Commentary on Revelation, Vision 6
The PREFACE to the Sixt VISION, Touching the Iudgement of the great Whore, contained in CHAP. XVII. XVIII. XIX.
THe ſixt Viſion comprehended in Chap, 17.18.19. is a ſupply, and gives light to the foregoing Viſions, eſpecially to the third, fourth, and fift, as far as concernes the two latter Acts which treated of Antichriſt: of theſe, I ſay, it is as it were a plaine Commentary: ſo that wee may no longer doubt, but Rome is certainly the ſeat of Antichriſt, and that the Pope of Rome is the very Antichriſt figured out, and revealed in this propheſie.
In the third and fourth Viſion Iohn ſaw a monſtruous beaſt riſing out of the bottomleſſe pit and the Sea, Chap 11: 7 Chap 13: 1having ſeven heads and ten hornes, which killed the two witneſſes, made war with the Saints, &c. now there it was ſomewhat obſcure what should be ſignified by this monſter: But here the whole myſtery of the beaſt is explained, viz. who he is, who his heads are, & his horns.
In the fourth Viſion alſo he ſaw a woman ready to be delivered, Chap 12: 8 9: 10.11: 12: 16whom the Dragon immediately perſecuted and cauſed to flie into the wilderneſſe out of the ſight of men: here now he rehearſeth, how in ſtead of the woman formerly hanished: he ſaw another, viz. a whorish woman clothed in scarlet and ſitting on a beaſt, and that this woman is the great citie on ſeven hills, the Queen of cities, and Empreſſe of the world, that is, Rome.
In the ſaid Viſions, chap 11: 7 chap 14: 8he made mention of the great city Babylon, whoſe deſtruction was proclaimed by the ſecond Angell, here he prophetically fores heweth that that great Babylon is Rome, and that it shall at laſt be burnt with fire, even by the hornes themſelves of the beaſt, that is, by ſuch Kings who before gave their authority unto her.
In the fift Viſion he ſaw the great citie divided into three parts, chap 16: 19 cap 18 29and overthrown by a great earthquake. Here by a propheticall demonſtration he more plainly deſcribeth the fatall ruine thereof.
In the foreſaid Viſion (the ſixt viall being poured out) he ſaw the kings of the earth, and of the whole world gathered together by three unclean ſpirits, chap 16 14 chap 19.11to war againſt God Almighty in defence of the Beaſts kingdom. Here excellently he deſcribeth the batell it ſelf, and the dreadfull iſſue thereof, the victory of Chriſt, and the caſting of the beaſt and all his confederates into the Lake of fire.
By all which it is manifeſt in the firſt place, that this viſion, as I ſaid, doth give a moſt clear light to the things before, yea to the whole Revelation.
Secondly that the ſcope and uſe indeed of this viſion in generall, is to terrifie the adverſaries, that they might not be lifted up, The uſe of this Viſion,becauſe of their proſperity, and preſume againſt the church in hope allwayes to eſcape unpunished: as alſo to comfort the godly, leaſt being offended with the preſent outward luſtre and power of Antichriſt, and overcome by their manifold calamities, they should faint under the ſame, but in hope of a happy iſſue perſevere conſtantly under the croſſe, fighting the good fight of Faith againſt the heaſt, and holding Faith and a good conſcience unto the end.
But the ſpeciall uſe thereof is clearely and manifeſtly to ſet forth to the world Antichriſt and his ſeat: For in regard the ſon of perdition shall ſit in the Temple of God, and by a pretended divine shew and lying ſignes bewitch the world, ſo as he shall be thought not to bee Antichriſt, but rather chriſts Vicar, and his kingdome the Catholicke Church: Therefore the ſpirit of God would once for all unmaſke him, and by his owne finger as it were shew, that Rome is his ſeat, to the end that we might not ſuffer our ſelves any longer to be deluded by impoſtors, as if we were to ſeeke for Antichriſt at Ieruſalem, Babylon, or elſewhere.
Thirdly, It is not obſcure unto what times this viſion belongeth: The angell diſtinguisheth the age of the Beaſt by four periods of time: in which he was or had bin, in which he was not, in which he ſhall aſcend out of the bottomleſſe pit, and laſtly in which he ſhall goe into deſtruction.
The firſt denotes the time in which the Beaſt was before Iohns time, To what times this viſion belong:ſo farre as concerned the Monarchicall power, although hee were not as yet the Antichriſt.
The ſecond denotes Iohns time, and foreward along till the Emperour Phocas, even ſo long as the Beaſt as yet was not that which afterward hee came to bee.
The third is the time from Antichriſts riſing under the foreſaid Phocas, ſo long as the Papacy ſtood in its vigor and ſtrength, untill the declining therof through Luther: for then the beaſt was aſcended out of the bottomleſſe pit.
