book of Revelation 3:1–22 Catholic Bible study lesson 4

The Revelation of Jesus Christ:
The Faithful Witness

Lesson 4 He Who Has an Ear, Let Him Hear
the book of Revelation 3:1–22

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for the book of Revelation
cross references in the book of Revelation
chapter-by-chapter review page
next lesson: And Behold, in Heaven an Open Door!

This material coordinates with Lesson 4 on pages 24–29 in The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness.

“Great and wonderful are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways,
O King of the ages! Who shall not fear and glorify your name, O Lord? For you alone are holy.
All nations shall come and worship you, for your judgments have been revealed.”
—the book of Revelation 15:3–4

welcome to our in-depth study of the book of Revelation
We invite groups and individuals to check out the sample first lesson and video from this 23-lesson Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study. Our online pages link to the free lesson videos, a glossary, cross references in the biblical text, and a chapter-by-chapter review page—and they also include illustrations, maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness has been granted an imprimatur. The study may be purchased from our website shop. If you have a Bible-related question or comment, click on the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” button on any study page.

open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit
to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

let’s review—the book of Revelation 2:1–29
Lesson 3 What the Spirit Says to the Churches includes the letters dictated by the Spirit to John, with the intention that they be sent to four of seven Christian communities in what was then known as Asia. It appears that the author of the book of Revelation intends for these seven early Christian communities to represent the entire Christian Church. The four specific communities in the second chapter in the book of Revelation are at Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, and Thyatira. In these letters, Jesus tells Christians in these places how they’re doing—both the good and the not-so-good. The messages are different, but each letter promises a reward for those who conquer. Each letter also expresses a sense of urgency and exhorts its readers to hear what the Spirit is saying.

more about listening
The importance of listening is a recurring theme in the letters to these seven early Christian communities. It also shows up in one of the most important prayers in the Old Testament, which is found in the book of Deuteronomy 6:4–5: “Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one LORD …”. Its New Testament parallels are the Gospel According to Matthew 22:37, the Gospel According to Mark 12:28-30, and the Gospel According to Luke 10:27. In those passages, Jesus teaches that in addition to loving God with all of our heart, soul, and might, we’re to love God with all our mind. (The Gospel According to Matthew leaves out the word “might,” and the Revised Standard Version translations of the Gospels According to Mark and Luke translate “might” as “strength.”) In the synoptic Gospels, the Greek word translated as “mind” refers to thoughts. From this we should be able to figure out that Jesus wants us to think about our faith. The book of Revelation challenges readers to do just that. Click on the image (above right) to enlarge Turning to God’s Word co-founder Tami Palladino’s illustration, which is on page 26 of The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness. The map locating the seven early church communities that receive dictated letters from Jesus appears on page 28 and elsewhere in the study book; it can be enlarged by clicking on it.

humanity is in the process of creating the Church (33:25)
In the video for this lesson, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps continues looking at the letters to the seven Christian communities, which are found in the second and third chapters in the book of Revelation. A key point in connection with these letters is that God (Jesus) is speaking to humanity. Because men and women have free will, it’s possible for us to refuse to respond and not to do what God is asking. This wasn’t the case with the Creation of the world. The author of the book of Revelation is describing Creation of the Church, which represents a completion of God’s plan but is dependent upon human participation. Jesus’ mission extended beyond the salvation of individual persons to the establishment of his Church. The Church, in turn, is intended to bring about radical change, but this can only happen through the cooperation of men and women who will to do what God wills.

The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study match the Scripture ranges for the sets of questions in The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness. You can follow along with the video overview as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 4, “He Who Has an Ear, Let Him Hear,” on pages 24–29 in the study book.

thinking before speaking
The introduction to Lesson 4 in The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness mentions the opening words of The Rule of St. Benedict: “Listen carefully, my son, to the master’s instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart.” Author Judith Valente has pointed out that the first word in The Rule of St. Benedict is not “pray” or “worship” or even “love” but “listen.” Benedictine monks are urged to listen with “the ear of the heart.” Valente suggests that the following formula used by members of monastic communities for 1,500 years might go a long way toward helping humanity solve many of the world’s current political problems: “Before you open your mouth to speak, ask yourself if what you are about to say is true. Is it kind? Is it necessary?” Valente, a journalist and poet, is author of a number of books about Catholic spirituality, including Atchison Blue: A Search for Silence, a Spiritual Home, and a Living Faith.

