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

[Stone]

Part II
THE HYMN OF VICTORY

CHAPTER XIX

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 God.

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.

3. And again they said: Alleluia. And her smoke ascendeth for ever and ever.

4. And the four and twenty ancients, and the four living creatures fell down and adored God that sitteth upon the throne, saying: Amen; Alleluia.

5. And a voice came out from the throne, saying: Give praise to our God, all ye his servants; and you that fear him, little and great.

6. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of great thunders, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord our God the Almighty hath reigned.

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.

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.

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 God are true.

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 God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.


1-3. In response to the summons given above (xviii, 20), St. John hears the voices of praise from great multitudes. They are the martyrs in heaven and the faithful on earth singing the praises of God for the manifestation of His justice in the fall of Rome. The ruins of the city shall remain as a lasting memorial of God s judgments upon unfaithful nations and peoples: Her smoke ascendeth for ever and ever."

4-6. The four and twenty ancients and the four living creatures, the entire priesthood of the Church, prostrate themselves in adoration and chant the words of praise: "Amen, Alleluia." A voice from the throne invites all servants of God to praise and adore Him, whereupon a mighty chorus goes up from the elect: "Alleluia, for the Lord our God the Almighty hath triumphed and now reigns over all nations. The united voices of this mighty throng resound like the roll of thunder or the beating of waves.

7, 8. They rejoice because the marriage of the Lamb is at hand and His spouse is in readiness. The Church, the spouse of Christ, ever triumphant in heaven, now triumphs on earth. She is clothed in radiant garments which are the good works of her faithful children.

9. The angel, the voice from the throne, commands St. John to write: "Blessed are they who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb/ This marriage feast, or triumph of the Church, begins on earth but is consummated only in heaven. In this connection St. Gregory the Great remarks that as supper is taken before the night s repose so the supper of the Lamb precedes the repose of eternal happiness in heaven.1 The marriage supper is also a symbol of the Holy Eucharist to which all the faithful are invited, and in which they receive a foretaste of eternal union with Christ in heaven.

10. Filled with joy the aged Apostle falls at the feet of the angel to adore him, evidently mistaking him for our Lord. But the angel restrains him with the words: "See thou do it not for I am only thy fellow servant, like unto others who have received the spirit of prophecy to give testimony to Jesus.2


(1) St. Gregory the Great, "Homil. inEvang." ii, 24.
(2) Cf. also eh. xxii, 8, 9.



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.

12. And his eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many diadems, and he had a name writ ten, which no man knoweth but himself.

13. And he was clothed with a garment sprinkled with blood, and his name is called, The Word of God.

14. And the armies that are in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

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 wine press of the fierceness of the wrath of God the Almighty.

16. And he hath on his garment, and on his thigh written: King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.


11. Our Lord Himself now appears as a conqueror upon a white horse.1 Christ possesses all perfections, but in the triumph of the Church, fidelity to His promise that the gates of hell should never prevail against her, stands out most prominent. Hence He is called the Faithful and
True One.

12. As in a former vision, His eyes are like flames of fire.2 The many diadems signify that Christ, the King of kings, is master of all nations. The name which no man knoweth expresses some perfection or attribute of our Saviour not yet made known to the world. It probably has some connection with the universal reign of the Church after Antichrist.

13, 14. The blood-stained garment may mean that victory for the Church was won through the merits of Christ and His martyrs as stated in xii, 11: "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb . . . and they loved not their lives unto death. The blood may also be that of the enemies of Christ and His Church as is intimated by the treading of the winepress of God s anger (v. 15). This recalls the words of Isaias: "I have trodden the winepress alone ... I have trampled on them in my indignation, and have trodden them down in my wrath, and their blood is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained all my apparel."3

Our Lord is followed by an army of the faithful upon white horses, symbols of victory. They are the called and elect and faithful," mentioned in the pre ceding chapter, who fight with the Lamb against the ten kings.4 They are probably the armies of faithful nations symbolized in xii, 16, by the earth that helps the woman, and mentioned in xvi, 12, as kings from the rising sun.

15, 16. The two-edged sword is here the sword of divine justice which strikes down unfaithful nations which Christ shall rule with a rod of iron. He treadeth the winepress of God's wrath by executing the divine decrees against all nations in revolt against God and His Church. Neither the name given to Christ here, nor the one found in verse 13, is to be identified with the unknown name mentioned in verse 12.


(1) See above, page 69.
(2) See above, page 30.
(3) Isaias Ixiii, 3.
(4) Ch. xvii, 14.



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 God:

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. And I saw the beast, and the kings of earth, and their armies gathered together to make war with him that sat upon the horse, and with his army.

20. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who wrought signs before him where with 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.

21. And the rest were slain with the sword of him that sitteth upon the horse, which proceedeth out of his mouth; and all the birds were filled with their flesh.


17, 18. While Rome, the seat of the false prophet, is smouldering in ashes, Christ and His faithful followers go forth to give battle against Antichrist and his allied kings. An angel summons all birds of prey to feast upon the carcasses of kings and princes, freemen and bond men, great and small for the slaughter shall be great.5

19, 20. Antichrist and his allied kings now make a last effort against the forces of Christ and His Church. "I saw the beast and the kings of earth and their armies gathered together to make war with him that sat upon the horse." This seems to be a reference to the battle at Armagedon mentioned above (xvi, 16). Three false prophets were sent out as messengers of Antichrist to gather the kings of earth to battle but Antichrist and his forces are overcome and a voice from the temple cries out "It is done." Antichrist and his prophet are cast into hell, and their allies put to the sword. It is the last battle in the great conflict between the Church and the powers of darkness.



(5) Ezekiel xxxix, 17-2&; Jeremias xii, 9.