Apocalypse of Pseudo-John
After the taking up of our Lord Jesus Christ, I John was alone upon Mount Tabor,
where also he showed us his undefiled Godhead; and as I was not able to stand, I
fell upon the ground, and prayed to the Lord, and said: O Lord my God, who have
deemed me worthy to be your servant, hear my voice, and teach me about your
coming. When you shall come to the earth, what will happen? The heaven and the
earth, and the sun and the moon, what will happen to them in those times? Reveal
to me all; for I am emboldened, because you listen to your servant. And I spent
seven days praying; and after this a cloud of light caught me up from the
mountain, and set me before the face of the heaven. And I heard a voice saying
to me: Look up, John, servant of God, and know. And having looked up, I saw the
heaven opened, and there came forth from within the heaven a smell of perfumes
of much sweet odor; and I saw a very great flood of light, more resplendent than
the sun. And again I heard a voice saying to me: Behold, righteous John. And I
directed my sight, and saw a book lying, of the thickness, methought, of seven
mountains; and the length of it the mind of man cannot comprehend, having seven
seals. And I said: O Lord my God, reveal to me what is written in this book. And
I heard a voice saying to me: Hear, righteous John. In this book which you see
there have been written the things in the heaven, and the things in the earth,
and the things in the abyss, and the judgments and righteousness of all the
human race. And I said: Lord, when shall these things come to pass? and what do
those times bring? And I heard a voice saying to me: Hear, righteous John. There
shall be in that time abundance of corn and wine, such as there has never been
upon the earth, nor shall ever be until those times come. Then the ear of corn
shall produce a half choenix, and the bend of the branch shall produce a
thousand clusters, and the cluster shall produce a half jar of wine; and in the
following year there shall not be found upon the face of all the earth a half
choenix of corn or a half jar of wine.
And again I said: Lord, thereafter what will you do? And I heard a voice saying
to me: Hear, righteous John. Then shall appear the denier, and he who is set
apart in the darkness, who is called Antichrist. And again I said: Lord, reveal
to me what he is like. And I heard a voice saying to me: The appearance of his
face is dusky; the hairs of his head are sharp, like darts; his eyebrows like a
wild beast's; his right eye like the star which rises in the morning, and the
other like a lion's; his mouth about one cubit; his teeth span long; his fingers
like scythes; the print of his feet of two spans; and on his face an
inscription, Antichrist; he shall be exalted even to heaven, and shall be cast
down even to Hades, making false displays. And then will I make the heaven
brazen, so that it shall not give moisture upon the earth; and I will hide the
clouds in secret places, so that they shall not bring moisture upon the earth;
and I will command the horns of the wind, so that the wind shall not blow upon
the earth.
And again I said: Lord, and how many years will he do this upon the earth? And I
heard a voice saying to me: Hear, righteous John. Three years shall those times
be; and I will make the three years like three months, and the three months like
three weeks, and the three weeks like three days, and the three days like three
hours, and the three hours like three seconds, as said the prophet David, his
throne have you broken down to the ground; you have shortened the days of his
time; you have poured shame upon him. And then I shall send forth Enoch and
Elias to convict him; and they shall show him to be a liar and a deceiver; and
he shall kill them at the altar, as said the prophet, Then shall they offer
calves upon your altar. And again I said: Lord, and after that what will come to
pass? And I heard a voice saying to me: Hear, righteous John. Then all the human
race shall die, and there shall not be a living man upon all the earth. And
again I said: Lord, after that what will you do? And I heard a voice saying to
me: Hear, righteous John. Then will I send forth my angels, and they shall take
the ram's horns that lie upon the cloud; and Michael and Gabriel shall go forth
out of the heaven and sound with those horns, as the prophet David foretold,
with the voice of a trumpet of horn. And the voice of the trumpet shall be heard
from the one quarter of the world to the other; and from the voice of that
trumpet all the earth shall be shaken, as the prophet foretold, And at the voice
of the bird every plant shall arise; that is, at the voice of the archangel all
the human race shall arise. And again I said: Lord, those who are dead from Adam
even to this day, and who dwell in Hades from the beginning of the world, and
who die at the last ages, what like shall they arise? And I heard a voice saying
to me: Hear, righteous John. All the human race shall arise thirty years old.
