A Revelation of the Holy Apocalypse, Part 2 · Chapter 20
CHAPTER XX.
The Diuells are not ſimply bound.
And I ſaw an Angell comming downe from heauen hauing the key of the Pit, and a great chaine in his hand, and he laid hold vponupon the Dracon, the old Serpent, which is the Diuell and Satan, and he bound him a thouſand yeeres, and cast him into the Pit, and ſhut him vp, and ſealed vponupon him, that he ſhould not deceiue the nations any more vntill the thouſand yeeres were ended: Afterwards he muſt be looſed a litle while.
THAT the Diuels are not ſimply bound, one houre, Iob. 1. and 1. Pet. 5. teach vsus: when they fell the ſixt day: miſliking the charge of care ouer man: the darke ayer wherin we breath, a black Tartarus, without ſtarre-light, is their lodging: in chaines of Gods prouidence, as if they were in priſon. So, wee may not thinke that the Diuels were euer ſimply bound: but they were in the Pit, whence at the laſt the locuſts came foorth: among the company of the profance: that they deceiued not the great number ſealed, chap. 7. and former martyrs, ch. 6. But for a thouſand yeeres, ſome reigned in all ages with Chriſt, and many were martyred, and moo vndeceiued, to worſhippe the beaſt and his Image, & to take the marke in the forehead or hand. They liued the true life by the Goſpell: where all faithleſſe aliue, 1. Tim. 5. 6.be dead (in ſinne) as S. Peter ſaith: and Zeror Hamor, infinitely. The Apoſtles in their ages liued & reigned with Chriſt, and Iuſtine Martyr and Athenagoras, and ſuch in their ages: Athanaſius and many of his tyme, and ſo others in their ages: liued heere the Chriſtian life, and reigned as Kinges; ſacrificing their owne affections, chap. 1. Some in all partes of the thouſand yeeres, not altogether a thouſand yeeres. The reſt of the dead, did not reuiue, vntill the thouſand yeeres were ended: as the profane Caeſares, and Idolatrous Locuſts: who had great occaſion offred to the firſt reſurrectiō, with Chriſt, Rom. 6. Eph. 2. But they being dead in ſin, deſpiſed the truth, and reuiued not. The firſt reſurrection is by faith, to be riſen with Chriſt. He is happy and holy that hath his portion in the firſt reſurrection. The ſecond death ſhall hauehave no power ouer them: but they ſhalbe ſacrificers of God, and of Chriſt, and there ſhall be ſuch, to reigne with him for a thouſand yeares.
From Adam, of 1000. yer. Satan deceiued not generally while the Fathers liued: that the flood was denounced, in the old world, & in the world now of 900. Chanaans ſinne was growing to ripenes: Amalek of 1000. came not to Amans pride: as Iſrael bred not Sadducees of 1000. yer. nor Rome gate rule to deceiue whole ſtates, of a thouſand yeres. Now the text will be cleare.
The Pope deceiued not generally till, 1000. yerees.
And I ſaw thrones, on which men ſate: and iudgement was giuen to them, and the ſoules of them that were beheaded for the testimony of IESVS, and for the word of God, and which worſhipped not the beaſt, nor his Image: nor tooke the marke in their forehead, or vponupon their hand: but they liued and reigned with CHRIST, the 1000. year. The rest of the dead did not reuiue of the 1000. year. This is the firſt reſurrection. Bleſſed and holy is he that hath part in the firſt reſurrection. The ſecond death hath no power ouer them: but they ſhalbe ſacrificers of GOD and CHRIST: and reigne with him a 1000. year.
Heere then, be martyrs, and holy for 1000. year. But the ſtarre-worme-wood, and the darkened ſtarres, and the locuſts they continued, in profane heathen lot: and the Diuels were in their pit, helping them to ſett him looſe: to vex the holy Church: for the old Ieruſalem: which Chriſt pronunced, that it ſhould be Iebus, or troden downe for euer.
