Commentary on Revelation
Commentary on Revelation
The Venerable Bede
AD 673–735
The first of Bede’s commentaries, written for a brother named Eusebius. He reads the Revelation of John as a description of the whole life of the Church from the first coming of Christ to the last day, and not only of the end of the world. He follows the older African teacher Tyconius, whom Augustine had admired.
Preface
To the most beloved brother Eusebius, greetings from Beda. The Apocalypse of Saint John, in which God has deigned to reveal the internal battles and fires of His Church through words and figures, seems to me (brother Eusebius) to be divided into seven sections. In the first section, after a copious preface, to strengthen the faith of the weak and to enumerate the Lord's sufferings and subsequent glories, the Church sees one like the Son of Man clothed; who, after mentioning what specifically has been done or is to be done in the seven churches of Asia, describes the general struggles and triumphs of the whole Church. Here, in the sixth place, He advisedly subjects the Jews to the Church and foretells the temptation of the entire world, promising that He Himself will come soon; but in the seventh place, He places the lukewarm Laodicea. For when the Son of Man comes, do you think He will find faith on earth (Luke XVIII)?
In the second section, after describing the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders in the throne of God, He sees the Lamb open the seals of the seven-sealed book, revealing the future conflicts and triumphs of the Church. Here, according to the custom of this book, He maintains the order up to the sixth number, and passing over the seventh, He recapitulates and concludes two narratives as if following an order with the seventh. But this recapitulation must be understood according to places: for sometimes He recapitulates from the origin of the Passion, sometimes from the middle time, sometimes only from the final tribulation itself, or shortly before it. He nevertheless keeps it fixed that He recapitulates from the sixth. But the third section, under the guise of seven angels sounding trumpets, describes various events of the Church. The fourth section, under the figure of a woman giving birth and the dragon pursuing her, reveals the labors and victories of the same Church; and to each of the armies, He rewards worthy prizes. Here also the sayings and deeds of the seven angels are mentioned, although not in the same manner as before. For with mystical wisdom, this number is almost everywhere preserved, as it is also John's custom, in the Gospels and Epistles, to say nothing tepidly and briefly.
But the fifth section, through seven angels, poured out seven last plagues upon the earth. The sixth describes the condemnation of the great harlot, that is, the impious city. The seventh shows the adornment of the Bride of the Lamb, namely, the holy Jerusalem descending from heaven from God. I have thought it worthwhile to briefly mention the seven rules of Tyconius, a man very learned among his peers, by which those who study the Scriptures are greatly helped in understanding them. The first of these is about the Lord and His body, when the transition is made from the head to the body or from the body to the head, and yet it does not depart from the same person. For one person speaks, saying: "As a bridegroom has put a mitre on me, and as a bride adorned me with ornament"; and yet it must be understood what belongs to the head, what to the body, that is, what to Christ, what to the Church.
The second is about the twofold body of the Lord, or rather about the true and the simulated body of the Lord, as Saint Augustine preferred to call it. For the Church says: "I am black and beautiful, like the tents of Kedar, and like the curtains of Solomon" (Cant. I). She did not say: "I was black and now I am beautiful"; but she said she was both, because of the communion of the sacraments and because of the temporary mixture within the one net of good and bad fish. For the tents of Kedar pertain to Ishmael, because he will not be heir with the son of the free woman. The third is about promises and the law, which can be called in another way about the spirit and the letter, or about grace and the commandment. This seems to Saint Augustine more a great question than a rule, which is to be used in solving questions. For it is the one the Pelagians, not understanding, either founded their heresy or increased it.
The fourth is about species and genus. For species is a part, but genus is the whole of which that part is. Just as each city is a part of the whole province, and each province is a part of the whole world. Hence, these words have come into popular knowledge, so that even the unlearned understand what is specifically or generally established in any imperial command. This is also done concerning men, just as the things said about Solomon exceed his measure, and are more clearly related to Christ and the Church, of which he is a part. The species is not always exceeded. For often such things are said that either also or perhaps only most clearly fit him. But when the transition is made from the species to the genus, as if the Scripture were still speaking of the species, there the reader's attention must be alert.
The fifth rule he presents, which he calls concerning times, can also (as it seems to me) be called concerning numbers. He says it operates through the figure of synecdoche or legitimate numbers. The figure of synecdoche is either from a part to the whole or from the whole to a part. By this mode of speech, even the question about the resurrection of Christ is resolved; for the last part of the day on which He suffered, unless taken for the whole day, that is, including the previous night; and the night in whose last part He rose, unless taken for the whole day, that is, including the dawning day of the Lord, cannot be three days and three nights, in which He predicted He would be in the heart of the earth. He calls legitimate numbers those which divine Scripture commends more prominently, such as seven, ten, or twelve, by which often either the universality of time or the perfection of something is designated. As: "Seven times a day I have praised You" (Psalm 118), is nothing else but "His praise shall always be in my mouth" (Psalm 33). They also have the same value when multiplied by ten, as seventy and seven hundred; whence the seventy years of Jeremiah can be spiritually understood for the whole time during which the Church is among strangers, either by themselves, as ten times ten is one hundred, as twelve times twelve is one hundred forty-four, by which number the universality of the saints is signified in the Apocalypse.
The sixth rule Tyconius calls recapitulation. For certain things are said in the Scriptures as if they follow in the order of time or are narrated in the continuity of things, when the narration secretly refers back to earlier things that were omitted. As in Genesis it is said: "These are the sons of Noah in their tribes and languages. From these the islands of the nations were divided over the earth" (Gen. 10). And immediately: "But the whole earth was of one language and of one speech" (Gen. 11). It seems to have been said as if at the time they were dispersed there was one language for all, when rather, by recapitulating, it secretly added: How the languages were divided. The seventh rule of the same is about the devil and his body. For sometimes it is said of the devil what can be recognized not in him, but in his body, as the Lord, exposing the frauds and powers of the same enemy to blessed Job, among other things says: "Will he make many supplications to you, or speak soft words to you? For it is not read anywhere that the devil himself is going to do penance, but his body, which, condemned at the end, will say: "Lord, Lord, open to us" (Luke 13). These rules, therefore, not only in the Apocalypse, that is, in the Revelation of Saint John the Apostle, which the same Tyconius both understood vividly and discussed truly and sufficiently catholicly, except for those places in which, attempting to defend the schism of his party, that is, the Donatists, he laments the persecutions which they suffered from the religious emperor Valentinian, that is, as heretics, with their churches and peoples, houses and possessions handed over to the hands of the Catholics, and the priests driven into exile, and calling these martyrdoms, he boasts that these were foretold in the same Apocalypse; but whoever diligently considers it will find the same rules also operate in all canonical Scripture, and especially prophetic. Indeed, following the sense of this author in this work, we have omitted some things he placed extrinsically for the sake of brevity;
but many things that seemed open and not worth searching out to him as a clever man, and who, as it is said of him, flourished like a rose among thorns, as far as we could touch them by the tradition of teachers, by the memory of reading, or even by the grasp of our sense, we took care to add. For we also have this precept, that we should return the received talents with interest to the Lord. And since it pleased us to divide the mentioned work into three books for the sake of refreshing the mind, for somehow, as blessed Augustine says, "thus the attention of the reader is refreshed at the end of the book, as the labor of the traveler by an inn," nonetheless, to make the finding easier for seekers, the same uninterrupted series of chapters, as I had formerly distinguished in brief prefaces in the book itself, seemed to be preserved throughout. Indeed, thinking it necessary to consider the sluggishness of our nation, that is, of the English, which not long ago, that is, in the times of blessed Pope Gregory, received the seed of faith, and the same has cultivated it rather tepidly as far as reading is concerned, I decided not only to elucidate the meanings but also to compress the sentences. For brevity more than lengthy discourse is usually impressed on the memory. I wish you to fare well in Christ, most beloved brother, and to always deign to be mindful of your Bede.
Epigram on Blessed John and His Apocalypse
While John is exiled from the human world And forbidden to see the kingdoms of Coos' sun, Rejoicing, the beloved of the Lord enters the hall of heaven, Rejoices to be present with the choirs of the high throne of the King. Here, where he turns his sacred eyes on the subject world, He sees the ships driven by waves running everywhere, And Babel and Jerusalem clashing in mixed camps, Here and there, taking turns in hurling weapons and fleeing. But the white-clad soldier who follows the gentle Lamb With the leader receives the blessed kingdoms of heaven. The scaly serpent, through dark Tartarus, submerges his troops In flames, plague, and famine destroys his own. His face, his purpose, the order of the war, The art, the phalanx, the palm, or the weapons, While I would like to reveal, wandering through the broad fields of the ancients I have picked a few seeds from the sacred fields,
Lest a greater abundance of the table breeds disdain, Or such a banquet prevents the preparation of the slender guest. Therefore, if my dishes please your lips, Give praise to the God reigning above the stars. Otherwise, embrace, I pray, the friendly minds, Breaking with pumice what I sing.
