The Resurrection Revealed, Book 6 · Chapter 3
CHAP. III. Meaſuring out the DIMENSIONS of this glorious eſtate to be on Earth, afore the ultimate univerſal Judgement.
§. 1 HAving done with the Creation of it; we come next to the Dimenſions, Quantity, or Extent of the glorious Kingdome of Chriſt on Earth, yet expected, viz. That as the other foure Monarchies did over ſpread all the inhabited world (as it is ſaid of Nebuchadnezzars Aſsyrto-Chaldean Monarchy, Dan. 2.37. that he was King of Kings, and that WHERESOEVER THE CHILDREN OF MEN DWE…T, the Beaſts of the field, and fowles of the Heaven, GOD HAD GIVEN INTO HIS HAND, and had made him RULER OVER ALL; and of Caeſars Roman Monarchy, Luke 2.1. That there went out a decree from him, that ALL THE WORLD ſhould bee taxed:) So this fifth Monarchy of the Saints reigning on earth under Chriſt, muſt be as large as thoſe Monarchies, as large as the whole world for ample Dominion, though not for ſincere converſion; That is, the generality of men in the time of this Kingdome being converted into true Saints, they ſhall rule over all the whole world of men, ſwallowing up the other former Monarchies. So that if there be remaining a ſecret ſeed of hypocriſie in …ome, which ſhall at laſt, (God ſo foretelling, Rev. 20.8.) breake out in the Gogican War at the end of our THOUSAND yeers, ſhall yet mean while all men, all the time of the thouſand yeers, ſhall be demurely ſubject to the Dominion of the Saints. Touching the latitude and largeneſſe of this Holy-Kingdome, read Dan. 2.34, 35. The ſtone cut out without hands ſmote the Image on his feet that were of iron, and of clay, and brake them to peeces. Then was the iron, the clay the braſſe, the ſilver, and the gold broken in peeces together, and became like the chaſſe of the Summertherſhing floore, and the wind carried them away, ſo that NO PLACE WAS FOUND FOR THEM; and the ſtone that ſmote the Image became a great Mountaine, and FILLED THE WHOLE EARTH. Dan. 7.26, 27; And the judgement ſhall ſit, and they ſhall take away his (the preceding Monarchies) Dominion, &c. And the Kingdome and Dominion, and the greatneſſe of the Kingdome, UNDER THE WHOLE HEAVEN, ſhall be given to the people of the Saints, &c. And Rev. 10.7. St. John having ſaid, In the dayes of the voyce of the ſeventh Angel, when he ſhall BEGIN to ſound, the myſtery of God ſhall be finiſhed, he goes on in the 11. Chapter, verſe 15. ſaying, The ſeventh Angel ſounded; and there were great voyces in Heaven ſaying, The KINGDOMES of this WORLD are become the Kingdomes of our Lord, and of his Chriſt, and he ſhall reigne for ever. That is, no Monarchy ſhall ever be on earth after his. Adde Iſa. 2. (In the ſecond verſe, &c. whereof, yee have the propagation of the Goſpel of Chriſts Kingdome, and mens obedience to it) In the 11 verſe, repeated againe verſe 17. yee have the Lord Chriſt exalted, and his overthrowing all worldly powers proſtrate before him, in theſe words, The lofty lookes of man ſhall be humbled, and the haughtineſſe of men ſhall be bowed downe, and the LORD ALONE ſhall be exalted. Which words (though covertly, for feare of provoking worldly Monarchs) are alleadged by the Jewes to the ſame end, as you have heard afore at large. To the ſame effect of the largeneſſe of Chriſts Kingdome is that notable place in Iſa. 24. verſe 21, 22, 23. In that day it ſhall come to paſſe, that the Lord ſhall puniſh the Hoſt of the high ones, that are on high, and the Kings of the earth, UPON EARTH, and they ſhall be gathered together, as priſoners are gathered in the pit, and ſhall be ſhut up in the priſon, and after many dayes they ſhall be viſited. Then the Moon ſhall be