Good Things to Come, Part 2 · Chapter 2
CHAP. II. Containing a brief propoſal of ſundry things to conſideration; touching the miſtery of the living: then: not dying: but being changed; in a moment, at the coming of the Lord Jeſus.
VErs. 51. Behold, I ſhew you a myſtery: we ſhall not all dye: but we ſhall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the laſt trump, &c. the matter is high and conſiderable; a myſtery, or great ſecret, little known, or underſtood. He begins the declaring of it, with a, behold: which ſets a mark on it, as ſome noteable great thing: great ſecret, little known: which; behold: calls for the minding and conſideration of, I ſhew you: I Paul; the Apoſtle of the gentiles. And he was a man, of much knowledge and underſtanding, in the great myſteries of the Goſpel; and alſo of an infallible ſpirit. He hath declared, and ſhewed it; and none beſides himſelf hath done it: and he hath done it, again, and again, and poſitively aſſerted it to us, I ſhew you: you gentiles; to whom he wrote his epiſtle. You the Church of Corinth: and all other the ſervants of the Lord Jeſus: the thing ſhewed, is a miſtery: that ye may know, underſtand, and believe it.
The Apoſtle proceeds to declare it: firſt, negatively: we ſhall not all dye: then poſitively he atteſts: that we ſhall all be changed. There is much conſiderable in both: the perſons in both, in the which he includes himſelf. We ſhall not: and we ſhall: enquirie may be made, who he means, by we? it is very likely, he means the ſervants of God, believers in Jeſus Chriſt, then alive in the body at the coming of the Lord Chriſt: thoſe are the [we] that ſhall not dye: thoſe are the [we] that ſhall all be changed. The prayer of the Lord Chriſt, will be anſwered then, and in them: father I will, that thoſe which thou haſt given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, &c. Joh. 17. 24. Not one related; ſo; ſhall fail of that great bleſſednes.
Death will have a great check, a great blow, then: and loſe of his power, over the righteous ones, at that very time; that moment, as the Apoſtle after expreſſes. Over the unrighteous, and unſaved people, and nations; death may have power: not only in reſpect of killing their bodyes; which will be, till a little before the final judicature, or the ſecond, and laſt ſeſſion of judgement begins, Rev. 20. 9. but alſo in keeping under, or in the grave, the whole wicked, (all being then dead) until the time that ſeſſion is begun; who are then raiſed, to come thereunto to be judged, as in Rev. 20. 11. 12. 13. and at the end, and as the concluſion thereof; death, and hell, or the grave; ſhall be caſt into the lake of fire, never to have power or a being more, as in vers. 14. but as is ſaid before, death hath no power over the righteous after that Chriſt our Lord is come, it being ſaid, in Rev. 21. 4. There ſhall be no more death, neither ſorrow, nor crying, neither ſhall there be any more pain: for the former things [to wit, The old heaven, and earth, with the dying and ſorrow, &c. therein] are paſſed away: which I conceive is to be underſtood, not only in reſpect of the ſaints that are raiſed at the coming of our Lord Chriſt; that they ſhall not dye any more: as alſo the ſaints who were then changed; that they ſhall not dye at all. [But alſo in reſpect of the converted in that time, who if any alteration afterward paſs upon their bodyes; it will, in all likelyhood, be a change, and ſhall not dye:] it being ſaid, as before, in reſpect of the righteous, we ſhall not all dye: but we ſhall all be changed: the not dying: but changing, of the ſaints that remain alive to the coming of the Lord Chriſt, being an eminent token and forerunner thereof.
Further, we may take knowledg, that in the holy ſcripture account: that to ſleep in the grave and to dye, are one, and the ſame: and ſo; to ſay, we ſhall not all ſleep, and we ſhall not all dye, are terms equivolent, and do import one, and the ſame thing: ſee Act. 13. 36. David fell aſleep, and was layd to his fathers, &c. them alſo which ſleep in Jeſus, will God bring with him, 1 Thes. 4. 14. So Dan. 12. 2. Many that ſleep in the duſt of the earth, ſhall awake, &c. as to that of death or dying: ſee the many expreſſions: as here: in Adam all dye: death went over all: it is appointed to men once to dye, &c. Heb. 9. 27. Jacob went down into Egypt, and dyed, he, and our fathers, Acts. 7. 15. ſo, as his negation of the Apoſtle, leadeth to take knowledge of a very high caſe, wherein there is much of miſtery: we ſhall not all dye; the reſtriction that is in this all, is only to the righteous, then living and remaining at the coming of the Lord Chriſt: this all relateth only to them: they are the all that ſhall not dye but be all changed, then: but none of the unrighteous ſhall be ſo.
At which time: death that had reigned ſo long over Adam, and all his poſteritie: his power over the juſt, over the righteous, ſhall then be ſuperſeded: they ſhall be put into a condition out of his reach; having put off mortalitie and put on immortality and life everlaſting. As every thing that hath a beginning; will have and end: ſo will death: and in order to the ceaſing of his power over the righteous, and putting a ſtop to his univerſal reign; it will begin, then. So, as that appointment of death to all men, Heb. 9. 22. is to be underſtood: So: to wit, untill this time take place, this Myſtery be actually opened, we ſhall not all dye; as it is ſaid, when this corruptible, hath put on incorruption, and this mortal, hath put on immortality, and made this happy change; then it ſhall be; and alſo that Prophecy fulfilled, death is ſwallowed up in victory. vers. 24. latter part.
