but the rest of the Dead that is wicked Men and it may be some of the Saints also shall lie still in their Graves 'till the general Judgment when all shall appear Good and Bad before the Judgment Sent of Christ And 't is very like this is the Meaning of that Place 2 Tim. 4.1 where 't is said that Christ shall judge both quick and dead at his appearing and his Kingdom That is to say by judging the Quick that is the Wicked or some of them to a temporal Destruction and the raised Saints to be rewarded with all the Glory that is promised to all Overcomers in the New Jerusalem Rev. 2.7 11 17 27 Chap. 3.12 21 And as an Addition to all the Rest they shall sit with Christ in his Throne even as he overcame and is set down with his Father in his Throne And these are some of the Rewards that are mentioned Rev. 11.18 to be distributed to the Saints of the first Resurrection so that we may say with the Psalmist Verily there is a Reward for the Righteous verily he is a God that judgeth in the Earth Psal 58. ult By This time I hope it is clear that there is a first Resurrection of some before all and that of Saints and Saints only And having shewed before what this first Resurrection is not namely that 't is not Regeneration let us now enquire what it is and whether it be not a Resurrection of the Body and that properly so called And to this End let us consider that 20th Chap. of Rev. a little more John is said there to see the the Souls of them that were beheaded for the Witness of Jesus c. What may we think is meant by Souls Souls in this Place are put for the Dead the Souls of them that were beheaded is the same with the Dead that were beheaded And that is manifest from the opposite Clause or Sentence i.e. the rest of the Dead lived not again ver 5 and therefore the first are considered as dead Again 't is faid they lived and reigned c. What may be meant by this Living and Reigning By the Lives of the Souls of them that were beheaded it seems to me to be no other than the Life of the Body which they did lay down in the Death of the Body and which now in the Resurrection they receive again to die no more To evince the Truth of this let it be considered First That John speaks of the Souls of them that were beheaded that is of those that were slain or dead in Body and he saith that they lived that is they lived again but the dead in Body live not again but by a Resurrection from the Death of the Body The Argument may be thus framed The Resurrection of the Dead in Body is the Resurrec-of the Body 1 Cor. 15.12 13. but the first Resurrection is the Resurrection of the Dead in Body for 't is the Resurrection of those that were beheaded therefore 't is of the Body Secondly The Text speaks of such a Resurrection wherein Men lived a Thousand Years after they be raised which cannot agree to any other Life or Resurrection but the Life and Resurrection of the Body therefore this Resurrection is a bodily Resurrection Thirdly Such a Resurrection is here meant as will be to the rest of the dead after the Thousand Years are ended who lived not again 'till that be finished ver 5 which shall be of the Body ver 12.13 therefore this Resurrection is of the Body also Fourthly The Men that were beheaded must so live during the Thousand Years as the rest of the Dead lived not all that while their Souls were still separated from their Bodies therefore these must live in Souls joined to their Bodies And Lastly These must so live at the first Resurrection as the rest shall live at the second Resurrection and that will be in Bodies and Souls united which cannot be except they be raised from their Graves And thus having written before of the second or next Coming of Christ and of the Thousand Years and of the first Resurrection and the Judgment of the Quick and Dead and other Things coincident we shall write hereafter a little more fully to what hath been only hinted already in this Discourse And First Touching THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST IN THIS WORLD That of John 18.36 being objected against it where Christ saith his Kingdom is not of this World for the better Understanding of this we may take Notice That when Pilate asked Christ if he were a King his Answer was thou sayst that I am a King grants the Thing told him that for that End he was born i. e. to be a King. And Luk. 19 we read that he was proclaimed King by the Multitude and a great Multitude with great Solemnity to the Astonishment of the Spectators All Jerusalem was moved at it Matt. 21.10 and he justified them that did it But it may be said every one will grant this that Christ is a King and that he is King over his Church in which Respect he is called King of Saints Rev. 15.3 King of Sion Joh. 12.15 Psal 2.6 King Jesus Act. 17.7 But CHRIST is not only King