A Plain Explanation of Revelation, Part 12
Apoc. Cap. 12. l.
And there appeared a great wonder in heauen: A woman cloathed with the Sunne, and the Moone was vnderunder her feete, and vponupon her head a crowne of twelue Starres, &c.
HEre in this Chapter is ſet downe a deſcription of the Church, of which it is ſaid, there was a great ſigne: noting the great eſtimation that God hath of his Church; which his great eſtimation of it, is ſet forth, in that ſhee is ſaid to be cloathed with the Sunne, which is the moſt glorious creature, declaring and expreſſing her exceeding glory in the ſight of God.
Shee had the Moone vnderunder her feete: ſignifying her rule and authority ouer all the things below that are ſubiect to change, in that ſhe onelyonly hath receiued of God power to ſubdue them, and ſhee doth of right poſſeſſe them; the wicked are vſurpers.
VponUpon her head ſhee had a Crowne of twelue Starres: ſhewing her Queenely Maieſtie, ſhee being the Spouſe of Chriſt, as alſo her victory ouer all her enemies.
It is ſaid, ſhee trauelled: her trauell is meant of the Church of the Iewes; of whom this is teſtified in the Euangeliſts, the 9. of the Acts of the Apoſtles, how great reſiſtance there was againſt our Sauiour Chriſt, againſt the Apoſtles & the reſt, what great and grieuous perſecutions they then ſuſtained for the Goſpell-ſake, in the beginning of the primitiue Church, becauſe they went about to beget, to bring, and to draw Children vntounto God out of the ſeede of Abraham.
Afterward, another great wonder is ſeene, to wit, a great Dragon; namely, the Diuell, compared to a Dragon, and called the great Dragon, becauſe of his great ſtrength, and exceeding fierceneſſe; for ſuch is the ſtrenght of a Dragon, as that he is able to gripe with an Elephant.
He is deſcribed to hauehave ſeauen heads and ten hornes; by ſeauen heads noting his great wiſedome, knowledge, and vnderſtanding of things; as alſo it ſignifieth his wit, and ſubtiltie to reſiſt the Church, and to make more miſchiefe againſt the ſeauen Churches, that is, all the Churches of God: And his tenne hornes ſignifieth his will and power to doe much hurt to them.
His Crownes ſignifie his victory, in preuailing againſt the world, to wit, ouer thoſe whom God hath not ordained to ſaue, whoſe names are not written in the Booke of life, and for this cauſe he is called the Prince of the world, becauſe he hath the greater part of the world vnderunder his obedience.
What his tayle he ouerthroweth many Starres; noting, that there are many like vntounto Starres in outward ſhew, being graced with notable gifts, and being as it were lifted vp to heauen by the knowledge they had, and the notable profeſſion they made of God, hauing ſome feeling alſo, being yet not Sealed, are by the tayle of the Dragon, that is, by ſmall power and light temptations, pulled backe from the ſame, and fall from the faith.
After, he ſaith, He ſtood before the Woman; noting, that he ſetteth himſelfe very fiercely and ſharpely againſt the woman, that is, the Church and Children of God, whoſe names were written in the Booke of life: And therefore hee is ſaid to wait on the woman, firſt, to hinder her that ſhee ſhould not bring forth, and then to deuoure them at the leaſt when they were brought forth, that is, when they hauehave beene called, and made profeſſion of the truth, and are made members of Chriſt by faith; euen then is hee ready moſt ſtrongly to aſſault them, to ouerthrow, if it were poſſible, the foundation of their faith. Where hee compareth the Diuell to an enuious Mid-wife, oppoſing him to a good Mid-wife; for as ſhe is carefull to helpe the woman in trauell, and to ſaue the Childe; ſo the Diuell contrariwiſe is ready to hinder and hurt the Church, and to deſtroy her ſeede.
Whereas the Church is ſaid to bring forth a Man-Childe; it is firſt meant of Chriſt, and then of his members and ſeruants in the beginning of the Church, whom now hee hath ioyned vntounto him in his kingdome, but principally it is to be vnderſtood of Chriſt, that valiant one, who albeit hee was ſtung on the Croſſe by the Serpent, yet euen thereby hee ouercame, and after was taken vp to heauen, and had victory, triumphing ouer the diuell, ouer ſinne, and ouer all his enemies, and the enemies of the Church.