WHAT DO YOU THINK that Jesus is asking of the churches?
The introduction for this lesson on page 24 in The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness goes into detail about the spiritual connection between listening and obeying. Basically, Jesus is asking the universal Christian Church to pay attention.

? Which of the seven communities seems to be in most need of paying attention to what Jesus has to say?
? Consider which of the seven letters might be the most desirable to receive from Jesus, and why.
? Consider how heresy and idolatry mentioned in the letters might be related.
? How many references to idolatry are apparent in the seven letters?
? What clues does the author of the book of Revelation provide to indicate that some of these idolatrous offenses are more serious than others?
? What are some secular idols that tempt people away from proper relationship with God?
? What is an example of a popular heresy prevalent in the present-day world?
? What can Christians do to offset its influence?

obedience: something to consider
The two most obedient people in the Scriptures are Jesus and his Mother. Although we rarely think about obedience as a trait of God the Father, the surprising truth is that in order for humanity truly to be able to exercise free will, God must be obedient to the choices we make—whether those choices are good or bad. Men and women frequently think we would like to be more like God and able to exercise the same divine power as God. We often overlook that there’s nothing stopping us from exercising two of God’s most distinguishing traits—being obedient and being forgiving.

? In what area of your life might God patiently be waiting for you to show more obedience to his will?
? In what area of your life might God patiently be waiting for you to be more forgiving?
? Consider how obedience, forgiveness, and the theological virtue of love might be related.

WHAT DO YOU THINK about Jesus’ knowledge of the seven Christian communities?
In each of the letters to the seven Christian communities, Jesus writes that he knows something about the particular church whose angel is being addressed. These early Christian groups can be thought of as akin to our parishes, and it seems that the author of the book of Revelation intends for them collectively to represent the entire Christian Church.

? In the Gospel According to Matthew 25:1–13, Jesus explains that the kingdom of heaven can be compared to 10 maidens who took their lamps and went to meet a bridegroom. In light of this parable of the wise and foolish virgins, what does Jesus’ knowledge of each of the seven Christian communities suggest about their members’ potential to enter heaven?
? What is it that Jesus knows about each community?
? What point might Jesus be trying to make by telling members of these communities the things that he knows about them?
? Consider whether it’s possible that the members of these seven Christian communities might not know as much about their spiritual situation as Jesus does.
? The all-knowing nature of God is called omniscience, and it’s one of the three “omni-” adjectives used to describe God. The other two are omnipresence and omnipotence, which mean, respectively, ever-present and all-powerful. What evidence of these traits can be seen in connection with Jesus so far in our study of the book of Revelation?
? Why might it be important that people recognize that Jesus possesses all three of God’s “omni-” traits?
? Consider what God expects these angels of the seven churches to do with the information in the letters that Jesus is dictating.

Q&A—what’s with these spirits, stars & angels?
A participant in one of the groups studying The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness points out that it’s difficult to come up with a good response to this part of Question 2 in this lesson: “What do the seven spirits and the seven stars represent? If necessary, refer to the book of Revelation 1:20.”

Q: We have the answer to what the stars represent in the book of Revelation 1:20, but there isn’t anything specified about the meaning of the seven spirits. One of our leaders thought the author was using the image of the seven stars to represent the seven churches, but it was unclear how she arrived at that. Another person also seemed to think the spirits represented the churches. Can you clarify what the author of the book of Revelation may have meant by the seven spirits and the seven stars?

A: [Here’s the question for the benefit of those who don’t have access to the study book. Question 2 (Read the book of Revelation 3:1–6; the instruction with Question 1 still applies). The repetition of the number seven in conjunction with the spirits of God and with the stars contrasts the completeness of Jesus to the incompleteness of the works of the Christians in Sardis. Where do the seven spirits of God apparently dwell? If necessary, refer to the book of Revelation 1:4. What do the seven spirits and the seven stars represent? If necessary, refer to book of Revelation 1:20. Since the Christians in Sardis were not literally dead when this letter was being written, consider what kind of death concerns Jesus. ]

That part of Question 2 is immediately preceded by a question about where the seven spirits apparently dwell, and it suggests that the book of Revelation 1:4 might be helpful in providing that answer. According to the author of the book of Revelation, the seven spirits are hanging out before the throne of him “who is and who was and who is to come.” Since we’ve already established that throne is in heaven and the one “who is and who was and who is to come” is Jesus, we know that the seven spirits dwell before the throne of God in heaven. This information helps shed light on what the spirits are doing in the third chapter in the book of Revelation.

