The Angel and the Little Scroll

On Chapters Ten and Eleven — Of the Great Consolation of the Latin Church in Her Sixth Age, After the Extirpation of Heresies; Of the Persecution of Antichrist; and of the Seventh and Last Trumpet

Section I: On Chapter 10 — Of the Consolation of the Latin Church, of Her Future Exaltation, and of Her Extension

§ 1. On the Consolation of the Latin Church and Her Future Exaltation in the Sixth Age. Chapter 10, Verses 1–11

VERSE 1. And I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow was upon his head. In the needs and calamities of the times, divine goodness has always been accustomed to come to the aid of His Church by consolations and timely assistance, lest she should succumb beneath the efforts of her enemies. For God has promised to be with her until the consummation of the ages, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against her.

This promise He manifested in an admirable manner in the fifth age — in that age of desolation and evils — by granting powerful help to His Church, especially amid the greatest dangers. 1. By opposing to Luther and his fatal heresy a powerful warrior: Saint Ignatius and his Society. 2. By convoking, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the holy Council of Trent, to clarify the dogmas of the faith and to restore ecclesiastical discipline, and especially celibacy, which were on the point of disappearing. 3. By granting the Church, in the midst of her distress and defections, a great consolation, and by supplying her, in other parts of the world, with as many faithful as she was losing in Europe.

For precisely at that time of abandonment, at the beginning of the fifth age, God caused the faith to flourish and made its torch still more brilliant and more shining, as though to defy the powers of hell, by procuring innumerable conversions in America, Asia, the Indies, China, Japan, and several other regions. 4. Moreover, He has always protected His Church down to our own days by giving her zealous sovereigns, among whom the most distinguished was the Emperor Ferdinand II. But all this assistance was not sufficient to exterminate the horrible beast we have described, as experience proves only too well.

And because we have not yet reached the end of our evils, Saint John, after having indicated their principal cause and the chief events connected with them, now comes, in this chapter, to the description of that great Monarch whom we have announced above. See Book One, Section III, Chapter 3, § II. We are now going to witness the great scene of the sixth age of the Church, in which we shall see that, after the heretics have been humbled and converted, the Church will enjoy the greatest consolation; the empire of the Turks will be profoundly humiliated; the Catholic faith will shine upon land and sea; and ecclesiastical discipline will be restored and perfected.

II. Before coming to the exposition of the text, it must be observed that this angel who appeared to Saint John was a true angel of God, of the most distinguished nature. He was a tutelary and protecting angel of the Roman Empire, or of the great Euphrates. This angel exercised the office of two persons. The first represented the person of the great Monarch to come, whom Saint John describes by these words: And I saw another mighty angel. The second was the person of the angel himself, who, in his capacity as heavenly ambassador, revealed to Saint John the future secrets of the Church.

It is to this second person that these words in the text refer: And the angel whom I had seen standing upon the sea and upon the earth, etc., until the end of the chapter. Thus we see in Exodus 3:2 that the angel who appeared to Moses in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush also exercised the office of two persons. The first represented God; and the second was that of the angel who, in his capacity as heavenly messenger, manifested to Moses the decrees of the divine will concerning the children of Israel.

And I saw. We have explained in Book Two how prophets see persons and things in the future. And I saw another angel. 1. This angel is designated by the pronoun another to show that he will be entirely the opposite of the preceding ones, who were Luther and his forerunners. For this other angel will admit only one pure doctrine, and he will be very zealous for the Catholic faith, one and orthodox, especially after having humbled and dispersed the heretics on land and sea. His morals will be holy and well regulated.

He will contribute powerfully to the propagation of the faith and to the restoration of ecclesiastical discipline, which the angel who preceded him — that is, the heresiarch Luther, together with his impious adherents — had so greatly ruined and weakened. 2. Saint John attributes to this other angel the special quality of being strong or powerful. And I saw another mighty angel, etc. He will be powerful in war and will break all things like a lion. He will become very great through his victories, and he will thereby be more solidly established upon the throne of his empire.

