TRV
Oecumenius
Medieval · AD 800–1500 · 987 passages across 19 books
Commentary
Revelation 9:17
And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
The "fire" of wrath and punishment is a symbol;
the "hyacinth" signifies that those sent are heavenly, for heaven is akin to the "hyacinth"; and the godlike ones please God, as if they were divine, for to please is to sing. And who would please God more than the holy angels?
the "hyacinth" signifies that those sent are heavenly, for heaven is akin to the "hyacinth"; and the godlike ones please God, as if they were divine, for to please is to sing. And who would please God more than the holy angels?
Revelation 9:18-19
By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
Then the vision varies and exalts the power of the holy angels, warning against "lions" and "fire", "smoke" and divine beings and serpents, through all of which their terrible and incredible nature is signified.
Revelation 9:20-21
And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
The prophet, striking the spiritual harp, recounted to us concerning those punished in Hades, saying to God: "that there is no one in death who remembers you; and in Hades, who will confess to you," (Ps. 6:6) depriving them both of joy according to God and repentance? For through the remembrance of God there is spiritual joy, for the same one writes that elsewhere he "remembered God and was glad," (Ps. 76:4) but through not confessing repentance— for confession is the declaration of those who have sinned, arising from remorse and turning back through shame that comes near to the soul. For in truth, God has appointed for us two lives, the present and the future. In the present life, He has given us the ability and authority to govern ourselves according to reason; but in the future life, there will be recompense for what has been lived, and neither the present life is subject to judgment, unless perhaps someone is profitably reminded and urged to repentance, nor the future life is a state so that we might be reformed from a misused life to a better one. Since these things are so, how…
The prophet, striking the spiritual harp, recounted to us concerning those punished in Hades, saying to God: "that there is no one in death who remembers you; and in Hades, who will confess to you," (Ps. 6:6) depriving them both of joy according to God and repentance? For through the remembrance of God there is spiritual joy, for the same one writes that elsewhere he "remembered God and was glad," (Ps. 76:4) but through not confessing repentance— for confession is the declaration of those who have sinned, arising from remorse and turning back through shame that comes near to the soul.
For in truth, God has appointed for us two lives, the present and the future. In the present life, He has given us the ability and authority to govern ourselves according to reason; but in the future life, there will be recompense for what has been lived, and neither the present life is subject to judgment, unless perhaps someone is profitably reminded and urged to repentance, nor the future life is a state so that we might be reformed from a misused life to a better one. Since these things are so, how then has it been said concerning those punished there?
"And the rest of the people, who were not killed by these plagues, neither repented from the works of their hands". It does not say that those who did not repent in that life, but that those still living, and not from obedience and seeing the things that were then to come, repented from these and those unlawful deeds. By this said "plague", they do not die the intellectual death, calling punishment death, as they co-exist eternally with the wicked, unless they are punished by another, indeed worse, which, though attempting to say it, he wisely kept silent. May it happen that all of us become free; by the grace and generosity of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father be glory with the Holy Spirit forever. Amen.
For in truth, God has appointed for us two lives, the present and the future. In the present life, He has given us the ability and authority to govern ourselves according to reason; but in the future life, there will be recompense for what has been lived, and neither the present life is subject to judgment, unless perhaps someone is profitably reminded and urged to repentance, nor the future life is a state so that we might be reformed from a misused life to a better one. Since these things are so, how then has it been said concerning those punished there?
"And the rest of the people, who were not killed by these plagues, neither repented from the works of their hands". It does not say that those who did not repent in that life, but that those still living, and not from obedience and seeing the things that were then to come, repented from these and those unlawful deeds. By this said "plague", they do not die the intellectual death, calling punishment death, as they co-exist eternally with the wicked, unless they are punished by another, indeed worse, which, though attempting to say it, he wisely kept silent. May it happen that all of us become free; by the grace and generosity of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father be glory with the Holy Spirit forever. Amen.
Revelation 10:1
And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:
Moreover, John, the divine narrator in the present discourse, recounts the events that occurred when the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, which I have not yet fully explained all at once, since the fifth discourse is so long, I therefore did not reveal it in full. But what else does he write that has happened? Therefore, those who, while still alive, having heard or even seen the punishments inflicted upon the wrongdoers, did not repent, but remained wicked as previously stated, John says that I saw an angel descending from heaven, bringing images of punishments. He says that his vision and form were as follows: he was clothed with a cloud. The cloud symbolizes the eternal and invisible nature of the holy angels; for the cloud is a symbol of the unseen. The prophet, indicating the invisible nature of God, describes "clouds and thick darkness are round about him." (Ps. 97:2) And a rainbow was upon his head; as if the head and the foremost among the good angels were saying, it is brightness; for angels are beings of light. (2 Cor. 11:14) And his face is said to be like the sun; and…
Moreover, John, the divine narrator in the present discourse, recounts the events that occurred when the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, which I have not yet fully explained all at once, since the fifth discourse is so long, I therefore did not reveal it in full. But what else does he write that has happened?