We probably would call these seven spirits archangels, and tradition holds that they can be found around the throne of God except when they’re on a specific mission (not necessarily as messengers). The three archangels named elsewhere in Scripture are Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, though Raphael is named only in the deuterocanonical Book of Tobit. Later in the book of Revelation, seven angels will reappear several times, but here for some reason the author prefers to call these particular angels spirits, probably to indicate that they have more to do than serve as heavenly messengers. In the book of Revelation 1:20, the seven stars are equated with the angels of the seven Christian communities to whom the letters are being sent, so from that we can assume that both the seven stars and the seven spirits are angels.

What’s unclear is whether the archangels also are the angels of the seven churches, and that’s worth thinking about. The author John appears to be making a conscious distinction between the two, which suggests that they aren’t the same. The big deal about that block of questions is that there are seven spirits and seven stars, and Jesus makes the eighth in each group—so these two groups of seven images are connected through Jesus in some way. That the seven stars are referencing the universal Church on earth is pretty clear, and it seems likely that the seven spirits are representing its parallel in heaven.

Jesus perfects both, and as we’ll see moving forward in this study, the changes that Jesus’ sacrificial death bring about in reality on earth also change reality in heaven. That will become more obvious very soon.

In a roundabout way, because the spirits and the stars both are related to worship, and worship on earth reflects worship in heaven, the seven spirits do end up connected to the seven Christian communities. That doesn’t seem to be the point that the author is making, however. By treating the spirits and the stars as two different things, John is suggesting that the angels of the seven Christian communities (the stars) are something like guardian angels assigned to these specific communities and each of them is expected to watch over and deliver messages to the community to which they’ve been assigned. It’s comforting to extrapolate from that the idea that each of our parishes may have its own guardian angel doing much the same thing in the present day.

The angels of the seven Christian communities have a big job, but the archangels have different roles. There’s a ton of information about the hierarchy of angels in various places on the Internet, but not all of it squares with Church teaching. Much of it is based on Hebrew tradition, though, with which the author of the book of Revelation would have been familiar.

what’s in a name?
Multiple references to names in this section of the book of Revelation emphasize how important the author considers names to be. Christians traditionally receive names at key moments in our spiritual life, especially during the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. Many people change their name at marriage as well, and monastics take new names when they profess their religious vows. A newly elected pope also chooses a new name.

On the video for this lesson, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps comments about the responsibility connected with identifying ourselves as Christians. When we take on the name of Jesus Christ (Christian), we’re expected to act like Jesus. It’s a fair bet that the author of the book of Revelation had this in mind when he was stressing the word “name” throughout the letters to the seven Christian communities. Here’s where names show up in the second and third chapters in the book of Revelation:

the book of Revelation 2:3—The idea of a name shows up in the letter to the angel of the Christian community in Ephesus, whose members are enduring patiently and bearing up for Jesus’ name’s sake.
the book of Revelation 2:13—The Christian community in Pergamum is praised for holding fast to Jesus’ name.
the book of Revelation 2:17—Those from Pergamum who conquer will be given a white stone with a new name written on it.
the book of Revelation 3:1—The Christian community in Sardis is criticized because its members have the name of being alive but are dead.
the book of Revelation 3:4—There are a few names of people in Sardis who haven’t soiled their garments.
the book of Revelation 3:5—The names of those in Sardis who conquer won’t be blotted out of the book of life, and Jesus will confess their names before his Father.
the book of Revelation 3:12—Those who conquer in the Christian community in Philadelphia will become pillars of the temple of God, inscribed with the names of God, the city of God, and Jesus’ own new name.

shared insights—intriguing notions regarding new names
A member of one of our study groups has pointed out that in the Creation account found in the book of Genesis 2:19–20, Adam was given the task of naming all living creatures, so it’s a possibility that at the new Creation following the Final Judgment the new Adam (Jesus) will give new names to all living creatures (those participating in eternal life). Someone in another group connects the reference to receiving a new name on a white stone in the book of Revelation 2:17 with an ancient practice of using white stones as a token of admittance to invitation-only events such as weddings. Consider what might be the purpose of the book of Revelation and how these ideas about names might relate to that purpose. You can learn more about in Lesson 2 It Is Not Good That the Man Should Be Alone in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis.

