Commentary on Revelation, Lecture 1
LECTURE I.
CHAP. XII.
Vers. 1.
ANd there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the Sun, and the Moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve Stars:
2.
And she being with childe, cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
3.
And there appeared another wonder in heaven, and behold, a great red Dragon, having seven heads, and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
4.
And his tail drew the third part of the Stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the Dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her childe assoon as it was born.
5.
And she brought forth a man-childe, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her childe was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
6.
And the woman fled into the wildernesse, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore dayes.
THe seventh trumpet in the former Chapter gave a little touch of the events that are to be expected by it; Now, before he come particularly to insist on them, in these three Chap. 12.13. and 14. the first explicatory vision, contemporary with what went before, is wisely and seasonably inserted, and he returneth then to the third principall vision in the seven vials, Chap. 15. and 16.
Before we speak particularly to the words, we shall lay down some generall observations conducing to the clearing of this vision and the scope thereof, and more particularly of this Chapter.
1. The principall matter handled in this vision, is not different from, or belonging to any other time, but in the matter for substance, & in the time it doth agree with the former prophesies of the seals and trumpets. It is added now, and not before, for explication of somethings in them, because the threed and series of the story is deduced in a little view from Christs dayes to the end of the world: and it is lesse violent now to begin, than if between the seals and trumpets some part of this had been inserted. Beside, neither would the matter have been so clear, if it had been divided: neither is it lesse consistent with the series of the prophesie to interpose something for clearing by-past visions here, than it was to insert something for clearing what was coming, Chap. 7. That it treateth, I say, of the same things, and belongeth to the same time, appeareth; for, the matter of this belongeth either to Heathenish persecution and the Churches travailing, or to Antichrist, the beast, mentioned, Chap. 11. in his rise, reign, and begun ruine: all which, are the very matter of the former prophesies. And the rise and close of this vision will be found contemporary with the former two visions, Therefore it must belong to the same time.
2. Observe, That in this vision the principal scope is to point out Antichrist in these chief periods of his rise, reign and ruine, but especially the former two: wherefore these are most insisted on as the scope of the whole Book, and almost all the explicatory prophesies, as this here, and that other, Chap. 17.18.19. are spent upon that; God thereby minding to rid marches between His Spouse and the whore, therefore other events are lesse touched, and not so to be pursued in the exposition.
3. If it be questioned, why these things are repeated? Ans. It is not unusuall for propheticall visions to be so delivered, as in Pharaohs dreams, Gen. 41.23. and Daniels visions, and Iosephs dreams: and there are two reasons of it, 1. for confirmation of the truth of the thing, as Ioseph saith to Pharaoh, vers. 32. 2. For further explication and clearing the same thing; both which agree well here.
4. The reason of the inserting of the explication here, would also be observed, 1. That it cometh in well on the back of the 11. Chapter, where two things were shortly hinted,
1. Concerning the beast which was to destroy the witnesses. And, 2. their persecution and prophesie, 1260. dayes: both which were but named there; here they are much cleared in their forerunners and other circumstances. 2. It is seasonably premitted to the vision of the seven vials, which bringeth the overthrow of the beast, which certainly could not be well understood, did not this expresse description of the beast preceed. 3. It insinuateth, that now, at the seventh trumpets blowing, this prophesie that concerneth Antichrist will become more clear to the Church in that time, wherefore it is subjoyned here, as also to give together a generall view of the Church, and of the beast in two distinct representations, the one more generall, which is past; the other, more particular, which followeth.
5. The altering of the manner of expressing this vision, which differeth from the two visions that go before, and that which followeth in the seven vials, is not to be passed. It is expresly done, not only for clearing of that which in other types is expressed, but that also the series of seals, trumpets and vials may be keeped unconfounded. Therefore here when he breaketh off the series which he had formerly continued, he doth change his ordinary way of expressing by sevens and types of that kind, till he come again to take up the series where he left, which is done by the vials, Chap. 15, and 16. where he doth again proceed as formerly he had done, till he carry the matter to the end; and then altereth again, Chap. 17.1, &c. when he explicateth that vision of vials, as he had done in this.
For understanding of this Chapter, Observe, 1. That it setteth forth the Churches first trials from the beginning till Antichrists publick appearing, and so contemporateth with the prophesie of the seals, and the first four trumpets; and therefore it is to be divided again in two main battels of the Church, suitably to the matter and time thereof, as will after appear.
