A Treatise Concerning Antichrist, Book 2 · Chapter 8
Chapter. 8. Answering his fift demonstration concerning the terme of Antichrists raigne, viz. 3. yeeres and a halfe.
1. THere remaine two demonstrations (as he calleth them) proouing that Antichrist is not yet come, taken from those signes which follow Antichrist, to wit, the death of Antichrist after three yeers & an halfe, and the end of the world. Where Bellarmine teacheth vsus not to looke for Antichrist, vntill he be gone; not to expect his comming, vntill the world hauehave an end. For if these be signes that Antichrist is not yet come (as Bellarmine maketh them) then may we argue now, and so may argue euen vntill the end of the world: Vntill Antichrist be dead and the world hauehave an end, Antichrist commeth not; but at yet (may we say now, and so may say vntill the end) Antichrist is not dead, neither as yet hath the world an end; therefore as yet Antichrist is not come. By this argument therefore you see, how fitly these two signes are made the ground of two demonstrations, that Antichrist is not yet come. Now as touching the former, Bellarmine reasoneth thus. The fift demonstration (viz. to proue that Antichrist is not yet come) is taken from the continuance of Antichrist. Antichrist shall not raigne but three yeeres and a halfe. But the Pope hath raigned spiritually in the Church aboue 1500. yeer…s, neither can any be assigned that hath bene taken for Antichrist, who hath raigned precisely three yeers and a halfe: The Pope therfore is not Antichrist. Wherefore Antichrist is not yet come. His reason is thus to be resolued. If neither the Pope be Antichrist, nor any other, who hitherto hath beene taken for Antichrist; then is not Antichrist as yet come: But neither the Pope is Antichrist, nor any that hitherto hath beene taken for Antichrist; therefore as yet Antichrist is not come. Where you see by a circular disputatiō, the Iesuit for want of better arguments, bringeth the maine question (namely whether the Pope be Antichrist) as an argument to proue, that Antichrist is not yet come, and consequently that the Pope is not Antichrist. The Pope is not Antichrist; why? because Antichrist is not yet come: and why is not Antichrist yet come? because the Pope is not Antichrist. He may as well goe on, for there is no end in a circle: and why is not the Pope Antichrist? because Antichrist is not yet come: and why is not Antichrist yet come? because the Pope is not Antichrist. And thus Bellarmine, as you see, danceth in a round.
2. But to come to the purpose, how doth he prooue, that neither the Pope is Antichrist, nor any other that hath beene taken for Antichrist? by this syllogisme: Antichrist shall raigne but three yeeres and a halfe precisely: but neither the Pope, nor any other that hath beene taken for Antichrist, hath raigned three yeers and a halfe precisely: therefore neither the Pope is Antichrist, nor any other that as yet hath bene taken for Antichrist. The assumption, which he might hauehave proued by a truth, he chooseth to proue by a falsehood. For whereas he might hauehave said and that truely, that the Pope hath raigned spiritually in the church aboue 900. yeeres, and therfore aboue three yeers & a halfe; he saith, he hath raigned (meaning an vniuersall raigne ouer the whole Church, or else he proueth not his assumption) aboue 1500. which is vntrue. For he could not obtaine this vniuersall raigne, before the yeere 607. But all the controuersie is concerning the proposition: For we doe grant, that the Popes hauehave raigned and tyrannized in the Church, almost a thousand yeeres; and therfore aboue three yeers and a halfe. Let vsus therfore consider how he proueth, that Antichrist shall raigne 3. yeers and a halfe precisely. He proueth it by diuers prophecies of the Scriptures, & ghesses of the fathers, which were no prophecies. And first he alleageth these places, Dan. 7. 25. and 12. 7. Apoc. 12. 14. Where we read (saith he) that the raign of Antichrist shal continus a time and times & halfe a time, that is, a yeere and two yeeres and halfe a yeere; and so he saith, S. Iohn expoundeth it, Apoc. 11. and 13. by 42. moneths, and 1260 daies, I answer, that none of these places defineth the time, or terme of Antichrists raigne. Daniel speaketh not of the time of Antichrists raigne, but of that time wherin the Iewes were to be afflicted, & the temple & seruice of God in Ierusalem was to be profaned by Antiochus Epiphanes, which time the Angell diuersly reckoneth, Chap. 16.as was in part shewed in the last chapter, & shal hereafter be more fully declared. For of their deliuerance from the tyrannie of Antiochus, there are foure degrees, obtained at 4. seueral times, all which seeme to be noted by Daniel. The first, is the restitution of Gods worship & renouation of the temple by Iudas Maccabeus. 