PART THIRD
FROM THE CLOSING OF THE ABYSS TO THE END OF THE WORLD
THE UNIVERSAL REIGN OF JESUS CHRIST
PART III
From the Closing of the Abyss to the End of the World'
And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
APOCALYPSE
xx, 1, 2.
Part III
THE UNIVERSAL REIGN OF JESUS CHRIST
CHAPTER XX
The words of St. Paul to the Thessalonians [1] prove clearly that Antichrist must be a definite individual, and our study of the Apocalypse shows that he has not yet made his appearance in the world. But practically all interpreters who accept these conclusions take the reign of Antichrist as a prelude to the last judgment and the end of the world. Then, contrary to the plain sense of Holy Scripture, they place the universal reign of Christ before the time of Antichrist. This, in turn, makes the chaining of the dragon a difficult problem. Some refer it to the time of our Saviour's death, or to the day of Pentecost. Others fix upon the date of Constantine's conversion, the reign of Charlemagne, the fall of the Western Empire, or the capture of Constantinople by the Turks, all purely arbitrary dates as their great divergencies prove.
A careful reading of the Apocalypse shows clearly that Antichrist will appear long centuries before the last judgment and the end of the world. In fact his reign will be but the final attempt of Satan to prevent the universal reign of Christ in the world. Since the day of Pentecost the Church has been engaged in perpetual warfare. Judaism was her first enemy; then followed Arianism, Mohammedanism, the Greek Schism, the Reformation, and secret societies fostering atheism and rationalism. Today she is also battling against indifferentism and a recrudescence of paganism. The reign of Antichrist shall be the final conflict in this prolonged struggle with the powers of darkness.
After the defeat of Antichrist the Gentile nations will return to the Church and the Jews will enter her fold. Then shall be fulfilled the words of Christ: "There shall be one fold and one shepherd." [2] Unfortunately sin and evil will not have entirely disappeared, the good and the bad will still be mingled in the Church, although the good shall predominate. After many centuries, symbolized by a thousand years, faith will diminish and charity grow cold as a result of the long peace and security enjoyed by the Church. Then Satan, unchained for a short time, will seduce many nations (Gog and Magog) to make war on the Church and persecute the faithful. These apostate nations shall be promptly overwhelmed with a deluge of fire and the Church will come forth again triumphant. The general judgment and the end of the world will then be near at hand. Men will be living in daily expectation until our Lord appears in the clouds with the suddenness of a lightning flash. [3] Then shall all people be gathered to gether unto judgment.
The establishment of the Church over all nations is foretold on almost every page of Holy Scripture. "He shall rule from sea to sea and from the river unto the ends of the earth. . . . And all kings of the earth shall adore him; and all nations shall serve him." [4] "All the nations thou has made shall come and adore before thee, O Lord." [5] His empire shall be multiplied and there shall be no end of peace." [6] "His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all kings shall serve him and obey him." [7] "He shall speak peace to the Gentiles, and his power shall be from sea to sea, and from the rivers even to the ends of the earth." [8]
The Apostles were sent forth to preach the Gospel to all nations and to every creature, [9] and St. Paul applies to them the words of the Psalmist: "Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth, and their words unto the end of the whole world." [10] Can it be supposed that these prophecies are fulfilled by the conversion of a few thou sand souls in the various pagan countries of the world? Can we admit that a world steeped in paganism, and torn with schism and heresy is the only result of Christ's death upon the Cross? Such an admission is necessary if the closing of the abyss and the binding of Satan be placed at the beginning of Christianity, and the thousand years of Christ's reign, before the defeat of Antichrist.
