[1]Chap. xi. 38, 39[2]Orat. de vita Greg. Thaumaturg. T. 3. p. 574.[3]Vide Hom. 47. in. S. Julian.[4]Epist. 27. ad Eustochium.[5]Edit. Frontonis Ducæi, Tom. 1.[6]Ad. an. 381, Sect. 41.[7]Hist. Eccl. l. 2. c. 23.[8]L. 4. c. 24.[9]Hom. 66. ad. populum, circa finem. & Hom. 8, 27. in Matth. Hom. 42, 43. in Gen. Hom. 1. in 1 Thess.[10]Exposit. in Psal. 114. sub finem.
[1]Chap. xi. 38, 39
[2]Orat. de vita Greg. Thaumaturg. T. 3. p. 574.
[3]Vide Hom. 47. in. S. Julian.
[4]Epist. 27. ad Eustochium.
[5]Edit. Frontonis Ducæi, Tom. 1.
[6]Ad. an. 381, Sect. 41.
[7]Hist. Eccl. l. 2. c. 23.
[8]L. 4. c. 24.
[9]Hom. 66. ad. populum, circa finem. & Hom. 8, 27. in Matth. Hom. 42, 43. in Gen. Hom. 1. in 1 Thess.
[10]Exposit. in Psal. 114. sub finem.
Introduction, concerning the time when theApocalypsewas written.
Irenæusintroduced an opinion that theApocalypsewas written in the time ofDomitian; but then he also postponed the writing of some others of the sacred books, and was to place theApocalypseafter them: he might perhaps have heard from his masterPolycarpthat he had received this book fromJohnabout the time ofDomitian's death; or indeedJohnmight himself at that time have made a new publication of it, from whenceIrenæusmight imagine it was then but newly written.Eusebiusin hisChronicleandEcclesiastical HistoryfollowsIrenœus; but afterwards[1]in hisEvangelical Demonstrations, he conjoins the banishment ofJohnintoPatmos, with the deaths ofPeterandPaul: and so do[2]TertullianandPseudo-Prochorus, as well as the first author, whoever he was, of that very antient fable, thatJohnwas put byNerointo a vessel of hot oil, and coming out unhurt, was banished by him intoPatmos.Tho this story be no more than a fiction yet was it founded on a tradition of the first churches, thatJohnwas banished intoPatmosin the days ofNero.Epiphaniusrepresents theGospel of Johnas written in the time ofDomitian, and theApocalypseeven before that ofNero.[3]Arethasin the beginning of his Commentary quotes the opinion ofIrenæusfromEusebius, but follows it not: for he afterwards affirms theApocalypsewas written before the destruction ofJerusalem, and that former commentators had expounded the sixth seal of that destruction.
With the opinion of the first Commentators agrees the tradition of the Churches ofSyria, preserved to this day in the title of theSyriacVersion of theApocalypse, which title is this:The Revelation which was made toJohnthe Evangelist by God in the IslandPatmos, into which he was banished byNerotheCæsar. The fame is confirmed by a story told by[4]Eusebiusout ofClemens Alexandrinus, and other antient authors, concerning a youth, whomJohnsome time after his return fromPatmoscommitted to the care of the Bishop of a certain city. The Bishop educated, instructed, and at length baptized him; but then remitting of his care, the young man thereupon got into ill company, and began by degrees first to revel and grow vitious, then to abuse and spoil those he met in the night; and at last grew so desperate, that his companions turning a band of high-way men, made him their Captain: and, saith[5]Chrysostom, he continued their Captain a long time. At lengthJohnreturning to that city, and hearing what was done, rode to the thief; and, when he out of reverence to his old master fled,Johnrode after him, recalled him, and restored him to the Church. This is a story of many years, and requires thatJohnshould have returned fromPatmosrather at the death ofNerothan at that ofDomitian; because between the death ofDomitianand that ofJohnthere were but two years and an half; andJohnin his old age was[6]so infirm as to be carried to Church, dying above 90 years old, and therefore could not be then suppos'd able to ride after the thief.
