The Whole Revelation of John in Two Treatises, Treatise 2 · Chapter 10
CHAP. X.
THE ARGVMENT.
Nowe orderly ſhould followe the ſeuenth age, which the ſpirite of God beginneth not here to deſcribe, after the ſtyle of the other ſix: but firſt ſettes out a viſion conſonant and relatiue, with the viſion wherwith he began to deſcribe the eſtate of the primitiue church, and that becauſe Chriſt Ieſus, that came then in the fleſh, & ſpred the true light of his Euangell to the primitive Church, is nowe (after long darknes and horrible defectiō) returned by his Spirit to reſtore and open vp againe the ſame light and trueth to vsus, in this laſt age▪ And therefore he ſtaieth here the imperial or ſecular hiſtorie of this ſeuenth age, till the Eccleſiaſticall hiſtorie bee alſo farre proceeded. In this viſion, firſt is deſcribed the ſpiritual returning of Ieſus Chriſt to vsus, with the open worde of his trueth. Secondly, that now the ſeuen thunders or Angels of Gods great harueſt are comming, where Chriſt makes his ſolemne vow that in this ſeuenth age the world ſhall end. Laſt of all, (howe vnderunder the name of the Prophet) the whole Church at this time, ſhould rightly conceiue in their hart the true vnderſtanding and meaning of this reuelation, and ſhould preach and publiſh with their mouthes the ſame, more plainly of new againe to the whole world.
The Text.
1 AND I ſawe another mighty Angel come down from heauen, clothed with a cloud, & the rainbow vponupon his head, and his face was as the Sunne, and his feet as pillers of fire.
2 And hee had in his hand a litle booke open, and he put his right foot vponupon the ſea, and his left on the earth,
3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a ly on roareth: and when he had cried, ſeuen thunders vttred their voices.
4 And when the ſeuen thūders had vttred their voices, I was about to write: but I heard a voice from heauen, ſaying vntounto mee, Seale vp theſe things which the ſeuen thunders hauehave ſpoken, and write them not.
5 And the Angel which I ſaw ſtand vponupon the ſea and vponupon the earth, lift vp his hand to heauen,
6 And ſware by him that liueth for euermore, which created heauen, and the thinges that therein are, and the earth, & the things that therein are, and the ſea, and the things that therin are, that time ſhould be no more:
7 But in the daies of the voice of the ſeuenth Angel, after he ſhal blow the trumpet, euē the myſterie of God ſhal be finiſhed, as he hath declared to his ſeruants the Prophets.
8 And the voice which I hearde from heauen, ſpake vntounto me againe, & ſaide, Go, and take the litle booke, which is open in the hand of the Angel which ſtandeth vponupon the ſea, and vponupon the earth.
9 So I went vntounto the Angel, and ſaid to him, GiueGive me the litle booke. And he ſaide vntounto mee, Take it, and eate it vp, & it ſhall make thy bellie bitter, but it ſhall bee in thy mouth as ſweete as honie.
10 Then I took the litle book out of the Angels hand, and ate it vp, and it was in my mouth as ſweet as honie: but when I had eaten it, my bellie was bitter.
11 And hee ſaid vntounto me, Thou muſt prophecie among the people & nations, and tongues, & to manie kings.
The Paraphraſticall expoſition.
ANd now I ſawe another, euen the great Angel of the couenāt a Chriſt Ieſus by his holy Spirit deſcending from heauē, whō as now the world thought cloudie & knew not: ouer his head ſtood the ſign and memorie of his protection, & in the beautie of his face ſhined the bright light of eternall life, ſtanding cōſtant as a pillar in defence of the elect, & going as fierce as fire to confounde the wicked.
2 And he offered now at hand, the open trueth and revelation of theſe b Euangelical and propheticall myſteries, and ſubdued at laſt vnderunder his feet al empyres, both of ſea & land.
3 And he cryed and publikelie preached repentance by the mouthes of his Preachers, as the fearful voice of Lyons: and as that doctrine was preached the ſeuen terrible thunders c (preparers & reapers of Gods greate harueſt) began to forewarn their meſſage.
4 And when they had ſhewen forth and foretold the ſame, I thought to hauehave written it plainly, but (that being ſo greate a miſterie) I was commanded from heauen to d ſeale and cloſe vp the ſame in darke language (as cap. 14. I hauehave done) & not to write it plainly here.
5 And Chriſt Ieſus that great Angel, Dominatour now ouer ſea and land, ſolemnlie voweth, as one holding vp his hands to e the heavens,
6 And ſweareth by him that liueth for euer and euer, who made the heauens, and all that is therein, and the earth, and all that is therein, and the ſea, and all that is therein, that f time ſhall be no longer:
7 But in the daies of this ſeuenth age, euen g after the Angelles of this age, blowe forth the plague of Gods laſt wrath, the Antichriſt ſhall be deſtroyed, and Chriſts kingdome onelie erected, and the great h myſtery of Gods latter judgment, ending the prophecies of all Prophets, ſhal be perfourmed.
