Constantiue the Great commeth to the Imperial seat the Dragon is overcome and Heathenism extirpated vers 4 and following In the second Period from the 400. years and upward Period 2. until the end of the 1200. and 60. years these seven concurrent times are described 1. The holy City is trodden under foot by the Gentiles 2. The two Witnesses cloathed with Sack-cloth Cap. 11. ver 2 3. to the 10th the explaining of which I refer to the 11. Chap. 3. The woman fled into the Wilderness and is fed there The primitive Church rescued from heathenish bondage fled into the wilderness i. e. into a midle estate not wholly hid and invisible nor yet gloriously visible but as it were in a middle condition betwixt both Rob. The two wings of a great Eagle given to the woman to by into the wilderness Mede refers to the Roman Empire whose Ensign is an Eagle and to the two Cesars of the Eastern and Western Empire divided as two wings by whose aid and protection the Church fled into her wilderness estate Cap. 12. verse 6. to 14. As Mary upon the birth of Christ fled from Herod into Aegypt So the Woman i. e. the Primitive Church notwithstanding the persecution of the Dragon having brought forth a man Child who was to rule the Nations with a rod of Iron which primarily belongs to Christ personal Psa 2. Secondarily to Christ mystical his Church and members which Christ mystical ruled all Nations by a rod of Iron subjugating the Roman Empire partly by a spiritual Gospelvictory promoted by Michael and his Angels against the Devil and his Angels rulers in that Empire partly by a corporeal conquest afterward when Christians prevailed and obtained such power and success under Constantine the great and his Successors fled into the Wilderness where she hath a place prepared by God that they should feed her there 1200 and 60. days vers 6. which is again related v. 14. The meaning I conceive is this the Church though freed from heathenish tyranny yet is afresh imbarked in new troubles and persecutions by divers enemies Now during all this time the Church is in her wilderness condition as Israel of old was after their deliverance from Aegypt Thus take the parallel Israel delivered from Egyptian bondage under Pharoah fled towards the wilderness but was persued by Pharoah had liberty to worship God in the Wilderness where their Tabernacle was erected there Apostatized from God and his pure worship in the matter of the Calf Baalpeor Baalam c. and was there exercised with new troubles and afflictions of hunger thirst fiery Serpents and of divers enemies abode in the Wilderness 40. years during which space they made 42 journeys and stations from Aegypt to Jordan And at last all their enemies being subdued Numb 33. from 1. to 50. they quietly possessed the promised rest the Land of Canaan So the Church being freed from Heathenish Tyranny under the Red Dragon fled into the Wilderness but was persued and persecuted by the Dragon had liberty granted of worshipping God in the wilderness by the edicts of Christian Emperors and Kings who erected for them Temples or publique places for Christian worship yet in that her Wilderness estate she made many idolatrous defections Apostatizing from God and his pure worship especially to Antichristianisme Cap. 12.17 And the Dragon was wroth with the woman went to make war with the remnant of her seed c. Cap. 13.1 And I stood upon the sand of the Sea c. Mede saith the words are to be read not steti but stetit Cum Latinis omnibus Syre interpr i. e. The Dragon stood upon the sands i. to bring up this beast out of the sea to persecute the woman Further he saith v. 3. And I saw one of his heads wounded to death That the word vidi is not in some Editions as the Complutense reading the sentence thus The Dragon gave him his power seat and great authority and one of his heads wounded to death that it might be healed or that had been wounded to death and the healing of his wounds which is added this he either saw to be done while he was rising out of the sea or as soon as he was risen out of it is there exercised with new troubles and persecutions by the Dragon Beast and False Prophet abides in this Wilderness seat 42. moneths At last the Dragon the Beast and the false Prophet with all her enemies being vanquished the Church obtaines the new Heavens and new Earth and reigns with Jesus Christ a thousand years yea for ever and ever the former and following series of this Prophecy clears this parallel This state of the Church seems to last till the seventh Trumpet So that to this day the Church is still in this Wilderness-condition but drawing towards the borders of a far happier estate 4. The beast with ten horns blasphemeth God and maketh war with the Saints cap. 13. v. 5 6 7. This ten horned Beast as was mentioned before is the Dragons Delegate or Substitute he is said to rise out of the Sea by Sea here understand that multitude of ten Kingdomes into which the