Apostolic Eschatology

I’ve entitled this lengthy blog post “Apostolic Eschatology” as we consider what the End Times view of the Apostles that got handed down to their disciples which in turn was taught to the following generations of Christians. What REALLY matters is what the Apostles taught/believed! Many Christians “think” they have arrived at the Apostolic position as they exegete and apply hermeneutical principles to the New Testament. But are they? 

So, can we know what the Eschatology (the End Times view) of the Apostles was? 

 

Interestingly, recently while researching this topic and putting together this document, I found that a well-known teacher who’s a part of the modern Charismatic Renewal movement had entitled one of his messages using the exact same title, “Apostolic Eschatology”. He would be shocked to discover the changes he had at that time made to his eschatological convictions (leaving a type of Premillennialism and becoming a Partial Preterist) actually moved him away from the very “Apostolic Eschatology” he believed he had discovered!

 

Conservative Protestant Evangelicals, of which I am one, will cry “Sola Scriptura” to defend each and every doctrine we believe to be true. We are convinced we are being “Biblical” in so doing. As we attend our Bible schools and seminaries, we will learn about the proper rules of Hermeneutics (Biblical interpretation) which will undoubtedly include employing the Grammatical-Historical method of hermeneutics believing we are arriving at the author’s original meaning/intention. Additionally, we will seek to understand the context of a passage. We will also determine the type of literature the Biblical author is employing. Ironically, adherents to diametrically opposed, contradictory End Time positions will all CLAIM to have arrived at their End Times views using the aforementioned tools/methods.

 

So, in essence, “being Biblical” isn’t really being debated here. All of the End Times viewpoints are therefore "Biblical" – Premillennialists (of which there are several types), Historicists, Amillennialists, and Postmillennialists will all quote copious amounts of Scripture, claiming they are doing sound Biblical exegesis. I personally have held 3 different of the previously mentioned End Time positions and additionally, have been influenced by aspects and elements of the others. 

Thus the reason for the title "Apostolic Eschatology" and NOT "Biblical Eschatology". What we want to know is what the Apostles believed/taught and not what later Christians using the Apostles' writings believed/taught.

 

For years, I would have said any of the positions was acceptable and Biblically orthodox and was something Christians could agree to disagree upon. I no longer think so. Some of the positions do in fact constitute false teaching. 

But to be clear, I do NOT believe these to be salvific issues upon which one’s salvation depends (like for example, the doctrine of the Deity of Christ).

 

We can, however, determine what the earliest Christians believed about the End Times because we have their writings. We even have writings/quotations from personal disciples of the Apostles themselves – Ignatius, Polycarp, and Papias (the Apostle John), Clement of Rome (the Apostle Peter & Paul), and possibly Barnabas (Paul’s companion). 

Admittedly, we don’t always have them commenting upon the well-known, debated End Time passages. However, even when they do not, they do write about the real deceptive power of Satan at work in their “present age” and write NOTHING about him currently being bound in the abyss (Rev. 20:3) and unable to deceive the nations. (as a couple modern views assert).

What we find whenever the Ante Nicene writers are commenting on End Time passage is that the doctrines/beliefs of Preterist Amillennialists (Partial or Full), Postmillennialists, and even pretribulation rapture Dispensationalists are all consistently being refuted/contradicted.

To the man, every theologian/apologist/leader in the earliest centuries of the church before Nicea (Ante-Nicene) that addressed the End Times held to:

• a premillennial view of Christ’s Return
• the belief in a future literal Millennial reign of Christ on the Earth
• the belief there would be a future Antichrist
• the belief that the Church would be on earth during the future Great Tribulation (i.e. including the belief in a post-Tribulation Rapture) 
• a futurist interpretation when it came to Matthew 24 (future for them)

These were the universal, consensus positions of the church in the late 1st, the 2nd, and the 3rd centuries.

The irony is that we have the later post-Nicene writers attesting to what I’ve just written. They changed the church’s universal position into an Amillennial one which was popularized by Augustine in the 5th Century. 

Before we turn to the early church's writings, let us consider the origins of Amillennialism and Preterism.

A possible Amillennial position (the earliest?) is found in the late 3rd Century (AD280) in Victorinus’ Commentary on the Book of Revelation. He interprets Satan being bound in the abyss (Rev. 20:1-3) as being 

“in the first advent of Christ, even to the end of the age…Moreover, that he [John]   says, “and he cast him into the abyss,” he says this, because the devil, excluded from the hearts of believers, began to take possession of the wicked, in whose hearts, blinded day by day, he is shut up as if in a profound abyss. And he shut him up, says he, and put a seal upon him, that he should not deceive the nations until the thousand years should be finished”. 

 

This does sound Amillennial. However, Victorinus then shifts right back into a Premillennial position and the coming Antichrist in the last 3 ½ years of the Tribulation…

 

“after this, he [Satan] must be loosed for a little season. The little season signifies three years and six months, in which with all his power the devil will avenge himself under Antichrist against the Church. Finally, he says, after that the devil shall be loosed, and will seduce the nations in the whole world, and will entice war against the Church” (Victorinus, Chpt. 20:1-3). 

 

He has the Church facing Satan’s power during the time of the Antichrist who is warring against the Church. While clearly, Victorinus has the Church on the earth during the 2nd half of the Great Tribulation, one has argued from a single statement he made (quoted later) that he held to a pre-Wrath Rapture position rather than a post-Tribulation Rapture that one finds in the rest of the Early Church Fathers. I will include that later in a blog post where I will consider the pre-Wrath vs. Post-Tribulation Rapture positions. I believe Victorinus’ quote affirms that the Lord will protect His Church from His Wrath during the Great Tribulation, but that it does not teach He will do so by rapturing them off the earth. If it was by a rapture to meet Jesus in the air, he would have mentioned that important detail.

 

Note: as to the Amillenialist-friendly quotation above, it is known that later scholars modified Victorinus’ commentary on Revelation at a time when the Millennialism (called Chiliasm) of the earliest Church fathers was being rejected and an Amillennial position had taken root. It has been noted:

 

“Jerome is responsible for an extensive revision of Victorinus’ commentary, dated to 398, which he particularly undertook at the request of a friend to adjust Victorinus’ commentary in those verses and passages displaying interpretations which were taken to be chiliastic/millennialistic, a theological opinion which had since been rejected by the Church at large. …Consequently, essentially two versions of Victorinus’ commentary have come down to us: his original and the Hieronymian edition. I have undertaken to translate Victorinus’ original and only Jerome’s letter to Anatolius (which serves as a prologue to Jerome’s version) and Jerome’s ending of the work (which replaces Victorinus’ commentary on chapters 20 and 21 of the Apocalypse). A relatively poor translation of Jerome’s version is included in the Nicene-Post Nicene Fathers collection.” 

 

The Preterist position, which has grown in popularity in recent years, would only be developed much later, ironically by a Spanish Jesuit scholar named Luis de Alcasar (1554-1613) to respond to the Protestant Reformers’ belief (they were Historicists) that Antichrist would come out of the Papacy. The late George Eldon Ladd summarizes what happened: 

 

“…towards the close of the century of the Reformation, two of her [Rome’s] most learned doctors set themselves to the task, each endeavoring by different means to accomplish the same end, namely, that of diverting men’s minds from perceiving the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Antichrist in the Papal system.  The Jesuit Alcasar devoted himself to bring into prominence the Preterist method of interpretation to show the prophecies of Antichrist were fulfilled before the Popes ever ruled at Rome, and therefore could not apply to the Papacy…” The Blessed Hope: A Biblical Study of the Second Advent and the Rapture, Eerdmans, 1956.

 

Other scholars might cite a Roman Catholic named Henten (1499- 1566) as a forerunner to Alcasar, but either way, we have the Preterist system only being developed 1400+ years after the Apostolic Age. 

 

Let us turn now to the writings of the leaders of the early church who were scholars, theologians, and apologists to see what they believed. Their commitment was to receive from the Apostles the Apostolic faith, to preserve and teach it, and to hand it down to subsequent generations. 

 

What are the chances that they ALL got it wrong? 

What are the odds that the Apostle John, who lived arguably into the 90s of the 1st Century, did not communicate the real meaning/interpretation of the Book of Revelation which he wrote? 

How can it be that all of his disciples and their disciples (i.e., Irenaeus, a spiritual grandson of the Apostle John) somehow didn't get the “Apostolic Memo” that the majority of the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24) and much of the fulfillment of the Book of Revelation was all now IN THE PAST in the events leading up to AD70? (as Preterism teaches)

Note: It wasn’t that they didn’t see prophecy being fulfilled in AD70 but that the destruction of the Temple was not the ultimate and final fulfillment. Nero was a “type” of Antichrist (some early Christians even believed Nero would be brought back to life before the final Antichrist came), but he wasn’t THE Antichrist. (see below) 70AD’s events were in fact a “type” of an End of the World, namely the Jewish World, as Temple Judaism ended, its priesthood, and with them the Old (Mosaic) Covenant. But it wasn’t the ultimate and final End of the World. (see below)

 

Did the 2nd & 3rd Century Christian leaders all get End Times prophecy wrong? And if that was the case, then what else did they misunderstand and pass down as dogma/doctrine that was wrong? Why would we trust their assessment as to the Canon of the New Testament? The doctrine of the Trinity (i.e., Tertullian in AD200)? How about other central Christian doctrines?  

 

Remember that the heretics that were fighting against the church in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd centuries were also being “Biblical” when they used New Testament writings to support their views. When the presbyter Arius argued in the 4th century that Jesus was somehow less than the eternal God, a created being, he too was using the Gospels and Paul’s letters to support his view. He was being ‘Biblical’, but he was NOT being Apostolic!

 

Read for yourself the quotes of the earliest Christians below and see if there is any possibility that the Millennium is to be understood “figuratively”? That the Anti-Christ came before AD70? That Jesus and his apostles were only using “apocalyptic language” when they were describing the End of the Age which they meant to be the end of Temple Judaism?

 

I had to abandon my Amillennialism when I came to the inevitable conclusion that there was simply no way they all got it wrong. And some years later when I was being influenced by Partial-Preterism, as compelling of a case as the academic theologians I was reading were making, I had to admit that every single 2nd, 3rd,  and early 4th-century theologian/apologist would have considered it a novel, false teaching unknown to the Apostles.

 

Now is the time to see for yourselves what the earliest Christians actually believed...

 

ANTE-NICENE FATHERS ESCHATOLOGICAL QUOTATIONS LISTED CHRONOLOGICALLY BY TOPIC

 

1. ANTICHRIST

2. DANIEL, BOOK OF

3. ESCHATOLOGY

4. GREAT TRIBULATION

5. LAST DAYS

6. MARK OF THE BEAST

7. MILLENNIUM (1000 YEAR)

8. RAPTURE

9. REVELATION, BOOK OF

10. SECOND COMING OF CHRIST

11. MATTHEW 24

 

1.     ANTICHRIST

 

And then the deceiver of the world [the Antichrist] shall appear and he will perform signs and wonders, and the earth will be handed over into his hands and he will do incessantly vile things which have never happened before since time began. Then the creation of mankind shall come to the burning ordeal of testing. And many will be led astray and will be destroyed, but the ones enduring in their faith will be saved by the one who is cursed [Christ] Himself.  Didache (AD80-140) 16:4-5.