This opinion is further supported by the allusions in theApocalypseto the Temple and Altar, and holy City, as then standing; and to theGentiles, who were soon after to tread under foot the holy City and outward Court. 'Tis confirmed also by the style of theApocalypseitself, which is fuller ofHebraismsthan his Gospel. For thence it may be gathered, that it was written whenJohnwas newly come out ofJudea, where he had been used to theSyriactongue; and that he did not write his Gospel, till by long converse with theAsiatickGreeks he had left off most of theHebraisms. It is confirmed also by the many falseApocalypses, as those ofPeter,Paul,Thomas,Stephen,EliasandCerinthus, written in imitation of the true one. For as the many false Gospels, false Acts, and false Epistles were occasioned by true ones; and the writing many falseApocalypses, and ascribing them to Apostles and Prophets, argues that there was a true Apostolic one in great request with the firstChristians: so this true one may well be suppos'd to have been written early, that there may be room in the Apostolic age for the writing of so many false ones afterwards, and fathering them uponPeter,Paul,Thomasand others, who were dead beforeJohn.Caius, who was contemporary withTertullian,[7]tells us thatCerinthuswrote his Revelations as a great Apostle, and pretended the visions were shewn him by Angels, asserting amillenniumof carnal pleasures atJerusalemafter the resurrection; so that hisApocalypsewas plainly written in imitation ofJohn's: and yet he lived so early, that[8]he resisted the Apostles atJerusalemin or before the first year ofClaudius, that is, 26 years before the death ofNero, and[9]died beforeJohn.
These reasons may suffice for determining the time; and yet there is one more, which to considering men may seem a good reason, to others not. I'll propound it, and leave it to every man's judgment. TheApocalypseseems to be alluded to in the Epistles ofPeterand that to theHebrewsand therefore to have been written before them. Such allusions in the Epistle to theHebrews, I take to be the discourses concerning the High-Priest in the heavenly Tabernacle, who is both Priest and King, as wasMelchisedec; and those concerning theword of God, with thesharp two-edged sword, theσαββατισμος, ormillennialrest, theearth whose end is to be burned, suppose by the lake of fire,the judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries, theheavenly City which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God, thecloud of witnesses, mountSion, heavenlyJerusalem, general assembly, spirits of just men made perfect,viz.by the resurrection, andthe shaking of heaven and earth, and removing them, that the new heaven, new earth and new kingdom which cannot be shaken, may remain. In the first ofPeteroccur these:[10]The Revelation of Jesus Christ, twice or thrice repeated;[11]theblood ofChristas of a Lamb foreordained before the foundation of the world;[12]thespiritual buildingin heaven, 1 Pet. ii. 5.an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for us, who are kept unto the salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time, 1 Pet. i. 4, 5.[13]theroyal Priesthood,[14]theholy Priesthood,[15]thejudgment beginning at the house of God, and[16]the Church atBabylon. These are indeed obscurer allusions; but the second Epistle, from the 19th verse of the first Chapter to the end, seems to be a continued Commentary upon theApocalypse. There, in writing to theChurches inAsia, to whomJohnwas commanded to send this Prophecy, he tells them, theyhave a more sure word of Prophecy, to be heeded by them,as a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in their hearts, that is, until they begin to understand it: forno Prophecy, saith he,of the scripture is of any private interpretation; the Prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake, as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Daniel[17]himself professes that he understood not his ownProphecies; and therefore the Churches were not to expect the interpretation from their ProphetJohn, but to study the Prophecies themselves. This is the substance of whatPetersays in the first chapter; and then in the second he proceeds to describe, out of thissure word of Prophecy, how there should arise in the Churchfalse Prophets, orfalse teachers, expressed collectively in theApocalypseby the name of the false Prophet; who shouldbring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, which is the character ofAntichrist:And many, saith he,shall follow their lusts[18]; they that dwell on the earth[19]shall be deceived by the false Prophet, and be made drunk with the wine of the Whore's fornication,by reason of whom the way of truth shall be blasphemed; for[20]the Beast is full of blasphemy:and thro' covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandize of you; for these are the Merchants of the Earth, who trade with the great Whore, and their merchandize[21]is all things of price, with the bodies and souls of men:whose judgment—lingreth not, and their damnation[22]slumbreth not, but shall surely come upon them at the last day suddenly, as the flood uponthe old world, and fire and brimstone uponSodomandGomorrha, when the just shall be delivered[23]likeLot; forthe Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished, in the lake of fire;but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness,[24]being made drunk with the wine of the Whore's fornication; whodespise dominion, and are not afraid to blaspheme glories; for the beast opened his mouth against