boasted of a higher knowledge of divine things possessed by them alone. They called it the "abyss" or "depth" of knowledge. St. John shows the true nature of this so-called knowledge when he names it the "depths of Satan."
26, 27. The faithful are warned of the necessity of good works for salvation. Those who persevere in them unto the end shall have part with Christ in the judgment of the wicked. They shall participate in the power He has received from the Father power to rule the nations with a rod of iron. [1] St. Paul teaches the same truth: "Know ye not that the saints shall judge this world?" [2]
28. To those who persevere, our Lord will give the eternal glory of the Beatific Vision in heaven. Christ, the Morning Star, shall be the object of this vision be cause He is God, equal in all things to the Father. This same reward was promised to the other churches under slightly different symbols. [3]
Christ is referred to as a star in the prophecy of Balaam: "A star shall arise out of Jacob." [4] In an other passage of the Apocalypse Christ calls Himself the "bright and morning Star." [5] By the reflected light of this Star "the just shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." [6]