8 Then was I warned again, by that former voice of God, to goe now and receiue this cleare inſtruction of theſe myſteries, evangelicall and propheticall, at the hands of Chriſt Ieſus, Dominatour ouer ſea and land.
9 And I paſt, and craued earneſtlie of him to reveale nowe to mee (in the name of the whole Church) this revelation and knowledge, and Chriſt granting this our petition, commanded vsus al now in this age, to receiue this patent revelation and knowledge, and deeplie to ſwallow it vp, and ſettle it in our heartes, and it ſhall ingender within vsus the Spirite of his i zeale, and bitter indignation, deteſting horriblie al impietie, but to preach it out with our mouths, and disburthen our conſciences thereof, it ſhall bee moſt ſweete and comfortable for our ſoules.
10 Then (the true light being now come) we receiue this perfect and clear inſtruction at the hands of Chriſt Ieſus, and ſettle the ſame deeplie in our breaſts, & the preaching and conſtant profeſsion thereof with our mouths, becomes moſt pleaſant and delectable to our ſoules: but when we doe deeplie ponder the terrible plagues of God, prophecied therein, to come for our impiety, it moveth our bodies to quake, and our ſoules to be full of bitter anguiſh.
11 And Chriſt Ieſus by his Spirit reueiled vntounto me, that it behoofed me, that is to ſay, the whole miniſterie in me, to k preach forth this preſent revelation again in this laſt age, and plainelie open the prophecie thereof to all nations, people, tongues, kingdomes, and kinges thereof.
Notes, Reaſons and amplifications.
a This Angell, who here appeareth to Iohn, is all one with him whome Daniel ſaw in the ſimilitude of a man (Dan. 10.5. continewing to Daniels 12. chap. ver. 6.7) is euident by their commō ſignes and tokens, and for the ſame cauſe, hee who appeareth in the middes of the ſeven Candleſtickes (Apoc. 1.13) is alſo all one with them: For by Dan. 10.16.18. he is ſtiled, One like the ſimilitude of the Sonne of man or like appearance of a man. So Apoc. 1.13. he is ſtiled. One like vntounto the Sonne of man. In Daniel hee is girded with a golden girdle: So is hee alſo in Apoc. 1. In both places his face did ſhine, as here alſo it ſhineth: In all theſe places his feet wer as pillers of fire, and of fiery and burniſhed braſſe, and his voice terrible, as of a multitude of people, or of manie waters, or of a roring lyon. Againe, both there in Daniel & Apoc. 1. his eies burn as a flame of fire, or as burning lampes: Both Daniel and Iohn fall downe at his feet through feare, and he againe doth comfort thē both: Further, both in Dan. 12.6.7. and here in this chapter, he, ſtanding vponupon the waters, holds vp his handes, and ſweareth the end of times. So that without all doubt, that ſimilitude of a man that there appeared to Daniel, and Apoc. 1.13. appeared to Iohn, and this Angell here mentioned, muſt all three be one. But ſeeing he, who (Apoc. 1.13.) appeared to Iohn, is prooued there, note l thereof, to be Chriſt, ſpirituallie appearing: Therefore, both he, who there in Daniel appeared, & this Angell, who here appeares, is alſo Chriſt. And for cōfirmation hereof, none hath this book in heauen or earth, or is worthie to open the ſame, except Chriſt our Lambe, Apoc. 5.2.3.6. Therfore, he who here hath the ſame open in his hand, muſt be Chriſt.
b Of this booke of Reuelation (wherof Chriſt here beareth the type in his hand) onlie the hiſtoricall part, to wit, the ſeven ſeales thereof, is opened by Chriſt and his Apoſtles to the primitiue Church, in that that part was fulfilled in their daies. But the text doth neuer ſhew, that the booke within is opened vp, and offered patent to vsus, till now in this our ſeventh age, wherein Chriſt here (verſ. 2.) not onelyonly opens all the propheticall myſteries thereof, but alſo (ver. 9.) offereth the ſame to the Church, vnderunder the perſon of the Prophet: as thirdly, ordaineth them to preach the ſame ouer againe, openlie and patentlie to the whole worlde, wherethrow, without all queſtion, this is the time of knowledge euen preſentlie, of which ſaith Daniel chap. 12.4. Claude ſermones, & ſigna librum vſque in tempus ſtatutum. Cloſe vp theſe ſpeeches, and ſeal the book, vntill the time appointed.
c Howe ſoone in the beginning of this ſeuenth age, (about the year of Chriſt, 1541.) the light of the Evangell, and of theſe prophecies againſt the Antichriſte, begins to be reviued, and preached out by Ieſus Chriſt, in the mouthes of Luther, Caluin, and other his miniſters, euen that verie year begin the ſeven thunders of the latter day, and reapers of Gods great harueſt, to expreſſe their prophecies, euerie one of the firſt foure following other, by the ſpace of fourtie and nine yeares, as at length is ſhewed in our 12. and 13. propoſitions.