He will reign many years; and during the course of his reign, he will humble the heretics and the republics, and he will subject all nations to his empire and to that of the Latin Church. Moreover, after having relegated to hell the sect of Muhammad, he will break the Turkish Empire, and will allow only a very small state to remain from it, without power and without strength. This state, however, will maintain itself until the coming of the son of perdition, who will not fear the God of his fathers and will not concern himself with any god. Daniel 11:37.

3. And I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. The prophet says that this angel will come down from heaven because he will be born in the bosom of the Catholic Church, here understood as heaven; and he will be specially sent by God according to the decrees of divine Providence, which will have chosen him for the consolation and exaltation of the Latin Church, in the midst of her great affliction and deep humiliation.

4. And I saw another angel... clothed with a cloud. The prophet depicts this Monarch as clothed with a cloud to teach us that he will be very humble, and that from childhood he will walk in the simplicity of his heart. For the cloud which covers the brilliance of splendour signifies humility; and humility attracts the protection of God, which is also signified by the cloud that will cover this Monarch. Indeed, no one is so protected by God as he who walks in the ways of humility, according to Luke 1:52: "He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble." This is why no one will be able to harm him or resist him, since he will be clothed with the protection of the God of heaven.

5. And I saw another angel... clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow upon his head. By the rainbow is understood the peace which God will make with the earth, according to Genesis 9:13: "I will set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be the sign of a covenant between me and the earth." Now a covenant supposes peace; and it is this peace which this Monarch will restore to the universe. For after having extirpated the heresies and the superstitions of the Gentiles and the Turks, there will be only one sheepfold and one shepherd.

All princes will unite themselves to him by the strongest bonds — by the bonds of the Catholic faith and of friendship — because this Monarch, without abusing his power and without offending anyone by injustice, will render to each one what is due to him. This is why the prophet says that he will have, as an ornament, a rainbow upon his head.

6. And his face was as the sun. This is because of the splendour of his justice and of his imperial glory, and also because of the high intelligence and deep wisdom that will distinguish him. It is also because of the ardour of his charity and zeal for religion. Finally, it is because he will be like the sun amid the stars; that is, he will walk in his empire amid his allied princes, who will execute his wills and follow in his footsteps, etc.

7. And his feet as pillars of fire. The feet signify the extent and power of an empire, according to the Psalmist, Psalm 59:8: "Moab is as the pot of my hope; into Edom will I stretch out my shoe. The aliens are become my friends." Nevertheless, since many tyrants had very vast and powerful empires, the prophet attributes particular properties to this Monarch in order to distinguish him: And his feet as pillars of fire.

Pillars are the supports and props of a building; and fire indicates zeal for religion and the ardour of charity toward God and neighbour. Likewise, fire is an element which subdues everything. Now such precisely will be the power of this Monarch. His reign will be the strongest support of the Catholic Church and of his royal house, because his reign will be secured for his posterity until the apostasy has arrived and the son of perdition has appeared. The power of this Monarch will shine especially by his zeal for religion and by the fire of his charity toward God and neighbour; and just as fire subdues everything, so this sovereign will subdue everything and will rule.

III. VERSE 2. 8. And he had in his hand a little book open. This little book denotes a general council, which will be the greatest and most celebrated of all. The prophet says that this angel holds this little book in his hand because it is by the work and power of this Monarch that this council will be assembled, protected, and brought to a good end; and also because he will employ all his power to have its sentences and decrees executed. The God of heaven will bless him and will place all things in his hands and in his power. It is said that this little book will be open because of the clarity with which this council will explain the meaning of Holy Scripture, and because of the purity of the dogmas of faith that will be proclaimed there.

9. And he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot upon the earth. That is to say, this Monarch will enlarge and extend his empire on land and sea; for he will subject the earth and the islands of the seas to his dominion. The greatness and extent of his power will be immense, as we have explained above in saying that it is signified by the feet.

VERSE 3. 10. And he cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth. The force of his voice, compared to the roaring of a lion, makes us understand the immense terror which he will inspire in all the peoples of the earth and in the inhabitants of the islands. For when the lion roars, he manifests his strength, and all the other animals are seized with fright. This is why it is said in Proverbs 20:2: "As the roaring of a lion, so also is the dread of a king." The loud cries of his voice will also be his imperial edicts, by which he will command that the ordinances of the council be executed in all rigor, in favour of the Catholic and orthodox faith. And his edicts will reach all the nations of the earth and of the islands.