Obs. 2. That which is spoken of the Dragons watching the woman and the childe, vers. 4. and his war, vers. 7. and the womans flight, vers. 6. which is again repeated, vers. 14. doth not point out two several battels of the Church, but the same one triall and event; which is, First, summarily and by anticipation set down, and thereafter more particularly resumed and described, so that that war of the Dragons with Michael, is the same with his watching of the woman and his seeking to destroy the man childe; and that flight, vers. 6. is that same with what is set down, vers. 14. otherwise it would be inextricably difficult to shew two successive flights of the same continuance, how she returned, or when, and how she did flee, vers. 6. when yet wings are but given her, vers. 14, &c. These are all obviated by saying that what is but shortly and in the generall hinted at first, is afterward more fully explicated: and considering the time of the continuance of both, and other circumstances, it doth make this unquestionable, as the exposition will clear.
3. Concerning the scope of the first part of the Chapter, which is to vers. 13. we are to Observe, That it is to shew the first sufferings of the Christian Church, and the devils seeking to destroy her seed, which is Christ mysticall, with her deliverance therefrom; and we are not to understand it of Christ personall His being brought into the world, and the persecutions that followed Him, and that neither considered as having Mary for His naturall Mother, or the Church of the Iews for His Mysticall; neither of which can be understood here by the woman thus described, as He personally considered is not to be understood by the child: For, 1. that which is here, is propheticall and revealing some new thing to come to the Church. Now, both these applications were before this time already passed, and plainly and historically set down in the Gospel; and therefore it is not to be thought that these are here again under such dark expressions repeated. 2. This war is of the same parties, and to the same scope, with that which followeth, to wit, the devils casting of a stood out of his mouth, &c. The woman here and there is one, and considered as such: and seing these events afterward mentioned, and what is spoken of the woman her fleeing to the wildernesse, &c. can neither be applied to Mary, nor to the Church of the Iews; but must be applied to the Gospel-church and her troubles, that contemporate with Antichrists Dominion that falleth within the same time, Therefore this first part must be understood of the same Church, and her trials which preceed that time. Beside that this glorious description, holding forth a Church in opposition to the former Jewish typicall ceremonies, cannot well be otherwise applied to any of the other two. 3. This childe here is not to be understood of Christ personally, because they are expresly said to be brethren, verse 10. and such as overcome by the bloud of the Lamb, verse 11. and the womans seed that have the testimony of Iesus, verse 17. and so are expresly distinguished from Jesus the Lamb, and from Michael, verse 7. who is their Captain. Beside, the bringing forth of this man-childe hath outward peace following thereupon in the Church, which Christs birth had not. Therefore the many declamations concerning the blessed Virgin Mary, which are heaped up by some Popish Writers upon this place, are most impertinent, groundlesse and ridiculous. Yet, 4. this description of the Churches infancie is set down with speciall allusion to the manner of our Lord Jesus Christ the Head His coming into the world, 1. as He was a childe, born of a woman in many outward wants; so are His People brought forth in many straits. 2. As Herod watched to …estroy Him, as soon as He was born; so doth the devil by other persecuting instruments watch the Church to crush her seed, immediately after their birth, as it were, and in their very infancy, even as Pharaoh sought to destroy the Iews male children, Exod. 1.23. 3. As Christ was born, and preserved till He had finished the work committed to Him, notwithstanding of all the enemies malice and craft; so shall it be with the Churches seed. 4. As He immediately after His birth, was pursued, made to flee, and carried to Egypt; so shall it be with the Gospel-church, who should be made to flee immediately after the first delivery. This allusion is the more probable, if we consider that the time of Christs being in Egypt will be found to be about three years and an half: (which is here the time of the Churches wildernesse-condition) for He was born in the thirty year of Herods reign; He did not flee immediately, as appeareth by Maries continuing till her purification, Luk. 2. and by Herods killing the young children of about two years old, Mat. 2. and He returned from Egypt immediately after Herods death, who reigned full thirty four years, whereby the suitablenesse of this time may be gathered: and lastly, as Herod vented his malice upon the Children of Bethlehem, where Christ was born, after His escape; so doth the devil here vent his malice upon the Churches seed after her deliverance.
We come to speak of the first part of the Chapter, which containeth the Churches first war with the Dragon (not but the Dragon fighteth also under Antichrist, but more covertly and in another shape, here more palpably) which is first summarily proposed to vers. 7. Then, 2. prosecuted more particularly.
Vers. 1. In this first part, the parties are described, 1. The defender is set out in three things, 1. She is a Woman, that is, the Church, as she is ordinarily called; partly, 1. for infirmity, and being obnoxious to wrongs. 2. As in subordination to Christ as her Husband. 3. As the Mother of Believers; and she is one Woman, (though here the whole Gospel-church be represented) to shew an unity in the Catholick visible Church, which is the only object of persecution; and that she is but one Church, Woman, Mother, or Wife: and there cannot be moe.
