Page:Theapocalypseofs00berruoft.djvu/85

 the only remedy for the many ills that threaten society throughout the world. The nations must return to the Faith or perish from the earth.

The strong voice is that of the Church which must resound unto the ends of the earth in preaching the Gospel. The sign upon the forehead represents the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation which imprint a spiritual mark upon the soul. In ancient times, to be baptized was to be "signed." Confirmation was the "seal" of God's gifts. As Confirmation was given immediately after Baptism, the two Sacraments are here represented by the one seal. In a secondary sense the cross is the sign imprinted upon the life of every true Christian. It is the i sign of the Son of man which shall appear in the heavens at the second coming of Christ.

4-8. Every tribe of Israel furnishes numerous converts to the Faith of Christ. This multitude of Jewish believers is represented by the symbolic number of 12,000 from each tribe. The Jews were not all unfaithful to the Messias. Many of them received the Gos pel even in the days of the Apostles as we learn from the Acts of the Apostles and from the Epistles of St. Paul.

The tribe of Dan became so insignificant in numbers that it was never enumerated after the captivity. The number twelve was maintained by enumerating the two