The Revelation Revealed, Chapter 2 · Verse 21-22
Verſ. 21. I gave her ſpace to repent of her fornication, and ſhe repented not.
Verſ. 22. Behold, I will caſt her into a Bed, and them that commit Adultery with her, into great tribulation; except they repent of their deeds.
Though the church of Thyatira was very faulty in ſuffering the falſe doctrines of Jezebel within her, and though the abominations of this falſe Propheteſs were highly provoking ſins againſt the juſtice of God, yet God was pleaſed to give unto this falſe Propheteſs▪ and to the church that entertained her, a ſpace, not a little, but a long tract of time, to repent of her ſpiritual and corporal fornications; and yet …he ſlighting the long ſuffering of God, which ſhould lead her to repentance, and ſhe repented not: whereupon Chriſt lays an Index, a mark, an Aſteriſme upon her, not ſuch a mark as he lays on his elect ones of love and favour; but the contrary, of wrath and indignation. Behold, as much to ſay, as let all ſee, take notice, & admire of the righteous judgment I am going about to pour forth on this falſe impenitent Propheteſs and her adherents; I will caſt her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her, into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. As ſhe hath played the Harlot under her green covertures, both in her idolatries and adulteries, and as ſhe made her bed the place of her abominations, ſo I will caſt her into another bed, a bed of my own making, not of Doun, or of wanton dalliance, but a bed of affliction, a bed of tribulation, and of much anguiſh: If nothing will cure her, if ſhe will not hearken to my gracious precautions, if ſhe will not repent for all my gracious dealings and long ſufferings towards her, I will caſt her into a bed, I will make her ſick unto the very heart, it ſhall be a bed of great tribulation, and if all this will not prevail with her to reform and amend, I will caſt her into another bed, a bed of death; and not only her, but all that commit adultery with her; ſhe alone ſhall not ſuffer for her adulteries and idolatries, but all thoſe whom ſhe hath enticed and deluded to be ſharers and complices with her in theſe her abominations. Hence Note,
Obſerv. 1. God is very long ſuffering and merciful towards the worſt of ſinners.
God gives this woman Jezabel, moſt corrupt in doctrine and manners, a ſpace, a long ſpace or tract of time to repent: God forbore the old ſinful world a long time under the preaching of Noah, before he brought the Flood upon them, to ſweep them away for their tranſgreſſions: God ſuffered long alſo Sodom and Gomorrah, moſt vile cities in abominations, before he ſent forth fire from heaven to conſume them: How long did God ſuffer the provocations of his own people Iſrael, in idolatries, murmurings, oppreſſions, injuſtices, adulteries, &c. from one age to another, before he would remove the habitation of his glory from Iſrael, yea after they had put the Son of God to death, through their wicked malice and enmity towards him; yet how willing was God to call them to repentance, by ſending his Apoſtles and Miniſters among them, to bring them to the faith, if poſſible, and ſo be ſaved: and waited long upon this work, for fifty, ſixty years, and upward, until the days of Veſpaſian, when Titus overthrew the city of Jeruſalem, when the Jews were ſold for a groat a head, and not one ſtone left upon another in the Temple, as Chriſt had foretold for their obſtinate impenitency and wickedneſs? How long did God forbear us in this Land for the abominations among us; ſins of Jezabel of a bloody nature againſt the Saints and Prophets of God, beſides the many ſuperſtitious Will-worſhips, idolatries, and fornications permitted and countenanced, as it were by authority, for ſome ſeries of years, before the Lord did break out againſt us in wrath and judgment? All this connotes unto us the gracious nature of our God, that he is a God merciful, gracious, long-ſuffering, full of bowels of compaſſion, ready to forgive and remit the very worſt of ſinners, as perſecutors, idolaters, adulterers, Jezabels, Balaamites, Nicholaitans, and what not? upon their repentance, and turning from their ſinful ways unto God and holineſs: Therefore, (O ſinner!) never complain againſt God for want of grace or long-ſuffering towards thee, if thou periſh, the fault is thine own, through thine own perverſeneſs and unbelief, and not God's, for want of grace, mercy, or giving time enough of repentance to thee.
From the remarkable word, Behold, Note,
Obſerv. 2. That Gods judgments upon ſinners are to be remarked and taken notice of by all wiſe and godly perſons.