Chapter 1
Revelation 1:1
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him, etc. The Church, founded by the apostles, by what course it was to be spread and by what end it was to be completed, had to be revealed to strengthen the preachers of the faith against the adversities of the world. John, as is his custom, referring the glory of the Son to the Father, testifies that Jesus Christ received the revelation of the mystery from God. [Revelation 1:1] -- Which must shortly come to pass. That is, what is about to happen to the Church in the present time. [Revelation 1:1] -- And he signified it. He intertwined the same Apocalypse with mystical words, lest it be despised by being manifest to all. [Revelation 1:1] -- Sending by his angel. For the angel used the figure of Christ to John, as will be more clearly apparent in the following.
Revelation 1:1
To his servant John. That through John, who, by the singular privilege of chastity, deserved to see these things before others, he might make the same known to all his servants. [Revelation 1:2] -- Who bore witness to the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus, etc. Lest you doubt the person of John, it is he who bore witness to the eternal Word of God and the same incarnate, as he saw, saying: We have seen his glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten from the Father (John 1). [Revelation 1:3] -- Blessed is he who reads, etc. Therefore, teachers and hearers are blessed, because the short time of labor is followed by eternal joys for those who keep the word of God. [Revelation 1:4] -- John to the seven, etc. Through these seven churches, he writes to the whole Church. For the universality is often designated by the number seven, as this whole age is revolved in seven days.
Revelation 1:4
Grace to you, etc. He wishes us grace and peace from the eternal God the Father, and from the sevenfold Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, who in the assumed man bore witness to the Father. He names the Son third, of whom he was going to speak more. He names him last as well, because he is the first and the last, since he had already named him in the Father by saying, who is to come. [Revelation 1:5] -- The firstborn of the dead, etc. This is what the Apostle says: We have seen Jesus Christ crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death. And elsewhere, explaining the disgrace of the cross, he added: Therefore God also has exalted him and given him a name that is above every name. [Revelation 1:6] -- And made us a kingdom, etc. Because the King of kings and heavenly Priest, by offering himself for us, has united us to his body, none of the saints is spiritually devoid of the office of priesthood, since he is a member of the eternal Priest.
Revelation 1:7
Behold, he comes with the clouds, etc. He who first came hidden to be judged will then come manifest to judge. He mentions this to strengthen the Church to endure sufferings, now oppressed by enemies, but then to reign with Christ. [Revelation 1:7] -- And those who pierced him, etc. Seeing him in the same form as a powerful judge in which they judged him as insignificant, they will lament themselves in late repentance. [Revelation 1:7] -- Even so, Amen. He affirms it without doubt by interposing "Amen," knowing most certainly that it will happen as revealed by God. [Revelation 1:8] -- I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, etc. The beginning, whom none precedes; the end, to whom none succeeds in the kingdom. [Revelation 1:8] -- Who is, and who was, etc. He said the same of the Father. For God the Father also came and is to come in the Son.
Revelation 1:9
I, John, etc. He hints at the person, place, time, and cause of the vision. He testifies that he saw it also in the Spirit, lest he be thought deluded by a fleshly apparition. [Revelation 1:9] -- Was in the island, etc. The story is known, that John was banished to this island by Caesar Domitian because of the gospel, to whom it was fittingly given to penetrate the secrets of heaven when he was forbidden to exceed certain earthly spaces. [Revelation 1:10] -- I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day. He also indicates a suitable time for the spiritual vision. For Scripture often expresses the fixed limits of causes, as often of place, body, or air, so also of time. For the angels visit Abraham at noon, Sodom in the evening. Adam feared at the voice of the Lord walking in the afternoon. And Solomon received wisdom at night, which he would not keep.
Revelation 1:10
And I heard behind me, etc. He is first admonished by the voice to turn his sight to the vision. [Revelation 1:11] -- And send to the seven churches, etc. The Church of Christ was not then only in these places, but the fullness consists in the number seven. Asia, which is interpreted as elevation, designates the proud height of the world in which the Church sojourns; and, as is the custom of divine mystery, the genus fits the species. For the Apostle Paul also writes to seven churches; not, however, the same as John. And although these seven places are a figure of the whole sevenfold Church, yet specific things happened in these which he reproaches or praises. [Revelation 1:12] -- And having turned, etc. Here the form of the Church is beautifully described, bearing the light of divine love in the brightness of a pure heart. According to what the Lord says: "Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning" (Luke XII). He designates the perfection of its interior and exterior by the two parts of the number seven, while each one, consisting of the four qualities of the body, loves the Lord God with all their heart, all their soul, and all their strength.
Revelation 1:13
And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of Man. He says "like unto the Son of Man" after He had ascended into heaven with death conquered. For even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we no longer know Him. But well, "in the midst." For He says, "All those around Him shall offer gifts." [Revelation 1:13] -- Clothed with a garment down to the foot. The "garment down to the foot," which in Latin is called a tunic reaching to the ankles, and is a priestly garment, shows the priesthood of Christ, by which He offered Himself as a sacrifice to the Father on the altar of the cross for us. [Revelation 1:13] -- And girt about the paps with a golden girdle. He calls the two testaments the paps, with which He nourishes the holy body connected to Him. For the golden girdle is the chorus of saints, adhering to the Lord with concordant charity, embracing and keeping the testaments (as the Apostle says) in the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephes. IV).
Revelation 1:14
His head and his hairs were white like wool, etc. The antiquity and immortality of majesty are shown in the whiteness of His head, to which all the chief ones cling like hair, resembling wool because of the sheep that will be on the right hand, and like snow because of the countless multitude of the purified and the chosen given by heaven. [Revelation 1:14] -- And his eyes were as a flame of fire. The eyes of the Lord are the preachers, providing spiritual fire and light to the faithful, and burning to the unbelievers. [Revelation 1:15] -- And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace. The fiery feet represent the Church of the last time, which is to be examined and tested by severe tribulations. Fine brass is brass brought to a golden color by much fire and medicine. Another translation, which says like the brass of Lebanon, signifies the Church in Judea, whose mountain is Lebanon, to be persecuted especially at the end. For the temple often received the name of Lebanon, to which it is said: "Open, O Lebanon, your gates, and let fire devour your cedars" (Zach. XI).
Revelation 1:15
And his voice as the sound of many waters. The voice of confession and preaching and praise resounds not only in Judea but among many peoples. [Revelation 1:16] -- And he had in his right hand seven stars. In the right hand of Christ is the spiritual Church. "The queen stood at your right hand in gilded clothing" (Psalm XLIV). To whom standing on His right, He says: "Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom" (Matt. XXV). [Revelation 1:16] -- And out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword. Who judging visible and invisible things, after He has slain, has the power to cast into the hell of fire. [Revelation 1:16] -- And his face was as the sun shining in its strength. As he appeared to the disciples on the mountain, so will the Lord appear to all the saints after the judgment. For the impious will see in the judgment him whom they pierced (John XIX). However, this entire appearance of the Son of Man also applies to the Church, with whom Christ has become one in nature, granting it the honor of priestly and judicial power, and that it may shine like the sun in the kingdom of his Father (Matt. XIII).
Revelation 1:17
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet. As a man, he trembles at the spiritual vision, but the Lord's mercy dispels human fear. [Revelation 1:17] -- Fear not; I am the first and the last. The first, because all things were made through him. The last, because all things are restored in him. [Revelation 1:18] -- And I have the keys of death and Hades. He says, not only have I conquered death by resurrection; but I also have dominion over death itself. He also granted this to the Church by breathing the Holy Spirit upon it, saying, "Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven," and so forth. [Revelation 1:19] -- Write therefore the things which you have seen, etc. Make known to all the things you alone have seen, namely, the various labors of the Church, and the wicked mixed with the good in it, until the end of the world.
Revelation 1:20
The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. That is, the rulers of the churches. For the priest, as Malachi says, is the angel of the Lord of hosts (Mal. II).
Chapter 2
Revelation 2:1
To the angel of the church in Ephesus write. He reproaches part of this church according to the quality of its name and praises part. For Ephesus is said to be interpreted as a great fall and my will in it. [Revelation 2:1] -- These things says he who holds the seven stars in his right hand. That is, he holds you in his hand and governs and controls you by his power. [Revelation 2:1] -- Who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. Who, moving among you, investigates the hearts and loins of each one. [Revelation 2:2] -- I know your works, and your labor, etc. I see you, he says, diligently performing good works and patiently enduring the intolerable wrongs of the wicked; examining carefully the words and deeds of false apostles, you have not in any way wished to yield to them.