The prophecies cited above and hundreds of others scattered through the Scriptures make it certain that the reign of Christ shall be truly universal. After the gentile nations return to the Faith, the Jews shall also submit to the yoke of the Gospel. St. Paul states this fact very plainly: " Blindness in part has happened in Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles should come in. And so all Israel shall be saved as it is written: "There shall come out of Sion, he that shall deliver, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob." [11] Again he writes: "If the loss of them (the Jews) be the reconciliation of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?" [12]
These prophecies will not be fulfilled before the time of Antichrist, since the Apocalypse clearly shows that he will come into a world harassed by paganism, apostacy, schism, and heresy. [13] The Jews still unconverted, will accept him as Messias and assist in his warfare against the Church. Only after the defeat of Antichrist and the return of the Gentile nations to the Faith, will the Jews accept Christ as the true Messias. Then shall begin the universal reign of Christ over all peoples, and tribes, and tongues.
After the destruction of Rome in the days of Anti-christ, it shall remain forever but a heap of ruins, and the haunt of filthy animals; "that great city shall be found no more at all." This fact taken in connection with the many prophecies concerning the future glory of Jerusalem, justifies the belief that it will become the city of the Popes and the capital of Christendom from the time of Antichrist until the consummation of the world. This, we believe, is not opposed to the teaching of the Church. Many theologians hold that the Papacy is connected with the bishopric of Rome by divine institution; yet this cannot be an article of Faith because it is contained neither in Scripture nor in tradition. It is of faith that the successor of St. Peter is head of the Church, and in the present order of things it is also of faith that the bishop of Rome is the successor of St. Peter. [14]
Transfer of the Papacy from Rome to Jerusalem might be made by decree of a general council acting with the Pope, or by direct intervention of divine Providence. The prophets of old foretell the future glory of Jerusalem when it shall become again the Holy City and the spiritual capital of the world whence the waters of salvation flow out to all peoples. It shall also become the capital of a Jewish nation gathered about it once more. A few texts will suffice to establish these points.
"Rejoice and praise, thou habitation of Sion: for great is he that is in the midst of thee, the Holy One of Israel." [15]
"Sing praise, and rejoice, daughter of Sion: for behold I come and I will dwell in the midst of thee: saith the Lord. And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall be my people, and I will dwell in the midst of thee." [16]
"And there shall be one day, which is known to the Lord. . . . And it shall come to pass in that day that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem: half of them to the east sea, and half of them to the last sea; they shall be in summer and winter. And the Lord shall be King over all the earth: in that day there shall be one Lord, and His name shall be one . . . and there shall be no more anathema; but Jerusalem shall sit secure." [17]
"At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord: and all the nations shall be gathered together to it, in the name of the Lord of Jerusalem, and they shall not! walk after the perversity of their most wicked heart." [18]
"Thus saith the Lord of hosts: I am returned to Sion, and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called the city of truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts. Behold I will save my people from the land of the east, and from the land of the going down of the sun. And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God in truth and in justice. . . . And it shall come to pass, that as you were a curse among the Gentiles, O house of Juda, and house of Israel: so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing." [19]
These and similar prophecies aroused in the Jewish breast an anxious longing for the glorious awakening of Israel. The people looked forward to the long expected Messias as a great leader of the restoration. The Apostles sharer! this expectation of their countrymen. When our Lord told them the Holy Ghost was shortly to come upon them they said: Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" Christ did not tell them their expectations were vain; He simply said: "It is not for you to know the times or moments which the Father has put in his own power." [20] He told them, in effect, that the kingdom would be restored to Israel but it was not for them to know the time because the Father had not revealed it.
CHAPTER XX
1. And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand:
2. And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thou sand years.
3. And he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should no more seduce the nations, till the thousand years be finished. And after that he must be loosed a little time.
4. And I saw seats; and they sat upon them; and judgment was given unto them; and the souls of them that were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and who had not adored the beast nor his image, nor received his character on their fore head, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5. The rest of the dead lived not, till the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection. In these the second death hath no power; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ; and shall reign with him a thousand years.