And again I said: Lord, they die male and female, and some old, and some young,
and some infants. In the resurrection what like shall they arise? And I heard a
voice saying to me: Hear, righteous John. Just as the bees are, and differ not
one from another, but are all of one appearance and one size, so also shall
every man be in the resurrection. There is neither fair, nor ruddy, nor black,
neither Ethiopian nor different countenances; but they shall all arise of one
appearance and one stature. All the human race shall arise without bodies, as I
told you that in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage,
but are as the angels of God. And again I said: Lord, is it possible in that
world to recognize each other, a brother his brother, or a friend his friend, or
a father his own children, or the children their own parents? And I heard a
voice saying to me: Hear, John. To the righteous there is recognition, but to
the sinners not at all; they cannot in the resurrection recognize each other.
And again I John said: Lord, is there recollection of the things that are
here, either fields or vineyards, or other things here? And I heard a voice
saying to me: Hear, righteous John. The prophet David speaks, saying, I
remembered that we are dust: as for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of
the field, so he shall flourish: for a wind has passed over it, and it shall be
no more, and it shall not any longer know its place. And again the same said:
his spirit shall go forth, and he returns to his earth; in that day all his
thoughts shall perish.
And again I said: Lord, and after that what will you do? And I heard a voice
saying to me: Hear, righteous John. Then will I send forth my angels over the
face of all the earth, and they shall lift off the earth everything honorable,
and everything precious, and the venerable and holy images, and the glorious and
precious crosses, and the sacred vessels of the churches, and the divine and
sacred books; and all the precious and holy things shall be lifted up by clouds
into the air. And then will I order to be lifted up the great and venerable
scepter, on which I stretched forth my hands, and all the orders of my angels
shall do reverence to it. And then shall be lifted up all the race of men upon
clouds, as the Apostle Paul foretold. Along with them we shall be snatched up in
clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And then shall come out every evil spirit,
both in the earth and in the abyss, wherever they are on the face of all the
earth, from the rising of the sun even to the setting, and they shall be united
to the one who is served by the devil, that is, Antichrist, and they shall be
lifted up upon the clouds.
And again I said: Lord, and after that what will you do? And I heard a voice
saying to me: Hear, righteous John. Then shall I send forth my angels over the
face of all the earth, and they shall burn up the earth eight thousand five
hundred cubits, and the great mountains shall be burnt up, and all the rocks
shall be melted and shall become as dust, and every tree shall be burnt up, and
every beast, and every creeping thing creeping upon the earth, and everything
moving upon the face of the earth, and every flying thing flying in the air; and
there shall no longer be upon the face of all the earth anything moving, and the
earth shall be without motion. And again I said: Lord, and after that what will
you do? And I heard a voice saying to me: Hear, righteous John. Then shall I
uncover the four parts of the east, and there shall come out four great winds,
and they shall sweep all the face of the earth from the one end of the earth to
the other; and the Lord shall sweep sin from off the earth, and the earth shall
be made white like snow, and it shall become as a leaf of paper, without cave,
or mountain, or hill, or rock; but the face of the earth from the rising even to
the setting of the sun shall be like a table, and white as snow; and the reins
of the earth shall be consumed by fire, and it shall cry to me, saying, I am a
virgin before you, O Lord, and there is no sin in me; as the prophet David said
previously, you shall sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be made pure; you
shall wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. And again he said: Every
chasm shall be filled up, and every mountain and hill brought low, and the
crooked places shall be made straight, and the rough ways into smooth; and all
flesh shall see the salvation of God.