Revelation 2:4
But I have this against you, that you have left your first love, etc. In some matters, indeed, you have abandoned the love you began with, which, unless they recover, I will deprive them of the promised light. However, in some matters, you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which are revealed in the following, that is, idolatry and fornication. [Revelation 2:7] -- He who has an ear, let him hear, etc. What he writes to each, he demonstrates he says to all churches. For it was not only the church of the Ephesians that was to be removed from its place if it did not repent, nor is the seat of Satan only in Pergamum and not everywhere. Thus, the other matters of each individual church are common to the whole Church. [Revelation 2:7] -- To him who overcomes, I will give to eat from the tree of life which is in the paradise of God. The tree of life is Christ, in whose vision in the heavenly paradise, and in the present body of the Church, the holy souls are refreshed.
Revelation 2:8
And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write. He suggests to this church to endure persecution, to which the name also agrees. For Smyrna means myrrh, which signifies the mortification of the flesh. [Revelation 2:8] -- These things says the first and the last, who was dead and came to life. Who both created all things and restored all things by dying. A fitting preface for urging patience. [Revelation 2:9] -- I know your tribulation and poverty, but you are rich. For blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Which Fortunatus beautifully explained in a short verse, saying: "The poor in their narrowness reign by having God." [Revelation 2:9] -- Those who say they are Jews and are not. They profess to know God, but deny him by their deeds. For Jew is the name of religion. Hence also the Apostle: "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter."
Revelation 2:10
Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested. These words apply to the universal Church, against which the devil always exercises inextricable enmities. [Revelation 2:10] -- And you will have tribulation ten days. This signifies the whole time in which the necessary commandments of the Decalogue are present. For as long as you follow the light of the divine word, it is necessary to endure the prison of the adversarial enemy. Some understand the ten persecutions of the nations from Caesar Nero to Diocletian to be signified. [Revelation 2:10] -- Be faithful unto death, etc. He shows to what extent the ten days reach, advising to keep the faith unto death. [Revelation 2:11] -- He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death. He who remains faithful until the death of the flesh will not fear the eternal death of the soul.
Revelation 2:12
And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write. Pergamum is interpreted as "dividing their horns," meaning he who by judging distinguishes between the virtue of the faithful and the treachery of the Nicolaitans, so that the horns of sinners are broken, and the horns of the just are exalted. [Revelation 2:12] -- These things says he who has the sharp two-edged sword. He fittingly prefaces with judicial power, who is to reward the victors and render punishment to those who err. [Revelation 2:13] -- I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is, etc. I approve of your patience, which, residing among the reprobates who are the throne of the devil, worships me not only by name, being called Christian, but with whole faith even in times of bloody persecution. But I disapprove that I see seducers and false teachers among you. [Revelation 2:13] -- And in those days my faithful witness Antipas, etc. Some understand Antipas as a martyr who suffered in Pergamum, others as the Lord Christ, who is still killed by unbelievers, as much as it lies in them.
Revelation 2:14
Eating things sacrificed to idols and committing fornication. These are the principal things by which carnal people are militant, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame. But every evil work is idolatry and spiritual fornication. [Revelation 2:15] -- Holding the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. The Nicolaitans are named after Nicholas the deacon, who, as Clement reports, was reprimanded for the zeal of a very beautiful wife and responded that anyone who wished could take her as his wife. Because of this, unbelievers taught that the apostles allowed all communal and promiscuous unions of women. It is said that the Nicolaitans also preached some fabulous and nearly pagan things about the beginning of the world, and did not separate their food from what was offered to idols. [Revelation 2:17] -- To him who overcomes I will give hidden manna. He who despises the enticement of the flesh, although hypocrites may urge it, will justly be filled with the sweetness of the invisible bread that came down from heaven.
Revelation 2:17
And I will give him a white stone. That is, a body now made white by baptism, then shining with the glory of incorruption. [Revelation 2:17] -- And on the stone a new name written. That we may be called and may be the sons of God. [Revelation 2:17] -- What no one knows except the one who receives it. Because he who says he knows God and does not keep His commandments is a liar. The hypocrite does not taste how sweet the Lord is. [Revelation 2:18] -- And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write. Thyatira is translated as sacrifice. The saints offer their bodies as a living sacrifice. [Revelation 2:18] -- These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire. He explains what the flaming eyes are below, saying: I am he who searches the minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your works.
Revelation 1:15
And his feet are like fine brass. And he explains that the latter works of this church are more numerous than the former. [Revelation 2:20] -- But I have this against you, that you permit the woman Jezebel, etc. Indeed, you are commendable in your work and faith, but you are reproachable in this, that you do not rebuke with worthy denunciation the synagogue of pseudo-apostles, who falsely claim to be Christians. The name Jezebel, which signifies a flow of blood, is fitting for heretics. And it is conjectured that there was a woman in the aforementioned church teaching these crimes, who was a figure of all Jezebel throughout the world, to whom he also threatens clear vengeance. [Revelation 2:20] -- To seduce my servants to commit fornication, etc. Certainly, under the name of Christ, she taught spiritual fornication and idolatry. For how could she openly teach the worship of idols, who called herself a prophet in the Church?
Revelation 2:22
Behold, I will cast her onto a bed. By God's just judgment, it happens that she lies in the bed of eternal punishment, who led the wretched into the bed of lust. [Revelation 2:23] -- And her children into death. Here he calls the posterity and works of the woman her children, threatening them with not the momentary death of the body but the eternal death of the soul. [Revelation 2:23] -- And all the churches shall know that I am he who searches minds and hearts. In minds, he signifies desires; in hearts, thoughts. [Revelation 2:23] -- And I will give to each of you according to your works. Therefore, our works and words can be known to men, but only He who sees knows what each one thinks, what each one desires, and where each one wishes to arrive through them. By what consequence is he called the knower of hidden things, punishing fornication and idolatry, which are manifest crimes, unless because these can also be called offenses even in the smallest? "You will destroy all who commit fornication away from You" (Psalm LXII). And the same apostle John, who hears these things, concluded when discussing false brothers: "Little children," he said, "keep yourselves from idols" (1 John V).
Revelation 2:24
To you I say, and to the rest who are in Thyatira. Just as he urges the impious to repent and threatens them with punishment, so he encourages the pious to patience with promises of eternal rewards. [Revelation 2:24] -- Who have not known the depths of Satan, etc. Just as those who work iniquity do not know God, even though they may preach Him. Likewise, God, although He knows all, does not recognize the workers of iniquity. [Revelation 2:24] -- I will put upon you no other burden, etc. I will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear. Otherwise, he says, be wary of false prophets (Matt. VII). For I do not send you new doctrine, but what you have received, keep it until the end. [Revelation 2:26] -- To him who overcomes falsehoods and keeps my commands, etc. The Church has this power in Christ, as the body in the head. In whom, according to the Apostle, God has given us all things (Rom. VIII).
Revelation 2:27
And he shall rule them with a rod of iron. He governs the meek with inflexible justice, so that they may bear more fruit; but he destroys the obstinate, so that they either perish eternally, or the earthly desires and muddy affairs of the old man are crushed in them, whatever has been contracted and ingrained from the mire of sins. [Revelation 2:28] -- And I will give him the morning star. Christ is the morning star, who, after the night of the world has passed, promises and reveals to the saints the light of eternal life.
Chapter 3
Revelation 3:1
And to the angel of the church in Sardis write. He reproves this angel, that is, the priest, for being less diligent in correcting evils. However, he praises some who walk in white garments, to whom the name of the Sardis stone, indeed precious, is fitting. [Revelation 3:1] -- I know your works, that you have a name that you live, and you are dead. You appear to be alive, but if you do not watch in correcting the wicked, you will be counted among the dead. [Revelation 3:2] -- For I have not found your works perfect before my God. The works of a ruler are not perfect before God if he does not strive to rouse others, even if he seems blameless to men. [Revelation 3:3] -- I will come upon you as a thief. As in the parable of the gospel, so here by the example of a thief to be avoided, he warns to be vigilant.
Revelation 3:4
But you have a few names in Sardis who have not defiled their garments. He did not say a few people, but a few names. For he calls his own sheep by name; he knows Moses by name, and he writes the names of his saints in heaven. [Revelation 3:5] -- He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments. He urges everyone to the habit of those who have kept the seamless robe of baptism unblemished. [Revelation 3:7] -- And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write. Philadelphia is interpreted as brotherly love, which is promised the open door of the kingdom and to be loved by the Lord. [Revelation 3:7] -- These things says the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David. That is, the royal authority, whether born from the lineage of David or because the prophecy of David was revealed through the dispensation of Christ.
