Commentary on Revelation, Lecture 2
LECTURE II.
Vers. 3.
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesie a thousand two hundred and threescore dayes clothed in sackcloth.
4.
These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
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.
6.
These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the dayes of their prophesie: and have power over waters to turn them to bloud, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
THe second part of the description of the Church followeth. Iohn describeth the state of the Church at this time from her Ministers; and this is set down in three steps with the severall circumstances. First, Their prophesying, till verse 7. Secondly, Their death and killing, till vers. 11. Thirdly, Their restoring, from vers. 11. And as it is not to be supposed, that these same were the witnesses that were raised, but others in their spirit and power (as is said of Iohn Baptist, Mal. 4. with Luk. 1.17.) preaching the same truth, and pursuing that same Antichrist; so it was not to be thought, that the same witnesses should live and prophesie all that time: but that there was, and should be a succession of them some after others, so that they should never be wanting altogether till their testimony were finished. The Churches state is especially set out by the state of her Ministers, because they are linked together, so that it ever appeareth in them how it is with her. If persecution be, they are first in it, if it be hard with them it is not well with her and contrarily.
The Prophets are particularly described, vers. 3. 1. By their speciall work, to witnesse and give testimonie for Christ against the corruptions and usurpations of these times; so Ministers, are called Christs witnesses, Acts 1.7, 8. their work should be to be witnesses for mistaken Truth, and against Antichrist. 2. Their number is set down, to wit two, a definit for an indefinit number.
They are said to be two, 1. because two witnesses are the least that confirm a Truth, but they are sufficient; so it importeth they shall not be many, yet sufficient to testifie against these evils fully. 2. Because of allusion in the words following, where something of three couple of famous witnesses is attributed to these two mentioned here; in allusion (I say) to Gods way of making use of two in all dangerous periods of the Church, to wit, Ioshuah and Zerubbabel, Moses and Aaron, Elias and Elisha, in respect to which three couple, the following description of the witnesses here is holden forth in the effects of their prophesying both to friends and enemies; to wit, 1. they are as Zerubbabel and Ioshuah, two olive trees, Zach. 4. 3. from whom droppeth the oyl to keep light and life in the two Candlesticks, that is, the Churches which are now few in number; and it is not by might nor by power, but by the Spirit that they prevail. 2. If any will oppose them, fire proceedeth from them, as Elias destroyed the two fifties, 2 King. 1.10. so their enemies shall be destroyed as surely, and their word and threatnings shall take effect on them. 3. Their power is described by other effects, that as Elias by prayer prevailed to shut Heaven, that it ruined not, and Moses and Aaron did turn waters into bloud, and wrought other wonders in plaguing of Egypt, So shall they have. But all this in a spiritual sense (to denounce judgements which shall truely take effect) as appeareth by this, That the city spiritually is called Sodom, so all is spiritually to be understood. They have the power of the keyes. Discipline and Doctrine, ready to be applyed when they find ground to revenge disobedience. And this is no lesse terrible than outward judgements are, that they Preach freely and authoritatively, and that for many dayes, 1260. extending, according to thirty dayes in the month, to fourty two months. In a word, all the time of the Antichrists reign, God shall have a Church though she be little, and Ministers though they be few: so long as he usurpeth, so long shall they testifie; and though he may fight with them, yet till they have done what the Lord had commissionated them for, he shall not prevail. 4. They are described in their mourning-weed or habit. They prophesie in sackcloth: when many idle bellies were well fed, and clothed richly, they were thus clothed; partly, to shew their outward, poor, contemptible and despicable condition in the world. There are not great rich men made use of for this service; partly, to shew how deniedly now under the crosse they went about that imployment, in heavinesse, mourning for that declining generation that they lived in. In a word, it sheweth their condition to be the crosse, and their carriage and courage to be suitable to it.
If it be asked, why the same time is changed from dayes to months, and from months to years? Ans. 1. To shew it is numbered to a month, to a year, to a day; yea, to an hour, as it is Chap. 9. v. 15. 2. To shew, that their prophesying was a daily work and task. 3. To shew, that it was a work of the day, as treading under foot is a work of darknesse, therefore counted by months which the Moon ordereth. 4. It is years, to shew it will be of a considerable continuance; It is dayes and months for encouragement, that they may know these evil times shall have an end. 5. The alteration of months into dayes, will help to discern how many dayes are to be assigned to every month, for making up the totall.
Lastly, It is marked, that it was given to them thus to do, vers. 3. which holdeth forth the speciall commission they had, and that not only to enter that station, but also to continue therein, implying withall assistance and successe beyond what could be expected in the discharging of their testimonie.
This power looketh especially to the Authority that God hath given them to denounce His judgements against Antichrists followers with the certainty of the event thereof, and that both temporall in due time to be fulfilled, but eternal alway according to that denounciation, Chap. 14.9.10. As often as they will, is not to be understood as if they had it committed to them at their abitrement to use the keyes (even extraordinary Prophets did not work miracles and prophesie in foretelling of events at their pleasure, or by any habituall power, but when and where it pleased the Lord so to bring forth such effects) but it holdeth forth the supremacie and independencie of their power as to men; they were in the exercise thereof no way subordinate to that beast, which the world admired: and it holdeth forth the respect and Court (to speak so) which they have with God, He will refuse them nothing, and make good all His word spoken by them, as He had done in the persons of Moses, Elias, and these alluded unto; for which cause, these expressions are especially used. Iustus Ionas useth such an expression of Luthers effectualness in Prayer, that quicquid voluit pot uit, which is upon the matter, agreeable with what is said here.