Therefore, those who, while still alive, having heard or even seen the punishments inflicted upon the wrongdoers, did not repent, but remained wicked as previously stated, John says that I saw an angel descending from heaven, bringing images of punishments.
He says that his vision and form were as follows: he was clothed with a cloud. The cloud symbolizes the eternal and invisible nature of the holy angels; for the cloud is a symbol of the unseen. The prophet, indicating the invisible nature of God, describes "clouds and thick darkness are round about him." (Ps. 97:2)
And a rainbow was upon his head; as if the head and the foremost among the good angels were saying, it is brightness; for angels are beings of light. (2 Cor. 11:14)
And his face is said to be like the sun; and this too is an appearance of pure brightness. But the rainbow is the brightness of a created nature, signifying virtue; therefore, the brightness of the rainbow is not uniform, but varied, indicating all the virtues of the angels. The sun, indeed, signifies their natural brilliance by a gleaming light. Therefore, it was surrounded by a rainbow, for virtues are around us; but its face resembled the sun, for in us all natural excellence is present in abundance.
And his feet were like pillars of fire. The fire signifies the punishment that he came to bring upon the impious.
Therefore, those who, while still alive, having heard or even seen the punishments inflicted upon the wrongdoers, did not repent, but remained wicked as previously stated, John says that I saw an angel descending from heaven, bringing images of punishments.
He says that his vision and form were as follows: he was clothed with a cloud. The cloud symbolizes the eternal and invisible nature of the holy angels; for the cloud is a symbol of the unseen. The prophet, indicating the invisible nature of God, describes "clouds and thick darkness are round about him." (Ps. 97:2)
And a rainbow was upon his head; as if the head and the foremost among the good angels were saying, it is brightness; for angels are beings of light. (2 Cor. 11:14)
And his face is said to be like the sun; and this too is an appearance of pure brightness. But the rainbow is the brightness of a created nature, signifying virtue; therefore, the brightness of the rainbow is not uniform, but varied, indicating all the virtues of the angels. The sun, indeed, signifies their natural brilliance by a gleaming light. Therefore, it was surrounded by a rainbow, for virtues are around us; but its face resembled the sun, for in us all natural excellence is present in abundance.
And his feet were like pillars of fire. The fire signifies the punishment that he came to bring upon the impious.
Revelation 10:2
And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,
And he is said to have held in his hand a tiny open scroll [βιβλιδάριον]. Daniel, recalling such small scrolls [βιβλίων], says: "before him sat a judge, and scrolls [βίβλοι] were opened." (Dan. 7:10) The tiny scroll [βιβλιδάριον] was one in which were recorded the names and the multitude of the very impious who were to be punished. Therefore, it was also diminutively called a "tiny scroll" [βιβλιδάριον], since it is a kind of scroll [βίβλου]. Both terms have been used in the Holy Scripture, in which the names of all men are written, according to what was previously stated by me. The term "tiny scroll" [βιβλιδάριον] refers to the record containing the names of the exceedingly impious. For the worshippers of idols were not so numerous, nor marked by murders and poisonings and other afflictions that would serve to fill an entire scroll small [βιβλίον] with the diseases they caused. And he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the land. This was a sign both of the greatness of the saints and a sign that those who have sinned on the earth as well as those in the sea, such…
And he is said to have held in his hand a tiny open scroll [βιβλιδάριον]. Daniel, recalling such small scrolls [βιβλίων], says: "before him sat a judge, and scrolls [βίβλοι] were opened." (Dan. 7:10) The tiny scroll [βιβλιδάριον] was one in which were recorded the names and the multitude of the very impious who were to be punished. Therefore, it was also diminutively called a "tiny scroll" [βιβλιδάριον], since it is a kind of scroll [βίβλου]. Both terms have been used in the Holy Scripture, in which the names of all men are written, according to what was previously stated by me. The term "tiny scroll" [βιβλιδάριον] refers to the record containing the names of the exceedingly impious. For the worshippers of idols were not so numerous, nor marked by murders and poisonings and other afflictions that would serve to fill an entire scroll small [βιβλίον] with the diseases they caused.
