ACC ~ Revelation 14 v14

CHRIST CAME ON THE “CLOUD” OF HIS PURE AND BLAMELESS MOTHER. OECUMENIUS: He sees the Lord who was worthy to become the Son of man and who is riding upon a cloud. This is either in reality a cloud, for the Gospel also speaks of this, whose witness we have referred to in an earlier discussion, or the cloud is a certain angelic power, for it is written, “He mounted on cherubim and flew, he flew on the wings of the winds.” He calls the angels a “cloud” on account of their sublimity and their exalted nature and rank. Or rather, he calls the mother of God a “cloud” on whom he rode, honoring her who is his mother according to the flesh. For, indeed, Isaiah foresaw her in this manner, saying, “Behold, the Lord is seated on a swift cloud, and he will come to Egypt, and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence.”Interpreting this saying, Aquila says that the cloud is a “light material.” “Material,” as I think, because she was a human being and flesh, and “light” because of her purity and blamelessness and because not even one sin weighed her down, yet also because of the excellence and heavenward character of her soul. You will consider the “cloud” in this manner. It is white because of the purity and radiance of those things that are here seen. To be sure, the crown signifies the kingdom of our Lord, Jesus Christ. For Christ is king of things both unseen and seen. The crown is of gold to depict the glory of the kingdom by means of that which among us has great value. That he has a sickle in his hand signifies that the consummation of the age rests in his power. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 14.14-16.

CHRIST COMES ON THE CHURCH. PRIMASIUS: By the cloud he indicates the incarnation of our Head, Jesus Christ. Or he shows the body of the church that Christ put on after the fires of persecution were cooled as with snow. [The church] has a golden crown on her head. This is the [twenty-four] elders with their golden crowns, or the [crown is] the twelve apostles whom the beginning of the preaching of the faith acquired at the beginning. Therefore we read, “You set a crown of precious stone on his head.”The sharp sickle is symbolic of the judicial sentence against the impious by which they are to be separated [from the pious], and this sentence is more justly inflicted upon them by divine judgment for the sake of the church, for whose defense Christ, the Shepherd, is always vigilant. Therefore, Zechariah said, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land.” COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 14.14.

SEPARATING THE CATHOLICS FROM THE HERETICS. CAESARIUS OF ARLES: [The one like a son of man] is Christ. He is describing the church in her glory, especially since she is white after the flames of persecution. [The gold crown] is the elders with their golden crowns, and the sickle in his hand is that which separates the catholics from the heretics and the saints from the sinners, just as the Lord speaks concerning the reapers. EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 14.14, HOMILY 11.

HE GOVERNS THE VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE POWERS. ANDREW OF CAESAREA: We think that this cloud is either the visible cloud that took our Lord Jesus Christ from the eyes of the apostles, or that it is a certain angelic power [here called a “cloud”] because of its purity and sublimity, for the psalmist says, “He rode on a cherub and flew.”For this reason, we believe that the one seen upon the cloud similar to a son of man is Christ, and that the crown upon his head signifies his governance over both the visible and the invisible powers. The crown is gold because of the value of this substance among us. The sickle indicates the consummation, for indeed the Lord himself called the end of the world a “harvest.” COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 14.14.

CHRIST COMES WITH THE CLOUD OF HIS FLESH. BEDE: Until now we have heard the voices of the heralds. However, now the person of the judge himself is revealed, who, when he comes for judgment, covers the glory of his divinity with a cloud of flesh so that the wicked might behold him whom they pierced. … What kind of crown this is was described above concerning the adornment of the woman, “And on her head a crown of twelve stars.” But perhaps it may signify the victory of the King. … [The sharp sickle] refers to the judicial sentence of separation, and we can in no way avoid this judgment. We are most definitely within it, no matter where we might try to flee, for whatever is felled by a sickle falls within. EXPLANATION OF THE APOCALYPSE 14.14.

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