# The Apocalypse of St. John/Introduction

THE APOCALYPSE OF ST. JOHN
INTRODUCTION
In the study of Holy Scripture it is necessary to bear in mind that its various books are not separate and independent works. It is true, they were written by persons widely distant from one another in time and place, yet the Holy Ghost, their true Author, coordinates them all to one common purpose. The different books are but so many chapters of one and the same great work whose first chapter recounts the origin of the world by creation; its last, foretells the final consummation of all things. The intervening chapters relate in order various happenings between these two extremes.
The Bible does not give a complete history of mankind; in fact it is not intended to teach history as such. The Holy Ghost wishes to strengthen our faith, arouse our hopes in the mercies of God, and instill our hearts with the fear of His punishments. For this purpose He gives a summary view of God's dealings with mankind. There is only an occasional glimpse of things not closely connected with this main purpose. The origin of the material world is briefly sketched while the creation of the angels is only referred to incidently. But the questions which concern us more directly are treated at ​length. Our nature, our origin, and our destiny summarize the content of Holy Scripture. It teaches that man is a free and intelligent being created in a state of grace and destined to be united with God in Heaven for all eternity. Through abuse of free will man fell from this high estate and is daily exposed to sin and suffering, but the merits of Christ's death on the cross have redeemed man's fallen nature and placed him once more upon the way of salvation.
The person of Christ thus becomes the central figure of all Scripture. He is the "alpha and omega, the beginning and the end." As God, He created all things "and without Him was made nothing that was made. In Him was life and the life was the light of men." As man, Christ is the greatest handiwork of God, the "first-born of every creature" As the God-man, He is our Redeemer, the "only name under Heaven given to men whereby we must be saved." Thus is Jesus Christ the centre from which all things radiate, around which all revolve, and in which all must finally converge.
After recounting the creation and fall of man, the Old Testament announces the coming of the Saviour and narrates the preparation of mankind for this great event. ​The Gospels and Epistles give the life of our Lord and rehearse His teachings. The Acts of the Apostles outline the first years of the new-born Church. The Apocalypse gives a prophetic history of the Church from the days of St. John to the final consummation of the world.
In its general purpose the Apocalypse does not differ from the other Scriptures. It is to teach men a knowledge of God, enlighten their faith, strengthen their hopes, and give them a rule of conduct by which they may obtain eternal salvation. It is also intended to fortify the faithful in time of trial and temptation, and to guide the Church in every age. In this respect the Apocalypse simply enlarges upon the warnings of Christ concerning persecution of His Church. "The servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me they will also persecute you. . . . They will put you out of the synagogue; yea the hour cometh that whosoever killeth you, will think that he doth a service to God." Christ has promised that the gates of hell shall never prevail against His Church, but this very promise foreshadows a mighty conflict with the powers of darkness. The Apocalypse tells of the trials and sufferings of the Church in this great conflict and prophesies her final triumph according to the promise of Christ: "Behold I ​am with you all days even to the consummation of the world." Hence the prophecies of the Apocalypse should be a source of consolation when we see the Church opposed and persecuted for we have the assurance of the Holy Ghost that she shall come forth triumphant and reign peacefully over all nations.
In other parts of Scripture, purely historical events serve merely as a background upon which are depicted the designs of Providence. St. John pursues a similar method in the Apocalypse. He does not intend to give a detailed prophetic history of the Church. He singles out the more important points to serve as guide-posts along the course of centuries. It may be said that he gives only the philosophy of the Church's history,—the underlying causes of all its outward events.
The laws of sacred and profane history are alike; similar causes must produce similar effects. Hence all history repeats itself in general outlines. Only accidental circumstances differ. This explains why the Apocalypse is written under the form of symbolic visions instead of ordinary discourse. It must give in a few pages a resume of many centuries. One and the same prophecy often announces many similar events separated in time by centuries. The account must be limited to the barest outlines and stripped of every accidental circumstance. ​Symbolic visions are best suited to this purpose. Moreover they admit of mystic and moral interpretations profitable to the faithful of every age.
The prophecies of the Apocalypse consist almost entirely of symbolic visions whose allegorical sense must be the sense intended by the Holy Ghost. Any other interpretation is unwarranted except where the Apostle has evidently abandoned allegory for ordinary discourse. The chief duty of the interpreter is to search out the key of each symbol. The prophetic writings of the Old Testament greatly facilitate this work because the Apocalypse is strongly tinged with the imagery of the prophets of old and in many instances it further developes prophecies first announced by them.
A study of the Gospels and Epistles also gives a clue to the proper interpretation of many things in the Apocalypse. Thus, for example, the Gospels make it plain that the "kingdom of God" or the "kingdom of Heaven" is the Church in time or in eternity. Again it is evident from the Epistles and from the Acts of the Apostles that the ancients — πρεσβετεροι — are the Apostles, and the bishops and priests of the church.
