A Paraphrase on the New Testament, Revelation · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI.
1. ANd there was given me a r…ed like unto a rod, and the angel ſtood, ſaying, Riſe, and meaſure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worſhip therein.
1. Say ſome, to meaſure the Temple and the Altar-places, as reſerved from Adrian's building an Idol-Temple, which, ſay they, he did only in the Outer Court. Say others, Meaſure the Church, which ſhall be reduced to a Conformity to the Word of God, after all its Pollutions by Popery. Or, Meaſure it, ſignifieth, that the Church will be a ſmall and meaſurable thing under the Papacy, and even obſcured, but not forſaken of God.
2. But the court which is without the temple, leave out, and meaſure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles; and the holy city ſhall they tread under foot fourty and two months.
2. Say ſome, the outer Court, and the City was rebuilt by Adrian, called Aelia, ſo the Gentiles to live in, and a Temple built for Jupiter, and ſo continued three years and a half, as Antiocbus prophaned it, Dan. 7.25. Say others, The outer Court and the City left to the Gentiles, is that great part of the viſible Church left under the Papacy to ſuch groſs Idolatry, as that it hath but the name of Chriſtian, as …loathing reſtored Gentil…ſme, and is rejected of God. Some take the 42 months literally, for a certain time of three years and a half; and ſome for uncertain time, Chriſt was three years and a half, in his miniſteriall labour. And this number is five times here recited: Therefore like to be ſtrictly meant. Some old Fathers and ſome Papiſts underſtand it ſtrictly of the reign of an Antichriſt, which they think is yet to come: ſome of the time of the Papal reign, which they ſay will be 1260 years beginning between 365. and 455. and ending between 1625, and 1715: in which ſpace Babylon will fall. Others ſtate the time differently.
3. And I will give power unto my two witneſſes, and they ſhall propheſie a thouſand two hundred and threeſcore days, clothed in ſackcloth.
3. Note, There is great diverſity of opinions who theſe witneſſes are: And yet moſt Proteſtants think that their time is paſt, or the moſt of it, and this prophecy fullfilled: And Prophecies uſe to be plain when they are fulfilled. Some new men ſay that they were the two Churches in Jeruſalem, of the Jewiſh and the Greek Language, and their two Biſhops, who preached all that time againſt the ſins of Jews and Gentiles: For they think that the Jews and Greeks, not underſtanding the ſame Language, had in Jeruſalem, Antioch, Rome, Alexandria, and other great Cities, two Churches and Biſhops▪ Others, that the two witneſſes are Enoch and Elias, that ſhall come when Antichriſt cometh. Others, that they are the Old and New Teſtament, which the Papacy ſhall oppoſe; or, as others, the Preachers of the Old and New Teſtament, named two, becauſe but ſew, but yet enough to promote the Reformation. Brightman ſaith, It is the Scriptures, and the Aſſemblies of the Faithful. Others, that it is the Godly Magiſtracy and Miniſtry, which the Papacy will caſt down. Others, that God will hereafter ſend two, with the Spirit of Enoch and Elias, in whom all this ſhall be literally fulfilled: Others, that it is the Martyrs that have in ſeveral times oppoſed Popery to the death; Called two in alluſion to many old couples of Witneſſes, Moſes and Aaron, Caltb and Joſhua, Ezra and Nehemiah, Haggai and Zachary, Zerubbabel and Joſhua, (to which Zech. 4.11. this Text ſpecially relateth) Moſes and Elias on the Mount, &c.
Clothed in Sackcloth, is doing their Office in a time of great affliction: And all this, ſome think, may be applied to divers couples, that God hath uſed in divers times and parts of his Church: As to the Waldenſes and Albigenſes; to John Hus and Jerome of Prague, to John Frederick Duke of Saxony and Philip Landgrave of Haſſia, long impriſoned by Charles the fifth, and after delivered; to the Lutherans and the reformed; to King Edward 6. and his Uncle Protector Duke of Somerſet, &c. Even as Chriſt ſent out his Diſciples by two and two; Paul and Barnabas, &c. Lira's conceit that Silverius and Mennas were the two witneſſes againſt the Eutychians is vain.
4. Theſe are the two olive-trees, and the two candleſticks ſtanding before the God of the earth.
4. Theſe are reſembled to the two mentioned, Zech. 4. Theſe are as Olive Branches that empty themſelves into the Lamps, even the Servants of the Lord of the World for his Church.
5. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he muſt in this manner be killed.
