〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Opposite representations in it Of which the Reader is here presented with a general Scheme the particulars which are very many being to be carefully observed and gathered out of the Book it self The Church of Ephesus (a) Chap. 2. 1-8 See pag. 20. 32. is contemporary with the four first Seals and reaches from the Resurrection A. D. 33. to the beginning of the Persecution under Dioclesian A. D. 303. The Church of Smyrna (b) Chap. 2. 8-12 in which the Synagogue of Satan arose is contemporary with the fifth sixth and seventh Seal and lasts until the sounding of the first Trumpet A. D. 437. The Church of Perganus (c) Chap. 2. 1â—-15 begins to Witness in Sackcloath at the entrance of the Apostasy A. D. 437. and is contemporary with the five first Trumpets and part of the Sixth and with the progress of the Apostasy to a Throne and the slaying of the Antipapal Witnesses by Excommunications and Persecutions until about the 12th Century or between A. D. 1100 and 1200. Then arose the Church of (d) Chap. 2. 18. c. Thyatira witnesing against the depths of Satanical Corruptions which continued during the first Slaying of the VVitnesses and the progress of the Mahometan Wo of the sixth Trumpet (a) Chap. 10. until the Reformation A. D. 1517. The Church of Sardis together with some low appearances of the Philadelphian State kept under by those of the Synagogue chap. 3. 9. are contemporary with the Reformation and are to last until some more perfect Church State shall appear of which if the Calculations (c) See the Notes on Chap. 10. 7. on Chap. 11. 2 11. frequently mention'd in the following Book prove true there will be some more than ordinary appearance about A. D. 1697. when the Beasts Months end The Philadelphian (d) Chap. 3. 7-13 State the Church of Thyatira (e) Chap. 2. 19. in its last works the undefiled (f) Chap. â— 4. Names in Sardis and those also of that State whom this Prophecy calls Them of the Synagogue chap. 3. 9. who shall come and unite themselves to the Church of Philadelphia carry on the whole series of things during the (g) See Chapters 14 Voices and the Vials from the rise of that Sate until the Glorious Millenium that is if the Calculations here advanced (b) Chap. 3. 1-7 prove true from A. D. 1697. until (a) See Chapters 14. and 16. A. D. 1727. and from 1727 to 1772. After the Millennium Satan is loosed for a short season Gog and Magog compass the City but are destroyed and all the Enemies of Christ are Judged and perfectly Subdued with which the Laodicean (b) Chap. 3 14-22 Chap. 20. State of the Church is cotemporary But besides these Synchronisms betwixt the Church Prophecy and the Book Prophecy it is very observable that there are very many Visions in the Book Prophecy which Synchronize one with another as is frequently observed in the Annotations of which here is given a short Specimen referring the Reader to the Book it self for a larger account of them Synchron 1. The Seals and many particulars in the twelfth Chapter are contemporary as will appear to any one who compares the sixth Chapter with the twelfth Synchron 2. The Barbarous Nations chap. 8. 7. entring as Gentiles into the outward Court the Worshippers in the inward Temple the Witnesses in Sackcloath and the Church actually flying into the Wilderness are also contemporary See Chapters 8. c. 11. c. 12. Synchron 3. The Beast rising out of the Sea coming into his Succession and into his forty two Months and the ten Kings receiving Power all one Hour with him are contemporary with the Extinction of the Western Empire upon the Sounding of the Third Trumpet because when the former Government was expired Another must needs immediately come into Succession Synchron 4. The Witnesses lying Dead and the Woman hid in the Wilderness from the face of the Serpent are Synchronous Synchron 5. The ending of the two Times the beginning of Half Time the Thunders Voices Uttered and then Sealed are contemporary See Chap. 10. Synchron 6. The full rising of the Witnesses the Fall of the tenth of the great City the passing away of the second Wo and the beginning of the seventh Trumpet to sound are contemporary with the End of the three Days and an Half of the three Times and Half and of the 1260 days and forty two Months which are in an equal Duration Synchron 7. The seventh Trumpet the Voices and the Vials the Judgment on the Whore the Beast and the False Prophet the Lamb's Wife making her self ready are contemporaries Synchron 8. The thousand Years of Sathan bound the first Resurrection the Blessed Participation of it the New Jerusalem the New Heaven and New Earth are contemporaries Synchron 9. The thousand Years expired Sathan Loosed the Gog and Magog are together in time Synchron 10. The Fire coming down from Heaven Sathan's casting into the Lake the Dead Judged and with Death cast into the Lake Synchronize with the White Throne the Laodicean Saints sitting down with Christ upon it The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Opposites are cheifly these The Kingdom of Christ and of his Saints The Kingdom of Satan carried on in the fourth or Roman Monarchy first as Pagan then as Antichristian The Church of Ephesus as Apostolical The Church of Ephesus having left its first Love Chap. 2. 