kingdom of heaven—you could look it up in our archives
In his seventh letter—to Christians at Laodicea—Jesus promises that those who conquer will sit with him on his throne. To learn more about this mysterious “kingdom of heaven,” read Lost in Translation, an online column in which Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps helps readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.

ex libris—thoughts about Jesus & his relationship to the kingdom of heaven
In Jesus of Nazareth: What He Wanted, Who He Was, Gerhard Lohfink looks at Scripture to uncover truths about Jesus. A German priest and theologian, Lohfink uses his knowledge of theology and language to discuss the meaning of “kingdom of heaven,” a common translation that can be traced to Martin Luther. Lohfink explains why he prefers to translate the same phrase as “reign of God,” and he argues that in the Gospel According to Mark 1:15, “Jesus is not just talking about the reign of God. He is announcing it.” You can visit ex libris—main bookshelf to read an excerpt from Lohfink’s work, which highlights the centrality of the reign of God in Jesus’ life and work.

WHAT DO YOU THINK about buying gold from Jesus?
In the book of Revelation 3:18, Jesus counsels the Laodiceans to buy from him gold refined by fire. This raises a number of questions:

? What are Christians supposed to use for currency in this transaction?
? What exactly is the nature of this gold that Jesus is prepared to sell?
? What’s Jesus suggesting when he describes the gold as being refined by fire?

Q&A—what is a church?
When discussing the previous lesson, one Bible study group got bogged down trying to define “church.” It’s equally valid when looking at the final three letters to the Christian communities in the third chapter in the book of Revelation.

A: What does the word “church” mean, and why does Jesus use it when identifying early Christian communities?

Q—what Matthew says: This is an excellent question, and shows how easy it is to take for granted that we know the meaning of words we use all the time. In the Gospel According to Matthew 16:18, Jesus identifies the community of all of those who will follow him after his Passion, death, and Resurrection: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.”

The English word “church” is derived from the Greek word ekklēsia, which also the root of the word “ecclesiastic,” a noun used to refer to a priest or member of the clergy, or to Church thought and teaching. Church refers to the religious community as a whole, and it also can refer to the building in which an individual community gathers to worship.

In the Greek translation of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint, ekklēsia is used to describe a general assembly of Jewish people, especially when gathered for a religious purpose such as hearing the Law. The book of Deuteronomy 9:10 and 18:16 translate ekklēsia as “assembly. A related word shows up as the name of the Old Testament Book of Ecclesiastes, the Greek form of the Hebrew Qoheleth, which means “one who convenes or speaks in an assembly.” Qoheleth usually is rendered in English as “the preacher.”

It’s of interest that given his Jewish background, Jesus chose to refer to his followers as “church” rather than as “temple” or “synagogue.” It appears that Jesus wanted to emphasize the communal nature of worshiping in assembly and not the building in which that worship takes place. Although the distinction is somewhat blurred in the present-day, the word “church” generally is capitalized when it refers to the universal Catholic Church.

questions about the questions
Turning to God’s Word questions differ from those of many other Bible studies in that the answers are not always cut-and-dried. Don’t let our questions throw you off your game. Consider the possibilities, but if you find something too difficult or too confusing, move on to the next question. You always can return to problematic questions later, or you can send us a question about anything that confuses you. Lesson 4 offers two examples of questions that can cause difficulty. Remember that the point of in-depth Scripture study is to think and pray about what God might be saying to you individually at this particular moment.

—Question 5 (Read the book of Revelation 3:7–13; the instruction with Question 4 still applies). What criticism does Jesus hold against the Christians in Philadelphia? Of what does he approve? Who does Jesus imply has been tormenting these Christians? How does Jesus say that situation will be resolved? In the book of Revelation 3:10, what special reward does Jesus promise to the Christians in Philadelphia?

So what criticism does Jesus hold against the Christians in Philadelphia?
One possible answer to this question is that Jesus holds nothing against the members of that particular community, but you may have another equally valid answer. The questions are designed to help you think about the Scripture passages, but don’t try to read more into them than the biblical text will support.

