THE EXPLANATION OF THE ABOVE-WRITTEN ACCOUNT BEGINS.
“And the Temple of God in heaven was opened.” The “Temple of God in heaven” — that is, in the Church — was manifested at the Birth of the Lord. By which one is shown the Church in heaven is “not made by hands.” (Mk. 14:58, Acts 7:48, Acts 17:24, 2 Cor. 5:1, Hebr. 9:11, Hebr. 9:24, cf. Dan. 2:34, etc.) The opened Temple is the manifestation of Our Lord. For the Son of God is the Temple, as He Himself said: “Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will wake it up.” And He was with Jews saying, “This Temple took forty-six years to be built.” But He spoke of the Temple of His Body.” (Jn. 2:19-20, VL)
“And the Ark of the Testament was seen in His Temple.” It is the preaching of the Gospel and the forgiveness of sins [indulgentia delictorum], and all the gifts which he says appeared when Christ came.
“And there were lightnings, and noises and thunders, and earthquake and great hail.” All these powers are the flash, and preaching, and battles of the Church. These deeds also have been told in the description of the preaching of the seven angels, away from the Coming of the Lord Who would have been stood upon the altar; but in general, from Christ’s Nativity to the end of the world. Then he writes down, through the parts, how [these things] shall be done spiritually within the Church, and completed specifically in the Antichrist, as the Temple of God in heaven shall be opened at having the battles that followed also.
As he says, “And I saw,” he writes, “the beast ascending out of the Abyss.” (cf. Rev. 11:7, VL; cf. Rev. 13:1; Florez says many old Bibles have this as the last verse of Chapter 11.) After many plagues pierced the age, the beast has ascended out of the Abyss — that is, the Antichrist [has ascended] out of the people. But that he is going to ascend out of the Abyss will be confirmed by many testimonies. For Ezekiel says, “Behold, the Assyrian was like the cypress on Mount Lebanon.” (Ezek. 31:3, VL) The Assyrian was humbled. The “cypress” (cf. Sir. 24:17, Sir. 50:11) “on Mount Lebanon.” was “lofty” and had “branches” (Ezek. 31:3, VL) — that is, “the people are many.” (1 Esdras 10:13/Ezra 10:13) It is the kingdom of kingdoms (cf. Dan. 4:7-23, Dan. 7:2-27, Dan. 2:31-45) — that is, [the kingdom] of the Romans. “Shapely among the nations” — that is, strong among armies. “The water will nurse him” — that is, the many thousands of human beings who were going to be subject to it. “And the Abyss made him grow” — that is, it will cut him down and chop him up.
Now, Isaiah also spoke [about it], almost in the same words (cf. Is. 8:7, etc.). But Paul is called to witness that [the beast] was now to be in the kingdom of the Romans, and was to be one among the Caesars. For he says to the Thessalonians, “Let him who holds now, hold until he should be out of the way. And then that wicked one shall appear” “whose coming is according to Satan’s perfection in signs and lying portents.” (2 Thes. 2:7-9, VL) And so that they should have known the one who is to come, who then will be their prince, he adds, “For the secret of malice is already hard at work.” (2 Thes. 2:7, VL) That is, what the malice was about to do is already secretly “hard at work.” But neither its own strength nor its “father the devil” (Jn. 8:44) did set it up, but God’s order. Therefore, this is why Paul further says, “On that account, they do not perceive the love of God.” “God sends into them a spirit of error, so that they all may be persuaded by lying” “who have not been persuaded by Truth.” (2 Thes. 2:10-11, VL) And Isaiah said, “From delaying until the light, the darkness rose on them.” (Is. 59:9, VL)
Indeed, he shows in the Apocalypse that Elijah and he who is to come with him are to be killed by that same [beast]; and they will not rise on the third day like Christ, but on the fourth day, so that they should not be found equal to the Lord.
THE TEMPLE AND THE BEAST ENDS.