God[25]to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.These, as natural brute beasts, the ten-horned beast and two-horned beast, or false Prophet,made to be taken and destroyed, in the lake of fire,blaspheme the things they understand not:—they count it pleasure to riot in the day-time—sporting themselves with their own deceivings, while they feast[26]with you,having eyes full of an[27]Adulteress: for the kingdoms of the beast live deliciously with the great Whore, and the nations are made drunk with the wine of her fornication. Theyare gone astray, following the way ofBalaam, the son ofBeor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, the false Prophet[28]who taughtBalakto cast a stumbling-block before the children ofIsrael.These are, not fountains of living water, butwells without water; not such clouds of Saints as the two witnesses ascend in, butclouds that are carried with a tempest, &c. Thus does the author of this Epistle spend all the second Chapter in describing the qualities of theApocalypticBeasts and false Prophet: and then in the third he goes on to describe their destruction more fully, and the future kingdom. He saith, that because the coming ofChristshould be long deferred, they should scoff, saying,where is the promise of his coming? Then he describes the sudden coming of the day of the Lord upon them,as a thief in the night, which is theApocalypticphrase; and themillennium, orthousand years, whichare with God but as a day; thepassing away of the old heavensand earth, by a conflagration in the lake of fire, and ourlooking for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Seeing thereforePeterandJohnwere Apostles of the circumcision, it seems to me that they staid with their Churches inJudeaandSyriatill theRomansmade war upon their nation, that is, till the twelfth year ofNero; that they then followed the main body of their flying Churches intoAsia, and thatPeterwent thence byCorinthtoRome; that theRomanEmpire looked upon those Churches as enemies, becauseJewsby birth; and therefore to prevent insurrections, secured their leaders, and banishedJohnintoPatmos. It seems also probable to me that theApocalypsewas there composed, and that soon after the Epistle to theHebrewsand those ofPeterwere written to these Churches, with reference to this Prophecy as what they were particularly concerned in. For it appears by these Epistles, that they were written in times of general affliction and tribulation under the heathens, and by consequence when the Empire made war upon theJews; for till then the heathens were at peace with theChristian Jews, as well as with the rest. The Epistle to theHebrews, since it mentionsTimothyas related to thoseHebrews, must be written to them after their flight intoAsia, whereTimothywas Bishop; and by consequence after the war began, theHebrewsinJudeabeing strangers toTimothy.Peterseems also to callRomeBabylon, as well with respect to the war made uponJudea, and the approaching captivity, like that under oldBabylon, as with respect to that name in theApocalypse: and in writingto the strangers scattered thro'outPontus,Galatia,Cappadocia,AsiaandBithynia, he seems to intimate that they were the strangers newly scattered by theRomanwars; for those were the only strangers there belonging to his care.
This account of things agrees best with history when duly rectified. For[29]Justinand[30]Irenæussay, thatSimon Maguscame toRomein the reign ofClaudius, and exercised juggling tricks there.Pseudo-Clemensadds, that he endeavoured there to fly, but broke his neck thro' the prayers ofPeter. Whence[31]Eusebius, or rather his interpolatorJerom, has recorded, thatPetercame toRomein the second year ofClaudius: but[32]CyrilBishop ofJerusalem,Philastrius,Sulpitius,Prosper,Maximus Taurinensis, andHegesippus junior, place this victory ofPeterin the time ofNero. Indeed the antienter tradition was, thatPetercame toRomein the days of this Emperor, as may be seen in[33]Lactantius.Chrysostom[34]tells us, that the Apostles continued long inJudea, and that then being driven out by theJewsthey went to theGentiles. This dispersion was in the first year of theJewishwar, when theJews, asJosephustells us, began to be tumultuous and violent in all places. For all agree that the Apostles were dispersed into several regions at once; andOrigenhas set down the time,[35]telling us that in the beginning of theJudaicwar, the Apostles and disciples of our Lord were scattered into all nations;ThomasintoParthia,AndrewintoScythia,JohnintoAsia, andPeterfirst intoAsia, where he preacht to the dispersion, and thence intoItaly.[36]Dionysius Corinthiussaith, thatPeterwent fromAsiabyCorinthtoRome, and all antiquity agrees thatPeterandPaulwere martyred there in the end ofNero's reign.Markwent withTimothytoRome, 2Tim.iv. 11.Colos.iv. 10.SylvanuswasPaul's assistant; and by the companions ofPeter, mentioned in his first Epistle, we may know that he wrote fromRome; and the Antients generally agree, that in this Epistle he understoodRomebyBabylon. His second Epistle was writ to the same dispersed strangers with the first, 2Pet.iii. 1. and therein he saith, thatPaulhad writ of the same things to them, and also in his other Epistles,ver.15, 16. Now as there is no Epistle ofPaulto these strangers besides that to theHebrews, so in this Epistle, chap. x. 11, 12. we find at large all those things whichPeterhad been speaking of, and here refers to; particularly thepassing away of the old heavens and earth, andestablishing an inheritance immoveable, with an exhortation to grace, becauseGod, to the wicked,is a consuming fire, Heb. xii. 25, 26, 28, 29.
