of their three respective masters, (ver. 13.) But all will terminate in a result the very opposite of what they had designed. The warning of the fifteenth verse, and which as it were unexpectedly breaks in upon the narrative, bespeaks its own importance to all persons concerned in the events which are speedily to follow. "The great plague, with which the period of the seventh trumpet terminates, is coincident with that of the seventh vial, and is characterised by a tremendous earthquake, which will reduce the earth into a state adapted to the good things which are to ensue. With all this, however, Rome still remains; but Jerusalem is divided into three parts. And here may be the place for what was anticipated concerning Jerusalem by chapter the eleventh. Our Saviour expressly foretold, that the Jews should be led away captive into all nations, and that Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled, (Luke xxi. 24.) This treading down has already lasted 1700 years; consequently that of forty and two months here mentioned, must be another, namely, the last treading down, which is just at hand. Accordingly, the time will come for Jerusalem to be increased to seventy thousand inhabitants, and for its temple to be restored; which time precedes, by a little, the overthrow of the Beast of the bottomless pit, (who will have made war against the witnesses;) and may occur within the years 1830-1836. The 'forty and two months' are common months; as the 1260 days of the witnesses are common days, coincident with those months. The witnesses are styled 'the two olive trees, and the two (sevenfold) branch-lights standing before the God of the earth,' because they are filled with the oil of joy of the Holy Ghost. The return of rain after the days of their prophecy, that is, at their death, denotes, that apostate Christians, Jews, Turks, Infidels, and Pagans, will rejoice and exult as if their leader had gained a glorious victory, upon the cessation of that testimony of Christ which was borne by the witnesses. But their joy will, after three days and a half,' be changed into terror, at the resurrection of these witnesses, and at their ascension into heaven; when the tenth part of the city will also fall by an earthquake. This terror, however, has a salutary issue; for the remnant are converted. And now, the treading down of the holy city has ceased. Satan, indeed, once more (see Zech. iii. 2,) before he is taken, seeks to assault it with his temptations, and to seduce the nations to whom the outer court is given; but he will be taken captive. Chapter xvii. John is now rapt in spirit into another region, 66 namely, that of Rome, here called a wilderness, as being remote from the glorious land,' and estranged from true Christianity. Rome is exhibited to him under the figure of an harlot, sitting upon the Beast (whom we here find gorgeously arrayed,) and riding upon him; but she is at length annihilated by this Beast, and by his ten horns. These horns properly pertain to the Beast's ultimate period; but the seven heads are seven successors who resemble them in their system of rule. They exist as kings, one after another, upon the seven hills of Rome. At the time of Antichrist's coming, five of them are fallen; the sixth stands, but in great weakness. The seventh, when he comes, proves also the eighth, on account of the additional character he acquires by rising out of the bottomless pit as the man of sin,' the very Antichrist. As the seventh, he is only as one member of a body corporate; but as the eighth, he possesses superadded dignity. He will then be an individual person, a 'man;' by whom new abominations, worthy of the bottomless pit, will aggrandize the blasphemous and antichristian power of the papacy, after this power has been for some time remarkably diminished. Whether this man will be a Jew, as old tradition has it, or a prince out of any of the chief regal families, time 'must show. In his last most infernal raging he will continue about three years and a half. The ten horns (ver. 12,) are ten new secular rulers, (possibly five Eastern, and five Western,) who at this time obtain dominion together; but immediately, perhaps at a general congress, after one hour,' (which may be a prophetic hour, consisting of eight natural days,) they deliver up and sacrifice their power to the Beast, who thus becomes so potent, that he will even wage a violent war against Christ, (the Lamb, ch. xix.) But before this, will the great Prostitute, the city of Rome, be judged by those kings; herself with her princes, her rich and eminent patricians, having become hated by them. After the fall of the Germanic-Roman empire, that is, shortly after A. D. 1800, those kings will do more to check the secular power of the papacy, than ever had been done to this effect in former times. "In chapter xviii. we have that most impressive announcement of the fall of Babylon. Frequent and violent controversies, about the nature of its fulfilment, show that the fulfilment itself is still future. Shortly before it takes place, all such real Christians as are concealed in this Babylon, are bidden by a voice from heaven to come out of her, that they may not be partakers of her sins, and that they receive not of her plagues.* Every feature of her in this chapter combines in showing clearly, that Rome is intended; that city, which preeminently, both under the pagan emperors, and under her popes, has to the very last embrued herself in more bloodshed than any other city ever did. From Rome have issued all the well known sanguinary decrees for the destruction of heretics; she was the authoress and instigator of the bloody persecutions carried on against the Waldenses, the Hussites, and the French Huguenots. We need name only the horrid Bartholomew massacre, the thirty years' war, &c. &c. &c. The single agency of the Inquisition has consigned to matryrdom several millions of the human race, for her sake alone. "Chapter xix. The awful destruction of Rome is succeeded by another joyful Hallelujah in heaven; and the inspired John beholds the Son of God in his triumphant perfection of power and dominion; for now is he manifested to destroy utterly his enemies upon the earth. With respect to the nine kings in particular, whereas they take not warning at the fall of Babylon, but all along surrender themselves only more and more to the seductions of the