IV. And after he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. These thunders, which will make themselves heard at the voice of this angel, will be the murmurs, protests, and cries of those who will wish to resist the will of this Monarch and strike him. For at that time a great tempest will arise. But because they will not be able to resist him, and still less to harm him, Saint John is commanded not to write what he saw in this circumstance; for this whole tempest will have no effect.

Jesus Christ wishes only to warn Saint John, in his capacity as representative of the Church, in order to let us know that the empire of this Monarch and the propagation of the true faith upon earth will not be obtained without noise and without storm. This is why it is said: And after he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. When thunder merely makes its voice heard, it is a sign that the lightning does not strike, because the cloud has burst in the air; but the storm sometimes produces its harmful effect according as the lightning falls upon men, animals, trees, or buildings.

Now the tempest shown to Saint John under the figure of a storm was a tempest with no effect other than the voice of thunder. Seven thunders uttered their voices. That is, princes and great men will rise up against this Monarch and murmur. They will make their voices heard on the occasion of this council, in order to resist him and to strike its decrees; but because this Monarch will be under the protection of God, all their efforts will be vain and useless.

V. VERSE 4. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write. That is, after the secrets of the counsels of these resistant princes had been revealed to me, says Saint John, I was about to write them by virtue of the command which I had received. And I heard a voice from heaven saying to me: Seal up the things which the seven thunders have spoken, and write them not.

There are two reasons why someone should not know or should not write something. The first is when such knowledge could be harmful, by causing evil or preventing good, whether in the present or in the future. The second is when the importance, usefulness, or necessity of the thing does not require that it be known or written. It is in this way that divine Providence hides from His faithful friends, in this life, the dangers and tribulations of body and soul, whose number is almost infinite; for it would not be useful for men to know them beforehand.

And God, in His goodness, knows how to preserve us from them or defend us against them at the proper time, however great and imminent the evils of life may be. For the same reasons it was not permitted to Saint John to write the voices of the seven thunders concerning this Monarch. For God will deliver him from every danger and will make the designs of his enemies fail, etc. Seal up the things which the seven thunders have spoken, and write them not. That is, write that seven thunders uttered their voices, but do not write what they said.

VERSE 5. And the angel whom I had seen standing upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven. Now comes the other person whom this angel represented; that is, there is no longer question here of the Monarch, but of the heavenly ambassador revealing the divine secrets concerning the end of times. And the angel whom I had seen standing upon the sea and upon the earth — that is, the supreme president, guardian, and protector of this empire, whom Daniel 12:7 saw standing upon the waters of the river — lifted up his hand to heaven.

VERSE 6. And he swore by him who liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in heaven, the earth and the things that are on the earth, the sea and the things that are in the sea. These words contain a testimony supported by an oath concerning what the Lord God reveals to the whole human race through His heavenly ambassador, for the consolation of His elect and for the terror of the impious. This angel swears, by these words, a truth of the highest importance: namely, that there should be time no longer.

Literally, this passage is explained: 1. By the heretics and the enemies of the Cross and of Christ, because their time, their days, and their impiety will end under the empire of the announced Monarch. It is for their terror and eternal confusion, and at the same time for the great consolation of the Latin Church and of the faithful who compose her, that this angel proclaims this solemn testimony: That there should be time no longer.

2. These words also signify that after the voice of the seventh angel who will sound the trumpet — that is, Antichrist — there will no longer be time for labour and tribulations. And he announces this to console and strengthen the faithful against the impious, of whom it is written in 2 Peter 3:3–4: "Knowing this first, that in the last days there shall come deceitful scoffers, walking after their own lusts, saying: Where is his promise or his coming? For since the time that the fathers slept, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."

This is why this angel confirms, by this solemn oath, the second coming of Jesus Christ, when the times of sorrows and persecutions for the good will cease, but also the times of pleasures, triumphs, honours, riches, glory, and all the charms of the present life for the wicked.

VI. VERSE 7. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound the trumpet, etc. The description of this seventh angel and of the sound of his trumpet is found in the following chapter. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel. These words designate the end of times, after which there will be no other times for all eternity. For on that day the consummation of the age will take place, and immediately afterward will come the universal judgment.

