THE ARGVMENT OF THE APOCALYPSE OF S. IOHN
Nota Bene: Before proceeding, the reader is advised to review our post titled, PREFATORY TO THE TRANSCRIPTION OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JOHN THE APOSTLE. The reader is also advised that the source text of THE ARGVMENT OF THE APOCALYPSE OF S. IOHN transcribed herewith can be accessed online by referring to pp. 696–697 of the original Rheims New Testament through the following link: THE NEVV TESTAMENT OF IESVS CHRIST, TRANSLATED FAITHFVLLY INTO ENGLISH, out of the authentical Latin, according to the beſt corrected copies of the ſame, diligently conferred vvith the Greeke and other editions in diuers languages: Vvith Argvments of bookes and chapters, Annotations, and other neceſſarie helpes, for the better vnderſtanding of the text, and ſpecially for the diſcouerie of the Corrvptions of diuers late tranſlations, and for cleering the Controversies in religion, of theſe daies: In the English College of Rhemes. PRINTED AT RHEMES, by Iohn Fogny. 1582.
That vvhich the old Teſtament foretold of Christ him ſelf, the Apoſtles could report the fulfilling thereof in the nevv Teſtament, by vvay of an hiſtorie, euen from his Conception to his Glorification. But of his Church, they could not doe the like : becauſe in their time it did but beginne : being to continue long after them, euen to the end of the vvorld, and then at length to be glorified, as Chriſt her Spouſe alreadie is. Herevpon God vvould have S. Luke to report in the Acts of the Apoſtles, the ſtorie of the Churches beginning. and for the reſt of it to the end, (that vve might receiue this benefite alſo by the Apoſtles handes) he vvould S. Iohn to tell vs of it in this booke by vvay of a prophesie.
Hier. ad Paulin. Of vvhich booke S. Hierome ſaith : The Apocalypſe of S. Iohn hath as many ſacraments or myſteries, as vvords. Yea more then that. In euery vvord there are hid manifold and ſundrie ſenſes. Therfore it is very litle that can here be noted, in respect. Yet to giue the good Catholike (vvhoſe comfort is here) some litle helpe, the booke may be diuided into fiue partes.
1 part. | Ca. 1. 2. 3. The firſt (after the Proœme) conteineth ſeuen Epiſtles from Chriſt novv in glorie, to ſeuen Churches of Aſia, or (for, theſe he maketh al one) to the ſeuen Biſhops of thoſe Churches : meaning not to thoſe only, but to al his Churches & Biſhops throughout the vvorld : ſaying therefore in euery one of them, to al in general : He that hath an eare, let him heare vvhat the Spirit ſaith to the Churches : As alſo in euery one he exhorteth vs to fight manfully (in this ſpiritual vvarfare of ours againſt ſinne) for the victorie, and in euery one accordingly promiſeth vs a revvard in heauen. But before this, in the beginning of euery one, he partly commendeth, partly reprehendeth, and exhorteth to penance. Vvhere this is much to be noted, and feared, that among ſo many, he reproueth ſomevvhat in al, ſaue only in tvvo, vvhich are the ſecond & the ſixt. In the beginning alſo of euery one, he taketh ſome peece out of the apparition going before, to frame thereof his ſtyle agreably to the matter of eche Epistle.
2 | Ca. 4. to the 8. After this admonition to Paſtors and their flockes : the ſecond part folovveth, vvherein the Church and vvhole courſe thereof from the beginning to the end, is expreſſed in the opening of a booke in Gods hand, and the ſeven ſeales thereof, by Chriſt. for the vvhich, he ſeeth praiſe ſung novv in heauen and earth, not only to the Godhead, as before, but alſo (after a nevv manner) to Chriſt according to his Manhod. Ca. 8. to the 12. And here, vvhen he is come to the opening of the laſt ſeal, ſignifying Domeſday, be letteth that matter alone for a vvhile, and to ſpeake more fully yet of the ſaid courſe of the Church, he bringeth in another pagent (as it vvere) of ſeven Angels with ſeven Trumpets. The effect of both the Seals & Trumpets, is this : That the Church beginning and proceding, there ſhould be raiſed againſt it, cruel persecutions, and peſtilent hereſies : and at length after al hereſies, a certaine moſt blaſphemous Apoſtaſie,1 being the next preparatiue to the coming of Antichriſt : After al vvhich, Antichriſt him self in perſon shal appeare in the time of the ſixth ſeal, and ſixth trumpet, perſecuting, and ſeducing (for the ſhort time of his reigne) more then al before him. The Church notvvithſtãding shal ſtill continue, and vvade though al, becauſe Chriſt her Spouse is ſtronger then al theſe aduerſaries, vvho alſo ſtraight after the ſaid ſixt time, shal in the ſeuenth, come in maiesty and iudge al.
3 | C. 12. 13. 14. Of the vvhich iudgement, differring yet a vvhile to ſpeak at large, he doth firſt in the third part intreate more fully of the Deuils vvorking by Antichriſt and his companie againſt the Church, that the iuſtice of Chriſt aftervvard in iudging, may be more manifeſt.
4 | C. 15. to the 21. At length therefore in the fourth part he commeth to the ſeuen laſt plagues, the ſeuenth of them conteining the final damnation of the vvhole multitude, ſociety, or corps of the vvicked, from the beginning of the vvorld to the end. Vvhich multitude, in the Goſpel and firſt Epiſtle of this ſame S. Iohn (as alſo in the other Scriptures commonly) is often called Mundus, the vvorld. and here he calleth it partly, Meretricem, a vvhore or harlot, becauſe with her concupiſcence ſhe enticeth the carnal and earthly men avvay from God : partly, Ciuitatem Babylon, the Citie of Babylon, becauſe it maketh vvarre againſt Hieruſalem the Citie of God, and laboureth to hold Gods people captiue in ſinne, as it vvas ſhadovved in Nabuchodonoſor & his Babyloniãs, leading and holding the Ievves vvith their Hieruſalem, in captiuitie, vntil Cyrus (in figure of Chriſt) deliuered them. But vvhether al theſe ſeuen plagues ſhould be vnderſtood (as the ſeuenth) of Domeſday it ſelf, it is hard to define. More like it is, that the firſt ſixe are to go before Domeſday : but vvhether corporally and literally, (so as Moyſes plagued Egypt) or rather ſpiritually, it is more hard to define. Yet it ſeemeth more eaſie, to vnderſtand them corporally, as alſo the plagues vvherevvith Elias and his fellovv ſhal in the time of Antichriſt plague the vvicked (vvhich peraduenture ſhal be the ſame laſt plagues) vvhereof vve read in this booke, c. ii. v. 6. But not content to haue deſcribed thus the damnation of the vvhole adulterous & blouddy ſocietie, he doth alſo expreſly report of their three grãd Captaines damnation vvhich are these, Antichriſt, and his Falſeprophet, and the Deuil him ſelf the author of al this miſchiefe.
5 | C. 21. 22. Finally, on the other ſide, in the fifth part he reporteth the unſpeakeable and euerlaſting glorie, that the Church after al this ſuffering, ſhal by Chriſt her glorious Spouſe be aſſumpted vnto. And ſo he concludeth the booke.
— FINIS —
Emphasis added. Clearly, in 2024, we are living in the time of that “certain most blasphemous apostasy.”↩️