Antichrist the Pope of Rome, Treatise 3 · Question 5
5. Queſtion. Touching the continuance of Antichriſt.
It was not without the ſingular prouidence of God, that the Ancient Doctors, whoſe learned labours ſerue as yet to this day for the Churches behoofe in the vnderſtanding of the holy Scriptures, hauehave neuertheleſſe bene ſo vncertaine in this matter of Antichriſt, as hath bene noted before, that there is nothing reſolute in their writings. For hereby it muſt come to paſſe, that the myſtery of iniquity ſhould aduance it ſelfe, and yet be concealed, vntill the time of h s reuelation appointed in the Councell of God. As therefore the Fathers were deceiued in the precedent queſtions, ſo are th…y alſo in this: for the moſt of them hold, that the continuance of Antichriſt, is limited to the compaſſe of three yeares and a halfe. …nd the Ieſuites finding that this errour ſerueth greatly t… …erſwade ſimpl… people, who with ſhut eies vſe to rec …e the … of Antiquity, that the Pope is not Antichriſtian …, v…ry ſtiffely therein, and ſtriue to colour the …, with theſe …eaſons that enſ….
…… be g…ther…d (ſay they) out of the ſeuenth, and … Chapt…rs of Daniel: and out of the twelfth of …:… that the continuanc… of Antichriſts reigne, ſh…ll be th… yeares and a halfe: for theſe texts ſay, that he ſhall …, a t…e, times, and halfe a time: by one time, ſigni…y…ng a yeare; and by times, two yeares: and by a moy…ty of … …ke a yeare: and …o S. Iohn explaineth it, when … that Antichriſt ſh ll reigne forty two moneths and … …noch, ſh ll preach 126…. d…ies; which are pr… y… yeares and a halfe.
…Theſe places of the Prophecy of Daniel, ſpeake not of Antichr ſt, as I hauehave proued before: neither can they be applied vntounto him, but by Allegories, which are no demonſtratiue proofe in caſ… of controuerſie: neither is that Apoc. 12.14. a…y wh… mo…e to the purpoſe, for he ſpeaketh of the Dr…g…n, not of Antichriſt: of the Chriſtian Church gathered …ly … of the Iewes, and not of the Church of the Gentiles: and of the …er…cution of that time, not of that which ſ…ll b… in the l…ſt times: as the wh…le co…rſe of the text … witneſſe. For it is there related, that after the ſpace of a time, times, and halfe a time, the D…gon caſt out a flood of water …gainſt the wo…n to take … away: but that the e…rth hau ng ſwallowed vp the flood, the Dragon enrage…, went to make warre againſt the other…, which are of the … of the Church. So that he ſtirre… vp the firſt Beaſt, to whom he ga…e his power. Apoc. 1….2. And finally, the ſecond B…aſt, which is Antichriſt, Apoc. 13.11. which maketh it as cleare as the Sunne, that S. Iohn ſpeakes not of Antichriſt in the twelfth Chapter. The true intendment then of this Text is, that when the Dragon had no power againſt the Church, bringing forth that male Child, whereof menti… …s made, in the precedent verſes; our Sauiour Ieſus …riſt, being gloriouſly riſen from the dead, and exalted vp …o heauen, then he ſet himſelfe to make warre with the …oman, which had brought forth this male Child, that is, …e Church of the Iewiſh Nation, out of the which our Sa…our Chriſt was borne according to the fleſh: and to the …hich the Euangelicall grace being firſt offered, was after …ſperſed through all the Nations of the world, by the prea…hing of the Apoſtles. But two wings of a great Eagle were …iuen to the Woman, to the end ſhe might flie before the Serpent …o her place: that is to ſay, that this Chriſtian Church of the …ewiſh Nation, accompanied with vertue from aboue, and diuinely aduertiſed, eſcaped from this firſt aſſault of Sathan, …nd was preſerued from the common ruine of Ieruſalem, by …etiring her ſelfe into the Citty Pella beyond Iordan, where