The Whole Revelation of John in Two Treatises, Treatise 2 · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
THE ARGVMENT.
God hauing in the fift ſeale aboue written, promiſed the revenge of his Martyres blood, and in the ſixt ſeale begun the ſame vponupon the Romane Emperours, conſenters thereunto▪ and being of purpoſe to doe the like againſt the Iewes, that were executers thereof: Here in this chapter he ſetteth out howe before that deſtruction of the Iewes, in this next plague, and alſo before the whole plagues, that are to come both on Iew and Gentile, in the ſeuen ages following, he wil firſt of his tender care, reſerue and marke his owne of eueryevery tribe of Iſrael, ſo that theſe with infinite of the Chriſtian Gentiles ſhal reioice in that deliuery, & ſhal giuegive praiſe therfore to God.
The Text.
1 ANd after that▪ I ſaw four Angels ſtād on the foure corners of the earth, holding the foure Spirites of his wrath, from blowing foorth as yet their vengeance on maine landes, Ilandes, or people of the world.
2 And I perceiued Eaſterlie b towarde Ieruſalem, that Chriſte the greate Angel, and day ſpring from on high, who hath the c ſeales and badges of ſaluation, did by the mightie voice of his worde, commande theſe Angels, who had power ouer the ſaide deſtroying Spirites of the earth, and Ilands thereof.
3 Saying, Let ye them not hurte the landes, Ilandes, nor the people of the worlde, till wee hauehave ſealed and put the marke of Gods protection d patentlie, vponupon all his true ſeruants.
4 And I hearde the number of thoſe that out of e all the tribes of Iſraell, Chriſt had ſealed with the profeſsion of his Evangell, and mark of his protection, to be an f hundred fourtie foure thouſand.
5 To wit, of the Tribe of Iuda wer marked f twelue thouſande Chriſtians. Of the Tribe of Reuben wer marked twelue thouſand Chriſtians. Of the tribe of Gad were marked twelue thouſand Chriſtians.
6 Of the Tribe of Aſher were marked twelue thouſand Chriſtiās. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were marked twelue thouſand Chriſtians. Of the Tribe of Manaſſes were marked twelue thouſand Chriſtians.
7 Of the Tribe of Simeon were marked twelue thouſand Chriſtians. Of the tribe of Levi were marked twelue thouſande Chriſtians. Of the tribe of Iſhachar were marked twelue thouſand Chriſtians. Of the tribe of Zebulon were marked twelue thouſand Chriſtians.
8 Of the tribe of Ioſeph twelue thouſand Chriſtians: finally, of the tribe of Beniamin were marked twelue thouſande Chriſtians.
9 Then of the Gentiles I conſidered the Congregation to be out of number, euen of all kinreds, people, nations & tongues, who ſtanding conſtant before this throne of Gods trueth, and in preſence of Chriſt Ieſus, clad with the white garments of innocencie of heart, and hauing the joyfull palmes of righteouſneſſe and vpright doing in their handes.
10 Publikelie profeſſed with their mouthes, that al ſaluation commeth from God, that ſits on the throne of his trueth, and from his Sonne Chriſt Ieſus.
11 Like as all the whole Angels & heavenlie armie of God, that awaites about that throne of Gods trueth, in defence thereof, and of the holie doctrine of the twentie four books of the old Teſtament, and foure Evangeliſtes, proſtrated themſelues before Gods throne, and worſhipping him confirmed the ſame.
12 Yeelding praiſe and glorie, wiſdom and thankes, with honour, power, and might vntounto our God for euermore, Sobeit.
13 And as g Eſay one of the 24. Elders, writing (cap. 63.1) Who is this that commeth from Edom in red garments, from Bozra, he is glorious in his apparell, &c. I judged alſo by him, to know what they were that were arrayed in theſe white robes.
14 So I found in him (verſ. 9) that theſe be Gods holy Iſrael, whō he hath brought out of trouble, and redeemed them, and (as chap. 1.18.) hath made them white as ſnowe, and clean as wol, though they had bene red as ſcarlet.