This is why the text adds: And he swore... that... the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared by his servants the prophets. For: 1. The day of the consummation of the age and of the universal judgment is truly a very great mystery reserved to God alone — a mystery which has never been and never will be revealed to anyone until it is accomplished, according to Matthew 24:36: "But of that day and hour no one knoweth, no not the angels of heaven, but the Father alone."

2. This mystery known to God alone is great because all the most hidden secrets of our hearts, both in general and in particular, will be manifested on the great day of Almighty God, according to the Apostle, 1 Corinthians 3:13: "Every man's work shall be manifest: for the day of the Lord shall declare it, because it shall be revealed in fire; and the fire shall try every man's work, of what sort it is." And 1 Corinthians 4:5: "Judge not before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise from God."

3. This mystery is the resurrection of the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:51–52: "Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall all indeed rise again: but we shall not all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet," etc.

4. This mystery is the remuneration of good or evil; and it will remain impenetrable to our eyes until the Lord God comes. Apocalypse 22:12: "Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to render to every man according to his works." This is certainly a great mystery, by which the holy king David was moved, and by which all the just who will live in this age will be moved amid their tribulations.

Psalm 72:1: "How good is God to Israel, to them that are of a right heart! But my feet were almost moved; my steps had well-nigh slipped. Because I had a zeal on occasion of the wicked, seeing the prosperity of sinners. For there is no regard to their death, nor is there strength in their stripes. They are not in the labour of men: neither shall they be scourged like other men. Therefore pride hath held them fast: they are covered with their iniquity and their wickedness. Their iniquity hath come forth, as it were from fatness: they have passed into the affection of the heart... I studied that I might know this thing; it is a labour in my sight, until I go into the sanctuary of God, and understand concerning their last ends."

5. Finally, it is a mystery of God alone to know the choice of the elect from the mass of the children of Adam; and this too is a mystery hidden from the eyes of men, which no one will be able to penetrate until the day of the Lord. Romans 11:25: "For I would not have you ignorant, brethren, of this mystery — lest you should be wise in your own conceits — that blindness in part has happened in Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles should come in." Then finally the Apostle Saint Paul concludes: "O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are his judgments, and how unsearchable his ways!"

From this it follows that one must not tire oneself in vain by wishing to fathom the great question of predestination. It is a mystery reserved to God alone until the day of judgment, when He will render to each one according to his works and according to each one's labour. For God is just, and iniquity cannot reach Him. He does not will the death of the sinner, but above all He wills that he be converted and live.

Many men weary themselves by straining their minds over this difficult point, and exhaust themselves like the spider when it spins its web. It would be much more useful for them to pray to the Lord their God, to seek to conceive holy thoughts about His goodness, and to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. Since this secret and this mystery of God is impenetrable, the more one scrutinises it, the more one sinks into difficulties, especially if one believes he understands it.

As he hath declared by his servants the prophets. These prophets, servants of God, are Moses, Enoch, Elijah, and all the other prophets of the Old Testament. They are also the Apostles, and all the other doctors and preachers of the New Testament, who all, by common agreement, each in his own language and writings, announced to the world this great mystery of the kingdom of God.

They preached it as it is still preached and announced in our day, and as it will be preached and announced until the end of the world. When this mystery is accomplished, men will not believe in that day until it arrives. So it was in the time of the flood: when Noah announced it to the world for more than one hundred years, the men of his time refused to believe his word. This is why Jesus Christ says to us in Matthew 24:37–39: "As in the days of Noe, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark; and they knew not till the flood came and took them all away: so also shall the coming of the Son of man be."

VII. VERSE 8. And I heard the voice from heaven again speaking to me, and saying: Go, and take the book that is open from the hand of the angel who standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. VERSE 9. And I went to the angel, saying unto him that he should give me the book. And he said to me: Take the book, and eat it up: and it shall make thy belly bitter, but in thy mouth it shall be sweet as honey.

VERSE 10. And I took the book from the hand of the angel, and ate it up: and it was in my mouth sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. VERSE 11. And he said to me: Thou must prophesy again to many nations, and peoples, and tongues, and kings.

