18:6. Render to her as she also hath rendered to you: and double unto her double, according to her works. In the cup wherein she hath mingled, mingle ye double unto her.
18:7. As much as she hath glorified herself and lived in delicacies, so much torment and sorrow give ye to her. Because she saith in her heart: I sit a queen and am no widow: and sorrow I shall not see.
18:8. Therefore, shall her plagues come in one day, death and mourning and famine. And she shall be burnt with the fire: because G.o.d is strong, who shall judge her.
18:9. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived in delicacies with her, shall weep and bewail themselves over her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning:
18:10. Standing afar off for fear of her torments, saying: Alas! alas!
that great city, Babylon, that mighty city: for in one hour is thy judgment come.
18:11. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her: for no man shall buy their merchandise any more.
18:12. Merchandise of gold and silver and precious stones: and of pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet: and all thyine wood: and all manner of vessels of ivory: and all manner of vessels of precious stone and of bra.s.s and of iron and of marble:
18:13. And cinnamon and odours and ointment and frankincense and wine and oil and fine flour and wheat and beasts and sheep and horses and chariots: and slaves and souls of men.
18:14. And the fruits of the desire of thy soul are departed from thee: and all fat and goodly things are perished from thee. And they shall find them no more at all.
18:15. The merchants of these things, who were made rich, shall stand afar off from her, for fear of her torments, weeping and mourning,
18:16. And saying: Alas! alas! that great city, which was clothed with fine linen and purple and scarlet and was gilt with gold and precious stones and pearls.
18:17. For in one hour are so great riches come to nought. And every shipmaster and all that sail into the lake, and mariners, and as many as work in the sea, stood afar off,
18:18. And cried, seeing the place of her burning, saying: What city is like to this great city?
18:19. And they cast dust upon their heads and cried, weeping and mourning, saying: Alas! alas! that great city, wherein all were made rich, that had ships at sea, by reason of her prices. For, in one hour she is made desolate.
18:20. Rejoice over her, thou heaven and ye holy apostles and prophets.
For G.o.d hath judged your judgment on her.
18:21. And a mighty angel took up a stone, as it were a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying: With such violence as this, shall Babylon, that great city, be thrown down and shall be found no more at all.
18:22. And the voice of harpers and of musicians and of them that play on the pipe and on the trumpet shall no more be heard at all in thee: and no craftsman of any art whatsoever shall be found any more at all in thee: and the sound of the mill shall be heard no more at all in thee:
18:23. And the light of the lamp shall shine no more at all in thee: and the voice of the bridegroom and the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee. For thy merchants were the great men of the earth: for all nations have been deceived by thy enchantments.
18:24. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all that were slain upon the earth.
Apocalypse Chapter 19
The saints glorify G.o.d for his judgments on the great harlot. Christ"s victory over the beast and the kings of the earth.
19:1. After these things, I heard as it were the voice of much people in heaven, saying: Alleluia. Salvation and glory and power is to our G.o.d.
19:2. For true and just are his judgments, who hath judged the great harlot which corrupted the earth with her fornication and hath revenged the blood of his servants, at her hands.
19:3. And again they said: Alleluia. And her smoke ascendeth for ever and ever.
19:4. And the four and twenty ancients and the four living creatures fell down and adored G.o.d that sitteth upon the throne, saying: Amen.
Alleluia.
19:5. And a voice came out from the throne, saying: Give praise to our G.o.d, all ye his servants: and you that fear him, little and great.
19:6. And I heard as it were the voice of a great mult.i.tude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of great thunders, saying: Alleluia: for the Lord our G.o.d, the Almighty, hath reigned.
19:7. Let us be glad and rejoice and give glory to him. For the marriage of the Lamb is come: and his wife hath prepared herself.
19:8. And it is granted to her that she should clothe herself with fine linen, glittering and white. For the fine linen are the justifications of saints.
19:9. And he said to me: Write: Blessed are they that are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith to me: These words of G.o.d are true.
19:10. And I fell down before his feet, to adore him. And he saith to me: See thou do it not. I am thy fellow servant and of thy brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Adore G.o.d. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
I fell down before, etc... St. Augustine (lib. 20, contra Faust, c. 21) is of opinion, that this angel appeared in so glorious a manner, that St. John took him to be G.o.d; and therefore would have given him divine honour had not the angel stopped him, by telling him he was but his fellow servant. St. Gregory (Hom. 8, in Evang.) rather thinks that the veneration offered by St. John, was not divine honour, or indeed any other than what might lawfully be given; but was nevertheless refused by the angel, in consideration of the dignity to which our human nature had been raised, by the incarnation of the Son of G.o.d, and the dignity of St. John, an apostle, prophet, and martyr.
19:11. And I saw heaven opened: and behold a white horse. And he that sat upon him was called faithful and true: and with justice doth he judge and fight.
19:12. And his eyes were as a flame of fire: and on his head were many diadems. And he had a name written, which no man knoweth but himself.
19:13. And he was clothed with a garment sprinkled with blood. And his name is called: THE WORD OF G.o.d.
19:14. And the armies that are in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
19:15. And out of his mouth proceedeth a sharp two-edged sword, that with it he may strike the nations. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of G.o.d the Almighty.
19:16. And he hath on his garment and on his thigh written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
19:17. And I saw an angel standing in the sun: and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that did fly through the midst of heaven: Come, gather yourselves together to the great supper of G.o.d:
19:18. That you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of tribunes and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of them that sit on them: and the flesh of all freemen and bondmen and of little and of great.
19:19. And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, gathered together to make war with him that sat upon the horse and with his army.
19:20. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who wrought signs before him, wherewith he seduced them who received the character of the beast and who adored his image. These two were cast alive into the pool of fire burning with brimstone.
19:21. And the rest were slain by the sword of him that sitteth upon the horse, which proceedeth out of his mouth: and all the birds were filled with their flesh.
Apocalypse Chapter 20
Satan is bound for a thousand years. The souls of the martyrs reign with Christ in the first resurrection. The last attempts of Satan against the church. The last judgment.
20:1. And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
20:2. And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
Bound him, etc... The power of Satan has been very much limited by the pa.s.sion of Christ: for a thousand years; that is, for the whole time of the New Testament; but especially from the time of the destruction of Babylon or pagan Rome, till the new efforts of Gog and Magog against the church, towards the end of the world. During which time the souls of the martyrs and saints live and reign with Christ in heaven, in the first resurrection, which is that of the soul to the life of glory; as the second resurrection will be that of the body, at the day of the general judgment.