Prophets II Catholic Bible study Lesson 22

Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks
Through His Servants the Prophets

Volume II: Restoration & Redemption

Lesson 22 An Apocalyptic Vision of Christian Tribulation
the book of Revelation 1:9–18
the book of Revelation 4:1–8
the book of Revelation 5:1–10
the book of Revelation 6:1–8
the book of Revelation 7:1–4
the book of Revelation 7:9–10
the book of Revelation 8:1–5
the book of Revelation 9:1–6

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for Thus Says the LORD—Volume II
cross references in Thus Says the LORD—Volume II
next lesson: A Revelation: Jesus Christ, King of Kings & Lord of Lords

This online supplemental material coordinates with the lesson on pages 159–165 of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I intend
and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
—the Book of Isaiah 55:10–11 (RSVCE)**

welcome to Volume II of our in-depth study of the biblical prophets
We invite you to check out the sample first lesson and video from Volume II of this Turning to God’s Word two-part Catholic Bible study. Our online pages link to the free related lesson videos, a glossary, and cross references in the biblical text, and include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption contains 23 lessons and has been granted an imprimatur. It may be purchased from our website shop. The companion 28-lesson Volume I: A Kingdom Divided also is available for purchase. 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 Exodus 32:1–29, the book of Deuteronomy 18:15–22, the First Book of Samuel 2:27–35, the Second Book of Samuel 7:1–16, the book of Genesis 14:17–20, Psalm 110:1–4, the Letter to the Hebrews 5:1–14, the Letter to the Hebrews 7:11–16; the Gospel According to John 1:19–33, and the Gospel According to John 13:34–35
Lesson 21 A Change in the Priesthood looks at how the failed priesthood—repeatedly criticized by the Old Testament prophets—plays a major role in shaping the direction of Jesus’ ministry as that ministry is described in the New Testament. Much hinges on two key Scripture passages from the New Testament—the Gospel According to Luke 1:5, establishing the priestly lineage of Jesus’ cousin John (called the Baptist in the synoptic Gospels According to Matthew, Mark, and Luke but more accurately thought of as a witness in the Fourth Gospel), and the Letter to the Hebrews 7:12: “For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well.”

map notes—the apostle John on the island of Patmos
The book of Revelation 1:9 records that John wrote this final book of the New Testament while on the island of Patmos in the Mediterranean Sea. Eusebius, who became bishop of Caesarea in 314 A.D. and is thought of as the father of Church history, establishes that the apostle John was an exile during Domitian’s reign as Roman emperor. When Domitian died after 15 years in power, many exiles were allowed to return to their homes. According to ancient tradition of the Church, it was then that the apostle John took up abode in Ephesus, site of one of the seven churches in the second and third chapters in the book of Revelation that are recipients of letters dictated by Jesus. Although not included in this study, the letters to these seven early Christian communities describe what life was like for followers of Jesus in the early Church. You can learn more in Lesson 3 What the Spirit Says to the Churches and Lesson 4 He Who Has an Ear, Let Him Hear, both in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness. Click on the map (right) to enlarge it. The original map is on page 158 of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

looking at prophetic images in the book of Revelation (57:25)
In the video overview for this lesson, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses how the author of the book of Revelation uses the lens of Old Testament prophecy to look at the direction in which Christianity is heading. While this final book of the New Testament is famous for its abstract imagery, it’s indebted to the Old Testament prophets we’ve been studying as the source of that imagery. Lesson 18 Daniel: A Model Jew and Lesson 19 Old Testament Eschatology covered the Book of Daniel, with its focus on things that already had happened in order to better understand how the faithful should react to events that were occurring at the time the Book of Daniel was written. None of the prophets intended to predict the future. The book of Revelation can be understood to look forward, but it doesn’t describe specific events. Instead, it relies on previous prophetic images to gain a sense of where the Church is headed. This is extremely relevant for Christians, and it’s only possible because prophecy doesn’t exist at just one point in time. There are two reasons the final lessons of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption look at biblical text from the book of Revelation: 1) to tie in and point back to earlier prophetic images we’ve examined in this study, and 2) to gain an appreciation and understanding of where the present-day Church is headed.