And he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the land. This was a sign both of the greatness of the saints and a sign that those who have sinned on the earth as well as those in the sea, such as shipwrecked individuals or others who have committed evil deeds, would bear the consequences of punishment.
And he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the land. This was a sign both of the greatness of the saints and a sign that those who have sinned on the earth as well as those in the sea, such as shipwrecked individuals or others who have committed evil deeds, would bear the consequences of punishment.
Revelation 10:3
And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
And he cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. And it is said that the holy angel of wrath was symbolically represented as having roared like a lion, signifying the judgment against the impious.
And when he said, "he cried out," the seven thunders uttered their voices. The seven thunders refer to the seven ministering spirits whose memory has been mentioned earlier; therefore, it is placed after the article. He says, "the seven thunders," referring to those seven spirits to which the reference pertains. What then is the meaning of the seven spirits crying out? It is that they also fully correspond with the punishments inflicted upon sinners, offering a grateful hymn of praise to God, acknowledging that all things have been done justly. At the same time, the one who cried out clarified the various forms of punishments.
And when he said, "he cried out," the seven thunders uttered their voices. The seven thunders refer to the seven ministering spirits whose memory has been mentioned earlier; therefore, it is placed after the article. He says, "the seven thunders," referring to those seven spirits to which the reference pertains. What then is the meaning of the seven spirits crying out? It is that they also fully correspond with the punishments inflicted upon sinners, offering a grateful hymn of praise to God, acknowledging that all things have been done justly. At the same time, the one who cried out clarified the various forms of punishments.
Revelation 10:4
And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.
He says that he was about to write what was spoken to the seven spirits. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Seal up what the seven thunders have spoken, and do not write it down." The act of sealing, in one sense, involved impressing the memory firmly upon your mind; but the prohibition against writing it down was a matter of divine economy, for which God knows the reason. Perhaps the punishments that are glorified are actually lighter, and worthy of the goodness of the one who punishes, making them shameful to humans.
What do Gregory the Divine and Evagrius, the great authority on Gnostic matters, say about these things? Gregory asserts that "the punishment surrounding Adam is an act of generosity, for therefore I believe God punishes." And in another context, "neither mercy is indiscriminate nor is judgment merciless." Evagrius, however, declares that "the more recent and worldly thinkers should be forgotten regarding the superior discourse on judgment; for they do not understand the suffering of the rational soul condemned to ignorance."
What do Gregory the Divine and Evagrius, the great authority on Gnostic matters, say about these things? Gregory asserts that "the punishment surrounding Adam is an act of generosity, for therefore I believe God punishes." And in another context, "neither mercy is indiscriminate nor is judgment merciless." Evagrius, however, declares that "the more recent and worldly thinkers should be forgotten regarding the superior discourse on judgment; for they do not understand the suffering of the rational soul condemned to ignorance."
Revelation 10:7
But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
According to the form of omission, it is stated: for it says that when the seventh angel is about to sound the trumpet, all the punishment against the impious will be fulfilled, being both various and many. However, it does not say that this will happen when he sounds the trumpet in the vision, since the other events have not yet occurred at that time, but rather when he sounds the trumpet at the appropriate time.
When this occurs, he says that the mystery of God will be fulfilled, as he declared to his servants the prophets. For the prophets foretold up until the judgment and the recompense of the good and the wicked, but not after that. Therefore, when the seventh angel sounds, the mystery will be completed, and every prophetic announcement will come to an end.
When this occurs, he says that the mystery of God will be fulfilled, as he declared to his servants the prophets. For the prophets foretold up until the judgment and the recompense of the good and the wicked, but not after that. Therefore, when the seventh angel sounds, the mystery will be completed, and every prophetic announcement will come to an end.
Revelation 10:8
And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
And I heard a voice from heaven again, speaking. What did it say? Go, take the little scroll [βιβλίον] that is open in the hand of the angel.
Revelation 10:9
And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
When I took it, he said, I ate it, and it was sweet in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. Since the divine evangelist both saw and heard the punishments inflicted upon the impious, so that they might be disciplined through deeds and not by hearing alone, and so that the lawlessness of men, which is both bitter and detestable before God, might be recognized as repulsive, he teaches this through vision. For he did not know this from experience, being a holy man and a virgin, and through this he came to understand that the wrath of God against the impious is just.
