Lacey Rose DeLucia, 12/23/2020, PD8, Day C

Lacey Rose DeLucia
Modern Mythology
Period 8
12/23/2020


Write about your thoughts regarding the most current reading.


The current reading was the “Book of Revelation” six to eight for team one. The lamb, who opens the seven seals, in the “Book of Revelation” is supposed to represent Jesus and his dual nature is shown as he brings punishment and chaos upon evil people but he saves the martyrs and servants of God. In this way, as the lamb he has has sacrificed himself to save us but also judges us in the end. However, one part that I would want to know more about is if the martyrs are still waiting because the book said that they must wait till the rest of them were killed in the same way or if their eternal salvation is the form of revenge. This apocalypse and restoration that the stories of the “Book of Revelation” share also applies to the story of Noah’s Ark and how God wiped out everyone but Noah and his family to restart. I like how this concept gives hope to the followers in that they are descendants of the chosen humans and urges them to live the way Noah did for fear of another apocalypse. It was also interesting how numbers played a role in the “Book of Revelation.” There were seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven vials, representing how the “Book of Revelation” is a collection of various versions of one story. Additionally, number 12 is used consistently as the angels saved 12,000 people from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, which can be interpreted as a sense of perfection or completeness rather than a definite number. I like this interpretation because it makes it seem less like a quota and just further illustrates the perfection in the process of choosing only the loyal followers to survive.


Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception.


As a Catholic person, it was interesting to read the Bible from a literary perspective rather than a religious perspective. When I originally read the Bible, I thought that the apocalypse and restoration of the story of Noah’s Ark was more of a one time occurrence far in the past, but reading it along with the “Book of Revelation” with its various versions and ambiguity showed me how this concept extends beyond religious context. It is ironic how humanity is currently at the intersection of several crises not too different from those outlined in the seven seals. Additionally, the “Book of Revelation” aligns with the message of the “Book of Job” as both suffering and a final judgement are inevitable but above all having faith and being authentic to God will lead to eternal salvation. Neither of these books give definite answers for the reasons for suffering or when or how we will be judged, but they do give a somewhat sense of hope in the midst of fear that salvation will be granted for all the followers. I always believed that acting according to the morals of the Catholic faith overshadowed formalities like going to church every Sunday. These books show me that there are no set answers for being a good person, and I continue to believe that having faith and gratitude for God is all that is necessary.



How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?


The ideas of the “Book of Revelation” and the “Book of Job” are applicable to the real world as disasters and suffering can be seen in a more healthy perspective, especially in these times. From these books of the Bible, I believe that obstacles that are specific to an individual at a certain time can be categorized like the suffering of Job as there may be no reason we can understand in the moment but it does make people a better person and have stronger faith in God. Meanwhile, the global hardships we face today, similar to the plague and natural disasters of the seven seals, are a form of the apocalypse from the “Book of Revelation.” It is not necessarily directed at specific people but it has the intent of reminding us that there are aspects of life where we have fallen behind and the tragic disasters have a somewhat positive effect of highlighting what needs to be fixed in society. In this way, we hope that the crises we face are only warnings and that there will be no future apocalypse on the scale of the story of Noah’s Ark.