1-3. Chapters ix-xix form an important part of the Apocalypse containing, as they do, an extended history of Antichrist and his warfare against the Church. As a preparation for his coming, the star fallen from heaven opens the abyss whence comes forth a great swarm of locusts. [21] Then follows a prophetic account of his reign, the overthrow of his empire, and his final condemnation in hell. An angel from heaven now binds the dragon and casts him into the abyss which is closed and sealed that Satan may no longer seduce the nations as in the past. Thus all obstacles are removed and the Church begins her peaceful reign on earth. It should be noted, however, that not all evil spirits are thus sealed up in the abyss; there will still be sin and evil on earth. The individual must still struggle against temptation and seduction. In fact there can be no real progress in virtue without temptation.
4. St. John now sees the souls of those who participate with Christ in the government of His Church. They are the saints who worshipped not the beast nor his image, nor received his character on their forehead, and especially they are the martyrs who gave their lives "for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God." "Judgment was given unto them," for as St. Paul says: "the saints shall judge this world." [22] The saints and martyrs are models and patrons for the faithful whom they teach and guide by the example of their lives on earth and by their intercession in heaven. Thus do they live and reign with Christ.
5. The wicked, the rest of the dead, live not the life of the soul because they have been condemned to the eternal torments of hell, which is the second death be cause it follows the death of the body.
6. The reign of the saints and martyrs with Christ in heaven is called the first resurrection. The resurrection of the body at the last judgment shall be the second. Blessed are they who have part in the first resurrection because the second death hath no power over them.
Part III
LOOSING OF SATAN AND LAST PERSECUTION
CHAPTER XX
7. And when the thousand years shall be finished, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go forth, and seduce the nations, which are over the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, and shall gather them together to battle, the number of whom is as the sands of the sea.
8. And they came upon the breadth of the earth, and encompassed the camp of the saints, and the be loved city.
9. And there came down fire from God out of heaven, and devoured them; and the devil, who seduced them, was cast into the pool of fire and brimstone, where both the beast
10. And the false prophet shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
7, 8. At the close of the period, symbolized by a thousand years, Salman will be loosed again for a short time during which he will seduce many nations. From the four quarters of the earth he will assemble an army, numerous as the sands of the sea, to war against the Church, the camp of the saints. Jerusalem the be loved, then the city of the Popes, will be the chief point of attack; but God will intervene in its defense by raining down fire upon the besieging hosts.
9. These hostile nations are symbolized as Gog and Magog, [23] names made famous by the prophecy of Ezechiel in which their invasion and terrible destruction by fire is described at length. "Thou shalt come out of thy place from the northern parts, thou and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company and a mighty army. And thou shalt come upon my people of Israel like a cloud to cover the earth. . . . And I will judge him with pestilence, and with, blood, and with violent rain, and vast hailstones: and I will rain fire and brimstone upon him, and upon his army, and upon the many nations that are with him. . . And I will send fire on Magog, and on them that dwell confidently in the islands: and they shall know that I am the Lord. . . . Behold it cometh, and it is done, saith the Lord God: this is the day whereof I have spoken. . . . And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give Gog a noted place for a sepulchre in Israel: the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea, which shall cause astonishment in them that pass by: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude, and it shall be called the valley of the multitude of Gog. And the house of Israel shall bury them for seven months to cleanse the land. And all the people of the land shall bury him, and it shall be unto them a noted day, wherein I was glorified, saith the Lord God."[24]
10. Satan is now cast into hell to be tormented with the beast and the false prophet for all eternity.
RESURRECTION AND GENERAL JUDGMENT
CHAPTER XX
11. And I saw a great white throne, and one sitting upon it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away, and there was no place found for them.
12. And I saw the dead great and small, standing in the presence of the throne, and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged by those things which were written in the books according to their works.
13. And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and hell gave up their dead that were in them; and they were judged every one according to their works.
14. And hell and death were cast into the pool of fire. This is the second death.
15. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the pool of fire.