 

So then, children, in six days (in six thousand years) the whole shall be completed. “And He rested on the seventh day.” This means upon coming His Son will abolish the time of the lawless one [the Antichrist] and will judge the ungodly and will change the sun and the moon and the stars. Then He will truly rest on the seventh day. Epistle of Barnabas (AD70-130) 15:5.

 

He shall come from heaven with glory, when the man of apostasy, who speaks strange things against the Most High, will venture to do unlawful deeds on the earth against us Christians.  Justin Martyr (AD160) 1.253, 254.

 

By means of the events that will occur in the time of the Antichrist, it is shown that he, being an apostate and a robber, is anxious to be worshipped as God. ...For he is endowed with all of the power of the devil. He will come—not as a righteous king, nor as a legitimate king in subjection to God—but as an unholy, unjust, and lawless one. ...He will set aside idols to persuade men that he himself is God. ...Daniel, foresaw the end of the last kingdom (of the ten last kings), among whom the kingdom of those men will be partitioned and upon whom the son of perdition will come. Irenaeus (AD180) 1.553.

 

When he [the Antichrist] comes, he will reign over the earth for three years and six months. Irenaeus (AD180) 1.554.

 

Jeremiah does not merely point out the Antichrist's sudden coming, but he even indicates the tribe from which he will come, when he says, “We will hear the voice of his swift horses from Dan” [Jer. 8:16]. Irenaeus (AD180) 1.559.

 

Once this Antichrist has devastated everything in this world, he will reign for three years and six months, and sit in the temple at Jerusalem. And then the Lord will come from heaven in the clouds. Irenaeus (AD180) 1.560.

 

After the destruction of the Antichrist, there will be speedily transacted the great process of the resurrection. Tertullian (AD210) 3.565.

 

The deceiver seeks to liken himself in all things to the Son of God. ...Christ is a king, so the Antichrist is also a king. The Savior appeared as a lamb. So, he, too, in like manner, will appear as a lamb, though within he is a wolf. The Savior came into the world in the circumcision, and the Antichrist will come in the same manner. The Lord sent apostles among all the nations, and he in like manner will send false apostles. The Savior gathered together the sheep that were scattered abroad. And he, in like manner, will bring together a people who are scattered abroad. ...The Savior raised up and showed His holy flesh like a temple, and he will raise a temple of stone in Jerusalem. Hippolytus (AD200) 5.206.

 

He says, “Dan is a lion's whelp” [Deut. 33:22]. And in naming the tribe of Dan, he clearly declared the tribe from which the Antichrist is destined to spring. Just as Christ comes from the tribe of Judah, so the Antichrist is to come from the tribe of Dan. Hippolytus (AD200) 5.207.

 

By the beast, then, coming up out of the earth, he means the kingdom of the Antichrist. And by the two horns, he means him and the false prophet after him. ...He will act with vigor again and prove strong by reason of the laws established by him. And he will cause all those who will not worship the image of the beast to be put to death. ...Being full of guile and exalting himself against the servants of God, he desires to afflict them and persecute them out of the world, for they do not give glory to him. He will order censers to be set up by everyone, everywhere, so that none of the saints may be able to buy or sell without first sacrificing. For this is what is meant by the mark received upon the right hand. And the phrase, “on their forehead,” indicates that all are crowned and put on a crown of fire—of death, not of life. Hippolytus (AD200) 5.214.

 

Let us look also at his actions. He will call together all the people to himself, out of every country of the Dispersion, making them his own, as though they were his own children. He will promise to restore their country and re-establish their kingdom and nation, in order that he may be worshipped by them as God. Hippolytus (AD200) 5.215.

 

“After sixty-two weeks, the times will be fulfilled, and for one week he will make a covenant with many. And in the midst of the week, sacrifice and oblation will be removed.” ...For when the sixty-two weeks are fulfilled, and Christ has come, and the Gospel has been preached in every place, the times will then be accomplished. Then, there will remain only one week—the last—in which Elijah and Enoch will appear. And in the middle of it, the abomination of desolation will be manifested. This is the Antichrist, announcing desolation to the world. And when he comes, the sacrifice and oblation will be removed, which now are offered to God in every place by the nations. Hippolytus (AD205) 5.182.

 

The prophets set forth these things concerning the Antichrist, who will be shameless, a war-monger, and a despot. Exalting himself above all kings and above every god, he will build the city of Jerusalem and restore the sanctuary. Hippolytus (AD205) 5.184.

 

“For a time, times, and a half.” By this, he indicated the three and a half years of the Antichrist.  Hippolytus (AD205) 5.190.

 

Celsus [the pagan critic] rejects the statements concerning the Antichrist (as he is called). That is because he has not read what is said of him in the Book of Daniel, nor in the writings of Paul, nor what the Savior has predicted in the Gospels about his coming. ...Paul states the following: ...“so that he sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” This same fact is referred to in Daniel in the following manner: “And on the temple will be the abomination of desolations. And at the end of the time, and end will be put to the desolation” [Dan. 11:31].  Origen (AD248) 4.593, 594.

 

He himself will divide the globe into three ruling powers, when Nero will be raised up from Hades. Elijah will first come to seal the beloved ones. At these things, the region of Africa and the northern nation, the whole earth on all sides, will tremble for seven years. But Elijah will occupy the half of the time; and Nero will occupy the other half. Then the embers of the whore Babylon, being reduced to ashes, will advance to Jerusalem. And the Latin conqueror will then say, “I am Christ, whom you always pray to.” ...He does many wonders, since the false prophet is his. That they may believe him, his image will speak. The Almighty has given it power to appear as such. The Jews, recapitulating Scriptures from him, exclaim at the same time to the highest that they have been deceived. Commodianus (AD240) 4.211.

 

Even the Antichrist, when he begins to come, will not be allowed to enter into the Church just because he threatens. We will not yield to his arms and violence, even though he declares that he will destroy us if we resist. ...They [i.e., the schismatics] endeavor to imitate the coming of the Antichrist, who is now approaching. Cyprian (AD250), 5.346.

 

Beloved brethren, let none of you be so terrified by the fear of future persecution or the coming of the threatening Antichrist, so as not to be found armed for all things by the evangelical exhortations and precepts, as well as by the heavenly warnings. The Antichrist is coming. Yet, above him, comes Christ also. Cyprian (AD250) 5.349.

 

The Antichrist will come as a man. Isaiah says, “This is the man who arouses the earth, who disturbs kings, who makes the whole earth a desert” [Isa. 114:16]. Cyprian (AD250) 5.556.

 

“And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God.” He speaks of Elijah the prophet, who is the precursor of the times of the Antichrist—for the restoration and establishment of the churches from the great and intolerable persecution. Victorinus (AD280) 7.352.

 

They must be slain by the Antichrist. ...“And their dead bodies will lie in the streets of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt.” He calls Jerusalem “Sodom and Egypt,” for it will have become the heaping up of the persecuting people. Victorinus (AD280) 7.354, 355.

 

By this name [666], we understand the Antichrist. Although he is cut off from the divine light and deprived of it, he nevertheless transforms himself into an angel of light, daring to call himself light. Victorinus (AD280) 7.356.

 

But that king...will also be a prophet of lies. He will constitute and call himself God. And he will order himself to be worshipped as the Son of God. And power will be given him to do signs and wonders, the sight of which will entice men to worship him. ...Then he will attempt to destroy the temple of God and persecute the righteous people. And there will be distress and tribulation, such as there never has been from the beginning of the world. All those who believe him and unite themselves to him will be marked by him as sheep. But those who refuse his mark will either flee to the mountains, or, being seized, will be slain with deliberate tortures. ...Power will be given him to desolate the whole earth for forty-two months. ... When these things happen, then the righteous and the followers of truth will separate them­selves from the wicked and flee into solitary places. And when he hears of this, the unholy king, inflamed with anger, will come with a great army, and bringing up all his forces, will surround all the mountain in which the righteous are situated, so that he may seize them. But they...will call upon God with a loud voice. ...And God will hear them and send from heaven a great king to rescue and free them. And He will destroy all the wicked with fire and sword. ... Christ will descend with a company of angels to the middle of the earth. And an unquenchable fire will go before Him. And the power of the angels will deliver into the hands of the just that multitude that has surrounded the mountain. ...After all his forces have been destroyed, the wicked one will escape alone. His power will perish with him. Now, this is the one who is called the Antichrist. However, he will falsely call himself Christ and will fight against the truth. Lactantius (AD304-313) 7.2.

 

When Nero reigned, the apostle Peter came to Rome...and, by turning many to the true religion, he built up a faithful and steadfast temple unto the Lord. When Nero heard of those things, and observed that, not only in Rome, but in every other place, a great multitude turned daily from the worship of idols,...he sprang forward to decimate the heavenly temple and to destroy the true faith. For he was an abominable and evil tyrant. It was he who first persecuted the servants of God. He crucified Peter and slew Paul. Yet, he did not escape with impunity. For God looked on the affliction of His people. Therefore, this tyrant, bereaved of authority and thrown headlong from the height of empire, suddenly disappeared. Even the burial place of that noxious wild beast was nowhere to be seen. This has led some persons of extravagant imagination to suppose that—having been transported to a distant region—he is still reserved alive. To him, they apply the Sibylline verses concerning “the fugitive, who slew his own mother, who is to come from the uttermost boundaries of the earth.” They believe that he who was the first persecutor should also be the last persecutor. They also believe that he will prove to be the forerunner of the Antichrist. But we should not believe those persons...who imagine that Nero is to appear hereafter as the forerunner of the devil, when he will come to lay waste the earth and overthrow mankind. Lactantius (AD320) 7.302.

 

2.     DANIEL, BOOK OF

A.        Seventy weeks

B.        Explanation of other passages

 

A. Seventy weeks.

 

Finally, indeed, surely again He says, “Behold those who destroyed this temple, they themselves will rebuild it.” It is happening. For because of the war they waged, it was destroyed by the enemy; now even they, the servants of the enemies, will build it up again. Again, when the city and the temple and the people of Israel were about to be delivered, it was made known, for the Scripture says: “And it will happen during the last days, and the Lord will deliver the sheep of His pasture, and the sheepfold, and their tower to destruction.” And it took place according to what the Lord said. But let us inquire if the temple of God exists. It exists where He Himself says He made and prepared it. For it is written: “And it will happen when the week is completed. The temple of God shall be built in splendor upon the name of the Lord. Epistle of Barnabas (AD70-130) 16:3-6.

 

Christ became King of the Jews, reigning in Jerusalem in the fulfillment of the seven weeks. In the sixty and two weeks, all of Judea was quiet and without wars. ...In those “sixty and two weeks,” as the prophet said, and “in the one week,” He was Lord. The half of the week, Nero held sway. In the holy city Jerusalem, he placed the abomination. And in the half of the week he was taken away, followed by Otho, Galba, and Vitellius. And Vespasian rose to the supreme power and destroyed Jerusalem and desolated the holy place. Clement of Alexandria (AD195) 2.329.

 

Daniel says that “both the holy city and the holy place are exterminated together with the coming Leader, and that the pinnacle is destroyed unto ruin.” Therefore, we must inquire into the times of the coming of Christ, the Leader. We will trace those times in [the book of] Daniel. ...There­fore, we demonstrate that Christ came within the sixty-two and one-half weeks.  Tertullian (AD197) 3.158, 159.

 

By showing “the number of the years, and the time of the sixty-two and one-half completed weeks,” we have proved that Christ came. That is, He was born at the time predicted. Tertullian (AD197) 3.168. 