Revelation 3:7
Who opens and no one shuts, etc. The secrets of the divine law are revealed to the faithful by the power of Christ alone and are closed to the unfaithful. [Revelation 3:8] -- Behold, I have set before you an open door, etc. The door of heavenly knowledge, which Christ has opened to his Church, is never shut by any force or effort. [Revelation 3:8] -- Because you have a little strength, etc. He shows the reason that this church deserves these gifts, because it does not trust in its own strength but in the grace of Christ the King. It is the praise of the protecting God and the devotion of the Church that the door of victory is opened to one of little faith, and that little strength is strengthened by faith. [Revelation 3:9] -- Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not. He promised this to the whole Church at that time, because not only in Philadelphia did they believe from the synagogue of the Jews, as we find in the Acts of the Apostles.
Revelation 3:10
Because you have kept my word of patience, etc. Because you have kept my example in enduring adversities, I will in turn keep you from imminent tribulations; not indeed that you will not be tempted, but that you will not be overcome by adversities. And although the Church is always exercised by adversities, here the hour of temptation and the humiliation of the Jews under the time of Antichrist can be signified, so that as in the following in the sixth order often, so also here in the sixth angel the final persecution is designated. In which indeed the evil Jews, deceiving and being deceived, but others, by the teachings of the great prophet Elijah, understanding the law spiritually and incorporated into the members of the Church, are believed to be strongly victorious over the enemy. [Revelation 3:11] -- Behold, I come quickly. Hold fast what you have, etc. Lest you grow weary in enduring. For I will quickly help, lest perhaps, if you fail, another receives the reward decreed for you. Thus, the number of saints, which is fixed with God, cannot be shortened by the treachery of growing tares. If indeed a crown is given to another when lost, the place of him who lost what he held is not vacant.
Revelation 3:12
He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, etc. He who overcomes adversities for my sake will gloriously fear no further loss of adversity in the temple of the Church. These pillars, that is, holy men, now strengthen the Church by supporting it, then will adorn it by standing out, just as those two in the doors of Solomon's temple. [Revelation 3:12] -- And I will write on him the name of my God. Because indeed by adoption we are called sons of God. [Revelation 3:12] -- And the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem. He will be associated with the unity of the Church, which by heavenly grace is regenerated into a new life. [Revelation 3:12] -- And my new name. This is the Christian name, not because it is new to the Son of God, who had this glory before the world was made, but new to the Son of Man who was dead and has risen, and sits at the right hand of God.
Revelation 3:14
And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write. Laodicea is called the beloved tribe of the Lord, or they were in the vomit. For there were those to whom he would say: I will begin to spew you out of my mouth. And to others he says: I rebuke and chasten those whom I love. From the Greek, it is interpreted as the just people. [Revelation 3:14] -- These things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, etc. Amen is truly or faithfully interpreted. Therefore, Christ, who is in the essence of divinity the truth, reminds us that he is made the beginning of the creation of God through the mystery of the Incarnation, so that through these things he conforms the Church to endure sufferings. [Revelation 3:15] -- I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot, etc. You are neither fervent in faith nor entirely unfaithful. If you were still unfaithful, the hope of conversion would still remain for you; but now, because you do not do the will of the Lord that you have known, you will be cast out from the bowels of my Church.
Revelation 3:17
Because you say, "I am rich and increased with goods," etc. Content with faith alone, you falsely claim the riches of righteousness for yourself, but if you truly desire to be rich, buy the fervor of charity tested in the flame of tribulations, having left everything, and anoint the eyes of your mind not with the stibium of deceptive boastfulness but with the eye salve of divine knowledge. To anoint the eyes with eye salve is to merit the understanding of the holy Scriptures through the execution of good works. [Revelation 3:19] -- Those whom I love, I rebuke and chasten. Do not refuse to suffer adversities, since this is a special sign of being loved by the Lord. [Revelation 3:19] -- Be zealous therefore, and repent. He shows that there were those there who should have been emulated and followed. [Revelation 3:20] -- Behold, I stand at the door and knock, etc. I indeed knock at the door of your heart with the right hand of exhortation, which if you receive willingly, you will be deemed worthy to have me as a dweller and co-heir.
Revelation 3:21
To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with me on my throne. He says he will make the confessor a participant in power and judgment. He has made us sit together, he says, in the heavenly places in Christ. [Revelation 3:21] -- As I also conquered, and sat down with my Father on his throne. The Lord, having conquered, sat on the throne with the Father, because after the struggles of the passion, after the victory of the resurrection, He more clearly showed Himself to all that He was equal to the Father's power. Note that in each church, the Lord first reveals His power, then reviews the works of the church, either to be praised or blamed, always intermingled with admonition. Finally, He repays the due reward, which can be understood in the present and in the future, to both parties. When He adds: He who has ears, let him hear, it is undoubtedly fitting to understand the ears of the heart for obedience to the commandments.
Chapter 4
Revelation 4:1
After this, I looked, and behold, a door open in heaven. After describing the works of the Church, what it was and what it would be like, he recapitulates from the birth of Christ, intending to say the same things differently. For he repeats the entire time of the Church in various figures in this book. Behold, he says, a door open in heaven. Fittingly, he sees a heavenly door about to ascend, to whom high mysteries are promised to be revealed. Or because Christ is the door, he who believes in Him born and suffered ascends to heaven, that is, to the height of the Church, and sees future spiritual events as he says. [Revelation 4:2] -- And immediately I was in the Spirit. And the first voice which I heard. Certainly similar to the previous voice, which had said: What you see, write in a book (Rev. 1).
Revelation 4:2
And behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sitting on the throne. The Lord inhabits the church placed in heavenly conversation. Pope Gregory interprets the throne of God in the vision of Micah as angelic powers. Presiding higher in their minds, He disposes all things below. [Revelation 4:3] -- And he who was sitting was like the appearance of a jasper and a sardius stone. Jasper's color signifies water, sardius fire. With these two, we know the judgment is celebrated. For as it was in the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man (Matt. 24). [Revelation 4:3] -- And a rainbow was around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. The rainbow, which is made by the sun shining on clouds, and after the flood was first made a sign of propitiation, by the intercession of the saints whom the Lord illuminates, signifies the Church being fortified. They are well compared to the emerald stone of great greenness; for as they expect an imperishable inheritance with perfect faith, they also powerfully protect others by praying.
Revelation 4:4
And around the throne were twenty-four thrones, etc. He sees the same Church, which he had seen as one seat because of the fellowship of faith, generated from the patriarchs and apostles through the double testament, in twenty-four thrones, sitting because of its judicial dignity in Christ. For all members will sit and judge, but in one and through one head. For how can the saints sit in judgment, standing at the right hand of the Judge? The twenty-four elders can also be understood as those who complete the perfection of work, which is commended by the number six, with the clear preaching of the Gospel. For four times six makes twenty-four. [Revelation 4:4] -- Clothed in white garments, and on their heads were golden crowns. That is, clothed in good works, seeking heavenly joys with the perpetual memory of the mind. For often the mind is understood by the name of the head.
Revelation 4:5
And from the throne proceed flashes of lightning and voices and peals of thunder. This is what Mark says: But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the accompanying signs (Mark 16). [Revelation 4:5] -- And seven burning lamps before the throne, etc. He speaks of the one Spirit in a sevenfold way, for there is one Spirit. But the sevenfold nature is perfection and fullness. Having mentioned the Holy Spirit, it is fitting that the wave of baptism follows, in which the same Spirit is believed to be received. [Revelation 4:6] -- And before the throne, there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. This refers to the faith of true baptism, which is related to glass, in which nothing different is seen on the outside than what it bears within. The grace of baptism is also figured by crystal, which is formed from water into ice and a precious stone.
Revelation 4:6
And in the midst of the throne and around the throne, there were four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind. All parts of the throne of God, that is, the Church, are filled with the light of the Gospel from the knowledge of past and future things. [Revelation 4:7] -- And the first living creature was like a lion, etc. These living creatures are interpreted in various ways. But blessed Augustine, according to the order of this book, says that Matthew is understood in the lion, who narrates the royal lineage of Christ, who also conquered as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. For the cub of the lion is Judah (Gen. 49). And in whom, as a king, he is feared by a king, worshipped by the magi. Where also the king reckons with his servants, the king makes a marriage for his son, and finally, the king separates the sheep from the goats. Luke is in the calf, which was a great sacrifice in the law. For not only are his beginnings around the temple and sacrifices, but it also concludes: And they were continually in the temple praising and blessing God (Luke 24). The face of a man signifies Mark, who, saying nothing of the royal or priestly power of the Lord, simply narrates the deeds of the man Christ. But John is the eagle, who sharply looks at the birth of the Word like the rising sun. The living creatures sometimes signify the evangelists, sometimes the whole Church. Whose strength is shown in the lion, sacrifice in the calf, humility in the man, sublimity in the flying eagle.