4. Smyrna A Synagogue of Satan Chap. 2. 9. Pergamus and Antipas The Throne of Satan Balaam and the Nicolaitans Chap. 2. 13 14 15. the false Prophet Chap. 16 13. Thyatira The Depths of Satan Jezebel or the false Prophetess Chap. 2. 20 14. The undefiled names in Sardis Those of the Synagogue Chap. 3. 3 4 9. Philadelphia The Laodicean Luke-warmness The Lamb. The Dragon the Beast the other Beast with two Horns like a Limb. Chap. 13. 11. The Bride the Lamb's Wife chap. 19. 7. The Whore chap. 17. Christ's sealed ones and witnesses The Marked Slaves of the Beast chap. 13. 16. The great City the Holy Jerusalem the beloved City the Camp of the Saints c. 20 9.21.10 Babylon the great City reigning over the Kings of the Earth c. 17. and the City of Gog and Magog at the four corners of the Earth c. 20.8 Twelve the Apostolical Number c. 7.4 Twenty five the Antichristian name mark number c. 13. 18. Christ the King of Kings and Lord of Lords chap. 19. 16. The Kings of the Earth chap. 19. 19. The Armies which come in the Heaven with Christ c. 19.14 The Armies of the Kings of the Earth and their Nations Gog and Magog Chap. 19. 15 19. 20 8. ERRATA PAg. 6. l. 29. read 16. p. 9. l. 5. of the of this World p. 13. l. 16. r. denote p. 14. l. 24. r. full of p. 21. l. 16. r. Rom. 2. p. 27. l. 27. r. Goods p. 22. l. 32. r. 58. p. 41. l. 8. f. the r. that
the Eastern Empire the Kingly Power being extinguished and Narses made Governour of it for Justinian about A.D. 553. who being removed from his Government after sixteen Years Administration of it Longinus was advanced to it under the Title of Exarch of Ravenna A. D. 569. When the Consuls entirely ceased and the Authority of the Senate was abolished and Rome the Mistress of the World became a Dutchy and was subject to Ravenna at which time also the Kingdom of the Lombards who came Originally from Scanzia into Pannonia began in Italy which lasted until A. D. 756. after which Charles the Great who beat the Lombards out of Italy was created Emperour of the Romans by Pope Leo Dec. 25. A. D. 800. all which time Rome was under the Government of the Papacy as we shall see hereafter 13 And I beheld and heard an Angel flying to denote speed thorow the midst of Heaven i. e. in the meridian height of it that he might be seen and heard of all saying with a loud voice audibly and terribly Wo 27 Wo Wo to the Inhabitants of the Earth by reason of the voices of the Trumpets of the three Angels which are yet to sound 27 Here the extreme Misery which the Empire was to suffer by the Saracens and Turks Chap. 9.12 and the Apstasy Chap. 11.14 is foretold Under the Angels in this Chapter are included according to an Observation frequently made all those Faithful Servants of Christ who witnessed to his Truths and against the Rising Antichristianism in the Church during the Time and Course of the Trumpets and of the preparation to the sounding of them Such were amongst many others 1. Gregory Nyssen who was a married Man and wrote an excellent (a) Dr. Cave's Lives of the Fathers Vol. 2. in the Append. pag. 45. Epistle against Pilgrimages to the Holy Land 2. Gregory (b) Dr. Cave Vol. 2. pag. 322 326. Nazianzen who was so mightily offended with the Quarrels and Contentions of Bishops and Councils that he refused to come to a Synod at Constantinople saying That Experience had sufficiently taught him how little good was to be expected from Synods and then resigned his Bishoprick which he said he knew not whether to stile a Tyrannical or an Archiepiscopal Dignity and testified against the excessive State Power and Honours of the Clergy freely (c) Tom. 1. pag. 61 62. Orat. 1. adv Julian confessing That the Mischiefs of the Church in his Time proceeded from thence 3 Ambrose who was a stout Defender of Discipline (d) Cave 's Lives pag. 409 410. exercising it even upon the Great Emperour Theodosius who with an extraordinary Meekness and Penitence submitted unto it 4. (e) Dr. Cressener's Demonstrat of the Apocal. in Append. pag. 13. Jerome Theodoret Andreas Caesariensis Arethas and others who plainly testifie That Rome was to be the Seat of Antichrist as does also (a) Cressener ibid pag. 30. Augustine and Chrysostom (a) Cressener ibid. pag. 30. who were excellent Witnesses to many great Truths in this Succession the former (b) Augustin Epist ad Januar. lib. 2. Ep. 55. complaining exceedingly of the encrease of Ceremonies in his Time and confessing that a more than Jewish Servitude was brought in by them which Expression gives light to the Reason why the prevaling party of this Succession is called the Synagogue of Satan Ch. 2.9 Although it must be confessed that these and the other Great Men of this Period of the Church