2. She is described by her adorning or statelinesse, in three things, 1. She is clothed with the Sun, setting out the pure Doctrine that she professed and the shining conversation of Believers in that primitive time, who had put on the Lord, Rom. 13. and owned His Word and Testimonie, which is called the Sun in the eight Chapter, especially what concerned His imputed righteousnesse and satisfaction. 2. The Moon is under her feet: whether by the Moon here we understand earthly temporall things, which are mutable and spotted like the Moon; or, Jewish feasts, new Moons, &c. called the rudiments of the World, Col. 2. it cometh to one, to wit, to set out the deniednesse and mortifiednesse of the Church at that time, despising worldly things and adhering to Christ, and having a conversation heavenly, which the Apostle exhorteth unto, Col. 3.1. in opposition directly to the resting on these new Moons and other elements of the world, as well as is in opposition to worldly things. 3. She hath a crown of twelve Stars, that is, faithfull Ministers carrying the Doctrine of the twelve Apostles and following it; so the Church is builded upon that, Eph. 2.20, 22. and Revel. 21.14. the names of the Lambs twelve Apostles are written on the twelve foundations: this is a Crown, that is, it is her glory and credit to have faithfull Ministers, and to be following and avowing their Doctrine, as Paul calleth the Thessalonians his Crown. This is a well adorned Church in a suffering time: We take these three more particularly to be expressed, vers. 11. The first, by the bloud of the Lamb, that is, the Garment. The second, the word of the testimonie, that is, the Crown. Thirdly, They cared not for their lives, and loved them not unto death, that is, the trampling of the Moon under their feet, or undervaluing temporall things; for, the life is most cared for, as Iob 2. Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
The third part of the description, is, vers. 2. in her travailing and crying, expressing two things, 1. A fruitfull condition of the Church in this beauty; so travailing and bringing forth doth signifie in Scripture, and is well applied to the Gospel-church, which is a Mother, Isa. 54.1. Gal. 4.19. with, 26, 27. 2. And although it doth signifie a fruitfull condition, yet also it is a sorrowfull and afflicted condition, as ye know the travailing of a woman ordinarily holdeth forth, and Christ calleth it (Ioh. 16.21.) sorrow, or pain till the childe be brought forth. In a word, this primitive Church is pure, fruitfull and afflicted, as her crying importeth: with great pains do Ministers beget, Gal. 4.19. and with great hazard is the profession of Christianity owned, and great wrestling hath she in Prayer to God and sufferings from men, to be rid of this sorrowfull condition, ere she get free of it.
The enemie pursuing, is described vers. 3, and 4. in four or five particulars; and it is called, as the former, a great sign or wonder, represented to Iohn in Heaven, because great things were signified by these; here the parties are exceeding unequal, she a woman, the enemie is a Dragon: some say there is an utter antipathy between Men and Dragons, whereas other ravenous creatures for meat destroy men, these for delight do it, and whereas men can endure to look on other creatures, yet not so well on the Dragons and Serpents; however, it is a most ravenous beast, by which is represented, in Scripture, sometimes the devil, sometimes some great persecuter acted by the devil the supream commander, so was Pharaoh called; and as he was the first oppressor of the Jewish Church, so this representeth the first oppressors of the Christian Church; both come in here, the devil first, that is clear, vers. 9. then the Roman Empire primely instrumentall in persecuting Christians, that appeareth by the description of the Dragons shape, he hath seven heads and ten horns; which seven heads (Chap. 17) are clearly to be expounded seven Hills, and seven Kings, or sorts of Governments: and these ten horns to be ten Kings, which were to arise out of the ruines of the Empire; (they had not then received power, Chap. 17. Therefore they have not here Crowns, as Chap. 13.) and expresly she is (vers. 18. of that Chapter) called the City which reigned over the Kings of the earth, at that time, the devil is chief, and the Roman Empire or Emperour his Depute in this: for, the devil acteth not immediately, yet what he doth by instruments, is attributed to him, as Chap. 2.10, This is a great Dragon, to shew his power; Red, to expresse his cruelty; and having seven heads and ten horns, to expresse him who especially is instrumentall in exercising that cruelty, the Roman Emperour, like Pharaoh, who is called a Dragon, Psal. 74.15. Isai. 27.1. Ezek 29.3.
