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00:00Hello, dear brothers and sisters! It's so nice to greet you again. I was looking at a question that came to us from Bogotá, Colombia, from Julieta Palacios, who wrote to this "Knowing to Love" section, and she asks us, Julieta, about the topic of the apocalypse.
00:22Father, I learned to read the Book of Revelation with fear when I was little. Because of this, I always felt a certain aversion to reading it. Could you help me understand it so I can find meaning and application in it for my life?
00:52Well, here it is, my dear Julieta. The truth is, it's a long question and not very easy to answer. I'll try to answer you with a series of points that can give you some reassurance about how the book always guides us toward happiness, peace, and joy.
01:15It's a wonderful and beautiful message. Anyway, I'd like to take this opportunity to invite you and all of you to enroll in our Bible school, where we can make great progress in these biblical topics and gain a deeper understanding of the revelation made by Jesus Christ through his word.
01:38And well, getting down to business, let me tell you Julieta that the book of Revelation closes the universal revelation with which God has shown us the path to life in the kingdom and his wonderful plan for each and every one of us.
01:56Contrary to what many think, the apocalypse is not a book full of terrifying prophecies or a series of private, uncommitted visions, nor is it a book for calculating the future or a biblical fortune-telling guide.
02:15It is, above all, a prophecy that announces Jesus as Lord of humanity and prevents humanity from abandoning itself to historical fatalism.
02:31Now, to understand the message of this book, it is necessary to remember that Sacred Scripture contains different literary genres.
02:42You can learn all this in our Bible schools.
02:44These are used by the author to communicate the message that God reveals to man.
02:51In particular, the apocalypse is a book written under three different literary genres.
02:59Apocalyptic, prophetic, and epistolary.
03:04Let's begin by saying that the word apocalypse in Greek means revelation.
03:09Now, this revelation has the peculiarity that it is made during a symbolic vision through a mediator who can be an angel.
03:22In Jewish apocalyptic literature, primarily, there appears an angel who reveals all of this.
03:27Or by Jesus Christ himself, as is the case with this book.
03:31To convey the message, the intermediary uses a series of symbols and prophetic signs, which the messenger will usually explain later.
03:44In other words, there is a person who presents himself, but through signs, through symbols, he will make certain prophetic elements visible to the one who is seeing the vision.
03:57Some symbols in the Book of Revelation of St. John presuppose a knowledge of Jewish symbolism.
04:06Let us remember that this book is written very specifically for those who know about this, mainly used in the books of Daniel and Ezekiel.
04:16This literary genre is commonly used in times of persecution, as is the case with Daniel, which responds to the persecution of Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the 2nd century BC.
04:31Thus, its symbolism conceals the message for those who do not belong to the people of God.
04:38It's like a key.
04:39It's in code.
04:41Let's say, let's write a book, let's write something, but we're going to write it in code, so that only those of us who know the code will be able to understand.
04:51We can then say that it is a coded message from God.
04:56Only for those who know the meaning of certain words.
05:01The book begins after a brief introduction with seven letters addressed, apparently, to the seven communities that were under the charge of the apostle Saint John.
05:12Each of these communities typifies a series of values and anti-values present in Christianity throughout history.
05:23The letter addressed to the community of Ephesus, for example, presents us with the case of many Christians who strongly embrace the Christian life through a retreat or a talk,
05:35They are active and capable of joining movements, even at the cost of fatigue and sacrifice.
05:42But little by little the world envelops them and the love of the Lord becomes routine and even activism.
05:49Jesus wants lovers more than workers.
05:55She wants lovers.
05:58It is important to work for him and for the kingdom and to suffer for him.
06:03But as Saint Paul would say, if I do not have love, then I am of no benefit.
06:08Through this text, Jesus is speaking to each one of us.
06:12Remember how much you loved me, how much you wanted to serve me and suffer for me, for my love.
06:21Don't let yourself be swept away by the world now, and return to your first love.
06:26See? It's a message for you, it's a message for us.
06:31Don't be afraid.
06:31Now, as regards the author of the apocalypse,
06:36Today, most exegetes and theologians agree that it was the apostle Saint John
06:43who most likely wrote it during the persecution of Domitian around the years 81 to 96.
06:52It is quite possible that he wrote it from the island of Patmos,
06:56where the apostle was exiled until the death of the emperor.
07:00We could say that the whole book focuses on the need to live a holy life,
07:07not out of fear of final punishment or in order to win the prize,
07:13but for love of him who loved us and gave himself up for us even unto death,
07:19as our beloved Saint Paul writes.
07:21It is, on the other hand, an open denunciation against the worship of everything that is not God.
07:29power, money, fame, possessions, honor,
07:35For the only one who deserves power, honor, and glory is God,
07:40the God revealed by Christ, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
07:44His symbolic vision presents us with the progressive and ever-continuous realization of God's salvific project
07:53and the state of vigilance that the Christian must have and show in order to always remain faithful.
08:02In other words, be careful, erosion is at your doorstep.
08:07Don't let your faith crumble.
08:11At the same time, it inspires the certainty that Christ has conquered and with Him we, His followers, will conquer.
08:20that where He is, we will also be, as He promised.
08:25It is the book that assures us that all things in Christ are new.
08:31in the new heaven and the new earth that are developing throughout human history
08:37until the final consummation, where we will all be one with God.
08:42In the next segment we will continue to delve deeper into this topic of the apocalypse.
08:48Don't be alarmed, as you can see, what we're seeing is something wonderful.
08:54This speaks to us of a God who loves us and wants our lives to always be faithful and perfect.
09:01I'll see you in our next segment to continue with this interesting topic.
09:06that our sister Julieta has proposed to us from Bogotá.
09:12Until next time. Blessings.
09:31Blessings.
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