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. XIIII. (Book 14)

1 The Lambe standeth on mount Sion, 4 with his chast wor∣shippers. 6 One Angel preacheth the Gospel: 8 an other foretelleth the fall of Babylon: 9 the third warneth that the beast be auoyded. 13 A voyce from heauen pronounceth thē happie who die in the Lord. 16 The Lords sickle is thrust into the haruest. 18 and into the vintage.

1 1 1.1 * 1.2 THen I looked, and lo, a Lamb 2 1.3 stoode on mount Sion, and with him 3 1.4 an hundreth, fourtie and foure thousand, hauing his Fathers Name written in their foreheads.

2 And I heard a voyce from heauen, as the sound of many waters, and as the sound of a great thunder: and I heard the voyce of harpers harping with their harpes:

3 And they sung as it were a new song be∣fore the throne, and before the foure beasts, and the Elders: and no mā could learne that song, but

the hundreth, fourtie and foure thousand, name∣ly they which were bought out of the earth.

4 These are they, which are not defiled with women; for they are virgins: these follow the Lamb, whither soeuer he goeth: these are bought from amongst men, to be as first fruites, holy vn∣to God, and to the Lambe:

5 And in whose mouthes is found no guile: for they are without spot before the throne of God.

6 4 1.5 ¶ Then I saw 5 1.6 another Angel fly through the mids of Heauen, hauing an euerlasting Gos∣pell, to preach vnto them that dwell on the earth, and to euery nation, and kinred, & tongue, and people,

7 ‖ 1.7 Saying with a loud voyce, Feare God, and giue glorie to him: for the houre of his iudgement is come: and worship him that made ‖ 1.8 heauen and earth, & the sea, and the fountaines of waters.

8 And there followed another Angel, saying, ‖ 1.9 6 1.10 Babylon that great citie is fallē, it is fallen: for

she made all nations to drinke of the wine of the * 1.11 a 1.12 wrath of her fornication.

9 ¶ And the third Angel followed them, say∣ing with a loud voyce, 7 1.13 If any man worship the beast and his image, and receiue his marke in his forehead, or on his hand,

10 He also shal drink of the wine of the wrath of God, euen of the mere wine, which is powred into the cup of his wrath; and shalbe tormen∣ted with fire and brimstone in the sight of the ho∣ly Angels, and in the sight of the Lambe.

11 And the smoke of their tormēt shal ascend vp for euermore: and they shall haue no rest day nor night, which worshippe the beast and his image, and whosoeuer receiueth the print of his name.

12 8 1.14 Here is the patience of the Saintes here are they that keep the commandements of God, and the faith of Iesus.

13 Then I heard a voyce out of heauē, saying vnto me, Write; Blessed from henceforth are the dead which die b 1.15 in the Lord, Yea, saith the Spi∣rit for they ‖ 1.16 rest from their labors, & their c 1.17 works follow them.

14 9 1.18 ¶ And I looked, and behold 10 1.19 a white cloud; and vpon the cloud sate one like vnto a man, 11 1.20 hauing on his head a golden crowne, and in his hand a 12 1.21 sharpe sickle.

15 13 1.22 And another Angell came out of the Temple, crying with a loud voyce to him that sate on the cloud, ‖ 1.23 Thrust in thy sickle & reape: for the time is come for thee to reape: for the ‖ 1.24 haruest of the earth is ripe.

16 And he that sate on the cloud, thrust in his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

17 14 1.25 Thē another Angell came out of the tē∣ple, which is in heauē, hauing also a sharpe sickle.

18 And another Angell came out from the al∣tar, which had power ouer fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharpe sickle, & said; Thrust in thy sharp sickle, & gather the clusters of the vineyard of the earth: for her grapes are ripe.

19 Therefore the Angell thrust in his sharpe sickle on the earth, & cut downe the grapes of the vineyard of the earth, and cast them into that great wine presse of the wrath of God.