Having determined the time of writing theApocalyse, I need not say much about the truth of it, since it was in such request with the first ages, that many endeavoured to imitate it, by feigningApocalypsesunder the Apostles names; and the Apostles themselves, as I have just now shewed, studied it, and used its phrases; by which means the style of the Epistle to theHebrewsbecame more mystical than that ofPaul's other Epistles, and the style ofJohn's Gospel more figurative and majestical than that of the other Gospels. I do not apprehend thatChristwas called the word of God in any book of the New Testament written before theApocalypse; and therefore am of opinion, the language was taken from this Prophecy, as were also many other phrases in this Gospel, such as those ofChrist's beingthe light which enlightens the world, the lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world, the bridegroom, he that testifieth, he that came down from heaven, the Son of God, &c.Justin Martyr, who within thirty years afterJohn's death became aChristian, writes expresly thata certain man among theChristianswhose name wasJohn, one of the twelve Apostles ofChrist, in the Revelation which was shewed him, prophesied that those who believed inChristshould live a thousand years atJerusalem. And a few lines before he saith:But I, and as many as areChristians, in all things right in their opinions, believe both that there shall be a resurrection of the flesh, and a thousand years life atJerusalembuilt, adorned and enlarged. Which is as much as to say, that all trueChristiansin that early age received this Prophecy: for in all ages, as many as believed the thousand years, received theApocalypseas the foundation of their opinion: and I do not know one instance to the contrary.PapiasBishop ofHierapolis, a man of the Apostolic age, and one ofJohn's own disciples, did not only teach the doctrine of the thousand years, but also[37]asserted theApocalypseas written by divine inspiration.Melito, who flourished next afterJustin,[38]wrote a commentary upon this Prophecy; and he, being Bishop ofSardisone of the seven Churches, could neither be ignorant of their tradition about it, nor impose upon them.Irenæus, who was contemporary withMelito, wrote much upon it, and said, thatthe number 666 was in all the antient and approved copies; and that he had it also confirmed to him by those who had seenJohnface to face, meaning no doubt his masterPolycarpfor one. At the same time[39]TheophilusBishop ofAntiochasserted it, and so didTertullian,Clemens Alexandrinus, andOrigensoon after; and their contemporaryHippolytusthe Martyr, Metropolitan of theArabians,[40]wrote a commentary upon it. All these were antient men, flourishing within a hundred and twenty years afterJohn's death, and of greatest note in the Churches of those times. Soon after didVictorinus Pictaviensiswrite another commentary upon it; and he lived in the time ofDioclesian. This may surely suffice to shew how theApocalypsewas received and studied in the first ages: and I do not indeed find any other book of the New Testament so strongly attested, or commented upon so early as this. The Prophecy said:Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this Prophecy, and keep the things which are written therein.This animated the firstChristiansto study it so much, till the difficulty made them remit, and comment more upon the other books of the New Testament. This was the state of theApocalypse, till the thousand years being misunderstood, brought a prejudice against it: andDionysiusofAlexandria, noting how it abounded with barbarisms, that is withHebraisms, promoted that prejudice so far, as to cause manyGreeksin the fourth century to doubt of the book. But whilst theLatins, and a great part of theGreeks, always retained theApocalypse, and the rest doubted only out of prejudice, it makes nothing against its authority.
