The Revelation Unveiled, Title page – Table of contents
THE Revelation Unvailed: OR, An Eſſay towards the Diſcovering
I. When many Scripture Propheſies had their Accompliſhment, and turned into Hiſtory.
II. What are now Fulfilling.
III. What reſt ſtill to be Fulfilled, with a gueſs at the time of them.
WITH An APPENDIX, PROVING, That Pagan Rome was not Babylon, Rev. 17. and that the Jews ſhall be Converted.
Dan. 12. 4.
Many ſhall run to and fro, and Knowledge ſhall be increaſed.
By SAMƲEL PETTO, Miniſter of the Goſpel at Sudbury in Suffolk.
London, Printed for John Harris, at the Harrow in the Poultry, MDCXCIII.
THE PREFACE.
IT is a Duty of high Concernment unto Chriſtians to be ſearching the Scriptures, Joh. 5. 39. one part as well as another, all being given by Divine Inſpiration, and profitable to high and glorious Ends. The laſt Prophetical Book would never have obtained the Name and Title of Revelation, if an underſtanding of the Mind and Will of God therein had been unattainable. Nor would there ever have been ſuch a precious Promiſe in the Front of it, Rev. 1. 3. Bleſſed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this Propheſie, if it had been un-intelligible. Who ſhould ſhare in this Bleſſedneſs, if none could arrive at the Knowledge of what they Read?
Neither ſhould any take Diſcouragement for this ſearch, becauſe ſome have been miſtaken in their Computations of time; for they may as well reject the Study of other Scriptures on that account, ſeeing many Wiſe and Learned Men have been groſly miſtaken about great Matters of Eaith, or Doctrines of the Goſpel.
Indeed the Enquiry is the more neceſſary, that at laſt the Truth may be found out. I am not peremptory in fixing the time, but offer different Epocha's with the Grounds, and let theſe or the Event determine which is the Truth: And beſides the Myſtical Numbers, there are other Signs of the times; as, the ſleepineſs of Virgins may ſpeak that the coming of the Bridegroom is not far off, Mat. 25. 1, &c. and ſome Events may diſcover what are next to follow, as ſome former Seals open'd, tell us what were yet to come, and ſome Trumpets ſounding, tell us which are next to ſound.
Alſo know that there are other Matters beſides the times yet to come to be enquired after, even what is already paſt; that we may diſcern what an anſwerableneſs there have been in Events in the ſeveral Ages to what is contained in the Propheſies; which is indeed the great Scope and Deſign of this Diſcourſe to give a diſcovery of.
Here we may ſee how Propheſies have been turned into Hiſtory. And there is enough in this to recompence all the labour of any ſerious Obſerver and Enquirer, and to fill him abundantly with Admiration.
Here is Matter not only knowable, but of great importance to be known, for receivers of the Mark of the Beaſt in the forehead or hand, openly or ſecretly, are ſeverely threatned, Rev. 14. 9, 10. They ſhall drink of the Wine of the Wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture, and ſhall be tormented with fire and brimſtone for ever.
A Diſcovery of the Enemies of the Church I accounted neceſſary, elſe what followed would not have been Eſtabliſhed.
I confidently conclude the Pope to be the ſecond Two-horned Beaſt, Rev. 13. 11. who is the Giver of this Mark, and ſo the leaſt Compliance with him as ſuch is very perilous and deſperately dangerous. That Mark may not only be what I have particularly mentioned, but may extend to ſome other Act or Badge, Teſſera, Sign of Token which he giveth of their belonging to him.
As to the Firſt Beaſt, Rev. 13. 1. I think him not to be the Pope or Seventh Head, but another perſecuting Beaſt as I have evinced. Herein I confeſs I differ from other Interpreters, yet I account it the Truth, and this may be a ſalvo for their ſuppoſed miſtakes about the Myſtical Numbers; ſome of them might be righter in their Computations as to the End, than themſelves were aware of, two things (which I have proved) being conſidered.
1. That the Epocha of the 42 Months and 1260 Days, is to be fetched from a [Perſecution] of the firſt Ten-horned Crowned Beaſt, Rev. 13. 1, 5. Not from the Pope, nor from any [Apoſtacy] of his, or other Romiſh Corruptions; ſome of which were too early to begin thoſe Days with, 2 Theſſ. 2. 7. and others too late, if they were to Commence from the very firſt Moment of time when Rome loſt the Eſſentials of a true Church, and turned into the Whore of Babylon.
2. That the 42 Months and 1260 Days are not expreſſive of the whole time, either of the Beaſts continuance or Dominion: It is a great miſtake to think that immediately after the expiration of thoſe Days, the Beaſt muſt be deſtroyed, or the Churches Trouble come to its End. It's true, the Sackcloth or Wilderneſs-ſtate then ended; but after that, the Witneſſes having finiſhed their Teſtimony, there a is Witneſs-killing War, and the Death-ſtate of the Witneſſes, and their Reſurrection enſueth, before the reign of the Beaſt cometh to an end, Rev. 11. v. 7. to 15.