20 And the wine presse was troden without the Citie, 15 1.26 & bloud came out of the wine presse, vnto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundreth furlongs.

Notes

• 1 1.1

  The historie of the church of Christ being finished for more then a thousand and three hundreth yeres, at which time Boniface the eight liued, as before hath bene said: there remaineth the rest of the historie of the conflicting or militant Church from thence vnto the time of the last victorie, in three Chapters. For first of all, as the foundation of the whole historie, is described the standing of the Lambe with his armie and retinue, in fiue verses: after, his worthie actes, which he hath done and vet doth, in most mightie manner, whilest he ouer∣throweth Antichrist with the spirit of his mouth, in the rest of this Chap∣ter, and in the two following. Vnto the description of the Lambe are pro∣pounded three things, his situation, place and attendancie: for the rest are expounded in the former visions, especially vpon the fift Chapter.
• * 1.2

  F. IVNIVS.
• 2 1.3

  As readie girt to do his office (as Actes 5. 56.) in the middest of his Church, which afore time mount Sion did prefigure.
• 3 1.4

  As before 7 2. This retinue of the Lambe is described first by diuine marke (as before 7. 2.) in this verse. Then by his diuine occupation, in that all and euerie one in his retinue most vehemently & sweetly (vers. 2.) do glorifie the Lambe with a speciall song before God and his elect Angels: which song flesh & bloud cannot heare, nor vnderstand, verse 3. Lastly by their deedes done before, and their sanctification, in that they were virgins, pure from spirituall and bodily fornicatiō, that is, from impietie & vnrighteousnes; that they folowed the Lambe as a guide vnto all goodnesse, and cleaued vnto him: that they are holy vnto him, as of grace redeemed by him: that in truth, & in the sim∣plicitie of Christ, they haue exercised all these things; sanctimonie of life, the direction of the Lamb, a thankful remēbrance of redēption by him: finally (to conclude in a word) that they are blamelesse before the Lord. ver. 4. & 5.
• 4 1.5

  The other part (as I said on the first ver.) is of the actes of the Lambe, the manner whereof is de∣liuered in two sortes; of his speach and of his factes. His speaches are set forth vnto the 13. verse of this chapter; & his factes vnto the 16. chapter. In the speach of the Lambe, which is the word of the Gospel, are taught in this place these things: The ser∣uice of the godly consisting inwardly of reuerence towards God; and out∣wardly of the glorifying of him: the visible signe of which is adoration verse 7. The ouerthrowing of wicked Babylon, verse. 8. and the fall of eue∣rie one of the vngodly which worship the beast, verse 9. 10. 11. Finally the state of the holy seruants of God both present, verse 12. and to come, most blessed, according to the promise of God. verse 13.
• 5 1.6

  This Angell is a type or figure of the good and faithfull seruaunts of God, whom God especially from the time of that Boniface the eighth, hath raised vp to the publishing of the Gospell of Christ, both by preaching and by writing. So God first, neare vnto the time of the same Boniface vsed Peter Cassio∣dorus an Italian; after, Arnold de villa noua, a French man; then Ockam, Dante, Petrarch; after that Iohannes de rupe caesa a Franciscane; after a∣gaine, Iohn Wickliffe English-man, and so continually one or another, vn∣to the restoring of the truth, and enlarging of his Church.
• ‖ 1.7

  Psal. 145. 6.
• ‖ 1.8

  Act. 14. 15.
• ‖ 1.9

  Esay. 21. 9.
• 6 1.10

  That is, Babylon is destroyed by the sentence and iudgement of God: the executi∣on where of S. Iohn describeth chap. 18. And this voyce of the ministers of Christ hath continued since the time that Babylon (which is Rome) hath by deliberate counsell and manifest malice oppugned the light of the Gospell offered from God.
• * 1.11

