THE APOCALYPSE OF IOHN THE APOSTLE — CHAPTER XIII

 

Nota Bene: Before proceeding, the reader is advised to review our post titled, PREFATORY TO THE TRANSCRIPTION OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JOHN THE APOSTLE as well as our post titled, THE ARGVMENT OF THE APOCALYPSE OF S. IOHN. The reader is also advised that the source text of THE APOCALYPSE OF IOHN THE APOSTLE — CHAPTER XIII transcribed herewith can be accessed online by referring to pp. 721–724 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.



THE APOCALYPSE
OF IOHN THE APOSTLE

Chap. XIII.

1 A beaſt riſing vp out of the ſea, hauing ſeuen heades & ten hornes & ten diademes, 5 blaſphemeth God, 7 and vvarreth againſt the Saincts & deſtroieth them. 11 And an other beaſt riſing out of the earth vvith tvvo hornes, vvas altogether for the foreſaid beaſt, conſtraining men to make and adore the image thereof, and to haue the character of his name.

1. And I ſavv ″ a beaſt comming vp1 from the ſea, hauing ſeuen heades, and ten hornes, & vpon his hornes ten diademes, and vpon his heades names of blaſphemie. † 2. And the beaſt vvhich I ſavv, vvas like to a libarde, and his feete as of a beare, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gaue him his ovvne force and great povver. † 3. And I ſavv one of his heades as it vvere ſlaine to death : and the vvound of his death vvas cured. And al the earth vvas ⸬ in admiration after the beaſt. ⸬ They that now folow the ſimpleſt & groſſeſt heretikes that euer were without ſeeing miracles, vvould then much more follow this great ſeducer working miracles. † 4. And they adored the dragon vvhich gaue povver to the beaſt : and they adored the beaſt, ſaying, Vvho is like to the beaſt? : and vvho ſhal be able to fight vvith it? † 5. And there was giuen to it a mouth ſpeaking great things and blaſphemies : and povver vvas giuen to it to vvorke tvvo and fourtie monethes. † 6. And he opened his mouth vnto blaſphemies tovvard God, ⸬ to blaſpheme his name, and his tabernacle, and thoſe that dvvel in heauen. ⸬ No heretikes euer liker Antichriſt. thẽ theſe in our daies, ſpecially in blaſphemies againſt Gods Church, Sacraments, Saincts, miniſters, and al ſacred thinges. † 7. And it vvas giuẽ vnto him ″ to make battail vvith the ſainctes,2 & to ouercome them. And povver vvas giuen him vpon euery tribe and people, and tongue, and nation, † 8. and al that inhabite the earth, adored it, * vvhoſe names be not written in the booke of life of the Lambe, vvhich vvas ſlaine from the beginning of the vvorld. Apoc. 3.5.

    † 9. If any man haue an eare, let him heare. † 10. He that ſhal leade into captiuitie, goeth into captiuitie : * he that ſhal kil in the ſvvord, he muſt be killed vvith the ſvvord. here is the patience and the faith of ſainctes. Gen. 9,6 Mat. 26,52.

    † 11. And I ſavv ⸬ an other beaſt cõming vp from the earth: and he had tvvo hornes, like to a lambe, & he ſpake as a dragon. ⸬ An other falſe prophet inferior to Antichriſt, ſhal vvorke vvonders alſo, but al referred to the honour of his maiſter Antichriſt. So doth Caluin and other Arch-heretikes peruert the world to the honour of Antichriſt, and ſo do their ſcholers alſo for the honour of them. † 12. And al the povver of the former beaſt he did in his ſight : and he made the earth and the inhabitants therein, to adore the firſt beaſt, vvhoſe vvound of death vvas cured. † 13. And he did many ſignes, ſo that he made alſo fire to come dovvne from heauen vnto the earth in the ſight of men. † 14. And he ſeduceth the inhabitants on the earth through the ſignes vvhich were giuẽ him to doe in the ſight of the beaſt, ſaying to them that dwel on the earth, that they ſhould make ″ the image of the beaſt3 vvhich hath the ſtroke of the ſword, and liued. † 15. And it vvas giuen him to giue ſpirit to the image of the beaſt, and that the image of the beaſt ſhould ſpeake: and ſhould make, that vvhoſoeuer ſhal not adore the image of the beaſt, be ſlaine. † 16. And he ſhal make al, litle & great, and rich, and poore, and free-men, and bond-men, to haue a character in their right hand, or in their foreheads. † 17. and that no man may bie or ſel, but he that hath ″ the character, or the name4 of the beaſt, or the number of his name. † 18. Here is vviſdom. He that hath vnderſtanding, ″ let him count5 the number of the beaſt. For ″ it is the number of a man6 : & ″ the number of him is ſixe hundred ſixtie ſixe.7

ANNOTATIONS
Chap. XIII.

