The Little Horns Downfall, Treatise 2 · Discourse · Part 3 · Description 4 · Part 10
And thus having ſhewn, as briefly as I could, what the glorious condition of this New Jeruſalem ſhall be▪ both with reſpect to its internal and external glory, which is to continue for a thouſand yeers: *A declaration of what is to follow after the thouſand yeers are expired.I ſhall now come to ſhew (as far as it is revealed unto me from the Scriptures) what ſhall follow after this thouſand yeers are finiſhed. In which I ſhall be very brief: for the Scripture is but brief in ſpeaking of theſe things; they being things that are very far off: But doubtleſs more may be revealed of them before that time come; but for the preſent thus the Scriptures declares:
That after theſe thouſand yeers are expired, Satan (which, as we have ſhewed, during this thouſand yeers, muſt be bound, and ſhut up in the bottomleſs pit) muſt be looſed again for a little ſeaſon: and this appears; Rev. 20. 2, 3. where it is ſaid, that he was ſhut up for a thouſand yeers; and after that, he muſt be looſed for a little ſeaſon: and being looſed, we ſhall ſee what work he does in the world, verſ. 8, 9. And he ſhall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battel; the number of whom is as the ſand of the ſea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compaſſed the camp of the Saints about, and the beloved citie; and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Thus it is here declared what work Satan is to do after he is looſed; viz. He will go up and down again in the world among the Nations that are in the four quarters of the earth, that is, thoſe of the Nations that are unbelievers, (that are ſaid to be without the holy City; being none of them, but being ſubjected to them, and put under them;) and of theſe there will be in the whole world at that time a very great number: for although all Nations ſhall be converted to Chriſt, yet all perſons in all Nations ſhall not; but many of them ſhall be thoſe that are ſaid to be without the holy City, Rev. 22. 15. For without are dogs, and ſorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whoſoever loveth and maketh a lye. And theſe ſhall Satan, after he is looſed, go up and down among, and deceive them; gathering them together to battel, perſwading them to joyn all their forces together, and once again to make a deſperate attempt againſt the Saints: but in ſo doing, ſays the text, he will deceive them; (for they ſhall be drawn to their own deſtruction:) and ſuch fools will the devil make of them in deceiving of them, (as he did Eve) that he will (it's likely) perſwade them to believe that they ſhall by their power overcome the Saints: and as he perſwaded Eve to believe that in eating the forbidden fruit they ſhould be as gods, knowing good and evil; ſo he will perſwade theſe, that in making war they ſhall overcome the Saints, though Jeſus Chriſt be with them. Thus this old deceiver and lyer ſhall deceive the unconverted miſerable people among the Nations of the world; who, during all the time of the thouſand yeers, will be quiet, and never dare to attempt any ſuch thing: and yet then, they ſhall gather togetner againſt the Saints, and think to overcome them: but when they ſhall attempt to do it, the Saints ſhall then have no need of ſwords nor ſpears to defend themſelves againſt that brunt, that one aſſault: for the text ſays, Fire ſhall come down from God out of heaven, and devour all theſe wicked men.
Thus is declared what will be done after Satan is looſed: and what his reward for this work ſhall be, is declared, verſ. 10. And the devil that deceived the nations, was caſt alive into the lake of fire and brimſtone, where the beaſt and the falſe prophet are, and ſhall be tormented day and night for ever.
And now comes to be declared, what ſhall follow immediately upon this; and that follows in verſ. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. And I ſaw a great white throne, and him that ſate upon it, from whoſe face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. And I ſaw the dead, ſmall and great, ſtand before God: and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of thoſe things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the ſea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged every man according to their works: and death and hell were caſt into the lake of fire. This is the ſecond death: and whoſoever was not found written in the book of life, was caſt into the lake of fire.
In theſe verſes is declared, that immediately upon the ruining of all the wicked of the Nations, the laſt and general day of judgement is to follow: When comes the Reſurrection of all, both juſt and unjuſt. I ſay, the laſt and general day of judgement, and reſurrection of all; for in this twentieth chapter of the Revelation, it is cleer, that here is a mention made of two Reſurrections, and the one to be a thouſand yeers before the other: and the firſt is treated of in the 4, 5, and 6 verſes; and is there called the FIRST RESURRECTION: and the ſecond is laid down in theſe verſes; where it is ſaid, that the Heavens and the earth are then to be annihilated, to flie away at the preſence of the Lord, who upon his white throne of righteouſneſs, after theſe thouſand yeers are finiſhed, is to appear, and to judge all the dead, ſmall and great; who are to ſtand before him, being all raiſed out of the Graves, and out of the Sea, and all places where the dead have been laid; and to be judged righteouſly, according to the Goſpel, and according to their works: and they being ſo judged, it will follow, that whoſoever is not found written in the book of life, ſhall be caſt into a lake of fire. And this general day of judgement here treated of, is alſo treated of in ſeveral other Scriptures; as in Mat. 25. 31, 32, &c. Where our Saviour thus deſcribes it, and ſays, that in that day he ſhall ſit upon the throne of his glory, and before him ſhall be gathered all Nations, and he ſhall ſeparate them one from another, as a ſhepherd divideth his Sheep from the Goats: and he ſhall ſet the Sheep on his right hand, but the Goats on the left. Then ſhall the King ſay unto them on his right hand, Come ye bleſſed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was, &c. And then ſhall he ſay alſo unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye curſed, into everlaſting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: for, &c. And theſe ſhall go away into everlaſting puniſhment, but the righteous into life eternal.