Vers. 4. His carriage is set out in two things, 1. He hath a tail, that is, power, and flatteries to perswade with temporall allurements; and by these two he prevaileth to draw Ministers and others, who ought to be lights, from their heavenly posture, to an earthly subjection. This alludeth also to Dan. 8.10. where the casting down of the Saints is expressed so. 2. His other practice, is, to wait for the childe to devour it: in a word, he leaveth no mean unassayed to destroy all professing Christians that bear Christs name, and to keep them that they should never win to any outgate or comfortable condition, as Pharaoh did to the children of Israel, and Herod to Christ, seeking to destroy them immediately at their birth, so that none should sooner be a professed Christian, but he was liable to the hazard of the Dragons Laws. This now is an unequal encounter; yet, behold, the event is happy, the childe is born and keeped safe, and the woman fleeth: how this came to passe, that a weak woman and a childe, are keeped from a watching cruell Dragon, is afterward cleared, to wit, by Michaels fighting and taking her part.
Vers. 5. The event hath three steps, 1. The womans delivery and the childs description. 2. The childs exaltation. 3. The womans fleeing, vers. 6. By this delivery, in generall is set out not only her bringing forth of Believers or Professors, but such a delivery as one bringing forth a man-childe is said to have, Ioh. 6.21. a comfortable delivery, and which, in place of crying, giveth her a Song afterward, as vers. 10. for, she had children before, but had not her pains taken from her, and was not at freedom to bring forth without the enemies watching. The childe is described most for her comfort, and with respect to our Lord Jesus Christ. It is mysticall Christ, 1 Cor. 12.12. who in His Members is brought to a flourishing condition, and His Church set at liberty from persecution, and some of her sons exalted to Heaven to an honourable condition, from which Lucifer is said to fall, Isa. 14.12. This shortly is fulfilled, when after Heathenish persecution for three hundred years had prevailed, Christians were advanced, Constantine being made Emperour, and Christianity was established by a Law. That thus the delivery, Childe, and Heaven to which he is taken, are to be understood, will appear in these, 1. This is the delivery which is the ground and subject of this Song, vers. 10. Now is Salvation and the Kingdom of our God, &c. that is, a full evidence of Gods reigning, delivering them from these persecutions and giving them liberty, But that is this delivery. 2. Such is the childes taking to Heaven, as is the devils casting from Heaven, for these are opposed, But that is the spoiling of him of the Authority of the Emperours which he abused before; now he hath not the Throne, as in the Church of Pergamos, Chap. 2. vers. 13. but Laws and Authority are for Christians. 3. It is as the witnesses were taken to Heaven, Chap. 11.12. that was by a publick authorized Church-condition and state after Antichrists persecution; so here, Religion authoritatively is established, which never was before: and Christians countenanced after Heathen persecution is over; and seing it is usuall to the Scripture to call Magistrates gods, it is not unsuitable to expresse their station and state above others by Heaven.
The property of the male childe, His ruling, &c. we shew how it is to be understood (Chap. 2.27.) of Christ in His Members, and, it may be, here to shew the great Dominion that our Lord Jesus should have in the world in Constantin's time, when His Members should be exalted to a honourable condition, called (vers. 10.) the Kingdom of our God and the Power of His Christ, in opposition to the usurpation of Satan in the seven headedbeast before, and as was, Chap. 11.15. in opposition to Antichrists Dominion: for, when the Church is up, Christ exerciseth and manifesteth His Power in them; so by this childe, is not meaned Christ personally, but such as keeped His testimonie, vers. 11. and ult. Nor particularly Constantine, but Christ mysticall, whereof Constantine was but a Member; and that outward Government of his but a little shaddow, type, evidence, and effect of this great Dominion of the Lords, and made use of by God to be the externall mean and cause of His Churches peace. However, this sheweth the case to be exceeding joyfull and different from what it was, which, being before the Churches flight to the wildernesse, can be applied to no other time but that delivery aforesaid from under heathenish persecution, and she being brought now to a glorious settled and quiet condition, like a Heaven in comparison of the former.
The last part of the event, the womans flight, is set down, vers. 6. by way of anticipation, as is clear, the place of it being properly vers. 14. It is so soon subjoyned, for these reasons, 1. To let see how soon on strait is on the back of another to the Church; and specially, to shew that Antichrists rise and the Churches decay in their beginning are contemporary with the outgate from the former trials, and is (as it were) …arked as a consequent of the former delivery: for then, (as Platina writeth of a voice) was poison sown in the Church, and prosperity, being abused to pride, sooner defaced the Church than persecution. 3. It is subjoyned to give a little view of the case of mother and childe together, that the children of the Church readily are no sooner promoted, but she is in a wildernesse-condition, as it were, decaying and declining much from that beauty and pure glory and visibility she was into before; a sad thing that the childrens prosperity often banisheth the mother, and obscureth her beauty; seldom hath greatnesse, and temporall prosperity, zeal and self-denying singlenesse dwelt long together; and it is the last, and not the first, wherein her native beauty doth consist.