And when the thouſand yeres are finiſhed, Satan ſhall be let looſe out of the Priſon: and ſhall goe foorth to deceiue the nations, ouer the foure corners of the earth: Gog and Magog, togather them vntounto warres: whoſe nūber is as the ſand of the ſea.
The Pope to weaken Princes did ſet them on, to recouer the holy land, which God would hauehave to abide curſed: that Iewes might ſee their ſinne; killing Chriſt: this would the Pope hauehave recouered: and Rome in a thouſand yeeres, could not learne this one chapter, nor remember old Gog and Magog: how the Pope now reuiueth that warre, in my Concent, I hauehave ſhewed the termes meaning. Thence the Reader may fetch it. The Iewes Ieruſalem was holy: but now the Chriſtian Church is the beloued Citie, and the tents of the holy, which, to beſiege and weaken, hee ſtirred this warres for deſolate Ieruſalem.
The Pope weakened the Weſt in ſuperſtition, prouoking to warre, for (as he termed it) the holy Land.
And they aſcended ouer the breadth of the earth: and compaſſed the Tent of the holy, and the beloued Citie.
All the ſtrength of the Weſt was deceiued by ſuperſtition, to goe fight in the Eaſt for Antioch: in the land of Magog: and other ſoiles neere Ieruſalem: and all the force of Machmad, from the Eaſt aſſembled: and 200. yea. the poore Church was afflicted: that afterwards Popes might ſet Kings vp and down, as they would. And Machmad ſtill ſince hath vexed the Weſt: and the king of Locuſts now hath 300. yeares, beeing a new Gog and Magog, vexed the Church.
And a fire came downe from heauen, and ate them vp.
As Satan dealth with Iobs ſheepe, he dealth with the Popes ſheepe, to eate them vp with fire. Euen thence to the worlds end, chap. 19. which matter is heere briefly repeated: and in that which followeth.
The Pope is a Beast of Empire by his might.
And the Diuell which deceiued them, was caſt into the lake of fire and brimſtone: where the Beast, and falſe prophet, and they, ſhall be tormented day and night for euer and euer.
The Pope is a Beaſt of Empire by his might, and ſo the eight is alſo the ſeauenth: and hee with his Clergie is alſo the falſe prophet. Heere Papiſts may ſee what ſhall become of them.
A liuely deſcription of the latter Iudgement.
And I ſaw a great white throne, and one ſitting vponupon it: from whoſe preſence the Earth and the Heauen fled, and no place was found for them: and I ſaw the dead, ſmall and great ſtanding before God, and bookes were opened.
All mens doings are in record before God, as written in bookes, the like ſpeech is in Daniel, chap. 7.
And another Booke was opened, which is of life: and the dead were iudged by the things written in the bookes, according to their workes.
All that put not on Chriſt, are condemned for their works.
Now the ſea had giuen vp her dead: and death and the graue had giuen vp her dead. And they were iudged eueryevery one according to his workes: and death and Haides foreign were caſt into the lake of fire: this is the ſecond death.
Death and Haides, are expounded in Arethas, ſenſible: Men which commit matter worthie of death & deſtruction.
And if any were not found written in the booke of life: hee was caſt into the lake of fire.
This ſheweth that only the choſen in Chriſt hauehave life euerlaſting: and what there companie is: euen the heauenly Ieruſalem in this world; the chapters folowing doe ſhew.
And I ſaw a new heauen and a new earth: for the first heauen and the first earth paſſed: and the ſea is no more.
This ſpeach may well be referred to the new world: which for vsus to ſearch of what ſort it ſhall bee: the Law, Deut. 29. (to leaue hid things to the Lord our God) forbiddeth vsus to ſearch curiouſly. Of the heauenly Ieruſalem, I hauehave made a treatiſe in Greeke alone: at large, which I made turne to other tongues.
This worke is made to conuict Rome to be damned through all: and I hastened in the beginning to that: and I would not draw the Readers minde from that. The laſt end may bee handled best ſeuerally. So this paines ſhall heere hauehave an end.