The Two Beasts in Revelation - What Do They Represent?

Posted by Taylor Marshall 

If you watch History Channel documentaries, then you've probably come across some pretty wacky information about the Book of Revelation and the end of the world. 

Before you continue reading, bracket off all that you've heard. Let's look at the subject with new eyes. Let's look at it from within the context of the Old Testament.

Everyone would agree that one of the most confusing topics of the Apocalypse is the identities of the two beasts. Is it America, a Muslim nation, Russia, China, or perhaps the UN? These guesses are misled because they do not presume that the Old Testament provides the interpretive key for the New Testament.

This is just a brief post outlining the argument which I make in my new book The Eternal City.It is an old Catholic argument - namely that the two Beasts of the Apocalypse are the two political machines responsible for the death of Christ and 100% of all Christian martyrs of the early epoch. 

These two powers are Jerusalem and Rome. Of course, both forces allied to kill Christ (represented by Pontius Pilate plus the High Priest). However, this alliance continued with the martyrdom of Saint Steven, Saint James, the rest of the Apostles and then almost all the martyrs until Constantine.

If Rome is the great and terrible Beast described by Daniel, and Nero Caesar is the historical personage associated with the fierce actions of the apocalyptic Antichrist, then the Book of Revelation becomes much easier to understand in the context of history. 

• The dragon of Revelation is Satan, the serpentine demon who seeks to destroy Christ and his followers. 
• The terrible Beast is the Fourth Beast described by Daniel, the Roman Empire that issued the death sentence against Jesus Christ. 
• The sixth king is the sixth emperor of the Roman Empire whose name adds up to 666 (Nero Caesar) and who persecuted the Christians for forty-two months—Nero Caesar who foreshadows the future political Antichrist. 
• The woman who gives birth to the Messiah represents Israel but chiefly the most blessed Israelite virgin and mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. 
• The New Jerusalem from above is the Church, for she is described as the Bride of the Lamb, the Lamb being Christ Himself.

There are two more dominant symbolic images that remain to be identified in the Book of Revelation. Chapter thirteen of the Apocalypse describes two different beasts: 

1) the beast arising from sea.

2) the beast arising from the land. 

The sea is a symbol of the “peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues” (Apoc 17:15). The Sea Beast is the Beast ruling the Gentile nations – the Roman Empire as we have seen before. This beast resembles the dragon and receives a head wound—a reference to the protoevangelion in Genesis 3:15, when God promised that a descendant of Eve would boot the head of the serpent.

The second beast arises from “the land.” Some translations read “the earth” but the context of the Book of Revelation reveals that “the land” is a certain place. The book of Revelation uses the expression “the inhabitants the the land” twelve times to refer to the inhabitants of Israel. The land of Palestine was promised to Abraham, received after the death of Moses, and conquered by King David. The phrase “those who live in the land” refers to the Holy Land and the Old Testament frequently employs this phrase to refer to God’s judgment against the idolatrous Israelites living in “the land.”

The beast arising out of “the land” is thus a beast arising out of the Holy Land of Israel. Those who worship this beast are “the inhabitants of the land,” again a common prophetic motif denoting idolatrous Israel. 

The Land Beast had “two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon” (Apoc 13:11). In other words, this beast looks and sounds good, but it is truly evil. It is the apostate High priesthood and Levitical system of sacrifice that does not recognize the sacrifice of Christ. It's the form of Judaism that denies the Messianic claims of King Jesus of Nazareth.

It may seem rather shocking to some readers that the Book of Revelation depicts the High Priest and the sacrificial system he represented as an apostate beast fostering worship of the Roman Empire. However, we should remember that when faced with the choice between Caesar and Christ, the chief priests and leaders of the Jewish people shouted: “We have no king but Caesar!” (Jn 19:15). In this moment, the chief priests of Israel changed their allegiance from the God of Israel to the Caesar of Rome. They bowed down to the Roman Beast of the Gentiles and in turn became the Beast of the Holy Land.

The Land Beast who represents the violent, apostate version of Israel is able to work miracles through its union with the diabolic Sea Beast of Rome. The Book of Acts depicts the enemies of the Apostles as Jewish magicians (cf. Acts 8:9-24) and as ones working in concert with Roman officials (cf. Acts 13:6-11). The Land Beast also seeks to force Christians to “worship the Sea Beast” on pain of death. The Book of Acts reveals that the persecution of the early Church was almost uniquely a Jewish persecution of the faithful in concert with Roman officials.