Barbarians had shredded the whole compass of the Roman Territories out of all which the Dragon now endeavours to extract and of which to compose one Roman Dominion or that conflux of Armies and people striving in war like a tempestuous Sea He is said to have seven heads and so is the same beast cap. 17.3 compared with vers 9 10. His seven heads are interpreted by the Holy Ghost himself to be seven Mountains whereon the Royal Seat of the Empire of Rome was built and seven Kings or kindes of Government by which the Empire should be governed The names of blasphemy notes his blasphemous idolatries tending to the extream reproach of God his Religion and Saints his ten horns and upon his horns Voyce out of the Wilderness p. 38. ten crowns these signifie that he should not come to his crown by the strength of his Sword his Leaders and his Legions But of the crowns upon the hornes see another interpretation p. 90. as the Dragon did but by the base and voluntary submission of all the Caesars Kings and Princes as should with one Councel and Vote deliver up their authority and power secular to the devotion and pleasure of the beast therefore he wears his Diadems not upon his heads as the Dragon did but upon his Hornes and upon his Hornes ten crownes Which ten Hornes crowned say most Writers denote ten Kings or Kingdomes into which the Roman Empire of the sixth head was divived all which were to be conjoyned Mede in Cum. Apoc. part 2. cap. 13. into one for carrying of the whore These 10. horns thinks Mede belong not to all the seven heads but onely to the seventh because the heads flourishing the horns flourish the heads fulling the horns necessarily fall therewith Now these ten
the true mystery in the particular intended thereby I finde four opinions about it two of them more considerable 1. Opinion 2 Of those that labour to finde out such names especial in Greek or Hebrew in which tongues all the letters are numerals and fignifie some number or other as may agree to this Roman beast the numeral letters of which name or names may exactly amount to 666. and they especially pitch upon the name Latinos the numeral letters whereof come to 666. and multitudes of other names are found out to like purpose not only by modern but ancient writers but this opinion about 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Forbs saith is so childish an Egyptical toy that he marvels much how ever any solid mind could propound it for a rare point of wisdom And t is the saying of a learned English Writer Voice out of the wilderne s. long before Forbs if I mistake not They that have thought to calculate and find out the mystery of Antichrists number 666. in a word at a word he saith they are deceivd not knowing the power and construction of the Scripture Others hold Opin 2d that Antichrists power should begin Anno Dom. 666. so a late learned Writer hath referred the number 666. to the time of Antichrists revealing Mr Stevens upon the four metall Kingdoms So Ball and Bullinger which opinion is rejected by Pareus Comment Apocalyp and year of rising and coming to his full power and supremacy which was in Phocas his time and so would make the 1200 and 60 days to begin then Which saving my respect to such a learned man I judge cannot be the meaning of the mystery because the 1200 and 60. days and the Witnesses prophecying in sackcloth begin together Now the treading down of the holy City the time when the Witnesses began to prophesie in sackcloth and the womans flight into the wilderness where she was fed 1200 and 60 days is judged by the best Writers upon the Revelation to be after the death of Theodosius when the Roman Empire was overrun by the barbarous Nations which was long before Phocas his time A third third Opinion is also of a learned Writer Opinion 3d. To this way of Interpretation of the number 666. learned Marlorat agrees his words are these Losi hujus tot fere sunt expositiones qout exposiâ—ores And then reckons up and rejects some common opinions about it and then concludes thus Rectius ergo ad tempus Regni Antichristi nonnulli hunc numerum referunt Vt ad Regem Babylonicum dicebatur Numeravit Deus Rignum Tuum perfectissime numeravit illud Dan. 5.26 Nam completis 70 annis captivitatis populi ei per Jeremiam praedictus finis Regni illins aderat perendeigiture est ac si diecret Joannes quemadmodum humana regna dauturnae esse non possunt sed certum habent annorum numerum diviaitus constitatem ita Antichristi Regnum quod ad piorum consolutionem dictum est ne putent Antichristi regnum eternum fore Nam finem habiturum est regum Christi relique amnia cessara Felixagitur est qui numerum hune bestia intelligit cui a Deo datum cognoscere c. Ma lorat on Rev. 13.1 who queres for this Mey who wrote a Treatise many years ago Anno 1592 called Babylen is fallen to which he only sets two letters of his name T. L. and he interprets 666. to reveal Rev. 13.18 the secret counsel purpose