The little scroll [βιβλίον] contained both the names and the sins of those who had greatly erred, as previously stated. It was therefore commanded to eat this, so that, through a certain taste and intellectual experience, the bitterness of the sins might be realized through a vision.
The little scroll [βιβλίον] contained both the names and the sins of those who had greatly erred, as previously stated. It was therefore commanded to eat this, so that, through a certain taste and intellectual experience, the bitterness of the sins might be realized through a vision.
Revelation 10:10
And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
And having eaten, he found them sweet to the mouth, but bitter to the stomach after consumption; for such is every sin. It is sweet in its operation, but bitter in its outcome. For it becomes the cause of punishment, and also, through repentance, it embitters those who have committed it. Such was also the tree forbidden by God in Paradise, which all interpret as leading to sin, producing knowledge of both good and evil (Gen. 2-3); sweet indeed in taste, but evil after experience.
Revelation 10:11
And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
And he says to me, "You must prophesy again concerning peoples, nations, languages, and many kings," as if he said: because you have already seen in a vision both the end of the present age and the wrath against the ungodly, do not consider the day of the end to be present in deed; there is a long time in between, during which you must also prophesy to many nations and kings. Therefore, until now, the divine John prophesies through the Gospel, through his Catholic Epistles, and through the present Revelation; for everything has been spoken and foretold to him in the Spirit.
Revelation 11:1
And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
In the visions that had come before, the apparition revealed to the divine John the multitude of saints accompanying Christ and the divine throne they beheld, among whom those from the nations far outnumbered those from Israel. But now, another vision shows him how many, or rather how few, were esteemed in the time of the Old Covenant, and how many in the era of the New.
And see how cleverly this is depicted to him. He is given a measuring rod to measure the temple of God and the altar within the temple, clearly referring to the one in Jerusalem, and those who worship there. And he measured; for those who were counted were few, as in the times of old, who had found favor with God.
And see how cleverly this is depicted to him. He is given a measuring rod to measure the temple of God and the altar within the temple, clearly referring to the one in Jerusalem, and those who worship there. And he measured; for those who were counted were few, as in the times of old, who had found favor with God.
Revelation 11:2
But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
And he says that the outer court of the temple was cast out and should not be measured, because it was given to the Gentiles. Having measured the temple and the altar and those who were sacrificing within it, he heard that the court should be cast out to the outside and made wider, but not to be measured, as it was considered to have a superior measure. He says that the court is given to the Gentiles, and it is held both within the temple and outside of it; and the New Covenant is held in place of the Old. For what is contained in it is fulfilled spiritually and truly in a shadowy manner, and it is different from the old one, according to the words of Jeremiah: "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day I took hold of their hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt." (Jer. 31:31-32) He therefore speaks of the new covenant as the court of the temple. Then, the vision subtly implies that the Lord of the Old Covenant has also be…
And he says that the outer court of the temple was cast out and should not be measured, because it was given to the Gentiles. Having measured the temple and the altar and those who were sacrificing within it, he heard that the court should be cast out to the outside and made wider, but not to be measured, as it was considered to have a superior measure.
He says that the court is given to the Gentiles, and it is held both within the temple and outside of it; and the New Covenant is held in place of the Old. For what is contained in it is fulfilled spiritually and truly in a shadowy manner, and it is different from the old one, according to the words of Jeremiah: "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day I took hold of their hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt." (Jer. 31:31-32)
He therefore speaks of the new covenant as the court of the temple. Then, the vision subtly implies that the Lord of the Old Covenant has also been established, the one who in the New Covenant has appeared as Christ and Ruler, just as it seems to Paul when speaking about Israel, "for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them; and that rock was Christ." (1 Cor. 10:4)
He called the New one the court of the old; for the court is the beginning and entrance of God, but not the temple. Therefore, he did not measure the court through which both it and those within it are revealed; for both the New one and those who have succeeded within it extend beyond the limit, the former due to their countless multitude, and the latter because of the elusiveness and height of the doctrines.
That it is said to have been given to the Gentiles, it was indeed also given to Israel the new blessings; but since those among the Gentiles were superior in number to the distinguished ones from Israel, it demonstrated that the whole was from the greater number, saying that the court was given to the Gentiles.