Just as with the trial and murder of Christ, the apostate Jewish leadership planned their persecution in league with Roman officers. Paul himself suffered because of “the plots of the Jews” (Acts 20:19) and described his attackers as “wild beasts” (1 Cor 15:32).

The Book of the Apocalypse is a cosmic battle. It is a battle for the truth! The Church of Jesus Christ goes toe-to-toe with two fearsome enemies who have entered into an unholy alliance: Rome and Jerusalem. In brief, the Book of Revelation is an apocalyptic vision foretelling that the Church of Jesus Christ will overcome these two beasts and the demonic dragon behind their plots. 

It is the story of how the Church overcomes the Roman Empire and becomes the Roman Catholic Church. It is also the story of how the Church overcomes apostate Jerusalem and becomes the New Jerusalem. In both instances, the Church overcomes evil through suffering.

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The Devils and Consecration to Mary as Taught by St John Damascene & St Louis de Montfort

Posted by Taylor Marshall 

One of the most interesting paintings of Marian devotion

Saint Bernard being comforted by Mary

when he said, "Show me that you're my mother."

About three years ago I performed the 33 day consecration to Jesus through Mary as described by St Louis de Montfort. A strange thing happened. On the 33rd day, which I had timed to be August 15 (the Assumption of Mary and my wife's birthday), I entered the church and I experienced this very strange feeling of terror.

It was a demonic attack. It surprised me. I felt a dark presence. I felt terrible feelings and terrible thoughts began to crowd in my mind. I was a little scared. I felt like my soul was being suffocated with smoke.

Yet, I finished my prayers for the 33 Day Consecration in the church and at the very moment I finished, I felt like all the evil smoke had been sucked out of the room. I had an intense feeling of peace, love, grace, and mercy. I felt that Jesus loved me intensely and that Mary had wrapped her mantle around me to protect me. She was drawing me closer to Jesus. I felt it. I cannot explain it.

My diagnosis is that the devils did not want me to consecrate myself to Jesus through Mary and they realized that I would be gaining a special protection. They made a last ditch effort...and Mary's foot crushed their heads. They fled when the deal was done.

Regrettably, theologians beginning in the 1950s began to question to the concept of "consecration to Mary." Everyone is agreed that people and things can be consecrated to the Most Holy Trinity, and this true of the Eucharist in a preeminent way, but also true for the priesthood, nuns, and holy vessels, and our baptized bodies as tabernacles of the Holy Spirit (which is the reason that we must retain holy purity and custody of the eyes).

How then could people or items be consecrated to the Blessed Virgin Mary who is a human person and creature? This question often comes up regarding Our Lady's request for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Some say this is impossible since the Immaculate Heart of Mary is created and therefore not a proper object of solemn consecration.

Saint Louis de Montfort is the saint to answer this question since he shows that all consecrations to Mary (or to any saint for that matter) are ordered to our Lord Jesus Christ through His Sacred Humanity. Since all saints are members of His Body and partakers of His Divine Nature, consecrations to them are relative and are therefore through them to Christ our God. 

The same is true for prayer to saints. We pray to saints but understand that the prayer "to" a saint is relative and not absolute. Absolutely speaking, the intercessions of saints have their final terminus in Jesus Christ, the one mediator between God and men.

“For there is one God: and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5, D-R)

Saint John Damascene is one ancient example of "consecration to Mary."

We are present before you, O Lady, Lady I say and again Lady, binding our souls to our hope in you, and as to a most secure and firm anchor , to you we consecrate {anathémenoi} our minds, our souls, our bodies, in a word, our very selves, honoring you with psalms, hymns and spiritual canticles, insofar as we are able-even though it is impossible to do so worthily. If truly, as the sacred word has taught us, the honor paid to our fellow servants testifies to our good will towards our common Master, how could we neglect honoring you who have brought forth your Master? In this way we can better show our attachment to our Master.

-St John Damascene, "Sermo Prima de Dormitione," Patroligia Graeca 96, 720C-D, 721A-B.

Saint John Damascene, a Doctor of the Catholic Church, consecrates himself and his hearers to the Blessed Virgin Mary using the word anathémenoi. You will recognize this as the same word from which we derive "anathema" which can mean "set above," "suspended," "banned," and usually "accursed." It is the Greek word used to translate the Hebrew word חֵרֶם {charem} for those people or things which belong to God as either holy or cursed. The same idea is preserved in Latin where "sacrosanctum" can refer to persons who are either "holy" or "cursed." For example, to be "sacrilegious" has the same connotations.