Revelation 4:8
Each of them had six wings. By the perfection of their doctrine, they lift the Church to the heights. For the number six is called perfect because it is completed by its own parts. For one, which is the sixth part of six, and two, which is the third, and three, which is half, make up the same six. Alternatively, the six wings of the four living creatures, which are twenty-four, signify the same number of books of the Old Testament, by which the authority of the evangelists is supported and the truth is confirmed. [Revelation 4:8] -- And around and within they are full of eyes, etc. The holy Church vigilantly regards itself both before God and before men. The Psalmist had seen its inner eyes when he says: All the glory of the king's daughter is within (Ps. 45). And the outer eyes when he immediately adds: In embroidered garments, she is led to the king (Ibid.). Alternatively, whether you attend to the letter or seek the allegory, you will always find light from the Gospel. Another translation has: Full of eyes before and behind. Because the light of the Gospel shines into the mysteries of the law and infuses the world with the splendor of the new grace.
Revelation 4:8
And they had no rest day and night, etc. The holy creatures, throughout the time of the age, affirm the single dominion of the Deity, the omnipotence and eternity of the Holy Trinity, with the perpetual praise of the intellectual creature remaining in the heavens. [Revelation 4:10] -- The twenty-four elders fell down before Him who sits on the throne and worshipped. When the creatures resound in praise, that is, when the evangelists proclaim the dispensation of Christ, the whole Church, which consists of leaders and peoples (for this is what the doubled number twelve signifies), immediately falls on its face and worships Him who lives forever and ever. [Revelation 4:10] -- And they cast their crowns before the throne. Namely, assigning whatever virtue, whatever dignity they had. For He created all things out of nothing.
Chapter 5
Revelation 5:1
And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written within and on the back. This vision demonstrates to us the mysteries of the Holy Scripture revealed through the Incarnation of the Lord. Its harmonious unity contains the Old Testament as if externally, and the New Testament internally. [Revelation 5:1] -- Sealed with seven seals. That is, either covered with the fullness of all hidden mysteries or written by the disposition of the sevenfold Spirit. [Revelation 5:2] -- And I heard a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice: Who is worthy to open the book? This signifies the preaching of the law. For many prophets and righteous men desired to see what the apostles saw (Matt. 13). And about this salvation, as Peter says, the prophets sought and searched diligently (1 Pet. 1). This is the book which in Isaiah is sealed both to the one who can read and to the one who cannot. Yet even there its opening is proclaimed thus: In that day the deaf will hear the words of the book (Isa. 29). And concerning it, Ezekiel says: And I saw, and behold, a hand was sent to me, in which was a scroll, and he spread it before me, and it was written within and without (Ezek. 2). He also added what John was silent about, namely, what was written in the book, saying: And there were written therein lamentations, mourning, and woe (Ibid.). For the entire series of the Old and New Testaments warns us to repent for sins, to seek the kingdom of heaven, and to flee from the lamentations of hell.
Revelation 5:3
And no one was able in heaven or on earth, etc. Neither angel, nor any of the righteous even freed from the bond of the flesh, could reveal or investigate the mysteries of the divine law, nor look upon it, that is, to contemplate the splendor of the grace of the New Testament. Just as the children of Israel could not look upon the face of the giver of the Old Testament, which contains the New. [Revelation 5:4] -- And I wept much. Recognizing the common misery of the human race, he grieved. [Revelation 5:5] -- And one of the elders said to me: Weep not, etc. He is forbidden to weep, because the mystery that had long been hidden was already fulfilled in the passion of Christ, when He gave up the spirit and the veil of the temple was torn (Mark 15). To whom it is said: You are a lion’s cub, O Judah; you have gone up to the prey, my son (Gen. 49), etc. He follows and describes how and where the Lion of the tribe of Judah conquered.
Revelation 5:6
And I saw in the midst of the throne ... a Lamb standing as if slain. The same Lord who is the Lamb by dying innocently, also became a lion by bravely overcoming death. Tyconius says the lamb represents the Church, which in Christ has received all power. [Revelation 5:6] -- Having seven horns and seven eyes. The Spirit in Christ is sevenfold, due to the eminence of power: compared to horns, due to the illumination of grace, to eyes. [Revelation 5:7] -- And he came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. The book from the right hand of God, the dispensation itself of the Incarnation, is said to have been received by the Son of Man from the Father and from Himself, according to what He is as God, because both, along with the Holy Spirit, dwell on the throne. For Christ, who is the Lamb in humanity, is Himself the right hand of the Father in Deity.
Revelation 5:8
And when He had opened the book, etc. When by His passion the Lord proved that the proclamations of both Testaments were fulfilled in Him, the Church, giving thanks, also offers itself to sufferings, so that, according to the Apostle, it may complete in its flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions (Col. 1). For in the harps where strings are stretched on wood, the bodies ready to die are signified; by the bowls, the hearts open wide in the breadth of charity are signified. [Revelation 5:9] -- And they sang a new song, etc. They celebrate the sacraments of the New Testament, which are completed in Christ, praising His very dispensation, which they confess belongs to Christ alone. [Revelation 5:9] -- And you have redeemed us to God by your blood, etc. Here it is further declared that the creatures and elders are the Church, which has been redeemed by the blood of Christ and gathered from the nations. It also shows in which heaven they are, by saying: And they will reign on the earth. And I saw and heard the voice of many angels around the throne, and the creatures, and the elders.
Revelation 5:11
And their number was thousands upon thousands. Innumerable thousands of people flocking to the Church praise God. [Revelation 5:13] -- To whom all power in heaven and on earth has been given. For if the righteous are called the children of God, why not also the angels? Although the heavenly hosts can also sing this by rejoicing in our redemption. As the holy Pope Gregory explained, adding: "For the voice of the angels in the praise of the Creator is the very wonder of inner contemplation." [Revelation 5:14] -- And the four living creatures said Amen, etc. As the people in the Church resound with praises to the Lord, the teachers confirm the same and, by the example of their lives, together worship the Lord.
Chapter 6
Revelation 6:1
And I saw when the Lamb had opened one of the seals. Since the signs are first loosened and then the book is opened, He wisely reversed the usual order. For the Lord, by suffering and rising again, taught that He is the end of the law. And ascending into heaven, sending the Holy Spirit, He strengthened the Church with the gift of a more secret mystery. Therefore, He opened the book then, and now He loosens its seals. In the first seal, the glory of the primitive Church; in the following three, the threefold war against her; in the fifth, the glory of those who triumphed in this war; in the sixth, those things that will come in the time of the Antichrist, with a brief recapitulation of the previous ones; in the seventh, he sees the beginning of eternal rest. [Revelation 6:1] -- And I heard one of the four living creatures saying: Come and see. We too are admonished with great voices of the Gospel to behold the glory of the Church.
Revelation 6:2
And behold a white horse, etc. The Lord presides over the Church, which by grace is whitened beyond snow, and bearing the arms of spiritual doctrine against the wicked, receives the victor’s crown among His own. Of whom it is said: He received gifts among men (Ps. 68). In which, even presiding in heaven, He was persecuted by Saul. [Revelation 6:3] -- And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature, etc. We are also commanded to diligently observe the opposing cavalry, so that just as joy is taken from the Church's successes, caution is taken from foreknowledge of adversities. [Revelation 6:4] -- And another horse went out, fiery red. Against the victorious and conquering Church went out a fiery red horse, that is, a perverse people, bloodthirsty from their rider, the devil. Although we have read in Zechariah of the red horse of the Lord; but that one is red with His own blood, this one with another’s.
Revelation 6:4
And the one sitting on it was given power to take peace from the earth. Namely, his own peace. But the Church received the eternal peace which Christ left to it. [Revelation 6:4] -- And a great sword was given to him. Either against those who become apostates of the faith, or against those whom he makes martyrs. About this, it is said to blessed Job: He who made him applied his sword (Job 40), meaning either that he should not tempt the saints as much as the wicked one wishes, or that vengeance for his fury should return upon himself. [Revelation 6:5] -- And behold, a black horse, etc. The black horse represents a crowd of false brothers, who have the balance of right profession, but harm their companions through works of darkness. For when it is said, in the midst of the creatures, Do not harm, it is shown that there is someone there who harms. About this advancing horse, the Apostle says: Fightings without, fears within.