God had prepared for her a place of retreat, as in a Deſert and ſeparated Angle; as Euſebius reports the ſtory in his third booke. For this is a ſimilitude taken out of Deut. 32.11. where the Lord ſaith: That as the Eagle ſtirreth vp her neſt, fluttereth ouer h…r young, ſpreadeth abroad her winges, gathereth them, and beareth them on her winges: ſo the Lord doth lea…. In that la… then was this Woman nouriſhed; for a time, times, and …alfe a time: that is, for the ſpace of three yeer…s a… …n hal…e, which are comprized from that fa…ous and laſ… …olt of the Iewes, which happened in the twelfth yeere of N…ro, vntounto the full and abſolute deſtruct…on of the Ci ty, for ſo much time paſſed till the ſacking of Ieruſalem; as may be gathered out of Ioſephus, Ioſe…h. lib. 7. cap. 12.and other Authors, which plainly report, that before the reuolt, there were heard many diuine preſages and predictions: amongſt which, that is very memo…ble, that during, the feaſt of Pentecoſt, there was not onelyonly heard a great noyſe in the Temple, but alſo a voyce vnderſtood by many, ſpeaking out of the Sanctuary, and ſaying: Let vsus depart from hence. This interpretation I follow the more willingly, becauſe it accordeth well with that manner of ſpeaking, which is vſed by the Prophet Daniel, Chapter 7. and it is vnderſtood literally of three yeares and a halfe. As alſo thoſe ſeuen times which muſt paſſe ouer Nabuchodonozor, whilſt he ſhould be out of his Kingdome, cannot ſignifie any other but ſeuen yeeres; beſides that, it preuenteth a great number of obiections, which our Adu…rſaries are went to make againſt all other expoſitions. As touching the 1260. daies, or 42. moneths, they no waies concerne this time: for euen for this cauſe it hath pleaſed God to vſe diuers ſorts of numbers, to ſignifie, that they are diuers Prophecies. So that 1260 daies, are not three yeeres and an halfe, but 1260. yeeres: after the which, God let looſe the reines of Antichriſt to ſight more furiouſly againſt the Saints, and to ouercome them, as it is ſaid, Apoc. 11.17. The which came to paſſe about the time of Boniface the eight, and the yeeres of our Lord 1300. And this according to the ordinary cuſtome of the Prophecies, where a day ſignifieth a yeere, as Numb. 14.34. According to the daies wherein you ſpied the Land, a yeere ſhall be counted for eueryevery day: and forty yeeres you ſhall beare the puniſhment of your iniquities And Ezech 4 6. Thou ſhalt beare the iniquity of the houſe of Iuda forty yeeres, I hauehave giuen thee a day for a yeere; I ſay one day for one yeere. A text by which th… I…ſuite Ribera, laboureth to proue, that theſe three daies and an halfe, during the which the dead bodies of the two Prophets mentioned Apoc. 11. ought to lye in the ſtreets of the great Citty, ſignifie t…e pretended three yeeres and an halfe of Antichriſts perſecution. But what can be more expreſſe to proue this, then the Prophecy of Daniels ſeuenty weekes, which cannot be referred to the time of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt,Galat …e Ar… Cath…l, … 4. vnleſſe we take daies for yeeres? as doe alſo Galatinus, Pererius, and other interpreters of Daniel.
Ob. 2 S. Iohn Apoc. 20. ſaith, that the vnlooſing of the diuell muſt be but for a ſhort time.Be… de Po…. R m. l…b. 3. cap. 8. And our Sauiour Chriſt himſelfe affirmeth: That if theſe daies were not ſhortened, no fleſh ſhould be ſaued. How can it be then that the kingdome of Antichriſt ſhould laſt 1260.Remondus cap. 48. yeeres? Or how are theſe daies cut ſhort, if they endure aboue a thouſand yeeres? In ſumme, Chriſt preached but three yeares and an halfe: it is not …refore fit that Antichriſt ſhould continue longer.
