The Apocalypse of St. John by Rev. E. Sylvester Berry [1921]

[Stone]

PART SECOND - FROM THE OPENING OF THE ABYSS TO ITS CLOSING



I. PREPARATION FOR THE REIGN OF ANTICHRIST


And I saw a star fall from heaven upon the earth and there was given to him the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit.
APOCALYPSE ix, 1, 2.

HERESIES AND RELIGIOUS WARS


CHAPTER IX

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.

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.

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:

4. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree; But only the men who have not the sign of God on their foreheads

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.

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.

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.

8. And they had hair as the hair of women; and their teeth were as lions:

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.

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

11. A king, the angel of the bottomless pit; whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek Apollyon; in Latin Exterminans.


The vision described in this chapter is one of the most important of the whole Apocalypse. It foretells the first woe announced by the flying eagle, the conditions and events destined to usher in the reign of Antichrist.

1. In the fallen star ancient commentators saw a figure of Arius and other early heretics. As a matter of fact, any priest or bishop of the Church who becomes the leader of heresy may be compared to a star fallen from heaven. But in this case the star refers to some particular person whose revolt from the Church shall lead directly to the reign of Antichrist.

We cannot agree with those who refer the beginning of this vision to the early ages of the Church. The prophecies of St. John are developed in regular order according to time This vision marks a new period of exceptional gravity for the Church. We hold with Cornelius a Lapide and many others that it refers to the pretended Reformation with the star as a symbol of Luther. In that case the fifth angel may be taken as a figure of the defenders of Catholic Faith in those days.

The Arian heresy and the Greek schism had deplorable results for the Church, but they cannot be compared to those of the religious upheaval of the sixteenth century. Most of the evils that afflict the Church and society in general can be traced directly to the so-called Reformation. To it must be ascribed the apostacy of nations, the weakening of faith, and the rapidly increasing impiety and unbelief of the present day. As a result of these evils great social disturbances appear on every side, and society is tottering to its very foundations. The reign of Antichrist, which must be relatively near, will mark the culmination of evil.

2. Instead of the keys of heaven" this apostate priest received the "key of the bottomless pit." He did in very truth open the pit by turning loose against the Church all the fury of hell. By tongue and pen he in stilled into the hearts of individuals and nations a diabolic hatred of the Church which still manifests itself in calumny, misrepresentation and opposition to the Church. The dense smoke arising from the pit obscures the heavens. This signifies that the heresy shall succeed for a time. True Catholic doctrine is obscured and even lost to many peoples.

3. From the smoke of the pit comes forth a swarm of locusts. Unlike ordinary locusts they attack men in stead of growing plants. In this respect they have the power or nature of scorpions. These locusts are a fitting image of demons, heretics, and apostates who swarm over the earth spreading spiritual destruction far and wide.

4, 5. These verses make it clear that there is no question of real locusts such as those that ravaged Egypt in the days of Moses. They are purely symbolic, and their ravages chiefly spiritual. Their sting burns and poisons the soul with false doctrines, but has no power to injure those who remain faithful to the graces received in Baptism and Confirmation. For a short time these locusts are permitted to harass and persecute with out killing, but they cannot destroy the Church.

6. In those days men seek death and find it not. The good would welcome death as an escape from the evils and miseries that surround them. Many who have been led astray by false doctrines would likewise welcome death as a relief from their doubts and remorse of conscience.

7. The locusts resemble horses accoutred for war. Heresy and schism are ever fruitful sources of religious wars and persecutions. The crowns indicate that rulers, emperors, kings, and princes will be arrayed against the Church as actually happened at the Reformation in the sixteenth century. The crowns merely resembled gold, because there was but a mere semblance of real Christian charity in those days. The human faces prove that these locusts symbolize real persons.

8-10. The hair of a woman probably signifies vanity and immorality; the teeth of a lion strength and cruelty. The breastplates of iron show preparedness for defense as well as for attack. The sound of their innumerable wings resembles the thunder of chariots rushing to battle. This indicates their great numbers and impetuosity. The scorpion-like sting is a symbol of heresy that stings and poisons the soul. Its location in the tail signifies deceit and hypocrisy.

11. The king of these symbolic locusts is called the Destroyer (Exterrainans). He is Lucifer, the angel of the abyss, the leader of the rebel angels. His minions on earth are the leaders of heresy, schism, and persecution.