15 And that becauſe (verſ. 16) they ceaſ d to doe euill, and learned to doe good, &c▪ and ſo ſerued God continually, and hauehave God dwelling among them.
16 Theſe, ſaith he (chap. 49.10.) ſhal no more hauehave h hunger, nor thirſte in their ſouls, nor the burning Sunne, or the i heat of perſecution to wither them.
17 For Chriſt, which is in the midds of his throne and true profeſſours, ſhal guide them, and lead them to drinke of the liuelie doctrine and fountaines of his ſpirituall waters, and (chap. 25.8) ſhal wipe away the teares of dolour from their eies, and giuegive them ſpiritual comfort.
The Paraphraſticall expoſition.
1 AFterward I conſidered, that on all the foure quarters of the earth, God had his holie a Angelles ſtaying the windes of the earth, that the winds ſhuld not blow on the erth, nether on the ſea, neither on any tree.
2 And I ſawe another Angell come vp from the Eaſt, which had the ſeale of the liuing God, and he cryed with a loude voice to the four angels, to whō power was giuen to hurt the earth and the ſea,
3 Saying, hurt ye not the earth, neither the ſea, neither the trees, til we hauehave ſealed the ſervants of our God in their fore-heads.
4 And I heard the number of them, which were ſealed, & there vvere ſealed an hūdreth & four & fourtie thouſande of all the tribes of the children of Iſraell.
5 Of the tribe of Iuda wer ſealed twelue thouſand. Of the tribe of Reuben were ſealed twelue thouſand. Of the tribe of Gad, were ſealed twelue thouſand.
6 Of the tribe of Aſher were ſealed twelue thouſand. Of the tribe of Nepthali were ſealed twelue thouſand. Of the tribe of Manaſſes were ſealed twelue thouſand.
7 Of the tribe of Simeō were ſealed twelue thouſand. Of the tribe of Leui wer ſeled twelf thouſād. Of the tribe of Iſhachar wer ſeled twelue thouſād Of the tribe of Zabulon wer ſealed 12 thouſand.
8 Of the tribe of Ioſeph were ſealed twelue thouſand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were ſealed twelue thouſand.
9 After theſe thinges I beheld, & lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of al nations & kinreds, & people, & tongues, ſtood before the throne, & before the Lamb, clothed with long white robes, and palmes in their hands.
10 And they cried with a loud voice, ſaying, Salvatiō cōmeth of our God, that ſitteth vppon the throne, and of the Lamb.
11 And all the Angels ſtoode rounde about the throne and about the Elders, & the four beaſts, & they fel before the throne on their faces, and worſhipped God,
12 Saying, Amen. Praiſe & glorie, and wiſdome, & thanks▪ and honour, and power, and might, be vntounto our God for evermore, Amen.
13 And one of the Elders ſpake, ſaying vntounto me, What are theſe which are arayed in long white robes? and whence came they?
14 And I ſaid vntounto him Lord▪ thou knoweſt. And he ſaid to me, Theſe are they which came out of greate tr bulation, and hauehave waſhed t eir long robes, & hauehave made their long robes, white in the blood of the Lambe.
15 Therfore, ar they in the preſence of the throne of God, and ſerue him day & night in his Temple, & he that ſits on the throne wil dwel among them.
16 They ſhall hunger no more, neither thirſt any more, neither ſhal the Sunne light on them, nor anie heat.
17 For the Lambe, which is in the middes of the throne, ſhall governe them and ſhall lead thē vntounto the liuely fountains of waters, and God ſhall wipe away all teares frō their eies.
