The Christ of the Apocalypse

The National Catholic Broadcasting Council has released a video series featuring Msgr. A. Robert Nusca, President of St. Augustine’s Seminary.  Msgr. Nusca takes viewers on a compelling journey through the Book of Revelation and its message of hope for us today. The video is based on his book: The Christ of the Apocalypse: Contemplating the Faces of Jesus in the Book of Revelation.

Below, Msgr. Nusca shares some reflections.

1. The Book of Revelation is often associated with images of plagues, death and destruction. How does St. John offer us a message of hope?

Far beyond images of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Number of the Beast and Armageddon, earthquakes and falling stars, St. John offers us a message of hope in a time of crisis, inspiring trust and confidence in God’s power to renew the world.

Not unlike Jacob in the Book of Genesis who is given a vision of a stairway leading up into Heaven, John offers us a view through an open door into Heaven as he describes inspiring visions of God, and Jesus Christ the Lamb of God, together with the choirs of Angels who give glory and praise to God without ceasing.

As I point out in the video, John wants to show us that the Kingdom of Heaven is near, that good will triumph over evil, and that the old order of sin and death will pass away, as God “Makes all things New” in Jesus Christ.

2. Is the Apocalypse really about the end of the world – or something more?

Much more than visions of “the end of the world,” John foresees the arrival of: “a new Heaven and a new Earth” (Rev. 21:1).  

Indeed, he hears a loud voice from the Throne of God, saying that God will “wipe away every tear from their eyes,” that “death will be no more,” and that there will be “no more mourning and crying and pain” as God promises to “make all things new” (Rev. 21:3-5).

And throughout, the reader is offered a very rich and multi-faceted portrait of Jesus Christ, “The Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Rev. 22:13), “The bright Morning Star” (Rev. 22:16). 

3. How is John’s message of hope relevant to the times in which we live?

In our “postmodern,” “post-human,” “post-truth” era, at the dawn of the “fourth industrial revolution,” and with the rise of Artificial Intelligence, the Book of Revelation invites us to reflect upon a compelling portrait of the human person transformed by God’s grace, as we see in the Promises to the Victors (found in Rev. chapters 2 & 3).

St. John calls us to begin right now to prepare for the arrival of a “New Heaven and a New Earth,” and so to stand forever with God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit, alongside the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, “The Star of the New Evangelization”, together with the Angels and Saints in a new creation.

To view the video series, please visit The Christ of the Apocalypse: The Complete Series.