The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study match the ranges for the sets of questions in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption. Follow along as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 22, “An Apocalyptic Vision of Christian Tribulation,” on pages 159–165 in the study book.

a prophet needs an audience
John’s description of how he came to record the book of Revelation 1:9–11 bears strong resemblance to the calls of the Old Testament prophets. Space in this lengthy study doesn’t encourage us to delve into the letters written by the author of the book of Revelation—thought by most scholars to be the apostle John—but it’s worth noting that his intended audience is seven churches located in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Because John is in exile on the island of Patmos, he lacks an opportunity to share details of his vision with many other Christians of his time. Since the role of a prophet is to speak God’s words, John needs an audience. Through the canonical New Testament book of Revelation, that audience has become the Church.

what’s different about the message in the book of Revelation
Very few people undertake an in-depth study of the Old Testament prophets, but those who do have a distinct advantage when it comes to making sense of the images in the book of Revelation—all of which are borrowed from the Old Testament. The author of the book of Revelation has adapted these images to reflect the way in which the Incarnation, Passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ has changed reality. At their core, the bizarre images in the final book of the New Testament should be familiar to readers. The question is: What point might the author of the book of Revelation be trying to make when he borrows these images to describe the direction in which Christianity is headed?

how life & death are different
The book of Revelation 1:17–18 underscores the enormous change that has taken place as a result of Jesus’ willing sacrifice on behalf of humanity: “When I saw him [one like a Son of man in the RSV2CE translation of the book of Revelation 1:13; the earlier RSVCE uses lowercase for the word “son”***], I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.'” In this passage, the author John is standing in for all of humanity. Because of the way life and death functioned under the Old Covenant, John falls at the feet of the Son of man***, acting out the death that he fully expects to experience as a result of seeing the person he knows and recognizes to be God. The Old Testament consistently expresses the idea that it’s impossible to see God and live, and that understanding is behind John falling down as though dead. He truly believes he’s about to be dead. Jesus’ response to John’s action is surprising, but it shouldn’t be. For Jesus, death is no big deal, something he explains when he says: “I died, and behold I am alive for evermore.”

three things to keep in mind
1) John, the author of the book of Revelation, doesn’t represent an individual prophet as much as he symbolizes the entire Church, an institution in which all Christians are called to take on the role of prophet—as well as the roles of priest and king. 2) The imagery in the book of Revelation represents the sum total of Old Testament prophecy. 3) The book of Revelation inserts Jesus in the middle of that Old Testament prophecy. It’s essential that Christians not see Jesus’ Incarnation, Passion, death, and Resurrection as the end point in the ultimate aim of uniting humanity and divinity.

one like a son of man***
While a great many artistic works include visual depictions of Christ the King based on the description found in the seventh chapter in the Book of Daniel, few of those works include all of the details described by the author of the book of Revelation. The robe and golden sash are common and denote Jesus’ status as a king while suggesting that his reign is all-encompassing. Click to enlarge the illustration (right) by Turning to God’s Word co-founder Tami Palladino appears on page 139 in Lesson 19 Old Testament Eschatology and in Lesson 2 Behold, I Am Alive for Evermore in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness.

other things to notice about the Son of man***
Visual representations of Jesus rarely show him with white hair, however. In the book of Revelation as in the Book of Daniel, the white hair indicates the Son of man’s close identification with the ancient of Days, God the Father. Eyes like flaming fire also aren’t common in artistic representations of Jesus, nor are they very attractive. In the book of Revelation they convey the idea that Jesus possesses all knowledge and piercing insight. While Jesus’ feet ordinarily aren’t singled out for praise either, they often appear more beautiful in art than human feet appear in real life. The Book of Isaiah 52:7 describes as attractive the feet of a person bringing welcome news: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings, who publishes peace, who brings good tidings of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’” This passage about salvation foretells the coming of Jesus Christ. The sword issuing from Jesus’ mouth represents Scripture, and instead of Old Testament prophecy it connects to Paul’s New Testament Letter to the Ephesians 6:17.

WHAT DO YOU THINK heaven looks like?
In the book of Revelation 4:1–6(a), John is called up to heaven where he sees a throne, which is reminiscent of the prophetic vision recorded in the first chapter in the Book of Ezekiel. The sea of glass resembles the sapphire pavement in the book of Exodus 24:10 as well as the crystal firmament in the Book of Ezekiel 1:22, but the image in the book of Revelation differs in that it’s described as a sea.

