The Revelation Unveiled, Chapter 1
CHAP. I. Of the general ſcope of the Revelation, and the Enemies of the Church, eſpecially the Dragon.
IT is a ſingular demonſtration of the Love of Chriſt to his Church, that he hath vouchſafed the Book of the Revelation, which affordeth not only uſeful Moral Obſervations, but …rophetic… Concluſions of the great Events from … days of John until the end of all things; Rev. 1. v 1, 3. It is called [a Prophecy] of what was ſhortly to come to paſs, and that until the general Reſurrection; Rev. 20. v. 10, 11, 12. when …eſus ſhall ſit on his great white Throne, and the dead, ſmall and great, ſhall be judged according to their works.
Here is a Prediction of the ſtate and condition, of actions and paſſions, doings and ſufferings both of the Church and People of God, and alſo of their Enemies during that whole time.
And note there are,
1. Seven Seals, Rev. 6. ſix of which laſted during the time of Pagan Emperours, till after Anno 300. See Mr. Mede. And the ſeventh delivered it ſelf into
2. Seven Trumpets, Rev. 8. and 9. Some of which began to ſound Judgment againſt the Roman Empire before Ann. 400.
3. Seven Vials or l…t Plagues▪ Rev. 15. and 16. and all other diſpenſations are for time reducible to ſome of theſe.
That the Roman State or Empire is the chief boundary of all theſe matters, is evident, ſeeing the deſcription undeniably agreeth to that, and …o no …o other Place or State in the World; for Rome was that great City, Rev. 17. v. 18▪ which was built upon ſeven Hills or Mountains, v. 9. and had ſeven heads, ſeven ſeveral ſupream Governments, v. 10 [five of which were fallen] in the days of John, viz. 1. Kings; 2. Conſul…; 3. Tribunes; 4. Decem-vi…i; 5. Dictators, and it's ſaid [one is] viz. 6. Caeſars or Emperours. And another was yet to come, viz. 7. Popes: And in that Territory were the ten Horns or Kings, viz. that after received power as Kings, which in the days of John they had not.
The principal Enemies here deſcribed are four; 1. A Dragon, Rev. 12. 3. 2. A tenhorned Beaſt, Rev. 13. 1. 3. A two-horned Beaſt, Rev. 13. 11. …. A Whore, Rev. 17.
Seven Heads and ten Horns the Dragon had, and ſo the Beaſt crowned, and upon the Beaſt the Who…e rideth, Rev. 17. 7. and therefore all of them belong to the Roman Empire.
The Church till after Ann. 300. is deciphered by a Woman clothed with the Sun, Rev. 12. 1. and then the red Dragon was her grand Enemy, v. 3.
Afterward ſhe is deſcribed under the notion of two Witneſſes, Rev. 11. and of 144000 ſealed ones, Rev. 7. and 14. 1. and then her great Enemies were the firſt and ſecond Beaſt and the Whore, Rev. 13 and 17.
The grand Oppoſite to the true Church, is [the Whore of Myſtical Babylon]▪ which therefore muſt be the corrupt Church of Rome, Rev. c. 17. v. 1, to 6. For who elſe can theſe Characters agree to? Who elſe did ſit upon many Waters, with whom the Kings of the Earth committed Spiritual Fornication? Is the Mother of Harlots, and Abominations of the Earth, and drunk with the Blood of the Saints? Who elſe hath ſate upon the Scarlet-coloured Beaſt with ſeven Heads and ten Horns?
Yea it is expreſly ſaid, v. 18. The Woman … the great City which reigneth over the Kings of the Earth; which could not in the days of John be aſſerted of any other in the World but only the City of Rome, and ſo the Romiſh Church is here intended.
For the right underſtanding or clearing of theſe Prophetical Myſteries, I ſhall lay down divers Rules▪ with the proof of the ….
Rule 1. That [the Dragon] notifieth Pagan Rome perſecuting, or ſuch as are not profeſſedly Chriſtian.
As a Key to a conſiderable part of th… Prophecy, I take [Dragon] throughout the Revelation, for Satan … i… and by Paganiſh Power, or not Chriſtian. It cannot be the Devil himſelf for the deſcription here of his ſeven Heads and ten Horns, Rev. 12. 3. We have otherwiſe expounded of Inſtruments of Satan Rev. 17. 9, 10. (as Ezek. 29 3. Jer. 51. v. 34.) and it aptly agreeth to Heathen Rome, when there were [ſeven Crowns] (Emblems of Majeſty, Supream Power and Soveraignty) and theſe upon the heads. Satan acted like a Dragon by fierce and cruel Perſecutions againſt the Church under Ethnick Emperors before Ann. 300. and not long after the Man-child Chriſt (not perſonally conſidered, but myſtically in his Church and Goſpel-adminiſtrations) was brought forth (by his Captain General Conſtatine the Great) notwithſtanding all Pagan attempts to deſtroy him, or hinder turning from Paganiſm to Chriſtianity. And ſeveral acts or works of the Dragon or Paganiſh Powers are mentioned. As
1. A Dragon War with Michael, i. e. with Jeſus Chriſt, whilſt the Empire was Pagan, Rev. 12. v. 7. And there was War in Heaven, Michael and his Angels, and the Dragon and his Angels.