This Prophecy is calledthe Revelation, with respect tothe scripture of truth, whichDaniel[41]was commanded toshut up and seal, till the time of the end.Danielsealed ituntil the time of the end; and until that time comes, the Lamb is opening the seals: and afterwards the two Witnesses prophesy out of it a long time in sack-cloth, before they ascend up to heaven in a cloud. All which is as much as to say, that these Prophecies ofDanielandJohnshould not be understood till the time of the end: but then some should prophesy out of them in an afflicted and mournful state for a long time, and that but darkly, so as to convert but few. But in the very end, the Prophecy should be so far interpreted as to convince many.Then, saithDaniel, many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be encreased. For the Gospel must be preached in all nations before the great tribulation, and end of the world. The palm-bearing multitude, which come out of this great tribulation, cannot be innumerable out of all nations, unless they be made so by the preaching of the Gospel before it comes. There must be a stone cut out of a mountain without hands, before it can fall upon the toes of the Image, and become a great mountain and fill the earth. An Angel must fly thro' the midst of heaven with the everlasting Gospel to preach to all nations, beforeBabylonfalls, and the Son of man reaps his harvest. The two Prophets must ascend up to heaven in a cloud, before the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms ofChrist. 'Tis therefore a part of this Prophecy, that it should not be understood before the last age of the world; and therefore it makes for the credit of the Prophecy, that it is not yet understood. But if the last age, the age of opening these things, be now approaching, as by the great successes of late Interpreters it seems to be, we have more encouragement than ever to look into these things. If the general preaching of the Gospel be approaching, it is to us and our posterity that those words mainly belong:[42]In the time of the end the wise shall understand, but none of the wicked shall understand.[43]Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this Prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein.
The folly of Interpreters has been, to foretel times and things by this Prophecy, as if God designed to make them Prophets. By this rashness they have not only exposed themselves, but brought the Prophecy also into contempt. The design of God was much otherwise. He gave this and the Prophecies of the Old Testament, not to gratify men's curiosities by enabling them to foreknow things, but that after they were fulfilled they might be interpreted by the event, and his own Providence, not the Interpreters, be then manifested thereby to the world. For the event of things predicted many ages before, will then be a convincing argument that the world is governed by providence. For as the few and obscure Prophecies concerningChrist's first coming were for setting up theChristianreligion, which all nations have since corrupted; so the many and clear Prophecies concerning the things to be done atChrist's second coming, are not only for predicting but also for effecting a recovery and re-establishment of the long-lost truth, and setting up a kingdom wherein dwells righteousness. The event will prove theApocalypse; and this Prophecy, thus proved and understood, will open the old Prophets, and all together will make known the true religion, and establish it. For he that will understand the old Prophets, must begin with this; but the time is not yet come for understanding them perfectly, because the main revolution predicted in them is not yet come to pass.In the days of the voice of the seventh Angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God shall be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the Prophets: and thenthe kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and hisChrist, and he shall reign for ever, Apoc. x. 7. xi. 15. There is already so much of the Prophecy fulfilled, that as many as will take pains in this study, may see sufficient instances of God's providence: but then the signal revolutions predicted by all the holy Prophets, will at once both turn mens eyes upon considering the predictions, and plainly interpret them. Till then we must content ourselves with interpreting what hath been already fulfilled.
Amongst the Interpreters of the last age there is scarce one of note who hath not made some discovery worth knowing; and thence I seem to gather that God is about opening these mysteries. The success of others put me upon considering it; and if I have done any thing which may be useful to following writers, I have my design.
[1]Dem. Evang. l. 3.[2]Vid.Pameliumin notis adTertull.de Præscriptionbus, n. 215 &Hieronl. 1. contraJovinianum, c. 14. Edit.Erasmi.[3]Areth. c. 18, 19.[4]Hist. Eccl. l. 3. c. 23.[5]Chrysost. ad Theodorum lapsum.[6]Hieron. in Epist. ad Gal. l. 3. c. 6.[7]Apud Euseb. Eccl. Hist. l. 3. c. 28. Edit.Valesii.[8]Epiphan. Hæres. 28.[9]Hieron. adv. Lucif.[10]1 Pet. i. 7, 13. iv. 13. & v. 1.[11]Apoc. xiii. 8.[12]Apoc. xxi.[13]Apoc. i. 6. & v. 10.[14]Apoc. xx. 6.[15]Apoc. xx. 4, 12.[16]Apoc. xvii.[17]Dan. viii. 15, 16, 27. & xii. 8, 9.[18]ασελγειας,in many of the best MSS.[19]Apoc. xiii. 7, 12.[20]Apoc. xiii. 1, 5, 6.[21]Apoc. xviii. 12, 13.[22]Apoc. xix. 20.[23]Apoc. xxi. 3, 4.[24]Apoc. ix. 21.andxvii. 2.[25]Apoc. xiii. 6.[26]Apoc. xviii. 3, 7, 9.[27]μοιχαλιδος.[28]Apoc. ii. 14.[29]Apol. ad Antonin. Pium.[30]Hæres. l. 1. c. 20. Vide etiam Tertullianum, Apol. c. 13.[31]Euseb. Chron.[32]Cyril Catech. 6. Philastr. de hæres. cap. 30. Sulp. Hist. l. 2. Prosper de promiss. dimid. temp. cap. 13. Maximus serm. 5. in Natal. Apost. Hegesip. l. 2. c. 2.[33]Lactant de mortib. Persec. c. 2.[34]Hom. 70. in Matt. c. 22.[35]Apud Euseb. Eccl. Hist. l. 2. c. 25.[36]Euseb. Hist. l. 2. c. 25.[37]Arethas in Proæm. comment. in Apoc.[38]Euseb. Hist. l. 4. cap. 26. Hieron.[39]Euseb. Hist. l. 4. c. 24.[40]Hieron.[41]Dan. x. 21. xii. 4, 9.[42]Dan. xii. 4, 10.[43]Apoc. i. 3.