This prophesie of the witnesses, is foolishly applied by Papists to Enoch and Elias, as if they were to come in person and prophesie against Antichrist, with a number of vain circumstances: It is enough to say of this, 1. There is no shaddow from the word of any such application to Enoch and Elias; and therefore more easily may be rejected than affirmed. 2. It no way contributeth to the scope, nor is consistent with what here is intended, which is to shew the low condition of the Churches visible estate in her ordinary Ministers. Nor, 3. can it stand with what is said of these two their glorified estate, and that both in body and soul, and of Enoch that he was translated never to tast of death, Heb. 11. it were strange to bring glorified persons from Heaven to suffer, and to make them die most shamefully, whom yet the Scriptures exeem absolutely from death: and although some persons have been brought to life whose souls were glorified, while their bodies were in the grave, yet where body and soul are both compleatly glorified, that can in no wayes be asserted, more than to be immortall as to the body, as well as the soul, and to be mortall, can stand together. There is another application no lesse strange, whereof Grotius is the author, of applying this to two Bishops of Ierusalem their testifying against Simon Magus. This is also destitute of reason, there being no evidence of the thing: beside, Iohn is here prophesying of an event to come, and that of great and universall concernment to all Tongues, Nations, &c. and that of Simon Magus, was past, and of no such consequence: beside, the particular exposition of these witnesses killing and their being raised again visibly, will be enough to confute that opinion of it self. And the title of witnesses can no way be astricted to these two Bishops, supponing such to have been; for, there were still many moe testifying even against Simon Magus; and rather Paul and Peter should be by eminencie accounted witnesses against him, they living in his time, and encountering with him; yea, he being destroyed by the Ministrie of Peter, if history be to be credited in this, and yet all the Lords witnesses, the Ministers, are represented by these two, and their estate described by theirs in opposition to the beasts followers, and all the rest of the world which rejoyced in their sufferings: it is a wonder how such an invention could be entertained by learned men, which to the most grosse Papists is ridiculous.
If it be moved who these are, that the Lord acknowledgeth here for His Prophets, or how any could be so accounted of then who had one common call with Antichrists followers? Ans. 1. They are certainly ordinary Ministers, continuing faithfull witnesses against Antichrist, as the scope of the place, and the opposition cleareth; for which the Lord calleth them my witnesses: and although the difference of the call be not alway discernable to us, yet it is not impossible, but as there was distinct Professors, and for a time (at least) particular Churches, so might there also be a distinct succession of Ministers; for, this is certain, that the Waldenses in Bohemia at Merindole, Pedmont and other places, had their own distinct Ministers without dependence on the Church of Rome; and Sleidan and Thuan make mention of two of them who were sent to Luther at his first appearing. But, 2. although that were not clear, yet one, called by that ordination that was continued in P…perie, having the Lords seal put to it, by an inward fi…ting and disposing of him for that work, and blessing him in it, may be accounted the Lords Minister, as Baptism continued amongst them, was enough for initiating of one to be a visible Christian, and if abstracted from their corrupt practices, was enough with sound faith and a holy life to make a man to be accounted a true Christian, so was their ordination enough for the externall part of a call; and a man having it, and being furnished with gifts and inward zeal to exercise them for Christ and not in a dependence on the Roman antichristian Hierarchy, as such at least, not for promoving of their errors, but the edification of souls it was eneugh to make a man to be accounted a Minister of Christ, and not of Antichrist, even as the Scribes and the Pharisees, as such, and as following their corrupt traditions and opposing Christ, were no Church-officers, nor plants of the heavenly Fathers planting: yet, if sitting in Moses chair, and preaching his Doctrine, they were to be accounted builders; so, much more here are these, seing by their way there is a stated contest between them and Antichrist. The reason is, because Antichrist, and the most of his worship are accidents that intrude on the Church and the worship of Christ; he fetteth himself in the Temple, and therefore his corruptions and additions, being removed, the worship is not his but Christs, even as if wholly he were removed the Church and Temple would still be the Lords; for, Baptism is not antichristian, nor doth of it self initiate any in his Church, but as men by their after carriage devote themselves to him, and take on his name or mark: and therefore when one disclaimeth what is antichristian, his Baptism is to be accounted the Lords Ordinance; so ordination and appointment of some for the Ministrie is the Lords Ordinance: the restriction of ordination to such persons exclusively, and the adding of many ceremonies with rules for them to teach but so and so, that is Antichrists addition, and may be removed from the former, so that one may have been ordained by them and yet become a Preacher of pure Doctrine, even as they might be baptized by them and yet become Professors of it; And therefore no doubt many, in all that time, were called to the Ministrie by the Lord through these wayes of theirs, who did prove faithfull witnesses for Christ against Antichrist even unto death; they cannot therefore be accounted antichristian Ministers who do not own that hierarchie, but, are to be accounted Ministers of Christ: for ordination simply doth not flow from