  1. 1. A beaſt comming vp.] Many myſteries expounded. This beaſt is the vniuerſal companie of the vvicked, vvhoſe head is Antichriſt: & the ſame is called (Apoc. 17) the vvhoore of Babylon. The 7 heades be expounded (Apoc. 17) ſeuen kings: fiue before Chriſt, one preſent, and one to come. The 10 hornes be alſo there expounded to be 10 kings that ſhal reigne a ſhort vvhile after Antichriſt. This dragon is the Diuel, by vvhoſe povver the vvhoore or beaſt or Antichriſt vvorketh. for in the vvordes folovving (v. 3 & 4) Antichriſt is called the beaſt, to vvhom the dragon, that is, the Deuil giueth that povver of feined miracles. and as vve adore God for giuing povver to Chriſt and his folovvers, ſo they ſhal adore the Deuil aſſiſting Antichriſt and giuing him povver.↩️


  2. 7. To make battel vvith the ſaincts.] Great perſecution by Antichriſt and his miniſters. He ſhal kil the ſaincts then liuing, Elias and Enoch, and infinite moe that profeſſe Chriſt. vvhereby vve muſt learne, not to maruel vvhen vve ſee the vvicked perſecute and preuaile againſt the iuſt, in this life. Then ſhal his great perſecution and crueltie trie the ſaincts patience, as his vvonderful meanes to ſeduce ſhal trie the ſtedfaſtnes of their faith, vvhich is ſignified by theſe vvordes folovving, Here is the patience and the faith of ſaincts. Their bleſſednes that continue cõſtant. And vvhen it is ſaid, They adored the beaſt, vvhoſe names are not vvritten in the booke of life of the Lambe, it giueth great ſolace and hope to al them that ſhal not yeld to ſuch perſecutions, that they are of Gods elect, and their names vvritten in the booke of life.↩️


  3. 14. The image of the beaſt.] The honour of Chriſts image is for the honour of Chriſt. They that novv refuſe to vvorſhip Chriſts image, vvould then vvorſhip Antichriſts. And vve may note here, that as the making or honouring of this image vvas not againſt the honour of Antichriſt, but vvholy for it, as alſo the image erected of Nabuchodonoſor, and the vvorſhip thereof vvas altogether for the honour of him, ſo is the vvorſhip of Chriſts image, the honour of Chriſt him ſelf, and not againſt him, as Proteſtants madly imagin.↩️


  4. 17. The character or the name.] Antichriſts triple honour againſt the honour of Chriſt. As belike for the peruerſe imitation of Chriſt, vvhoſe image (ſpecially as on the Roode or crucifixe) he ſeeth honoured and exalted in euery Church, he vvil haue his image adored (for that is Antichriſt, in emulation of like honour, aduerſarie to Chriſt) ſo for that he ſeeth al true Chriſtian men beare the badge of his Croſſe in their foreheads, he likevviſe vvil force al his to haue an other marke, to aboliſh the ſigne of Chriſt. By the like emulation alſo and vvicked oppoſition he vvil haue his name and the letters thereof to be ſacred, and to be vvorne in mens cappes, or vvritten in ſolemne places, and to be vvorſhipped, as the name of Iesvs is and ought to be among Chriſtian men. And as the ineffable name of God vvas among the Ievves expreſſed by a certaine number of 4 characters (therfore called Tetragrammaton) יהוה ſo it ſeemeth the Apoſtle alludeth here to the number of Antichriſts name.
             The Proteſtãts by aboliſhing of Chriſtes image, & croſſe and irreuerẽce to the name Iesvs, make a ready vvay to the honour of Antichriſt. And here it is much to be noted, that the Proteſtants plucking dovvne the image of Chriſt out of al Churches, & his ſigne of the croſſe from mens foreheads, and taking avvay the honour and reuerence of the name Iesvs, doe make roome for Antichriſts image, & marke, and name. And vvhen Chriſts image and enſignes or armes ſhal be aboliſhed, and the Idol of Antichriſt ſet vp in ſteede thereof, as it is already begonne: then is the abomination of deſolation vvhich vvas foretold by Daniel and our Sauiour.↩️