  Ieremie. 51. 8. Chap. 18 2.
• a 1.12

  Of her fornica∣tion, whereby God was prouo∣ked to wrath.
• 7 1.13

  That is, shall not worship God alone, but shall transferre his diuine ho∣nour vnto this beast, whether he do it with his heart or counterfaiting in shew. For he (saith Christ) that denieth me before mē, him will I deny before my fa∣ther & his An∣gels, Matth. 10. 32. And this is that voyce of the holy ministerie, which at this time is verie much vsed of the holie and faithfull seruaunts of God. For hauing now sufficiently found out the publicke obstinacie of Ba∣bylon, they labour not anie longer to thunder out against the same: but to sa••e some particular member by terror (as Saint iude speaketh) and to plucke them out of the publicke flame: or else by a vehement commiseration of their estate, to leade them away; they set before them eternall death, into which they rush vnwares, vnlesse in good∣time they returne vnto God: but the godly which are of their owne flocke, they exhort vnto patience, obedience, and faith in the Lord Ie∣sus, and charge them to giue light, by their example of good life, vnto others.
• 8 1.14

  The patience, sanctification and iustification by faith: the conse∣quents whereof are, rest, felicitie, and glorie eternall, in the he auenly fel∣lowship of God and his Angels.
• b 1.15

  That is, for the Lord.
• ‖ 1.16

  Heb 4. 10.
• c 1.17

  By workes, is meant the re∣ward which fol∣loweth good workes.
• 9 1.18

  The second part of this Chapter, as I said verse 1. Of the actes & do∣ings of Christ in ouerthrow∣ing of Anti∣christ and his Church, by the spirit of his di∣uine mouth: se∣ing that hauing bene called backe by word both publiquely and priuately vnto his dutie, and admonished of his most certaine ruine: he yet ceasseth not to maintaine and protect his owne adhe∣rents that they may do him seruice: and to afflict the godly with most barba∣rous persecutions. Of those things which Christ doth, there are two kindes; one common or generall, in the rest of this Chapter; another particular, a∣gainst that sauage and rebellious beast, and his worshippers, in the 15. and 16. Chapters. That common kinde, is the calamitie of warres, spread abroad through the whole earth, & filling all things with bloud, & that without res∣pect of any person. This is figured or shadowed out in two types, of the har∣uest and vintage. Since the time that the light of the Gospell began to shine out; and since prophecie or preaching by the grace of God was raised vp a∣gaine, how horrible warres haue bene kindled in the world? how much hu∣mane flesh hath bene throwne to the earth, by this diuine reaping? how much bloud (alas for woe) hath ouer flowne for these three hūdred yeares al∣most? all histories do crie out, and this our age (if euer before) is now in hor∣rour, by reason of the rage of that sickle which Antichrist calleth for. In this place is the first type, that is, of the haruest.
• 10 1.19

  Declaring his fiercenesse by his colour, like vnto that which is in the white or milke circle of heauen.
• 11 1.20

  As one that shall raigne from God, and occupie the place of Christ in this miserable execution.
• 12 1.21

  That is, a most fit and commodious in∣strument of diuine execution, desitoving all, by hewing and thrusting tho∣rough: for who may stand against God?
• 13 1.22

  Christ giueth commaundement, in this verse, and the Angell execu∣teth in the next verse.
• ‖ 1.23

  Ioel. 3. 13.
• ‖ 1.24

  Matth. 13. 39.
• 14 1.25

  The other type (as I sayd vers. 14) is the vintage; the manner whereof is one with that which went before, if thou except this, that the grape gathe∣ring is more exact in seeking out euery thing, then is the haruest labour. This is therefore a more grieuous iudgement, both because it succeedeth the o∣ther, and be cause it is vnderstood to be executed with greater diligence.
• 15 1.26

  That is, it ouerflowed ve∣ry deepe, & ve∣ry farre & wide: the speach is hyperbolical or excessiue, to si∣gnifie the greatnes of the the slaughter. And these be those pleasant fruits forsooth, of the contēpt of Christ, and desiring of An∣tichrist rather then him, which the miserable, mad, and blind world doth at this time reape.