? How else does John’s vision of heaven differ from the vision recorded by the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel?
? Consider what might be the most important element of John’s vision.
? Consider why the author of the book of Revelation describes a sea of glass before the throne in heaven instead of a crystal or sapphire pavement, which is how a similar image was recorded in the Old Testament?
? What can you recall from the history of the descendants of Jacob that associates religious importance with a sea? (Hint: How did a sea figure into the exodus out of Egypt?)
? How might the sea of glass in John’s New Testament vision of heaven function in a way that’s similar to function of the Red Sea in the book of Exodus?
? What frequently performed sacramental of the Church is most closely related to a sea, and what’s the purpose of that sacramental action?

the goal isn’t for humanity to go to heaven
Prior to the saving act of Jesus Christ, heaven was closed to humanity. When John is called to go up to heaven and then report on what he sees there, this is something new. After the Passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus,heaven is open to sincere followers of Jesus at the time of their death. The point of the book of Revelation is that God’s goal never has been to bring humanity to heaven. Rather, the fullness of life promised by God is a restoration of the original relationship between humanity and divinity. Jesus instituted a change that represents huge progress for men and women, but it isn’t the final goal. Humanity still needs to undergo more change in order for God to be able to join us here on earth in the same way that he joined Adam and Eve at the time of Creation. Both the Old and New Testaments focus on what humanity must do in order for this to happen. The book of Revelation looks at history from Creation to Jesus as a sort of blueprint for what needs to happen between the time of Jesus and the culmination of salvation history, which will be marked by the return of God the Father.

God connects the past with the present & the future
The hymn sung by the four living creatures in the book of Revelation 4:8—“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”—differs from a similar hymn recorded in the Old Testament Book of Isaiah 6:1–3: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” The Old Testament prophets had a vision of who God is (present tense). In the New Testament book of Revelation, John sees that God was and is and is to come—a God who encompasses the past, present, and future. This all-encompassing nature of God extends to Jesus, who, in the book of Revelation 1:8, describes himself as “Alpha and Omega” (the beginning and the end).

WHAT DO YOU THINK about the scroll with seven seals?
The fifth chapter of the book of Revelation introduces the scroll, which is being held in the right hand of the one seated on the throne in heaven (God the Father). Readers familiar with the Book of Daniel 12:4 (Lesson 19 Old Testament Eschatology), may see a connection to the writing that’s described in that Old Testament prophecy.

? What special instructions are given to Daniel regarding the words he’s instructed to record?
? What’s the condition under which Daniel’s writing can be unsealed?
? What’s the condition that everyone seems to be awaiting before the scroll can be opened in the book of Revelation?
? According to the author of the book of Revelation, who finally is found who can open the scroll?
? Consider what’s most likely to happen when all of the seals on the scroll in the book of Revelation finally are opened.

a very unusual Lamb
The main characteristic of the Lamb of God in the book of Revelation 5:6 is an apparent contradiction, “standing, as though it had been slain.” In addition to a strong connection to the Passover Lamb in the book of Exodus 12:1–13, the Lamb in the book of Revelation recalls the Lamb of God in the Gospel According to John 1:29, a title for Jesus used by his cousin John (called the Baptist in the Gospels According to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but more accurately thought of as a witness in the Fourth Gospel). Because the number seven represents a complete but imperfect set (think of a seven-day week continuing to the next), the Lamb’s seven horns and seven eyes symbolize power and knowledge. In this image, these are imperfect because the Lamb doesn’t yet know what’s on the scroll. Click to enlarge the illustration (right) by Turning to God’s Word co-founder Tami Palladino. It’s on page 163 of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption. Tami’s illustration originally appeared in Lesson 6 Who Is Worthy to Open the Scroll? in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness.

the Lamb meets the conditions for opening the scroll
The scroll in the book of Revelation needs someone worthy to open it; the words written by the prophet in the Book of Daniel are to be sealed until the end of time. The book of Revelation suggests that worthiness is the primary concern; the condition described in the Book of Daniel is temporal. The Lamb, standing as though it had been slain, clearly is Jesus, who’s identified as the Lamb of God early in the Fourth Gospel. Jesus’ cousin John made no mention of this Lamb standing as though slain, although the image of the Lamb of God obviously is a connection to the Paschal lamb sacrificed for the Passover in the twelfth chapter in the book of Exodus. This Lamb in heaven represents Jesus after his Resurrection. This makes the Lamb worthy to open the scroll and advance humanity to the end of time, thereby also meeting the temporal condition for unsealing the words of the Old Testament prophet.

