A Plain Explanation of Revelation, Part 14
Apoc. Cap. 14. 1.
Then I looked, and lo, a Lambe ſtood on mount Sion, and with him an hundreth, fortie and foure thouſand, hauing his fathers Name written in their foreheads, &c.
THe Prophet hauing declared the fearefull iudgements to be executed on the earth by the man of Rome, hee doth here arme Gods Children by the promiſes of merciemercy in the preſeruation of them.
Firſt, then to giuegive credence to that which was to be ſpoken, here is ſet forth the deſcription of Chriſt, and his Church militant.
Chriſt is here compared to a Lambe, both becauſe of his meekeneſſe and humilitie, and eſpecially by reaſon of his ſuffering, and his offering of himſelfe to death vponupon the Croſſe for vsus.
Hee is ſaid to ſtand; ſignifying his readineſſe to helpe his Church. As Stephen, Acts 7. ſaw Chriſt ſtand at the right hand of God: not that Chriſt doth alway ſtand in heauen, but it noteth out vntounto vsus his proneneſſe and willingneſſe to doe good to his, and to reuenge their aduerſaries.
In mount Sion; that is, his Church, to wit, the heauenly Ieruſalem, to the good & helpe of his Church, to deliuer them from their enemies.
Then is ſet downe his traine, in the ſame number that is ſpoken of in the ſeauenth Chapter, viz. one thouſand foure hundred and forty, ſignifying the great number of Gods Children on the face of the earth in that time; yet not ſo great, but that it might be tolde. And this ſame number of the Gentiles in theſe times of perſecution, is noted to be as many as of the Iewes, that were ſealed vp to life euerlaſting.
And therefore it is a certaine thing that the number of Gods children in the time of perſecution is but ſmall, in regard as at other times, for then they are without number, as it is ſaid in that ſeauenth Chapter.
Theſe are deſcribed by their effects, to wit, that they had a ſong, and their voice is ſaid to be like the voice of many waters; that is, was a very great voice, and made a great ſound, yet ſo comfortable, as if it were the voice of harpers; which ſheweth the notable harmony and mellodious voice of the Children of God, and their vnity and conſent in the prayſes of God.
A new ſong; that is, paſſing the capacitie of mans inuention, as being onelyonly the worke of Gods ſpirit, and onelyonly giuen them by the worke of their regeneration; for they onelyonly▪ that are regenerate can ſing new ſongs, acceptable to God, ſo that no other man whatſoeuer, though neuer ſo wiſe, neuer ſo witty, neuer ſo cunning in Muſicke, can ſing pleaſantly vntounto God, vnleſſe they hauehave the ſpirit of regeneration.
Virgins; that is, thoſe that were kept vndefiled from ſpirituall fornication, and corporall vncleaneneſſe, which had no guile in their mouth, and were vnblameable in the ſight of God; not that they were altogether without guile and ſinne, but that they were accepted as righteous in Chriſt, that as Chriſt was without ſpot, ſo were they, as hauing the righteouſneſſe of the Lambe imputed vntounto them, and their ſinnes to him.
Afterward, to draw credit to the Prophecie, hee ſaith, he ſees another Angell flie through the midſt of heauen, euidently, with the euerlaſting Goſpell; ſignifying, that after that, in that one thouſand two hundred and ſixty, the Goſpell ſhould not be cleane hidden, but that there ſhould be an Angell, to wit, ſome Miniſters that ſhould fore-warne them to take heed of the Beaſt, and not to be defiled with his vncleaneneſſe.
After, another Angell followeth, which foretelleth the deſtruction of Babilon; ſaying, Babilon is fallen; which noteth, that euen in thoſe times there ſhould be ſuch, which by the Miniſtery of the word ſhould denounce the ouerthrow and ruine of Babell, that is, of Rome, that howſoeuer it ſeemed ſtrong and vnmoueable in the ſight of the world, yet it ſhould fall and come to deſtruction: and it is twice repeated, to ſhew the certainty of it.
A third Angell denounces the iudgements of God againſt the worſhippers of the Beaſt, & of his image, to wit, thoſe that did yeeld themſelues to the Idolatry of the Beaſt.