d At the command and voice of God, the prophecie of theſe thunders, is ſo ſealed and cloſed, that none could before the due time eſpie, either what they meaned, or where they were written: But the compleat time of Revelation and knowledge, ſpoken of by Daniel (chap. 12.4.9.13.) ſo ſeemeth by the dates contained both there in Daniel, and here in the Reuelation, to be come. And in this open booke, that Chriſt in this text proffereth to be ſo manifeſted, that we may certainly conclude nowe, that this, nor no other myſterie hereof is vnſearcheable: what therefore, theſe thunders be, is declared in our 11. propoſition; to wit, that they be the ſeuen reapers of God his great harveſt, mentioned Apoc. 14. No maruell then, though ſo greate a myſterie be commaunded to be cloſed, at the leaſt during the daies of the Antichriſtian tyrannie, that theſe that raigne in iniquitie, might continue ſtill therein, till vnawares, they be ruined (Math. 13.13.14.15.) like as contrariwiſe at length, and chieflie to the elect, the ſame is commaunded to be opened, & not ſealed, Apoc. 22.10. And ſo, though euen vntounto the wicked, I with manie mo, now write this patentlie, yet God hath prepared a vaile for their eies, that ſeeing they ſhal not ſee, till they goe into diſtruction.
e This is a compariſon and ſimilitude, taken from the geſture of men, when they make a ſolemne oath: and not meaning, that God ſweareth: for, the ſmalleſt woorde of his mouth is as ſure as an oath, yea, ſo ſure, that not one jot thereof ſhall periſh, (Mat. 5.18) The ſame oath you ſhall finde in Dan. 12.7. Alſo the like Gen. 22.16. The mention of this oath is but put here for the greater Emphaſis, to ſupplie our weake credit and beleefe.
f Then let the Pope and all earthlie Princes, looke for no longer delay, but that in this ſeventh age, alreadie begun in the yeare of Chriſt 1541. the corner ſtone Ieſus Chriſt, ſhal becom a mountaine, and ſhall deſtroy all temporal kingdomes, & raigne for euer Eſay. 2.2.3. Dan. 2.44. Pſal. 2.9. and before the 1786. yeare of Chriſt: yea, euen ſooner, to wit, when we ſee the tokēs and plagues of this age ſpent and paſt, then ſhal immediately come, the day of Gods dreadfull judgment, as more in ſpecial is declared in our 10. 13. and 14. propoſitions, and in chap. 14. following. With this vow confer the like, mentioned in Dan. 12.7.
gThe vulgar text ſaith here, Quum coeperit tuba canere conſummabitur myſterium magnum, that is, When he beginneth to blow the trumpet, &c. But the originall Greek may rather import, After hee ſhal blow the trumpet: for the word foreign may more juſtlie be taken for After rather than for immediately or incontinently when, &c. as is to be ſeen in Mar. 4.32. where foreign is taken for a long time after, and not inſtantlie: for there it is not meaned, that the ſeed which is ſowen, doeth inſtantlie riſe vp, &c. and Ioh. 8.28. by the worde foreign hee meaned not, that inſtātlie after the crucifying of Chriſt they ſhuld know him truly, but rather after a certaine progreſſe of time from his paſsion. We therefore, here juſtlie diſaſſent from the vulgare tranſlation, which makes the beginning of the ſeuenth blaſt to be the end of the world; where contrarilie, Apoc. 11.19. and Apoc. 16.18.19.20.21. there is mention made of ſome worldly cōmotions, betwixt the beginning of the ſeuenth blaſt or outpouring of the ſeuenth viall, and the latter day.
h What this myſterie is, & how it is the myſterie of the day of judgment & general reſurrection, read 1. Cor. 15. whol chap. ſpecially, verſ. 51. Behold, I ſhewe vntounto you a myſterie, &c.
i It is certain, that the knowledg of Gods myſteries, mortifieth in vsus al worldly joy, & makes vsus to conceiue horrible bitternes againſt worldly impietie, ſuch is the vehement zeale that the Spirit of God worketh in our bowels, as ye ſhal find in Ezech. 3.14. This bitternes alſo may be taken for the danger that it is to Preachers; to conceal and hide vp Gods myſteries, & due admonitions within their bowels, and not to disburthen their conſcience thereof, by preaching out the ſame, as may be ſeen of Ionah, chap. 1. & Paul teſtifieth the ſam, 1. Cor. 9, 16. ſaying, Wo were vntounto me if I preached not the Goſpel. But contrariwiſe, vponupon the other part, what ſweetnes and comfort commeth by preaching forth the ſame, read Pſa. 118.103. The like ye ſhal find in Ezech. 3.3.
k This prophecying ouer againe by the open booke, meaneth, that beſides Iohns firſt prophecying & writing of this Revelation, in cloſed and darke language, it muſt be prophecied, preached, & opened ouer againe by the whole Church in the name of Iohn, in theſe our daies of the the ſeuenth age, according to the perfect ſenſe, meaning, and interpretation thereof. The like is ſaid of Daniel chap. 12.13. That he muſt riſe and ſtand vp againe after manies yeares.