Notes, Reaſons, and Amplifications.
a Correſpondent to the four quarters of the earth, the Prophet here by a prophetical phraſe and conformitie of language, ſetteth downe foure Angels, and foure executers of Gods wrath, whereas they ar innumerable. The Iewes alſo hauehave books of antiquitie, deviding the government of the earth among foure great Angels, & vnderunder them to be many inferiour Angels: But theſe aſſertiōs being more curious thā certain, or pertinent to vsus to know, we leaue this, and returning to the expoſition of the text, what theſe foure Angels and winds be. We ſay, the four Angels appear by the text, to be good angels, bearing command ouer theſe winds, whom we eſteeme to be euil Angels, executers of Gods wrath, at command of the other: for althogh theſe Angels (ver. 2) ar forbidden to hurt the earth, yet that inferres not thē to bee euil Angels, more than where the like is ſaid to God, Lead vsus not into temptation; but contrarilie, in ſo far here as of thēſelues, they ſtay theſe winds & blaſts of Sathans tyranny, to hurt the earth, they muſt needs bee good Angels, & the winds evill Angels. And wheras theſe firſt foure, are by the text, readie to hurt, or not to hurt the earth, according as they be commanded of Chriſt that great Angell. Yet for as much as that hurt ſeemeth to be executed not by them, but (ver. 1) by theſe winds, whom they hauehave power to looſe or bind: Therfore, apparantlie, theſe foure Angels be the good Angels of God, and the foure windes, the Spirites of Sathan, and executers of vengeance.
b This day ſpring or riſing in the Eaſt, may two waies be vnderſtood, to wit, either as an epithet of Chriſtes, as Zach. 3.8. and Luk. 1.78. called by Hieroms tranſlation, Oriens ex alto, &c. Or then it may be vnderſtood, that Chriſt aroſe vp, and abode Eaſterlie aboue Ieruſalem, to ſeale his elect-Iſraelites there, with his protection: For Ieruſalem lieth Eaſterlie, both from Pathmos, where Saint Iohn wrote, as alſo, from the Churches of Aſia to whome he wrot.
c This mark is a compariſon from ſhepherds, who as they mark their ſheepe, ſo Chriſt our Shepheard, marketh vsus with the marke of his profeſsion and protection, alluding here to the Symbole of the Paſſeouer. Exod. 12.22. The like hereof read in Ezech. 9.
d Chriſt marketh vsus with no ſecret marke, but patētlie in our foreheads, meaning thereby, that vowablie and with bolde faces, we muſt profeſſe the marke of Chriſtians. Saying with Saint Paul, I am not aſhamed of the Goſpel, &c. Rom. 1.16. For who denieth him here, he will denie them in heaven. Matth. 10.33. & 2. Tim. 2.12.
e Among theſe Tribes Dan is left out, and in his ſtead is put in the Tribe of Ioſeph, meaning Ephraim, Ioſephs yongeſt ſonne: For Manaſſes, Ioſephs eldeſt ſonne, is put in for himſelfe. Why Dan is ſo left out, the reaſon appeareth to be, that that Tribe hath bene more accurſed than the reſt: for by the Spirit of God, it is called (Gen. 49.17) a Serpent, or an Adder, and is called a Lyons whelp, Deut. 33.22. and for their golden Calues and great idolatrie, appeareth by Amos 8.14. that they fel, and neuer roſe againe, and ſo could not be participant of this Chriſtian mark.