 

He says, “And for one week he will make a covenant with many, and it will be that in the midst of the week, my sacrifice and oblation will cease.” By “one week,” therefore, he meant the last week that is to be at the end of the whole world. In that week, the two prophets, Enoch and Elijah, will take up the half. For they will preach 1260 days clothed in sackcloth, proclaiming repentance to the people and to all the nations. Hippolytus (AD200) 5.213. 

 

“Unto Christ the Prince will be seven weeks,” which make forty-nine years. It was in the twenty-first year that Daniel saw these things in Babylon. Hence, the forty-nine years added to the twenty-one, make up the seventy years, of which the blessed Jeremiah spoke: “The sanctuary will be desolate seventy years.” ...Now, who is this Christ that he speaks of? Is it not Jesus [i.e., Joshua the high priest] the son of Josedech, who returned at that time along with the people and offered sacrifice according to the Law, in the seventieth year, when the sanctuary was built?  Hippolytus (AD205) 5.180.

 

He says, “And after seven weeks there are other sixty and two weeks.” This period embraces the space of 434 years. For, after the return of the people from Babylon under the leadership of Jesus the son of Josedech, Ezra the scribe, and Zerubbabel the Son of Shealtiel (of the line of David), there were 434 years until the coming of Christ. Hippolytus (AD205) 5.180.

“After sixty-two weeks, the times will be fulfilled, and for one week he will make a covenant with many. And in the midst of the week, sacrifice and oblation will be removed.” ...For when the sixty-two weeks are fulfilled, and Christ has come, and the Gospel is preached in every place, the times will then be accomplished. Then, there will remain only one week (the last), in which Elijah and Enoch will appear. And in the middle of it, the abomination of desolation will be manifested. This is the Antichrist, announcing desolation to the world. And when he comes, the sacrifice and oblation will be removed, which now are offered to God in every place by the nations. Hippolytus (AD205) 5.182.

 

B. Explanation of other passages.

 

And the prophet also says as follows “Ten kingdoms will reign upon the earth and there will rise up after them a little king who will subdue three of the kings under one.” Similarly, after the same one, Daniel says, “And I saw a fourth beast, wicked and powerful and more fierce than all the beasts of the sea, and that out of it sprang ten horns, and out of them a little horn offshoot and that it subdued three of the great horns under one. Epistle of Barnabas (AD70-130) 4:4-5.

 

He whom Daniel foretells would have dominion for a time, and times, and a half, is even already at the door. He is about to speak blasphemous and daring things against the Most High. Justin Martyr (AD160) 1.210.

 

[Daniel] said that there were two thousand three hundred days from the time that the abomination of Nero stood in the holy city, until its destruction. For thus the declaration, which is added, shows: “How long will be the vision, the sacrifice taken away, the abomination of desolation?” Clement of Alexandria (AD195) 2.334.

 

As these things, then, are in the future—and as the ten toes of the image are equivalent to democracies, and the ten horns of the fourth beast are distributed over ten kingdoms—let us look at the subject a little more closely. ...The golden head of the image and the lioness denoted the Babylonians. The shoulders and arms of silver, and the bear, represented the Medes and Persians. The belly and thighs of brass, and the leopard, signified the Greeks, who held the sovereignty from Alexander's time. The legs of iron, and the dreadful and terrible beast, represented the Romans, who presently hold the sovereignty. The toes of the feet that were part clay and part iron, and the ten horns, were emblems of the kingdoms that are yet to rise. The other little horn that grows up among them meant the Antichrist in their midst. The stone that smites the earth and brings judgment upon the world was Christ. Hippolytus (AD200) 5.209, 210.

 

War was again made by Ptolemy against Antiochus, and Antiochus met him. For the Scripture says, “And the king of the South will stand up against the king of the North, and her seed will stand up against him.” Hippolytus (AD205) 5.183.

 

So, Daniel has spoken of two abominations. The first is of destruction. The other is of desolation. What is the abomination of destruction, but that which Antiochus established there at the time? And what is the abomination of desolation, but that which will be universal when the Antichrist comes? Hippolytus (AD205) 5.184.

 

3.     ESCHATOLOGY

So, also will it be at the end time. There will be a flood of fire, and the earth will be burned up, together with its mountains. Mankind, too, will be burned up, along with the idols which they have made. ...But the just will be preserved from His anger. Melito (AD170) 8.755,756.

But why do we speak of Jerusalem? After all, the desires of the whole world must also pass away, when the time for its end has come. This must take place so that the fruit can be gathered into the granary, but the chaff, left behind, may be consumed by fire. Irenaeus (AD180) 1.466.

 

There is also another and a greater necessity for our offering prayer on behalf of the emperors. In fact, we should pray for the complete stability of the empire, and for Roman interests in general. That is because we know that a mighty cataclysm hangs over the whole earth. In fact, the very end of all things threatens dreadful woes. And this is only held back by the continued existence of the Roman Empire. We have no desire, then, to be overtaken by these dire events. In praying that their coming may be delayed, we are lending our aid to Rome's duration.  Tertullian (AD197) 3.42, 43.

 

But what a spectacle is that fast-approaching return of our Lord! For He will now be acknowl­edged by all; He will now be highly exalted; He will now be a triumphant One! What an exultation of the angelic hosts there will be! What a glorious rising of the saints! What a kingdom of the just there will be thereafter! How great will be the city of New Jerusalem! Yes, and there are other sights: that last Day of Judgment. Tertullian (AD197) 3.91.

 

The belief that everything was made from nothing will be impressed upon us by that ultimate dispensation of God which will bring back all things to nothing. For “the very heavens will be rolled together as a scroll.” In fact, they will come to nothing, along with the earth itself.  Tertullian (AD200) 3.496.

 

“The stars too will fall from heaven.” ...“The mountains will melt like wax.” ...Even “the sea will be no more.” Now, if any person were to go so far as to suppose that all these passages should be figuratively interpreted, he will still be unable to deprive them of the true fulfillment of those issues that must come to pass, just as they have been written. For figurative speech necessarily arises out of realities. Tertullian (AD200) 3.497.

 

As to the burning up of the world, it is a foolish error to deny that fire will fall upon it in an unforeseen way, or to deny that the world will be destroyed by fire. ...Who would question the fact that all things that have had a beginning will perish? All created things must come to an end. Mark Minucius Felix (AD200) 4.194.

 

After its thousand years are over (within which period is completed the resurrection of the saints, who rise sooner or later according to their deserts), there will follow the destruction of the world and the burning of all things at the judgment. We will then be instantly changed into the substance of angels, by being clothed with an incorruptible nature. And we will be removed to that kingdom in heaven. Tertullian (AD207) 3.343.

 

“Jerusalem was to be trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles would be fulfilled”—meaning, of course, those who were to be chosen of God and gathered in with the remnant of Israel. Tertullian (AD210) 3.560.

 

Jesus was questioned by His disciples concerning when those things were to come to pass that He had said about the destruction of the temple. So, He first spoke to them about the order of Jewish events until the overthrow of Jerusalem. Then, he spoke about the things that will concern all nations—up to the very end of the world. ...Therefore, although there is presently a sprouting in the acknowledgement of all this mystery, yet it is only in the actual presence of the Lord that the flower will be developed, and the fruit will be borne. ...Who has yet beheld Jesus descending from heaven in a manner similar to how the apostles saw Him ascend?. ...Up to the present moment, no one has smitten their breasts, tribe by tribe, looking on Him whom they pierced. No one has yet fallen in with Elijah. No one has yet escaped from the Antichrist. No one has yet had to bewail the downfall of Babylon. Tertullian (AD210) 3.561.

 

“For that day will not come, unless indeed there first comes a falling away.” He means indeed this present empire. ...What obstacle is there but the Roman state, the falling away of which, by being scattered into ten kingdoms, will usher in the Antichrist? Tertullian (AD210) 3.563.

 

After the casting of the devil into the bottomless pit for a while, the blessed prerogative of the first resurrection may be ordained from the thrones. And then again, after the consignment of him to the fire, the judgment of the final and universal resurrection may be determined out of the books. Tertullian (AD210) 3.563.

[Enoch and Elijah] are reserved for the suffering of death, that by their blood, they may extinguish the Antichrist. Tertullian (AD210) 3.227, 228.

 

There will be reclining at the feast in the kingdom of God. There will be sitting on Christ's thrones. There will be standing at last on His right hand and his left, and eating of the tree of life. Now, what are all these things but most certain proofs of a bodily appointment and destination? Tertullian (AD210) 3.571.

 

For when the sixty-two weeks are fulfilled, and Christ has come, and the Gospel has been preached in every place, the times will then be accomplished. There will remain only one week—the last—in which Elijah and Enoch will appear. And in the midst of it, the abomination of desolation will be manifested—the Antichrist, announcing desolation to the world. And when he comes, the sacrifice and oblation will be removed, which now “are offered to God in every place by the nations.” Hippolytus (AD205) 5.182.

 

When at length the Judge of judges and the King of kings comes from heaven, He will overturn the whole dominion and power of the Adversary. He will also consume all of them with the eternal fire of punishment. But to His servants, prophets, and martyrs, and to all those who fear Him, He will give an everlasting kingdom. Hippolytus (AD205) 5.190.

 

I have pointed out in the preceding pages those questions that must be set forth in clear, dogmatic propositions—as I think has been done to the best of my ability when speaking of the Trinity. But on the present occasion, my exercise is to be conducted as best I can—in the style of a disputa­tion rather than of strict definition. The end of the world, then, and the final consummation will take place when everyone will be subjected to punishment for his sins. This is a time that God alone knows, when He will bestow on each one what he deserves. Origen (AD225) 4.260.

 

Jacob is the first one who provides any information about the end of the world. ...Our Lord and Savior...says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My word will not pass away.” So He points out that the [heavens and earth] are perishable and must come to an end. Origen (AD225) 4.341.

 

He is taking sin away from every individual in the world until sin is taken away from the whole world. Then, the Savior delivers the prepared and completed kingdom to the Father—a kingdom in which no sin is left at all. That kingdom is, therefore, ready to accept the Father as its king.  Origen (AD228) 4.317.

 

However, it is likely that before the second and more divine coming of Christ, John or Elijah will come to bear witness about life. Origen (AD228) 10.345.

 

The world is so established by a bonded union that no force can dissolve it—except when He alone who made it commands it to be dissolved. He will do this for the purpose of bestowing other things (which are greater) upon us. Novatian (AD235) 5.612.

 

I will add something about the Day of Judgment, on account of the unbelievers. Again, the fire of the Lord sent forth will be appointed. ...Another newness of sky and of everlasting earth is arranged. Afterwards, those who deserve it are sent away to the second death; but the righteous are placed in inner dwelling places. Commodianus (AD240) 4.212.

 

This has pleased Christ, that the dead should rise again. Yes, they will rise with their bodies. And those, too, will rise again who have been burned with fire in this world. This will happen when six thousand years have been completed, and the world has come to an end. In the meantime, the heavens will be changed with an altered course, for then the wicked are burned up with divine fire. The creature burns with groaning in the anger of the Highest God. Those who are more worthy...live again in the world for a thousand years, according to God's command. However, this is so that they may serve the saints and the High One under a servile yoke. ...What is more, they will be judged again when the reign is finished. Those who treat God as of no account will perish by fire when the thousandth year is finished. ...All flesh in the monuments and tombs will be restored according to its deeds. They will be plunged into Gehenna. They bear their punishments in the world. Commodianus (AD240) 4.218.