Saint John, here representing the moral person of the whole Church, instructs us by these words concerning the quality and effects of this book of which we spoke above; and he demonstrates these things to us by a metaphor drawn from the act of eating. Indeed, it is by the taste and digestion of foods that we know and experience their quality and effects. For many things are sweet and agreeable to the taste, while they are bitter and difficult to digest, and vice versa.

Now this is also verified in heavenly and spiritual things. For example, we read willingly and speak with delight of the tribulations and sufferings of the holy martyrs. We praise and admire the life of the saints, their heroic virtues, their irreproachable conduct, their sacrifices, their self-denials, and so forth. But if we must swallow a single drop from their chalice, it immediately produces an unbearable bitterness in our inward parts; and the digestion — that is, the practice and imitation of their life — seems hard and too burdensome to us.

One distinguishes, from the context and from the beginning of the following chapter, four other qualities of this book: 1. It contains sound, unanimous, and holy doctrine in matters of faith and good morals. This quality is signified by these words: It was in my mouth sweet as honey. These words contain a metaphor. For just as honey is sweet in the mouth of men, so pure doctrine and holy morality are sweet in the mouth of the just, while they are bitter as gall in the mouth of the wicked.

Hence this passage of Psalm 118:103: "How sweet are thy words to my palate! More than honey to my mouth." Isaiah 7 also says of Jesus Christ: "He shall eat butter and honey, that he may know to refuse the evil and to choose the good." Now, since this book will be the work of the Holy Spirit, it is with reason that Saint John says that it will be sweet as honey in the mouth of the whole Church, whose representative he is; that is, it will be received with acclamation and unanimous consent.

2. It will produce a great commotion, for this work of God will not be realised without great difficulties or without resistance. It will even be watered with the blood of martyrs; for the world, the flesh, and the devil have always resisted, and will always resist, the works of God. And divine wisdom permits this in order better to make this thought of the Wise Man stand out: Proverbs 21:30: "There is no wisdom, there is no prudence, there is no counsel against the Lord."

This tempest will first be raised by the secular powers, who will resist the great Monarch by arms, and will persecute those who undertake to convert peoples to the Catholic faith, which the Monarch will order to be preached on land and sea, etc. This is why it was said above that after this angel, standing upon land and sea, had cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices. See what was said above on verse 4.

3. The execution of this council will also experience great difficulty on the part of bad priests, when the Venuses must entirely disappear, as well as the idols of gold and silver and the idle life. And all these difficulties are expressed by these words: But when I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. As we have said, Saint John here represents the person of the whole Church, which will have to suffer bitterness, tribulations, and many difficulties in the execution of this council. But these evils will not prevail, and the enemies of the Church will not be able to prevent the great work of God from being accomplished.

4. It is to console and reassure the Church that the heavenly envoy immediately adds the third effect of this book, which will be the preaching of the Gospel and of the Catholic faith to nations, peoples, men of various tongues, and many kings; that is, in the countries which Mohammedanism, schism, Protestantism, or any other sect had separated from the bosom of their mother, who is the Roman Church. This is expressed by the following words: And he said to me: Thou must prophesy again to many nations, and peoples, and tongues, and kings.

These words are addressed to the Church, whom Saint John represents. And the Church will preach by the voice of those whom she will send to the peoples who had already known the light of the Catholic faith, but who defected. For this is what the words indicate: Thou must prophesy again. That is, at the end of times, the Catholic faith must again be preached to the nations, peoples, men of various tongues, and many kings who abandoned the Church, etc.

This is indeed what will happen in the sixth age, which will be an age of consolation, and which will last until the seventh and last age, which will be the age of consummation.

§ 2. On the Extension and Exaltation of the Church. Chapter 11, Verses 1–2

VERSE 1. And there was given me a reed like unto a rod; and it was said to me: Arise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that adore therein. I. These words express the fourth effect of the book announced above. Its purpose will be the preaching of the Gospel by the aid of divine mercy; that is, the conversion of almost the whole universe to the one, true, apostolic, and holy Catholic faith.