Revelation 6:6
A measure of wheat for a denarius, etc. He says, Beware lest you scandalize your brother by a very bad example, for whom Christ died and who bears the marks of the sacred blood and chrism. For whether by the merits of the perfect, or even of the least, anyone in the Church imbued with faith in the Holy Trinity is redeemed at the same perfect price of the Lord's blood. And not without reason is the perfection of faith or work expressed by a double measure and not a single one, which both consist in the root of twin charity. [Revelation 6:8] -- And behold, a pale horse, etc. Heretics who mask themselves as Catholics, worthy of the inhabiting death, drag after them a host of the lost. For the devil and his ministers are metaphorically called death and hell, as they are the cause of death and hell for many. It can also be simply understood that here the spiritually dead, there eternal punishment follows.
Revelation 6:8
And power was given to him over a fourth of the earth. Behold, the madness of Arius, born in Alexandria, reached as far as the Gallic Ocean, not only persecuting the pious bestially with famine of the word of God but also with physical sword. Another version translates it as a fourth part, because the three evil horses, relying on the devil as their leader, ride against the fourth cavalry of the Church. [Revelation 6:9] -- And when he had opened the fifth seal, etc. Because he had said that the Church is greatly afflicted in the present, he also speaks of the glory of souls after the punishment of bodies. I saw, he says, them under the altar, that is, in the sanctuary of eternal praise. For the golden altar, placed inside and near the ark of the Lord's body, does not offer flesh and blood, but only the incense of praise to the Lord. And those who now present their bodies as a living sacrifice will then, with the bonds of the flesh broken, sacrifice the sacrifice of praise to Him (Ps. 116). It can also be through a hyperbaton, that he saw not under the altar but those killed under the altar, that is, under the testimony of Christ's name, as it is said of the Maccabees: They fell under the covenant of God (2 Macc. 7).
Revelation 6:10
And they cried out with a loud voice, saying. The great cry of souls signifies their immense desire for what they know the Lord wishes to do. For it is not proper to believe they desire anything against God's will, as their desires depend on His will. [Revelation 6:10] -- How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You not judge and avenge, etc.? They do not pray out of hatred for their enemies, for whom they interceded in this world, but out of love for justice, which they, as near the Judge, harmoniously support. They pray for the day of judgment to come, when the kingdom of sin will be destroyed and the resurrection of extinguished bodies will arrive. For we too, although commanded to pray for our enemies, nonetheless say to the Lord in our prayers: Your kingdom come (Matt. 6). [Revelation 6:11] -- And each of them was given a white robe. Now, the souls of the saints have individual robes, rejoicing in their blessed immortality. But when their bodies rise again, according to Isaiah, they will possess double in their land.
Revelation 6:11
And it was told to them that they should rest for a little while longer, etc. The desire for resurrection is not denied, but it is deferred due to the increase of the brethren yet to be gathered. For even the joy of the souls can be symbolized by the white robes, when, with the Lord revealing to them, they learn both that the wicked are to be damned at the end and that many will be joined to their number through martyrdom until the end of the world. Filled with internal charity, they prefer their joy to be deferred until the number of their brethren is completed. [Revelation 6:12] -- And I saw when He opened the sixth seal, etc. With the opening of the sixth seal, the final persecution is announced, and just as the world was shaken with darkness and fear when the Lord was crucified on the sixth day, it will be so again.
Revelation 6:12
And the sun became black as sackcloth. As if the power of Christ were hidden, or His doctrine temporarily obscured, or as if He were veiled from defense, when the ministers of Antichrist are allowed to attack the servants of Christ. [Revelation 6:12] -- And the whole moon became like blood. The Church will shed blood for Christ more than usual. He said the whole moon, because the final commotion will be worldwide, whereas previously it was, as written, localized. [Revelation 6:13] -- And the stars fell to the earth, etc. Those who shine outwardly in the Church, driven by the wind of the final persecution, will be shown to have been earthly. Their deeds are rightly compared to the gross, immature, useless, and perishable fruits of the fig tree. [Revelation 6:14] -- And the sky receded like a scroll being rolled up. Just as a rolled-up scroll contains mysteries within but nothing apparent outside, so will the Church, known only to its own, retreat discreetly to avoid persecution, hidden from outsiders.
Revelation 6:14
And every mountain and island was moved from its place. Mentioning various members of the Church according to their roles or strengths, he predicts that none will be exempt from this upheaval, but the movement will differ—good people will avoid by fleeing, while the wicked will be driven by following. [Revelation 6:15] -- And the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders. We understand kings as powerful people. He means to encompass every rank and condition. Besides, who but the persecutor will be kings then? [Revelation 6:15] -- They hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains, etc. When the weaker ones seek to be strengthened by the examples of the high ones in the Church, to be fortified by their advice, and to be protected by their warnings and prayers, they figuratively ask these mountains to fall on them through their compassionate affection. For the high mountains are a refuge for the deer, and the rocks a shelter for the hedgehogs (Ps. 104:18).
Revelation 6:16
And hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. So that He may find us not as reprobates, but stable in faith when He comes, with our sins covered by the intercession of the saints and the mercy of God. [Revelation 6:17] -- And who will be able to stand? Certainly, the one who now strives to watch, to stand firm in faith, and to act manfully. If you interpret this earthquake literally as referring to the very day of judgment, it is not surprising that earthly kings and princes, fearful of the holy mountains, seek refuge, as we read has already happened in the case of the rich man clothed in purple and the poor Lazarus.
Chapter 7
Revelation 7:1
After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth. That is, the four principal kingdoms, namely, those of the Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. For just as in the previous seals, after witnessing the manifold conflicts of the Church, he saw the joys of the triumphant souls; so also now, he is about to prove with examples what victory follows the kingdom of the Antichrist, succeeding the preceding kingdoms of the world, which have already yielded to the rule of Christ's Church. For great causes must be confirmed by greater arguments. [Revelation 7:1] -- Holding the four winds of the earth, etc. By their own power, they, in a way, suffocate everything, allowing no one to breathe freely under their jurisdiction. The diversity of provinces on land, the islands in the sea, and the various qualities and conditions of men in the trees are signified. Alternatively, the four angels are to be understood as the same as the four winds, according to the prophecy of Daniel saying: Behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea, and four great beasts came up from the sea (Dan. 7).
Revelation 7:2
And I saw another angel ascending from the east, etc. The Lord born in the flesh, who is the angel of great counsel, the messenger of the Father's will, visited us as the rising sun from on high (Luke 1), bringing the banner of the cross to mark the foreheads of His own. [Revelation 7:2] -- And he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels. The great voice of the Lord is the sublime preaching: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. [Revelation 7:3] -- Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees. Since the Lord has suffered, not only has the power of the adversary been crushed, but also the dominion of worldly principalities, as we both see with our eyes and read in the statue that the stone from the mountain shattered. [Revelation 7:3] -- Until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads? For this reason, the dominion of the nations has been broken, so that the faces of the saints could be freely marked with the sign of faith, to which they had resisted. For the very shape of the cross signifies the Lord's kingdom extended everywhere, as the ancient saying proves: Look at the world divided into four distinct parts, to prove that the kingdom of faith holds all things.
Revelation 7:3
For it was not in vain that the tetragrammaton, the name of the Lord, was written on the forehead of the high priest, because this is the sign on the forehead of the faithful, about which it is sung in the Psalm for the winepresses: O Lord, our Lord, how admirable is Your name in all the earth (Ps. 8), and so forth, until it says: That You may destroy the enemy and the avenger (Ibid.). [Revelation 7:4] -- And I heard the number of those who were sealed, etc. This finite number signifies the innumerable multitude of the whole Church, which is generated from the patriarchs, either by descent of flesh or by imitation of faith. For if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed (Gal. 3). For the increase of perfection, it pertains that twelve is multiplied twelve times, and to the total is perfected as a thousand, which is a solid squared number, signifying the stable life of the Church. Therefore, it is often figured by the number twelve because it stands firm in the faith of the Holy Trinity in a fourfold world. For thrice four is the perfect number, a double portion. Finally, the apostles, who were chosen to preach the same faith to the world, were twelve, indicating by their number the mystery of their work.