5. If any will perſecute or ſilence them, God will revenge their cauſe; it refers to Elias that brought down fire from Heaven to deſtroy the Captains and their fifties, 2. Kings 1.10. and to Moſes, Num. 16. Or ſay others, The word in their mouths ſhall be as fire againſt all falſe Doctrines and Corruptions.
6. Theſe have power to ſhut heaven that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters, to turn, them to blood, and to ſmite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
6. And the Power that God gave their Miniſtry and reforming endeavours, and the revenge that God will uſe againſt their perſecutors, were expreſſed to me, as reſembling Elias, whoſe prayer ſtopt the rain for three years and a half, and the plagues which God by Moſes inflicted on Egypt: Chriſt intimating this, Matth. 17. When Moſes the chief Law-giver, and Elias the chief Prophet, were the two great witneſſes of his Glory. And it is notable that Godly Magiſtrates, and Godly Miniſters, have uſually proſpered together, and fallen together, and Magiſtracy and Miniſtry been together corrupted.
7. And when they ſhall have finiſhed their teſtimony, the beaſt, that aſcendeth out of the bottomleſs pit, ſhall make war againſt them, and ſhall overcome them, and kill them. 8. And their dead bodies ſhall lie in the ſtreet of the great City, which ſpiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where alſo our Lord was crucified.
7, 8. Note, Chriſts witneſſes, (Holy Magiſtrates and Miniſters,) ſhall be marvellouſly preſerved, till they have finiſhed their Teſtimony, and they have done their work. And then they may be deſtroyed by the Servants of the Devil, and expoſed to common ſcorn, and perhaps be denyed buryall, in the places where they preach't and were wonderfully bleſt, and their enemies puniſhed. And this will ſeem▪ to carnal men, to be Gods diſowning them, and all that they did: But the ſame ſort of Men ſhall be raiſed again, & revive their work with more ſucceſs, and again ſilence the deluded inſulting enemies.
Theſe words [where our Lord was crucified] ſeem to favour their Expoſition, who apply all this to Jeruſalem. But moſt Proteſtants take it for the Roman ſtate of Papal corruption. And ſome by their carcaſſes ſay, is meant the dead carcaſs of the Scripture, or Religion, or Aſſemblies, which only is left among them. But it ſeemeth to me to mean perſons: And whether the ſame thing, as this killing and reviving the witneſſes, may not be done at Jeruſalem, and elſewhere, again and again in ſeveral ages, (the Church, having had its daies and night,) I yet know not.
9. And they of the people, and kindreds and tongues, and nations, ſhall ſee their dead bodies, three days and an half, and ſhall not ſuffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
9. Say ſome, They ſhall literally be caſt out inhumanely unburyed; ſay others, They ſhall be politically ſlain, depoſed, ſilenced, impriſoned, and caſt by as dead and uſeleſs. And not only their perſecuting enemies, but the deluded rabble and people, ſhall ſee their oppreſſion and inſult over them, and not ſuffer them to be reſtored, or honoured.
10. And they that dwell upon the earth ſhall rejoice over them, and make merry, and ſhall ſend gifts one to another, becauſe theſe two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
10. The enemies of the Church, and the ungodly rabble, ſhall triumph and rejoice together in their revenge and conqueſt of theſe Prophets, and that in the revengeful ſenſe of their own ſuffering by them, whoſe preaching was a torment to them, who by Godly Magiſtrates alſo had been puniſhed or reſtrained from their ſin.
Note, 1. Oh how madly do the wicked rejoice, for their victory againſt the men that would have ſaved them. 2. One of the great cauſes of the violence of Silencers and Perſecutors is, the remembrance of their own ſufferings by godly Magiſtrates and Miniſters, by Puniſhments and Reformation.
11. And after three days and an half, the ſpirit of life from God entered into them, and they ſtood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon them which ſaw them.
11. Either the ſame men, or men of the ſame Spirit and Office, were reſtored to the ſame Power and Works to the great wonder of good men, and the great conſternation of the bad.
12. And they heard a great voice from heaven, ſaying unto them, Come up hither. And they aſcended up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies beheld them.
12. The Voice of Chriſt, ſay ſome; of the chief Rulers, ſay others: Come up hither, that is, ſay ſome, to Heaven as the reward of their former Service, as Chriſt aſcended in a cloud, and as Moſes was called away and buried by God, and Elias carried up, Moſes not ſeeing what Joſhua muſt ſee, and Elias being only tranſlated from a wicked Generation before Jehu executed God's Judgments on them; ſo Magiſtrates and Miniſters, that do great things for the Church, are uſually taken up to Heaven before they ſee the deſired iſſue, which is left to their Succeſſors: Not David, but Solomon, muſt build the Temple. Or, as others, come up into a ſtate of greater proſperity and peace, which is as a Heaven in compariſon of their Perſecution: Or, as moſt Proteſtants, come now into the deſired ſtate of the viſible Church reformed from Popery and Impiety. Their advancement conv…nced ſome, and terrified others of their Adverſaries.
