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

[Stone]

Part II
2. PROPHETS OF VICTORY

CHAPTER XIV

1. And I beheld, and lo a lamb stood upon Mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty-four thousand, having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads.

2. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the noise of many waters, and as the voice of great thunder: and the voice which I heard, was as the voice of harpers, harping on their harps.

3. And they sang as it were a new canticle, before the throne, and before the four living creatures, and the ancients: and no man could say the canticle, but those hundred forty-four thousand, who were purchased from the earth.

4. These are they who were not defiled with women: for they are virgins. These follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were purchased from among men, the first fruits to God and to the Lamb.

5. And in their mouth was found no lie; for they are without spot before the throne of God.


Victory for the Church has already been foretold in connection with the account of the two witnesses;1 but to encourage the faithful St. John once more insists upon the coming triumph in which Antichrist and his prophet shall be completely overcome and their cities destroyed.

1, 4, 5. In this vision, St. John sees a lamb standing on Mount Sion, the mystic Jerusalem, surrounded by a great throng of faithful virgins who sing His praises in a new canticle. The Lamb is Christ who ever dwells in his Church (Sion) to guard and guide it, and to receive the worship of faithful souls. The hundred forty- four thousand have been purchased from earth and be come first fruits to God by vows of religious profession.

During the so-called Reformation many religious left the Church and violated their vows of chastity. No doubt still greater numbers will follow their example in the days of Antichrist, but many will remain faithful to the Church and to their vows; no lie will be found in their mouth. They will persevere in the service of God, following the Lamb withersoever He goeth. Since first fruits were offered to God in sacrifice the Greek word arapx (first fruits), is often used in the Septuagint for "sacrifice" or "offering." Its use here may intimate that many faithful religious will become victims to God through martyrdom.

It should be noted that the hundred forty-four thousand mentioned here cannot be identified with those in chapter vii. The mystic number there represents all those from the various tribes of Israel who accept the Gospel before the time of Antichrist. They are certainly not all virgins. Moreover if St. John had wished to identity them he would have used the definite article here; the hundred forty-four thousand.

2. The music of this great throng of singers with their harps breaks upon the ears of the Apostles like the roll of thunder or the beating of waves on the shores of Patmos. It is a prayer of praise and thanksgiving offered to God in the name of the whole Church for victory over Antichrist and his kingdom. This prayer, made official by the approval of the Church, is offered in the presence of the ancients and the living creatures, the priesthood of the Church.2 In the voice of thunder and the roar of the waves we may see the anathemas of the Church against Antichrist and his prophet.3

(1) Cf. ch. xi.
(2) See above, ch. iv, 4.



6. And I saw another angel flying through, the midst of heaven, having the eternal gospel, to preach unto them that sit upon the earth, and over1 every nation, and tribe, and tongue and people:

7. Saying with a loud voice: Fear the Lord, and give him honor, because the hour of his judgment is come; and adore ye him, that made heaven and earth, the sea, and the fountains of waters.

8. And another angel followed, saying: That great Babylon is fallen, is fallen; which made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

9. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice: If any man shall adore the beast and his image, and receive his character in his forehead, or in his hand:

10. He also shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mingled with pure wine in the cup of his wrath, and shall be tormented with fire and brim stone in the sight of the holy angels, and in the sight of the Lamb.

11. And the smoke of their torments shall ascend up for ever and ever: neither have they rest day nor night, who have adored the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the character of his name.

12. Here is the patience of the saints, who keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

13. And I heard a voice from heaven saying to me: write: Blessed are the dead, who die in the Lord. From henceforth now, saith the spirit, that they may rest from their labours; for their works follow them.


6. An angel, great saints or apostles raised up to the Church in those days, brings the Gospel to every nation. Despite the powers of hell it shall overcome all enemies and endure forever: it is an eternal Gospel. This is a promise of complete and final victory, a promise made to all nations, tribes, and tongues. It shall be realized in the universal reign of Christ.2

7. The angel exhorts all to turn to the God of heaven and earth because the day of judgment is at hand. This is not a reference to the general judgment at the last day, but to the judgments about to fall upon Antichrist and his followers as predicted in the following verses.