1. Mac. 1. 57.From the profanatiō therfore, which was on the 15. of Casteu 1. Mac. 4. 52.in the yeere 145. vntounto this restitutiō made on the 25. of Casteu in the 148. yeere, were 3. yeers & 10. daies, which Daniel calleth a▪ time & times & parcel of time, Dan. 7. 25. & as some thinke Dan 12. 7. The second degree was the victory of the Iewes against § De bello Iudaico lib. 1. Cap. 1.the forces of Antiochus Epiphanes, wherby they were expelled out of Iewry & the testitutiō begun confirmed, which hapned after 3. yeers and a halfe as Iosephus noteth, who also affirmeth that for so foreign. Ioseph. de bell.long Antiochus had caused the daily sacrifice to cease, his words are these: foreign. The terme (as some thinke) Daniel Chapter. 12. vers 7. calleth a time and times … …fe a time. The third degree, is the deadly sicknesse of Antiochus after his flight from Pers…pons, at what time he promised all good things to the people of the Iewes. From the profanation to this Dan. 12. 11time, Daniel reckoneth 1290. dayes: to his death which hapned 45. dayes after, to wit, in the beginning of the yeere …49. he reckoneth 1335. dayes. Now whereas Bellarmine saith, that the terme of antichrists raigne shalbe 3. yeers & a halfe precisely, & saith that this terme is expressed in the Apocalypse by 1260. dayes, and in Daniel by 1290. he seemed not to hauehave beene well aduised: for 1290. are not 1260. nor 3. yeeres and a halfe precisely: And therein he contradicteth himselfe, and maketh Iohn in the same matter to be repugnant to Daniel.
3. As touching the places in the Apocalypse, it is hard to prooue that the times mentioned in the 11. 12. and 13. chapters, be the same (which he must prooue, or else by conference of these places he prooueth nothing) and if they be the same (as indeed they are not) it will be as hard to define where we are to begin the account. But these two things may be affirmed. First, that all these times are not to be vnderstood literally: And secondly, that none of thē defineth the time of Antichrists raigne. The 42. moneths in the 11. and 13. chapters signifie the time of the persecution vnderunder the Romane Emperours either only or especially: for Chap. 11. v. 2. it is said that the Gentiles shal tread vponupon the holy city 42. moneths. But antichrist (as the Papists hold) shalbe the Prince of the Iewes and counterfeit Christians. And v. 7. it is said, that the beast which ariseth out of the deepe (which being the same with that which is described chap. 13. 1. is the Romane state, especially as it was vnderunder the persecuting emperours) that this beast (I say) shall persecute the two witnesses of God, and their bodies shall lie in the streetes of the great Cities whereby in the Apocalypse is meant Rome or the R. empire. And hereby also it appeareth that this terme of 42. moneths mentioned in both places, is not literally to be vnderstood. For the persecution vnderunder the Romane Emperours alone, endured so many Sabboths of yeeres, as there are moneths mentioned in those places, that is, 294. yeers, as Master Fox expoundeth it. Now if the other termes mentioned, chap. 11. and 12. of time and times and halfe a time, and of dayes 1260. be the same with the 42. moneths, as Bellarmine will needes hauehave it; then by them is not signified Anchrists raigne, neither are they to be vnderstood literally, no more then the 42. moneths: but in the 11. chap. the time of the two witnesses preaching, during the time of the afore said persecution, and chap 12. the womans, that is, the Churches liuing in the desert during the said time. Howbeit the speech of time and times and halfe a time may rather be vnderstood (according to Daniels phrase) of three yeeres and a halfe, wherin the Church of Vid. Iunium in Apo. 12.Christ which was at Ierusalē, after it was admonished by a voyce out of the sanctuary to depart, & accordingly remoued to Pella, was sustained there. For in that place it is plaine, that the holy Ghost speaketh not of Antichrist nor yet of the beast, but of the Serpent the diuell, who seeketh the ouerthrow of the Church of Christ among the Iewes, & afterwards turneth his anger towards the rest of her seed, that is, the faithful among the Gentiles, and to that end standeth on the sea shore, from whence he raiseth the beast with seauen heads, &c.