By the way, we may take notice: who would have thought in a likely way that that Prophecy, Eſa. 25. 8. ſhould reach ſo far as to that time? and to have its fulfilling then; ſo long after? who is there, that would have underſtood it ſo? had not the Apoſtle ſo declared it: that, then, death ſhould be ſwallowed up in victory? we ſhall forbear to ſpeak further to the firſt part of the miſtery, namely, that we ſhall not all dye.
The ſecond part, is: but we ſhall all be changed. All the juſt or righteous; then: alive at the coming of the Lord Chriſt, ſhall be ſo changed. It medleth not with the unjuſt: we ſhall be changed: the conſideration of the change it ſelf, and wherein it conſiſts, we ſhall refer to the Apoſtle his following deſcription of it, and ſhall make ſome enquiry what other Scriptures ſpeak of it, and witneſs to it: firſt, that in Paul. 3. 21. who ſhall change [to wit, the Lord Chriſt, ſhall at his coming from heaven, make that change] our vile body [or corrupt and ſinfull body] that it may faſhioned like unto his [to wit, pure, ſpotleſs, and incorrupt] glorious body. Col. 3. 4. when Chriſt ſhall appear then ſhall we appear with him in glory: be like him, and ſee him as he is: as holy John ſaith, 1. Joh. 3. 2. this change is wrought by a mighty hand of power, and working, whereby he, namely, the Lord Jeſus, is able to ſubdue all things unto himſelf: put them under, and ſubject them: even ſin, and death, and the grave, and all principality, and power; he is over them all; and he is able to do whatever he pleaſeth: make this change ſo as is after declared. In the next place minde we, that in 1. Theſ. 4. 15. 17. This we ſay unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, and remain [So] unto the coming of the Lord: [implying, there will be ſuch living then:] ſhall not prevent [anticipate or get before] them that are aſleep, to wit, in their graves: for as in vers. 16. they ſhall be awakened with a ſhout; with the voice of the Arch-Angel and with the trump of God, and ſhall ariſe firſt. Theſe dead in Chriſt, they will riſe firſt; that being their order. Then comes theſe changed ones; as it is ſaid, then ſhall we which are alive, and remain, be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the aire. It is premiſed, that they be firſt changed, in a moment before this conjunction and going together to meet the Lord, ſo: mounting up, like the Eagles with wings. Iſa. 40. 41. theſe waiters on the Lord Chriſt, ſhall be ſo renewed then: as to do, as is there ſaid: this Propheſy ſeemeth to relate to that very time, and to have its fulfilling then. We ſhall: then: both the raiſed, and changed, together, meet the Lord, ſo: and be for ever with him. Bleſſed and happy ſouls indeed.
Further the reſtoration of all things; ſpoken by all the holy prophets, Acts. 3. 21. it doth ſpeak out fully, and in a more general way, this change, and the time of it alſo: man being the principal thing in that bleſſed reſtoration. The heavens, the earth, and the Creatures; they grone for it, Rom. 8. 19. 21. 22. they ſhall all ſhare in this change, and ſhall be anſwered unto in their groning. They ſhall all be changed, as a veſture folded up; and they, being old, ſhall be changed, Pſal. 102. 26. and the new heaven, and the new earth, taking place, 2 Pet. 3. 13. all things ſhall be changed and made new; as the Angel ſaid unto John, Rev. 21. 5. behold, I make all things new even as holy Paul ſaid, behold, I ſhew you a miſtery; we ſhall not a dye: but be changed. The holy Apoſtle, vers. 52. doth very poſitiuely, the ſecond time, aſſert it: we ſhall all be changed: as it is fully aſſerted by him: ſo, it is nceſſary to be fully believed by us.
That which yet further we may minde about this change; whither as a part of the miſtery, or as an appendix, or a relate to it, I ſhall not eſſay to determine. That, we may take notice of, is; how ſudden and tranſcient it will be: in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye: very-ſudden, and expeditious, will this change be. The coming of the ſon of man: and this as an attendant thereof; will be like the lightning, that is very quick, and tranſcient, Math. 24. 27. ſudden, in the ſhining from the Eaſt, to the Weſt; over, in a moment of time: as ſudden, as a thought: and while they begin to think: it will be over: in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, it will be over, and done. A very great work; in a very little time; done, and brought to paſs, by a mighty and wonderful workman, the Lord Chriſt, that is able to do all things: it is beyond our reaſon and thoughts, but not our faith. What our Lord Chriſt ſayd to Thomas, may here be ſaid in this matter: bleſſed are they, that though their reaſon cannot reach it, nor their thoughts comprehend it; yet their faith believes it, becauſe it is written: ſo: in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, in the leaſt of time, very tranſient, will this changing be, And we ſhall be changed.
Then laſtly, as relating to the time, when: ſaid, to be at the laſt trumpet: for the trumpet ſhall ſound, and the dead ſhall be raiſed up incorruptible; of which, in order. To the dead, raiſed, ſomething hath been ſaid before: and at that very juncture of time, ſhall the living be changed. This ſaying of the Apoſtle: at the laſt trump; is conſiderable. Whither it be the laſt, of the ſeven trumpets: (it's very likely,) or ſome other? this riſing, and changing, we are now treating of, ſeems to contemporize (in time), with the time of our Lord Chriſt his coming, Mat. 24. 31. when that ſcripture, Rev. 11. 15. the kingdoms of this world, are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Chriſt, and he ſhall reign for ever and ever, will have it's through fulfilling, he then having fully taken to himſelf his great power and reign: for which there will be ſo great thanks giving, as in vers. 17. we give thee thanks, O Lord, God almighty, &c. becauſe thou haſt taken to thee thy great power, and haſt reigned.