Antichrist, but as it standeth in a subo…dination to him, and is a step of that Hierarchie, and not in a subordination to Christ; now these not being in subordination but to Christ, are to be accounted his. Indeed it may be in respect of the ordination it self not discernable for the time, whether such a person be a Minister of Christs, or Antichrists; and it may be for some space one may mistake his master and continue in Antichrists camp, not knowing what his commission leadeth him unto, yet when in effect it is discovered, and he made to take up his task and to walk according to it, and the Lord evidently sealing his call to him, he is then to be accounted a Minister of Christ, when all accessory dependence on Antichrist is cast off. We do therefore say, that it is not the ordination of that time simply that was sufficient to make one a Minister of Christ, but ordination going alongst with Christs call, and dispensed according to His allowance (though it may be the dispensers intended no such thing) and having an after carriage suitable to a Minister of Christ: and therefore it will not follow from this, that all that were so ordained, as to the outward ceremonies and manner, are to be accounted Ministers of Christ, except they have Christs call concurring and evidenced in their fitnesse for it, and conscientious discharge of it; now, this being certain that for the most part in Popery such were ordained whom the Lord never called to it, and who in their carriage never walked by His commission or owned Him as Master, Therefore are not these to be acknowledged as Ministers of His, but of Antichrist, whose design they drive, and whose orders they obey; and therefore as on the one side, that ordination alone cannot constitute and evidence one to be a Minister of Christs if he walk not accordingly, so cannot their additions that are mixed in therewith prejudge the Ordinance it self, when in so far as it is from Christ it is owned, and when what in it is from Antichrist is disclaimed, even as it will not prove one of their members to be a true Christian that he is baptized, if his way be antichristian, yet where a Christian conversation, as to faith and manners, doth concur, it will be sufficient; and the additionals that are amongst them in the administration of Baptism, cannot in that case prejudge that Ordinance, So is it here.
If it be asked why they are not only called the two olive trees (vers. 4.) but the two Candlesticks also, which (Chap. 1.20.) are expounded to be the Churches and not Ministers? Ans. We conceive they are so to be understood here also; and it is done, not to confound Ministers and Churches, which in Chap. 1. are distinguished; but to shew the sibnesse that is between these two, and the likenesse that is in their case; so that we may gather the implied case of the Church, from what is expressed of the Ministers, which is the scope here, to wit, that the Church should be few in number and low in her outward estate, as these two Prophets are: and they are two Candlesticks, to shew that proportionablnesse which is between the encreasing and decreasing of the number of Professors with the number of Ministers. By some this is taken to be an hebraism, as if it were to be rendered, these are the two olive trees, wish or beside the two Candlesticks, the copulative in the Hebrew being sometimes to be so rendered. But the scope is clear, to wit, that under that type of two Prophets prophesying in sackcloth, is holden forth both the low condition of Minsters and Churches; and this sheweth the absurdity of both the former misapplications. And the Churches estate is rather described by her Ministers, than by her Professors, because in that time the continuance of Truth is more discernable in the Preachers than in the Professors thereof, who may be very obscure in respect of any combined profession; and because also the violence of Antichrist will be especially bent against Ministers, yet the Lords continuing of these two olive trees doth infer the being also of two Candlesticks whom they are to furnish with their oyl, and to give light unto. Hence Observe,
1. As our Lord Jesus hath a Church, so hath He witnesses in it: these two are ever inseparable, the Church and Witnesses; He may have Saints where He hath no Ministers, but He hath never a politick body of a Church without Ministers. There is in this Book a strange connexion between a Church and Ministers; the Churches are the Candlesticks, and the Ministers the Candles; they are the olive trees that entertain oyl in the lamp; They have a speciall influence in keeping life in the Church, as the one is up, so is the other, and when the one is down, so is the other. It is a strange Religion that speaketh of doing for Saints and to promove their interest, and yet hath little respect to Ministers. 2. As Ministers meet with opposition, so doth the Church; and as the Church meeteth with opposition, so do her Ministers. 3. Ministers ought by their place especially to witnesse for Christ against corruptions. 4. When Ministers have most to do and meet with most opposition, God often furnisheth them accordingly with more boldnesse, gifts and assistance than ordinary. 5. Christs witnesses are a terrible party: for as few as these witnesses are, none of their opposits do gain at their hand; who ever hurteth them, shall in this manner be killed. Though they be despicable in sackcloth, yet better oppose a King in his strength, and giving orders from his Throne covered in cloath of state, than them: though they may burn some, and imprison others, yet their opposers will pay sickerly for it. This is not because of any worth that is in them, or for their own sake; But, 1. for His sake and for His Authority that sendeth them. 2. For the event of their word, which will certainly come to passe, and that more terribly, and as certainly as ever any temporall judgement was brought on by Moses or Elias. Fear to come in tops with this word, it is a sword with two edges, and will kill these who oppose and do not submit unto it.