Beatus of Liebana's Bloggentary: Commentary on the Apocalypse 
Explanatio: Rev. 11:19
THE EXPLANATION OF THE ABOVE-WRITTEN ACCOUNT BEGINS.
“And the Temple of God in heaven was opened.” The “Temple of God in heaven” — that is, in the Church — was manifested at the Birth of the Lord. By which one is shown the Church in heaven is “not made by hands.” (Mk. 14:58, Acts 7:48, Acts 17:24, 2 Cor. 5:1, Hebr. 9:11, Hebr. 9:24, cf. Dan. 2:34, etc.) The opened Temple is the manifestation of Our Lord. For the Son of God is the Temple, as He Himself said: “Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will wake it up.” And He was with Jews saying, “This Temple took forty-six years to be built.” But He spoke of the Temple of His Body.” (Jn. 2:19-20, VL)
“And the Ark of the Testament was seen in His Temple.” It is the preaching of the Gospel and the forgiveness of sins [indulgentia delictorum], and all the gifts which he says appeared when Christ came.
“And there were lightnings, and noises and thunders, and earthquake and great hail.” All these powers are the flash, and preaching, and battles of the Church. These deeds also have been told in the description of the preaching of the seven angels, away from the Coming of the Lord Who would have been stood upon the altar; but in general, from Christ’s Nativity to the end of the world. Then he writes down, through the parts, how [these things] shall be done spiritually within the Church, and completed specifically in the Antichrist, as the Temple of God in heaven shall be opened at having the battles that followed also.
As he says, “And I saw,” he writes, “the beast ascending out of the Abyss.” (cf. Rev. 11:7, VL; cf. Rev. 13:1; Florez says many old Bibles have this as the last verse of Chapter 11.) After many plagues pierced the age, the beast has ascended out of the Abyss — that is, the Antichrist [has ascended] out of the people. But that he is going to ascend out of the Abyss will be confirmed by many testimonies. For Ezekiel says, “Behold, the Assyrian was like the cypress on Mount Lebanon.” (Ezek. 31:3, VL) The Assyrian was humbled. The “cypress” (cf. Sir. 24:17, Sir. 50:11) “on Mount Lebanon.” was “lofty” and had “branches” (Ezek. 31:3, VL) — that is, “the people are many.” (1 Esdras 10:13/Ezra 10:13) It is the kingdom of kingdoms (cf. Dan. 4:7-23, Dan. 7:2-27, Dan. 2:31-45) — that is, [the kingdom] of the Romans. “Shapely among the nations” — that is, strong among armies. “The water will nurse him” — that is, the many thousands of human beings who were going to be subject to it. “And the Abyss made him grow” — that is, it will cut him down and chop him up.
Now, Isaiah also spoke [about it], almost in the same words (cf. Is. 8:7, etc.). But Paul is called to witness that [the beast] was now to be in the kingdom of the Romans, and was to be one among the Caesars. For he says to the Thessalonians, “Let him who holds now, hold until he should be out of the way. And then that wicked one shall appear” “whose coming is according to Satan’s perfection in signs and lying portents.” (2 Thes. 2:7-9, VL) And so that they should have known the one who is to come, who then will be their prince, he adds, “For the secret of malice is already hard at work.” (2 Thes. 2:7, VL) That is, what the malice was about to do is already secretly “hard at work.” But neither its own strength nor its “father the devil” (Jn. 8:44) did set it up, but God’s order. Therefore, this is why Paul further says, “On that account, they do not perceive the love of God.” “God sends into them a spirit of error, so that they all may be persuaded by lying” “who have not been persuaded by Truth.” (2 Thes. 2:10-11, VL) And Isaiah said, “From delaying until the light, the darkness rose on them.” (Is. 59:9, VL)
Indeed, he shows in the Apocalypse that Elijah and he who is to come with him are to be killed by that same [beast]; and they will not rise on the third day like Christ, but on the fourth day, so that they should not be found equal to the Lord.
THE TEMPLE AND THE BEAST ENDS.
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