Apocalypsis A briefe and learned commentarie vpon the reuelation of Saint Iohn the apostle and euangelist, applyed vnto the history of the Catholicke and Christian Church. Written in Latine by M. Francis Iunius Doctor of Diuinitie, and professor in the Vniuersitie of Heidelberge: And translated into English for the benefit of those that vnderstand not the Latine.

CHAP. IX. (Book 9)

1 The fift Angell bloweth his trumpet, 3 and spoy∣ling locustes come out. 13 The sixt Angell bloweth, 16 and bringeth forth horsemen, 20 to destroy man∣kinde.

1 1.1 * 1.2 THen the fift Angell blew the trumpet, and I saw a 2 1.3 starre fall out of heauen vnto the earth; 3 1.4 and to that Angell was giuen the key of the a 1.5 bottomlesse pit.

2 4 1.6 And he opened the bottomlesse pit, and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great fornace; and the Sunne, and the ayre were darkened by the smoke of the pit.

3 5 1.7 And there came out of the smoke Locusts vpon the earth; and vnto them was giuen power, such as the Scorpions of the earth haue.

4 6 1.8 But it was cōmanded thē, that they should

not hurt the grasse of y^e earth, neither any greene thing, neither any tree: but onely those mē which of haue not the seale of God in their foreheads.

5 And to them it was giuen that they should not kill them, but that they should be vexed fiue monethes; and that their should be as the paine that commeth of a Scorpion, when he hath stung a man.

6 ‖ 1.9 Therefore in those dayes shall men seeke death, and shal not finde it; and shall desire to dye, and death shall flie from them.

7 7 1.10 The forme of the locustes was like vnto horses prepared vnto battell; and on their heads were set as it were crownes, like vnto gold, & their faces were like the faces of men.

8 And they had haire as the haire of women; and their teeth were as the teeth of Lyons:

9 They had also habbergions, like to habber∣gions of yron: and the sound of their wings was like the sound of charets, when many horses run together in battell:

10 Also they had tayles like vnto Scorpions; and there were stings in their tayles; and their power was to hurt men fiue monethes.

11 8 1.11 Now they had a King set ouer them, which

is the Angell of the bottomlesse pit; whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greeke is called Apollyon, that is, the destroyer.

12 9 1.12 One wo is past, and behold, yet two woes come after this.

13 10 1.13 ¶ Then the sixt Angel blew the trumpet, 11 1.14 and I heard a certaine voyce from the b 1.15 foure hornes of the golden altar, which is before God,

14 Saying to the sixt Angell, which had the trumpet; 12 1.16 Loose the foure Angels, which are bound at the great riuer Euphrates.

15 13 1.17 Thē the foure Angels were loosed, which were prepared at an houre, at a day, at a moneth, and at a yeare, to slay the third part of men.

15 And the number of the troupes of horse∣men were twentie thousand times ten thousand: for I heard the number of them.

16 I also saw horses in a vision, and them that sate on them, hauing firie habbergions, and of Ia∣cinth, and of brimstone; & the heads of the horses were as the heads of Lyōs: & out of their mouthes came forth fire and smoke and brimstone.

18 By these three was the third part of men killed, that is, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which came out of their mouthes.

19 For their power is in their mouthes, and in their tayles: 14 1.18 for their tayles are like vnto Ser∣pents, hauing heads, wherewith they hurt.

20 15 1.19 And the remnāt of the men which were

not killed by these plagues, repented not of the workes of their hands, that they should not wor∣ship diuels, and ‖ 1.20 images of gold and of siluer, and of brasse, & of stone, and of wood, which neither can see, neither heare, nor go:

21 Neither repented they of their murthers, nor of their sorceries, neither of their fornicati∣on, nor of their theftes.

Notes

• 1 1.1

  The fift exe∣cution vpon wicked mē in∣habiting the earth (as a little before the An∣gell savd) wrought by the infernall pow∣ers, is declared in this place vnto the eleuenth verse. And after it the sixt execution, thence vnto the nineteenth verse. And lastly is shewed the common euent that fol∣lowed the former executions in the world, in the two last verses.
• * 1.2

  F. IVNIVS.
• 2 1.3

  That is, that the Angell of God glittering with glorie, as a starre fell downe from heauen: Whether thou take him for Christ, who hath the keyes of hell of himselfe, and by Princely authoritie, Chapter. 1. 18. or whether for some inferiour Angell, who hath the same key permitted vnto him, and oc-cupieth it ministerially, or by office of his ministerie; here and Chapter 21. so the word falling is taken Gene. 14. 10. and 24. 64. and Hebr. 6. 6.
• 3 1.4

  The key was giuen to this starre. For those powers of wickednesse are thrust downe into hell, and bound with chaines of darkenesse: and are there kept vnto damnation, vnlesse God for a time doe let them loose. 2. Pet. 2. 4. Iud. 6, and of this booke Chapter. 20. the historie of which Chapter, hath a∣greement of time with this present Chapter.
• a 1.5