what Matthew says—what’s on the scroll? why hasn’t it already been opened?
The mysterious scroll in heaven with its seven seals is a major driver of the action in the first half of the book of Revelation. In the video overview for this lesson, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps addresses how the content of the scroll relates to the Old Testament prophets, and Matthew explains why it is that the scroll has remained sealed until after Jesus has appeared on the earth.

don’t misinterpret those four horses in the book of Revelation
The description of the four horses found in the sixth chapter in the book of Revelation provides an example of how easy it is for present-day Christians unfamiliar with the works of the Old Testament prophets to misinterpret images in the final book of the New Testament. Pop culture depicts these as powerful images that cause the end of time. Their similarity to a parallel vision recorded in the first chapter in the Book of Zechariah suggests something much more positive—though still seen in connection to the end of time. More information about the purposes of these four horsemen can be found in “Positive Missions for the Four Horsemen” on page 164 of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption. The fourth horseman will reappear in Lesson 23 Jesus Christ: King of Kings & Lord of Lords in this Bible study.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT another common misrepresentation in pop culture?
The book of Revelation 7:4 records that in his vision the author hears 144,000 as the number of those marked with a seal as servants of God. Many present-day interpretations of this verse ignore the final phrase, which specifies that they are taken “out of every tribe of the sons of Israel .” This very clearly means that they’re Jewish. The idea of them being marked with a sign also is an exceptionally Jewish means of determining who will be spared from death.

? The book of Revelation 7:4–8 lists the founders of the 12 tribes of Israel. Who unexpectedly is listed? Consider which sons of Jacob (Israel) are missing from the list. If necessary, refer to the First Book of the Kings 12:25–30.
? What’s distinctive about the way in which the descendants of Jacob were marked to spare them from death? If necessary, refer to the twelfth chapter in the book of Exodus and the Book of Ezekiel 9:1–11.
? What does the book of Revelation 7:4 indicate about Jewish people who remain faithful to the terms of the Old Covenant?
? Read the book of Revelation 7:9–10. How is it that Christians are able to enter heaven?

read the Catechism—the seal of God
Paragraph 698 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that a seal “is a symbol close to that of anointing.” Consider who was anointed in the Old Testament. What does this suggest about the importance of the seal associated with three sacraments?

698 The seal is a symbol close to that of anointing. “The Father has set his seal” on Christ and also seals us in him. Because this seal indicates the indelible effect of the anointing with the Holy Spirit in the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders, the image of the seal (sphragis) has been used in some theological traditions to express the indelible “character” imprinted by these three unrepeatable sacraments.

what’s meant by the period of silence?
Events have been leading up to the opening of the seventh seal on the scroll. When that actually happens, the book of Revelation 8:1 describes a 30-minute period of silence in heaven. To present-day readers, this seems anti-climactic at best. Breaking the final seal can be seen as unlocking the message God already has given humanity through the words of the prophets. The tribulation undergone by the descendants of Jacob in the Old Testament is viewed as a necessary part of moving forward to Jesus Christ. It appears essential in order for the people to become receptive to God. Consider what the author of the book of Revelation might be suggesting about what’s necessary before the end of time?

pay attention to the numbers in the book of Revelation
Readers interested in learning more about the meaning of the number seven—and all numbers in the book of Revelation—may be interested in checking out the sample and online study page for Lesson 1 The Ruler of Kings on Earth in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness.

a new character enters the picture
It probably is no big surprise that the star fallen from heaven to earth in the book of Revelation 9:1 will later turn out to be Satan, a detail that gains importance in Lesson 23 A Revelation, Jesus Christ: King of Kings & Lord of Lords. Meanwhile, the book of Revelation 9:1–6 describes locusts coming up out of the bottomless pit opened by the fallen star, a reference to the plagues of locusts that appear in the Old Testament, especially in the tenth chapter in the book of Exodus and in the Book of Joel 2:1–13.

hope—you could look it up in our archives
Almost everyone who studies the book of Revelation comes away surprised by its hopeful tone. In Lost in Translation, an online column that can help readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps looks at a common misunderstanding about the meaning of the word “hope,” which has nothing to do with wishing for something and everything to do with expectation. 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.

how is this relevant?
The seal imparted to Christians in the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Anointing is associated with the act of anointing, something frequently referred to in the Old Testament. Each lesson in the study book Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption contains commentaries designed to make it easier to reflect on ways that God’s Word applies to present-day Christians.