Beast and of the False Prophet, a conflict of the latter with the Son of God, terminates in the ejection of both those adversaries into the lake of fire; but the refractory nations, who, notwithstanding all this, still refuse his easy yoke, and will not have him spiritually to reign over them, become ruled with a rod of iron. Probably the empire of Russia, which meanwhile will have attained extensive power, may principally constitute that rod of iron. in "The subject of the twentieth chapter follows up that of the preceding, closely in the order of time. The devil arrives at the third stage of his punishment. In the first, he lost his principality; under the seventh trumpet he remained awhile heaven,' and was soon thrust down to the earth; but here, we behold him cast bound into the bottomless pit, there to abide a thousand years; after which he will be loosed for a little season, and then cast into the lake of fire. Here, by the way, it is evident that the thousand years are yet future; otherwise we do violence to the whole prophecy, and have no space for the runing out of the measured everlastingness or æon of 2222 years, which commenced A. D. 1614;* not to mention that history * See the table of events above given in this chapter. has hitherto furnished us with no period of a thousand years that will bear the application of what is herewith foretold. Satan, during this predicted millenium, will be disempowered from seducing the nations, that all the good which he had obstructed may proceed without interruption. Every other enemy will then likewise be out of the way;' Babylon will have been desolated, the Beast with the False Prophet being in the lake of fire; the kings who adhered to them will be overthrown and destroyed, and much other disorder will be brought to nought' by the seven vials, &c. Nor is the Woman thenceforth secluded in the wilderness, but the whole earth lying open before her, the gospel will demonstrate itself in its full power; so that Jews and Gentiles will every where become worshippers and true followers of the Lord. The kingdom will become that of God and of his Anointed one, (ch. xi. 15); and thus 'the mystery,' of which he had given the glad announcement to his servants the prophets, 'is finished,' (ch. x. 7.) In all this is implied not a little; viz. an overflowing fulness of the Spirit; most abundant demonstrations of Divine grace; a serene, holy, combined, harmonious obedience and service of His universal church; fruitful, healthy, peaceful times; vast increase of the holy people; cheerful longevity; exemption from the much suffering which men heretofore drew upon one another and upon themselves, by wilful sin and folly, &c. : "But still the saints will have to walk by faith and not by sight the conflict with sin in the flesh will still remain; nor will death have been yet swallowed up in victory. Many a sore temptation, though not from Satan, will continue to be common to men; and watchfulness will not cease to be always needful. The law in Matt. v. 8, all along abides in force; likewise the everlasting gospel, (Rev. xiv. 6); and the showing forth of the Lord's death till he come, (1 Cor. xi. 26.) Rulers and magistrates will still hold commission, but will treat as brethren those over whom they are set. The ordinance of marriage will abide; agriculture, with every useful art and business, will be retained; only whatever of the kind is subservient to vanity, pride, and luxury, will be utterly done away. "Upon the termination of this happy thousand years, 'Satan will be loosed' again for a little time,' (upov xpóvov.) This 'little time' may, according to the analogy of the other periods, be 111 years; so that the 'short time,' (kaupòs ỏλiyos) namely, 888 years, and this little time taken together, amount to just a thousand years. When, therefore, this additional period is ful→ filled, and Satan's attack, which will be forwarded through the instrumentality of Gog and Magog, is defeated, the great adversary is then arrived at the fourth stage of his punishment, for he is cast into the lake of fire. But immediately upon that loosing of Satan, commences the gradual resurrection of the martyrs; who, in union with Christ, shall reign in heaven a distinct thousand years, extending to the general resurrection. This, with the final judgment that speedily ensues, is described in ver. 11, &c. as taking place at a period subsequent to that distinct millennial reign in heaven which will have been enjoyed by the risen saints. The awful period is not definitely pointed out, but will very quickly follow this second millenium. 6 "Chapter xxi. discloses the everlasting glory and blessedness of the renovated universe; and now the New Jerusalem' shines forth. In attending to the description of it, which is here given by St. John, we have need to keep our thoughts in the deepest reverence, that we may neither expound it too corporeally, nor spiritualize away the significant force of the words. That the New Jerusalem will have a place as well as a name, is evident, because our souls will inhabit risen bodies; which must needs be relative to space. But whether the dimensions of the city, which are computed like material ones, be intended as really such, and not rather as figuratively expressing the accomplished number of the elect, I will not attempt to determine. The latter appears probable, from the New Jerusalem being styled the Bride, the Lamb's Wife;' and because, to justify so strong a personification, it cannot be a place merely. "The sixth verse of ch. xxii. ushers in, "III. The conclusion of the whole prophecy. This concluding portion is fraught with reflection, and is well worthy of it. It contains various paragraphic pauses, beautifully corresponding with those of the introduction. For there as well as here, the things which are to come to pass, and the things we are to observe and do, are testified in the same order; first the grand matter of God, generally; and then of the Lord Jesus Christ, particularly. "The divine attestation to the words of this prophecy is affixed by the Lord Jesus himself, in ver. 7-by the angel in ver. 9, 10and by the apostle (ZYMμаprvρovμaɩ) in ver. 18, 19. Moreover, here is a distinction between the predictions of the Apocalypse, and those of Daniel, (xii. 4, 9, compared with viii. 26,) concerning The Time of the End.' The words in Daniel were closed |
