A Book Review of The Apocalypse of St. John by Rev. E. Sylvester Berry – 1921
This review reflects Father Berry’s opinions on the book of the Apocalypse, AntiChrist and Christs return except where otherwise indicated.
St. John is addressing all the Churches throughout the World for All Time. pg. 19
St. John received this revelation on Sunday- the Lord’s Day. This fact is interesting because it shows at what an early date the Christians dedicated the first day of the week to the service of God. pg.29
The Gospel (Word of God) also is a means of destroying sin and heresy and more piercing than any two-edged sword .(I would call it, the sword of Truth.)
The countenance, bright as a noon-day sun, reveals the glory of Christ’s risen body. It is also a symbol of the enlightening power of the Gospel which leaves the wicked without excuse for their willful blindness. “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin: but now they have no excuse for their sin” pg. 30-31
“I will remove thy candlestick (church) out of it’s place” by means of persecution, heresy, schism, and apostasy. Only too often has this threat been carried out in the history of the Church. It is a menace hanging over every church that loses its first fervor and abandons its first works.
“Some shall depart from the faith…….Forbidding to marry, to abstain from meats.” pg.34-35
I take this to mean, Marriage will lose it’s meaning and become unpopular and eating all kinds of meats will be considered an evil principle because of it’s flesh. I Tim 4:3
Thou art blasphemed by them that say they are Jews and are not.
The real Jew–the true son of Abraham–is the Christian who has accepted Christ as the Messias promised to Abraham of old. They are the “synagogue of Satan” who reject the Gospel. pg. 37 (This can also be applied to the V-2 Catholics, who say they are Catholics but are not.)
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, I will give the hidden manna, and I will give him a white counter, and in the counter, a new name written, which no man knoweth, but he that receiveth it.
He who overcomes sin and error shall receive the hidden manna of eternal joy through union with Christ in heaven–a union that begins on earth in the worthy reception of the Holy Eucharist.pg. 41-42 (I take this to mean the Traditional Bishops who will supply the Sacraments during these end times)
St. John compares heresy to adultery. This figure of speech is often found in the Old Testament, Christ is the true and only Spouse of souls. Heresy is an act of unfaithfulness to Him. Our Lord has shown special mercy by giving this false prophetess and her followers time to repent, but they will not repent of their sins. They are now stricken down with sickness and death. All the churches must realize that Christ will tolerate neither heresy nor schism. pg. 45.
Christ is referred to as the “Bright and Morning Star.” pg. 46 Our Lady and John the Baptist are also referred to as the ,”Morning Star,” depending on how it is applied in scriptures.
Not to the great and learned, but to the humble and faithful does God promised His graces. “The weak things of this world hath God chosen that He may confound the strong.” In choosing the weak to overcome the strong our Lord plainly teaches that He is Supreme Pastor in His Church. He needs not human power nor human wisdom. For this reason did He choose twelve poor ignorant men as Apostles to carry the Gospel to all nations. pg. 52
Many refer to the Apostles as ignorant men but this is in the context of virtue, honest simple minded individuals. In the Maryknoll Missal, 1959, they have St Bartholomew listed as a doctor in the Jewish Law, St. Matthew a tax collector and St. Paul came from a family of Pharisees and learned in the Jewish Law. St Luke, though not an Apostle, was a Physician.
There will always be souls faithful to Christ with faithful shepherds to guide them….All faithful bishops are apostles and pillars of the Church here on earth. pg. 53
In Biblical symbolism the sea represents human society. Here the sea of crystal is the Church,–the society of the faithful permeated by the Light of Divine Truth which Christ brought to earth. pg. 61
Father H. Kramer in his, The Book of Destiny, pg. 120 says,”The Crystal Sea now mentioned is composed of the lay members of the Church. It is like crystal, because it is pellucid with the light of God’s presence; and this distinguishes it from the sea in which the beast will reign, which is the world.”
Horns are a symbols pf power. Thus Zachary calls our Lord? “a horn of salvation.” pg. 65
My Papal Bible Encyclopedia attributes this quote as referring to St. John the Baptist.