This consideration of this Verse we leave till vers. 14. Only now by fleeing we are not to understand a locall mutation of this Church from one place to another, but from this forth a decay of the former beauty of it, that whereas there was in Rome, and other places, glorious Churches before, and the Bishops were Martyrs, as all in Rome were before Sylvester and Constantin's time: now that is by degrees vailed by pride, pomp, hypocrisie, heathenish and antichristian dressings, that the few that remained the true Church, are (as it were) Chap. 11.1. closed up in a secret corner of the Temple, while the multitude possessed the Court; that, to wit, the Temple is called the place prepared of God, and there is she fed by the witnesses with the true Word of God, while the world are swollen with pride, traditions and superstitious inventions. And so the P…phets prophesying, and the Churches staying in the wildernesse to be fed, are of equal duration, 1260. dayes: which Verse being so near subjoyned to the former, giveth a clear hint at the sum of the second state of the Church, to wit, that which was …atent, and when it beginneth, even when the other endeth.
Two things remain to be cleared, 1. Why this beast here under the Dragon hath the Crowns on his heads, and on his horns, and that beast (Chap. 13.1.) hath the Crowns on his horns, not on the heads. The reason is, because when the Roman Empire was heathen, and under that notion persecuted the Church, the seat of the beast, Rome, had the royal emperiall dignity; and these ten Kingdoms were then Provinces subject to her, as appeareth, Chap. 17. These ten then were but to get royal independent dignity, but when the Empire turned slaves to Antichrist, about the year 606. and after, the case is altered; Rome is denuded of the royal Authority which she had, and these Provinces are now by the Empires decay turned to be Kingdoms, though in this condition depending still on Antichrist, as formerly they were united under the Dragon. 2. Why doth the Dragon now but pursue the womans seed, and after, in the second onset, he setteth on the woman the mother to drown her. Answ. In these three wars of the Dragon ye will find a difference, 1. He seeketh to destroy all the seed. 2. He sendeth out a flood against the mother, and his anger is turned against her when the childe escapeth. 3. When the woman escapeth, (though she cede, which the childe did not; which maketh it appear that this fleeing rather holdeth out a change upon the Churches qualifications, than of her locall residence) then (vers. ult.) he setteth himself not against the mother simply, nor against all the seed indifferently, as in the first; but against such as keeped the Commandments of God. The reasons are, 1. Because open persecuters look to all sorts of professors indifferently, and do vent cruelty on them. Hence Arians would sometimes be put to suffer with Orthodox Christians; and by Arians, the Novatians as well as others; they know not to make difference, they so hated the very name. 2. Because the heathen persecuters thought that the readiest way of destroying the Church, was, to destroy her members in whom she subsisted, and that they being undone, consequently so would she be. Therefore, 1. the devil beginneth with murthering bodies to undo the Church in her members; and when that faileth, he setteth on the mother to poison the members or children by corrupting her, as one, intending the destruction of a childe, would poison the Nurse. This is done not by direct hatred at the name and profession of Christianity now in request, but by counterfeiting and corrupting Christianity, that he may once alter the face, beauty and wholsomenesse of the Ordinances of the Church, which is the Mother, and he is sure the children which suck these breasts will not be lively. To effectuate this, he maketh use not of open Heathens, but corrupt Teachers that he speweth out, not to taint this or that person but the fountains, as was seen in the first four trumpets, in which he spareth particular children of the Church, possibly allureing them with rich benefits, sumptuous buildings, honours and preferments; but in the mean while carrying on his design against the Church as a Church, even under and by these, which by the former voice in Sylvesters time (if it be truth) is hinted at, and that word of Ierom's in vita Matthai, when Emperours became Christians, the Church indeed encreased in worldly pompe, but decreased in spirituall beauty, Ecclesiam Christianam, post quam ad Christianos venit principatus, potentià guidem & divitiis majorem esse factam, sed virtutibus minorem.
Lastly, in the third battell, he putteth at some of the seed only, because here he maketh use of Antichrist a counterfeit enemy, who will not purposely and down-right set on all Christians, as such; for, his quarrell, and the devils, is but with these that are faithfull and hate his pride and hypocrisie. 2. In this last, he joyneth violence and deceit together, and by deceit he overcometh many, they have drunken up the fioud, but these that will not drink of these fornications, he pursueth them with violence by the following beast; and not all Christians simply, but these who kept themselves from these growing corruptions; and these are called the womans seed.