Exposition on the Catholic Epistles, Revelation · Chapter 19
CHAP. XIX.
AFter the vtter deſtruction of Babel repreſented, here followeth a repreſentation of the great ioy which ſhould hereupon bee amongſt the faithfull triumphing ouer her in heauen, together with the cauſe of her deſtruction and of her partakers, and the deſcription of the King by whom ſhee is deſtroyed.Brightman. Verſ. 1. Some will hauehave the Church of God vnderſtood by heauen, which hearing of the deſtruction of Babel praiſeth God for it, leſt if heauen bee properly vnderſtood it ſhould follow, that the Saints there know of the things done vponupon earth.Bullinger. Pareus. Graſſerus. But I ſubſcribe rather to thoſe that vnderſtand heauen properly, as they in heauen were exhorted before, Chap. 18.20. to reioyce ouer Babel fallen: for howſoeuer they are ignorant of particulars, yet it is not vnlikely but that they vnderſtand either by the relation of Angels, or by reuelation from God, what ingenerall is the ſtate of the Church in this world, elſe how could the ſoules of the ſlaine lying vnderunder the Altar cry out for reuenge vponupon perſecutors as not being yet taken?Reuel. 6.10. Moreouer, there went before a particular exhortation to reioyce for this, which argueth the notification of it in heauen by diuine reuelation.
Touching the ſong Hallaluiah, Verſ. 3.it is compounded of Hallalu, praiſe yee, and iah, the Lord, Hebrew words. It is a queſtion amongſt Expoſitors, why they are exhorted to praiſe God by an Hebrew word? To this ſome anſwer,Brightman. that myſtically the ioyning of the Iewes, who ſhould now be conuerted to the faith, is intimated, but moſt without any ſuch myſtery hold that a word of this language is choſen, as in many other paſſages, in alluding to the old manner of praiſing God in his Church that firſt was:Bullinger. Pareus. for Halleluiah in prefixed before many of the Pſalmes, as a word then ordinarily vſed to praiſed God. And for the ſame cauſe the Arke of the Teſtimony, the Altar, and Cenſers with incenſe are mentioned before, becauſe what was, and was done in the Temple of God of old amongſt the Hebrewes, did ſerue to figure out what ſhould be,Verſ. 4. and be done afterwards in heauen. Touching the foure and twenty Elders, and foure beaſts, who hauehave hitherto ſtood by as ſpectatours of all that hath beene done, and now giuegive their applauſe and approbation, it hath beene already ſhewed what they are,Verſ. 6. Chap. 4.4. &c. The voice of all the multitude that ſtirre vp to praiſe God compared to the ſound of many waters and of thunder, is ſo compared, to ſet forth the greatneſſe of the company, for they muſt needs bee very many from whom ſuch a loud ſounding voyce muſt come.Verſ. 7. The matter of this ioy next vntounto the ruine of Babel, is the marriage of the Lambe approching, and the adorning of his wife for the marriage. This wife is the woman before ſpoken of Chap. 12. that fled into the wilderneſſe from the face of the Dragon, but her enemies that ſought her life being deſtroyed, ſhee is brought in now againe, her weeds of mourning and ſorrow being laid away, and garments of ioy and gladneſſe, as of a Bride going to be married, being put vponupon her. For after the ouerthrow of Popery, there ſhall be no enemies any more to cauſe mourning and wearing of ſack cloth, but a moſt flouriſhing eſtate of the Church begun here, and ſoone after perfected in heauen. For I doe not thinke, that the ioyfull time of this marriage here ſet forth, is to be vnderſtood onelyonly of the flouriſhing eſtate of the Church in this world after ſo long a time of perſecution, but becauſe here is both a preparation and a marriage Supper, both the time of the Churches ioyfull condition for a time here where it is prepared, and hereafter in heauen where the marriage is perfected and the ſupper held, are included: for here the Church is prepared for the Bridegroome Chriſt by ſanctification through the word and Sacraments, which hauehave now their courſe more freely than in times paſt, there ſhe is preſented vntounto him, and they being really ioyned, a feaſting ſupper is held of heauenly comfort and ioy euerlaſtingly. And this is the apparelling of ſine linnen granted to the Church here ſpoken of, which is ſaid to be the righteouſneſſe of the Saints: but it is to be noted, that it is ſpoken in the plurall number foreign, righteouſneſſes, intimating, as one hath well obſerued,Brightman. Verſ. 8. both the righteouſneſſe that is by faith imputatiuely, and that holineſſe which by the ſpirit of grace is wrought in the Saints: for inherent holineſſe is imperfect in the beſt, and therefore cannot iuſtifie, and faith, where