12. One woe is past, and behold there come yet two woes more hereafter.

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 God,

14. Saying to the sixth angel, who had the trumpet: Loose the four angels, who are bound in the great river Euphrates.

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.

16. And the number of the army of horsemen was twenty thousand times ten thousand. And I heard the number of them

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.

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.

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.

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 brass, and stone, and wood, which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk.

21. Neither did they penance from their murders, nor from their sorceries, nor from their fornication, nor from their thefts.


12. The invasion of the locusts is the first woe predicted by the eagle. The two yet to come will fill up the "mystery of iniquity" with the appearance of Antichrist and his prophet.

13. God sends a sixth angel to instruct and guide the Church. This mission will still further reveal the thoughts of many hearts. The wicked continue to be separated from the just. A voice from the golden altar commands the captive angels of the Euphrates to be released. As noted above, the altar is Christ, who makes trials and tribulations a means of sanctification for souls and an increase of fervor and holiness in the Church. They also serve to spread the blessings of the Gospel for as Tertullian says: "The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians.1 Christ Himself gives command to release the captive angels, thus showing that the enemies of the Church have no power against her unless God permits. The Church can say to her enemies as Christ said to Pilate: "Thou shouldst not have any power against me, unless it were given thee from above."2

14. The captive angels are demons who will arouse new enemies and increased enmities against the Church. In a figurative sense they represent the new enemies thus aroused against the Church, whether they be nations, individuals or secret societies hostile to her. Four, the number of universality, indicates how widespread will be their influence.

With the prophets of old the region of the Euphrates was ever the country whence came the enemies of God s people. Its mention here indicates that these new enemies will arise among nations already hostile to the Church. In a secondary sense the term may be taken literally to represent peoples from that region who are hostile to the Church.

The four angels of the Euphrates, now ordered to be released, may be the same as those whom Christ for bade to injure the earth until the Church could be firmly established after the persecutions.3

15. Even the time for the manifestation of these evil spirits and their minions has been accurately fixed in the designs of Providence. The very day and hour has been determined. Great numbers will be done to death in the religious wars and revolutions stirred up by these angels from the Euphrates. The prophecy may also mean that large numbers will be led into new errors and schisms. Both interpretations are fully justified by the history of the pretended Reformation and the wars that followed it.

16. These scourges shall be more terrible than any yet predicted. The first plagues were brought to earth by four horsemen (ch. vi). Then we saw four charioteers, the four winds, ready to scourge mankind. Here we find a vast array of cavalry. The chastisements sent upon the world increase with the growth of iniquity and the approach of Antichrist.

17. 18. The description of horses and riders in this vision gives some idea of their boldness, strength, and cunning ferocity. They inflict upon men the plagues of fire, smoke and sulphur. The fire is persecution and war. Smoke symbolizes the obscuring of doctrine and the weakening of faith; sulphur, the moral depravity which follows.

The fire, smoke and sulphur issue from the mouth of the horses. From the mouth should proceed words of wisdom; instead there come forth heresies, and incitements to revolt and revolution. It should be noted that Luther openly preached revolt and revolution to the peasants of Germany, but when they put his words into practice, he turned to the princes and urged them to stamp out the revolt with fire and sword.

19. The horses of this vision inflict injuries with their tails which resemble serpents. Amongst all peoples the serpent is a symbol of lying and hypocrisy. These vices have ever characterized the enemies of the Church. There is no question here of real artillery as some have imagined. St. John is giving only the broad out lines of the Church s history. He is not concerned with the material means employed by men to wage war against her.

The vision of locusts and the vision of cavalry horses are not two representations of one and the same event. They foreshadow two distinct events that follow one another in the order of time. The one is the great revolt against the Church brought about by the fallen star. The other consists of wars and disturbances which follow in the wake of that revolt.

20,21. After these plagues have passed there still remain many who worship idols, and many guilty of robbery, murder, and immorality. This is verified today. Although nineteen twenty have elapsed since the first preaching of the Gospel, whole nations are still steeped in idolatry, and Christendom seems hopelessly divided by heresy and schism Man s obstinacy in evil brings on the plagues described in subsequent chapters.



(1) Tertullian, "Apology" c. 50
(2) St. Johnxix, 11.
(3) See above, vii, 1.