of God concerning the period and final end of Antichrist and his Church dominion Where rejecting all opinions but this about it he saith 1. The word Number is never used in Scripture for the begining and rising of any term of time limited and predicted by the Prophets but onely for the end period and determination thereof 2. He calls it the number of a man by man saith he is meant the total sum of that succession of beastly men which make and constitute the existence and person of one Antichrist and by the word number is meant the fatal end and fual determination of their raign and government for so the Finger of God speaketh to Belshazer God hath numbred thy Kingdom i. e. God hath ended and finished the days of thy Kingdom So that by the number of the beast is nothing else but the Period and Final determination of the usurped tyranny and damnation of Antichrist which the Lamb the Lord and preserver of Israel for the glory of his name consolation of his Church and confusion of her foes shall bring to pass in the year which shall be 666. 3. He saith for as much as the Egge of Antichristianisme was laid in the days of Innocent tha first successor to Anastasins the first also of that name in Anno. 406. And that by express Commission there was furthermore granted to the beast his heirs and successors 1260. years for the hatching fostring and perfecting this child of perdition and mystery of iniquity which being added to 406. by rule of true audit must needs verifie this admirable judgen ent which the Spirit of God hath here denonnced and determined to make good upon him in the year which shall be 1666. In which account and discovery of his end the Holy Ghost of purpose leaves out the millenary number as not onely known perfect and immutable but as respecting also the common use of all Nations as well Hebrews as Gentiles who in their stiles for brevity sake do no less often speak and write by the imperfect number omitting the millenary then after the perfect adding the millenary as Munster well observes 4. Vide Calindarium Hebraicum Sebastiani Munsteri This learned Author triumphantly concludes this his interpretation in these words to the Church of Rome And in that year shall my Lord of Rome lay down his proud waves and although he fortifie never so strong and lay his foundation as low as Hell and build his Turrets as high as Heaven and place his Mitre above the Stars yet in that day he shall die the death of the uncircumcised and perish like the Amorite whose fruit is destroyed from above and root from beneath Amos 2.9 and the multitude of his offences shall consume the multitude of his Forces And it shall be more possible for him and easie to him to weigh the fire or measure the wind or call again the day that is past or recover the virdure of the withered grass as a holy one saith then to avoia this counsel and decree of his downfal here determined by the spirit a gainst him saying And the number of him is 666. This interpretation is very pleasing Qui numerum hunc besti a intelligit ae Deo datum est cognoscere c. Ibid. Marlorat and would be less questioned then the former if it did agree with the beginning of the verse which the Author calls a little short Preface of the Holy Ghost to prepare his Reader to attention Here
Gospel going forth Rev. 14.15 should bring in a great Harvest to God and mightily increase the number of the Witnesses Shall see their dead bodies The word in the Greek doth import Rationem habere they shall have some cover over them as make their enemies affraid to proceed to great cruelties against them their enemies happily would starve them and their families but their friends will feed them their Enemies would banish them totally destroy them bury them under ground but the friends of the Witnesses will not suffer their persons nor names to be so dealt withal And their Enemies may see their interest so great in the hearts and affections of the people kindreds and tongues as may give some check to their violence for the wound being yet fresh and affayrs not well setled happily their Enemies would be loth to make them desperate or at least it may so come to pass by the secret favour and endeavour of some great person or persons things shall not be so carried against the Witnesses as there shall be no hope of a Resurrection Three days and an half i. e. three years and a half but here is to be noted the time here to be computed is not the killing but the time they shall iye dead and without life after they are killed but how long the war lasts Quam diu entem bellum ipsum durabit quantu â—â—que tempus dabitur prophetis interficiendis non nisi vaticinii complementum docebit Mede and how long time shall be given for the killing of the witnesses the fulfilling of the Propehcy will best tell us Verse 10. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoyce ever them and make merry and send gifts one to another c. Of the manner of sending gifts in great rejoycings see Ester 9.19 20. They joy now they are rid of and avenged of these Witnesses who vexed and troubled their consciences As upon the news of the French massacre which begun on Bartholmew day a Jubilee was proclaimed at Rome the Cardinal of Lorain gave a thousand crowns to the messenger and the Pope caused the massacre to be painted in his Palace So no doubt such an eminent civil slaughter in Protestant Churches must needs fill all the Popish world with rejoycings and longs of triumph the Bestian party then accounting the day theirs and that they have obtained a compleat victory Further note the Beasts or Beastian parties triumph for three days and a half must necessarily be computed and estimated not from the end of the slaughter in all the Churches but from the slaughter that shall be in that Church wherein the Prophets shall be last slain Neither can we imagine it to be otherwise unless we should furmise the slaughter of the Prophets to end in all the Churches at once which to be done in so many several States and Nations at once is hardly possible But this joy of the Inhabitants of the earth i. e. the Antichristian world is but short for v. 14. there is a wo Trumpet co Antichrist and all his Creatures and Confederates and all the enemies of the Saints threatning the last and worst of woful destructions to them Wo saith Christ to them that laugh for they shall weep Thus much of the War against killing and the lying dead of the Witnesses Now of their Resurrection Ascention and the consequents thereof in the 11th and following verses Verse 11. And after three days and a half the Spirit of life from God entered into them c. Here beginneth now the third Period Period 3. where the enemies of the Gospel are quelled and therewith doth break forth the true peace and tranquillity of the Church When these three days or three years and a half come to an end then also together therewith do expire the forty two months of treading the holy City under foot ver 2. The 120 and 60 days of the Witnesses prophecying in sackcloth vers 3. The 1200 and 60 days of the woman in the wilderness chap. 12.6 the forty two months of the Beast and his blasphemies c. 13.5 The times time and half a time which is 1200 and 60 days of the Beast with ten hornes speaking great words against the most High and wearing out the Saints mentioned in the book of Daniel chap 7.21.12.6 But to come to the Text After three days and a half the spirit of life c. Such as the death of the Witnesses was such will be their resurrection from the dead viz. a restoring them to their former state and that not so much by any endeavour of their own or by any humane help as by the finger of God who is wonderful in all his works So much is intimated in these words The Spirit of life from God shall enter into them We have such an expression concerning the lews in the Captivity of Babylon I will put my Spirit within you and ye shall live and I will place you in your own land The same will befall he slain Witnesses God will lend them an unexpected help by such means as never entred into any mans mans thoughts God will revive them again And they stood upon their feet i.e. they appear again in the publick Congregations not as hearers onely but as Masters of the Assemblies and take possession of their places and publickly exercise their ministerial Office they are unbound and loosed from their grave-cloaths as Luzarus was when he came forth and stood upon their feet they are delivered from the bonds and cords and heavy yokes of humane laws and constitutions that killed them and kept them dead and hindred their resurrection And great fear fell upon them that saw them i.e. as there was great joy and exultation among the Beastian party at then killing and lying dead so there will be great terror when they shall fee this resurrection of the Witnesses to their former places and functions then will there be a lively example set before us of that which is written in the book of Wisdom chap. 5. Verse 12. And they heard a great voyce from heaven soying Come up hither That is The Witnesses are not onely restored to their former place and station but they are raised up to some higher degree of honour for so saith Mede their being taken up by a cloud into heaven signifies See Dan. 7.13 Isa 14.13 and 19. They shall be called up by the supreme Magistrate to higher honor and esteem then before And they ascend up to heaven i.e. they enter into their publick charges in the Church heaven and perform their ministry with great authority And their enemies beheld them i.e. they that did so before rejoyce at their sufferings wherein is verified concerning them what is threatned Jer. 50.11 to 13. Verse 13. And the same hour there was a great earthquake and the tenth part of the City fell and there were slain in the earthquake the names of men seven thousand At what time the Witnesses or Prophets ary