11. St. John now beholds our Lord seated upon His throne to judge the living and the dead. Heaven and earth fleeing before His face expresses the terror that shall seize upon the wicked: "Men withering away for fear and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world. For the powers of heaven shall be moved." [25]
Our Lord's coming with power and majesty, and the signs that precede it were not revealed to St. John, probably because they had been sufficiently announced by Christ Himself in the Gospels. [26]
12. "Wheresoever the body shall be, there shall the eagles also be gathered together. " [27] In like manner at the coming of Christ the dead arise and come to judgment. The books are now opened and all are judged according to their works which are written either in the book of life or in the books of the dead. The books of the dead (wicked) are many while there is but one book of life because " many are called but few are chosen." [28]
13. The sea represents the nations opposed to the Church in the last days. Its dead are the people of those nations whom Christ shall find living at His coming. They are dead in sin and their works are written in the books of the dead.
Death and hell must give up their dead, the wicked who die before the second coming of Christ. Their souls, condemned to hell, are now united to their risen bodies to appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Thus do death and hell give up their dead.
14, 15. Those whose names are not written in the book of life are condemned, body and soul, to eternal torments which is the second death. Hence death and hell (the wicked) are cast into the pool of fire to be tormented for ever with the beast and his prophet.
The order of events immediately preceding the last judgment can be fairly well established from various passages of Scriptures. The revolt of Gog and Magog will be punished by a deluge of fire from heaven which will probably occasion the conversion of great numbers. At some time after this the signs foreboding the coming of Christ will strike terror into all hearts, [29] and the day of judgment will be near at hand. "When these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand." [30] "But of the day and hour no one knoweth, no not the angels of heaven, but the Father alone." [31] St. Paul says that the "day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night"; men will be found in the midst of their occupations as happened at the deluge of the days of Noe. [32]
At length there "shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all tribes of earth mourn: and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds with much power and majesty. And He shall send His angels with a trumpet and a great voice, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds of heaven, from the farthest parts of the heaven to the utmost bounds of them." [33] At the sound of the trumpet the dead shall arise. The just found living upon earth in that day and the just who arise from the dead shall be caught up into the air to meet Christ and be united with Him forever. "The dead who are with Christ shall arise first. Then we who are alive, who are left shall be taken up together with them in the clouds to meet Christ into the air and so shall we be always with the Lord." [34]
The wicked still living on earth and those raised up from the dead shall also be brought to judgment. Both good and bad are judged according to their works; "they that have done good things shall come forth unto the resurrection of life," and shall hear those words of Christ: "Come ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." [35] But they that have done evil shall hear those words of eternal judgment: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels." [36]
The words of St. Paul, "the dead who are with Christ shall rise first," do not mean that the resurrection of the just will take place before that of the wicked. St. Paul was writing to correct the erroneous belief of the Thessalonians that the just who are alive at the second coming of Christ will enjoy the glories of heaven sooner than those who have died. He tells them that the dead shall arise and then all shall be taken up together to meet Christ. Hence "we who are alive, who remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not be before them who have slept." [37]
Shall those found living at the second coming of Christ undergo death before the judgment? The Church has decided nothing in the matter, but Sacred Scripture seems to indicate that they will not. St. Paul says: "We who are alive shall be taken up." Again he says: "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of the last trumpet . . . the dead shall arise again incorruptible; and we shall be changed." [38] He evidently makes a distinction between those who are dead and those who remain alive at the coming of Christ. In the preceding verse the Apostle writes: "We shall all in deed rise again; but we shall not all be changed." This indicates that all must undergo death but the Greek text reads: "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed." It mast be admitted that this reading agrees better with the context than the one found in the Vulgate.
However the question is of little importance. We must all be changed; "this corruptible must put on in- corruption; and this mortal must put on immortality." [39] The bodies of the just will be spiritualized and glorified as was the body of our divine Saviour: "it is sown a natural body, it shall rise a spiritual body; it is sown in dishonor, it shall rise in glory. [40] Now it matters little indeed whether this change be accomplished directly in the living body or indirectly by death and immediate resurrection.
Part III
THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM
CHAPTER XXI
1. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth was gone, and the sea is now no more.
2. And I John saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3. And I heard a great voice from the throne, saying: Behold the tabernacle of God with men, and he will dwell with them. And they shall be his people; and God himself with them shall be their God.
4. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes,; and death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former things are passed away.
5. And he that sat on the throne, said: Behold I make all things anew. And he said to me: Write, for these words are most faithful and true.
6. And he said to me: It is done. I am Alpha and Omega; the beginning and the end. To him that thirsteth, I will give of the fountain of the water of life, freely.
7. He that shall overcome shall possess these things, and I will be his God; and he shall be my son.
8. But the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, they shall have their portion in the pool burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
1-4. A former vision revealed to St. John the destruction of the present world by a return to chaos as at the beginning oi creation. [41] This destruction will be accomplished by fire as St. Peter distinctly states: "But the heavens and the earth which now are, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of the ungodly men. . . . But the day of the Lord shall come as a thief, in which the heavens shall pass away with great violence, and the elements shall be melted with heat, and the earth and the works which are in it, shall be burnt up." [42] Out of the elements thus purified by fire, God will form a new, a glorified earth to be a suitable habitation for the glorified bodies of the just. Then will the Church triumphant, the new Jerusalem, descend upon earth to be the tabernacle of God with men. They shall be his people and He will be their God. They shall be happy with Him forever; "death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former things are passed away."
The renewal of the earth completes the "restitution of all things" mentioned by St. Peter. [43] It is the revelation for which all nature groaneth and travaileth in expectation, waiting for the adoption of the sons of God. [44] Isaias also prophesied this renewal: "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make to stand before me, saith the Lord: so shall your seed stand and your name." [45] Hence St. Peter writes: "But we look for new heavens and a new earth according to his promises, in which justice dwelleth." [46] The "heavens" in this connection probably refers to the space occupied by the atmosphere surrounding the earth. This was the opinion of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas. Others be lieve that it includes all the heavenly bodies, the entire universe. The "sea" may be taken literally, though in a symbolic sense it refers to the nations opposed to the Church. [47]
5, 6. The work of Redemption is now completed even for inanimate nature which had been cursed in the sin of man: "For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who made it subject in hope. Because the creature also itself shall be delivered from the servitude of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God." [48]
All things began in Christ by creation; they now find their destiny in Him who is "Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. [49] He now gives to His faithful the waters of eternal life, the life of union with Him in the Beatific Vision.
7, 8. Eternal happiness is for those alone who over come in the conflict with temptation and sin. All others shall suffer the eternal torments of hell which is the second death.
CHAPTER XXI
9. And there came one of the seven angels, who had the vials full of the seven last plagues, and spoke with me, saying: Come, and I will shew thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb.
10. And he took me in spirit to a great and high mountain: and he shewed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.
11. Having the glory of God, and the light thereof was like to a precious stone, as to the jasper stone, even as crystal.
12. And it had a wall, great and high, having twelve gates, and in the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.
13. On the east, three gates; and on the north, three gates; and on the south, three gates; and on the west, three gates.
14. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them, the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15. And he that spoke with me, had a measure of a reed of gold, to measure the city and the gates there of and the wall.
16. And the city lieth in a foursquare, and the length thereof is as great as the breadth: and he measured the city with the golden reed for twelve thousand furlongs, and the length and the height and the breadth thereof are equal.
17. And he measured the wall thereof an hundred forty-four cubits, the measure of a man, which is of an angel.
18. And the building of the wall thereof was of jasper stone: but the city itself pure gold like to clear glass.
19. And the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald:
20. The fifth, sardonyx: the sixth, sardius: the seventh, chrysolite, the eighth, beryl, the ninth, a topax: the tenth, a chrysoprasus: the eleventh, a jacinth: the twelfth an amethyst.
21. And the twelve gates are twelve pearls, one to each: and every several gate was of one several pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
22. And I saw no temple therein. For the Lord God Almighty is the temple thereof, and the Lamb.
23. And the city hath no need of the sun, nor moon, to shine in it. For the glory of God hath enlightened it and the Lamb is the lamp thereof.