For the Latin Church will extend herself far and wide, on land and on sea; and she will be consoled and glorified. Saint John is ordered to measure her in order to signify her immense extent, and the multitude of peoples who will come even from afar and flow toward her from the ends of the earth. It is thus written in Genesis 15:5: "The Lord brought Abraham forth abroad and said to him: Look up to heaven and number the stars, if thou canst. So shall thy seed be." Now it is in the same way that Saint John says here:

1. And there was given me a reed like unto a rod. One uses a measuring rod to measure buildings, fields, and other things also, in length, breadth, and depth — in a word, surfaces and solid bodies. It is in the same sense that bishops use the staff of their crozier, as though to measure the pavement and the walls of temples and churches in the ceremony of consecration. And it is this same rod, like a measuring reed, which was given in spirit to Saint John, to signify metaphorically that immediately before the last times the Church will be immense, and that she will be, as it were, newly built and consecrated to her spouse, Jesus Christ.

2. And it was said to me: Arise. These words also signify that the temple of the Lord will be immensely enlarged, and that the house of God will be built in the four parts of the world. Arise — that is: leave thy place, thy country, and go into all the corners of the world, so that thou mayest be able to measure this temple.

Saint John is ordered to use this manner of speaking and writing for the consolation of the Church, as is also related in Genesis 13:14–17: "The Lord said to Abraham: Lift up thy eyes, and look from the place wherein thou now art, to the north and to the south, to the east and to the west. All the land which thou seest, I will give to thee, and to thy seed for ever. I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: if any man be able to number the dust of the earth, he shall be able to number thy seed also. Arise, and walk through the land in the length and in the breadth thereof: for I will give it to thee." It is known that this posterity of Abraham had to extend according to faith; and this posterity is indeed innumerable, since it includes all the children of faith from the time of Abraham until the last day of the world.

3. Measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that adore therein. By the temple which Saint John is ordered to measure here is understood the immense extent of the new Church which will be joined to the Latin Church by the conversion of nations in America, Africa, Asia, and Europe. We have already seen so happy a beginning of this in the fifth age, in China, in the Indies, in Japan, and in other countries still.

The altar signifies metaphorically the honour and exaltation of the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which will be celebrated over the whole surface of the earth. Likewise, the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified by men upon the altar with great faith. And them that adore therein. These words first indicate the priests. The Latin text says in eo — "at the altar." For priests will be spread over the whole earth in great multitude; and by the continual sacrifice they will adore God the Father and His Son Jesus, in union with the Holy Spirit.

And them that adore. These words also signify the Christians who will have a very great zeal to assist at this august sacrifice and to frequent the holy table. Jesus Christ speaks of this sixth age of the Church in Saint Matthew 24:14, and He indicates it as a sign which will precede the last desolation and the day of His second coming: "This Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world, for a testimony to all nations, and then shall the consummation come."

Likewise in Saint John 10:16: "And other sheep I have, that are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd." Likewise again in Isaiah 2:2: "And in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it." And finally, in the prophet Micah 4:1 and following.

§ 3. On the Land Reserved to the Gentiles and to Antichrist, and Which Will Never Form Part of the Church of Christ. Chapter 11, Verses 2–3

I. VERSE 2. But the court which is without the temple, leave out, and measure it not, because it is given unto the Gentiles. In these words, Jesus Christ instructs His Church, through Saint John, concerning the astonishing secret and the permission of God touching the reign of Muhammad and of Antichrist, of whom the former was the precursor and the type. For it is from the mixture of these two races, the Jews and the Gentiles, that the son of perdition, Antichrist, will be born and will come; and he will reign over them.

Thus the empire of the Turks will not be entirely destroyed; rather, there will remain from it a kingdom of a certain extent, formed from these races. Jesus Christ speaks expressly of this kingdom in Saint Matthew 24:15: "When therefore you shall see the abomination of desolation in the holy place," etc. And in Saint Mark 13:14: "And when you shall see the abomination of desolation standing where it ought not," etc.

It is therefore so that all the prophecies may be fulfilled that God, in His secret counsels, will permit these Gentiles to occupy Palestine, the Holy Land, and the other kingdoms which Juda and Israel formerly inhabited; and they will possess them until all prevarication is accomplished. We have palpable proof of this mystery of His will in the fact that He does not permit this generation, formed from Turks and Jews, to disappear entirely and perish until it has produced the son of iniquity.