f The Spirite of God here expreſſeth the number of an hundred fourtie & four thouſand, to wit, twelue thouſand of euerie Tribe, not that everie Tribe was aequall, or that the number was ſo in whole thouſandes without oddes▪ as if there were neither more, nor fewer, as though we would addict the Spirite of God to reſolue and ſatisfie our curioſities▪ but the meaning of the Spirit of God hereinto, is to ſatisfie our comfort, and not our curious ſcrupuloſitie, giuing to vsus Gentiles and to the Chriſtian Iewes, that comfort, that whereas we raſhlie feare that we bee left alone to ſerue Chriſt, & that none mo than we of Iſrael are choſen, as Elias judged (3. Reg. 19.18. and Rom. 11.3.4.5.) God will let vsus knowe, that he hath ſealed about twelue thouſand of everie Tribe: where note for certaintie, that in ſpeaking to men, and in accompting of men, the Spirite of God ſpeaks after the phraſe of men, in rejecting the ods, and in ſpecifying the perfect or whole number, that is neereſt the trueth, in ſteed of the trueth. And as to this number no maruell indeede it is, though in the long time of theſe ſeven plagues following, there be about 144000 of the Iſraelites elected Chriſtians, of men, women, and children, ſeeing euen beſide women & children, & impotent men, there wer at once of Iſraelites, in the only daies of Dauid, thirteen hundred thouſand fighting men. For here is neither meaned, that theſe were all at this one time, neither that they wer altogether marked at this time, but hereby he meaneth, this to be a time of the beginning of troubles, from the which, alwaies he ſignifieth hereby, that hee will exeme his own, not onlie by preſeruing thē ſucceſsiuelie, as they are borne in the worlde, but alſo by bringing their parentes for their ſakes through theſe troubles, that of them they may be procreated. Of theſe read further. Apoc. 14.1. and note a thereof.
g Let none doubt that the 24. Elders do ſignifie the 24. books of the olde Teſtament; although theſe words, here ſpoken by one of the 24. Elders, bee not found word by word, and altogether in anie of the bookes of the old Teſtament; for the Teſtimonies cited by Chriſt and his Apoſtles, are not all to be found word by word in the olde Teſtament: as the words cited in Math. 27.9. out of Ieremie, are not to bee founde togither in any one parte of Ieremie, and in Zach. 11.12. that ſentence is found neereſt, but not word by word. Alſo that Sōg, which in the Rev. 15.3. is called the Song of Moſes, is not to be foūd word by word in Moſes Song, neither in any of the fiue books of his Pentateuchon. The lik is to be ſeen in diuers other places of Scripture: For God (as is ſaid in the former note) trauels to ſatisfie our comfort, but not our curioſity. For, althogh not ſcrupulouſly in wordes, yet ſubſtantially in ſentēces, al ſpokē here by this. Elder, is contained in Eſay. For, firſt, in deſcribing vvho is he that was clad in red garments, &c. (Eſay 63.) It foloweth of neceſsity tacitely, that he ſheweth what it is alſo to be clothed in white, ſeeing in this caſe they ar contraries: For wheras he interpreteth, that to be clothed in red, meaneth bloodſhed, and ſlaughter: to be clothed in white garmentes, muſt meane puritie, innocencie, cleannes and holines: againe, yet more amplie (Eſay. 1.18.) is expreſſed what is meant by cleane wool, white as ſnowe, & by red crimoſin and skarlet, whereas hee ſaith, though thy ſinnes vvere as crimoſin and red as skarlet, they ſhall be made vvhite as ſnowe, & clean as wool. So then none can denie, but here Eſay interpreteth ſufficiently, that to be white as ſnowe, or to bee clothed in white garments, or in clean wool, is to be purged, and made cleane and holy from ſin. And in like maner, as toward the reſt of the ſentences ſpoken here by this Elder, they are all expreſly contained in Eſay, as they are quoted in the Paraphraſe, which ſeeing none of the other Elders or 24. books of the old Teſtament doe containe, Therefore without al doubt, Eſay is this Elder here meant of.
h This hunger & thirſt cited by Iohn here out of Eſay, meaneth the hunger and thirſt of our ſouls for the word of God, as is plainly interpreted in Amos. 8.11.12.
i Though the Sonne for the moſt part, is taken for the light of the Goſpell, and for the ſpirituall eſtate it ſelfe: yet, when the burning heat thereof, is ſet oppoſite againſt the ſeede of the Goſpel, and liuely ſpringes of true doctrine (as here) then doth the Sunne mean the heat of perſecutiō, this is plainly prooued by the fourth chapter and 6. verſe of Mark, and by the 17. ver. thereof, that interpreteth the ſame. Read more hereof Apoc. 6. note. h. thereof.