24. And the nations shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honor into it.
25. And the gates thereof shall not be shut by day: for there shall be no night there.
26. And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.
27. There shall not enter into it anything defiled, or that worketh abomination or maketh a lie, but they that are written in the book of life of the Lamb.
9, 10. One of the seven angels who poured out the vials of wrath, takes St. John in spirit upon a high mountain that he may have a bird's eye view, as it were, of the new Jerusalem, coming down from heaven, all ablaze with divine splendors. The great dimensions of the city are also indicated by the necessity of viewing it from a lofty mountain.
11. The glory of God enlightens the city whose radiant beauty is compared to the flashing hues of jasper, and the transparent brilliancy of crystal.
12, 13. The strong towering walls are an assurance that no enemy can assail its inhabitants nor disturb the peace and happiness that reigns within. The twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes signify that many from each tribe shall be saved, [50] and through these tribes shall the nations be blessed. Hence there are three gates on each side to show that all nations are called to the Faith and to salvation. [51]
14. The twelve foundation stones bear the names of the twelve Apostles because Christ "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Him self being the chief corner-stone, in whom all the building being framed together groweth up into an holy temple in the Lord." [52]
15, 16. The angel measures the city and finds that it is a cube, a symbol of perfection. The dimensions are composed of the mystic numbers 12 and 1000, symbols of perfection and immensity. The reed is of gold, the symbol of charity, to signify that none can enter the heavenly Jerusalem unless he be enriched with good works and bear the treasure of Christian charity.
17. The height of the outer wall surrounding the city is insignificant when compared to the height of the city which is perfectly secure in itself and needs no protecting wall. The wall is measured in cubits, a measure in common use among men, but now employed by the angel in a mystic sense.
18-21. The description of the mystic Jerusalem is evidently symbolic. The dimensions signify perfection and immensity; the gold and precious stones remind as that it is necessary to have the gold of true charity and the gems of virtues and good works. Thus only can we enter this city of gleaming gold and sparkling gems. "Despairing of putting into words this the most sub lime part of his vision, and wishing to depict it in consonance with our understanding, St. John has recourse to the harmonious proportions of numbers, and the varied and delicate tints of precious gems. Until we see heaven and are bathed in the full light of God, w T e shall never discover all that the Apostle desired to convey thereby; but while here below, nothing gives us a loftier notion of heaven's blessedness than beholding St. John, the most enlightened and inspired of sacred writers, utterly powerless to express in human language the delights it holds in store for us." [53] We can only say with St. Paul: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love Him." [54]
22, 23. No temple is found in the heavenly city because God and the Lamb are themselves the temple. There every soul is united to God and flooded with the light of His eternal glory which renders useless all created light.
24-27. The elect of all nations shall dwell in this "light inaccessible" [55] and the kings of earth shall bring thither their glory and honor to lay them before the throne of God. The gates of the city are not closed at night like those of earthly cities, because "night shall be no more." Only those who are pure of heart, whose names are written in the book of life, can enter through these gates.
CHAPTER XXII
1. And he shewed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2. In the midst of the street thereof, and on both sides of the river, was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits, yielding its fruits every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 And there shall be no curse any more; but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve him.
4 And they shall see his face: and his name shall be on their foreheads.
5. And night shall be no more: and they shall not need the light of the lamp, nor the light of the sun, be cause the Lord God shall enlighten them, and they shall reign for ever and ever.
1. The river flowing from the throne of God symbolizes the joy and happiness that floods the souls of the elect in their possession of God and union with Him. This is the living water promised by our Lord: "He that shall drink of the water that I will give him, shall not thirst for ever: but the water that I will give him, shall become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." [56]
2. The tree of life stands in the midst of the city on either banks of the river at the disposal of all and to all it gives eternal life. Its twelve fruits ripening every month symbolize the happiness of heaven which shall be without interruption for all eternity. In this life the fruit of the tree is the Holy Eucharist, and its leaves the teachings of Christ and His Church. In heaven the fruit is the glory of the Beatific Vision; and the leaves, the accidental glory of the saints. [57]
3-5. Sin shall be no more, and the saints shall serve and glorify God whom they behold face to face. "We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known." [58] The name of God written upon the foreheads of the saints is a mark of their adoption as children of God by Baptism and Confirmation. "Be hold what manner of charity the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called, and should be the sons of God." [59]
Night shall be no more; the saints need not the lamp of faith nor the guiding light of the Church. God Him self will be their light and they will reign with Him for ever. "Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house, Lord: they shall praise Thee for ever and ever. " [60]
- ↑ II Thessalonians ii, 8.
