The Mystery of the Two Witnesses Unveiled, Verse 5
VERS. 5. And if any man hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he muſt in this manner be killed.
HAving made a large deſcription of the witneſſes, declaring who they are, and what their buſineſſe. Now we come to ſhew, how they are impowered to deale with their adverſaries; whereby we perceive the powerfull effects of their propheſie: If any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouths, &c.
In this verſe conſider, firſt the ha…mful carriage of the adverſaries towards the witneſſes: If any man hurt them. Secondly, the means of defence or oppoſition made by the witneſſes towards their adverſaries; fire proceedeth out of their mouths, &c.
Firſt, the deportment of the adverſary, and that is expreſſed hypothetically or conditionally; If any man &c. whereby a certainty is affirmed. This indefinite ſpeech doth not imply, that it ſhould be a rare thing for men thus to doe, but rather a certainty of puniſhment ſhould be inflicted upon all thoſe that ſhould any way oppoſe theſe two faithfull witneſſes. If any man hurt them, &c. It cannot be meant, as though few ſhould hurt or injure them; but rather that there ſhould be no exception of perſons amongſt any that ſhould hurt them; none ſhould goe unpuniſhed for any exterior adjuncts or qualities whatſoever, let them be of any kinde, ranke, or degree, they ſhould ſuffer for their violence offered to them. The certainty of the enemies oppoſing the witneſſes is held forth by the doubling of the phraſe. So Joſeph tells Pharaoh, that by the doubling of his dream, the thing was eſtabliſhed, Gen. 41. 32. But how are theſe witneſſes hurt by their enemies?
Firſt, by reſtraining of their perſons, by perſecution, impriſonment, baniſhment, and the like. It hath been the practice of the beaſt, continually to make war with the Saints, with thoſe that keep the commandments of God, and have the teſtimony of Jeſus, Revel. 11 17.
Secondly, by rejecting their teſtimony: the enemy doth not onelyonly go about to hinder the courſe of their teſtimony; but alſo to turne the truth they hold forth into a lye: Hence it is ſaid, that the beaſt opened his mouth in blaſphemy, againſt God, his name, Tabernacle, and people, Revel. 13. 6. Now to blaſpheme, is to ſpeak evill, to revile and reproach the teſtimony of the Saints; to bring ſome blot upon the truth they ſtand to maintaine. Thus we ſee how certaine it is, that the enemies will oppoſe and hinder the witneſſes in the courſe of their propheſie. And as certaine it is, that the enemies ſhall ſuffer for this their attempt.
Secondly, the meanes by which the witneſſes do oppoſe their adverſaries: fire proceedeth out of their mouths to devour their enemies. As before we had a deſcription of the witneſſes, by the two anointed ones, relating to Zerubbabel and Joſhua: ſo here we have their actions declared, by an alluſion unto Moſes and Elias, both which were revenged for wrong done upon their enemies by fire from heaven. Thus you may read in Numb. 16. 35. That when Korah, and the reſt of his company did riſe up in rebellion againſt Moſes, fire comes from heaven, & deſtroys thoſe two hundred and fifty chiefe men of the Congregation of Iſrael. Alſo of Elias, you have it related 2 Kings 1. 10, 11. That when Ahaziah ſent two captains, with their fifties, to apprehend the Prophet; …ire cometh downe from the Lord, and deſtroys both the Captaines and their fifties. So here the witneſſes are ſaid to command fire to conſume their enemies.
This cannot be meant of a materiall, but of a myſticall fire, that the witneſſes do thus breath out of their mouths. It is the word of their teſtimony that doth conſume and deſtroy their adverſaries; it is this fire that doth conſtantly torment and devour them. Thus we have the word often called fire in Scripture, Jere. 23. 29. Is not my word like fire, ſaith the Lord? And we have the Lord telling the Prophet, that he would make his word as fire, and the people wood, and it ſhould devour them, Jer. 5. 14. So here the witneſſ…, thoug… in ſackcloth, teſtifie againſt all the wickedneſſe of Antichriſt: their perſons are oppreſſed, their teſtimony contemned; but the word of their teſtimony is as fire proceeding out of their mouths, to devour their oppoſers.
The Adverſary ſhall in this manner be killed by the Fire that iſſueth out of the mouths of the Witneſſes. Sutable hereunto is that paſſage in Iſa. 9. 5. where the Prophet ſpeaking of Chriſt prevailing over his Enemies, ſaith, For every battaile of the warriour is with confuſed noyſe, and garments rolled in blood; but this ſhall be with burning, and fewell of …ire. This ſhould be of another manner and kinde, then the ordinary battaile of the Warriour; this ſhould be Fire, or by the two-edged ſword that proceedeth out of the mouth of Chriſt. The fire that goeth forth out of the mouths of the witneſſes is all one wth the brightnes of Chriſts coming, mentioned in 2 Theſ. 2. 8. by which Antichriſt ſhall be deſtroyed. The light and glory of Chriſts word that the Witneſſes give forth, as fire out of their mouths, …all deſtroy Antichriſt. This is the very forme and manner of Antichriſts deſtruction: though happily, ſome that uphold his cauſe may fall by the Sword, in reſpect of their p…ſ…n…, as … of the Witneſſes have ſuffered death for giving forth a teſtimonie of the truth: yet the cauſe and being of Antichriſt ſhall be deſtroyed in this manner, even by the word of truth, that proceeds out of the mouths of the Witneſſes.