of Saints but King of Nations Jer. 10.7 and that not only as GOD equal with the FATHER but as MEDIATOR also And in that Respect he is called God's King Psal 2.6 And all Power in Heaven and Earth is given to him Civil as well as Ecclesiastical And therefore in Luk. 1.32.33 there 't is said that God shall give to him the Throne of his Father David and that he should reign over the House of Jacob and therefore in Mar. 11 the People are said to Cry Hosanna Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord blessed be the Kingdom of our Father David But the Throne and Kingdom of David was Civil Government Again CHRIST is not only a King but a great King Mat. 5,35 in Reference to Jerusalem which is often put for civil State and not only a great King but King of Kings and Lord of Lords Rev. 19.16 By all which we may see that Christ is de jure and will be de facto a King and that not only over his Church but over all the Earth and that is next to be considered i. e. THE EXTENT OF CHRIST'S KINGDOM For this see Psal 2. He is to have the utmost Parts of the Earth for his Possession Psal 22.28 he is said there to be Governor among the Nations and Psal 72.8 his Dominion is to the Ends of the Earth ver 13. all Nations shall serve him Daniel also speaking of this Kingdom of Christ says it became a great Mountain and filled the whole Earth Chap. 2.35 But more fully Chap. 7.14 and there was given to him Dominion and Glory and a Kingdom that all People Nations and Languages should serve him I shall add one Scripture more to all these and that is Rev. 11.15 at
the Sound of the 7th Trumpet t is said then that the Kingdoms of this World are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ By this Time you will understand what Christ meant John 18 when he said his Kingdom was not of this World and indeed he himself tells us in the following Words but NOW is my Kingdom not from hence as if Christ should say I am a King and shall have a Kingdom but not now not in this World but in the World to come For we must know that there are more Worlds then one there was the old World which was drowned and there is this present evil World and as the old World was drowned and the Wicked in it were generally tho' not universally destroyed by Water so will this present World and the Wicked that are therein tho' not all be destroyed by Fire 2 Pet. 3.7 as hereafter we shall endeavour to shew After which there will be a new Heaven and a new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness a new Face of Things a new World and this is called by the Apostle Heb. 2.5 the World to come when all Things must be put in Subjection to Christ ver 8. And this is the World in which will be or which is Christ's Kingdom And now to speak a little to this Point about THE END OF THIS WORLD and the BEGINNING OF THE WORLD TO COME and see what the Scripture speaks to it In 2 Pet. 3.7 the Apostle tells us that the Heavens the Earth which are NOW are reserved unto Fire against the Day of Judgment or as some render it a Day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly Men. And this cannot be meant of the ultimate Judgment because after this there will not only be a new Heaven but a new Earth also wherein dwelleth Righteousness that is righteous Men and that they shall build Houses and plant Vineyards and eat the Fruit of them Isai 65.21 yea and worship God with external Worship from one Sabbath to another and that not for a little While but these new Heavens and new Earth are to remain Chap. 66.22 But what then may we think will become of the old Heaven and the old Earth Will they not still have a Being For answer hereunto we must understand that the Apostle in the forementioned Chap doth make a Parallel between the Destruction of the old world and the World that now is that as the old World was destroyed by Water so will this World be by Fire properly so called as to that which is to be destroyed For as in the old World there was not an Annihilation of any Thing nor were all Men nor all the Brute-Creatures Destroyed nor were the empyrean or starry Heavens then touched and therefore t is only the aerial Heavens with what is contained in them which are the Furniture of them or what moves in the Air that will be the Subject of this Burning and it may be that which the Apostle means by Elements melting with fervent Heat which distinguisheth from the Heavens for it cannot be that the Elements properly so called should melt with fervent Heat the Water not being capable of burning or melting the Fire is that which burns all Things and therefore not to be burned and for the Earth as it was not destroyed by the Flood tho' much defaced so neither will it be destroyed by Fire so as not to be but this Fire shall rather be for the Restoration of it than