Then it is ſaid, there was a battell in heauen; by heauen, he meaneth the militant Church of God, vnderunder the Goſpell, which is the part of Gods kingdome, for the kingdome of God which is begun euen in earth. The principall in this battell is firſt Michael, to wit, Chriſt, and with him his Angels; namely, the godly Saints, with the good Angels on the one ſide, and on the other ſide, the Dragon with his Angels; namely, the wicked ſpirits and wicked men. But the godly ouercome the Dragon and his Angels: the meanes whereby they ouercome, is through the bloud of the Lambe, which is their principall armour; being ſuch, as that albeit they themſelues were killed, notwithſtanding by reaſon hereof, they were made conquerours, and were now receiued into the kingdome of heauen, and Sathan is throwne out of the kingdome. Which thing when Sathan ſaw, as namely, that now he had loſt all his aduantage, as it were, and that hee could hauehave nought to doe with them any more, they being now triumphing in the kingdome of God, hee waxeth mad as it were, and rageth againſt the earth more fiercely then before.
And hereupon, the Elders, and the reſt of Gods Children in heauen are brought in, reioycing at this victory, and ſaying, peace in the heauen; that is, to the Children of God, that were then deliuered, but woe to the earth; that is, to the inhabitants of the earth, becauſe that they ſhould hauehave much to doe, and ſuffer great trouble, for ſeeing Sathan by the conſtant induring of thoſe that had giuen their liues in the defence of the truth, perceiued that hee had got ſuch a foile, he therefore rageth againſt thoſe that remaine, and for this cauſe it is ſaid, woe to them on the earth; not that they ſhould periſh, but onelyonly ſhould bee greatly afflicted through the malice of Sathan and his inſtruments.
Now then it is ſaid, that hee perſecuted the woman; that is, the Church: in perſecuting the Church, ſhe hath a place appointed her in the Wilderneſſe, whither ſhe flyeth for one thouſand two hundred and ſixty dayes, the time we hauehave heard before to hauehave beene during the ſpace of the hard dealing with the two Prophets, wherein they prophecied which wee ſhewed to containe ſo many yeares.
By this flight of the woman into the Wilderneſſe for one thouſand two hundred and ſixty dayes, ſet downe in the ſixt verſe, and the perſecution whereby the Dragon purſued her that ſpace, is meant thoſe perſecutions in generall which followed againſt the whole Church during the continuance of thoſe yeares, which in the next verſes hee ſetteth downe particularly and ſeuerally.
And firſt he ſetteth downe the particular perſecution of the Church of the Iewes in the thirteenth and fourteenth verſes, and then of the Gentiles, in the ſeauenteenth Verſe. For the Church of the Iewes, the perſecution thereof is expreſſed in that it is ſaid, that he perſecuted her that brought forth the man-childe, but the Lord deliuered her from being deuoured of the Dragon.
In that it is ſaid, ſhe being thus purſued, hath for her deliuerance, wings giuen her to flye away into a Deſert for two times, a time, and halfe a time; it notably deſcribeth that ſtrange deliuerance of the Children of God which were in Ieruſalem, before the ouerthrow of it, who (as the ſtory witneſſeth) being warned by the voice of God from heauen, did withdraw themſelues for a time into a City called Pella beyond Iordan, in the Wilderneſſe, where they did continue for the ſpace of three yeares and a halfe, vntill Ieruſalem were deſtroyed.
Whereas the Dragon is ſaid to caſt out waters againſt the Church, it noteth the great multitudes of people, for ſo it is often vſed in the Scriptures, (as alſo afterterwards)Cap. 17. 1. 15. which afterwards the Diuell raiſed vp to deuoure and conſume the Church of Chriſt in the infancie of it. But in that the earth is ſaid to helpe the woman, it noteth, that howſoeuer the Lord ſuffereth the Diuell to raiſe and ſtirre vp many enemies and aduerſaries againſt his Church, yet alſo hee hath his meanes for the deliuerance of his children by the ouerthrow of their enemies, deſtroying them in the middeſt of their fury, and caſting them into their graues.
And laſtly, the Dragon hauing done the worſt he could againſt the Church of the Iewes, againſt Chriſt himſelfe, his Apoſtles and Diſciples, he followeth and proceedeth with mortall enuie and indignation to purſue their ſeed, that is, the Church of the Gentiles, who were called by their miniſtery, and are alſo of the ſeed of Abraham, though not according to the fleſh.