And he says that they will trample the holy city for forty-two months, the city (not the temple), calling the church a city, concerning which it has been said with glory about you: the city of God (Ps. 86:3), the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22), the mother of the firstborn (Ps. 86:5), whose names are written in heaven. (Heb. 12:23)
What then does the measure of the forty-two months signify? It clearly indicates that the time of the new order on earth will be brief, and that the end will soon come. The number forty, composed of four tens, is not perfect, nor is the number two. From this, the argument shows that the new state will not endure long in the present life; therefore, the Scripture calls the final hour, and again the eleventh hour (Matt. 20:6, 9.), the time of the new era, during which the Only-Begotten came into the world; and in the future, it will be eternal.
To say that those from the Gentiles will trample the holy city, that is, the church, means that those dwelling within it will be persecuted.
He says that the court is given to the Gentiles, and it is held both within the temple and outside of it; and the New Covenant is held in place of the Old. For what is contained in it is fulfilled spiritually and truly in a shadowy manner, and it is different from the old one, according to the words of Jeremiah: "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day I took hold of their hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt." (Jer. 31:31-32)
He therefore speaks of the new covenant as the court of the temple. Then, the vision subtly implies that the Lord of the Old Covenant has also been established, the one who in the New Covenant has appeared as Christ and Ruler, just as it seems to Paul when speaking about Israel, "for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them; and that rock was Christ." (1 Cor. 10:4)
He called the New one the court of the old; for the court is the beginning and entrance of God, but not the temple. Therefore, he did not measure the court through which both it and those within it are revealed; for both the New one and those who have succeeded within it extend beyond the limit, the former due to their countless multitude, and the latter because of the elusiveness and height of the doctrines.
That it is said to have been given to the Gentiles, it was indeed also given to Israel the new blessings; but since those among the Gentiles were superior in number to the distinguished ones from Israel, it demonstrated that the whole was from the greater number, saying that the court was given to the Gentiles.
And he says that they will trample the holy city for forty-two months, the city (not the temple), calling the church a city, concerning which it has been said with glory about you: the city of God (Ps. 86:3), the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22), the mother of the firstborn (Ps. 86:5), whose names are written in heaven. (Heb. 12:23)
What then does the measure of the forty-two months signify? It clearly indicates that the time of the new order on earth will be brief, and that the end will soon come. The number forty, composed of four tens, is not perfect, nor is the number two. From this, the argument shows that the new state will not endure long in the present life; therefore, the Scripture calls the final hour, and again the eleventh hour (Matt. 20:6, 9.), the time of the new era, during which the Only-Begotten came into the world; and in the future, it will be eternal.
To say that those from the Gentiles will trample the holy city, that is, the church, means that those dwelling within it will be persecuted.
Revelation 11:3
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Since everything concerning the Lord's incarnation and administration was revealed to the evangelist in the vision, namely, the birth, the temptation, the teachings, the taunts against Him, as well as the cross, the resurrection, the second coming, and in addition the retributions for both the saints and sinners; what pertains to the forerunners of His second coming was omitted. Now, however, these matters are being taught again, as if by way of correction, that Elijah the Tishbite will indeed come, as the divine Scripture clearly foretells. Malachi states, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the Tishbite before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, who will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse." (Mal. 4:4-5) Furthermore, the Lord, speaking to Matthew concerning John the Baptist, says, "If you are willing to accept it, this is Elijah who is to come." (Matt. 11:14) Regarding another forerunner, we have heard nothing clearly anywhere, except that concerning Enoch, Gene…
Since everything concerning the Lord's incarnation and administration was revealed to the evangelist in the vision, namely, the birth, the temptation, the teachings, the taunts against Him, as well as the cross, the resurrection, the second coming, and in addition the retributions for both the saints and sinners; what pertains to the forerunners of His second coming was omitted. Now, however, these matters are being taught again, as if by way of correction, that Elijah the Tishbite will indeed come, as the divine Scripture clearly foretells. Malachi states, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the Tishbite before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, who will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse." (Mal. 4:4-5) Furthermore, the Lord, speaking to Matthew concerning John the Baptist, says, "If you are willing to accept it, this is Elijah who is to come." (Matt. 11:14)
Regarding another forerunner, we have heard nothing clearly anywhere, except that concerning Enoch, Genesis states that "he pleased God and was taken away." (Gen. 5:22) The wise Apostle, speaking of him, affirms "by faith, Enoch was taken away so that he would not see death, and he was not found because God had taken him." (Heb. 11:5)
An ancient tradition persists in the Church: after Elijah the Tishbite, Enoch will also come, preceding the second coming of Christ and proclaiming the imminent appearance of the Antichrist. It is said that they will come first and serve as forerunners, testifying in advance that the signs performed by the Antichrist are deceptive and that one should not believe the deceiver.