the Destruction of it as a Vesture shalt thou change them and they shall be changed Psal 102.6 But that the Earth shall have a habitable Being after the End of the Thousand Years is clear from Rev. 20.8 the Devil shall go forth to deceive the Nations that are in the four Quarters of the Earth and ver 9 they went accordingly upon the Breadth of the Earth but it may be some may think that this Burning of the World will be at or after the general Judgment but for ought I know it may be otherwise for then the Heaven and the Earth is said to fly away from the Face of him that sat on the Throne to judge the World and it hath been before shewed that after this Burning there will be a new Earth as well as a new Heaven And who can tell but that this may be the Time when that shall be fulfilled Act. 2.19 20 when there shall be Blood and Fire and Vapours of Smoak so as the Sun shall be darkened with it and the Moon appear as Blood as we have lately seen in this Country Vapours of Smoak have caused them so to appear for that was to be in the last Days and we do not know that ever this hath been accomplished and that this is not at the general Judgment but before is clear out of Joel 2.32 For at this very Time when this shall come to pass and the World shall be burned some shall be delivered for in Mount Sion and in Jerusalem shall be Deliverance and the Lord hath said it ver 32. The Sum is that at the beginning of the Thousand Years there will be a great Destruction of the Wicked of the World as hath been before shewed and this will be by Fire as the Wicked of the old World were destroyed by Water and the Apostle Peter saith expresly this Fire is for the Perdition of ungodly Men. Paul also tells us that Christ will be revealed from Heaven in flaming Fire to take Vengeance on wicked Men 2 Thes 1.8 But more clear Isai 66.15 For behold the Lord will come with Fire and render his Anger with Fury and his Rebukes with Flames of Fire for by Fire and by Sword will the Lord plead with all Flesh and the Slain of the Lord shall be many But what then may we think will become of good Men and the irrational Creatures at this Time when the world shall be in a Flame how shall they be saved Indeed this is a Question too hard for me or any Man else to determine neither do I know that it is revealed in the Scripture yet for Resolution of this I propound to Consideration First That when the World was destroyed by Water t is possible some good Men might perish in that Destruction who seeing that Deluge coming on the World might repent and so have their Souls saved and if so why may not some good Men be taken away in this general Destruction by Fire as to their Bodies and be raised to Heaven as Elias was in fiery Chariots and their Souls be saved But Secondly tho' we do not know how they shall be saved yet the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of Temptation when the Unjust shall be reserved to the Day of Judgment to be punished 2 Pet. 2.9 and we know that Faith hath quenched the Violence of Fire Heb. 11.34 and that the Fire that burnt up the most mighty Men that were in Nebuchadnezzar's Army Dan. 3.20 had no Power over
Chap. 38.8 16 Joel 3.1 Rev. 16.12 and that it will be in the Land of Judea that they shall be destroyed And they all shew the dreadful Effects that will follow Chap. 38.19 20 Joel 3.15.16 Rev. 16.18 19 20. And all agree that when this Battle is over there will be a peaceable and prosperous State of the Church this being the last Battle that ever will be fought in the World. So that if we view these Scriptures we shall see that they all speak of the same Enemies gathered together by the same Hand engaged against the same People at the same Time upon the same Occasion to be destroyed in the same Place and the same Effects to follow viz. terrible to the one and comfortable to the other So that you see this War is not a War in which the Enemies of God shall fight one against another as they often do upon divers Occasions but it will be a Combination of them all against CHRIST and his People and specially his antient People And these are as I understand the Gog and Magog intended by Ezekiel and the Gog and Magog mentioned Rev. 20 are the multiplied Posterity of those few of the Nations that shall be left when this Battle is over at the beginning of the Thousand Years when the Gog and Magog foretold by Ezekiel shall be destroyed in Armageddon But yet notwithstanding all that hath been said t is very likely there will be great Wars and much Blood shed and the Jews after their Return to their own Land will be much diminished brought very low as we may read in Dan. 12.1 There shall be such a Time of Trouble as never was since there was a Nation even to that same Time and at that Time shall thy People be delivered