purpose and those who have ultimately refused him are themselves ultimately refused.

Despite the massive role that Divine judgment plays throughout Revelation, the underlying theme is joy and this theme surfaces again and again throughout the book, finally coming to a crescendo in chapters 19 through 21, corresponding to the Liturgy of the Eucharist.  This again highlights something often missed by many in the pew on Sunday mornings.  For it is in the Eucharist that Christ finally triumphs and that heaven and earth are joined in the Marriage of Christ to his Church, celebrated in a Great Feast of Thanksgiving. 

The consecration of bread and wine thus unites the worship of the faithful on earth with the Liturgy in heaven as the New Creation itself becomes a reality upon the Altar.  The Eucharistic Feast is therefore a downpayment and foretaste of the fully realized New Creation yet to come.  This is the fundamental meaning of the Catholic doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ, a doctrine we share with our Lutheran, Anglican, and Orthodox brothers and sisters -- that is, with the vast majority of Christians throughout the world and throughout history.  And it is the very heart of the Book of the Revelation.