How many emperors, kings, and princes have made every effort to retake the Holy Land, always without success — or at least without obtaining any other results than premature victories, of which they soon lost all the fruits! What a horrible thing is this permanent discord among Christian princes over this great and endless question! It is thus that the annihilation of the power and reign of the Turks has always been hindered by our pride and wickedness, until we Christians ourselves fill up the measure of our sins, and until the Lord finally becomes weary of His Church, by permitting the son of perdition to exalt his pride.

We find in the Old Testament an example of this weariness of the Lord toward the house of Israel, which was the figure of Christianity in the New. 4 Kings 10:32: "In those days the Lord began to be weary of Israel," etc. For the Turks are and will be, with regard to the Latin Church, what Assur was with regard to the synagogue of the Jews; and the latter was the figure of the former. Therefore, however great the extent of the Latin Church must be in the sixth age, nevertheless Palestine, the Holy Land, and other kingdoms of the East will never belong to the sheepfold of Jesus Christ.

For it is in these lands reserved to the Gentiles that the kingdom of the son of perdition will be born and will arise. All the Jews will recognise him as their king; and they will gather together from the East, from the West, from the North, from the South, and from the desert mountains, in order to unite themselves to him. It is of this circumstance that Jesus Christ speaks when He says in John 5:43: "I am come in the name of my Father, and you receive me not; if another shall come in his own name, him you will receive."

Jesus Christ also speaks of the Holy Land, and of the desolation of the Jews and of the Gentiles, in Saint Matthew 23:39: "For I say to you, you shall not see me henceforth, till you say: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Jesus Christ again says expressly of Jerusalem, Luke 21:24: "And Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the Gentiles, till the times of the nations be fulfilled."

Whence the text continues: But leave out the court which is without the temple. By the court one understands Palestine, or the Holy Land and Jerusalem, as well as the synagogue of the Jews; and by the temple, one understands the Church of the nations of Christ. For: 1. It is in the courts of kings' palaces that all subjects must wait until they are admitted to the audience of the sovereign. 2. Those who are in these courts see only the outward construction of the palaces; but they cannot penetrate their secrets, nor see the beauties within, before they have been introduced.

3. The court is always, in comparison with the palace, the part that is less spacious and less adorned. 4. It is in the courts that the servants of the king await his orders, as though trembling, in order to serve their master according to his will, etc. Now such was, such still is, and such will perfectly be Palestine, or the Holy Land and the synagogue of the Jews, with regard to the Church of Jesus Christ.

For: 1. In the Old Testament, all the Jews waited in the court of the temple of God, which was limbo; and no one could be admitted into the heavenly palace, into the presence of the Lord God Almighty, until the fulfilment of the great mystery: "The Word was made flesh," and until Jesus Christ had risen from the dead, in order to lead them into His royal and eternal palace. 2. In the Old Testament, the Jews were as though wrapped in a cloud; and they could see the mysteries of God only from afar, as in a mirror and under obscure images.

But we Christians, having been introduced by Jesus Christ Himself into His royal palace, which is the Church, know, see, and hear these mysteries distinctly by the word of life, as one sees in the First Epistle of Saint John 1:1. Moreover, as much as a court is imperfect, narrow, and roughly built in comparison with the royal palace whose entrance it forms, so much was the synagogue of the Jews imperfect, narrow, and roughly built in comparison with the Church of Christ, into which all the nations of the earth were and will be admitted.

3. The synagogue and her children were received only under the title of servants, while the Church our mother has put aside all servile fear in exchange for love; and her children are no longer servants, but citizens of the holy city, and even the sons of God. Ephesians 2:19; Galatians 4; and 1 John 3. Thus Jerusalem and the country subject to it, as well as the synagogue of the Jews, were only the courts of the temple of the Catholic Church.

This is why it is said to Saint John: But leave out the court which is without the temple. The Latin text says: ejice foras — "cast it outside." This is a manner of speaking by which: a) kings and princes are accustomed to confirm and sanction decrees which they have issued ab irato, or concerning a matter of high importance, when they wish them to be irrevocable; b) one casts away things that are useless, spoiled, and with which one no longer knows what to do.

