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The Epitome of the Divine Institutes

Lactantius

Chapter 72

About this work

A condensed presentation of Lactantius’s apologetic project, summarizing his case against pagan worship and his account of divine providence, true religion, justice, and Christian hope.

Author: Lactantius
Date: Early 4th century
Origin: Nicomedia or Gaul
Genre: Apology

Chap. LXXII.—Of Christ Descending from Heaven to the General Judgment, and of the Millenarian Reign.

Then the heaven shall be opened in a

‹ Chapter 71 Chapter 73 ›

tempest

,

and

Christ

shall

descend

with

great

power

,

and

there

shall

go

before

Him

a

fiery

brightness

and

a

countless

host

of

angels

,

and

all

that

multitude

of

the

wicked

shall

be

destroyed

,

and

torrents

of

blood

shall

flow

,

and

the

leader

himself

shall

escape

,

and

having

often

renewed

his

army

,

shall

for

the

fourth

time

engage

in

battle

,

in

which

,

being

taken

,

with

all

the

other

tyrants

,

he

shall

be

delivered

up

to

be

burnt

.

But

the

prince

also

of

the

demons

himself

,

the

author

and

contriver

of

evils

,

being

bound

with

fiery

chains

,

shall

be

imprisoned

,

that

the

world

may

receive

peace

,

and

the

earth

,

harassed

through

so

many

years

,

may

rest

.

Therefore

peace

being

made

,

and

every

evil

suppressed

,

that

righteous

King

and

Conqueror

will

institute

a

great

judgment

on

the

earth

respecting

the

living

and

the

dead

,

and

will

deliver

all

the

nations

into

subjection

to

the

righteous

who

are

alive

,

and

will

raise

the

righteous

dead

to

eternal

life

,

and

will

Himself

reign

with

them

on

the

earth

,

and

will

build

the

holy

city

,

and

this

kingdom

of

the

righteous

shall

be

for

a

thousand

years

.

Throughout

that

time

the

stars

shall

be

more

brilliant

,

and

the

brightness

of

the

sun

shall

be

increased

,

and

the

moon

shall

not

be

subject

to

decrease

.

Then

the

rain

of

blessing

shall

descend

from

God

at

morning

and

evening

,

and

the

earth

shall

bring

forth

all

her

fruit

without

the

labour

of

men

.

Honey

shall

drop

from

rocks

,

fountains

of

milk

and

wine

shall

abound

.

The

beasts

shall

lay

aside

their

ferocity

and

become

mild

,

the

wolf

shall

roam

among

the

flocks

without

doing

harm

,

the

calf

shall

feed

with

the

lion

,

the

dove

shall

be

united

with

the

hawk

,

the

serpent

shall

have

no

poison

;

no

animal

shall

live

by

bloodshed

.

For

God

shall

supply

to

all

abundant

and

harmless

food

.

But

when

the

thousand

years

shall

be

fulfilled

,

and

the

prince

of

the

demons

loosed

,

the

nations

will

rebel

against

the

righteous

,

and

an

innumerable

multitude

will

come

to

storm

the

city

of

the

saints

.

Then

the

last

judgment

of

God

will

come

to

pass

against

the

nations

.

For

He

will

shake

the

earth

from

its

foundations

,

and

the

cities

shall

be

overthrown

,

and

He

shall

rain

upon

the

wicked

fire

with

brimstone

and

hail

,

and

they

shall

be

on

fire

,

and

slay

each

other

.

But

the

righteous

shall

for

a

little

space

be

concealed

under

the

earth

,

until

the

destruction

of

the

nations

is

accomplished

,

and

after

the

third

day

they

shall

come

forth

,

and

see

the

plains

covered

with

carcases

.

Then

there

shall

be

an

earthquake

,

and

the

mountains

shall

be

rent

,

and

valleys

shall

sink

down

to

a

profound

depth

,

and

into

this

the

bodies

of

the

dead

shall

be

heaped

together

,

and

its

name

shall

be

called

Polyandrion

.

After

these

things

God

will

renew

the

world

,

and

transform

the

righteous

into

the

forms

of

angels

,

that

,

being

presented

with

the

garment

of

immortality

,

they

may

serve

God

for

ever

;

and

this

will

be

the

kingdom

of

God

,

which

shall

have

no

end

.

Then

also

the

wicked

shall

rise

again

,

not

to

life

but

to

punishment

;

for

God

shall

raise

these

also

,

when

the

second

resurrection

takes

place

,

that

,

being

condemned

to

eternal

torments

and

delivered

to

eternal

fires

,

they

may

suffer

the

punishments

which

they

deserve

for

their

crimes

.

Notes

2
In tempestate; others read “intempestâ nocte.”
3
Innocentem, “without injury to any.”
4
A name sometimes given to cemeteries, because many men (πολλοὶ ἅνδρες) are borne thither.