this is wanting, is feeble and dead, and ſo vnable to iuſtifie. That we may therefore be fully iuſtified, both are neceſſary, faith to lay hold vponupon the perfect righteouſneſſe of Chriſt, who is our iuſtification, and inherent holineſſe to make this garment of righteouſneſſe ſhine before men. Nothing is more vſuall in this booke, than by white and pure cloathing to ſet forth the ſanctity and innocency of Gods ſeruants, ſee Chap. 3. verſ. 4. verſ. 18. Here ſome in Sardis are commended, for that they had not defiled their garments, and they of Laodicea are counſelled to get them white garments by reforming their wickedneſſe, in reſpect of which they were ſaid before to be naked: yet wee are not here with the Ieſuice to conceiue,Ribera. that the Saints are iuſt before God by their owne righteouſneſſe, for this is contrary to the whole courſe of Scripture, whereby eueryevery one, yea the beſt is concluded to be a ſinner. But by the Spirit of God wee are ſanctified, and ſo prepared for the Bride groome, ſo many as beleeue, and by beleeuing lay hold vponupon the bloud of Chriſt, without which our garment of ſanctity is ſpo…ted, but with which it is waſhed white, as is ſaid of the martyred Saints, They waſhed their robes white in the bloud of the Lambe. Reuel. 7.14.Let no man then truſt to his owne righteouſneſſe, nor yet to the righteouſneſſe of Chriſt, which he thinketh is imputatiuely made his, if there be in him a naked and bare faith onelyonly, but conſider that the cloathing of the Bride is righteouſnes, and therefore let him ſo reſt vponupon the one, as that he neglect not the other, relie onelyonly vponupon Chriſts righteouſneſſe to ſaluation, but vntounto this get ſanctity of heart and life, becauſe otherwiſe it is dead and profiteth not vntounto ſaluation.
In that Iohn falling downe and worſhipping the Angell that talked with him is reproued and bidden to worſhip God onelyonly,Verſ. …. it is plaine, that all religions falling downe before any creature, how excellent ſoeuer, is vnlawfull, and by all meanes to be auoided. The reaſon why hee would not be worſhipped of Iohn is, becauſe he was his fellow ſeruant, and of them that hauehave the teſtimony of Ieſus, for the teſtimony of Ieſus is the Spirit of prophecie. If becauſe hee was a Spirit comming from the Lord with this reuelation, he were conceiued to be worthy of worſhip, it muſt be vnderſtood, that euen in this hee was the fellow of Iohn and the reſt of the Apoſtles, to whom the ſecrets of God were reuealed alſo, and ſo they had that within them which was as excellent as an Angell, for in that they had the teſtimony of Ieſus, they had the ſpirit of prophecy, and hauing ſuch a ſpirit, they were no vnderlings that ought a duty to the Angels in heauen, but euen fellowes vntounto them. And if they be fellow ſeruants to the Apoſtles, then to all the faithfull alſo, ſeeing they all make but one body in Chriſt.
That which followeth touching one ſitting vponupon a white horſe,Verſ. 11. who appeared vntounto Iohn, the heauen being opened, it is generally agreed that he is Chriſt Ieſus. Hee doth not now appeare in this manner,Bullinger. as if according to the order of this viſion he did not begin, till now to fight againſt the enemies of his truth: for how ſhould Babylon then hauehave fallen, and the beaſt hauehave beene deſtroyed? But this fall and deſtruction hauing beene hitherto ſet forth in the proper place vnderunder the figure of Angels powring out their vials, and cutting downe with ſharpe ſickles, and by a voyce calling vponupon the kings of the earth to be reuenged, which they act accordingly now as was needfull, the Captaine of theſe armies imployed in theſe warres commeth at the laſt to be deſcribed, both by the place of his reſidence heauen, the forme wherein he goeth to the warres, vponupon a white horſe, the name by which hee is called faithfull and true, iudging the word of God, the Lord of lords, and King of kings, his parts and apparell, eyes like flames of fire, a mouth out of which went a two-edged ſword, many crownes vponupon his head, a veſture dipt in bloud, and alſo by his traine, the armies of heauen following him vponupon white horſes, and his dominion, he ruleth all nations with a rod of iron.
Whereas his name is ſaid to be ſuch,Pareus. that no man knew it but himſelfe, and yet by and by it is ſaid, that his name is the word of God, it is to be vnderſtood, that no man could know Chriſt to be the Word and God, but by reuelation. The laſt iudgement hath beene often mentioned before, but the Iudge hath neuer beene deſcribed, wherefore it was neceſſary now at the laſt to ſet downe this ample deſcription of him.