13. And the ſame hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the City fell, and in the earthquake were ſlain of men ſeven thouſand; and the remnant▪ were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven:
13. Say ſome, Adrian rooted out thoſe Jews that did not turn Chriſtians, and ſet up the Image of a Swine at the Gate, to put them in deſpair; upon which the reſt turned Chriſtians, and glorified God.
Say others, nine parts of Rome were deſtroyed before, and under the Papacy only the tenth part of old Rome was left, and that fell by this Earthquake: Say others, the firſt ſtirs by Preaching, Diſputing and War about Religion, quickly caſt down the tenth part of the Roman Church, and then many others turned Proteſtants: Some think, it was the fall of old Heathen Rome; and ſome think that the killing of the Witneſſes (by Papal Cruelty) is yet to come, and that Popery ſhall be reſtored a few years, and then fall for ever. It ſeems to relate to the caſe of Elijah and Eli…ha, after whoſe time the Houſe of Ahab dreadfully fell by Jehu.
14. The ſecond wo is paſt, and behold, the third wo cometh quickly.
14. Note; Thus far ſome think that the Revelation ſhewed John nothing but what was done many years before, and viſible to all men there, that is, that all was but the deſtruction of the Jews; and that of theſe three laſt Woes, the firſt was by the Zealots, the ſecond by Titus, (in which, ſaith Joſephus, eleven hundred thouſand perſons were killed by Sword and Famine, beſides the Captives carried away;) The third by Adrian, when the Faction of Barchochiba was caſt out of Jeruſalem, and were purſued, in which, ſome ſay, five hundred thouſand were killed, ſome ſay eight hundred thouſand, and ſome twelve hundred thouſand.
Others ſay that all the Woes reſpected later times.
15 And the ſeventh angel ſounded, and there were great voices in heaven, ſaying, The kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Chriſt, and he ſhall reign for ever and ever.
15. The foreſaid new Expoſitors take this for the Triumph of the Church for the Jews deſtruction, and the ceaſing of their Perſecution, and the uniting of the Jew and Gentile Chriſtians in one Church at Jeruſalem, where Adrian gave them that freedom by which they proſpered.
Others think that this Verſe ſpeaketh of the Chriſtian Emperours owning Chriſtianity, and putting down Heatheniſm: Others think it ſpeaks of the great Succeſs of the Reformation againſt Popery: Others think it ſpeaks of Chriſt's thouſand years Reign: And others think it ſpeaketh of the laſt Judgment. I ſee not why we may not take it for the flouriſhing of the Goſpel in the Catholick Church, begun when Perſecution abated, but moſt notably promoted by Conſtantine.
16. And the four and twenty elders, which ſat before God on their ſeats, fell upon their faces, and worſhipped God, 17. Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God almighty, which art, and waſt, and art to come, becauſe thou haſt taken to thee thy great power, and haſt reigned. 18. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they ſhould be judged, and that thou ſhouldeſt give reward unto thy ſervants the prophets, and to the ſaints, and them that fear thy name, ſmall and great, and ſhouldeſt deſtroy them which deſtroy the earth.
16, 17, 18. The twenty four Biſhops of Judea, ſay ſome: Rather, the Miniſters of the Catholick Church, repreſented by four and twenty Elders in the Viſion; or the whole Church, ſay others: And thoſe in Heaven, ſay others. The Reign mentioned is variouſly expounded, as aforeſaid; 1. As againſt the Jews. 2. As againſt the Heathen Emperors. 3. As againſt the Pope, by the Reformation. 4. As of the Fall of Mahometaniſm, and the Turkiſh Empire. 5. As of the Millenium, and the Reſurrection and Judgment that ſhall be then. 6. As of the laſt Judgment.
19. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was ſeen in his temple the ark of his teſtament, and there were lightnings, and voices, and thundrings, and an earth-quake, and great hail.
19. The Viſion of the opened Temple in Heaven ſignifieth, the Freedom given to the Goſpel againſt Perſecutors and Corrupters; and the pure Preaching and Profeſſion of it, and God's owning his Covenant and Church, by his eminent Bleſſing: and the Lightnings, &c. ſignifie the great Manifeſtation of Chriſt's Power, for his Church, in the Commotions and Changes in the World, and his Judgments on their Enemies, as followeth. (But in what Inſtances and Periods of Time, Expoſitors differ, as aforeſaid.