 

The end of the world comes suddenly. Cyprian (AD250) 5.553.

 

When the three years and six months are completed in the preaching of Elijah, [Satan] will be cast down from heaven. For up until that time, he had had the power of ascending. And all the apostate angels, as well as the Antichrist, must be roused up from Hades. ...“And I saw a beast rising up from the sea, like a leopard.” This signifies the kingdom of that time of the Antichrist and the people mingled with the variety of nations. Victorinus (AD280) 7.356.

 

It is not satisfactory to say that the universe will be utterly destroyed and that the sea, earth, and sky will no longer exist. For the whole world will be deluged with fire from heaven and burned for the purpose of purification and renewal. However, it will not come to complete ruin and corruption. ...God did not work in vain. Methodius (AD290) 6.365.

 

He says the creation was made subject to vanity, but he looks for it to be set free from such servitude. ...For in reality, God did not establish the universe in vain or only for it to be destroyed, as those weak-minded men say. Rather, He made it to exist, to be inhabited, and to continue. For that reason, the earth and the heaven must exist again after the burning and shaking of all things. Methodius (AD290) 6.366.

 

There is no contradiction nor absurdity in Holy Scripture. For it is not “the world” that passes away, but the “fashion of this world.” ...So we can look for creation to pass away, as if it were to perish in the burning, in order for it to be renewed. In that manner, we who are renewed may dwell in a renewed world without taste of sorrow. However, it will not be destroyed. ...Now, since the earth is to exist after the present age, there must also be inhabitants for it. These persons will no longer be subject to death. They will not marry, nor beget children. Rather, they will live in all happiness without change or decay, like the angels. Methodius (AD290) 6.366.

 

This unrighteous age, having run the course of its appointed times, should come to an end. Lactantius (AD304-313) 7.196.

At that time [during the days of Moses], the people of God were one. And so only one nation, Egypt, was struck. However, now the people of God are collected out of all languages and dwell among all nations. And they are oppressed by those who rule over them. Therefore, it must come to pass that all nations (that is, the whole world) will be beaten with heavenly stripes. As a result, the righteous people, who are worshippers of God, will be set free. Back then, signs were given to announce the coming destruction to the Egyptians. Likewise, at the last day, wonderful phenomena will take place throughout all the parts of the world, by which the impending destruction will be understood by all nations. Therefore, as the end of this world approaches, the condition of human affairs will undergo a change. Through the prevalence of wickedness, things will become worse. As a result, these times of ours—in which iniquity and impiety have increased even to the highest degree—will then be considered as having been happy. They will seem as almost golden times in comparison to that incurable evil. For righteousness will greatly decrease, and impiety, avarice, desire, and lust will greatly increase. ...At that time, there will be no faith among men, nor peace, kindness, shame, or truth. As a result, there will be no security, no government, nor any rest from evils. The entire earth will be in a state of tumult. Wars will rage everywhere. All nations will be in arms and will oppose one another. ...Egypt will pay the penalties for her foolish superstitions and will be covered with blood as if with a river. ...The cause of this desolation and confusion will be this: the Roman name, by which the world is now ruled, will be taken away from the earth, and the government will return to Asia. And the East will again bear rule. The West will be reduced to servitude. Lactantius (AD304-313) 7.212.

 

At that time, civil discords will perpetually be sown. There will be no rest from deadly wars, until ten kings arise at the same time. These kings will divide the world—not to govern it, but to consume it. ...Then a most powerful enemy will suddenly arise against them from the extreme boundaries of the northern region. Having destroyed three of that number who will then possess Asia, he will be admitted into an alliance by the others. And he will be made the ruler of all. He will harass the world with an intolerable rule. He will mingle divine things with human things. ...He will change the laws and appoint his own. He will contaminate, plunder, spoil, and put to death. Then, in truth, a detestable and abominable time will come, in which life will be pleasant to no men. Cities will be utterly overthrown and will perish. ...The atmosphere will be tainted and become corrupt and pestilential. At one time, there will be unseasonable rains. At another, there will be barren drought. At times, it will be cold; then excessively hot. The earth will not give its fruit to man. No field, tree, or vine will produce anything. ...Fountains will also be dried up, together with the rivers. ...On account of these things, beasts will fail on the land, birds in the air, and fishes in the sea. Awe-inspiring signs in heaven will confound the minds of men with the greatest terrors: the trails of comets, the darkness of the sun, the color of the moon, and the sweep of the falling stars….Stars will fall in great numbers, so that all the heavens will appear dark without any lights. The loftiest mountains will also fall and be levelled with the plains. The sea will be rendered unnavigable. And that nothing may be lacking to evils of men and the earth, the trumpet will be heard from heaven. ...And then everyone will tremble and quake at that mournful sound. ...Then they will call upon God, but He will not hear them. Death will be desired, but it will not come. ...For the human race will be so consumed, that scarcely the tenth part of mankind will be left. ...Two-thirds of the worshippers of God will perish as well. But the third part, which will have been proved faithful, will remain. Lactantius (AD304-313) 7.214.

 

When the end of the times draw near, a great prophet will be sent from God to turn men to the knowledge of God. And he will receive the power of doing miraculous things. Wherever men will not hear him, he will close heaven and cause it to withhold its rains. He will turn their water into blood. ...When his works have been accomplished, another king will arise out of Syria, born from an evil spirit. ...He will fight against the prophet of God and will overcome and slay him. And he will allow him to lie unburied. But after the third day, the prophet will come to life again. And, while all look on and wonder, he will be caught up to heaven. Lactantius (AD304-313) 7.214.

 

After these things, the lower regions will be opened and the dead will rise again. The same King and God will pass judgment on the dead. ... However, not all men will be judged by God at that time. Rather, only those who have practiced the religion of God. Sentence cannot be passed to acquit those who have not known God. They are already judged and condemned. For the Holy Scriptures testify that the wicked will not rise to condemnation [Ps. 1:5]. Therefore, only those who have known God will be judged. And their deeds, that is, their evil works, will be compared and weighed against their good ones. ...But when He will have judged the righteous, He will also test them with fire. Those persons whose sins will exceed [their good works] either in weight or in number will be scorched by the fire and burned. However, those who are filled with complete justice and maturity will not feel this fire. For they have something of God in them that repels and rejects the violence of the flame. Lactantius (AD304-313) 7.216, 217.

 

When the thousand years of the kingdom have ended—that is, seven thousand years [from the creation of the world]—Satan will be loosed again. Being sent forth from prison, he will go forth and assemble all the nations, which will then be under the dominion of the righteous. ...Then the last anger of God will come upon the nations and will utterly destroy them. ...The whole race of the wicked will utterly perish. There will no longer be any nation in this world except the nation of God. ...

Thereafter, there will be no war—only peace and everlasting rest. But when the thousand years are completed, the world will be renewed by God and the heavens will be folded together. The earth will be changed and God will transform men into the likeness of angels. ...At the same time, the second and general resurrection of all mankind will take place. In this, the unrighteous will be raised to everlasting punishments. Lactantius (AD304-313) 7.221

 

4.     GREAT TRIBULATION

 

…let us fear Him and let us leave behind abominable lusts of evil deeds, that we may be protected by His mercy from the coming judgments. 1^st Clement (AD 81-96) 28:1.

 

He means that day of judgement, when they will see those who act impiously among us and who distort the commandments of Jesus Christ. Bu the righteous who have done what is right and who have endured torments…they shall give glory to their God… 2nd Clement (AD100-140) 17:6-7.

 

Be on alert for your life, do not let your lamps be extinguished and do not be unprepared. But be ready, for you do not know the hour in which our Lord comes. For in the final days, false prophets and corrupters shall be multiplied, and the sheep will be turned into wolves and love will be turned into hate. For as lawlessness increases, they will hate and they will persecute and they will betray one another. And then the deceiver of the world [the Antichrist] shall appear and he will perform signs and wonders, and the earth will be handed over into his hands and he will do incessantly vile things which have never happened before since time began. Then the creation of mankind shall come to the burning ordeal of testing. And many will be led astray and will be destroyed, but the ones enduring in their faith will be saved by the one who is cursed [Christ] Himself. And then the signs of the truth shall appear: first the sign of an opening in heaven; then, a sign of the sound of a trumpet; and the third sign, the resurrection of the dead. Now, not all of the dead but as was said, the Lord shall come and all the holy ones with Him. Then the world will see the Lord coming upon the clouds of heaven. Didache (AD80-140) 16:1, 3-8.

 

Blessed are you, as many who endure the great tribulation, which is coming, and as many who will not deny their life. Shepherd of Hermas (AD90-150) 6:7-8.

 

This beast is a type of the great tribulation that is coming. If then you prepare yourselves, repent with all your heart, and turn to the Lord, it will be possible for you to escape it. Shepherd of Hermas (AD150) 23.5.

 

“There will be tribulation such as has not been since the beginning, neither will be.” For this is the last contest of the righteous, in which they are crowned with incorruption—when they overcome. Irenaeus (AD180) 1.558.

 

When we read, “Go, my people, enter into your closets for a little season, until my anger passes away,” we understand the closets to be graves, in which will rest for a little while those who (at the end of the world) have departed this life in the last furious onset of the power of the Antichrist. Tertullian (AD210) 3.565. 

 

“The woman was given two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly into the wilderness, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.” That refers to the one thousand two hundred and sixty days during which the tyrant is to reign and persecute the Church, which flees from city to city, and seeks concealment in the wilderness among the mountains. For she possesses no other defense than the two wings of the great eagle, that is to say, the faith of Jesus Christ. Hippolytus (AD200) 5.217.

 

When the times are fulfilled, and the ten horns spring from the beast in the last days, then the Antichrist will appear among them. When he makes war against the saints and persecutes them, then we can expect the manifestation of the Lord from heaven. Hippolytus (AD205) 5.179. 

 

At that time, there will be great trouble, such as has not been from the beginning of the world. For men will be sent through every city and country to destroy the faithful—some in one direction, and others in another. And the saints will travel from the west to the east and will be driven in persecution from the east to the south. But other saints will conceal themselves in the mountains and caves. And the abomination will war against them everywhere. By his decree, he will cut the saints off by sea and by land. By all available means, he will attempt to destroy them out of the world. And no one will be able any longer to sell his own property or to buy from strangers—unless he keeps and carries with him the name of the beast, or bears its mark upon his forehead. Hippolytus (AD205) 5.190. 

 

Those persons will also come who overcame cruel martyrdom under the Antichrist. And they themselves live for the whole time and receive blessings because they have suffered evil things.  Commodianus (AD240) 4.212.

5.     LAST DAYS

 

And I began to ask her about the times, if it was already the end. But she shouted with a loud voice, saying, “Foolish man! Do you not see the tower still being built? Therefore, whenever the building of the tower is completed, the end comes, but it will be built up quickly. Shepherd of Hermas (AD90-150) 16.9.

 

The final stumbling block is at hand, about which it was written as Enoch says, “For this reason, because the Master has cut short the times and the days, so that His beloved might make haste and come to His inheritance.” And the prophet also says as follows “Ten kingdoms will reign upon the earth and there will rise up after them a little king who will subdue three of the kings under one.” Similarly, after the same one, Daniel says, “And I saw a fourth beast, wicked and powerful and more fierce than all the beasts of the sea, and that out of it sprang ten horns, and out of them a little horn offshoot and that it subdued three of the great horns under one…let us be on alert in the last days, for the whole time of our faith will benefit us nothing unless now, in the lawless time and the coming stumbling blocks, we resist as is fitting for the sons of God, that the Black One may not have an opportunity to sneak in. Epistle of Barnabas (AD70-130) 4:3-5, 9.