And I saw a star fall from heaven upon the earth. Apoc. 9:1 In the fallen star ancient commentators saw a figure of Arius and other heretics. As a matter of fact, any priest or bishop of the Church who becomes the leader of Heresy may be compared to a star fallen from heaven. But in this case the star refers to some particular person whose revolt from the Church shall lead directly to the reign of AntiChrist. pg 98
“…AntiChrist and his prophet will introduce ceremonies to imitate the Sacraments of the Church. In fact there will be a complete organization- a church of Satan set up in opposition to the Church of Christ. Satan will assume the part of God the Father; AntChrist will be honored as Savior and his prophet will usurp the role of Pope. Their ceremonies will counterfeit the Sacraments” pg. 138
Father Berry leaves out the rest of Chapter 9 of the Apoc. which says, “and there was given to him the key of the bottomless pit.” (Hell) Apoc. 17:8 The beast which thou sawest, was, and is not, and shall come up out of the bottomless pit, and go into destruction: and the inhabitants on earth (whose names are not written in the book of life….shall wonder, seeing the beast that was, and is not. He also leaves this out on pg.163 # 8.on the bottomless pit. Now my friends I have always alluded to the falling star as a Pope or false pope, and did not John 23 open up the door of the V-2 Council, (the Gates of HELL) which in turn began the reign of the AntiChrists with Paul VI, (the man of perdition) who starts the “Great Apostasy.” by signing the heretical decrees of the V-2 Council.
After the destruction of AntiChrist and his kingdom all peoples shall accept the Gospel and the Church of Christ shall reign peacefully over all nations. pg 109 Little did Father Berry know that the AntiChrist system would be directed by false popes.
‘Eating’ the book symbolizes an intimate union with the Holy Ghost by which the mind of the Apostle is illuminated with the spirit of prophecy. St. John finds the book sweet to the taste because it announces mercy to the elect and the final triumph of the Church. It is bitter in so far as it predicts dire persecution for the Church and terrible punishment for the wicked. pg.110
The outer court, cast off and given over to the Gentles, signifies that a great number of Christians will fall away from the Faith in those evil days. With the other followers of AntiChrist they will trample Jerusalem beneath their feet during the forty-two months of persecution. The holy city is here taken literally for Jerusalem, but it is also a figure of the Church, the chief object of attack under AntiChrist. I take this to apply to the Vatican II council (42 moon months) a little over three years, which brings in the “Great Apostasy.” The two witnesses, the last three and a half years before judgment day. pg. 113
The Two Witnesses will punish the unfaithful in the same manner that Moses did, like the TEN plagues of Egypt. pg.114
Near the End of the world …. the unfaithful shall be punished by a deluge of FIRE, shortly thereafter shall come the resurrection of the body, and the general judgment. pg. 118
On PENTECOST SUNDAY.
Satan will first attempt to destroy the power of the Papacy, (Sacraments) and bring about the downfall of the Church through heresies, schisms and persecutions that must surely follow. pg.121. Sounds like the V-2 Council to me. Apoc. 13:5, 16:13, 17:4, 18:4-5, and Tim.4:3
The tail of the dragon represents the cunning hypocrisy with which he succeeds in deceiving a large number of people and pastors—a third part of the stars. (more than all past rebellions) will be seduced by Satan in the days of AntiChrist. I take as one third of the stars as those Saints who were taken off of the universal calendar since 90% of Catholics have accepted the V-2 church. pg.123
It is a matter of history that the most disastrous periods for the Church were times when the papal throne was vacant, or when anti-popes contended with the legitimate head of the Church. Thus shall it be in those evil days to come. pg. 124
AntiChrist means ” A God against God” The first true definition came at the time of Christ when the God of Moses (Caiphas) had the Jesus God killed. A God against God. In the future it would have to be a traitor Pope. Apoc. 9
In this new danger the Church shall receive the wings of an eagle to defend her and carry her to the place of refuge which God has prepared. The wings are the armies sent in defense of the Church by some nation that remains faithful. pg.127
I take the Eagle to represent the United States of America where the Church takes refuge through the sede vacantists until Christ comes back.
The vision now looks to the future when the AntiChrist will have been completely overcome, the victors standing upon the sea of glass chant hymns of praise and thanksgiving to God. Moses song of victory over the Egyptians is well suited to the occasion, especially if he be companion of Elias in those days. The canticle of the Lamb is another hymn of praise to God for the triumph of Christ and His Church over enemies. pg.150
The AntiChrist will have been completely overcome because the faithful hold out till the end of the world and the Second Coming of Christ. Father Berry left out the faithful having, “the HARPS of God.” Harps are an instrument associated with the other world, (Heaven). Apoc. 16:2. The canticle of the lamb is sung before the throne in Heaven with harpers. Apoc: 14:1-3. The canticle sung before the throne is the song of, “Christ the King,” which is generally sung on palm Sunday.