and the Prophet Zechariah tells us that many of them shall be cut off and die Chap. 13.8 the City taken and Houses rifled and Women ravished before the Lord go forth and fight against these Nations in the Battle of the great Day of God Almighty For t is a great doubt to me whether all this while that Nation will be converted to Christ and embrace Christianity until they be in their own Land and this great Battle be over For t is very unlikely considering how these dry Bones lie scattered most Parts of the World over and do hardly know themselves of what Nation they are much less do others know and it may be speak divers Languages and how the Gospel should be preached to them and to their Understandings and by whom and in what Tongue and whether seeing they have had the Gospel preached at least to their Predecessors already who did reject it and as they still do what Probability is there that they will now readily embrace it and that so suddenly so as to be born in a Day who hath heard such a Thing who hath seen such Things shall the Earth bring forth in one Day or shall a Nation be born or new born at once for as soon as Sion travelled she brought forth her Children Isai 66.8 I rather incline to think that God will some Way or other first bring them into their own Land and give them Advantage to return by drying up the River EUPHRATES that is as I conceive by diminishing and abating the great Power of the Turk in and about that Part of the World and that either by intestine Commotions or Wars with other Nations or both that so a Way may be prepared for these Kings of the East to return and this is to be done under the pouring out of the 6th Vial and now is the Time when these dry Bones will come together and stand upon their Feet and become an exceeding great Army and have Breath breathed into them and have a Civil Life put into them but no spiritual Life till they be in their own Land and at the Sound of the 7th Trumpet and the pouring out of the 7th Vial and after this great Battle when God will destroy all Nations that come against Jerusalem then he will pour upon them the Spirit of Grace Supplication and then will CHRIST personally visibly appear and they shall look on him whom they have pierced and mourn with a penetential Mourning and when his Feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives from whence he ascended then he will come and all his Saints with him Zech. 14.3.5 And this is the great Day of JEZREEL when the Children of Judah and the Children of Israel shall be gathered together and appoint them one Head Hos 1. ult when the Lord shall be King over all the Earth Zech. 14.9 and all the Kingdoms of this World become his Rev. 11.15 and now will Michael stand up the great Prince which standeth for the Children of Daniel's People and then they shall b e delivered and all this a Thousand Years before the general Judgment The Sum of all and that which I intend is this viz. That the Gog Magog spoken of by Ezekiel is not the same spoken of by John Rev. 20 nor any one Nation but a Compound of many Nations who shall engage in a War not one with another but principally with the Jews and that after their Return to their own Land Way being made for them by the Weakening of the Turkish Power on the Borders of Euphrates and after many Conflicts the Jews will be brought very low and much diminished and many Nations shall be gathered together in Battle against them to destroy them this Battle spoken of by Ezekiel Joel and John yet no spiritual Life till the Sound of the 7th Trumpet and the pouring out of the 7th Vial which probably will be by Christ himself when they shall be converted to Christianity partly by Vision Christ personally appearing to them whom they shall look upon and see with their Bodily Eyes and mourn under a deep Sense of their Sin and then t is likely will cry out as those converted Jews Act. 2.37 What shall we do and as Paul when struck down Lord what wilt thou have me to do then possibly the Gospel may be preached to them as it was to those and three Times three Thousand converted at one Sermon and that fulfil'd the Prophet spoken of before that a Nation it born at once and their Feet be accounted beautiful that bring these glad Tidings to them and then and never till then will they say blessed is he that cometh to us in the Name of the Lord. And now God assisting I shall write a little about the POURING OUT OF THE SPIRIT UPON ALL FLESH which is yet future at least in Part and as to the full Accomplishment thereof and as a Concommitant of all these Things from Joel 2.28 29 It shall come to pass afterwards that I will pour out my Spirit upon all Flesh c. And here several Things offer themselves to Consideration as first what 's meant by Spirit and what by pouring out as also who