As to the 2300 Days, Dan. 8. 14. I think they are not Prophetical Days, i. e. Years, but Natural Days; not only becauſe expreſſed by Evenings and Mornings, v. 26. but becauſe they are limited and confined to the little Horn which groweth on the Hee-goat, v. 8. which is declared to be the King of Grecia, v. 21. And ſo that Littlehorn was Antiochus Epiphanes, who did grow out thence, as, v. 9. in the latter time (not of the World, but) of the Four Kingdoms which ſprang from the Grecians, or which that was ſplit into, as, v. 23. And this Antiochus did take away the daily Sacrifice, and caſt down the Sanctuary, v. 11, 12. And it being asked, How long it ſhould be till that was cleanſed, v. 13. The aforeſaid days are given as the Anſwer, v. 14. And ſutably was the Event, according to Joſephus and the Maccabees, which may be eſteemed as other humane Hiſtories, though not as Scripture. For from Antiochus firſt Perſecution in his own perſon in the 143 Year of the Greeks to his Death in the 149 Tear, is about that time, 1 Maccab. 1. 20, 21. and 1 Macc. 6. 16.
Or from Menelaus, who intended to Revolt to the Religion of the Greeks, and had a Licenſe from Antiochus, to Erect a place in Jeruſalem in the 142 Year, to the time of cleanſing the Sanctuary in the 148 Year, is about 2300 Days, Joſeph. lib. 12. c. 6. 1 Maccab. 4. 41, 43, 52.
In vain therefore do many perplex themſelves, ſeeking the expiration of theſe 2300 Days in the times of the New Teſtament.
And if they were ſo many Years, yet they could not begin before the Viſion it ſelf, which hath its firſt Date at the Ram, Dan. 8. 3. noting the Kings of Media and Perſia, v. 20. and the firſt Year of Cyrus was about 528 Years before Chriſt; nor indeed could they Commence before that little Horn Antiochus did take away the daily Sacrifice, and tread down the Sanctuary, v. 13, 14. about Ann. 167. before the Nativity of Chriſt, and the reſidue muſt come after, and thus would not expire till about Ann. 2133. But I conclude, that thoſe 2300 Days did begin and end with Antiochus.
I would not abſolutely determine that the Converſion of the Jews will be before the Fall of Rome; but offer ſome Reaſons for it.
This ſeemeth plain, that the Jews will not return to their own Land, or be called till the Reſurrection of the Witneſſes: For as the time, times and half, and 1260 Days, ſo the three Days and half of the Witneſſes lying dead, are all of them times of the Gentiles, Rev. 11. 2, 3, 9. and it is expreſly ſaid, Luk. 21. 24. They ſhall fall by the edge of the Sword, and ſhall be led away Captive into all Nations, and Jeruſalem ſhall be trodden down; How long? [until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled]. And they are not fulfilled till the Death of the Witneſſes is over, ſeeing the Gentiles hold them under their death.
If the Tenth part that falleth at the Witneſſes riſing or aſcending, ſhould not be Rome, but another of the Ten Horns (as ſome would have it) then ſeeing there is but one blow more after that Triumph, Rev. 19. 1, 2, &c. Why may not Rome be the Babylon that cometh into Remembrance at the Seventh Vial? let the Event determine.
I do not pretend to immediate Revelation, or ſuch a Spirit of Prediction for the foretelling things to come; but only compare Scripture with Scripture. I did compoſe this Ann. 1665. and ſee no Cauſe yet for Variation in the Subſtance; only now I have much abbreviated it, with a few Alterations, and a little Addition eſpecially as to the Number of the Beaſt; and this Review …ath added much to my Confirmation and Satisfaction in theſe things. The Day of the Lord is near, let us exerciſe Faith in Prayer, that if Jeſus Chriſt ſhould come at Midnight, yet we may be always found watching.
THE CONTENTS.
Chap. I. OF the general Scope of the Revelation and Enemies of the Church, Pag. 1
Chap. II. Of the Ten-horned Crowned Beaſt, Rev. 13. 1. Not the Pope, p. 8
Chap. III. Of the Two-horned Beaſt, the Pope, Rev. 13. 11, p. 21
Chap. IV. Of the Little Horn, p. 37
Chap. V. Of the firſt riſing of the Ten-horned Beaſt, p. 39
Chap. VI. Of the Epocha of the Myſtical Numbers, 42 Months and 1260 Days, p. 50
Chap. VII. Of what enſueth the End of the 1260 Days; Of the Witneſſes Death and Reſurrection, p. 68
Chap. VIII. Of the Seven Vials, that they are not all under the Seventh Trumpet, p. 91
Chap. IX. Of the Vials, and how many are already poured out, p. 98
A Concluſion of what was unaccompliſhed, Anno 1680. p. 127
An Appendix, Shewing,
I. That Pagan Rome was not the Firſt Beaſt, nor Myſtical Babylon, Rev. 17. p. 145
II. That the 1000 Years did not begin at Conſtantine the Great. p. 155
III. That the Reſtoration and Converſion of the Jews and Ten Tribes, is ſtill to be Expected. p. 156