The words being thus opened, take notice of theſe obſervations they afford unto us.
Firſt, That the Adverſaries of Chriſt Obſer. 1.are alwayes ready to hurt his witneſſes.
It is moſt certain that the friends of Antichriſt are alwayes willing to oppoſe the friends of Chriſt. Theſe Prophets are caſt out, rejected and ſlight…d by the men of the world. The ſeed of the Serpent is continually making War with the ſeed of the Woman. The Dragon waited to devour the Manchilde that the woman was about to bring forth, Rev. 12. 4. And though he could not wholly prevail, yet hee caſt forth a flood of perſecution af… her, and makes Warr with the remnant of her ſeed, ver. 16. 7.
Secondly, They that goe about to hurt Obſer. 2.the Witneſſes, or hinder them in the courſe of their Propheſie, ſhall not goe unpuniſhed.
There is none that offers violence to the Prophets of the Lord, but ſhall receive their juſt deme…s: the Fire that proceeds out of the mouths of the Witneſſes ſhall devour them: in this manner they ſhall be killed, even by the word of their teſtimony. There was never any perſon or people, that dealt cruelly with the deare ſervants of the Lord, but the hand of God found them out. The Pſalmiſt ſpeaking of the glorious conduct of the children of Iſrael through the wilderneſſe, by the powerful hand of God, ſaith; He ſuffered no man to doe them wrong, he reproved KINGS for their ſakes, ſaying; Touch not mine anointed, nor doe my Prophets no harme, Pſal. 105. 14, 15. There might none hurt or injure, they might not harm nor perſecute the anointed ones of God; for the Lord had ſharpely rebuked Kings for their ſakes. All the woes and calamities, all the judgments and confuſions that ever came upon Kings, Kingdomes, States, or powers, have been for the hurting and oppoſing of his people. In like manner, all the plagues that are this day upon the world; all the War, Famine, Death, and all plagu… are for the perſecuting, reviling, and miſuſing of the Witneſſes. And this ſhall be the portion of all men, of what rank, quality, or degree ſoever: be they never ſo wiſe or learned, be they never ſo great or powerful that ſhall oppoſe and hinder theſe witneſſes in the courſe of their Propheſie, muſt in this manner be killed; Fire ſhall proceed out of their mouths, and deſtroy them, they ſhall be tormented, burnt, and conſumed, by the word of their teſtimony.
Thirdly, obſerve, That the Witneſſes Obſer. 3.ſhall prevaile againſt their Enemies by the word of their teſtimonie.
The teſtimonie that the Witneſſes give forth, is as fire in the boſome of al their adverſaries, and ſhall eate them out and conſume them. Hence it is ſaid, the Lord will ſlay the wicked by the breath of his lips, Iſa. 11. 4. By the breath of Chriſt, uttered by the lips of his people; and by the brightneſſe of his coming in the light and knowledg of his Saints, he wil deſtroy Antichriſt. God will judge the world, and burne up the earth by fire: This fire of the Lord, conveyed into the world by the mouths of the Witneſſes, ſhall deſtroy all that is before it; all greatneſſe and dominion, all power Eccleſiaſtical and Civill, all the forms and ſuperſtitions of Antichriſt are conſumed & brought to nothing by this fire, that proceedeth out of the mouths of the Witneſſes. Our late experience hath taught us, that whenſoever the Saints and faithfull of God, have given out the word of their teſtimonie againſt, whatſoever ſuperſtitious inventions, whatſoever tyrannicall powers, that they have prophecyed againſt, and cryed downe, as Antichriſtian and wicked, theſe have all been burnt up and conſumed by the word of their teſtimony. Wee have ſeene, that whatſoever power, greatneſſe, rule and dominion: or whatſoever way or doctrine, practice or invention have been ſet up in oppoſition againſt the teſtimony of th…ſe Witneſſes, that fire from the Lord hath come and deſtroyed them all. This fire out of the mouths of the Witneſſes have fallen upon all the powers, greatneſſe, and dignities of men, upon all forms of worſhip, and invented ordinances of Antichriſt, and have burnt and conſumed them.
Fourthly, obſerve, That the teſtimony Obſer: 4.of the Witneſſes is of great force, even while they propheſie but in ſack-cloath. Though theſe Saints and ſervants of the Lord propheſie in a poor, weak, low, ſad, and perſecuted condition, their perſons being ſlighted, their teſtimony rejected; yet their teſtimonie is of that vertue and power, of that efficacy and force, that it prevailes againſt the ſtrongeſt powers and higheſt dignities in the world. Theſe poor deſpicable ones have ſuch a teſtimony to give forth, ſuch a meſſage to deliver, that ſhall encounter with all the grand plots, counſels, and devices of their enemies; yea, and ſuch is the ſtrength and vertue of their Propheſie, that the glory and excellency of man hath faded away and vaniſh…d before it. Then God hath regard to the word and teſtimony of his poor, weak, and deſpiſed ſervants. It followeth,