[1]Dem. Evang. l. 3.
[2]Vid.Pameliumin notis adTertull.de Præscriptionbus, n. 215 &Hieronl. 1. contraJovinianum, c. 14. Edit.Erasmi.
[3]Areth. c. 18, 19.
[4]Hist. Eccl. l. 3. c. 23.
[5]Chrysost. ad Theodorum lapsum.
[6]Hieron. in Epist. ad Gal. l. 3. c. 6.
[7]Apud Euseb. Eccl. Hist. l. 3. c. 28. Edit.Valesii.
[8]Epiphan. Hæres. 28.
[9]Hieron. adv. Lucif.
[10]1 Pet. i. 7, 13. iv. 13. & v. 1.
[11]Apoc. xiii. 8.
[12]Apoc. xxi.
[13]Apoc. i. 6. & v. 10.
[14]Apoc. xx. 6.
[15]Apoc. xx. 4, 12.
[16]Apoc. xvii.
[17]Dan. viii. 15, 16, 27. & xii. 8, 9.
[18]ασελγειας,in many of the best MSS.
[19]Apoc. xiii. 7, 12.
[20]Apoc. xiii. 1, 5, 6.
[21]Apoc. xviii. 12, 13.
[22]Apoc. xix. 20.
[23]Apoc. xxi. 3, 4.
[24]Apoc. ix. 21.andxvii. 2.
[25]Apoc. xiii. 6.
[26]Apoc. xviii. 3, 7, 9.
[27]μοιχαλιδος.
[28]Apoc. ii. 14.
[29]Apol. ad Antonin. Pium.
[30]Hæres. l. 1. c. 20. Vide etiam Tertullianum, Apol. c. 13.
[31]Euseb. Chron.
[32]Cyril Catech. 6. Philastr. de hæres. cap. 30. Sulp. Hist. l. 2. Prosper de promiss. dimid. temp. cap. 13. Maximus serm. 5. in Natal. Apost. Hegesip. l. 2. c. 2.
[33]Lactant de mortib. Persec. c. 2.
[34]Hom. 70. in Matt. c. 22.
[35]Apud Euseb. Eccl. Hist. l. 2. c. 25.
[36]Euseb. Hist. l. 2. c. 25.
[37]Arethas in Proæm. comment. in Apoc.
[38]Euseb. Hist. l. 4. cap. 26. Hieron.
[39]Euseb. Hist. l. 4. c. 24.
[40]Hieron.
[41]Dan. x. 21. xii. 4, 9.
[42]Dan. xii. 4, 10.
[43]Apoc. i. 3.
Of the relation which theApocalypseofJohnhath to the Book of the Law ofMoses, and to the worship of God in the Temple.
TheApocalypseofJohnis written in the same style and language with the Prophecies ofDaniel, and hath the same relation to them which they have to one another, so that all of them together make but one complete Prophecy; and in like manner it consists of two parts, an introductory Prophecy, and an Interpretation thereof.
The Prophecy is distinguish'd into seven successive parts, by the opening of the seven seals of the book whichDanielwas commanded to seal up: and hence it is called theApocalypseorRevelationofJesus Christ. The time of the seventh seal is sub-divided into eight successive parts by the silence in heaven for half an hour, and the sounding of seven trumpets successively: and the seventh trumpet sounds to the battle of the great day of God Almighty, wherebythe kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ, and those are destroyed that destroyed the earth.
