l be no curse any more: but the throne of God and of
the Lamb shall be in it. And his servants shall serve him.

22:4. And they shall see his face: and his name shall be on their
foreheads.

22:5. And night shall be no more. And they shall not need the light of
the lamp, nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God shall enlighten
then. And they shall reign for ever and ever.

22:6. And he said to me: These words are most faithful and true. And
the Lord God of the spirits of the prophets sent his angel to shew his
servant the things which must be done shortly.

22:7. And: Behold I come quickly. Blessed is he that keepeth the words
of the prophecy of this book.

22:8. And I, John, who have heard and seen these things. And, after I
had heard and seen, I fell down to adore before the feet of the angel
who shewed me the things.

22:9. And he said to me: See thou do it not. For I am thy fellow
servant, and of thy brethren the prophets and of them that keep the
words of the prophecy of this book. Adore God.

22:10. And he saith to me: Seal not the words of the prophecy of this
book. For the time is at hand.

For the time is at hand... That is, when compared to eternity, all time
and temporal things vanish, and are but of short duration. As to the
time when the chief predictions should come to pass, we have no
certainty, as appears by the different opinions, both of the ancient
fathers and late interpreters. Many think that most things set down
from the 4th chapter to the end, will not be fulfilled till a little
time before the end of the world. Others are of opinion, that a great
part of them, and particularly the fall of the wicked Babylon, happened
at the destruction of paganism, by the destruction of heathen Rome, and
its persecuting heathen emperors. Of these interpretations, see Aleazar,
in his long commentary; see the learned Bossnet, bishop of Meaux, in his
treatise on this Book; and P. Alleman, in his notes on the same
Apocalypse, tom. 12, who in his Preface says, that this, in a great
measure, may be now looked upon as the opinion followed by the learned
men. In fine, others think that St. John's design was in a mystical way,
by metaphors and allegories, to represent the attempts and persecutions
of the wicked against the servants of God, the punishments that should
in a short time fall upon Babylon, that is, upon all the wicked in
general: the eternal happiness and reward, which God had reserved for
th