And again I said: Lord, and after that what will you do? And I heard a voice
saying to me: Hear, righteous John. Then shall the earth be cleansed from sin,
and all the earth shall be filled with a sweet smell, because I am about to come
down upon the earth; and then shall come out the great and venerable scepter,
with thousands of angels worshipping it, as I said before; and then shall appear
the sign of the Son of man from the heaven with power and great glory. And then
the worker of iniquity with his servants shall behold it, and gnash his teeth
exceedingly, and all the unclean spirits shall be turned to flight. And then,
seized by invisible power, having no means of flight, they shall gnash their
teeth against him, saying to him: Where is your power? How have you led us
astray? and we have fled away, and have fallen away from the glory which we had
beside him who is coming to judge us, and the whole human race. Woe to us!
because he banishes us into outer darkness.
And again I said: Lord, and after that what will you do? And I heard a voice
saying to me: Then will I send an angel out of heaven, and he shall cry with a
loud voice, saying, Hear, O earth, and be strong, said the Lord; for I am coming
down to you. And the voice of the angel shall be heard from the one end of the
world even to the other, and even to the remotest part of the abyss. And then
shall be shaken all the power of the angels and of the many-eyed ones, and there
shall be a great noise in the heavens, and the nine regions of the heaven shall
be shaken, and there shall be fear and astonishment upon all the angels. And
then the heavens shall be rent from the rising of the sun even to the setting,
and an innumerable multitude of angels shall come down to the earth; and then
the treasures of the heavens shall be opened, and they shall bring down every
precious thing, and the perfume of incense, and they shall bring down to the
earth Jerusalem robed like a bride. And then there shall go before me myriads of
angels and archangels, bearing my throne, crying out, Holy, holy, holy, Lord of
Sabaoth; heaven and earth are full of your glory. And then will I come out with
power and great glory, and every eye in the clouds shall see me; and then every
knee shall bend, of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under the
earth. And then the heaven shall remain empty; and I will come down upon the
earth, and all that is in the air shall be brought down upon the earth, and all
the human race and every evil spirit along with Antichrist, and they shall all
be set before me naked, and chained by the neck.
And again I said: Lord, what will become of the heavens, and the sun, and the
moon, along with the stars? And I heard a voice saying to me: Behold, righteous
John. And I looked, and saw a Lamb having seven eyes and seven horns. And again
I heard a voice saying to me: I will bid the Lamb come before me, and will say,
who will open this book? And all the multitudes of the angels will answer, Give
this book to the Lamb to open it. And then will l order the book to be opened.
And when he shall open the first seal, the stars of the heaven shall fall, from
the one end of it to the other. And when he shall open the second seal, the moon
shall be hidden, and there shall be no light in her. And when he shall open the
third seal, the light of the sun shall be withheld, and there shall not be light
upon the earth. And when he shall open the fourth seal, the heavens shall be
dissolved, and the air shall be thrown into utter confusion, as said the
prophet: And the heavens are the works of your hands; they shall perish, but you
endure, and they shall all grow old as a garment. And when he shall open the
fifth seal, the earth shall be rent, and all the tribunals upon the face of all
the earth shall be revealed. And when he shall open the sixth seal, the half of
the sea shall disappear. And when he shall open the seventh seal, Hades shall be
uncovered.
And I said: Lord, who will be the first to be questioned, and to receive
judgment? And I heard a voice saying to me, The unclean spirits, along with the
adversary. I bid them go into outer darkness, where the depths are. And I said:
Lord, and in what place does it lie? And I heard a voice saying to me: Hear,
righteous John. As big a stone as a man of thirty years old can roll, and let go
down into the depth, even falling down for twenty years will not arrive at the
bottom of Hades; as the prophet David said before, And he made darkness his
secret place.
