The Apparition Of Chapter One

Who Is The Apparition At Patmos ?

 

"I was in the spirit on the Lord's day and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying: What thou seest, write in a book and send to the seven churches which are in Asia:  to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamus and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea" (verses 10-11). The voice he heard, "as of a trumpet", came from behind him, as if preceding him, as a father might a son.

 

This 'great voice' is the same who says: "Come up hither, and I will shew thee the things which must be done hereafter" (Apoc. 4:1). Afterwards, the first sight given to St. John was of "a throne set in heaven, and upon the throne one sitting" (Apoc. 4:2).

 

"And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks:  And in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, one like to the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the feet, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle" (verses 12-13). The seven golden candlesticks are the seven churches (verse 20) of which our visitor is in the midst; it is not hard to see in this the "Patron of the Universal Church" which is St. Joseph's title. The symbolism applies just as well to Our Lord Himself; but the point is, in these early years, Heaven did not wish confusion to result by too early a revelation of the virtues of the other two members of the Holy Family.

 

It is noteworthy that St. John did not identify the apparition as Our Lord, but only as "one like to the Son of man". It is possible he may not recognize Our Lord appearing in glory, but that is less likely than that he simply saw someone who bore a resemblance. In any case, it was not St. Joseph's time, at the beginning, other than to silently do his duty as he did. His time comes at the end, and so he shows the Apostle what is to happen then.

The next three verses describe his appearance, 'in glory'; St. John, having seen him, "fell at his feet as dead". Then the apparition laid his right hand upon him, and said, "Fear not.  I am the First and the Last, and alive, and was dead.  And behold I am living for ever and ever and have the keys of death and of hell" (verses 17-18). St. Joseph is "the least of the Holy Family, but he is its Head", which can be expressed as "the first and the last". Given that Our Lady was Assumed into Heaven at the end of Her life here, we may speculate that a similar privilege was bestowed upon this 'Holy Father', as St. Joseph had never sinned either. But unlike Our Lady, who is the Immaculate Conception, St. Joseph did indeed have the 'mark' of Original Sin, and yet did not sin. This happened only once.

 

As for "having the keys of death and of hell", which cannot be confused with the Apostolic Keys, it is suspected that he possesses them in his capacity as head of the Holy Family. Piously known also as "the just", he may be holding them until the Judgement as that Last Day is unknown to all; even Our Lord professed not to know it; but the Father alone knows (Matt. 24: 36).

 

It may be so that he holds these keys as a consequence of his role in Apocalypse, in which the book of life is unsealed, which is the main concern of the last book. He speaks with the same Truth as Our Lord, which is the "sharp two edged sword" (verse 16). Who was it, then, who gave the book, "sealed with seven seals", to the Lamb ? (Apoc. 5:1-7).[1]

Finally St. John is told that the "seven stars" seen in the visitor's right hand are the angels (or the bishops, or in some way the representatives) of the seven churches; and the "seven candlesticks are the seven churches" (verse 20). He wrote his Apocalypse "about 64 years after the Ascension"; the Pope at the time was probably have been either St. Clement I (88-97) or St. Evaristus (97-105); or else there was an interregnum at the time. But whatever the reason may be, this was not addressed to him by the apparition. It was to the Church as a whole which existed in his time, and through the centuries eventually, to the remnant Church which still exists today, without a pope. That is why the Apocalypse was not addressed to the pope.

 

 

Addendums Dec.06/25, Mar.29/26

 

St. Joseph is 'He, that sitteth on the throne' and we consider that we have sufficient reason for saying it is so. First of all, it does not make him God the Father. In the vision of St. John, the honour paid to 'he, that sitteth on the throne', is comparable to the honour paid to the Pope. It is not due to the particular man on the Chair of St. Peter so much as the Office which he represents. The throne represents the office of The Father, or as it may be called, the office of the Holy Father.

 

The papacy is based in some way upon the office of St. Joseph in his life with the Holy Family. St. Peter was the first to recognize Our Lord for Who He is on Faith whereas St. Joseph knew from the beginning. This relationship can be explored further at another time.