The Interpretation begins with the words,And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the Ark of his Testament: and it continues to the end of the Prophecy. The Temple is the scene of the visions, and the visions in the Temple relate to the feast of the seventh month: for the feasts of theJewswere typical of things to come. The Passover related to the first coming ofChrist, and the feasts of the seventh month to his second coming: his first coming being therefore over before this Prophecy was given, the feasts of the seventh month are here only alluded unto.
On the first day of that month, in the morning, the High-Priest dressed the lamps: and in allusion hereunto, this Prophecy begins with a vision of one likethe Son of manin the High-Priest's habit, appearing as it were in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, or over against the midst of them, dressing the lamps, which appeared like a rod of seven stars in his right hand: and this dressing was perform'd by the sending seven Epistles to the Angels or Bishops of the seven Churches ofAsia, which in the primitive times illuminated the Temple or Church Catholick. These Epistles contain admonitions against the approaching Apostacy, and therefore relate to the times when the Apostacy began to work strongly, and before it prevailed. It began to work in the Apostles days, and was to continue workingtill the man of sin should be revealed. It began to work in the disciples ofSimon,Menander,Carpocrates,Cerinthas, and such sorts of men as had imbibed the metaphysical philosophy of theGentilesandCabalistical Jews, and were thence calledGnosticks.Johncalls themAntichrists, saying that in his days there were manyAntichrists. But these being condemned by the Apostles, and their immediate disciples, put the Churches in no danger during the opening of the first four seals. The visions at the opening of these seals relate only to the civil affairs of the heathenRomanEmpire. So long the Apostolic traditions prevailed, and preserved the Church in its purity: and therefore the affairs of the Church do not begin to be considered in this Prophecy before the opening of the fifth seal. She began then to decline, and to want admonitions; and therefore is admonished by these Epistles, till the Apostacy prevailed and took place, which was at the opening of the seventh seal. The admonitions therefore in these seven Epistles relate to the state of the Church in the times of the fifth and sixth seals. At the opening of the fifth seal, the Church is purged from hypocrites by a great persecution. At the opening of the sixth, that which letted is taken out of the way, namely the heathenRomanEmpire. At the opening of the seventh, the man of sin is revealed. And to these times the seven Epistles relate.
The seven Angels, to whom these Epistles were written, answer to the sevenAmarc-holim, who were Priests and chief Officers of the Temple, and had jointly the keys of the gates of the Temple, with those of the Treasuries, and the direction, appointment and oversight of all things in the Temple.
After the lamps were dresed,Johnsawthe doorof the Templeopened; and bythe voice as it were of a trumpet, was called up to the eastern gate of the great court, to see the visions: andbehold a throne was set,viz.the mercy-seat upon the Ark of the Testament, which theJewsrespected asthe throne of God between theCherubims,Exod.xxv. 2.Psal.xcix. 1.And he that sat on it was to look upon likeJasperandSardinestone, that is, of an olive colour, the people ofJudeabeing of that colour.And, the Sun being then in theEast, a rainbow was about the throne, the emblem of glory.And round about the throne were four and twenty seats; answering to the chambers of the four and twenty Princes of the Priests, twelve on the south side, and twelve on the north side of the Priests Court.And upon the seats were four and twenty Elders sitting, clothed in white rayment, with crowns on their heads; representing the Princes of the four and twenty courses of the Priests clothed in linen.And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings, and voices,viz.the flashes of the fire upon the Altar at the morning-sacrifice, and the thundering voices of those that sounded the trumpets, and sung at the Eastern gate of the Priests Court; for these being betweenJohnand the throne appeared to him as proceeding from the throne.And there were seven lamps of fire burning, in the Temple,before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God, or Angels of the seven Churches, represented in the beginning of this Prophecy by seven stars.And before the throne was a sea of glass clear as chrystal; the brazen sea between the porch of the Temple and the Altar, filled with clear water.And in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four Beasts full of eyes before and behind: that is, one Beast before the throne and one behind it, appearing toJohnas in the midst of the throne, and one on either side in the circle about it, to represent by the multitude of their eyes the people standing in the four sides of the peoples court.And the first Beast was like a lion, and the second was like a calf, and the third had the face of a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. The people ofIsraelin the wilderness encamped round about the tabernacle, and on the east side were three tribes under the standard ofJudah, on the west were three tribes under the standard ofEphraim, on the south were three tribes under the standard ofReuben, and on the north were three tribes under the standard ofDan,Numb.ii. And the standard ofJudahwas a Lion, that ofEphraiman Ox, that ofReubena Man, and that ofDanan Eagle, as theJewsaffirm. Whence were framed the hieroglyphicks ofCherubimsandSeraphims, to represent the people ofIsrael. ACherubimhad one body