St. Thomas More and Martin Luther go head-to-head.

Revelation 18:16-21 is a profound, albeit truncated, summation of the fall of Babylon. In the Old Testament, the term “Babylon” referred to either 1) the Babylonian Empire, which domineered present-day Iraq and Syria (for the sake of this argument, most notably in the 6th century BCE), or 2) the capital of the empire, Babylon, which was in ancient Mesopotamia. Scholars agree that the Babylon of Revelation references neither. Perhaps such a cipher in the last book of Scripture signals a people and a place found throughout the Biblical arc, carefully traced from beginning to end. Conversely, by using a largely critical or futurist perspective, a popular conclusion implicates either pagan Rome or the Roman Catholic Church as the Babylon of Revelation—both of which, in my opinion, veer from Old and New Testament continuity, if not historic account. Through an analysis of vv. 16-21, using a preterist perspective—with a literal and anagogical interpretation—Jerusalem (Israel, in general) stands as a more comprehensive representation.

“As early as the second century we have the witness of St. Justin Martyr for the basic lines of the order of the Eucharistic celebration. They have stayed the same until our own day for all the great liturgical families. St. Justin wrote to the pagan emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161) around the year 155, explaining what Christians did:”

“When one considers all the attempts from within and without to destroy the church, the fact that it has survived these nearly 2,000 years, and vibrantly so, is a testament to its truthfulness and a fulfillment of Jesus' promise that the gates of hell would not prevail against it.”

“Your story is your story. Don’t be afraid to share.”

Likewise, we also have entered a voyage with Jesus to the other side. “There have been storms that we have faced and times of questioning within the storm, questions as to whether Jesus is with us or not. We have called out in our need and have experienced the calming of the tempests that we face.”

(ICR photo/Dr. Victor Sanchez, Bridgetower Photography)

…Alone, with my Bible alone, my interpretations were all that mattered. An inch, a foot, a yard, a mile.

I praised God while engaging in the opposite of His commands.

“All is vanity and a striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14).

Join me as I launch my new YouTube series.

Fr. Mike Schmitz discusses A Christmas Carol and The Last Judgment, among other things.