 

Pay attention, children to what is meant by “He finished in six days.” It means this: that in six thousand years, the Lord will finish everything. For a day with Him signifies a thousand years. And He Himself testifies to me say, saying, “Behold, the day of the Lord shall be as a thousand years.” So then, children, in six days (in six thousand years) the whole shall be completed. “And He rested on the seventh day.” This means upon coming His Son will abolish the time of the lawless one [the Antichrist] and will judge the ungodly and will change the sun and the moon and the stars. Then He will truly rest on the seventh day. Epistle of Barnabas (AD70-130) 15:4-5.

 

These are the last times…For either let us fear the coming wrath or let us love the present grace... Ignatius to Ephesians (AD105) 11:1.

 

When the tower is finished and built, then comes the end.  And I assure you it will be finished soon. Shepherd of Hermas (AD150) 2.16.

 

The advent of the Son of God took place in these last times—that is, in the end, rather than in the beginning. Irenaeus (AD180) 1.331.

 

But now, since the last times are [upon us], evil is spread abroad among men. Irenaeus (AD180) 1.462. 

 

In as many days as this world was made, in so many thousand years will it be concluded. ...For the day of the Lord is as a thousand years; and in six days created things were completed. It is evident, therefore, that they will come to an end at the sixth thousand years. Irenaeus (AD180) 1.557.

 

Two comings of Christ have been revealed to us: ...a second coming, which impends over the world, now near its close. In it, all the majesty of Deity will be unveiled. Tertullian (AD197) 3.35.

 

We are those “upon whom the ends of the ages have met, having ended their course.”  Tertullian (AD198) 4.23.

As the conquering power of things, evil is on the increase—which is the evidence of the last times. Tertullian (AD212) 4.74. 

 

...turning to the religion that in the last days has shone forth through Jesus Christ. Origen (AD248) 4.558. 

 

These things have been foretold as about to happen at the end of the world. And it was predicted by the voice of the Lord and by the testimony of the apostles that now that the world is failing, and the Antichrist is drawing near, all good things will fail. However, evil and adverse things will prosper. Yet, in the last days, evangelistic vigor has not failed in the Church of God.  Cyprian (AD250) 5.371.

 

Wars continue frequently to prevail; death and famine accumulate anxiety; health is shattered by raging diseases; and the human race is wasted by the desolation of pestilence. Know that all this was foretold. For evils are to be multiplied in the last times. Cyprian (AD250) 5.459.

 

Since now the end of the world is at hand, turn your minds to God, in the fear of God. Cyprian (AD250) 5.464.

 

Beloved brethren, the kingdom of God is nearly at hand! The reward of life, the rejoicing of eternal salvation, and the perpetual gladness and possession of Paradise that were lately lost—are all now coming with the passing away of the world. Already heavenly things are taking the place of earthly. Cyprian (AD250) 5.469. 

 

What a grandeur of spirit it is to struggle with all the powers of an unshaken mind against so many onslaughts of devastation and death! What sublimity, to stand erect amid the desolation of the human race and not to lie prostrate with those who have no hope in God—but, rather, to rejoice. Cyprian (AD250) 5.472.

 

The world is collapsing and is oppressed with the storms of mischievous ills. This is so that we who see that terrible things have begun—and know that still more terrible things are immi­nent—may regard it as the greatest advantage to depart from it as quickly as possible. Cyprian (AD250) 5.475.

 

The ending and completion of the world, the hateful time of the Antichrist, is already beginning to draw near. Cyprian (AD250) 5.496. 

 

It was necessary that, as the end of the world approached, the Son of God would descend to the earth. Lactantius (AD304-313) 7.108.

 

The voices also of the prophets of the world, agreeing with the heavenly, announce the end and overthrow of all things after a brief time. They describe the last old age of the wearied and wasting world, so to speak. Lactantius (AD304-313) 7.212. 

 

I have already shown above that when six thousand years are completed, this change must take place. So the last day of the extreme conclusion is now drawing near. ...All expectation does not exceed the limit of two hundred years [before the completion of this six thousand years]. The subject itself declares that the fall and ruin of the world will shortly take place. However, while the city of Rome remains, it appears that nothing of this kind is to be feared. But when the capital of the world will have fallen, ...who can doubt that the end has now arrived to the affairs of men and the whole world? It is that city, and only that city, that still sustains all things.  Lactantius (AD304-313) 7.220.

 

6.     MARK OF THE BEAST

 

In both the Greek and Roman system of letters and numbers, there were no special characters (such as 1, 2, or 3) for numbers. Rather, letters of the alphabet served also as numbers. For example, in the Roman system, “I” represented a character of the alphabet; yet, it also represented the number “one.” Similarly, “V” was both a letter of the alphabet and also the number “five.” Accordingly, every person's name had a numerical equivalent. It was in this sense, then, that the early Christians understood the passage of Revelation that speaks of the “number of [the beast's] name.” Let no one imagine that the Antichrist performs these wonders by divine power. Rather, he does it by the working of magic. And we must not be surprised that he performs wonders through demonic means. For the demons and apostate spirits are at his service. By these wonders, he leads the inhabitants of the earth astray. And the number is six hundred and sixty-six. That is, six times a hundred, six times ten, and six units. This represents a summing up of the whole of that apostasy that has taken place during six thousand years.  Irenaeus (AD180) 1.557.

 

Fittingly, therefore, will his name possess the number six hundred and sixty-six. For he sums up in his own person all the mixture of wickedness that took place previous to the deluge, due to the apostasy of the angels. For Noah was six hundred years old when the deluge came upon the earth. ...Thus, then, the six hundred years of Noah...prefigure the number of the name of that man in whom is concentrated the whole apostasy of six thousand years. Irenaeus (AD180) 1.558.

 

This number is found in all the most approved and ancient copies [of Revelation]. Furthermore, those men who saw John face to face give their testimony to it. Reason also leads us to conclude that the number of the name of the beast, according to the Greek mode of calculation by the letters contained in it, will amount to six hundred and sixty and six. Irenaeus (AD180) 1.558. 

 

If there are many names found possessing this number [666], it will be asked which of them will the coming man bear. I do not say this because of a lack of names that contain the number of that name. Rather, I say it out of fear of God and zeal for the truth. For the name “Evanthas” contains the required number, but I make no allegation regarding it. Then also “Lateinos” has the number. ...“Teitan,” too,...is rather worthy of credit. For it has in itself the predicted number. ...However, I will not incur the risk of dogmatically announcing the name of the Antichrist. For if it were necessary that his name should be distinctly revealed in this present time, it would have been announced by him who beheld the apocalyptic vision. Irenaeus (AD180) 1.559. 

 

[The Antichrist] will order censers to be set up by everyone, everywhere, so that no one among the saints may be able to buy or sell without first sacrificing. For this is what is meant by the mark received upon the right hand. And the phrase, “on their forehead,” indicates that all are crowned. That is, they put on a crown of fire. This is a crown of death, not of life. Hippolytus (AD200) 5.214.

 

With respect to his name, it is not in our power to explain it exactly—not as the blessed John understood it and was instructed about it. Rather, we can only conjecture about it. For when [the Antichrist] appears, the blessed one will show us what we seek to know. Yet, as far as our doubtful apprehension of the matter goes, we may speak. Indeed, we find many names for which the letters equate to this number. For example, there is the name Teitan, an ancient and notable name. Or Evanthas, for it too makes up the same number. And many others can be found. ...It is evident to everyone that those who at present time hold power are the Lateinos. If, then, we take the name as the name of a single man, it becomes “Latinus.” However, we should neither give it out as if this were certainly his name, nor again should we ignore the fact that he may not be otherwise designated. But having the mystery of God in our heart, we should in fear keep faithfully what has been told us by the blessed prophets. That way, when those things come to pass, we may be prepared for them and not deceived. Hippolytus (AD200) 5.215. 

 

As they have it figured from the Greek characters, they thus find it among many to be Teitan. For Teitan has this number, which the Gentiles call Sol and Phoebus. And it is figured in Greek in this manner: t, three hundred, e, five; i, ten; t, three hundred; a, one; n, fifty. When these are totaled together, they add up to six hundred and sixty-six. To the extent it belongs to the Greek letters, they fill up this number and name. If you wish to turn this name into Latin, it is understood by the word “Diclux.” These letters are figured in this manner: D, five hundred; I, one; C, one hundred; L, fifty; V, five; and X, ten. By counting up these letters, it likewise totals six hundred and sixty-six. Victorinus (AD280) 7.356.

 

7.     MILLENNIUM (1000 YEAR) 

 

The days will come in which vines having ten thousand branches will grow. In each branch, there will be ten thousand twigs, and in each shoot there will be ten thousand clusters. Each cluster will have ten thousand grapes, and every grape will give twenty-five metretes of wine, when pressed. ...In like manner, a grain of wheat will produce ten thousand ears.  Papias (AD120) 1.153, 154. (cited by Irenaeus).

 

Among these things, Papias says, “There will be a millennium after the resurrection from the dead, when the personal reign of Christ will be established on this earth.”  Papias (AD120) 1.154. (cited by Eusebius).

I and others who are right-minded Christians on all points are assured that there will be a resurrection of the dead, and a thousand years in Jerusalem, which will then be built. ...For Isaiah spoke in that manner concerning this period of a thousand years.  Justin Martyr (AD160) 1.239.

 

There was a certain man with us, whose name was John, one of the apostles of Christ, who prophesied by a revelation that was made to him, that those who believed in our Christ would dwell a thousand years in Jerusalem. Justin Martyr (AD160) 1.240.

 

Therefore, when man will have again made his way back to his natural condition and no longer does evil, the [animals] will also be restored to their original gentleness. Theophilus (AD180) 2.101.

 

It is fitting for the righteous to be the first to receive the promise of the inheritance that God promised to the fathers. It is fitting for them to reign in it, when they rise again to behold God in this creation that will have been renovated. It is fitting that the judgment should take place afterwards. For it is in that very same creation in which they toiled or were afflicted (being tested in every way by suffering) they will receive the reward of their suffering. ...It is fitting, therefore, that the creation itself, being restored to its pristine condition, should be under the dominion of the righteous without restraint. Irenaeus (AD180) 1.561.

 

The promise of God that He gave to Abraham remains steadfast. ...God promised him the inheritance of the land. Yet, Abraham did not receive it during all the time of his journey there. Accordingly, it must be that Abraham, together with his seed (that is, those who fear God and believe in Him), will receive it at the resurrection of the just. Irenaeus (AD180) 1.561.

 

Now God made promise of the earth to Abraham and his seed. Yet neither Abraham nor his seed (that is, those who are justified by faith) presently receive any inheritance in it. Therefore, they will receive it at the resurrection of the just. For God is true and faithful. For this reason, He said, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Irenaeus (AD180) 1.562. 

 

“I will not drink henceforth of the fruit of this vine, until that day when I will drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.” Therefore, Christ will Himself renew the inheritance of the earth. ...For He cannot by any means be understood as drinking of the fruit of the vine when settled down with his [disciples] above in a heavenly place. Irenaeus (AD180) 1.562.