8. A second angel, or apostle, announces the approaching fall of Babylon to be described in chapter xviii. Babylon is Rome, the seat of the false prophet and the capital of a neo-pagan empire. For political reasons St. John could not safely refer to Rome by name in this connection, so he uses the symbolic name as St. Peter had done before him.3

Under the leadership of the false prophet Rome will seduce other Gentile nations to worship Antichrist. For this infidelity she shall be destroyed. In Scripture infidelity to God is often depicted as fornication or adultery.4

9-11. A third angel threatens all followers of Antichrist with eternal damnation. They shall be punished with all the rigors of God s infinite justice untempered by mercy. The wine of wrath shall be poured into the cup unmixed with the water of mercy. This is a reference to the ancient custom of mixing water with wine for drinking.5

These verses clearly prove that the pains of hell are eternal, and without respite. "The smoke of their torments shall ascend up forever and ever: neither have they rest day nor night."

12, 13. The faithful must suffer in patience, ever bearing in mind the reward that awaits them in heaven. Happy are they who die in the Lord, especially those faithful heroes who suffer even unto death for their Faith. Their works shall follow them, for their glory in heaven will be commensurate with their sufferings on earth.

(1) This should be "to" or "unto" as in the previous phrase.
(2) See -below, ch. xx, 1-4.
(3) I Peter v, 13.
(4) See above, page 45; cf. Cath. Library, Arch. Series vol 3 p 2
(5) Cf. Isaias li, 1, 22; Jeremias xxv, 15.




14. And I saw, and behold a white cloud; and upon the cloud one sitting like to the Son of man, having on his head a crown of gold, and in his hand a sharp sickle.

15. And another angel came out from the temple crying with a loud voice to him that sat upon the cloud: Thrust in thy sickle, and reap, because the hour is come to reap: for the harvest of the earth is ripe.

16. And he that sat on the cloud thrust his sickle into the earth, and the earth was reaped.

17. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.

18. And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire; and he cried with a loud voice to him that had the sharp sickle, saying: Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine yard of the earth; because the grapes thereof are ripe.

19. And the angel thrust in his sharp sickle into the earth, and gathered the vineyard of the earth, and cast it into the great press of the wrath of God:

20. And the press was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the press, up to the horses bridles, for a thousand and six hundred furlongs.


14-16. The followers of Antichrist have been warned of defeat and eternal punishment; the faithful have been encouraged by promise of victory here and eternal happiness hereafter. The time of judgment is at hand; the final conflict now begins. The separation of the good from the bad will be still further accomplished. As on the last day, Christ sends forth His angels to gather the wheat into the barns while the cockle is being bound into bundles for the fire. 1 The gathering in of the good through martyrdom is represented as a harvest. The destruction of the wicked is depicted as the vintage of God s wrath. The realization of this judgment will be found in the complete destruction of the kingdom of Antichrist as described in subsequent chapters (xv-xix).

The reaper sitting upon a bright cloud, is an angel who comes in the name of Christ to execute His orders. Hence he bears the resemblance of Christ and is sur rounded by a cloud of glory. He also wears a crown of gold, the emblem of royalty, because as representative of Christ he exercises dominion over all peoples. The cloud of glory and the crown of royalty might lead one to accept the reaper as Christ Himself.

Yet the context makes it plain that the reaper cannot be identified with Christ since he is commanded by an angel to thrust in his sickle. Furthermore, Christ has told us in the Gospel that angels shall be commissioned to separate the wheat from the cockle.2

17, 18. The voice from beneath the altar, commanding the vintage to be gathered is the voice of a martyr whose blood cries to heaven for vengeance.3 This martyr who has "power over fire" is probably Elias who will destroy Antichrist by sending down fire from heaven.4 The prophet Joel also describes the judgments of God against unholy nations as a vintage and a treading of the wine-press."

19-20. The wine -press of divine wrath shall be trod den outside the city of Jerusalem.6 Final victory over Antichrist will be won through great slaughter and bloodshed in a battle near the Holy City, perhaps in the valley of Josaphat. The prophecy of Joel may refer to this event instead of the last judgment: Let the nations come up into the valley of Josaphat: for there I will sit to judge all nations round about. . . . Nations, nations in the valley of destruction: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of destruction.7


(1) St. Matthew xiii, 30.
(2) St. Matthew xiii, 38.
(3) See above, vi, 9.
(4) See above, page 116.
(5) Joel, iii, 13.
(6) See v. 1 and xvi, 16.
(7) Joel iii, 12, 14.