8:13. And I beheld: and heard the voice of one eagle flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice: Woe, Woe, Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, by reason of the rest of the voices of the three angels, who are yet to sound the trumpet!
Apocalypse Chapter 9
Locusts come forth from the bottomless pit. The vision of the army of hors.e.m.e.n.
9:1. And the fifth angel sounded the trumpet: and I saw a star fall from heaven upon the earth. And there was given to him the key of the bottomless pit.
A star full... This may mean the fall and apostasy of great and learned men from the true faith. Or a whole nation falling into error and separating from the church, not having the sign of G.o.d in their foreheads. And there was given to him the key of the bottomless pit...
That is, to the angel, not to the fallen star. To this angel was given the power, which is here signified by a key, of opening h.e.l.l.
9:2. And he opened the bottomless pit: and the smoke of the pit arose, as the smoke of a great furnace. And the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke of the pit.
9:3. And from the smoke of the pit there came out locusts upon the earth. And power was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
There came out locusts... These may be devils in Antichrist"s time, having the appearance of locusts, but large and monstrous, as here described. Or they may be real locusts, but of an extraordinary size and monstrous shape, such as were never before seen on earth, sent to torment those who have not the sign (or seal) of G.o.d on their foreheads.
Some commentators by these locusts understand heretics, and especially those heretics, that sprung from Jews, and with them denied the divinity of Jesus Christ; as Theodotus, Praxeas, Noetus, Paul of Samosata, Sabellius, Arius, etc. These were great enemies of the Christian religion; they tormented and infected the souls of men, stinging them like scorpions, with the poison of their heresies. Others have explained these locusts, and other animals, mentioned in different places throughout this sacred and mystical book, in a most absurd, fanciful, and ridiculous manner; they make Abaddon the Pope, and the locusts to be friars mendicant, etc. Here it is thought proper, not to enter into any controversy upon that subject, as the inventors of these fancies have been already answered, and fully refuted by many controvertists: besides, those who might be inposed on by such chimerical writers, are in these days much better informed.
9:4. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the gra.s.s of the earth nor any green thing nor any tree: but only the men who have not the sign of G.o.d on their foreheads.
9:5. And it was given unto them that they should not kill them: but that they should torment them five months. And their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when he striketh a man.
9:6. And in those days, men shall seek death and shall not find it. And they shall desire to die: and death shall fly from them.
9:7. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle. And on their heads were, as it were, crowns like gold: and their faces were as the faces of men.
9:8. And they had hair as the hair of women: and their teeth were as lions.
9:9. And they had breastplates as breastplates of iron: and the noise of their wings was as the noise of chariots and many horses running to battle.
9:10. And they had tails like to scorpions: and there were stings in their tails. And their power was to hurt men, five months. And they had over them
9:11. A king, the angel of the bottomless pit (whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek Apollyon, in Latin Exterminans).
9:12. One woe is past: and behold there come yet two woes more hereafter.
9:13. And the sixth angel sounded the trumpet: and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before the eyes of G.o.d,
9:14. Saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet: Loose the four angels who are bound in the great river Euphrates.
9:15. And the four angels were loosed, who were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year: for to kill the third part of men.
9:16. And the number of the army of hors.e.m.e.n was twenty thousand times ten thousand. And I heard the number of them.
9:17. And thus I saw the horses in the vision. And they that sat on them had breastplates of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone. And the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions: and from their mouths proceeded fire and smoke and brimstone.
9:18. And by these three plagues was slain the third part of men, by the fire and by the smoke and by the brimstone which issued out of their mouths.
9:19. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails.
For, their tails are like to serpents and have heads: and with them they hurt.
9:20. And the rest of the men, who were not slain by these plagues, did not do penance from the works of their hands, that they should not adore devils and idols of gold and silver and bra.s.s and stone and wood, which neither can see nor hear nor walk:
9:21. Neither did they penance from their murders nor from their sorceries nor from their fornication nor from their thefts.
Apocalypse Chapter 10
The cry of a mighty angel. He gives John a book to eat.
10:1. And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head: and his face, as the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire.
10:2. And he had in his hand a little book, open. And he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot upon the earth.
10:3. And he cried with a loud voice as when a lion roareth. And when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
10:4. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write. And I heard a voice from heaven saying to me: Seal up the things which the seven thunders have spoken. And write them not.
10:5. And the angel whom I saw standing upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven.
10:6. And he swore by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven and the things which are therein, and the earth and the things which are in it, and the sea and the things which are therein: That time shall be no longer.
10:7. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound the trumpet, the mystery of G.o.d shall be finished, as he hath declared by his servants the prophets.
Declared... literally evangelized, to signify the good tidings, agreeable to the Gospel, of the final victory of Christ, and of that eternal life, which should be the reward of the temporal sufferings of the martyrs and faithful servants of G.o.d.
10:8. And I heard a voice from heaven, again speaking to me and saying: Go and take the book that is open, from the hand of the angel who standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
10:9. And I went to the angel, saying unto him that he should give me the book. And he said to me: Take the book and eat it up. And it shall make thy belly bitter: but in thy mouth it shall be sweet as honey.
10:10. And I took the book from the hand of the angel and ate it up: and it was in my mouth, sweet as honey. And when I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
10:11. And he said to me: Thou must prophesy again to many nations and peoples and tongues and kings.
Apocalypse Chapter 11
He is ordered to measure the temple. The two witnesses.
11:1. And there was given me a reed, like unto a rod. And it was said to me: Arise, and measure the temple of G.o.d and the altar and them that adore therein.
11:2. But the court which is without the temple, cast out and measure it not: because it is given unto the Gentiles. And the holy city they shall tread under foot, two and forty months:
11:3. And I will give unto my two witnesses: and they shall prophesy, a thousand two hundred sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.
My two witnesses... It is commonly understood of Henoch and Elias.
11:4. These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks that stand before the Lord of the earth.
11:5. And if any man will hurt them, fire shall come out of their mouths and shall devour their enemies. And if any man will hurt them, in this manner must he be slain.
11:6. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: And they have power over waters, to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.