And I said: Lord, and after them what nation will be questioned? And I heard a
voice saying to me: Hear, righteous John. There will be questioned of Adam's
race those nations, both the Greek and those who have believed in idols, and in
the sun, and in the stars, and those who have defiled the faith by heresy, and
who have not believed the holy resurrection, and who have not confessed the
Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit: then will I send them away into Hades,
as the prophet David foretold, Let the sinners be turned into Hades, and all the
nations that forget God. And again he said: They were put in Hades like sheep;
death shall be their shepherd.
And again I said: Lord, and after them whom will you judge? And I heard a voice
saying to me: Hear, righteous John. Then the race of the Hebrews shall be
examined, who nailed me to the tree like a malefactor. And I said: And what
punishment will these get, and in what place, seeing that they did such things
to you? And I heard a voice saying to me: They shall go away into Tartarus, as
the prophet David foretold, They cried out, and there was none to save; to the
Lord, and he did not listen to them. And again the Apostle Paul said: As many as
have sinned without law shall also perish without law, and as many as have
sinned in law shall be judged by means of law.
And again I said: Lord, and what of those who have received baptism? And I heard
a voice saying to me: Then the race of the Christians shall be examined, who
have received baptism; and then the righteous shall come at my command, and the
angels shall go and collect them from among the sinners, as the prophet David
foretold: The Lord will not suffer the rod of the sinners in the lot of the
righteous; and all the righteous shall be placed on my right hand, and shall
shine like the sun. As you see, John, the stars of heaven, that they were all
made together, but differ in light, so shall it be with the righteous and the
sinners; for the righteous shall shine as lights and as the sun, but the sinners
shall stand in darkness. And again I said: Lord, and do all the Christians go
into one punishment? - kings, high priests, priests, patriarchs, rich and poor,
bond and free? And I heard a voice saying to me: Hear, righteous John. As the
prophet David foretold, The expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.
Now about kings: they shall be driven like slaves, and shall weep like infants;
and about patriarchs, and priests, and Levites, of those that have sinned, they
shall be separated in their punishments, according to the nature of the peculiar
transgression of each, - some in the river of fire, and some to the worm that
dies not, and others in the seven-mouthed pit of punishment. To these
punishments the sinners will be apportioned. And again I said: Lord, and where
will the righteous dwell? And I heard a voice saying to me: Then shall paradise
be revealed; and the whole world and paradise shall be made one, and the
righteous shall be on the face of all the earth with my angels, as the Holy
Spirit foretold through the prophet David: The righteous shall inherit the
earth, and dwell there for ever and ever.
And again I said: Lord, how great is the multitude of the angels? and which is
the greater, that of angels or of men? And I heard a voice saying to me: As
great as is the multitude of the angels, so great is the race of men, as the
prophet has said, he set bounds to the nations according to the number of the
angels of God. And again I said: Lord, and after that what will you do? and what
is to become of the world? Reveal to me all. And I heard a voice saying to me:
Hear, righteous John. After that there is no pain, there is no grief, there is
no groaning; there is no recollection of evils, there are no tears, there is no
envy, there is no hatred of brethren, there is no unrighteousness, there is no
arrogance, there is no slander, there is no bitterness, there are none of the
cares of life, there is no pain from parents or children, there is no pain from
gold, there are no wicked thoughts, there is no devil, there is no death, there
is no night, but all is day. As I said before, And other sheep I have, which are
not of this fold, that is, men who have been made like the angels through their
excellent course of life; them also must I bring, and they will hear my voice,
and there shall be one fold, one shepherd.
And again I heard a voice saying to me: Behold, you have heard all these things,
righteous John; deliver them to faithful men, that they also may teach others,
and not think lightly of them, nor cast our pearls before swine, in case perhaps
they should trample them with their feet. And while I was still hearing this
voice, the cloud brought me down, and put me on Mount Tabor. And there came a
voice to me, saying: Blessed are those who keep judgment and do righteousness in
all time. And blessed is the house where this description lies, as the Lord
said, he that loves me keeps my sayings in Christ Jesus our Lord; to him be
glory for ever. Amen.