The Revelation Unrevealed Concerning the Thousand Year Reign, Section 10
§. 10 This for the evening or first part of Christs Kingdome. The latter part of this Kingdom of Christ set forth by M. Archer, both in the occasion, & time of it.Now when this Kingdome of Christ hath lasted to many generations, the slaves and tributaries wil be grown to multitudes; these under the name of Gog and Magog, upon whom the Devil shall be let loose, shall be drawn by Satan to assault the Saints, which trouble shall not be long; it shall be suddain and violent, but short; for Christ shall suddainly come from heaven, and with fire kil all the wicked ones, not leaving one of them alive upon earth. This assault of the wicked will Christ take for the occasion of his comming to the last and generall Judgement; before which he shall in a moment change the bodies of all his Saints that are not dead but alive at his comming; and raise up the dead bodies of the Saints, who lived and died during this Kingdome of Christ; and they together with the changed Saints shall meet the Lord Jesus in the ayre, comming again from heaven, never more to be parted.
Then shall all the wicked be raised up from Cain to the last wicked man, that is found on the earth; and now shall be the judgment: which we call the day of Judgment, which being finished the Saints shall be carried with Christ for ever into heaven; and the wicked sent with the Devil into hell: which hell shall not be the same which is now so called; but another; this being now but as a prison; that, the place of execution and torment.
The hell that now is serving onelyonly to reserve condemned demned spirits, which have no bodies till the execution at the last day; at which time this hel shal cease & be swallowed up: The hel that shall be for torment, shall be all this lower and visible world of earth, waters, and the lower heavens reduced by God then to their first Chaos of confusion.
Now this Kingdome of Christ, though for the Evening or first part of it, it is expresly determined to last a thousand years, or ten generations; yet the Dawning or latter part of it, is not expressed in Scripture how long it shall endure; but doubtless, but last a long time; and though called but a day of Judgement, yet it may last a thousand years, as the other is to do; Because, this is the time in which Gods Mercy, Justice, Truth, Power is to be gloriously revealed before all men and Devils; so as every sinner is to be silenced in his reasonings, or convinced; which must require much time.
Secondly, this is the time in which Jesus Christ is to triumph and Lord it over all reasonable creatures, to be worshipt and acknowledg'd by every one in Heaven, Earth, and under the Earth.
Thirdly, the solemnitie of it were to little purpose if it were not to last long; as we deride great preparations and pomp for a short show.
Lastly, every act of reasonable creatures being immortal, shal not onelyonly abide for ever in Heaven or Hell, but be revived and brought forth in that day before all the world; and all these acts from Adam to the last of mankind, shal be orderly & cleerly proceeded inby books as in a Court of Justice.
When all this is done, and the finall sentence pronounced upon all creatures, both blessed and cursed, then will Christ resign his Kingdome to the Father, & this world together with his Kingdom shall end.
For the beginning of this Monarchie of Christ; it must be set up (saith he) the last in the World, after the other four are passed, whereof the Roman is the last; That being divided into the Eastern and Western Monarchie; and out of the Western ten Horns, or Kingdoms arising, and among them another little horne most blasphemous, which is the Papacie; when these ten Kingdoms, and the Papacie shall be put to an end, then is the beginning of this Kingdom of Christ, which (saith hee, by comparing of Daniel with the Revelation) shall be Anno 1666, the number of the Beast (onelyonly the thousand (because it comes seldom) left out.)
Three years and an half before this 1666, the Papall Power shall have support in Europe; all the ten Kingdoms apostatizing to Popery, and yet one of them shall return to the Truth.
In the yeares of Christ 1650, or 1656, the Israelites are to be delivered, by being called to Christianity, both Jews which were two Tribes, and the ten Tribes of Israel: Both which shall, after their conversion for 45 years after, suffer great trouble from Mahumetans, Heathens, Papists. Upon all which computations it is likely (saith he) that Christs comming from Heaven; and the raising the dead, and beginning his Kingdom, and the thousand years will be about the year of our Lord 1700: for it is to be about 45 yeares after 1650, or 1656.
Now it being found out when Christs Kingdom, or the thousand yeares shal begin, it is easie (hee saith) to guesse when the time of the last generall judgement, and the Worlds end shall be; which neither Angell, nor Christ himself as man, did in those days, when the Disciples asked the question, know, for it was lockt up in the Fathers secrets. But after Christs sufferings, and Ascension, all the Fathers secrets were revealed to him, for hee was worthy, and he reveals them to the Churches by John: opening the meaning of Daniels time, times, and half a time (which no creature could expound) to be 42 moneths, or 1260 dayes. He tels us expresly that his Kingdome should last after it was fully setled a thousand years, and then should be a little disturbance; So as we have some comfort that there is hope the troubles of us Gentile-Christians shall cease about 666; But till those dayes we are like to see sad times, for it is to be feared that Popery shall again over-run Europe, and bring back under Papall power every King in Europe, and suppresse all their opposers in every Kingdome; By this revolting of the Kingdoms to Popery, it comes that the witnesses are slain, and lie dead in the streets; But er'e Antichrist can have time to triumph four yeares, the witnesses shall be raised up, and one of the ten Kingdomes fall off from him, and ruine the city of Rome. But yet the Papacy shall breath and by degrees get head and joyn with Turk, Tartar, and the Christians in Europe; But from this danger wil Christ save all Christians by his comming, and setting up of his Kingdome.