Berry (published 1920)

a

At the breaking of the fifth seaF St. John sees the souls of the martyrs beneath the altar where they enjoy eternal happiness in union with Christ, yet they cry out for justice. They beseech God to manifest His glory, His justice, and His mercy by the resurrection of their bodies, the punishment of His enemies and the general judgment of all men. The imagery of this vision seems to refer to the altar of holocaust which stood in the inner court of the temple before the Holy Place. In the Jewish ritual the blood of the victim was poured out at the foot of the altar. The life of the victim was said to be in the blood: 'the life of the flesh is in the blood,' and again, "Beware of this that thou eat not the blood, for the blood is for the soul, and therefore thou must not eat the soul with the flesh.' Hence the life or soul of the victim was conceived as being under the altar. In like manner the souls of the martyrs are seen beneath the altar because they too have become victims to God through martyrdom and the voice of their blood cries out to God for justice. 'The voice of thy brother's blood crieth out to me from the earth.' The martyrs have received the white robes of eternal happiness and glory, but they must wait for the resurrection of the body until the number of their fellow martyrs has been filled up. They have but a short while to

Mary.

2See Apocalypse quoted above in No. 32a.

wait since the whole course of ages is as a few moments when con1pared with eternity that follows: fFor a thousand years in thy sight are as yesterday which is past, and as a watch in the night.' l"'his verse clearIy foretells that there shall be martyrs other than those of the first ages of the Church. There shall be witnesses to God by their blood in every age, especially in the days of Anti-Christ and at the end of the world. The resurrection and general judgment sball not take place until after this last persecution."

18Gb. "On the opening of the sixth seal 1 we catch a glimpse of the last persecution and the destruction of the vorld. This is to show that the prayers of the martyrs have already been heard in the designs of God, and shall be ans,vered in due time."

c

"These verses rnake it clear that there is no question of real locusts such as those that ravaged Egypt in the days of Moses.2 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 p2rsecute without killing. but they cannot destroy the Church.

"In those days Dlen seek death and find it not. The good ,vwould 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 frorn their doubts and remorse of conscience.

"The locusts reseinble 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 crovns merely resembled gold, because there was but a mere semblance

lSee Apocalypse quoted above in No. 32a. 2 See Apocalypse quoted above in No.3 2b.

of real Christian charity in those days. The human faces prove that these locusts symbolize real persons.

"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 innurnerable wings resembles the thunder of chariots rushing to battle. T'his 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.

"The king of these symbolic locusts is called the Destroyer

(Exterminans). I-Ie 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."

d

"The invasion of the locusts is the first woe predicted by the eagle. 1 The two yet to come will fill up the 'mystery of iniquity' with the appearance of Anti-Christ and his prophet.

"God sends a sixth angel to instruct and guide the Church. This mission "rill 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.'

"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: ''1hou shwouldst not have any power against me, unless it were given thee from above.'

1See Apocalypse quoted above in No. 32b.

"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 forbade to injure the earth until the Church could be firmly established after the persecutions.

"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.

IfGreat numbers will be done to death in the religious waifs 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.

flThese scourges shall be more terrible than any yet predicted. The first plagues were brought to earth by four horsemen. 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 Anti-Christ.

"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 obscur

ing 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 shwould proceed words of wisdom;

instead there come forth heresies, and incitements to revolt and

revolution. It shwould 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.

"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.

I'There is no question here of real artillery as some have imagined. St. John is giving only the broad outlines 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.

"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 hundred years 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."

e

"An angel coming in clouds of grace and glory brings to St. John a book of further prophecies. l The rainbow about his head symbolizes mercy, vhile the brightness of his countenance expresses the power of his teachings to en

1For Text of Apoc., see above No. 32e.

"ghten souls. The feet as of fire indicate that he shall lead the Church in the ways of truth and justice as the pillar of fire guided the Israelites in the wilderness.

"The book is open to signify that the prophecies therein revealed to St. John are intelligible and shall be understood in due time according to the needs of the Church. The angel places one foot upon the sea, the other upon the land to express God's

I supreme dominion over all things. "The voice like the roar of a lion is the voice of the Gospel

:'\

which shall penetrate to the very ends of the earth teaching

Lii'I

I, divine truth, condemning error, and threatening persecutors with the vengeance of God. Here, as elsewhere, the thunders 1\ may symbolize the andthemas of the Church against all wicked

r',I

ness and error; but it would be useless to comment on their

1,,','[1

1'1 exact meaning since St. John was commanded to seal up their

words. In like manner Daniel was ordered to seal up the words

of his prophecies until the time appointed by God for their publication. The words of the seven thunders may also have been such as St. Paul heard-'secret words which it is not grant

ed to man to utter.' "Lifting his hand to heaven the angel calls upon the God of all creation to witness the truth of his words that time shall be no more. This does not mean that the end of the world is at hand, but that the time for judgment against obstinate sinners and persecutors has arrived. "This judgment shall be the great persecution of Anti-Christ and its attendant evils. Then shall be accomplished the "mystery of God' which has been announced (evangelized) by the prophets of old. To evangelize is to announce good tidings, hence this 'mystery of God' is probably the plenitude of the Redemption applied to all nations of earth. After the destruction of Anti-Christ and his kingdom all peoples shall accept the Gospels and the Church of Christ shall reign peacefully over all nations." "Eating the book symbolizes an intimate union with the Holy Ghost by which the mind of the Apostle is illuminated

with the spirit of prophecy. St. John finds the book sweet to the taste because it announces mercy to the elect and the final triumph of the Church. It is bitter in so far as it predicts dire persecutions for the Church and terrible punishments for the wicked."

f

"The followers of Anti-Christ have been warned of defeat and eternal punishment; 1 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 bundies for the fire. 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 Anti-Christ in subsequent chapters.

"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 surrounded 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.

"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. This martyr who has "power over fire" is probably Elias who will destroy Anti-Christ by sending

down fire from heaven. The prophet Joel also describes the judgments of God against unholy nations as a vintage and a treading of the wine-press. "The wine-press of divine wrath shall be trodden outside the city of Jerusalem. Final victory over Anti-Christ 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

IiI will sit to judge all nations round about ... in the valley of

destruction: for the day of the Lord is near.' "