  By the bottom∣lesse pit, he mea∣neth the deepest darkenes of hell.
• 4 1.6

  Vnto this is added, the smoke of the hellish and infernall spirites, all darke, and darkening all things in heauen and in earth. These spirituall darkenesses are the causes of all disorder and confusion. For the deuill at a time certaine (whereof verse fiue) sent these darckenesses into his kingdom, that he might at once, and with one impression ouerthrow all things, and peruert if it were possible the elect themselues. By this darknesse all spiritu∣all light, both actiue as of the Sunne, and passiue, as of the ayre which is lightened by the Sunne, is taken away: and this is that which goeth before the spirites: it followeth of the spirites themselues.
• 5 1.7

  A description of the malignant spirites inuading the world, taken from their nature, power, forme and order. From their nature, in that they are like vnto certaine locustes, in quickenesse, subtletie, hurtfulnesse, number, and such like, in this verse. From their power, for that they are, as the Scorpions of the earth, of a secret force to do hurt. For our battell is not here with flesh and bloud, but with powers, &c. Ephes. 6. 12. This place of the power of the deuils, generally noted in this verse, is particularly decla-red afterwardes, in the three next verses.
• 6 1.8

  Here that power of the deuils is particularly described, according to their actions and the effectes of the same. Their actions are sayd to be bounded by the counsell of God: both because they hurt not all men, but onely the reprobate (for the godly and elect, in whom there is any part of a better life, God gardeth by his decree) whom Christ shall not haue sealed, in this verse; and also because they nei∣ther had all power, nor at all times, no not ouer those that are their own, but limited in manner and time by the prescript of God, verse 5. So their power to afflict the godly is none, & for the wicked it is limited in acte and in effect, by the will of God: for the manner was prescribed vnto them, that they should not slay but torment the wretched world. The time is for fiue monethes, or for an hundred and fiftie dayes, that is, for so many yeares, in which the deuils haue in deede mightilie peruerted all things, in the world; and yet without that publique and vnpunished licence of killing, which af∣terwards they vsurped when the sixt Angell had blowen his trumpet, as shall be sayd vpon the thirteenth verse. Now this space is to be accounted from the end of that thousand yeares mentioned chapter 20. 3. and that is, from the Popedome of that Gregorie the seuenth, a most monstrous Necroman∣cer, who before was called Hildebrandus Senensis: for this man being made altogether of impietie and wickednesse, as a slaue of the deuill, whom he serued, was the most wicked firebrand of the world he excommunicated the Emperour Henry the fourth: went about by all maner of trecherie to set vp and put downe Empires and Kingdomes, as liked himselfe: and doubted not to set Rodolph the Swedon ouer the Empire in steed of Henrie before named, sending vnto him a crowne with this verse annexed vnto it, Petra dedit Petro, Petrus diadema Rodolpho, that is, The Rocke to Peter gaue the crowne, and Peter Rodolph doth renowne. Finally, he so finely bestirred him selfe in his affaires, as he miserably set all Christendome on fire, & conueyed ouer vnto his successours the burning brand of the same; who enraged with like ambition, neuer ceased to nourish that flame, and to in kindle it more & more: whereby Cities, Common weales, and whole kingdomes set together by the eares amōgest themselues, by most expert cutthroates, came to ruine, whiles they miserably wounded one another. This terme of an hundred and 50. yeares, taketh end in the time of Gregorie the ninth, or Hugolinus Ana∣gniensis (as he was before called) who caused to be compiled by one Ray∣mond his chapleine and confessour, the body of the Decretals, and by suffe∣rance of the Kings and Princes, to be published in the Christian world, and established for a law. For by this sleight, at length, the Popes arrogated vnto themselues licence to kill whom they would, whiles other were vnwares; and without feare established a butchery out of many, the wicked Canōs of the Decretals, which the trumpet of the 5. Angell had expresly forbidden, & had hindered vntill this time. The effectes of these bloudy actions are decla∣red vpon the 6 verse: that the miserable world lāguishing in so great calami∣lities, should willingly run together vnto death, and preferre the same before life, by reason of the grieuousnesse of the miseries that oppressed them.
• ‖ 1.9

  Chap. 6. 16. Esay. 2. 19. Hose. 10. 8.
• 7 1.10

  The forme these hellish spirites and ad∣ministers, is shadowed out by signes & vi∣sible figures in this sort: that they are verie expert & swift: that wheresoe∣uer they are in the world the kingdome is theirs: that they menage al their affaires with cunning & skil, in this verse: that making shew of mild∣nes and tender affection to draw on men with all, they most impotent∣ly rage in all mischief: that they are most mightie to doe hurt, verse 8. that they are freed from being hurt of any man, as armed with the colour of Religion and sacred authoritie of priuilege: that they fill all things with horrour, verse 9. that they are fraudulent: that they are venimous and extremelie noysome, though their power be limited, verse 10. All which things are properly in the infernall powers, and com∣municated by them vnto their ministers and vassals.
• 8 1.11