Thus in this Scripture, is this general day of the final judging of all ſpoken of alſo; wherein to every one is to be rendred according to his works. Again, another Scripture to this purpoſe, is that in the firſt of the Corinthians, at the fifteenth chapter; where Paul more largely diſcourſes of the doctrine of the Reſurrection, in ſome particulars of it, then it is any where elſe in Scripture treated of; where in the firſt part of the chapter, he makes it his work to prove the certainty of the Reſurrection of the body, againſt thoſe Phariſaical ſpirits that denyed it: And having proved the Reſurrection, by many undenyable and unanſwerable Arguments, he comes to declare, at the twenty third verſe, and ſo on, in what order the Reſurrection ſhall be; he having before ſaid that all ſhall be raiſed, But (ſays he, it ſhall be) every man in his own order; Chriſt the firſt fruits, and afterward they that are Chriſts, at his coming.
Here is the Order of the Reſurrection. Chriſt the firſt fruits: Well, Chriſt was to be raiſed firſt in order of time, and that was done already: Chriſt was raiſed when the Apoſtle writ this Epiſtle: But who are to be raiſed next? The Apoſtle tells us, It muſt be they that are Chriſts. And when muſt they be raiſed? The Apoſtle anſwers, At his coming. Afterward they that are Chriſts, at his coming. This is the firſt Reſurrection, wherein the Saints muſt at the coming of Chriſt be raiſed, to reign with him, (ſpoken of Revel. 20. 4.) But then the general Reſurrection, and the laſt great day, he ſpeaks of in verſ. 24. 25. and 28. Where he ſays, Then cometh the end, when he ſhall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he ſhall have put down all rule, and all authority, and power; for he muſt reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet: the laſt enemie that ſhall be deſtroyed is death. And when all things ſhall be ſubdued unto him, then ſhall the Son alſo himſelf be ſubject unto him that put all things under him; that God may be all in all.
Here he declares, that Jeſus Chriſt being come, and having received his kingdome, and his Saints being raiſed at his coming (to reign with him) that after his coming, and reigning, and ruling, and putting all enemies under his feet, and death it ſelf: Then cometh the end, when he ſhall deliver up the kingdom to his father: and the Son alſo himſelf ſhall be ſubject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
That is, there ſhall be a ceſſation of the adminiſtration wherein God commits all things to be done by the Son: And then, when the time of Chriſts kingdom on earth is expired, God ſhall be all in all, after this laſt general Reſurrection, when death it ſelf ſhall be deſtroyed. And the Apoſtle gives a further deſcription of that general Reſurrection, at verſ. 51, 52, &c. Behold, I ſhew you a myſtery: we ſhall not all die, but we ſhall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the laſt trump: for the trumpet ſhall ſound, and the dead ſhall be raiſed incorruptible; and we ſhall be changed: for this corruption muſt put on incorruption, and this mortal muſt put on immortality: ſo when this corruptible ſhall have put on incorruption, and this mortal ſhall have put on immortality; Then ſhall be brought to paſs the ſaying that is written, Death is ſwallowed up in victory: O death, where is thy ſting? O grave, where is thy victory?
In theſe verſes the Apoſtle cleerly ſpeaks of the laſt general judgement: for he ſays, that the Saints ſhall not all Die, but ſhall all in a moment be changed, and the dead ſhall be raiſed incorruptible; and this he ſays ſhall be at the laſt trump; and that demonſtrates it to be the laſt day that the Apoſtle is ſpeaking of, becauſe he ſays it ſhall be at the laſt trump; for there is a trump which muſt ſound before this, of which the Apoſtle ſpeaks, 1 Theſ. 4. 16. where he ſpeaks of the raiſing of the dead in Chriſt, who muſt riſe firſt; even of the firſt Reſurrection, when the Saints muſt riſe to reign with Chriſt. Now the Apoſtle calling this the laſt trump, it is cleer he ſpeaks here of the laſt Reſurrection: and again its cleer by this alſo, becauſe he ſays, that at this time, Death ſhall be ſwallowed up in victory; And that then ſhall be brought to paſs that ſaying, O death, where is thy ſting? O grave, where is thy victory? That is, then the victory ſhall be gotten over death; death ſhall be no more an overcomer; it ſhall deſtroy no more, but be deſtroyed it ſelf. And this is the laſt enemy that ſhall be deſtroyed; As Rev. 20. 14. and 1 Cor. 15. 26. Thus is it cleer, that in theſe verſes Paul ſpeaks of the laſt general Reſurrection. I have the rather mentioned and opened theſe Scriptures that ſpeak of the laſt general Reſurrection, that there might not be a confounding of the firſt Reſurrection with the laſt; and that the one might not be taken for the other, as is very common. And thus have I briefly ſhewn, as far as from the Scripture appears to me, what is to be done upon earth, after the finiſhing of the thouſand yeers of the reign of Jeſus Chriſt and his Saints on earth.
And now having laid down this general deſcription or diſcovery of the new Jeruſalem, both in the internal and external glory of it, and of what things are to precede it, and to ſucceed it; I ſhall conclude all with that ſaying of the Pſalmiſt, Pſal. 111. 2, 3. The works of the Lord are great, ſought out of all them that have pleaſure therein. His work is honourable and glorious, and his righteouſneſs endureth for ever.