 

What are the hundredfold [rewards] in this world? ...These are in the times of the kingdom. That is, they are upon the seventh day, which has been sanctified, in which God rested from the works which He created, which is the true Sabbath of the righteous. Irenaeus (AD180) 1.562.

 

The predicted blessing, therefore, belongs unquestionably to the times of the kingdom, when the righteous will bear rule, after their rising from the dead. It is also the time when the creation will bear fruit with an abundance of all kinds of food, having been renovated and set free. ...And all of the animals will feed on the vegetation of the earth. They will become peaceful and harmoni­ous among each other, and they will be in perfect subjection to man. And these things are borne witness to in the fourth book of the writings of Papias, the hearer of John, and a companion of Polycarp. Irenaeus (AD180) 1.562, 563.

 

Isaiah says, “The wolf also will feed with the lamb, and the leopard will take his rest with the kid.” ...I am quite aware that some persons attempt to apply these words to the situation of savage men, both of different nations and various habits, who come to believe. For, when they have believed, they act in harmony with the righteous. And this is presently [true] with regard to some men coming from various nations to the harmony of the faith. Nevertheless, in the resurrection of the just, [it applies] to those animals mentioned. And it is right that when the creation is restored, all the animals should obey and be subject to man and revert to the food originally given by God. Irenaeus (AD180) 1.563.

 

In the times of the kingdom, the earth will be called again by Christ. And Jerusalem will be rebuilt after the pattern of the Jerusalem above. Irenaeus (AD180) 1.565.

 

On the other hand, there is to be an end of evil when the chief of evil, the devil, will “go away into the fire that God has prepared for him and his angels,” having first been cast into the bottomless pit. Likewise, at that time, the manifestation of the children of God will have delivered the animals from evil. For they had been “made subject to vanity.” At that time, the cattle will be restored in the innocence and integrity of their nature and will be at peace with beasts of the field. At that time, also, little children will play with serpents. Tertullian (AD200) 3.483. 

 

We do confess that a kingdom is promised to us upon the earth, although before heaven. Only, it will be in another state of existence. For it will be after the resurrection for a thousand years in the divinely-built city of Jerusalem “let down from heaven.” Tertullian (AD207) 3.342.

 

Cerinthus [a heretic], through written revelations by a “great apostle” (as he would have us to believe), brings before us marvelous things—which he pretends were shown to him by angels. He alleges that after the resurrection, the kingdom of Christ is to be on earth and that the flesh dwelling in Jerusalem will again be subject to desires and pleasures.  Eusebius, quoting Caius (AD215) 5.601.

 

Certain persons, ...adopting a superficial view of the letter of the law, ...are of the opinion that the fulfillment of the promises of the future are to be looked for in bodily pleasure and luxury. Therefore, they especially desire after the resurrection to have again bodies that will always have the power of eating, drinking, and performing all the functions of flesh and blood. ...Conse­quently, they say that after the resurrection, there will be marriages and the begetting of children. They imagine to themselves that the earthly city of Jerusalem is to be rebuilt, its foundations being laid in precious stones. ...Moreover, they think that the natives of other countries are to be given them as the servants of their pleasures. ...They think that they are to receive the wealth of the nations to live on. These views they think to establish on the authority of the prophets, by those promises that are written regarding Jerusalem. ...And from the New Testament, too, they quote the saying of the Savior...“Henceforth, I will not drink of this cup, until I drink it with you new in My Father's kingdom.” ... [The millennialists] desire the fulfillment of all things looked for in the promises, all according to the manner of things in this life and in all similar matters. ...However, those who receive the interpretations of Scripture according to the understanding of the apostles, entertain the hope that the saints will indeed eat—but that it will be the bread of life that can nourish the soul with the food of truth and wisdom. Origen (AD225) 4.297.

 

The Amen sends flames on the nations. And the Medes and Persians burn for 1000 years, as the apocalyptic words of John declare. After 1000 years, they will be delivered over to Gehenna. And he whose work they were is burned up with them. Commodianus (AD240) 4.211.

 

The city will descend from heaven in the first resurrection. ...We who have been devoted to Him will arise again to Him. And they will be incorruptible, even already living without death. Neither will there be any grief nor any groaning in that city. They will also come who overcame cruel martyrdom under the Antichrist. And they themselves will live for the whole time and receive blessings because they have suffered evil things. And they themselves will marry, begetting for a thousand years. All the bounty of the earth will be prepared, because the earth will pour forth abundantly without end, being renewed. No rain and no cold will come into the golden camp.  Commodianus (AD240) 4.212.

 

They produce a certain composition written by Nepos. On this basis, as if it were incontestably proven, they insist very strongly that there will be a reign of Christ upon the earth. ...They attempt to lead [our simpler brethren] to hope for things that are trivial and corruptible—that is, only those things that we might presently find in the kingdom of God.  Dionysius of Alexandria (AD262) 6.81.

 

The true Sabbath will be in the seventh millennium of years, when Christ will reign with His elect.  Victorinus (AD280) 7.342.

 

Those years during which Satan is bound are during the first coming of Christ—even to the end of the age. They are called a thousand years, in accord with that manner of speaking whereby a part is signified by the whole. ...“And he cast him into the abyss.” This is said because the devil began to take possession of the wicked, having been excluded from the hearts of believers.  Victorinus (AD280) 7.358.

 

I will put forth what my capacity enables me to judge [concerning the thousand-year reign]. The tenfold number signifies the Decalogue. And the hundredfold means the crown of virginity. For the person who will have kept the undertaking of virginity completely and will have faithfully fulfilled the commandments of the Decalogue...he is the true priest of Christ, and he accom­plishes the thousand-year number completely. Therefore, he is said to reign with Christ. And truly, in his case, the devil is bound. ...But in that it says that when the thousand years are finished, [Satan] is loosed, so the number of the perfect saints being completed...many will be overthrown, seduced by the love of earthly things. Victorinus (AD280) 7.359.

 

They are not to be heard who assure themselves that there is to be an earthly reign of a thousand years. They think like the heretic Cerinthus. For the kingdom of Christ is already eternal in the saints—even though the glory of the saints will be manifested after the resurrection. Victorinus (AD280) 7.360.

 

Back then a mortal and imperfect man was formed from the earth, so that he might live a thousand years in this world. So, now, from this earthly age is formed a perfect man. And, being quickened by God, he will bear rule in this same world through a thousand years. Lactantius (AD304-313) 7.212.

 

The dead will rise again...to reign with God for a thousand years. Lactantius (AD304-313) 7.218.

 

When He will have destroyed unrighteousness and executed His great judgment, ...He will be occupied among men for a thousand years. And He will rule them with a most just command. ...Then, those who are alive in their bodies will not die. Rather, during these thousand years, they will produce an infinite multitude. Their offspring will be holy and beloved by God. However, those who are raised from the dead will preside over the living as judges. The nations will not be entirely extinguished. For some will be left as a victory for God. ...They will be subjected to perpetual slavery. During that time, the ruler of the devils, who is the contriver of all evils, will be bound with chains. He will be imprisoned during the thousand years of this heavenly rule, in which righteousness will reign in the world....After [Christ's] coming, the righteous will be collected from all the earth. When the judgment has been completed, the sacred city will be planted in the middle of the earth, in which God Himself, the Builder, may dwell together with the righteous. ...The sun will become seven times brighter than it is now. And the earth will open its fruitfulness and bring forth most abundant fruits of its own accord. ...The world itself will rejoice, and all nature will exult. For they will be rescued and set free from the dominion of evil, impiety, guilt, and error. Throughout this time, beasts will not be nourished by blood, nor will birds prey. Rather, all things will be peaceful and tranquil. Lions and calves will stand together at the hay trough. Lactantius (AD304-313) 7.219.

 

8.     RAPTURE

 

When in the end the Church will suddenly be caught up from this, it is said, “There will be tribulation such as has not been since the beginning, nor will be.” For this is the last contest of the righteous. When they overcome in this contest, they are crowned with incorruption.  Irenaeus (AD180) 1.558.

 

I will then see whether it will be women thus decked out [in cosmetics] whom the angels carry up to meet Christ in the air! If these things are now good, and of God, they will then also present themselves to the rising bodies. Tertullian (AD198) 4.22. 

 

In the crisis of the last moment, and from their instantaneous death while encountering the oppression of the Antichrist, these persons will also undergo a change. They obtain thereby, not so much a divestiture of the body, as a clothing superimposed upon it with the garment that is from heaven. These persons will put on this heavenly garment over their bodies. Meanwhile, the dead, for their part, will also recover their bodies. Over their bodies, they too have a garment to put on—the incorruption of heaven. ...The one group puts on this apparel when they recover their bodies. The others put it on as overcoats, for indeed they hardly lose their bodies. Tertullian (AD207) 3.455. 

 

He says that those who remain unto the coming of Christ, along with the dead in Christ, shall rise first, being “caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” ...By the mouth of Isaiah, it was said long ago: “Who are these that fly as clouds unto me, as doves with their young ones?”  Tertullian (AD207) 3.462.

 

How, indeed, will the soul mount up to heaven,...when as yet those whom the coming of the Lord is to find on the earth have not yet been caught up into the air to meet Him at His coming? For they will be in company with the dead in Christ, who will be the first to rise. Tertullian (AD210) 3.231.

 

Before we put off the garment of the flesh, we wish to be clothed with the celestial glory of immortality. Now, the privilege of this favor awaits those who are found in the flesh at the coming of the Lord. These—owing to the oppression of the times of the Antichrist—deserve by an instantaneous death (which is accomplished by a sudden change) to become qualified to join the rising saints. Paul writes of this to the Thessalonians.  Tertullian (AD210), 3.575.

For who is there that will not desire, while he is in the flesh, to put on immortality and to continue his life by a happy escape from death through the transformation that must be experienced instead of [death]—without encountering too that Hades that will exact the very last farthing? Tertullian (AD210) 3.575.

9.     REVELATION, BOOK OF

A.    Authorship and General References

B.    Interpretation of Specific Passages

 

A.    Authorship and general references.

 

There was a certain man with us, whose name was John, one of the apostles of Christ, who prophesied by a revelation that was made to him. He prophesied that those who believed in our Christ would dwell a thousand years in Jerusalem.  Justin Martyr (AD160) 1.240.

 

When John could not endure the sight (for he says, “I fell at his feet as dead”),...the Word revived him. Christ reminded him that it was He upon whose bosom he had leaned at supper.  Irenaeus (AD180) 1.491.

 

...those which John, the disciple of the Lord, saw in the Apocalypse.  Irenaeus (AD180) 1.504.

 

In a still clearer light has John, in the Apocalypse, indicated to the Lord's disciples what will happen in the last times, and concerning the ten kings who will then arise.  Irenaeus (AD180) 1.554.

 

This number is found in all the most approved and ancient copies [of Revelation]. And those men who saw John face to face bear their testimony.  Irenaeus (AD180) 1.558.

 

And although here upon earth a spiritual man is not honored with the chief seat, he will sit down on the twenty-four thrones, judging the people, as John says in the Apocalypse.  Clement of Alexandria (AD195) 2.504.

 

If you doubt, unravel the meaning of what the Spirit says to the churches. He charges the Ephesians with having forsaken their love. He reproaches the Thyatirenes for fornication and for eating things sacrificed to idols.  Tertullian (AD203) 3.663.

 

We have also John's foster churches. For although Marcion rejects his Apocalypse, the order of the bishops (when traced up to their origin) will yet rest on John as their author.  Tertullian (AD207) 3.350.