4. And further I ad, that if these times mētioned in those places which Bellarmine alledgeth, did signifie the terme of Antichrists 2raign precisely, & were to be vnderstood literally; thē it wold follow, that after antichrist is once reuealed, al mē that be acquainted with the Scriptures, may precisely define before hād, the very day of Christs cōming vntounto iudgemēt: which the Lord notwithstanding wil not hauehave known (Mar. 13. 32.) as Bellarmine himself Cap. 3. lib. 3.must needs grant, seeing he vseth this as the chiefe argument against those which by 1260. dayes vnderstand so many yeeres. Againe it is incredible, if not impossible, that so many & so great 3.things as they assigne to Antichrist, should be effected & brought to passe in so short a time; as Hentenius a learned Papist doth confesse, and as hath bin shewed heretofore. For this is an errour depending In praesat. translat. Arcth….vponupon the former, concerning the person of Antichrist, & presupposing that Antichrist is but one man. And therfore when 4we proued that Antichrist is not any one man alone, but a whole state and succession of men, we proued this by consequence, that his raigne was not to continue only three yeers and a halfe. And againe Antichrist, according to the conceit of the Papists, is to 5raigne before the preaching of the two witnesses, and as Bellarmine faith, is to continue one monethmonth after their death. Seeing then the two witnesses preach 1260. dayes, which, as Bellarmine also saith, make three yeers & a halfe precisely, how can the terme of Antichrists raigne be three yeeres and a halfe precisely? Lastly 6the Scriptures plainely testifie, that the Antichrist which is to be destroied at the second comming of Christ, was come euen in the Apostles time, although he was not reuealed by exercising openly a soueraigne & vniuersal dominiō, vntill that which hindred, that is, the Roman Empire was taken out of the way. But after the Empire was once dissolued in the West, and the Emperor of the East had lost his right in Italy and Rome, that is, when that which hindred was taken out of the way, then according to the prophecie, 2. Thes. 2. 8. was Antichrist reuealed, succeeding the Emperor in the gouernment of Rome, and claiming an vniuersall authority, first spirituall, ouer the whole Church in the yeere 607. & after temporal, ouer the whole world, & aduancing himselfe aboue all that is called God: all which we hauehave heretofore proued to hauehave bin done in the Papacie, aboue three yeeres and a halfe agoe, yea aboue so many hundred yeers agoe; so that we shall not need to expect another Antichrist, who is to raigne three yeers and a half. And thus you hauehave heard not only Bellarmines allegations answered, but also his assertion confuted.