All this is from the purpoſe.Reſp. For the continuance … Antichriſt is one thing, and the continuance of Anti…riſts perſecution another. Antichriſt began to be in the …e of the Apoſtles, as hath beene often declared: but his …erſecution began after a thouſand yeares; whereof is …oken in the Apocalyps, and hath beene handled of vsus be…ore. This is therefore a bad concluſion: the perſecution of …ntichriſt ſhall laſt but a ſmall time, (for this is the meaning …f Saint Iohn by the looſing of Sathan,Ribera in Apo…. c. 1. num. 54. 55. 56.) therefore Anti…hriſt himſelfe ſhall continue but a ſmall time. Beſides, this ſmall time, muſt be vnderſtood figuratiuely, and in compariſon to him, before whom a thouſand yeares are but as one day; as Saint Peter ſpeaketh, 2. Peter 3.8. Touching the words of our Sauiour Chriſt, That if theſe dayes ſhould not be ſhortned, no fl…ſh ſhould be ſaued: but for the Elects ſake …hey ſhall be ſhortned: they make nothing to this matter in hand, as hath beene already declared.Euthym. in Mat cap. 57. Hee speaketh (ſaith Euthymius) of the dayes of the warre and ſiege of Ieruſalem, ſaying, that if theſe were not abbreuiated by diuine dispenſation, no fleſh, no perſon, to wit, of the Iewes, ſhould be ſaued, that is, cl…ap… death, and remaine aliue. For all had bene dead both thoſe that were within, and thoſe that were without: the one by Famine, the other by the Peſtilence or Sword, and all ſorts of deaths. So greatly was the fury of the Romanes incenſed againſt all the Iewes: and that euen againſt thoſe which were diſperſed through the world. Now, he calleth the faithfull that were among the Iewes, the Elect, for whoſe ſake the warre ceaſed the ſooner, to the end they might not periſh with the Infidels: but rather that ſome part of the Infidels might be ſ…ued by them: that no man might ſay that this was ſent of God for their cauſe which had beleeued in Ieſus Chriſt: But rather, that on the contrary, thoſe that remained aliue ſeeing that all that beleeued in Chriſt were preſerued from that deſtruction, they might vnderſtand thereby the true cauſe, and know certainely, that not onelyonly theſe periſh not, as not partaking with the incredulity of thoſe that were dead, but alſo that in that they themſelues were preſeru…d, was for their ſakes. Which agreeth very well with that which hath beene ſaid before, touching the preſeruation of the beleeuing Iewes in the Village of Pella The phi…act expounds it af…er the ſame maner.Theophil. …n Mat. cap 24. There ſhal be (ſaith he) an intollerable afflictions: for the Romanes ſhal command that none be pardoned. But Go… for their ſake, that ſhould beleeue among ſt the people, or that had already beleeued, doth not ſuffer all of them to be put to death, he ſhort…ed therefore theſe af…lictions and this warre: for if the warre had beene reinforced and continued, all thoſe that were in the Village ha… bene fami…hed. And as if he meant quite to ouerthrow the opinion of our Aduerſaries, he addeth: Some (ſaith he) vnderſtand theſe dayes of Antichriſt; but they are not ſo to be vnderſtood, but of the taking of Ieruſalem: for that that pertaineth to Antichriſt beginneth at theſe words. If any ſ…y vntounto you behold here is Christ, or he is there beleeue him not. What could be ſpoken more directly for the confutation of th… Obiection, and cleare demonſtration who is the true Antichriſt? Namely, hee that affirmeth that Chriſt, whom the Scripture aſſureth vsus to be in heauen at the right hand of his Father, is really and ſubſtantially a mo…ſell of P…ſte in a Cuboo…d, in a Bo…? Touching the conſequence from the time of our Sauiour Chriſts firſt preaching, to bee applyed to Antichriſts continuance, it is too ſlender a coniecture to be ballanced in ſo weighty a matter, where we ſeeke not after mens dreames, but the truth of God teſtified in his word. And therefore this imaginary terme of three yeares and an halfe doth not hinder, but that the Pope may be the true Antichriſt, and that the fift demonſtration whereby they labour to proue that Antichriſt is not come, is falſe and erroneous.