—Question 7 (Read the book of Revelation 3:7–13; the instruction with Question 4 still applies). In addition to a crown, Jesus promises that any Christian from Philadelphia who conquers will be made into a pillar in the Temple of Jesus’ God. Of what are pillars constructed? What does this imply about the faith of the Christians in Philadelphia? Consider where this Temple is or will be built. Contrast the three things to be written on each pillar to the promise that Jesus made to those from Pergamum who conquer. If necessary, refer to the book of Revelation 2:17. Why might Jesus himself have need of a new name?

So why might Jesus himself have need of a new name?
This is a what-do-you-think question, and an easy answer may not occur to you. That doesn’t mean the question isn’t worthwhile to consider. Don’t be disturbed or alarmed if you can’t think of an immediate answer. It’s a difficult verse, and scholars continue to puzzle over what it might mean. Don’t rule out the possibility that someone else in your Bible-study group may have an answer that appeals to you.

the second Comforting Mystery of the Rosary—Jesus lives & acts in his Church
The second Comforting Mystery of the Rosary, a set of Mysteries often used in private prayer by Catholics living in German-speaking countries, is “Jesus lives and acts in his Church.” In our second lesson in The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness, we studied the importance of the fact that Jesus is alive. Our third and fourth lessons are connected to the remainder of the second Comforting Mystery, “Jesus acts in his Church,” which is apparent in the series of letters dictated by Jesus to be sent to the seven Christian communities that the author of Revelation considers collectively to be the Church. You can learn more about the traditional Mysteries of the Rosary in Scripture & the Rosary: New Testament Mysteries, Old Testament Parallels. Free digital lessons from that Bible study are available on our website on a rotating basis throughout the liturgical year.

? How can Jesus be seen to be living and acting in Church parishes today?
? How does Jesus’ ongoing presence as a living force within the Church touch the lives of individual Christians?

pray the traditional mysteries of the Rosary
We invite you to pray the Rosary along with Turning to God’s Word co-founder Tami Palladino and her daughter Anne Marie. The prayers can be found at how to pray the Rosary, along with Tami and Anne Marie’s videos of each of the traditional Rosary Mysteries—the Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and Luminous. Click on the diagram (right) to link to their how-to video. Visit the study directory of our most popular Catholic Bible study, Scripture & the Rosary: New Testament Mysteries, Old Testament Parallels, for more information about the Rosary and access to free online lessons.

the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic Bible study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however.

the book of Revelation 3:7—paragraph 303
the book of Revelation 3:15—paragraph 1065

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing extra information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out persons and places mentioned in the biblical text under multiple names or spellings. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun in the primary biblical text for The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness.

to learn more, read more Scripture
If you’re having difficulty with a passage of Scripture, it can be helpful to read the cross references pertaining to it—but looking these up can take time. To make that easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page, and it includes links to cross references in the primary biblical text for The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness.

review previous lessons
As we progress through the book of Revelation, the images become more complex, increasing the potential for confusion. To help participants in our study keep track of what’s happening in the Scripture, we’ve prepared a chapter-by-chapter review of key events and images in the book of Revelation. A link can be found at the top of every online study page that accompanies The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
You can find links to magisterial documents referred to in Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This page includes a listing of significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following link is to a reading from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV reading provides an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical text. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the book of Revelation 3:1–22 (NIV)

close with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers, you can follow our four easy steps. If you prefer, you can use the following short prayer based on this lesson’s text from the book of Revelation.

O God, you sent your Son to establish your Church on earth.
Grant that we in our parish communities
may not become lukewarm and indifferent
about the truths that are the foundation of our Christian faith.
Help us to listen to what the Spirit has to say,
that we may repent and be numbered among those who conquer.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ,
your faithful and true witness. Amen.

Lesson 5 And Behold, in Heaven an Open Door! the book of Revelation 4:1–11
Lesson 3 What the Spirit Says to the Churches, the book of Revelation 2:1–29

you also may like our two-part study of the prophets
Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided examines the prophets in their historical context using the First and Second Books of the Kings and other Old Testament passages written before the Babylonian Exile in 586 B.C. Volume II: Restoration & Redemption looks at the post-exilic prophets. This 51-lesson Catholic Bible study builds on The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King. Click on the books’ covers to view a sample lesson from each volume.

start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness. Information about beginning a Turning to God’s Word Bible study can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I are available to answer questions and offer support. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All Scripture links for the online pages of The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness are to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces these with more accessible English. The few significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.