  The or∣der of the powers of maliciousnesse: that they are subiect vnto one in∣fernall king, whom thou mayest call in English the destroyer: who driueth the whole world both Iewes and Gentiles into the destruction that belon∣geth vnto him selfe. And I cannot tell whether this name haue respect vnto the Etvmologicall interpretation of Hildebrand, by a figure often vsed in Scripture: which albeit it may otherwise be turned of the Germaines (as the sence of cōpound wordes is commonly ambiguous) yet in very deede it signi∣fieth as much as if thou shouldest call him the firebrand, that is, he that set∣teth on fire those that be faithfull vnto him.
• 9 1.12

  A passage vnto the next point, and to the historie of the time fol∣lowing.
• 10 1.13

  The sixt execution done vpon the world, by the tyrannicall powers thereof, working in the foure partes of the earth, that is, in most cruell manner executing their tyrannous dominion through the whole world: and killing the miserable people without punishment, which before was not lawfull for them to doe in that sort, as I shewed vpon the fourth verse. This narration hath two partes: a commaundement from God, in the four∣teenth verse: and an execution of the commaundement, in the verses following.
• 11 1.14

  The commaundement giuen by Christ him selfe, who is gouernour ouer all.
• b 1.15

  He alludeth to the altar of in∣cēse, which stood in the courte which the priests were in, ouer a∣gainst the Arke of the Couenant, hauing a vayle betwixt them.
• 12 1.16

  As if he should haue sayd, these hitherto haue bene so bounde by the power of God, that they could not freely runne vpon all men as themselues lusted, but were staved and restrained at that great floud of Euphrates, that is, in their spirituall Babylon (for this is a Periphrasis of the spirituall Babylon, by the limites of the visible Babylon long since o∣uerthrowne) that they might not commit those horrible slaughters, which they long breathed after. Now, goe to, let loose those foure Angels, that is, administers of the wrath of God, in that number that is conuenient to the slaughtering of the foure quarters of the world: stirre them vp, and giue them the bridle, that rushing out of that Babylon of theirs, which is the seate of the wicked ones, they may flee vpon all the world, therein to rage and most licentiously to practise their tyrannie, as God hath ordeined. This was done when Gregorie the ninth by publique authoritie established for law, his owne Decretals; by which he might freely lay traynes for the life of simple men. For, who is it that seeth not that the lawes Decretall most of them are snares to catch soules withall? Since that time (O good God) how great slaughters haue there bene? how great massacres? All histo∣ries are full of them: and this our age aboundeth with most horrible and monstrous examples of the same.
• 13 1.17

  The execu∣tiō of the com∣mandement, is in two pointes: one, that these butcherers are let lose, that out of their tower of the spirituall Baby∣lon they might with furie run abroad tho∣rough all the world, as well the chiefe of that crue which are most prōpt vnto all assayes: in this verse; as their multi∣tudes, both most copious, of which a nū∣ber certaine is named for a number infinit, verse 16. and in themselues by all meanes fully furnished to hide and to hurt, vers. 17. as being armed with fire, smoke & brimstone, as appeareth in the colour of their armour which daze∣leth the eyes of all men: and haue the strength of Lyons to hurt withall, from which (as out of their mouth) the firie, smokie, and stinking darts of the Pope are shot out, vers. 18. The other point is, that these butcherers haue effected the commaundement of God by fraude and violence, in the two verses fol∣lowing.
• 14 1.18

  That is, they are harmefull euery way: on what part soeuer thou put thine hand vnto them, or they touch thee, they do hurt. So the for∣mer are called Scorpions, verse 3.
• 15 1.19

  Now remaineth the euent, (as I sayd vpon the first verse) which folowed of so many and so grieuous iudge∣ments, in this most wicked world: namely an impenitent obfirmation of the vngodly in their impietie and vnrighteousnes, though they feele themselues most vehemētly pressed with the hād of God: for their obstinate vngodlines is shewed in this verse; and their vnrighteousnesse in the verse following. Hi∣therto hath bene the generall historie of things to be done vniuersally in the whole world: which because it doth not so much belong vnto the Church of Christ: is therefore not so expressely distinguished by certaintie of time and other circumstances: but is wouen, as they say, with a slight hand. Also there is none other cause why the historie of the seuenth Angell is passed ouer in this place, thē for that the same more properly appertaineth vnto the histo∣rie of the Church. But this is more diligently set out according to the times thereof, Chapter. 11. and 16. as shall appeare vpon those places.
• ‖ 1.20

  Psal. 115. 4. and 135. 15.