In some cases St. John himself gives the key to his visions. Thus, an angel is an Apostle or bishop sent by ​Christ to, teach and govern His Church. In a similar sense our Lord calls St. John the Baptist an "angel." In other cases the meaning is evident from the context. The "Lamb standing as it were slain can be none other than Christ triumphant at the right hand of God the Father. Hence the words "as it were slain" must refer to Christ mystically slain in the Holy Eucharist.
It has been customary to divide the Apocalypse into seven visions with a prologue and an epilogue, as follows:
Prologue I, 1-8
1st Vision.—Letters to the seven churches. 1, 9—iii, 22.
2nd Vision.—The seven seals, iv, 1—viii, 1.
3rd Vision.—The seven trumpets, viii, 2—xi, 18.
4th Vision.—(a) The woman and the dragon.
    (b) The beast of the sea.
    (c) The beast of the earth.
    (d) The harvest and the vintage, xi. 19—xiv, 8.
5th Vision.—The seven angels with seven plagues, xv, 1—xix, 21.
6th Vision.—The binding and loosing of Satan, xx, 1-15.
7th Vision.—The resurrection, general judgment, and the heavenly Jerusalem, xxi, 1—xxii, 5.
Epilogue XXII, 6-21
​Instead of this commonly received division, the following is here submitted in the belief that it is justified by the commentary which follows. Yet in this, as in all things, we submit to the unerring judgment of the Church, the "pillar and ground of the truth."
Prologue I, 1-8
Part I
From the Days of St. John to the Opening of the Abyss
i.—General warning to the churches, i, 9—iii, 22.
ii.—Constitution of the Church, chs. iv-v.
iii.—Persecution of the Church, and fall of the pagan Empire of Rome. ch. vi.
iv.—The Church firmly established, ch. vii.
v.—The Vicissitudes of the Church, ch. viii.
Part II
From the Opening of the Abyss to its Closing
i.—Preparation for the Reign of Antichrist.
    (a) Heresies and Religious Wars. ch. ix.
    (b) A Preparatory Vision, ch. x.
    (c) The Two Witnesses, ch. xi.
    (d) Conflict between the Church and Satan, ch. xii.
ii.—The Reign of Antichrist and his Overthrow.
    (a) Antichrist and his Prophet, ch. xiii.
    (b) Prophets of Victory, ch. xiv.
    (c) Seven Plagues on the Empire of Antichrist, chs. xv-xvi.
    (d) The Beast and the Harlot, ch. xvii.
    (e) The Fall of Babylon, ch. xviii.
    (f) The Hymn of Victory, and the Condemnation of Antichrist and his Prophet, ch. xix.
Part III
From the Closing of the Abyss to the End of the World
i.—The Universal Reign of Jesus Christ. xx, 1-6.
ii.—The Loosing of Satan and the Last Persecution. xx, 7-10.
iii.—The Resurrection and General Judgment. xx, 11-15.
iv.—The Heavenly Jerusalem. xxi, 1—xxii, 5.
Epilogue XX, 6-20
​According to this division the three parts of the Apocalypse correspond to three successive periods in the history of the Church and furnish a prophetic history that extends from the time of St. John to the final triumph of the Church in glory.
The above division of the Apocalypse and the explanation which follows are based upon an article by Père Gallois, O. P., which first appeared in the Revue Biblique. It was then issued in pamphlet form by P. Lethielleux, Paris, in 1895, with a prefatory letter by Père Monsabré, O. P., which, we believe, is sufficient guaranty for its complete orthodoxy. The present work is practically an enlarged adaptation of the article by Perè Gallois, but many departures from his opinions demand that it be issued as a separate work with due acknowledgment to the original author. It is not intended to be a complete exegesis of the Apocalypse, yet we hope it may lead to a better understanding of those obscure prophecies in which the Holy Ghost foretells the vicissitudes of the Church and its final triumph over all enemies.
* ↑ Apocalypse i, 8.
* ↑ St. John i, 3, 4.
* ↑ Colossians i, 15.
* ↑ Acts of the Apostles iv, 12.
* ↑ St. John xv, 18-20; xvi, 2.
* ↑ St. Matthew xvi, 18.
* ↑ St. Matthew xxviii, 20.
* ↑ Cf. Acts xi, 30; xiv, 23; Titus i, 5; 1 Timothy v. 19; 1 Peter v. 1.
* ↑ St. Matthew xi, 10.
* ↑ Apocalypse v, 6.
* ↑ Cf. Cornely, "Cursus Scripturae Sacrae" vol. iii, page 715 sq.; Gigot, "Apocalypse of St. John" in Westminster version.
* ↑ 1 Timothy iii, 15.