Things and are and have been in all Ages and are prodvced by natural Causes and therefore this so understood cannot be a Sign of Christ's Coming in the Gospel or any other Way much less by falling of Stars to the Earth which is a Thing impossible the Diameter of the Earth not being able to contain one Star. Besides they are by an Ordinance of Heaven set to give Light to the Earth Gen. 1.18 and those Ordinances cannot be changed Jer. 31.36 therefore something else is here meant Let us see what the Scripture speaks to this Those Words then are metaphorically to be understood For there are other Suns Moons Stars which we read of in Scripture Gen. 37.9 10. There is mention made of Sun Moon and Stars where Superiors both supreme and subordinate are represented under that Notion of Sun Moon and Stars It may also signify the Fall and Ruin of States Monarchs Monarchys Hence we read at the Fall of the Babylonian Monarchy of the darkning of the Sun and the Moon not giving her Light nor the Stars of Heaven nor the Constellations thereof Isai 13.10 and Chap. 14.12 the King of Babylon is said to fall from Heaven and call'd Lucifer Son of the Morning The Fall of Idumea is represented to us by the Host of Heaven being dissolved i. e. Sun Moon and Stars being darkened Hence we read Rev. 6 at the opening of the sixth Seal of the Sun 's becoming black as Sackcloth and the Moon as Blood which some understand of the Fall of the Roman Pagan Empire And Chap. 8.12 at another remarkable Period we read of a third Part of the Sun Moon and Stars darkened And Chap. 16.8 the fourth Angel poured out a Vial on the Sun i.e. the antichristian State or some eminent Person in it We read also in Joel 3.15 of the Sun and Moon being darkened and the Stars withdrawing their Light and Chap. 2.31 that the Sun shall be turned into Darkness and the Moon into Blood And when will this be When he will gather all Nations into the Valley of Jehoshaphat and plead with them there both Pagan and antichristian Enemies this seems to be their great and last Overthrow at Armageddon when the Kings of the Earth and of the whole World shall be gathered together to the Battle of that great Day of God Almighty Hitherto may be referred that in Psal 110.6 when he shall judge among the Heathen and fill the Places with dead Bodies and shall wound the Heads over many Countries And it may be t is THEN they i. e. the Jews shall go forth and look on the Carcases of the Men that have transgressed against God Isai 66.24 for then by Fire and Sword will the Lord plead with all Flesh ver 16. A Scheme of this Battle we have in Ezekiel Chap. 38 39 and Expressions of the same Import of pleading against them with Sword Pestilence and Blood and Fire and is all one with that mentioned Rev. 19 and Joel 2. And when this shall be it will be a dark and bloody World indeed when these Suns and Moons are thus darkened and turned into Blood and so many Stars of the first Magnitude fall But when will this be It will be in the latter Days ver 11. and yet long before the last Day It will be at or about the Calling of the Jews Joel 3.1 and spoke of Ezekiel 37 immediately before this great Destruction then these Suns and Moons will be ashamed and confounded when the Lord of Hosts shall reign in Mount Sion and in Jerusalem and before his Antients gloriously Isai 24. Thus we see what may be meant in this Text by Sun Moon and Stars and what by being darkened by comparing it with other Scriptures Now let it be considered how well this Sign will agree with the Coming of Christ in the Gospel The next Sign to be taken Notice of as preceding the Coming of Christ is touching the Time it will be at such a Time as is unknown to Men or Angels Hence he is said to come as a Thief Rev. 16.15 Chap. 3.3 Behold I come as a Thief And he threatned to come to the Church of Sardis as a Thief and thou shalt not know in what Hour I will come upon thee This Coming will be secretly suddenly unexpectedly and unavoidably Furthermore it will be a Time of general and deep Security when Men shall say Peace and Safety A Time of Sensuality as in the Days of Noah and Lott Eating and Drinking Marrying and giving in Marriage A sleepy World wise Virgins as well as foolish slumbering and sleeping when Christ comes as a Bridegroom which is not at the general Judgment for the wise Virgins will not then be asleep neither will it then be a Time of general Security and Sensuality as it was in the Days of Noah and Lott as we shall show hereafter And the Signs of Christ's Coming extend to the 30th Ver. of Chap. 25th when the Son of Man cometh shall he find Faith on Earth Now let him that Readeth understand and consider whether these Signs or any other will agree with Christ's coming in the Gospel But because most Men understand this Coming