The fourth vial is emptied on the Sun which thereupon sends forth its scorching rays to torture the wicked; but instead of being converted they harden their hearts and blaspheme God. In a figurative sense the burning rays of the sun are the rigors of God’s justice. Christ, the sun of justice, is a guiding light to the faithful, but a consuming fire to the wicked. The fifth plague is directed against Jerusalem, the residence of AntiChrist and the capital of his kingdom pg. 156
True but these sun rays are not metaphoric but physical as they are part of the plagues of the Apoc. 16. and elsewhere.(They will not repent) Rome is the new Jerusalem of the Church and the Holy See becomes the seat of AntiChrist but the holy see could move to Jerusalem which was in the master plan of the reformers of V-2 Council, and why we have both cities mentioned in the scriptures. More as we go along.
The great Harlot sitting by many waters is Rome holding sway over many nations that share in her corruption and infidelity to God. ….St. John simply follows out the symbolism in which infidelity to God is called fornication and Adultery. pg 163
And the Ten Horns which thou sawest IN the BEAST: these shall hate the harlot. pg 171
The Ten Horns is a reflection of todays Jews, (Ten commandments) which I explain in my theses, and this is where one of the AntiChrists double crosses the Jews as Benedict XXVI did when he allowed the change in the 1962 missal for Good Friday to continue saying the Jews needed to be saved. This is not in the Novus Ordo missal but was done to please the SSPX. Feb.2008. This will lead to further conflict in the future. More as we go along on this.
But in the AntiChrist alone will they be realized in every particular. Hence the faithful (Sede Vacantists) will recognize him and avoid his snares, but the rest of mankind will be deceived by his “lying wonders.”
The Angel tells St. John that the seven heads are seven mountains and seven kings. pg 168
Mountains are a refection of the Ten Commandments. The seven heads are a reflection of the seven sacraments, each sacrament is a Kingship in God’s kingdom, the Church. .(Is. 49:10-1,” I will make my mountains a way” Apoc. 7:16.”) The woman is the Novus Ordo church in union with the Jews and the other religions of the world. There are no seven hills of Rome.
The universal reign of Jesus Christ. The AntiChrist a definite individual. pg. 189 Here Father Berry has a problem in not understanding the 1000 year reign, (Millennium) and because of this he thinks that the AntiChrist will appear centuries before the last judgment and the end of the world, but St.Paul makes it clear that the man of perdition brings in the Great Apostasy followed by Our Lord’s return. II Thess. 2:1-16 Maryknoll Missal 1958, pg 26, Ember Saturday in Winter. II Thess. 2:1-8. “Before the final coming of Christ in glory there will be a general revolt against God. The Anti-Christ will appear and seek to be worshiped as God. When Jesus shall appear in glory, He will quickly crush the AntiChrist.” The Great Apostasy lasts 40 to 50 years.
….many prophecies concerning the future glory of Jerusalem, justifies the belief that it will become the city of the Popes and the capital of Christendom from the time of Antichrist until the consummation of the world. pg.193
….When our Lord told them the Holy Ghost was shortly to come upon them they said: “Lord , wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” Christ did not tell them their expectations were in vain; He simply said: “It is not for you to know the times or moments which the Father has put in his own power.” He told them, in effect, that the kingdom would be restored to Israel but it was not for them to know the time because the Father had not revealed it. pg.195 But what Our Lord was saying is that when this happens it will be for todays obstinate Jews who will play a role in the AntiChrists one world system.
….The name of God written upon the foreheads of the Saints is a mark of their adoption as children of God by Baptism and Confirmation. pg. 217
Likewise those who (knowingly?) accept the New Church (666) marks will be a mark of adoption as children of AntiChrist.
For I testify to every one that heareth the words of this book: If any man shall add to these things, God shall add unto him the plagues written in this book. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the Holy City, and from these things that are written in this book. Apoc. 18 & 19
My friends, God will always have a voice in the world at all times, with or without a Pope.
The Church will triumph over the powers of hell and reign peacefully in HEAVEN.
Behold I come quickly. Blessed is he that keepteth the words of the prophecy of this book
Grace be with you, In Christ, Joseph
Both of these good books, The Book of destiny, by Father Herman B. Kramer are $21.00 each plus $5.50 postage. If you order both books you only pay $7:50 postage for both books. Add $10.00 overseas: Send to:
Mary Immaculate Queen Center
8504 N. St. Michael’s Rd.
Spokane, WA. 99217-9333 509-467-1077 orders@miqcenter.com
Or Tan Books & Powell Books