contributed much to the encrease of its Corruptions which the best of Men may do when God permits such Deviations from the Simplicity of the Gospel to prevail and doth not withhold Men from being carried away with them by his more than ordinary Restraints 5. Salvian Gildas and the other Authors who wrote concerning the Invasions of the Barbarous Nations and lived in those Times do loudly testifie against the Vices and Corruptions of them as also Gregory the Great who was a most Eminent Witness of the Approach of Antichrist in his Time as will be shewn in the beginning of the Annotations on the next Chapter as were also all those Excellent Persons who testified during the fifth and sixth Trumpet against the Worship af Images and other Corruptions for which God brought these Woes upon the Church See the Protestants who have gathered Catalogues of Witnesses and the laborious Collections of Monsieur Allix in his Accounts of the Albigenses and Waldenses CHAP. IX The Text. 1 AND the fifth Angel sounded and I saw a Star i. e. an 1 Angel or Minister of the Church Rev. 1.20 fall or fallen from Heaven unto the Earth i. e. Apostatized from a Christian Church state to a worldly Kingdom and to him was given by the Order and Disposition of events according to God's all-wise Disposals the Key of the bottomless Pit i. e. a Satanical Kingdom and an Antichristian Authority Rev. 2.24 Annotations on CHAP. IX 1 Here the Papacy is described 1. Because that which appeared is said to be a Star which is the Symbol of the Gospel Ministry Chap. 1.20 2. It is said to be the Star that was fallen from Heaven which cannot refer to Mahomet who never had any Place in Heaven i. e. any Place or Dignity in the Church or any Dignity at all from which he might be said to have fallen 3 This Star is said to have fallen from Heaven to Earth and then to have a New Dignity bestowed upon him whereby it is evident that the fallen Star mentioned Chap 8.10 cannot be here understood because that Star fell upon the Waters this upon the Earth and that was a Comet this a Star which fell from one Power to another whereas the other was in a burning and consuming Condition bereft of all Power 4. This fallen Star is said to have the Keys of the bottomless Pit given unto him that is a Satanical Authority consisting of a Synagogue a Throne and Depths of Satan which being proper to the Apostasy especially the Papacy ought here also to be understood concerning it For as according to the Observation of Dr. (a) Apud Poli Synops in locum Lightfoot the Keys of Heaven were given to Peter when a Door of Salvation was to be opened to the Gentiles by his Preaching and Erecting the first Christian Church so when the Christian World was about to fall as it were into its former Gentilism the Key of the bottomless Pit was given to Antichrist 5. This Star is said to be already fallen at the time that the Pit was opened and the Locusts that is the Saracens came out of it Now the Rise of the Saracens is placed by all Historians in A.D. 622. when the Aera of the Hegira or Flight of Mahomet began and the Rise of Antichristianism in the Latin Church as to the Point of Supremacy is generally placed by Protestants Sixteen Years before it when Boniface the Third A. D. 606. took the Title of Vniversal Bishop and Head of
all the wicked are at last consigned at the final consummation of all things Chap. 20. 10-15 So that hereby is signified the Eminency and Transcendency of their punishment and the utter and total Abolition of that Antichristian State which as being the base and Hypocritical Counterfeit of Christianity is most peculiarly abhorred by God and is accordingly consumed and abolished so as never to appear again immediately at the very First Approach or Dawning of Christ's Kingdom as the shadows fly away when the Day breaks and the Chaff is suddenly driven away with the wind Psalm 1.4 Hos 6 4.13 3. Canticl 2.17.2 Thes 2.8 21 And the 31 Remnant i. e. the Kings of the Earth and their Armies verse 18 19 were slain 32 with the Sword of him that sate upon the white Horse verse 11. which Sword proceeded out of his Mouth i. e. they were Condemned by the Light Evidence and Convictions of Christ's Gospel according to which God will then judge the Secrets of Men by Jesus Christ Rom. 2.16 and all the Fowls were filled with their Flesh i. e. all the Saints were fully satisfied with the Justice of their Condemnation and the high Praises of God were in their Mouths for it Psalm 149 5.6 31 The Beast and False Prophet the Chief Enemies of Christ's Kingdom are first sentenced and are cast into the Lake at the first Appearance of Christ to which punishment also all their Adherents are expresly adjudged Rev. 14 9-11 although not at the same time as seemeth to appear from their bewailing the Ruine of Babylon afterwards Chap. 18. or not to the same degrees of it Whereupon it follows that if under the Beast and the False Prophet their Armies and Adherents are to be comprehended who must needs be vanquished