to be to the last Judgment and do grant it to be a personal Coming let us now consider how all these Signs will agree and be Forerunners of Christ's coming to the last Judgment And which Coming is spoken of Chap. 25 from Ver. 30th to the End or whether there be any Signs at all mentioned in the Scripture of his coming to the last Judgment And here of Necessity something must be spoken of the THOUSANDS YEARS and of the State of Things here during that Time as also of the first Resurrection the Kingdom of Christ in this World Rev. 20 and other Things coincident And First Whether there be such a Term of Time or no as the Thousands Years Secondly Whether it be past or future and Thirdly The Time when it doth begin or from what Period it doth commence I. To the first of these that there is such a Thing or Term of Time is that which hath been asserted by Men of Note in all Ages since the primative Times a Catalogue of whom might easily be produced if Need were But this Doctrine of the Thousand Years needs no human Testimony We have a more sure Word of Prophesy which we should do well to give Heed unto In Rev. 20 it is express'd no less than five Times over a Thousand Years and The Thousand Years with an Emphasis And the Apostle Peter Chap. 2.3 speaking of the Day of the Lord and Perdition of ungodly Men tells us that one Day with the Lord is a Thousand Years which some think refers to this Time But whether they do or no we must and ought to believe it for this is one of those Sayings that is faithful and true Rev. 22. ver 6 and if any Man shall say otherwise and take away from the Words of this
was in the Days of Noah and as it was in the Days of Lott Eating and Drinking Marrying Building and planting and knew nothing 'till the Flood came even thus shall it be when the Son of Man shull be revealed ver 26 27 30. And Luk. 19.11 There were some that thought that the Kingdom of God should immediately appear but Christ gives them to understand otherwise and represents himself as a certain noble Man that went into a far Country to receive for himself a Kingdom and to return And ver 15 when he was returned having received the Kingdom then he calls his Servants to account and passes Sentence on them Hence he is said to judge quick and dead at his Appearance and his Kingdom 2 Tim. 4.1 And therefore when he come to set up his Kingdom at the Sounding of the Seventh Trumpet at the Time he is said to Judge and to give Rewards to his Servants Rev. 11 15 18. So that at his Return will be the Time when this Kingdom of Christ shall appear and the Thousand Years begin But to enquire a little further concerning THE TIME and see what the Scripture speaks to it and we shall find Rev. 10.5 6 7 that under the sixth Trumpet which is the second Woe Trumpet Chap. 9.12 the Angel which is CHRIST who sets his right Foot on the Sea his left Foot on the Earth and lifteth up his Hand to Heaven and sweareth by him that liveth for ever and ever that there should be Time no longer but in the Days of the Voice of the seventh Angel when he shall begin to sound the Mystery of God should be finished as he hath declared to his Servants the Prophets What Should the World be now at an End that Time should be no longer when the seventh Angel sounded No not so but then Time should be no longer to the Beast and other Enemies of Christ and then the Mystery of God should be finished But what may this Mystery which must be finished after the Sound of the seventh Trumpet be which is the last Trumpet after which none shall Sound but the Trump of God at the last Judgment 1 Cor. 15.52 at the Resurrection of the Dead And this the Apostle calls a Mystery but this is not the Mystery of God here meant for God had not declared this to his Servants the Prophets Much less is it the Mystery of Iniquity 2 Thes 2.7 for that is not the Mystery of God but of the Devil There is yet another Mystery of which the Apostle speaks Rev. 11.25 and that is the Calling of the Jews And this Mystery hath been declared to all the Prophets as hath been shewed before And this Mystery of God is to be finished under the seventh Trumpet and at the pouring out of the last Vial For then 't is said It is done What is that which is done Then the Mystery of Gods is fulfilled Chap. 10.7 And at the pouring out of this Vial which is contemporary with the seventh Trumpet there will be Voices and Thunderings and Lightnings to strike Terror into the Minds of Men and there will be a great Earthquake such as was not since Men were upon the Earth so mighty and Earthquake and so great It will shake all the Kingdoms of this World shake the Heavens and shake the Earth the Lord will shake all the World by it and Things so shaken must be removed that what cannot be shaken may remain but of his something hath