This War is before the riſing of the Beaſt, and before the 1260 days begin, as appeareth in that he had but ſeven Crowns, and theſe upon the Heads, v. 3. whereas upon the Beaſt are ten Crowns, and theſe upon the Horns, Rev. 13. 1. and in that in this War the Dragon is overcome, and caſt out, or down, ſo as his place is no more found in Heaven, Rev. 12. 7, 8. whereas, had he been then turned Beaſt, he would have been a Conqueror, Rev. 13. 7▪ It was given to him to make War with the Saints, and to overcome them, and ſhould after have had the ſame place in Heaven as before. It is therefore a War that caſteth the Dragon down from his Imperial Throne and Headſhip, not from his acting in Horns of the Beaſt that is intended. It uſhereth in a great Triumph for the erecting or ſeting up at preſent another Kingdom, Rev. 12. 10. Now is come Salvation and Strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the Power of his Chriſt, for the accuſer of our Brethren is caſt down—Whereas ſuch a Triumph is inconſiſtent with the Sackcloth Wilderneſs-ſtate of the 1260 days, and cannot be during the Reign of the Beaſt, or till thoſe days are ended, and the ſounding of the ſeventh Trumpet, Rev. 11. 15.
This War and Triumph is before the Woe to the Inhabiters of the Earth and Sea, Rev. 12. v. 12. i. e. probably before the firſt & ſecond Trumpets which fall upon the Earth and Sea, Rev. 8. v. 7, 8. and ſo before the 7th Seal, v. 1, 2. and before the ſafe ſealing, Rev. 7. v. 2, 3.
Therefore this Dragon-War was that between Conſtantine the Great, and the Pagans, wherein he had a glorious Victory over Maxentius, Maximinianus and Lict…ius, and this admirably agreeth with, or anſwereth to the ſixth Seal, Rev. 6 12. to the end: And the rather, becauſe the Dragon was enraged at his being caſt down, Rev. 12. 12. knowing that he had but a ſhort time; for but one Pagan more, viz. Julian, was ever advanced to the enjoyment of the Imperial Throne, and he ruled but two or three years (ſome ſay leſs) a very ſhort time▪
Neither doth the mentioning a flying into the Wilderneſs 1260 days before this War, v. 6, 7. argue that the War is after; For, often things are inſerted by way of anticipation, and that mentioned in a former place, which was done after; as divers matters, Rev. 11. are not in time before thoſe, Rev. 12. and here is a ſpecial reaſon for it in the Caſe in hand: For having aſſerted that the Dragon watched to deſtroy the Man-child, and yet he was brought forth, and was caught up to God, and to his Throne, i. e. had ſafety, power, eminent exaltation, and yet the Woman flieth into the Wilderneſs for ſo long a time, v. 4, 5, 6. A Queſtion ariſeth,
How all this cometh to paſs? and how after ſuch advanceme… ſhe cometh into the Wilderneſs?
He anſwereth, by declaring, that there is a War wherein Michael overcometh the Dragon, and ſo the Woman the Church hath advancement; but the Dragon being enraged raiſeth a Perſecution, and driveth the Woman into the Wilderneſs, v. 13, 14. (and ſo ſhe was not there before) and it is [into her place] i. e. into the place which God had prepared for her, no neceſſity of its implying that ſhe had been in that place before. And let it be obſerved what the provocation was, to that Perſecution; …. 13. And when the Dragon ſaw that he was caſt unto the Earth, he perſecuted the Woman that brought ſorth the Man-child. Which argueth, that this caſting down the Dragon from his Imperial Seat, and the bringing forth the Manchild by Conſtantine, were freſh in memory, and not many hundred years before, as they muſt be, if this War were towards the end of the 1260 days, as ſome would have it.
And ſeeing this War was before the riſing of the Beaſt, and ſeeing the going into the Wilderneſs, which next enſued Michael's Victory over the Dragon, is that going into the Wilderneſs for a time, times and half, v. 7, 1…, 14. Hence that going into the Wilderneſs for 1260 days, is the going into the Wilderneſs for a time, times, and half a time; or theſe are the ſame meaſure of time.
2. A Dragon, or Pagan Perſecution (after the Empire became a Beaſt) driving the Church into the Wilderneſs, Rev. 12. v. 13. When the Dragon ſaw that he was caſt to the Earth, he perſecured the Woman.
The Dragon now perſecuted the Church, not by a Headſhip which he was already caſt down from, but in the form of Crowned Horns of the Beaſt, divers of which at firſt were Paganiſh, as the Goths, Vandals, &c. And let it be obſerved, that they then did not give their Power to the ſecond Beaſt the Pope (who was not then up) by way of profeſſed ſubjection either to him, or to the Chriſtian Religion.
3. A Dragon flood caſt out after the Woman the Church, Rev. 12. 15. A multitude of Pagans, as well as Errors, which were dried up, that She was not drowned thereby.
4. A New Dragon War raiſed upon this, againſt a Remnant of the pureſt Worſhippers, Rev. 12. 17. I ſhall it to Conſideration, whether this was at the next Perſecution by the Horns, after the Woman was in the Wilderneſs, and the Flood was over; or by the Sarracens and Turks, who over-run the Eaſtern Churches and raiſed Perſecutions there, and although they own God, yet it is in ſo carnal a way, as they deny him by their Religion, and not ſo much as profeſſing Chriſtianity may be deemed Paganiſh, though not profeſſedly Pagans.
Thus we ſee the work of the Dragon againſt the Church, both before the 1260 days, and in that time.
5. A Dragon Combination, as one Partner at the Battle of Armageddon, Rev. 16. 13. Where Dragon, I think▪ is eſpecially Turkiſh Power and Infidels, and ſo is diſtinguiſhed from the Beaſt and falſe Prophet; and the iſſue as to the Dragon, is, Rev. 20. That he is bound 1000 Years, i▪ e. reſtrained from former Perſecutions, and at laſt is utterly deſtroyed, v. 10.