 

In the Revelation of John, again, the order of these times is spread out to view.  Tertullian (AD210) 3.563.

 

John sees, when on the Isle of Patmos, a revelation of awe-inspiring mysteries, which he freely recounts and makes known to others. Tell me, blessed John—apostle and disciple of the Lord—what did you see and hear concerning Babylon?  Hippolytus (AD200) 5.211.

 

Some persons before our time have set this book aside and entirely rejected it. They have criticized it chapter by chapter, trying to demonstrate that it is without either sense or reason. They have also alleged that its title is false. For they deny that John is the author. ...They claim that none of the apostles, nor indeed any of the saints, nor any person belonging to the Church, could be its author. Rather, they say that Cerinthus and the heretical sect founded by him...attached that title to the book. ...However, I, for my part, could not venture to set this book aside. For there are many brethren who value it highly.  Dionysius of Alexandria (AD262) 6.82.

 

I regard it as containing a kind of hidden and wonderful intelligence on the various subjects that come under it. Although I cannot comprehend it, I still believe that there is some deeper sense underlying the words. ...I do not abruptly reject what I do not understand. Rather, I am that much more filled with wonder at it.  Dionysius of Alexandria (AD262) 6.82.

 

I do not deny that this person was called John, therefore, and that this was the writing of someone named John. I also acknowledge that it was the work of some holy and inspired man. However, I could not so easily acknowledge that the author was one of the apostles. I cannot so easily acknowledge that it is the same person who wrote the Gospel that bears the title, “According to John,” and the author of the general Epistle. Rather, from the character of both those works and the forms of expression in them,...I draw the conclusion that the authorship is not his. For the evangelist nowhere else affixes his name [to his works]. He never proclaims himself either in the Gospel or in the Epistle.  Dionysius of Alexandria (AD262) 6.83.

 

The Gospel and the Epistle agree with each other. They both begin in the same way. ...However, the Revelation is totally different and altogether distinct. ...Neither does it contain a syllable in common with these other books. ...Furthermore, on the ground of difference in diction, it is possible to prove a distinction between the Gospel and the Epistle on the one hand, and the Revelation on the other. For the former are written without actual errors as regards the Greek language. In fact, they were written with the greatest elegance. ...However, as to the author of the latter,...his dialect and language are not of the precise Greek type. He even uses barbarous idioms.  Dionysius of Alexandria (AD262) 6.85.

 

The Apocalypse of John the apostle and evangelist calls these persons “elders.”  Victorinus (AD280) 7.343.

 

Those seven stars are the seven churches. ...This does not mean that they themselves are the only churches—or even the main churches. Rather, what he says to one, he says to all. For they are in no respect different.  Victorinus (AD280) 7.345.

 

When John said these things, he was on the island of Patmos. ...It was there, therefore, that he saw the Revelation. ...When John was dismissed from the mines, he later delivered [to the churches] this same Revelation that he had received from God.  Victorinus (AD280) 7.353.

 

With regard to the inspiration of the book [i.e., Revelation], we deem it unnecessary to add another word. For the blessed Gregory Theologus and Cyril, and even men of still older date—Papias, Irenaeus, Methodius, and Hippolytus—bore entirely satisfactory testimony to it.  Eusebius (AD324) 1.155.

 

B.    Interpretation of specific passages.

 

[Rev. 1:12]: The Church preaches the truth everywhere, and she is the seven-branched candlestick that bears the light of Christ.  Irenaeus (AD180) 1.548.

 

[Rev. 2:5]: Unless this were done, he threatened to remove their candlestick out of its place—that is, to disperse the congregation.  Victorinus (AD280) 7.346.

 

[Rev. 2:17-4:6]: The hidden manna is immortality. The white gem is adoption as a son of God. The new name written on the stone is “Christian.” ...The morning star is the first resurrection. ...By saying, “They are neither cold nor hot,” He means they are neither unbelieving nor believing. Rather, they try to be all things to all men. ...“A door was opened in heaven.” The new covenant is announced as an open door in heaven. ...“A sea of glass like crystal.” This represents the gift of baptism that He sheds forth through his Son at the time of repentance.  Victorinus (AD280) 7.346-348.

[Rev. 4:7]: The cherubim, too, had four faces, and their faces were representations of the dispensation of the Son of God. For it says, “The first living creature was like a lion.” This symbolizes Christ's effectual working, His leadership, and His royal power. The second one was like a calf, signifying His sacrificial and priestly order. “The third had, as it were, the face of a man.” This is a clear depiction of His coming as a human being. “The fourth was like a flying eagle.” This points out the gift of the Spirit, who hovers with His wings over the Church. Therefore, the Gospels are in accord with these things, among which Christ Jesus is seated. For [the Gospel] according to John describes His original, effectual, and glorious generation from the Father, declaring, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”...However, [the Gospel] according to Luke takes up His priestly character, beginning with Zachariah the priest offering sacrifice to God. ...Now, Matthew describes His birth as a man, saying, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”...This, then, is the Gospel of his humanity. ...On the other hand, Mark begins with the prophetical Spirit coming down from on high to men, saying, “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet.” This points to the winged aspect of the Gospel.  Irenaeus (AD180) 1.428, 429.

 

[Rev. 4:7]: The four living creatures are the four Gospels. ...The lion designates Mark, in whom is heard the voice of the lion roaring in the desert. And in the figure of a man, Matthew strives to declare to us the genealogy of Mary, from whom Christ took flesh. ...Therefore, his announcement sets forth the image of a man. Luke, in narrating the priesthood of Zachariah as he offers a sacrifice for the people,...bore the likeness of a calf. John the evangelist, is like an eagle speeding on uplifted wings to greater heights. For he writes about the Word of God. As an evangelist, Mark thus begins: “the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet.” “The voice of one crying in the wilderness.” This has the figure of a lion. And Matthew, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” This is the form of a man. But Luke begins, “There was a priest by the name of Zechariah. ...This is the likeness of a calf. But John begins, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Here he resembles the likeness of a flying eagle.  Victorinus (AD280) 7.348.

 

[Rev. 4:10]: The twenty-four elders are the twenty-four books of the Law and the Prophets, which give testimonies of the Judgment.  Victorinus (AD280) 7.348.

 

[Rev. 5:1]: “And I saw...a book written inside and out, sealed with seven seals.” This book signifies the Old Testament, which has been given into the hands of our Lord Jesus Christ, who received judgment from the Father.  Victorinus (AD280) 7.350.

 

[Rev. 5:9]: The proclamation of the Old Testament associated with the new, points out the Christian people singing a “new song,” that is, bearing their confession publicly. It is a new thing that the Son of God should become man. It is a new thing to ascend into the heavens with a body. It is a new thing to give remission of sins to men. It is a new thing for men to be sealed with the Holy Spirit. It is a new thing to receive the priesthood of sacred observance and to look for a kingdom of limitless promise.  Victorinus (AD280) 7.350.

[Rev. 6:9]: He relates that he saw under the altar of God—that is, under the earth—the souls of those who were slain. For both heaven and earth are called God's altar.  Lactantius (AD304-313) 7.351.

 

[Rev. 6:11]: He says they received “white robes,” that is, the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Victorinus (AD280) 7.351.

 

[Rev. 7:4-8]: The number of believers who belong to Israel according to the flesh is small. One might venture to assert that they would not nearly make up the number of a hundred and forty-four thousand. It is evident, therefore, that the hundred and forty-four thousand who have not defiled themselves with women must be made up of those who have come to the divine Word out of the Gentile world.  Origen (AD228) 10.298.

 

[Rev. 6:12]: The moon of blood represents the Church of the saints, who pours out her blood for Christ.  Victorinus (AD280) 7.351.

 

[Rev. 7:9]: The great multitude out of every tribe...represent the number of the elect out of all believers. Having been cleansed by baptism in the blood of the Lamb, they have made their robes white, keeping the grace that they have received.  Victorinus (AD280) 7.352.

 

[Rev. 8:13]: The angel flying through the middle of heaven signifies the Holy Spirit bearing witness.  Victorinus (AD280) 7.352.

 

[Rev. 12:1,2]: The woman clothed with the sun and having the moon under her feet...is the ancient Church of fathers, prophets, saints, and apostles. It had the groans and torments of its longing until it saw that Christ had taken flesh out of the selfsame people—the fruit of its people according to the flesh that had long ago been promised to it.  Victorinus (AD280) 7.355.

 

[Rev. 12:3,14]: The seven heads [of the red dragon] were the seven kings of the Romans, of whom also is the Antichrist. ...The aid of the great eagle's wings is the gift of the prophets that was given to the catholic Church.  Victorinus (AD280) 7.355,356.

 

[Rev. 12:4]: The stars that are dark, obscure, and falling are the assemblies of the heretics. For they, too, desire to be acquainted with the heavenly ones...and to come near to the stars as children of light. However, they are dragged down, being shaken out by the folds of the dragon. For they did not remain within the triangular [i.e., Trinitarian] forms of godliness. ...They are called the third part of the stars, for they have gone astray with regard to one of the three Persons of the Trinity.  Methodius (AD290) 6.338.

 

[Rev. 13:11]: By the beast coming up out of the earth, he means the kingdom of the Antichrist. And by the two horns, he means the Antichrist and the false prophet after him.  Hippolytus (AD200) 5.214.

 

[Rev. 14:1-5]: John shows us, saying in the Book of the Revelation, “And I looked, and lo,...with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand....These are those who were not defiled with women. For they are virgins. These are those who follow the Lamb wherever he goes.” This shows that the Lord is the Leader of the choir of virgins. In addition to this, notice how very great in the sight of God is the dignity of virginity: “These were redeemed from among men, being the first-fruits unto God and to the Lamb.”...And he clearly intends by this to teach us that the number of virgins was, from the beginning, restricted to a certain number—a hundred and forty-four thousand. In contrast, the multitude of the other saints is innumerable.  Methodius (AD290) 6.313.

 

[Rev. 17:5]: So, again, Babylon, in our own John, is a figure of the city Rome, as being equally great and proud of her sway.  Tertullian (AD197) 3.162.

 

[Rev. 17:5]: Babylon is the Roman state.  Victorinus (AD280) 7.351.

 

[Rev. 17:10,11]: [The harlot] is the city of Rome. “And there are seven kings. Five have fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come.”...The date that the Apocalypse was written must be remembered. For at that time, Caesar Domitian reigned. But before him, there had been Titus (his brother), Vespasian, Otho, Vitellius, and Galba. These are the five who have fallen. One remains—Domitian, under whom the Apocalypse was written. “The other has not yet come.” This refers to Nerva. “And when he is come, he will be for a short time.” Nerva did not even reign two full years. “And the beast that you saw is of the seven.” Nero reigned before those kings. ...Now [in saying] that one of the heads was, as it were, slain to death...he speaks of Nero.  Victorinus (AD280) 7.358.

 

[Rev. 22:1]: The river of life means the grace of spiritual doctrine that has flowed through the minds of the faithful.  Victorinus (AD280) 7.359.