- ↑ St. John x, 16.
- ↑ St. Matthew xxiv, ,27.
- ↑ Ps. Ixxi, 8, 9.
- ↑ Ps. Ixxxv, 9.
- ↑ Isaias ix, 7.
- ↑ Daniel vii, 27.
- ↑ Zacharias ix, 10.
- ↑ St. Matthew xxviii, 16; St. Luke xvi, 15.
- ↑ Romans x, 18; Ps. xviii, 5.
- ↑ Romans xi, 25, 26; Isaias lix, 20.
- ↑ Romans xi, 15.
- ↑ Apocalypse ix, 20, 21.
- ↑ Tanquery, "Synopsis Theol. Dogm." pp. 383-4.
- ↑ Isaias xii, 6.
- ↑ Zacharias ii, 10, 12.
- ↑ Zacharias xiv, 7-11.
- ↑ Jeremias iii, 17.
- ↑ Zacharias viii, 3, 7, 8, 13.
- ↑ Acts of the Apostles i, 2.
- ↑ Ch. ix, 2, 3.
- ↑ I Corinthians vi, 2.
- ↑ In Ezechiel Magog seems to be a people and Gog their ruler.
- ↑ Ezechiel xxxviii, xxxix.
- ↑ St. Luke xxi. 26.
- ↑ St. Matthew xxiv, ,216 sq.; St. Mark xiii, 22 sq.; St. Luke xxi, 25 sq.
- ↑ St. Matthew xxiv, 28.
- ↑ St. Matthew xxii, 14.
- ↑ St. Matthew xxiv, 29; St. Mark xiii, 24; St. Luke xxi, 25.
- ↑ St. Luke xxi, 28.
- ↑ St. Matthew xxiv, 36.
- ↑ I Thessalonians v, 2; St. Matthew xxiv, 37.
- ↑ St. Matthew xxiv, 31.
- ↑ I Thessalonians iv, 15, 16.
- ↑ St. John v, 29; St. Matthew xxv, 34.
- ↑ St. John v, 29; St. Matthew xxv, 41.
- ↑ I Thessalonians iv, 14.
- ↑ I Corinthians xv, 52; cf. also II Corinthians v, 4, 5.
- ↑ I Corinthians xv, 53.
- ↑ I Corinthians xv, 43. 44.
- ↑ See above, page 77.
- ↑ II Peter iii, 7-10.
- ↑ Acts of the Apostles iii. 21.
- ↑ Romans viii, 20-23.
- ↑ Isaias Ixvi, 2.
- ↑ II Peter iii, 13.
- ↑ Cf. Schneider-Thurston, "The Other Life" ch. xiii, where this whole subject is discussed at length.
- ↑ Romans viii, 20, 21.
- ↑ See above, page 6.
- ↑ See above, page 81.
- ↑ Genesis xxii, 18; xxvi, 4.
- ↑ Ephesians ii, 20, 21.
- ↑ Fouard, "St. John" (Eng. Trans.), page 130.
- ↑ I Corinthians ii, 9; cf. also Isaias Ixiv. 4.
- ↑ I Timothy vi, 16.
- ↑ St. John iv, 13, 14; Psalm xxxv, 9, 10.
- ↑ Cath. Encyc., vol. viii, p. 174.
- ↑ I Corinth, xiii, 12.
- ↑ I John iii, 1.
- ↑ Psalm lxxxiii, 5