Now it is in this way that Jesus Christ orders Saint John again to reject Jerusalem, the Holy Land, and the whole Jewish nation, which had already been rejected by a just judgment of God. By this, therefore, God confirms His sentence of reprobation, by virtue of which the Jewish nation was dispersed throughout the whole earth, and Jerusalem and all Palestine were delivered into the power of the nations, without being able ever to belong to the Church of God.

Although ancient Jerusalem was destroyed from top to bottom, it was rebuilt in the place where Jesus Christ was crucified, and the Christian religion was implanted there; but it could not maintain itself there because of the frequent invasions of the Saracens. Finally, Chosroes, having massacred or led into captivity all the Christians who lived in that city, took possession of it; and his successors have continued to be its masters until this day, except for an interval of a few years during which Godfrey and his brother were kings there.

All the expeditions that were afterward made to retake the Holy Land, and that are known under the name of crusades, however great or powerful they were, came to nothing, and were rendered useless by the wars, discords, and pride of Christians. This is why it is said to Saint John: But the court which is without the temple, leave out, and measure it not, because it is given unto the Gentiles.

This again is a manner of speaking used by a military leader or prince who, despairing of being able to keep a city under his dominion, either because of the proximity and power of his enemies, or because its inhabitants are hostile to him, orders that this city should not be counted among those of his kingdom, but should be abandoned to the mercy of foreigners. Now it is in this way that Saint John, in the marking out of the limits of the Church of Christ — limits which will be extremely extended in the sixth age — is charged with expressly informing Christendom that Jerusalem and Judea must not be included within these limits.

He immediately gives the following reason: Because it, that is, this court, has been given unto the Gentiles. That is, apart from the few years during which Jerusalem belonged to the Christians under Godfrey and his brother — of which it is not worth making mention — this country will continue to be abandoned to the nations until the prevarication is consummated.

And they shall tread the holy city under foot forty-two months. These words indicate the time during which these nations will possess this country under the empire and sect of Muhammad and of the Turks, of whom we shall speak below. The whole time of their reign will therefore be forty-two months, which make one thousand two hundred seventy-seven and a half years. But this reign will not always exist with the same power; for toward the end, it will be reduced to a small kingdom, as we have said above. Moreover, to know how many years it has already existed, one must return to its origin, of which we shall speak elsewhere.

And they shall tread the holy city under foot, etc. By the holy city one understands the present city of Jerusalem. It is called holy because of the holiness of the place where it was built, and because Jesus Christ was crucified there. By the holy city, the prophet understands all Palestine, taking the part for the whole. The nations will tread it under foot — that is, they will dominate there. For what one treads under one's feet is beneath oneself; one dominates it, and one treats it according to one's good pleasure. These words therefore signify the empire of the nations over the holy city.

Now why does Saint John name the nations and not their leader? It is because he cites the body for the head, since these nations will always profess the sect of Muhammad, who was also the founder of his empire. For these nations did not always exist under that same empire of Muhammad by immediate succession, since this reign underwent changes and passed into other hands; but the sect always remained, as we shall see below.

Now, since here the prophet does not describe the head of this impious sect himself, who was Muhammad, type and precursor of Antichrist, but rather describes the time during which the empire he founded will last, it is with reason that he names rather the nations that will persevere constantly in his sect, until the forty-two and a half months of its duration are fulfilled.

One therefore sees, from what has just been said, why the armies of the crusaders — sometimes so numerous and so strong — and why so many warlike expeditions undertaken at various times, with a holy purpose, against the Saracens and against the Turks, had such a vain result. For, setting aside some of the major causes that made them fail — such as the jealousy of the Greeks, the sins and scandals of the crusaders, and other various obstacles and calamities — there remains for us the reason for this fact: the divine will, which wished the prophecies concerning the reigns, the times, and the prevarications to be fulfilled.

This does not prevent those holy warriors who, being in the peace of the Lord, fell under the enemy's sword, and in general all those who took part in these glorious expeditions, from being rewarded for their generous sacrifices and their pious labours. For one must not imagine that these enterprises came from any source other than the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, with the purpose of procuring for Christian soldiers a glorious and meritorious death by shedding their blood for the Name of Jesus; and also with the purpose of breaking the forces of the enemy, keeping him in fear, and preventing him from passing beyond his limits in order to exterminate Christians.