Millenarianism and Prophecy (part 2)
21 January 1999 09:09
This is the second part of Fr. « X »‘s 1994 article on the Second Coming of Christ.
| ——————– | The First Resurrection |
The stumbling block, as I mentioned above, has always been the problem of the mysterious resurrection (the « first resurrection ») indicated in Revelation 20: 5. Vassula’s writings remove this stumbling block by clearly stressing that a « resurrection » can also be spoken of in a spiritual way rather than a physical one. To cite just one example, Jesus says to Vassula on 19 Dec. 1990: « I have raised her from her grave and have taken her by the hand and formed her, » and then speaking to the listeners, he adds, « Have I not done the same to you too? » The approach Jesus uses here of a symbolic use of the word « resurrection » finds full confirmation in parts of the Scripture such as:
Are you not aware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? … If we have been united with him through likeness to his death, so shall we be through a like resurrection … you must consider yourselves dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus (Rom 6: 3 – 11).
Thus the resurrection that is spoken of in the Apocalypse need not be of a physical body. Likewise, we can see from Romans that the « beheading » or martyrdom need not be a physical one; it can refer to the faithful « witnessing » rendered by those who follow Christ: the faithful Church. In fact, in the original Greek language of the New Testament, the words for « witness » and « martyr » are the same since the martyrs then witnessed with their own blood.
Once the stumbling block of a physical resurrection and death has been removed from this passage, then the difficulties that this passage creates for the contemporary Church and certain ancient writers are eliminated. Moreover, other passages emerge with a dramatically new perspective.
| The Parousia |
Of course the idea that Jesus and the ancient Church saw the Messianic era or « parousia » as imminent is not a new one. Any dictionary of theology or theological encyclopedia will not fail to discuss the problem. For example, a standard English reference book, The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, states:
In general the New Testament writers expected an imminent, dramatic, visible return of Christ to usher in the New Age. The work begun in his ministry, death, and resurrection was to culminate in His triumphant parousia. This may be documented by a survey of the major divisions of New Testament literature. (vol.3 p 659)
Of course, there are those who deny that the early Church expected an early « coming » of Jesus, but it seems clear that this denial arises from the error we noted earlier in the article: if there is only one great divine intervention or « coming » of Jesus, then those places that seem to imply an intermediate or imminent « coming » have to be interpreted to harmonize with those that seem to indicate a « coming » after a longer period (e.g. after the proclamation of the Gospel to the whole world, cf. Mat 24: 14). How then to reconcile that with various passages that seem to imply a rapid « return » of Christ such as:
Then men will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. He will dispatch his angels and assemble his chosen … I assure you this generation will not pass away until all these things take place (Mk 13: 26 – 30).
The solution that many in the ancient Church held gives us also the correct solution to the problem today: there is not one, but two great interventions in the time that separates Pentecost and the end of history. In other words, the Messianic area, lived in its full intensity lies in our future and before the end of the world. Moreover, contemporary prophecy confirms that it is quite imminent.
Although I have spoken of two great « comings » here in the context of parousia, it would no doubt be better to speak of two « manifestations » of Christ in history after Pentecost. In fact the general sense of the word « parousia » is actually « presence » and then it is also an « arrival » or « coming ». Since Christ is in fact always present, it is really a question of his being present in a new way, or « manifesting » himself to us. In fact, this is the way that the term is used in 2 Peter:
It was not by way of cleverly concocted myths that we taught you about the coming (« parousia ») in power of Our Lord Jesus Christ, for we were witnesses of his sovereign majesty. He received glory and praise from God the Father when the unique declaration came to him out of the majestic splendour: « This is my beloved Son on whom my favour rests. » (2 Peter 1: 16 – 17).
Peter almost certainly is referring to the experience of the Transfiguration, which is the very event that follows immediately after Jesus promises: « I assure you, among those standing here there are some who will not experience death before they see the Son of Man come in his kingship » (Mat 16: 28). The reference is clearly to an event that involved no new physical arrival of Jesus; it dealt with a new manifestation of his « presence ».
Once we accept this view, many passages in the Scriptures are open to a new interpretation. For example, in 1 Cor 7: 25 – 31, Paul exhorts the first Christians to voluntary celibacy and detachment in general. His concluding motivation was « the world as we know it is passing away ». He does not simply say « the world is passing away », but the phrase, « as we know it » seems to imply that what is referred to is a new stage of history, rather than the end of the world. In a similar way, he speaks to Timothy in a way that seems to indicate an imminent hope of transformation (rather than the absolute end of the world): « I charge you to keep God’s command without blame or reproach until Our Lord Jesus Christ shall appear. This appearance God will bring to pass at his chosen time » (1 Tim 6: 14 – 15).
In this light, a re-reading of Romans 8 is also of great interest. Note, for example, when St Paul says:
I consider the sufferings of the present to be as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed in us. Indeed, the whole created world eagerly awaits the revelation of the sons of God … the world itself will be freed from its slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God, (Rom 8: 18 – 21).
The Reign of Christ in Tradition
St Justin, who was born less than one hundred years after the death of Jesus, in his famous work, Dialogue with Trypho, the Jew, quotes a Jew who is asking him:
Do you really profess that this place Jerusalem will be rebuilt? and do you expect that your people will be gathered together and that they will rejoice with Christ…?
St Justin gives this response:
I and many others are of this opinion, and we believe absolutely that this will happen, but … there are many Christians of pure and pious faith who do not share this belief … But I and such other Christians as judge rightly everything, believe that there will be … a thousand years in which Jerusalem will be built up, adorned and enlarged, as the prophets Ezechiel and Isaiah and others declare (Chapter 80).
There are a few points that are noteworthy here. On the one hand, St Justin admits that not all Christians accept the doctrine, but he feels that it is most certain. Moreover, he brings out something quite important, namely, that the idea of an earthly kingdom is something that goes all the way back to the Jewish beliefs before the coming of Christ.
The restored Jerusalem of Justin (which would seem to be the restored Church) is no doubt a literal interpretation of the Old Testament prophets and the Apocalypse. Again, Vassula’s writings point to a spiritual fulfilment of this prophecy in the restoration and renewal of the Church under the leadership of the Pope. In any event, it is clear that the apostolic teaching looked to this (whether literal or symbolic) as a « future » event that had not yet taken place. All of this accepts the Jewish hopes of an earthly triumph of God’s rule in history as authentically Christian.
to be continued…