Behold! ſaith Chriſt, what I am bringing upon Jezebel and her wicked aſſociates, for their abominations: conſider of it, it is for an example to you, that if you be found in the ſame tranſgreſſions with her, you ſhall be partakers with her in her judgments. God always forewarns of evils before they are coming, that his own precious ones may be ſecured and ſaved in the day of wrath: in Rev. 18.2. the Angel cries out with an Ecce, Babylon is fallen, Babylon is fallen, many hundreds of years before the real accompliſhment thereof; and to what end? That the godly may conſider and take notice of her abominations, and of the wrath and judgments denounced againſt her, that ſo they may com… out of her, and not be partakers with her ſins, leſt they be partakers with her plagues alſo: How many voices of the Lord's Meſſengers, and Trumpets, are gone forth with a Behold in their mouths, that the Lord is coming in fiery indignation againſt all workers of iniquity, and yet who lays it to heart?
Obſerv. 3. It is moſt juſt with God when he makes the occaſions and inſtruments whereby we have ſinned against God, to be the inſtruments of our puniſhments and chaſtiſements.
If we turn our Tables into ſurfetting and drunkenneſs, it is juſt with God to make them a ſnare unto us. If we make wine, or our luſts our god, God can make wine and our luſts to be our executioners, in ſhortning our days by intemperancy. If we make gold, riches, or honour our Dalilah, God may juſtly lay a wedge of gold in our way, as he did to Achan; or honour, as unto Abſolom, unto our utter ruine and deſtruction. If Jezabel affects her bed and cloſe covertures for her whoredoms and idolatries, God can juſtly make that bed of folly, a bed of great tribulation to her. If we pleaſe our ſelves in the ſociety of evil companions, thoſe very conſorts of ours, God will make them rods of affliction to us: for how ſad will it be unto the wicked in the laſt day, when thoſe that were companions in ſin and wickedneſs, ſhall curſe one another for their wicked examples and encouragements to evil given to one another in their life time: Thus God puniſhes ſin by ſin. If Pharaoh will have a hard heart againſt the Iſrael of God, God will give Pharaoh a hardned heart in judgment: God hath his hand ſo far in ſin, as in juſtice he can turn it to a puniſhment for ſin; and this is according to the equity of that of the Poet:
N…n Lex eſt juſtior ulla,
Quam necis Artifices arte perire ſua.
Obſerv. 4. Great and grievous tribulations and judgments attend not only falſe Teachers themſelves, but their followers alſo.
The Bed in the days of health, peace and quiet, is the place of ſolace, reſt, and comfort; but in the day of affliction, ſickneſs, or tribulation, it is the receptacle of our griefs, ſorrow, and anguiſh: All the night long (ſaith David) I water my Couch with my tears; and therefore moſt aptly taken up by the Spirit, to repreſent unto us a ſtate of ſorrow, anguiſh, and tribulation, into which Jezebel, and her adherents or followers of her doctrine ſhall be caſt; for ſo her adulterers are to be underſtood: for I cannot think it reaſonable▪ though this Nicholaitiſh Propheteſs did hold corporal fornication lawful, yet that all of her Sect, and followers of her doctrine did commit corporal fornication with her, but th… …ll ſuch as were her diſciples and followers, may be truly ſai… to commit Adultery with her in a ſpiritual ſenſe and underſtanding: And ſo in cap, 17. verſ. 2. The Kings of the earth are ſaid to commit Fornication with the great Whore, and the Inhabitants of the earth to be made drunken with the wine of her fornication, that is, with the intoxicating and abominable Doctrines and Idolatries of Babylon: So here all that do adulterize with Jezebel, that is follow and joyn to her abominable doctrines and practiſes, ſhall be caſt into the ſame bed of anguiſh and tribulation wi…h her ſelf. They that will partake of Babylons ſins, muſt not think it hard to partake of Babylons plagues; the Merchants that joyned to her Idolatrous Merchandizings & trade, ſhall cry, Alas, alas! for that great City; and the Kings of the earth that committed Fornication with her, ſhall bewaile her and lament becauſe of the anguiſh come upon her. cap. 18. The Beaſt and falſe Prophet, joynt companions in evil, the one upholding and confirming the other, the one by an unrighteous and tyrannical Sword, the other by falſe doctrines and miracles, till at laſt both are caught by Chriſt and his Armies, and caſt into the lake of fire and brimſtone, Rev. 19.20. And if common tribulations were not enough for falſe teachers and their folowers, Chriſt will caſt them into a bed wherein they ſhall roul themſelves in grief, cover themſelvs in grief, and with great tribulation; and if all this will not do to bring them to repentance for their wicked deeds and practiſes, Chriſt hath another bed to caſt them into, a bed of death and deſtruction in the next verſe, And I will kill her children with death, except they repent of their deeds: Repentance is the only remedy againſt divine judgments; turning from ſin, and turning to God, will turn God's wrath from us, and his love towards us. See more hereon about repentance ver. 5. and 16, of this cap.