  5. 18. Let him count.] Antichriſts name ſecrete. Though God vvould not haue it maniſest before hand to the vvorld, vvho in particular this Antichriſt ſhould be: yet it pleaſed him to giue ſuch tokens of him, that vvhen he commeth, the faithful may eaſily take notice of him, according as it is vvritten of the euent of other prophecies concerning our Sauiour, That vvhen it is come to paſſe, you may beleeue. Jo. 14, 29. In the meane time vve muſt take heede that vve iudge not ouer raſhly of Gods ſecretes, the holy vvrite here ſignifying, that it is a point of high vnderſtanding, illuminated extraordinarily by Gods ſpirit, to recken right and deſcipher truely before hand, Antichriſts name and perſon.↩️


  6. 18. It is the number of a man.] Antichriſt ſhal be one ſpecial man, and of a peculiar name. A man he muſt be, and not a Diuel or ſpirit, as here it is cleere, and by S. Paul 2 Theſſal. 2 vvhere he is called, the man of ſinne. Againe, he muſt be one particular perſon, & not a nũber, a ſucceſſion, or vvhole order of any degree of men: becauſe his proper name. and the particular numbers, and the characters thereof be (though obſcurely) inſinuated. Vvhich reproueth the vvicked vanitie of Heretikes, that vvould haue Chriſts ovvne Vicars, the ſucceſſors of his cheefe Apoſtle, yea the vvhole order of them for many ages together, to be this Antichriſt. Vvho by his deſcription here and in the ſaid Epiſtle to the Theſſalonians, muſt be one ſpecial man, and of a particular proper name, as our Lord Iesvs is. And vvhoſoeuer he be, theſe Proteſtants vndoubtedly are his precurſors, for as they make his vvay by ridding avvay Chriſts images, croſſe, and name, ſo they excedingly promote the matter by taking avvay Chriſts cheefe miniſter, that al may be plaine for Antichriſt.
             The Pope can not be Antichriſt. If the Pope had been Antichriſt, and had been reuealed novv a good many yeres ſithence, as theſe fellovves ſay he is to them, then the number of this name vvould agree to him, and the prophecie being novv fulfilled, it would euidently appeare that he bare the name and number here noted. for (no doubt) vvhen he commeth, this count of the letters or number of his name vvhich before is ſo hard to knovv, wil be eaſie. for he will ſet vp his name in euery place, euẽ as we faithful men do novv aduance Iesvs. And vvhat name proper or appellatiue of al or any of the Popes do they finde to agree vvith this number, notvvithſtanding they boaſt that they haue found the vvhole order and euery of them theſe thouſand yeres to be Antichriſt, and the reſt before euen from S. Peter, forevvorkers tovvard his kingdom?↩️


  7. 18. The number 666.] Al framing of letters to expreſſe Antichriſts name, is vncertaine. Foraſmuch as the auncient expoſitors and other do thinke (for certaine knowledge thereof no mortal mã can haue vvithout an expreſſe reuelatiõ) that his name cõſiſteth of ſo many, & ſuch letters in Greeke, as according to their maner of numbering by the Alphabete make 666, and foraſmuch as the letters making that number, may be found in diuers names both proper & common: (as S. Irenæus findeth them in Latinos and Teitan Iren. li. 5 in fine., Hippolytus in `αρνούμαι, Aretas in Lampetis, & ſome of this age in Ludérus. vvhich vvas Luthers name in the Alman tõgue:) therfore vve ſee there can be no certaintie, and euery one frameth and applieth the letters to his ovvne purpoſe. and moſt abſurd folly it is of the Heretikes, to applie the vvord, Latinos, to the Pope: neither the vvhole order in common, nor euer any particular Pope being ſo called. and S. Irenæus the firſt that obſerued it in that vvord. applied it to the Empire and ſtate of the Romane Emperour. vvhich then vvas Heathen, and not to the Pope of his daies or aſter him: and yet preferred the vvord, Teitan as more agreable, vvith this admonition, that it vvere a very perilous and preſumptuous thing to define any certaintie before hand, of that number and name. And truely vvhatſoeuer the Proteſtants preſume herein of the Pope, vve may boldly diſcharge Luther of that dignitie. He is vndoubtedly one of Antichriſts precurſors, but not Antichriſt him ſelf.↩️


 
Edwin Wright