The fourth is from the declining untill the future deſtruction: for from that time forward the Papacy began, and ſtill by little and little doth goe into perdition: of which Bellarmine himſelf complaineth: from that time, Lib. … de P R: …p: 21 col: 9…7: c:ſaith he, that you began to make the Pope Antichriſt, his dominion hath bin ſo far from encreaſing, as that it hath more and more decreaſed: The which he truly ſaid in a propheticall way: becauſe in that yeere the Popes Legate was ſent unto Paris to diſturb the kingdom of France: notwithſtanding the firſt part of his Speech is not true; for the Pope long before our time was reputed & known to be antichriſt, as before we have proved.
Hence fourthly, it appeareth that this beaſt is the ſame with that in Chap. 11.7. & Chap. 13.1. yet not abſolutely: for ſo far as this here was before his riſing out of the bottomleſſe pit, and the Sea, in that reſpect indeed, and ſo far forth he is not that Antichriſt there, but denotes the monarchicall power of the Romane Empire, and ſo his originall extends it ſelfe unto the firſt beginnings of the Romane monarchy. But againe ſo far as hee afterward aſcended, and came under the yoake of the woman, hee came to bee Antichriſt: and ſo his originall doth belong unto the times of the Emperor Phocas, which Wretch did no other good but onelyonly this, that he was the firſt that diſcovered Antichriſt unto the world, but of this more largely on ver. 3.
Fiftly, We are alſo to conſider, ſeeing the beaſt is Antichriſt, what then should he meant by the woman ſitting on the Beaſt? Is shee not the Antichriſt? yea verily, for as a rider with the Beaſt makes one horſeman: ſo here, the woman with the beaſt makes one Antichriſt: we are therefore to remember, that like as in viſion fourth, C. 13. Antich. was figured out not by one, but by a double beaſt, in a divers reſpect: ſo in this ſixt Viſion he is repreſented not under one but a twofold figure, viz. of a beaſt and woman, yea a woman having the beaſt under bit and bridle. How Antichriſt is the woman and the beaſt.And indeed Antichriſt is a whoriſh woman, becauſe the Church of Rome (as the Angell sheweth) is an adulterous church: he is alſo a beaſt, not at liberty as of old, but under the yoak of the woman, who doth not lead the beaſt but rides on him, and conſtraines him as with a sharp bit to go whither she pleaſeth: for the Pope hath two bodies holding the bridle of the Empire: And thus Boniface VIII. as a filthy beaſt did publickly shew himſelf in the firſt Iubile at Rome: appearing indeed in the firſt day of the ſolemnity in his pontificalibus, and imparting his apoſtolicall benediction unto the people: but the day following in a ſouldiers habit, with the Emperors armes and a naked ſword before him, crying aloud from his throne, Lib: 8 ſaxon cap 36,Behold here are two ſwords: The which Cranzius recording: Thou ſeeſt, ſaith he, O Peter, thy ſucceſſour: and Thou O Saviour Chriſt behold thy Vicar. Behold to what pride the ſervant of thy ſervants come? And in the margent: The Pope, ſaith he, acteth a twofold pe… in the theatre of the Jubile. My Anonymus calles the beaſt Antichriſt the wife, ſpouſe & church of Antich: which comes to one thing. Laſtly, The foure Acts of the ſixt viſion:I ſerve, that this ſixt Viſion is not univerſal touching the whole courſe and time of the church, as were the ſecond, third and fourth: but more particular touching the hiſtory of Antichriſt only, yet much more clearer then all the other. For it moſt plainely repreſents the riſing of Antichriſt from his firſt Parentage, as it were, together with his ſeat, Kingdome, vaſſalls, ſucceſſe and tragicall deſtruction. Now however it be particular, as is the fift, notwithſtanding it is not like that, diſtinguished by two Acts onelyonly, but manifeſtly by foure.
In the firſt Act Antichriſt is exhibited to the view of all men under the Image of a Whore riding on a Beaſt: and the whole myſtery thereof is opened Chapter 17.
The ſecond Act by a propheticall deſcription repreſents the burning of Babylon or Rome, together with the ſorrow and mourning of Antichriſtians for the ſame, Chap. 18.
In the third Act the heavenly companies do after each other declare the juſt judgements of God, and the mariage of the Lamb. Chap. 19. to verſe 11.
Laſtly the fourth Act, is a full manifeſtation of the Viſion, declaring the laſt battle of the beaſt, and the kings of the earth in Harmageddon againſt Chriſt, and the iſſue thereof, the beaſt with all his aſſiſtants, is throwne into the lake burning with fire and brimſtone, from the eleventh verſe unto the end of the Chapter. And thus much of the Preface.