Someone sits upon the throne. And "from the throne proceeded lightnings, and voices, and thunders; and there were seven lamps burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God" (Apoc. 4:5). All these 'proceed from the throne' as it, and its occupant, represent in some way the will of the Father.

And the four living creatures are also "in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne" representing the Mother of God's relation to both God and Her earthly spouse, St. Joseph, since it is he who 'sitteth on the throne'.

The Holy Family is also to be found, complete, in Apocalypse:

"And I saw: and behold in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the ancients, a Lamb standing as it were slain, having seven horns and seven eyes: which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth" (Apoc. 5:6).

The Lamb and the Merits of His Passion, Death, and Resurrection are the foundation of St. Joseph's office and his sanctity (the throne upon which he sits), Our Lady's preservation from original sin and Her Divine Maternity (the four living creatures); and also of the ancients, which here may represent the communion of saints and/or the Old Testament figures. The Lamb is 'in the midst' of all of these, but the ancients are separated from the first two (the throne and the four living creatures) as it is the Holy Family first, followed by all the figures of the history of salvation. So the Lamb is firstly in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures. There is the Holy Family in Apocalypse.

St. Joseph's status ought to be given consideration for a dogmatic definition in the future.

 

 

Mar.29/26

 

When St. John was at the Cross with Our Lord Crucified and His Most Holy Mother:

 

"When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother:  Woman, behold thy son. After that, he saith to the disciple:  Behold thy mother.  And
from that hour, the disciple took her to his own" (John 19:26-27).

Given that Our Lord gave to His disciple His own Mother when He hung upon the Cross, is there not an implication for St. Joseph ? We think, therefore, that it is even more appropriate that St. Joseph be the one to appear to St. John at Patmos as recorded in chapter one of Apocalypse (if it is indeed him - this will be confirmed or not at some point). St. Joseph here represents not only his fatherhood as executed in the capacity as Head of the Holy Father, but he represents the Father of the Holy Trinity in more than a way merely symbolic.

This article about St. Joseph may also be of interest. In a sense, he was the first Head of the Church, represented by the Holy Family: St Joseph and the Church – Mgr Guérard des Lauriers

 

Footnotes / Additional Details

 

1.  The Lamb "standing as it were slain" (Apoc. 5:6) clearly represents Our Lord, and "the seven lamps burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God" (Apoc. 4:5) might represent the Holy Spirit in some way. It is interesting that none of the three Persons of the Holy Trinity are represented directly. Our Lord appears as the Lamb as was His time on earth; the Holy Spirit might be represented by the seven virtues which in turn might be the seven spirits before the throne. In a sense, the four living creatures, signifying the Blessed Virgin in the Marian dogmas, also represent Him; as Mary is of the Holy Family closest in nature to the Holy Spirit.

 

Concerning he who is on the throne, the Haydock commentary states (Apoc. 4:2): " I was in the spirit, rapt as it were in an ecstacy into heaven, and saw a throne, and one sitting, representing God the Father. (Witham)". So whomever is on the throne represents the Father.

Nevertheless, at the end of the revelations, when the apostle "fell down to adore" before the feet of "the angel" (as St John referred to him), he was told: "See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them that keep the words of the prophecy of this book. Adore God" (Apoc. 22:8-9)

 

* In Daniel 10:5-8 the prophet sees a vision of someone who in some details resembles the apparition of Apocalypse chapter one. The significance of this is not known:

5.  And I lifted up my eyes, and I saw: and behold a man clothed in linen, and his loins were girded with the finest gold:

6.  And his body was like the chrysolite, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as a burning lamp: and his arms, and all downward even to the feet, like in appearance to glittering brass: and the voice of his word like the voice of a multitude.

7.  And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw it not: but an exceeding great terror fell upon them, and they fled away, and hid themselves.

 

8.  And I being left alone saw this great vision: and there remained no strength in me, and the appearance of my countenance was changed in me, and I fainted away, and retained no strength.