 

For more, see Victorinus’ Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John 

LINK

10.  SECOND COMING OF CHRIST

 

Be on alert for your life, do not let your lamps be extinguished and do not be unprepared. But be ready, for you do not know the hour in which our Lord comes. For in the final days, false prophets and corrupters shall be multiplied, and the sheep will be turned into wolves and love will be turned into hate. For as lawlessness increases, they will hate and they will persecute and they will betray one another. And then the deceiver of the world [the Antichrist] shall appear and he will perform signs and wonders, and the earth will be handed over into his hands and he will do incessantly vile things which have never happened before since time began. Then the creation of mankind shall come to the burning ordeal of testing. And many will be led astray and will be destroyed, but the ones enduring in their faith will be saved by the one who is cursed [Christ] Himself. And then the signs of the truth shall appear: first the sign of an opening in heaven; then, a sign of the sound of a trumpet; and the third sign, the resurrection of the dead. Now, not all of the dead but as was said, the Lord shall come and all the holy ones with Him. Then the world will see the Lord coming upon the clouds of heaven. Didache (AD80-140) 16:1, 3-8.

 

Therefore, let us wait for the kingdom of God hour by hour with love and righteousness, since we do not know the day of God’s appearance. 2nd Clement (AD100-140) 12:1.

 

But you know that the day of judgment is already coming, like a burning oven, and will melt some of the heavens, and the whole earth will be like lead melting in a fire. 2nd Clement (AD100-140) 16:3.

 

For the Lord said, “I come to gather together all the nations, tribes, and tongues.” And He means this: the day of His appearance, upon His coming, He will redeem each of us according to his works. And the unbelievers “will see His glory,” and power and they will be astonished, seeing the kingdom of the world given to Jesus, saying “Woe to us, that it was you and we did not know it and did not believe and did not obey the presbyters who informed us about our salvation.” “And his worm will not die and his fire will not be extinguished, and they shall be a vision to all flesh.” He means that day of judgement, when they will see those who act impiously among us and who distort the commandments of Jesus Christ. Bu the righteous who have done what is right and who have endured torments…they shall give glory to their God… 2nd Clement (AD100-140) 17:4-7.

 

He speaks of the day of His appearing, when He will come and redeem us, each one according to his works. 2nd Clement (AD100-140), 7.522.

 

Believing on Him, we may be saved in His second glorious advent. Justin Martyr (AD160) 1.212. 

 

Two advents of Christ have been announced. In the first one, He is set forth as suffering, inglorious, dishonored, and crucified. However, in the other advent, He will come from heaven with glory, when the man of apostasy...speaks strange things. Justin Martyr (AD160) 1.253.

 

All the prophets announced His two advents. ...In the second one, He will come on the clouds, bringing on the day which burns as a furnace. Irenaeus (AD180) 1.506.

 

When He comes from heaven with His mighty angels, the whole earth will be shaken, as He Himself declares. Irenaeus (AD180) 1.510. 

 

Already His second coming draws near to us. Cyprian (AD250) 5.363.

 

He will soon come from heaven for the punishment of the devil and for the judgment of the human race, with the force of an avenger and with the power of a judge. Cyprian (AD250) 5.468.

 

At His coming, only the righteous will rejoice. For they look for the things that have been promised them. And the subsistence of the affairs of this world will no longer be maintained. Rather, all things will be destroyed. Disputation of Archelaus and Manes (AD320) 6.21.

11.  MATTHEW 24

Be on alert for your life, do not let your lamps be extinguished and do not be unprepared. But be ready, for you do not know the hour in which our Lord comes. For in the final days, false prophets and corrupters shall be multiplied, and the sheep will be turned into wolves and love will be turned into hate. For as lawlessness increases, they will hate and they will persecute and they will betray one another. And then the deceiver of the world [the Antichrist] shall appear and he will perform signs and wonders, and the earth will be handed over into his hands and he will do incessantly vile things which have never happened before since time began. Then the creation of mankind shall come to the burning ordeal of testing. And many will be led astray and will be destroyed, but the ones enduring in their faith will be saved by the one who is cursed [Christ] Himself. And then the signs of the truth shall appear: first the sign of an opening in heaven; then, a sign of the sound of a trumpet; and the third sign, the resurrection of the dead. Now, not all of the dead but as was said, the Lord shall come and all the holy ones with Him. Then the world will see the Lord coming upon the clouds of heaven.  Didache (AD80-140) 16:1, 3-8.

 

“The stars too will fall from heaven.” ...“The mountains will melt like wax.” ...Even “the sea will be no more.” Now, if any person were to go so far as to suppose that all these passages should be figuratively interpreted, he will still be unable to deprive them of the true fulfillment of those issues that must come to pass, just as they have been written. For figurative speech necessarily arises out of realities. Tertullian (AD200) 3.497.

 

“After sixty-two weeks, the times will be fulfilled, and for one week he will make a covenant with many. And in the midst of the week, sacrifice and oblation will be removed.” ...For when the sixty-two weeks are fulfilled, and Christ has come, and the Gospel has been preached in every place, the times will then be accomplished. Then, there will remain only one week—the last—in which Elijah and Enoch will appear. And in the middle of it, the abomination of desolation will be manifested. This is the Antichrist, announcing desolation to the world. And when he comes, the sacrifice and oblation will be removed, which now are offered to God in every place by the nations. Hippolytus (AD205) 5.182.

 

Celsus [the pagan critic] rejects the statements concerning the Antichrist (as he is called). That is because he has not read what is said of him in the Book of Daniel, nor in the writings of Paul, nor what the Savior has predicted in the Gospels about his coming. ...Paul states the following: ...“so that he sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” This same fact is referred to in Daniel in the following manner: “And on the temple will be the abomination of desolations. And at the end of the time, and end will be put to the desolation” [Dan. 11:31].  Origen (AD248) 4.593,594.

 

Wars continue frequently to prevail; death and famine accumulate anxiety; health is shattered by raging diseases; and the human race is wasted by the desolation of pestilence. Know that all this was foretold. For evils are to be multiplied in the last times. Cyprian (AD250) 5.459.

 

“…The other three horses very plainly signify the wars, famines, and pestilences announced by our Lord in the Gospel. And thus he says that one of the four living creatures said (because all four are one), “Come and see.” “Come” is said to him that is invited to faith; “see” is said to him who saw not. Therefore, the white horse is the word of preaching with the Holy Spirit sent into the world. For the Lord says, “This Gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world for a testimony to all nations, and then shall come the end. And when He had opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red, and to him that sat upon him was given a great sword.”] The red horse, and he that sat upon him, having a sword, signify the coming wars, as we read in the Gospel: “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be great earthquakes in divers places.” This is the ruddy horse. And when He had opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, Come and see. And, lo, a black horse; and he who sat upon it had a balance in his hand.”] The black horse signifies famine, for the Lord says, “There shall be famines in divers places;” but the word is specially extended to the times of Antichrist, when there shall be a great famine, and when all shall be injured. Moreover, the balance in the hand is the examining scales, wherein He might show forth the merits of every individual. He then says: “And when He had opened the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living creature saying, Come and see. And, lo, a pale horse; and he who sat upon him was named Death.”] For the pale horse and he who sat upon him bore the name of Death. These same things also the Lord had promised among the rest of the coming destructions—great pestilences and deaths; since, moreover, he says: Victorinus (AD280) 6:2-8, Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John.

 

“And he shall make fire come down from heaven in the sight of men.”] Yes (as I also have said), in the sight of men. Magicians do these things, by the aid of the apostate angels, even to this day. He shall cause also that a golden image of Antichrist shall be placed in the temple at Jerusalem, and that the apostate angel should enter, and thence utter voices and oracles. Moreover, he himself shall contrive that his servants and children should receive as a mark on their foreheads, or on their right hands, the number of his name, lest anyone should buy or sell them. Daniel had previously predicted his contempt and provocation of God. “And he shall place,” says he, “his temple within Samaria, upon the illustrious and holy mountain that is at Jerusalem, an image such as Nebuchadnezzar had made.” Thence here he places, and by and by here he renews, that of which the Lord, admonishing His churches concerning the last times and their dangers, says: “But when ye shall see the contempt which is spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place, let him who readeth understand.” It is called a contempt when God is provoked, because idols are worshipped instead of God, or when the dogma of heretics is introduced in the churches. But it is a turning away because steadfast men, seduced by false signs and portents, are turned away from their salvation. Victorinus (AD280) 13:13, Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John.

 

At that time [during the days of Moses], the people of God were one. And so only one nation, Egypt, was struck. However, now the people of God are collected out of all languages and dwell among all nations. And they are oppressed by those who rule over them. Therefore, it must come to pass that all nations (that is, the whole world) will be beaten with heavenly stripes. As a result, the righteous people, who are worshippers of God, will be set free. Back then, signs were given to announce the coming destruction to the Egyptians. Likewise, at the last day, wonderful phenomena will take place throughout all the parts of the world, by which the impending destruction will be understood by all nations. Therefore, as the end of this world approaches, the condition of human affairs will undergo a change. Through the prevalence of wickedness, things will become worse. As a result, these times of ours—in which iniquity and impiety have increased even to the highest degree—will then be considered as having been happy. They will seem as almost golden times in comparison to that incurable evil. For righteousness will greatly decrease, and impiety, avarice, desire, and lust will greatly increase. ...At that time, there will be no faith among men, nor peace, kindness, shame, or truth. As a result, there will be no security, no government, nor any rest from evils. The entire earth will be in a state of tumult. Wars will rage everywhere. All nations will be in arms and will oppose one another. ...Egypt will pay the penalties for her foolish superstitions and will be covered with blood as if with a river. ...The cause of this desolation and confusion will be this: the Roman name, by which the world is now ruled, will be taken away from the earth, and the government will return to Asia. And the East will again bear rule. The West will be reduced to servitude. Lactantius (AD304-313) 7.212.

 

At that time, civil discords will perpetually be sown. There will be no rest from deadly wars, until ten kings arise at the same time. These kings will divide the world—not to govern it, but to consume it. ...Then a most powerful enemy will suddenly arise against them from the extreme boundaries of the northern region. Having destroyed three of that number who will then possess Asia, he will be admitted into an alliance by the others. And he will be made the ruler of all. He will harass the world with an intolerable rule. He will mingle divine things with human things. ...He will change the laws and appoint his own. He will contaminate, plunder, spoil, and put to death. Then, in truth, a detestable and abominable time will come, in which life will be pleasant to no men. Cities will be utterly overthrown and will perish. ...The atmosphere will be tainted and become corrupt and pestilential. At one time, there will be unseasonable rains. At another, there will be barren drought. At times, it will be cold; then excessively hot. The earth will not give its fruit to man. No field, tree, or vine will produce anything. ...Fountains will also be dried up, together with the rivers. ...On account of these things, beasts will fail on the land, birds in the air, and fishes in the sea. Awe-inspiring signs in heaven will confound the minds of men with the greatest terrors: the trails of comets, the darkness of the sun, the color of the moon, and the sweep of the falling stars….Stars will fall in great numbers, so that all the heavens will appear dark without any lights. The loftiest mountains will also fall and be levelled with the plains. The sea will be rendered unnavigable. And that nothing may be lacking to evils of men and the earth, the trumpet will be heard from heaven. ...And then everyone will tremble and quake at that mournful sound. ...Then they will call upon God, but He will not hear them. Death will be desired, but it will not come. ...For the human race will be so consumed, that scarcely the tenth part of mankind will be left. ...Two-thirds of the worshippers of God will perish as well. But the third part, which will have been proved faithful, will remain.  

Lactantius (AD304-313) 7.214.

 

Sources: 

 

A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More Than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers (Bercot, David W., (Ed). Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. 1998.).

 

The Apostolic Fathers: A New Translation (Brannon, Rick. Lexham Press, 2018).

 

The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 7.