Theſe three meſſages are done by diuerſe kindes of Meſſengers and Miniſters; ſhewing that the gifts of God are diuerſe in his Miniſters; as namely, ſome of exhortation, ſome of denouncing iudgements againſt the vngodly; of which ſort this laſt is. In that he ſaith they ſhould drinke of the Wine of the wrath of God; it ſignifieth (as he expoundeth it) that they ſhall be tormented with Fire and Brimſtone, they ſhall be burned in hell, and that euen before the holy Angels, and before the Lambe, ſignifying the certainty of that iudgement in hell, as alſo that it ſhould be ſuch, that it might eaſily be diſcerned, and was euident to be ſeene of the Lambe, and of the Angels. The time of this is ſaid to be for euermore, not for a ſhort ſpace, or for a definite time; but it ſhould bee without ceaſing and without end.
After, hee commeth to declare to the Church of God, the comforts that ſhould come to them by deſcribing their eſtate in this world, and in the world to come; and then ſhewes the execution of the iudgements vponupon the vngodly.
For the Children of God, it is ſaid, that in this life there belongeth vntounto them patience, and faith, which their faith bringeth forth obedience to Gods commandements, and cauſeth their patience to continue.
After this life it is ſaid, there ſhould come reſt from their labours, and their good things ſhould follow them; that is, their afflictions, perſecutions, their patience and holineſſe of life ſhould not ſtay behinde them, but ſhould follow them; that is, they ſhould hauehave them recompenced to the vtmoſt in heauen.
Concerning the wicked, their iudgements follow.
Firſt, it is ſaid, there comes an Angell out of a Cloud in white; ſignifying his zeale which he had in Gods glory, in the execution of his iudgements.
He is a created Angell, not the Angell of the Couenant, as appeareth in that he is ſaid to be like a man; and alſo for that he is commanded by another, which was the Sonne of God: And hee is commanded to put in his ſharpe Sickle, (which is the word of God, being the power of God vntounto deſtruction to all thoſe that beleeue not) into the world, becauſe the time is come, for (ſaith he) the harueſt is ripe, and the corne, (that is, the world) is dry. Where the world is compared to drye Corne, for as Corne when it is dry, is then ready for the Sickle; ſo when the wicked are come to their full ripeneſſe in ſin, they are then ready to be cut off by the Sickle of Gods vengeance: And as dry ſtickes are fit for the fire, euen ſo they that are dried and dead in their ſinnes, are fit matter for Gods iudgements to burne to deſtruction; which noteth the fearefull iudgement to be executed on the vngodly for worſhipping the Beaſt.
Another iudgement followeth, more fearefull, albeit in ſhew it be like the former, and that is of the other Angell that hath a ſickle, wherewith hee is bidden to cut the Grapes downe: Hee is not bidden to cut them with a little knife (as is the vſe of pruning the Grapes) but with a Sickle; noting a more fierce deſtruction. And when he had cut them, he is bidden, he ſhould preſſe them in the Vine-preſſe of Gods wrath: A ſimilitude taken from the vſe of thoſe, who when they hauehave gathered their Grapes, caſt them into the Vinepreſſe to be trodden and preſſed out, euen ſo ſhould they be trodden downe, and cruſhed with the iudgement and wrath of God: And this muſt be done hand by hand, and one Cluſter by another; which ſignifieth a more notable iudgement: In reaping Corne, men vſe to gather many together, but theſe Grapes muſt be gathered one by one; ſhewing the fierceneſſe of this iudgement to be exalted vponupon eueryevery one of them particularly.
Troden out of the City; that is, among the wicked, out of the Church, alluding to the cuſtome in thoſe Countries, where they had their … preſſes to tread their Grapes without the City: And here hee alludeth alſo to the execution of offenders, which vſeth to be done without the City: ſo this iudgement ſhould be done without the Church. Noting, that this onelyonly was to be executed vponupon the vngodly contemners.
The greatneſſe of this iudgement is aggrauated, in that the bloud ſhould be in ſuch abundance, and ſo deepe, that a man riding in it, it ſhould reach to the bridles of the Horſes, for the diſtance of one thouſand and ſixe hundred furlongs, which is about three hundred of our miles, or more: Noting, the exceeding great wrath of God vponupon thoſe offenders, and the fearefull iudgement which they ſhould ſuffer.