The Angell that ſtandeth in the Sunne, Verſ. 7.crying to the fowles to gather themſelues together to the Supper of the great God, doth ſet forth nothing elſe,Bullinger. but how open and manifeſt a deſtruction of Antichriſt and his adherents ſhall be made, when the time of their finall ouerthrow ſhall come, it ſhall be as manifeſt to all the world as the Sunne in the firmament. That whereunto the fowles are inuited, is the ſupper of God,Verſ. 18. conſiſting of the fleſh of Kings and Captaines, and of mighty men, and horſes, &c. this is altogether allegoricall, being taken out of Ezechiel, the meaning is,Ezech. 39.17. Bullinger. Pareus, &c. that as when men are deſtroyed in the warres, their cakaſſes, of all eſtates and degrees, lie as a prey to the fowles of the aire, theirs and their horſes and retinues, and when it falleth out to be thus, it is a ſigne of their vtter deſtruction, ſo the Lord would hereby hauehave it vnderſtood, that Antichriſt and his followers, the Kings and others that ſhall ſtill obſtinately cleaue to him, when by others repenting and reuolting from him he ſhall be impugned and weakened, ſhall hauehave a day, when as re-uniting their forces to repaire the broken ſtate, they ſhall be vtterly deſtroyed, neuer being able to make head againe till the comming of the Lord to iudgement, at what time they ſhall be taken and caſt into euerlaſting fire.Bullinger. Pareus. Brightman. So that here the end of the gathering together of the kings into Harmageddon vnderunder the Angell with the ſixt viall, ſeemeth to bee fully ſet forth, which was but intimated there. Whereas in the next place,Verſ. 20. the beaſt and falſe prophet are ſaid to be taken and caſt aliue into the lake burning with fire and brimſtone, and then the remnant are ſlaine, the fowles filling themſelues with their fleſh: it is not to be conceiued, that the Popes deſtruction in hell being effected, the company cleauing to him ſhould after this fall by the ſword; but his end, as the principall is firſt ſet downe, who it ſeemeth ſhall not bee vtterly deſtroyed till the comming of Chriſt vntounto iudgement, but ſhall ſtand ſtill, though Rome be burnt, lurking in ſome other place till the end, for thus much ſeemeth to be implied in the word aliue, ſhall be caſt aliue. And his end being thus ſet downe firſt, as hee is the firſt and chiefe in oppoſing the truth of God, the deſtruction of his adherents followeth next, they ſhall bee ſlaine with the ſword in the laſt great battell which they ſhall fight for him in Harmageddon, which ſhall be ſome time before the day of iudgement, and therefore their finall caſting into hell alſo is not ſpoken of as being improper to this place, but that hell fire ſhall be their portion alſo when the day of iudgement commeth, is plaine from other places, Chap. 14.10. c. 13.8.
Some conceiuing a little otherwiſe of this paſſage,Brightman. Forbs. ſay that Chriſt vponupon a white horſe doth figure out the ioyfull condition of the Church in theſe times of Antichriſts ouerthrow in Harmageddon; and the Angell in the Sunne, ſome prime Champion of the Lord in theſe Weſterne parts, who ſhall be a Captaine and ringleader to others vntounto that battell, and the fowles the Chriſtians ſuruiuing after Antichriſt vtterly deſtroyed, who ſhall diuide all thoſe parts amongſt themſelues, and poſſeſſe them that were before vnderunder the Pontifician rule. For they ſay that Rome being deſtroyed, the Pope ſhall reſide a certaine time at ſome other place, as at Auinion or ſome other, but not about fiue and forty yeeres, which time being expired, the vnfortunate battell in Harmageddon ſhall bee fought, where all the Pontifician forces and the Pope alſo being quite ouerthrowne, the Orthodox ſhall prey vponupon their lands and houſes, and poſſeſſe them from thence forward to the end. And whereas two diuers puniſhments, of fire and brimſtone for the Pope, and being ſlaine with the ſword for his followers are mentioned, they vnderſtand them both of temporall iudgments, the one of the Pope, being ſo ſet forth as moſt grieuous according to the exceſſe of his ſin aboue all others, whereof many ſhall yet at the laſt turne and ſubmit themſelues to the truth. This, howſoeuer it be witty, yet it cannot ſtand, both becauſe the finall deſtruction of the Pope ſhall be at the day of iudgement, after which there ſhall be no entring vponupon earthly poſſeſſions,2 Theſſ. 2.8. and becauſe the Scripture doth not admit of ſuch an expoſition of fire and brimſtone, as whereby it may be applied to temporall deſtruction, and therefore I reſt vponupon the former expoſition as moſt genuine. The ſtrength of the Papacy ſhall bee in ſome deſperate attempt againſt the truth quite diſanulled, and at the laſt iudgement he in perſon ſhall be deſtroyed in hell fire for euer and euer.