been spoken before But what may this Earthquake be which shall thus shake the whole World and such as never was since Men lived upon Earth I do not understand it of an Earthquake properly so called but so as it represents to us great Changes in the World and Distrese of Nations with Perplexity Mens Hearts failing them for Fear and for looking after those Things which are coming on the Earth For the Powers of Heaven shall be shaken Luk. 21.25 26. We read of a great Earthquake Rev. 6 at the Opening of the sixth Seal And it was so great that it shook the Pagan Roman Empire for so Interpretors understand that Place the whole Pagan Emperial World Sun Moon and Stars thereof and this introduced a blessed Change for the present So that we see such Earthquakes signify great Changes and affrighting Judgments by Wars and otherwise and such will be at the Sounding of the seventh Trumpet and the pouring out of the last Vial. Rev. 16.14 we read of the Kings of the Earth and of the whole World gathered together to the BATTLE of the GREAT DAY of GOD ALMIGHTY And it is the same Battle spoken of by the Prophet Ezekiel Chap. 38. 39 for that was to be in the latter Day ver 16 And it must be at or after the return of the Jews to their own Land which is yet future And the Prophet Joel also speaks of the same Battle Chap. 3.2 For behold in those Days and in that Time when I shall bring again the Captivity of Judah and Jerusalem I will gather all Nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat and plead with them there A more general War-like Assembly was never known in the World and by Means whereof there will be such an Earthquake as was never heard of since the World began And this will be all at the same Time ' the Calling of the Jews at the same Place Judea Ezek. 39.4 upon the Mountains of Israel Joel 3.2 in the Valley of Jehoshaphat Rev. 16.16 at Armageddon To this Time the Prophet Isaiah refers Chap. 63.1 2 3 c. where Christ is represented as treading the Wine-press treading his Enemies in Anger trampling on them in Fury Garments stained with their Blood Just the same with Rev. 14.15 20. Thrust in thy Sickle into the Earth and gather the Vine of the Earth and the Angel thrust in his Sickle and gathered the Vine of the Earth and cast in into the great Wine-press of the Wrath of God. But more of this when we come to speak of the great Battle of GOD and MAGOG Joel also speaks to the same Purpose and the same Time then will Men go into the Clefts of the Rocks and into the Tops of the ragged Rocks for Fear of the Lord and for the Glory of his Majesty when he ariseth terribly to shake the Earth By this little above-written we may partly judge what this Earthquake is like to be and to do which is so great as was not since Men lived upon Earth For now the old World will be at an End and the new World will begin which the Apostle calls the World to come Heb. 2.5 Thus much may suffice for Answer to the third Question proposed to be spoken to i.e. when the Thousand Years will begin and all the Kingdoms of this World become the Kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ and he to reign for ever and ever And this is one of the most remarkable Periods which hath been
then that John and John only for ought I know speaks of this new Jerusalem And for ought I yet see that which hath been already proposed in and touching this Matter is most likely to be the new Jerusalem It may be thought that enough if not too much hath been written about this Matter and less might have been better but if it be not true it is too much and if it be true t is too little I having observed how much Men differ in their Apprehensions about it have considered the more of it and however some Men may think it but a small Matter yet they may be mistaken if they are the true Sayings of God blessed are they that read and hear them Chap. 1.3 and this new Jerusalem is no other then the Bride the Lambs Wife as is clear from Rev. 21.2 compar'd with ver 10. But it may be some with say t is impossible for Souls coming down from Heaven after their Bodies have been raised from the Dead and Bodies and Souls united together to live on Earth and converse amongst Men who are in a State of Mortality But that may be possible which to us may seem impossible for with God all Things are possible Mat. 19.26 And we know CHRIST did so after his Resurrection forty Days together and doubtless Moses and Elias both in Souls and Bodies appeared to some of the Apostles Mat. 17.3 and they took great Delight and Contentment therein And why then may not the raised Saints be so represented as to have and hold a holy and heavenly Correspondence with Men on Earth appearing and disappearing at Pleasure even as Christ did before he ascended Again why not raised Saints as well as