All this relates to things "reserved for God" and this can be a blessing or a curse. For example the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist is the greatest blessing for one receiving It in a state of grace, but also the greatest curse if received in a state of original sin or mortal sin. Sacrosanctity cuts both ways.

Back to St John Damascene. He consecrates himself to Mary in this way by using the term "anathémenoi." This means that he is totally and completely given over and reserved for the Blessed Virgin Mary. (this should remind us of Blessed John Paul II, whose motto was directed to Mary: "Totus tuus" or "Totally yours.") Woe to him if should fail in his devotion to her. Yet this "Marian anathema" also includes the amazingly brilliant graces that he shall receive through her from Christ.

Moreover, this consecration to Mary in the form of an "anathema" is Christocentric (Christ-centered), or as I prefer to say, Christotelic (leading to Christ).Observe how St John Damascene concludes his consecration to Mary: "In this way we can better show our attachment to our Master." Our Master is Christ the Lord.

The whole point of Marian consecration is not to exalt Mary to the level of deity or to place her in competition with Christ. True Marian consecration (as also endorsed by St Louis de Montfort and St Maximilian Maria Kolbe) leads to greater love and service for Christ.

Do you want to consecrate yourself to the Immaculate Mother in this way? If so, I heartily recommend both St Louis de Montfort's consecration, but especially that of St Maximilian Maria Kolbe.

To use the Kolbe consecration in a solemn way, choose a Marian feast day. Fast on the day before (one meal), pray the Holy Rosary and attend Mass and Confession on that Marian feast day, and then recite the prayer of consecration. Renew the consecration annually.

Here's the Kolbe form of consecration.

Our Immaculate Lady, Mother of the Church, pray for us.

Marian books that you should own:

  

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Ancient Greek Saint Joseph Manuscript - The So-Called "History of Saint Joseph"

Posted by Taylor Marshall 

There is an ancient Greek manuscript that provides a biography of Saint Joseph told from the point of view of Jesus Christ. It is titled "The History of Saint Joseph the Carpenter." It was likely composed in Egypt between the 5th and 7th century. The only surviving copies known today are available in Coptic and Arabic translations of the original Greek.

The work definitely supports the Old Saint Joseph theory, a theory that I have tried to refute in this post: Was Saint Joseph Old or Young? (I hold with Maria Agreda that Saint Joseph was young at the birth of Christ.)

The manuscript explains why Joseph married Mary and describes Joseph's children from a previous marriage. The manuscript borrows heavily from the Protoevangelium of Saint James. What's interesting is that while Saint Joseph lives to be 111 (like Bilbo Baggins), he does not age or lose teeth. He's solid and healthy.

The book ends with a description of Saint Joseph's death which has cameos from Saint Michael and Saint Gabriel. The book then falsely says "And the holy apostles have preserved this conversation, and have left it written down in the library at Jerusalem."

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Pope Francis' Coat of Arms Explained as Devotion to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

Posted by Taylor Marshall 

The one thing you need to know about Pope Francis' coat of arms is that it is dedicated to the Holy Family: Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Blessed Mother, and Saint Joseph. 

Here's is a quick list of its symbolism.

• The IHS signifies the Holy Name of Jesus in Greek (IHSYS), and is an emblem of the Society of Jesus of which the Holy Father is a member.
• The three nails of the crucifixion are featured as a sign of Our Lord's Passion.
  
  [You may also want to read: Where did the 3 Nails of the Crucifixion Go?]
• The blue background of the shield signifies the blue protective mantle of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 
• The 8-pointed star symbolizes Our Lady as the Star of Sea. The number 8 represents the "eighth day" one beyond seven. Christ rose on the "eighth day" (Sunday) and His Kingdom is beyond. This is why baptismal fonts are 8-sided.
• The golden spikenard flower represents Saint Joseph's purity. Some have mistaken this image as a bunch of grapes, but it's not. It's a flower.

The shield rests on the keys of Saint Peter - the sign of the supreme and universal jurisdiction of the Pope. Traditionally, the gold key signifies "binding in Heaven" and the silver key signifies "binding on earth." (See Mt 16:18)

The papal motto “Miserando atque eligendo,” means “having mercy, he called him.” The phrase refers to a line in Saint Bede’s homily concerning the call of Saint Matthew the tax-collector: “Because Jesus saw him, having mercy, and chose him.” (See Mt 9:9-13)

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