with their Cheiftains then by the Kings and their Armies must be meant all the other wicked of the Earth besides the Antichristian Counterfeit who are vanquished and condemned by Christ and his Armies And although the Devil and his Angels and Armies are not here mentioned yet it is evident from Chap. 20.2 that the Dragon was laid hold on or taken Captive which Phrase respects the Issue of a Battel and must consequently relate to this at Armageddon But because those Enemies are Invisible Instruments and acted in and by the others therefore are they not particularly named here but only their Instruments and Agents who openly appeared and resisted Christ's Kingdom 32 These are not cast alive into the Lake because they are to appear again after the Thousand Years Kingdom of Christ but are said only to be slain by the Brightness Efficacy and Power of Christ's Kingdom whereby is meant a Spiritual Slaughter accompanied with Bodily Torments proceeding from Anguish of Mind in the sense of the Psalmist Psal 59.11 13.104 35. concerning which see more on the following Chapter Here it may be noted That there are Three Enemies of Christ to be vanquished by his coming which may also be the Three Parts of the great City 1. The Dragon or Satan and his Angels by whose Diabolical Spirit all the Enemies of Christ's Kingdom were influenced who are bound and sealed up during the Thousand Years Kingdom of Christ and are afterwards cast into the Lake Chap. 20.2 3 10. 2. The Kings of the Earth and their Armies i. e. those who had a bare Enmity and Hostility against Christ's Kingdom and not under the pretence of advancing it who are slain at this Battel and then make Second Assault upon Christs Kingdom in which they are overcome and at last utterly abolished and cast into the Lake Chap. 20.9 10. 3. Antichristianism consisting of Beastianism and False Prophetism which State is utterly abolished by the first Appearance of Christ and all its Votaries and impenitent Adherents lye under the severe Judgments of God during the whole time of Christ's Glorious Kingdom being never able to make any the least opposition against it CHAP. XX. The Text. 1 AND I saw an Angel come down from heaven i. e. a very particular and peculiar Ministry of Angels deputed by God for this purpose having the Key of the bottomless pit i. e. a Power to open and shut the Pit of Hell Luke 8.31 Rev. 1 18.9 1. and a great chain in his hand i. e. Powerful means to restrain the Evil Spirits 2 Pet. 2.4 Jude 6 2 And he laid 1 hold on i. e. seized upon and secured Matth. 14.3 the Dragon that Old Serpent which is the 2 Devil and Satan Gen. 3. Rev. 12.9 and bound him i. e. restrained him from 3 deceiving the Nations a thousand years i. e. during the Reign of Christ See on Verse 4. Annotations on CHAP. XX. 1 An Account having been given in the former Chapter how Two parts of the great City or Two of the Three Enemies of Christ had been disposed of the Holy Spirit does in this Chapter from Verse 1 to 4. particularly describe the Event of that Battle with reference to Satan or the Devil and his Angels the Third Enemy or Third part of the Great City or Idolatrous and Wicked Polity of the Kingdom of Darkness 2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 (a) Grot. in Marc. 3.26 Vniversitas Satanica the Devil and all his Evil Angels called The Dragon as he presided over and influenced the Pagan Empire and Emperours and lived in the Imperial Supremacy of the Antichristian King Chap. 13.4 and That Old Serpent in respect of his Deceiving our First Parents in Paradise in that Shape and his working in and by Antichrist with all lying Wonders and deceivableness of Vnrighteousness 2 Thes 2.9 10. Rev. 12.3 14 and the Devil and Satan as he is the Accuser and Adversary of Mankind Rev. 12.9 Under whom are comprehended the several Sorts and Orders of Wicked Spirits mentioned Eph. 2 2.6 12. acting as one Power under one Prince and Chief of them who are here restrained from all manner of Power whatsoever either from themselves or as influencing others during the glorious Kingdom of Christ 3 As he had done our first Parents in the first Paradise so that there is no fear of being driven out of this New Paradise or of being deceived by Diabolical Temptations in it it being very (b) Burnet's Theor. 4.2 probable that the New Earth will be Paradisiacal 3 And he 4 cast him into the bottomless pit which is also a place of Torment Matth. 8.28 29. Luke 8.31 and 4 shut him up and set a 4 Seal upon him i. e. closely confined him after the most secure manner that he should deceive the Nations Verse 8. no more as he had hitherto done by the Lye of Idolatry and other deceitful Wickednesses and Temptations till the thousand Years of Christ's Reign should be fullfilled or ended and after that he must according to the secret Counsel and Will of God be loosed from this Restraint for a 5 little season 4 4 4 By these several Expressions is intimated that the Devil should be confined after the closest