Revelation 7:5
From the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand sealed, etc. It is fitting that he begins with Judah, from which tribe our Lord arose; and he omits Dan, from whom it is said the Antichrist is to be born, as it is written: Let Dan be a serpent by the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse's heels, so that its rider falls backward (Gen. 49). For he did not intend to describe the order of earthly generation but to expound the virtues of the Church according to the interpretation of the names, which hasten from confession and praise to the right hand of eternal life. This is the meaning of the names Judah, who is placed first, and Benjamin, who is placed last. Therefore, Judah is first, which is interpreted as confession or praise, because no one attains the summit of good works before the beginning of confession. And unless we renounce evil deeds through confession, we cannot be formed rightly. The second is Reuben, which is interpreted as seeing the son. The Psalmist testifies that works are designated in the sons when he says among the blessings of the blessed man: Your sons will be like olive shoots (Ps. 128). And further: May you see your children's children (Ibid.). For one who fears the Lord is blessed, not only if he has begotten sons and received grandchildren, but because in sons are works, and in sons of sons, the fruits of works, that is, the eternal reward is designated.
Therefore, after Judah comes Reuben, that is, after the beginnings of divine confession and praise, the perfection of action follows. But because through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14), after Reuben comes Gad, which is interpreted as temptation or armed. After the beginning of good works, a man must be tested by greater temptations and girded for more serious battles, so that the strength of his faith may be proven. Solomon says: My son, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare your soul for temptation (Sirach 2). And the Psalmist likewise: You have girded me with strength for battle (Ps. 18). And because we bless those who have endured suffering, therefore after Gad is placed Asher, that is, blessed, in a very fitting order. Blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he has been tested, he will receive the crown of life (James 1). Because by the faithful promise of this blessedness they are not distressed but, rejoicing in hope, are patient in tribulation, they sing with the Psalmist: You have enlarged me in distress; and again: I ran the way of your commandments, when you enlarged my heart (Ps. 119); and with the mother of blessed Samuel, they exultingly say: My mouth is enlarged over my enemies, because I have rejoiced in your salvation (1 Sam. 2). Therefore, Naphtali follows, which means enlargement. And Manasseh follows him, which is interpreted as forgetting or necessity.
The mystery of this name warns us to forget the things that are behind, taught by the anguish of present temptations, and to stretch forth to the things that are before, according to the Apostle, so that we may make provision for the flesh, not in its desires, but bound only by the necessity of human condition (Phil. 3). For which the Psalmist, sighing for better things, prayed: Deliver me from my necessities (Ps. 25). Simeon, which means heard the sorrow or name of habitation, is placed under this, so that by the quality of this name it is more clearly instilled what is to be held here and what is to be healthily expected. For to those who here mourn fruitfully in penitence, the joy of heavenly habitation will be given. To whom it is also said: Your sorrow will be turned into joy (John 16). Therefore, Levi is added, which means added. In which we understand either those who buy the eternal with the temporal, as Solomon says: The ransom of a man's life is his wealth (Prov. 13), or those who, following the counsel of God, receive a hundredfold in this world with tribulations, and in the world to come, eternal life (Mark 10). What is written also agrees with this: He who increases knowledge increases sorrow (Eccles. 1). For to blessed Job, the bitterness of tribulations was added so that, being proven, the reward of a greater prize would be given. Hence Issachar follows in proper order, which means reward.
For as the Apostle teaches, the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Rom. 8). It is more fruitful to fight where a certain reward is hoped for. This, however, God works and perfects in the habitation of strength, which is called Zebulun, when strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12), so that the body which enemies consider weak, and through whose matter they also try to bring about the soul's destruction, experiences invincibility with God's comfort and happy increase follows. This name Joseph indicates, signifying the addition of gifts of grace. Whether you understand the double repayment of talents as profits of spiritual benefit, or you take it in those things which are returned to the Redeemer God by the faithful in their religious devotion. And to understand that all those whom both the order and the interpretation of the names placed here significantly indicate will be on the right hand of Christ the eternal King in the future judgment, Benjamin, as I previously mentioned, is placed last, meaning son of the right hand; as if he were the end of the order, with the last enemy death destroyed (1 Cor. 15), the happiness of the eternal inheritance will be given to the elect, whether each faithful one is called the son of the right hand, or the whole assembly of the Church, of which it is sung: The queen stands at your right hand in gold of Ophir, adorned with varied colors (Ps. 45).
Therefore, twelve thousand are sealed from each tribe, because in whatever virtues individual faithful advance, it is necessary that they are always strengthened and formed by the faith of the ancient fathers. For it is most certain that the number twelve often signifies the form of the teachers or the whole Church because of the sum of the apostles or patriarchs. Whether in confession, they are praiseworthy like Judah, or in Reuben, distinguished by the offspring of works, or in Gad, strong in the exercise of temptations, or in Asher, blessed in the victory of struggles, or in Naphtali, enlarged by the abundant works of mercy, or in Manasseh, forgetful of past things, or in Simeon, still sad in the valley of tears but always rejoicing in the name of habitation, sighing for the heavenly Jerusalem, or in Levi, rejoicing in the promises of present and future life, founded in eternal good with temporal goods added, or in Issachar, firm in the contemplation of future reward, or in Zebulun, who lay down their lives for Christ, or in Joseph, who strive for the increase of spiritual substance, and offer something more over God's commandments, either in virginity or in the quantity of their possessions, or in Benjamin, who with indefatigable vows expect the right hand of eternal happiness, each one in his profession fits the rule of the preceding fathers as if sealed with the number twelve, and from the merits of each individual person, the most perfect beauty of the Church is collected as if in the sum of one hundred and forty-four thousand.
Revelation 7:9
After these things, I saw a great multitude, which no one could number. Having finished the recapitulation, which he had interposed for the sake of example, he returns to the order, proclaiming the glory of those who will overcome the wickedness of the final persecution. And what follows: From all nations, and tribes, and peoples, and tongues, etc., it can also be understood thus, that, having enumerated the tribes of Israel, to whom the Gospel was first preached, he also wishes to commemorate the salvation of the Gentiles. [Revelation 7:9] -- Clothed in white robes, and palms in their hands. By robes he hints at baptism, by palms, the triumph of the cross, and that they have overcome the world in Christ. Although the clarity which is given through the Holy Spirit is also signified by the robes. [Revelation 7:10] -- And they cried out with a loud voice, saying: Salvation to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb. With a loud voice, that is, with great devotion and unceasing praise, they profess that the Father and the Son reign on the throne, that is, in the Church, with the Holy Spirit likewise reigning together. For it is said: To the One sitting on the throne, and to the Lamb (Apocalypse V), as it is said in the Gospel: That they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent (John XVII). It is understood: That they may know the one true God.
Revelation 7:11
And all the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the living creatures. In all the angels he showed the persons of the great multitude worshipping the Lord. He says, All who are around him shall offer gifts (Psalm LXXV). [Revelation 7:11] -- And they fell before the throne on their faces, etc. Neither the multitude, nor the living creatures, nor the elders are mentioned in this place as worshipping, but only the angels. For they are the multitude, they are the living creatures and the elders. Although it can also be understood of those angelic spirits, of whom it is said, rejoicing in the salvation of the Gentiles: Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people, and let all the angels of God worship him (Romans XV). [Revelation 7:12] -- Blessing and glory and wisdom, etc. The Church offers to the Lord a sevenfold praise of virtues, which it confesses to have received from him in each of its members.
Revelation 7:13
And one of the elders said to me: Who are these who are clothed in white robes, and where did they come from? etc. He asks this to teach. [Revelation 7:14] -- And he said to me: These are those who have come out of great tribulation. Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God (Acts XIV). But who does not know that the tribulation of the Antichrist will be greater than the others? [Revelation 7:14] -- And they washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. He does not speak only of the martyrs. For they are washed in their own blood. But the blood of Jesus, the Son of God, cleanses the whole Church from all sin (II Corinthians VII), therefore they are before the throne of God. For they are deemed worthy to stand in the service of God there, who here amid adversities are faithful confessors of his name.
Revelation 7:15
And they serve him day and night in his temple. Speaking in our manner, he signifies eternity. [Revelation 7:15] -- And he who sits on the throne will dwell over them. The throne of God is the saints, upon whom and in whom God dwells forever. [Revelation 7:16] -- They will neither hunger nor thirst anymore. This is what the Lord himself promised: "I am," he says, "the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst" (John VI). For blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied (Matthew V). [Revelation 7:16] -- Neither shall the sun strike them, nor any scorching heat. "We have passed," he says, "through fire and water, and you have brought us to a place of refreshment" (Psalm LXV). [Revelation 7:17] -- For the Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, will shepherd them. He says that the Lamb is in the midst of the throne, who had previously said that the Lamb received the book from the one seated on the throne, teaching that the Church has one throne with the Father and the Son, in which through faith one dwells, the whole Trinity, God.