5 Now let vsus see what Bellarmine can reply either against our assertion in general, or against the expositiōs of some protestants in particular. For wheras we generally affirme, notwithstanding his allegations aforesaid, that Antichrist hath already ruled in the Church almost a thousand yeers, Bellarmine besides the slender coniectures of diuers of the fathers groūded on such prophecies of Scriptures as they could not vnderstand, which are his first argument, he produceth six other reasons, no lesse easie to be answered. His second argument is, because the scriptures say that the time of the diuels loosing, and Antichrists raigning is breuissimum, very short, or most short: But how can that be true if Antichrist shall raigne a thousand yeeres or more? For that which he speaketh of 1260. yeeres, is the priuate opinion of some of which shall be touched afterwards. I answer, that the Scriptures no where say that Antichrists raigne, or that the time Apo. 17. 10 foreign. Apo. 12. 12 foreign. Apo. 20 vers. 3. foreign.of the diuell loosed is Breuissimum, that is, most short, but onelyonly that it is short or small, which we doe acknowledge. Let vsus then weigh his argumēt, which may be resolued into two syllogismes: the former, A thousand yeeres or more is not a short time: Antichrists raigne is a short time: therfore Antichrists raigne is not a thousand yeers or more. First to the proposition I answer, that a thousand yeers vntounto the Lord (who speaketh in the Scriptures) is a short time. The Apostle Peter expresly saith, that a thousand yeers with the Lord 2. Pet. 3. 8.are but as one day. Yea, and the whole time from the ascension of Christ vntil his comming to iudgement, is often noted in the Scriptures to be a short time, and in one place it is called the last houre. And likewise aboue 1500. yeers agoe, it was promised, 1. Ioh. 2. 18that the prophecies concerning the destruction of Antichrist, the second comming of Christ, & end of the world, should within a short time be fulfilled. To the assumptiō I answer, that although the time of Antichrists tyranny seeme to belong to them that Apoc. 1. 1. foreign v. 3. foreign. Ap. 22. 10. 12. 20. Heb. 10. 37are exercised therby; yet it is but short in comparisō of that time which they shall raigne with Christ, and is so called; Apoc. 17. 10. But yet nothing so short as Bellarmine imagineth. This therefore he proueth in the second Syllogisme: The time of Sathan loosed is very short: the terme of Antichrists raigne is the time of Sathan loosed: therefore the terme of Antichrists raigne is very short. The proposition he proueth by two places in the Apocalypse, which affirme his time to be short, but yet nothing so short as the Papists imagine: for in the former place, Chap. 12. 12. he is said to hauehave but a short time, before he persecuted the Church of Christ among the Iewes, which was aboue 1500. yeeres agoe. And in the latter place, Chap. 20. 3. it is said that he should be let loose for a smal time: but this smal time beginneth at the expiration of the thousand yeeres wherein he had beene bound, and continueth vntill the time that he shalbe cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, in the end of the world. Now the thousand yeeres were expired many hundred yeeres agoe, as hath beene shewed. But although the time of Antichrists raigne be called short, yet is it not so short as the time of Sathan loosed: and therefore the assumption is false: For howsoeuer the thousand yeares expire in the time of Antichrists raigne, yet we are not to beginne the raigne of Antichrist with the loosing of Sathan. For within the thousand yeares of Sathans imprisonment, Antichrist not onelyonly Apoc. 20. 4.was, but also persecuted those that refused his marke: and yet we are not to confound the time of his persecution, much lesse of his hotest persecutiō, with the time of his continuance. Now the time of the diuel loosed, as the Papists teach, is the time of Antichrists most greeuous persecution, which was a cōsequent of mens refusing his marke, & that a fruite of his discouerie & acknowledgement: but he was not acknowledged vntill he came to his full grouth, whereunto he attained not at the first. And it is to be thought that the heate of his persecutiō wilbe slaked before his end, himselfe being consumed and wasted by the spirit of Christs 2. Thes. 2. 8.mouth, & his See impouerished, if not ouerthrowne by the kings of the earth, which before the end of the world, shall not onelyonly hate the whore of Babylō (the Popes cōcubine) but also shal make her Apo. 17. 1….desolate & naked, & shal eate her flesh, & her they shal burne with fire.