confounded, and the Sunne aſhamed, when the Lord of Hoſts ſhall REIGNE IN MOUNT SION, and in Jeruſalem, before his Ancients gloriouſly. His Ancients are, his ancient people the Jews. And as the material Sunne and Moon ſhall be then nothing in compariſon of the light of Gods preſence, as afore-ſhewed; ſo the metaphorical Sunne and Moon (for the ſame Scripture may have two ſubordinate ſenſes, Rev. 17.9, 10.) I ſay the metaphorical Sunne and Moon of higher and lower humane Majeſties ſhall be confounded with ſhame. So Jacob (a Prince in thoſe times) and his wife are called by the name, and interpreted to be the meaning of that name of the Sunne and Moon in Joſephs dream, (Gen. 37.9.) even as we had but now in that 24 of Iſa. both name and thing, metaphor & meaning expreſſed. And by the ſame rule, and proportion we may admit of others annexing a metaphorical ſenſe to that Revelation, 21. verſe 23, 24. that in Chriſts Kingdome to come upon earth, there ſhall be no need of the Sunne or Moon, i. e. of Emperial, Royal, or Princely Potentates, to keep the peace; as we have expounded it alſo in a litteral ſenſe of the obſcuring of the glory of all the Stars by the paramount glory of Gods preſence For God and the Lambs preſence ſhall be in ſtead of, and more then the Sunne and Moon in both ſenſes. One, both learned and godly, doth likewiſe to the ſame purpoſe, apply Hag. 2.21, 22. By ſhaking heaven, and earth once more (ſaith he) the Prophet ſeems to mean (in part) that there ſhall be a change, not onelyonly of the cuſtomes of the people, which are the Earth; but alſo of Kingly powers, and humane Majeſties, which are the Heavens. Which place of Haggai, the Apoſtle applies to the Kingdome of Chriſt, Heb. 12.26, 27.28, 29. of which application, though part may comport with the Kingdome of Chriſt as ſpiritual (which hath ever been) yet the reſt ſeems to …ooke as farre as Chriſts Kingdome to come on Earth. For ſince Haggais, or Pauls time, God never ſo ſhook the material heavens of Orbs and Stars, or the metaphorical of Royalties and Majeſties, that the Kingdome ſucceeding (as the Text plainly intends) could not be moved. Even as the cloſe, exhorting to ſerve God acceptably, becauſe he is a conſuming fire, is moſt like to Peters exhortation, 2 Pet. 3. to bee holy in converſation, becauſe after the deſtruction of the world by fire, we ſhall have new heavens and a new Earth. The place ſeems to allude to, and to Propheſie from Gods ſhaking of Mount Sinai, that as at that time God ſhook his people out of Egypt, and ſeparated them by divine Lawes from all the Nations of the earth to be a Royall Church by themſelves; ſo he will ſhake all the world of high and low ones, when he ſets up his laſt kingdom, viz. Chriſts viſible kingdom on earth, and therewith makes all new. For (ſaith my Author) that ſame [Once more] ſignifies the removing of all former old things in Earth, and Heaven, viz. of Cuſtomes of People, and Crownes of Kinglyhoods, and makes all new with ſanctity, and ſpirituality, in the quality, though men and creatures ſhall be in ſubſtance extant upon the earth, according to their ſpecies or kinde, and his Sovereignty in paramount glory ruling all. Juſt as Zachary hath it, Chap. 14. verſe 9. And the LORD ſhall be KING over ALL the EARTH: In that day ſhall there be ONE LORD, and his name one. That is (as ſome learned expound) There ſhall be no more Lords, but the Lord Chriſt, and his Dominion ſhall be greater then ever any was. Which the Prophet Malachy doth notably ſurveigh Chap. 1. verſe 11. in theſe words; From the riſing of the Sunne, even to the going downe of the ſame, my name ſhall bee great among the Gentiles, &c.