Angels who appeared both to Abraham and Lott Gen. 18.2 19.1 as Men with human Bodies eating of such Things as were set before them yea CHRIST himself after his Resurrection is said to eat a Piece of a broiled Fish and of an Honey Comb Luk. 24.42 Thus having written already something of the next or second Coming of Christ of the first Resurrection of the new Jerusalem and several Things to come I shall in the next Place write something of GOG MAGOG who by the Instigation of the Devil shall be gathered together at the End of the 1000 Years to engage in a War against the Camp of the Saints and the beloved City mentioned Rev. 20.9 And here we shall enquire first who this God and Magog may be and whether this Gog and Magog mentioned by John be the same of whom Ezekiel speaks Chap. 38 and 39. The Scripture indeed speaks of Magog who was one of the Sons of Japhet Gen. 10.2 1 Chron. 1.5 but I do not remember it speaks of Gog until the Time of the Prophet Ezekiel Chap. 38.3 where he is mentioned as the chief Prince of Meshech and Tuball Neither do I remember that ever I read or heard of any one Nation that ever were called by that Name and therefore I think they are a Compound of many Nations represented to us by that Name both by Ezekiel and John as will appear by comparing Ezekiel 38.5 6 with Rev. 20.8 they were such as the Prophets of old had spoken of ver 17 by some other Name The next Thing to be enquired into is whether this God and Magog mentioned by Ezekiel be the same which the Apostle John speaks of Rev 20. For clearing of this we may consider first the Time when these Enemies of God and of his Church shall appear in Arms and 2dly with or against whom they shall engage and 3dly the Occasion or moving Cause thereof First for the Time and here we must understand that Gog and Magog spoken of by Ezekiel are to be Contemporaries with the Jews either at the Time or not long after their Return to their own Land as appears by the whole Story Chap. 38. 39 to which the Reader is referred 2dly The Persons against whom they are to engage in this War and they are principally the Nation of the Jews tho' it may be not only with them 3dly the Occasion or moving Cause and that seems to be either the Weakness of that Nation at this Time as not being yet settled in their own Land or their Security or both as ver 11 but it was chiefly to spoil them or to make a Prey of them as ver 12. And now let us consider whether these Characters will agree with that Gog and Magog spoken of before Rev. 20. First as to the Time of this War the one being at or not long after the Return of the Jews to their own Land Preparation thereunto will be under the pouring out of the 6th Vial and the other will not be till the End of the Thousand Years and after the loosing of Satan out of the bottomless Pit. 2dly One will engage principally against the Jewish Nation but the other will be against the whole Church of God consisting both of Jews and Gentiles represented to us under the Name and Notion of the Camp of the Saints and the beloved City 3dly As to the Occasion of this War viz. the Weakness of this People or their Security or both or to take or make a Spoil of them in the one but no such Thing is hinted nor can be supposed concerning the other But that which will put all out of doubt that this Gog Magog mentioned by Ezekiel is not the same spoken of by John is this in the one we have a Prophesy of a Battle a great Battle and such as was never heard of before in the World but in the other no Battle at all no Stroak struck on either Side for when once this great Battle is over they shall learn War no more Swords must be turned to Plow Shears and Spears to pruning Hooks when God shall judge the Nations and rebuke many People Isai 2.4 In further Prosecution of the Matter proposed to be spoken to we shall find that the Scripture makes mention of three great Battles which are yet future or it may be one Battel foretold in three several Places of Scripture viz. by two Prophets and one Apostle viz. by Joel Ezekiel and John and it is called by John Rev. 16.14 the Battle of the great Day of God Almighty Somewhat of this Battel hath been spoken of before Page 17 to which the Reader is referred I shall speak a little more of it here You have been told there of the Kings of the Earth and of the whole World being gathered together we tell you now t is GOD that gathereth them together Joel 3.2 I will gather all Nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat and Ezekiel 38.16 speaking concerning Gog and Magog God saith I will bring thee against my Land and so Rev. 16.16 He gathered them into a Place called Armageddon for so I am told the Word may be rendered Again they all three declare that this Warlike Assembly will be principally against the Jews