Original Douay–Rheims AnnotationsRevelation 13

A beast coming up.

This beast is the universal company of the wicked, whose head is Antichrist: & the same is called (Apoc. 17) the whore of Babylon. ^◦ The 7 heads be expounded (Apoc. 17) seven kings: five before Christ, one present, and one to come. The 10 horns be also there expounded to be 10 kings that shall reign a short while after Antichrist. This dragon is the Devil, by whose power the whore or beast or Antichrist worketh. For in the words following (v. 3 & 4) Antichrist is called the beast, to whom the dragon, that is, the Devil giveth that power of feigned miracles. And as we adore God for giving power to Christ and his followers, so they shall adore the Devil for assisting Antichrist and giving him power.

• ◦ Many mysteries expounded.

To make battle with the saints.

^[1] He shall kill the saints then living, Elias and Enoch, and infinite more that profess Christ. Whereby we must learn, not to marvel when we see the wicked persecute and prevail against the just, in this life. Then shall his great persecution and cruelty try the saint's patience, as his wonderful means to seduce shall try the steadfastness of their faith, ^[2] which is signified by these words following, Here is the patience and the faith of saints. And when it is said, They adored the beast, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb, it giveth great solace and hope to all them that shall not yield to such persecutions, that they are of God's elect, and their names written in the book of life.

• 1 Great persecution by Antichrist and his ministers.
• 2 Their blessedness that continue constant.

The image of the beast.

^◦ They that now refuse to worship Christ's image, would then worship Antichrist's. And we may note here, that as the making or honouring of this image was not against the honour of Antichrist, but wholly for it, as also the image erected of Nabuchodonosor, and the worship thereof was altogether for the honour of him, so is the worship of Christ's image, the honour of Christ himself, and not against him, as Protestants madly imagine.

• ◦ The honour of Christ's image is for the honour of Christ.

The character or the name.

As belike for the perverse imitation of Christ, whose image (specially as on the Rood or crucifix) he seeth honoured and exalted in every Church, ^[1] he will have his image adored (for that is Antichrist, in emulation of like honour, adversary to Christ) so for that he seeth all true Christian men to bear the badge of his Cross in their foreheads, he likewise will force all his to have another mark, to abolish the sign of Christ. By the like emulation also and wicked opposition he will have his name and the letters thereof to be sacred, and to be worn in men's capes, or written in solemn places, and to be worshipped, as the name of Jesus is and ought to be among Christian men. And as the ineffable name of God was among the Jews expressed by a certain number of 4 characters (therefore called Tetragrammaton ) ^[2] so it seemeth the Apostle alludeth here to the number of Antichrist's name.

And here it is much to be noted, that the Protestants plucking down the image of Christ out of all Churches, ^◦ & his sign of the cross from men's foreheads, and taking away the honour and reverence of the name Jesus, do make room for Antichrist's image, & mark, and name. And when Christ's image and ensigns or arms shall be abolished, and the Idol of Antichrist set up in stead thereof, as it is already begun: then is the abomination of desolation which was foretold by Daniel and our Saviour.

• 1 Antichrist's triple honour against the honour of Christ.
• 2 יהוה
• ◦ The Protestants by abolishing of Christ's image, & cross and irreverence to the name JESUS, make a ready way to the honour of Antichrist.

Let him count.

Though God would not have it manifest before hand to the world, who in particular this Antichrist should be: yet it pleased him to give such tokens of him, that when he cometh, the faithful may easily take notice of him, according as it is written of the event of other prophecies concerning our Saviour, That when it is come to pass, you may believe. ^{[1] [2]} In the mean time we must take heed that we judge not over rashly of God's secrets, the holy writer here signifying, that it is a point of high understanding, illuminated extraordinarily by God's spirit, to reckon right and decipher truly before hand, Antichrist's name and person.

• 1 Io. 14, 29.
• 2 Antichrist's name secret.

It is the number of a man.

A man he must be, and not a Devil or spirit, as here it is clear, and by S. Paul 2 Thessal. 2. where he is called, the man of sin. Again, he must be one particular person, ^◦ & not a number, a succession, or whole order of any degree of men: because his proper name, and the particular number, and the characters thereof be (though obscurely) insinuated. Which reproveth the wicked vanity of Heretics, that would have Christ's own Vicars, the successors of his chief Apostle, yea the whole order of them for many ages together, to be this Antichrist. Who by his description here and in the said Epistle to the Thessalonians, must be one special man, and of a particular proper name, as our Lord Jesus is. And whosoever he be, these Protestants undoubtedly are his precursors. For as they make his way by ridding away Christ's images, cross, and name, so they exceedingly promote the matter by taking away Christ's chief minister, that all may be plain for Antichrist.

• ◦ Antichrist shall be one special man, and of a peculiar name.

^◦

If the Pope had been Antichrist, and had been revealed now a good many years sithence, as these fellows say he is to them, then the number of this name would agree to him, and the prophecy being now fulfilled, it would evidently appear that he bare the name and number here noted. For (no doubt) when he cometh, this count of the letters or number of his name which before is so hard to know, will be easy. For he will set up his name in every place, even as we faithful men do not advance Jesus. And what name proper or appellative of all or any of the Popes do they find to agree with this number, notwithstanding they boast that they have found the whole order and every of them these thousand years to be Antichrist, and the rest before even from S. Peter, foreworkers toward his kingdom?

• ◦ The Pope cannot be Antichrist.

The number 666.

Forasmuch as the ancient expositors and other do think (for certain knowledge thereof no mortal man can have without an express revelation) ^[1] that his name consisteth of so many, & such letters in Greek, as according to their manner of numbering by the Alphabet make 666, and forasmuch as the letters making that number, may be found in diverse names both proper & common: (as S. Irenæus findeth them in Latinos and Teitan, Hyppolytus in άρνοῦμαι, Aretas in Lampetis, & some of this age in Luderus, which was Luther's name in the Alman tongue:) ^[2] therefore we see there can be no certain, and every one frameth and applieth the letters to his own purpose, and most absurd folly it is of the Heretics, to apply the word, Latinos, to the Pope: neither the whole order in common, nor ever any particular Pope being so called, and S. Irenæus the first that observed it in that word, applied it to the Empire and state of the Roman Emperor, which then was Heathen, and not to the Pope of his days or after him: and yet proferred the word, Teitan, as more agreeable, with this admonition, that it were a very perilous and presumptuous thing to define any certainty before hand, of that number and name. And truly whatsoever the Protestants presume herein of the Pope, we may boldly discharge Luther of that dignity. He is undoubtedly one of Antichrist's precursors, but not Antichrist himself.

• 1 All framing of letters to express Antichrist's name, is uncertain.
• 2 Iren. li. 5. in fine.