Revelation 7:17
And he will lead them to the fountains of living waters. Surely to the fellowship of the saints, who are the fountains of heavenly doctrine. It can also signify the vision of God himself, in whom are hidden the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. As David says: "As the deer longs for the fountains of water, so my soul longs for you, O God" (Psalm XLI). [Revelation 7:17] -- And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Having attained the fullness of immortal joys, all sorrow will be entirely consigned to oblivion. For blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. But the vision of this robed multitude can also be understood of the present time, where we are saved by hope, and what we do not see we wait for with patience.
Chapter 8
Revelation 8:1
And when he had opened the seventh seal, etc. After the destruction of the Antichrist, a brief rest is believed to come in the Church, about which Daniel predicted thus: "Blessed is he who waits and comes to the thousand three hundred and thirty-five days" (Daniel XII). Which blessed Jerome explains thus: "Blessed," he says, "is he who, after the Antichrist is killed, awaits beyond the one thousand two hundred and ninety days, that is, three and a half years, forty-five days, during which the Lord and Savior is to come in his majesty." But why there is a silence of forty-five days after the killing of the Antichrist is known to divine knowledge. Unless we might say: the delay of the kingdom of the saints is a test of patience. Note that in the sixth seal he sees the greatest pressures on the Church, in the seventh he sees rest, because the Lord, crucified on the sixth day, rested on the Sabbath, waiting for the time of resurrection. Thus far about the opening of the sealed book and the six seals. Now he recapitulates from the beginning, intending to speak the same things differently.
Revelation 8:2
And I saw seven angels standing before God, etc. The Church, often commended by the number seven, is devoted to the duty of preaching, the first trumpet signifying the common destruction of the impious by fire and hail; the second, the devil expelled from the Church, more fervently inflaming the sea of the world; the third, heretics falling away from the Church, corrupting the rivers of the Holy Scripture; the fourth, the downfall of false brethren in the obscuration of the stars; the fifth, the greater infestation of heretics preceding the time of the Antichrist; the sixth, the open war of the Antichrist and his followers against the Church, and, by recapitulation from the coming of the Lord, the insertion of the destruction of the same adversary; the seventh, the day of judgment, when the Lord will render the reward to His own and will destroy those who have corrupted the earth.
Revelation 8:3
And another angel came. He did not say, "Then he came," but proposing that the angels had received the trumpets, he goes back to explain how they had received them. For although the Church preached before the coming of the Lord, it was not everywhere, until it was confirmed by His Spirit. [Revelation 8:3] -- And he stood before the altar, having a golden censer. Clearly, he appeared in the sight of the Church, having become the censer, from which God received the odor of sweetness, and was propitiated towards the world. Another Edition has "Upon the altar," which means that He offered His golden censer, that is, His immaculate body conceived by the Holy Spirit, upon the altar of the cross to the Father for us. [Revelation 8:3] -- And there was given unto him much incense, etc. From the prayers of the saints he offered the incense. For to them the Church entrusted its prayers, saying: "Let my prayer be directed as incense in thy sight" (Psalm 140). It is said that he received from the prayers of the saints and offered it, because through him the prayers of all can sweetly reach God.
Revelation 8:4
And the smoke of the incense ascended from the prayers of the saints, etc. Christ the Lord offering Himself as a sacrifice of sweetness made the compunction of the hearts of the saints acceptable, which, being born from the inner fire, usually stirs up tears like smoke. [Revelation 8:5] -- And the angel took the censer, etc. Rightly he introduces the censer filled with fire. For God does not give the Spirit by measure (John 3). This we properly know was fulfilled in the humanity of Christ, in whom all the fullness of the Divinity dwells bodily (Colossians 2). [Revelation 8:5] -- And he cast it into the earth. Thus also the Lord in the Gospel: "I came to cast fire upon the earth" (Luke 12). [Revelation 8:5] -- And there were thunders, and voices, and lightnings, and an earthquake. With the thunder of divine threat, and the voice of exhortation, and the lightning of miracles, He moved the earth, some following, others preceding, these saying: "He is good," but others: "No, but he deceives the people" (John 7).
Revelation 8:6
And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound the trumpets. The Church, inflamed with the sevenfold spirit, prepared itself confidently to preach, intending to cast down the glory of the world with heavenly trumpets, as if to topple the walls of Jericho. For that seven-day circuit also indicates the entire time of the Church. [Revelation 8:7] -- And the first angel sounded the trumpet. Rightly, the preaching of the plagues of the trumpet, which is a sign of war, is compared. “Lift up your voice like a trumpet and declare to my people their transgressions” (Isaiah 58). And elsewhere, “Set the trumpet to your lips, like an eagle over the house of the Lord” (Hosea 8), that is, preach loudly that Nebuchadnezzar will come to destroy the temple. [Revelation 8:7] -- And there was hail and fire, mixed with blood, etc. It is proclaimed by the voice of preachers that the punishment of hell is due for bloodstained deeds, saying: “From excessive heat they will pass by the waters of snow” (Job 24). The name blood can also mean the death of the spiritual soul itself. Tyconius interprets this verse thus: “the wrath of God was made, which had in it the death of many.”
Revelation 8:7
And a third part of the earth was burned up, etc. The life of the good consists in teachers and listeners. “Blessed is the one who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy” (Revelation 1). The third part of the wicked lacks both of these. For good earth, bringing forth fruit with patience (Luke 8), receives blessing from the Lord (Psalm 23). But the bad produces thorns and thistles, whose end is in burning. Thus, the farmer Father cultivates the fruitful tree, but cuts down the barren one, providing it as fuel for the fire (Matthew 7). [Revelation 8:7] -- And all green grass was burned up. All flesh is grass (Isaiah 40), which now, fattened with the softness of luxury, loses the flower of beauty under the burning sun of judgment, and, as the Lord says, today it is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven (Matthew 6). Tyconius says about the third part in this place. He calls the third part the internal enemies. However, anything outside the Church is called the third part, and the Church is the third part, which fights against the double evil.
Revelation 8:8
And as it were a great mountain burning with fire, was cast into the sea, etc. With the growth of the Christian religion, the devil, swollen with pride and burning with the fire of his fury, was cast into the sea of the world, with the Lord saying: “If you say to this mountain, be taken up and cast into the sea, it will be done” (Mark 11). Not that he was not there before, but that, having been cast out from the Church, he began to rage more greatly against his own, inflicting spiritual death on them with the pride of carnal wisdom. For to think according to the flesh is death (Romans 8). But the apostles were not taught by flesh and blood, but by the Father who is in heaven (Matthew 16). For in that sea, they steered the ship of faith which offered itself to be trodden by the feet of the Lord.
Revelation 8:9
And a third of them died, those that had souls in the sea. He said, "those that have souls," to show that the spiritually living were dead. Just as the Apostle says of the voluptuous widow: "Living," he says, "she is dead" (I Tim. V). [Revelation 8:9] -- And a third of the ships perished. Another Edition, by saying "And they corrupted a third of the ships," signifies that the third that died killed another third, that is, the succeeding one, with harmful tradition and useless imitation of doctrine. [Revelation 8:10] -- And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, etc. Heretics, whom Jude the apostle calls stars of seduction, falling from the height of the Church, try to infect the springs of divine Scriptures with the flame of their wickedness. They are not afraid to falsify not only the meaning but also the words frequently. They are worthy of the name "wormwood," whose slight mixing tends to embitter great sweetness.
Revelation 8:11
And many men died from the waters. For many (as the Apostle says) follow their luxuries, through whom the way of truth is blasphemed (II Pet. II), yet for the people of God, as Moses teaches, every wave of the waters is drinkable. [Revelation 8:12] -- And a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, etc. The beauty of the Church, like a shining star, is often obscured by false brethren, who make it shine less by their defection, whether in the prosperity or adversity of the world. [Revelation 8:12] -- And a third part of the day did not shine, and likewise a third part of the night. Another Edition has it thus: And a third part of the day appeared, and likewise of the night. That is, it was struck so that a third part of the day and a third of the night might appear, which belong to Christ and which to the devil. I say, it was struck for this purpose, that, being handed over to their own wills, with sins overflowing and becoming insolent, it might be revealed in its time.
Revelation 8:13
And I saw and heard the voice of one eagle flying through the midst of heaven, etc. The voice of this eagle flies daily through the mouths of the eminent doctors in the Church, when they gravely announce to the lovers of the earth the wickedness of the heretics, the savagery of the Antichrist, and the day of judgment to come, saying: In the last days, perilous times will come, and men will be lovers of themselves (II Tim. III); and further: Men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith (Ibid.), and elsewhere: Then shall that Wicked be revealed, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or is worshipped (II Thess. II). And again: The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction will come upon them (I Thess. V).
Revelation 8:13
Concerning the other voices of the three angels. Not that the trumpets of the angels bring plagues to the world, but that each one announces the coming or future events in their own time.