ACC ~ Revelation 16 v21

BOTH SIN AND THE PUNISHMENT FOR SIN. PRIMASIUS: The hail represents the wrath of [God’s] revenge, of which we read, “The wrath of the Lord descends as hail.”The Lord desires to protect his followers from this, for he says through the apostle, “[Jesus] delivers us from the wrath to come.” Nor is it without reason that he mentions the weight of a talent. For [the punishment] inflicted on each person by the equity of the divine judgment is due to a diversity of sins. Among the Greeks the talent is regarded as a certain weight and among the Romans as a certain different weight. Indeed, some things are sins, while other things are the punishments, and yet other things are both sins and punishments. … In this passage the blaspheming of God for the hail is recognized to be both sin and the punishment of sin by which the impious are so blinded that they do not come to their senses even when corrected, and so by these punishments [they] become even worse and more demented. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 16.21.

EVEN MORE HARDENED THAN PHARAOH. ANDREW OF CAESAREA: We think that the hail that comes down from heaven is the wrath from God, which also comes from above. That this hail weighs a hundredweight indicates the completeness [of its fearful torment] on account of the extremity and seriousness of the sins, which the image of the talent suggests and as Zechariah saw.That those who are smitten by this hail are moved to blasphemy rather than to repentance reveals the unyielding hardness of their hearts. And so they will be like Pharaoh, or rather they will be even more intransigent than he was. For he at least to some extent was softened by the plagues sent from God and confessed his own ungodliness, but these persons will blaspheme even in the midst of being tormented. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 16.21.

THE GREAT HARLOT REVELATION 17:1-5

OVERVIEW: Old Rome was a harlot, for she was an apostate from God and compelled others to follow in her idolatry (OECUMENIUS). Moreover, the Senate of Rome and its kings from Domitian to Diocletian were guilty of the blood of the saints (VICTORINUS). However, old Rome has lost its former dominion, and it is unlikely that it will ever regain its ancient status. It is more likely, therefore, that the harlot is the earthly kingdom in general which will be condemned at the end (ANDREW OF CAESAREA). Indeed, the multitude of the lost are aptly called “harlot,” for they have allowed themselves to be ravished by demons and are abandoned by the Creator (PRIMASIUS, BEDE). They are corrupted by wickedness and made mad by impiety and are called “great” because of the enormity of their transgressions (PRIMASIUS). The faithful, however, are betrothed to one husband and are presented as a pure bride to Christ (BEDE).

Not surprisingly, the woman has the image of the devil and is a murderess (VICTORINUS) and sits upon the devil, who is himself a murderer and scarlet with the blood of the saints (OECUMENIUS). Sitting upon the beast who is always arrayed against the Lamb, the woman sits as one exalted by the pride of presumption (PRIMASIUS) and, like the devil, she delights in blood and becomes a coworker with him in his blasphemies against God (ANDREW OF CAESAREA). Void of the paradise of God’s presence (PRIMASIUS), the woman is seen in the desert, that is, with those who are deserted by God and dead in their souls (CAESARIUS OF ARLES).

The earthly dominion of the beast claims universality and so assails the faithful by open aggression and desires to ensnare them by a fraudulent truth. Nothing indicates more the bogus power of this kingdom than the claim of the antichrist to be the Christ and so to seduce humankind by imitation, fraud and deceit. Against this vain and unclean spirit Christ gives his own Holy Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom, of understanding, of counsel, of fortitude, of knowledge, of piety and of the fear of God (PRIMASIUS). The kingdom of the devil and of the antichrist is arrayed with jewels and gold as though it were rich, beautiful and royal. However, it is all deceit, for it is full of pretense and false allurements (TYCONIUS), of idolatries and defilements (OECUMENIUS).

This harlot desires to multiply her own fornication, and as a mother gives birth to her own children (OECUMENIUS), so she gives birth to transgressions that are loathsome to God (ANDREW OF CAESAREA, BEDE). As a display of their piety, therefore, chaste and modest virgins ought to shun the adornments of the harlot and the allurements of beauty, since these are the insignia of brothels (CYPRIAN).

Rev