Regarding these matters, the vision now speaks: that they will prophecy for a certain number of days or reveal some secret number or the entirety of what is to come. It is said that they will do this while clothed in sackcloth. For they will mourn over the disobedience of the people at that time.
Regarding another forerunner, we have heard nothing clearly anywhere, except that concerning Enoch, Genesis states that "he pleased God and was taken away." (Gen. 5:22) The wise Apostle, speaking of him, affirms "by faith, Enoch was taken away so that he would not see death, and he was not found because God had taken him." (Heb. 11:5)
An ancient tradition persists in the Church: after Elijah the Tishbite, Enoch will also come, preceding the second coming of Christ and proclaiming the imminent appearance of the Antichrist. It is said that they will come first and serve as forerunners, testifying in advance that the signs performed by the Antichrist are deceptive and that one should not believe the deceiver.
Regarding these matters, the vision now speaks: that they will prophecy for a certain number of days or reveal some secret number or the entirety of what is to come. It is said that they will do this while clothed in sackcloth. For they will mourn over the disobedience of the people at that time.
Revelation 11:4
These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
These, he says, are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the Lord of the whole earth. Zechariah, the inspired prophet, saw a lampstand with seven lamps above it and two olive branches, but the branches stood beside two golden oil dispensers, therefore saying: "What are these two olive branches on the sides of the two golden oil dispensers?" And he heard from the angel who was speaking that "they are the two sons of oil, who stand before the Lord of all the earth." (Zech. 4:11-14) And that from this the prophet's use of the articles in the phrase "these are the two olive trees and the two lampstands" is confirmed; for this serves to indicate an agreed upon symbolism, except that here Zechariah called them "two dispensers" John called them "two lampstands." That the two branches of the olive tree, one from the Jews and the other from the Gentiles, have been interpreted as the two peoples is not unknown to the saints. Nevertheless, it is also possible that the two prophets mentioned in the current discourse are meant.
Revelation 11:5
And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
And he says that those who wish to wrong them are defended by fire going forth from their mouths, and they have the authority to shut the sky so that no rain falls during the days of their prophecy. This is among the most probable; for if one of them had such authority, Elijah the Tishbite, even before completing the ministry of Christ, how unlikely would it be for him to precede Christ?
Revelation 11:6
These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
And he says they have authority over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they desire. For "the presence" of the Antichrist will be revealed "in the power of Satan through all kinds of signs and false wonders," as Paul writes in his second letter to the Thessalonians (2 Thess. 2:9), and these signs were intended to lead to assent and belief. Therefore, the two prophets who speak about him say that he is a deceiver and a fraud, and that he will use various signs to draw those who hear him into belief.
Revelation 11:7
And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
And when they have finished their testimony, for they will testify that the one present is not the Christ, but rather a deceiver, a fraud, and destructive. But the Son of God, who must also be believed as Savior and God and as the benefactor of mankind, will come, a coming long foretold and now occurring.
And the beast, he says that it is ascending from the abyss. The term "beast" is used to describe the Antichrist due to his brutal, inhuman, and bloodthirsty nature; whereas "abyss" refers to the life of humans, which is bitter because of sins, salty, and unstable owing to the influence of the spirits of evil.
Therefore, the beast will kill the two witnesses, and their bodies will be left unburied in the streets of Jerusalem. For in that city, he will reign as king over the Jews, and having deceived them, he will exercise authority over all who serve and obey him, just as the Lord says to John: "I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him." (Jn. 5:43)
And the beast, he says that it is ascending from the abyss. The term "beast" is used to describe the Antichrist due to his brutal, inhuman, and bloodthirsty nature; whereas "abyss" refers to the life of humans, which is bitter because of sins, salty, and unstable owing to the influence of the spirits of evil.
Therefore, the beast will kill the two witnesses, and their bodies will be left unburied in the streets of Jerusalem. For in that city, he will reign as king over the Jews, and having deceived them, he will exercise authority over all who serve and obey him, just as the Lord says to John: "I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him." (Jn. 5:43)
Revelation 11:8
And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
Jerusalem, however, is spiritually called Sodom, not in a literal sense, because of the recklessness and heresy present at that time, and Egypt, as a place betraying and wronging the servants of Christ; just as Egypt did to Israel; where also he says that the Lord of these two witnesses was crucified.