? What instances of anointing can be found in the Old Testament?
? How is Jesus anointed by God in the New Testament, and for what purpose?
? For what purpose are that Christians are anointed?
? Consider why the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders are unrepeatable.
? What are the effects of being marked by the Church as belonging to the family of God?
? Consider whether others can recognize someone who’s received a sacramental seal.

Luther & the book of Revelation
Martin Luther, credited by most historians as setting off the spark that began the Protestant Reformation when he posted 95 theses on the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany, in 1517, was no fan of the book of Revelation. Luther is known for having pithily stated: “The book of Revelation does not reveal.” He’s by no means the only person—Protestant or Catholic—to have difficulty with this New Testament book, but the work remains part of both Catholic and Protestant biblical canons.

Comforting Mysteries of the Rosary
In German-speaking countries, it’s not unusual to see reference to a fifth set of Mysteries of the Rosary, usually referred to as the Comforting Mysteries. Although these aren’t considered to be on the same spiritual level as the Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and Luminous Mysteries, Catholics in those countries nevertheless are encouraged to pray the Comforting Mysteries in private. These mysteries are closely tied to important themes in the book of Revelation, and you can find additional references in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Scripture & the Rosary: New Testament Mysteries, Old Testament Parallels. The Comforting Mysteries are:

Jesus who reigns as king
Jesus who lives and acts in his Church
Jesus who will return in glory
Jesus who will judge the living and the dead
Jesus who will complete everything

oops—a correction in the study book
Future printings of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption will correct an erroneous Scripture citation in Question 10 on page 165 of this lesson. The corrected question will read:

Question 10 Read the book of Revelation 9:1–6. What limitations have
been placed on powers given the locusts from the bottomless
pit? Who might have limited their power? Compare the locusts described
in the book of Revelation 9:7–11 with those described in the
Book of Joel 1:1–7. How will the people tormented by the locusts in
the book of Revelation react? What does the Book of Joel 2:12–13
suggest is the reason that the locusts are forbidden to kill anyone?

the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption, 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, including the following passages from this lesson: the book of Revelation 6:1–8 and the book of Revelation 8:1–5.

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 that appears in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

to learn more, read more Scripture
It can help to check out the cross references listed in Scripture, but looking them up is time-consuming. To make that part 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 accompanying this study, and it includes links to each of the cross references in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

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
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes 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 links are to readings from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open one of the links and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV readings provide an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical texts. 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 1:9–18 (NIV)
the book of Revelation 4:1–8 (NIV)
the book of Revelation 5:1–10 (NIV)
the book of Revelation 6:1–8 (NIV)
the book of Revelation 7:1–4 (NIV)
the book of Revelation 7:9–10 (NIV)
the book of Revelation 8:1–5 (NIV)
the book of Revelation 9:1–6 (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, or you can use the following prayer based on this lesson’s biblical texts.

Lord God Almighty, you give strength to all who suffer
for your Word and for the testimony of your Son.
Protect us in the great time of testing.
Help us patiently endure tribulation
so that we don’t lose the promised rewards of faith.
We pray in union with the Holy Spirit
through Jesus Christ, the Lamb who was slain for our sake
and whose coming again in glory we eagerly await. Amen.

you also may like our study of the book of Revelation
The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness, a 23-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, examines ways in which our traditional Christian view of heaven is built on Hebrew apocalyptic visions recorded in the Old Testament. This recently revised study includes maps and additional commentary and takes a close look at the role of the prophets in present-day Christianity. Illustrations by Tami Palladino depict the often-misunderstood images in the book of Revelation. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.

start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption. You can find information on this website about beginning a Turning to God’s Word Bible study at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I are available to answer your questions and address any of your concerns. 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 study pages of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption 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. A handful of more 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 follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSVCE and RSV2CE). 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.

**The Book of Isaiah 55:10-11 (RSV2CE) reads: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I intend, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

***The capitalization of Son of man indicates the term is being used to apply to Jesus, who is both human and divine. When son of man isn’t capitalized, it either indicates the term is being used to mean an ordinary human being or to highlight that Jesus is human as well as divine.