6. Thirdly, he argueth from Math. 24. 21. mistaken by some of the fathers, that vnlesse those daies (meaning of Antichrists persecution) should be shortned, and consequently the persecution very short, no flesh could be saued: but how can it be very short if it shall continue a thousand yeares? I answere, first, that the tribulation there spoken of, is to be vnderstoode of the calamities of the Iewes in the siege of Ierusalem, as I hauehave manifestly proued: And secondly, that we are to distinguish betwixt the time of Antichrists continuance, and the time of his hotest persecution, which Bellarmine confoundeth; the latter notwithstanding beeing much shorter then the former. Fourthly (saith he) Christ preached onelyonly three yeeres and a halfe, therefore decet etiam, it is also fit, that Antichrist be suffered to preach no longer. Answere, 1. In this argument Bellarmine presupposeth that Antichrist is but one man, as Christ is, which we hauehave proued to be most false. 2. he taketh vponupon him to be the Lords counsailour, auouching that it is not fit that Antichrist should preachlonger then Christ did: he might hauehave added that it was not fit, or to speake more fitly, not like that Antichrist in the same time should be able to preuaile with more then Christ did, & much lesse to peruert almost the whole world in three yeeres and a halfe; whereas Christ as he was man, could conuert but a few of the Iewes, &c. 3. Although Christ in his owne person preached but a few yeres; yet he being the eternall word and wisdome of his father, hath euer since the beginning spoken by the mouth of his Prophets & ministers, by whose ministerie also as it were the breath of his mouth, he shall waste and consume Antichrist. 4. Neither can it be prooued by any shew of reason, that Antichrist is to preach just so many yeeres, as Christ our Sauiour did: Or that he shall in three yeeres and an halfe subdue by force, I know not how many kingdomes, & conuert by preaching, & gather to himselfe the remnāt of the Iewes, and all counterfeit Christians, dispersed through so many nations, as a man cannot trauell through in three yeeres and a halfe: not to speake of his repairing Ierusalem, & erecting the temple, and many good morrowes, which by many poëticall fictions the Papists assigne to their deuised Antichrist. His fift and sixt reasons are not worth the mentioning. For the time and times, and halfe a time, as hath bin shewed, belong not to Antchrists raigne, and therby we vnderstand 3, yeeres & a halfe, as also by the 7. times, Dan. 4. 19.in the 4. of Daniel, 7. yeeres, according to the interpretatiō of the holy Ghost (expoūding, as it seemeth) times by yeres. Dan. 11. 13.
7. In the last place he laboureth to take away the exceptions which some particular man, as namely, Chytraeus, Bullinger, & the authors of the Centuries, make against his former allegatiōs out of Daniel & the Apocalypse, but scarsly toucheth any one of the 6 exceptions before mentioned. For whereas Chytraus answereth, §. 3. & 4.that the 42. moneths in the 11. and 13. of the Apoc. may not be vnderstood literally for three yeres and a halfe, because it is contrary to experience: and besides the Apostle affirmeth that Antichrist shall continue vntill Christs comming. Bellarmine replieth, that he beggeth the question. But I answer againe as before, that experience sheweth that the persecutions vnderunder the beast with 7 heads, continued longer then three yeeres and a halfe: & when as Iohn affirmeth that the Antichrist was come in his time, & Paul foretelleth, that he should after a sort continue (though at the last in a kind of consumption) vntounto the second comming of Christ, surely their meaning was, that he should continue aboue three yeeres and a halfe. 2. He findeth fault with him & Bullinger, who thought that the holy ghost mentioning 42. moneths & 1260. dayes, by a certaine time, meant an vncertaine; replying that the nūber which is meant, is certaine, when it consisteth of great & small nūbers mixed. But they speake of the time, and he of the number, and therfore his reprehension is vnjust. For although the holy ghost do meane no other number then 42, and 1260, yet by the certaine time mentioned, that is, moneths & dayes, he meaneth an vncertaine, which may be as some thinke 42. sabbothes of yeeres, and 1260 yeeres. And thirdly, whereas Illyricus, and the other authors of the Centuries by 1260. daies, vnderstand so many yeeres; Bellarmine denieth that daies are put for yeeres any where in the scripture, and yet cannot deny, but that by 390. dayes in Ezechiel, is Ezec. 4. 5. 6meant 390. yeeres, and by 40. dayes so many yeares, a day for a yeere, as the holy ghost speaketh. And likewise Apoc. 2. 10. by ten Vid. Iun. in Apoc. 2.daies is meant 10. yeeres, as some of the learned thinke. Indeed if any shall by 1260 dayes, vnderstand (as Bellarmine doth) the just time of Antichrists reigne, and withall expound them either by 1260. yeeres, as Bellarmine chargeth some, or by three yeeres and Cap. 3.a halfe, as the Papists do; they may be refuted by the reason before alledged, because after the reuelation of Antichrist the speciall time of Christs comming may according to this exposition be foretold, which notwithstanding shall not come by obseruation, but suddenly, neither shall precisely be foreknowne, as being knowne onelyonly to the Lord.