with four faces, the faces of a Lion, an Ox, a Man and an Eagle, looking to the four winds of heaven, without turning about, as inEzekiel's vision, chap. i. And fourSeraphimshad the same four faces with four bodies, one face to every body. The four Beasts are therefore fourSeraphimsstanding in the four sides of the peoples court; the first in the eastern side with the head of a Lion, the second in the western side with the head of an Ox, the third in the southern side with the head of a Man, the fourth in the northern side with the head of an Eagle: and all four signify together the twelve tribes ofIsrael, out of whom the hundred forty and four thousand were sealed,Apoc.vii. 4.And the four Beasts had each of them six wings, two to a tribe, in all twenty and four wings, answering to the twenty and four stations of the people.And they were full of eyes within, or under their wings.And they rest not day and night, or at the morning and evening-sacrifices,saying, holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. These animals are therefore the Seraphims, which appeared toIsaiah[1]in a vision like this of theApocalypse. For there also the Lord sat upon a throne in the temple; and the Seraphims each with six wings cried,Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts. And when those animals give glory and honour and thanks to him that sitteth upon the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty Eldersgo into the Temple, and therefall down before him that sitteth on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. At the morning and evening-sacrifices, so soon as the sacrifice was laid upon the Altar, and the drink-offering began to be poured out, the trumpets sounded, and theLevitessang by course three times; and every time when the trumpets sounded, the people fell down and worshiped. Three times therefore did the people worship; to express which number, the Beasts cryHoly, holy, holy: and the song being ended, the people prayed standing, till the solemnity was finished. In the mean time the Priests went into the Temple, and there fell down before him that sat upon the throne, and worshiped.
AndJohnsaw, in the right hand of him that sat upon the throne, a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals,viz.the book whichDanielwas commanded to seal up, and which is here represented by the prophetic book of the Law laid up on the right side of the Ark, as it were in the right hand of him that sat on the throne: for the festivals and ceremonies of the Law prescribed to the people in this book, adumbrated those things which were predicted in the book ofDaniel; and the writing within and on the backside of this book, relates to the synchronal Prophecies.[2]And none was found worthy to open the bookbut the Lamb of God.And lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four Beasts, and in the midst of the Elders, that is, at the foot of the Altar,stood a lamb as it had been slain, the morning-sacrifice;having seven horns, which are the seven Churches,and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came, and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne: And when he had taken the book, the four Beasts and four and twenty Elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us, unto our God, Kings and Priests, and we shall reign on the earth.The Beasts and Elders therefore represent the primitiveChristiansof all nations; and the worship of theseChristiansin their Churches is here represented under the form of worshiping God and the Lamb in the Temple: God for his benefaction in creating all things, and the Lamb for his benefaction in redeeming us with his blood: God as sitting upon the throne and living for ever, and the Lamb as exalted above all by the merits of his death.And I heard, saithJohn,the voice of many Angels round about the throne, and the Beasts and the Elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I, saying, Blessing, honour, glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four Beasts said,Amen. And the four and twenty Elders fell down and worshiped him that liveth for ever and ever.This was the worship of the primitiveChristians.
It was the custom for the High-Priest, seven days before the fast of the seventh month, to continue constantly in the Temple, and study the book of the Law, that he might be perfect in it against the day of expiation; wherein the service, which was various and intricate, was wholly to be performed by himself; part of which service was reading the Law to the people: and to promote his studying it, there were certain Priests appointed by theSanhedrimto be with him those seven days in one of his chambers in the Temple, and there to discourse with him about the Law, and read it to him, and put him in mind of reading and studying it himself. This his opening and reading the Law those seven days, is alluded unto in the Lamb's opening the seals. We are to conceive that those seven days begin in the evening before each day; for theJewsbegan their day in the evening, and that the solemnity of the fast begins in the morning of the seventh day.
The seventh seal was therefore opened on the day of expiation, and thenthere was silence in heaven for half an hour. And an Angel, the High-Priest,stood at the Altar, having a golden Censer; and there was given him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints, upon the golden Altar which was before the throne. The custom was on other days, for one of the Priests to take fire from the great Altar in a silver Censer; but on this day, for the High-Priest to take fire from the great Altar in a golden Censer: and when he was come down from the great Altar, he took incense from one of the Priests who brought it to him, and went with it to the golden Altar: and while he offered the incense, the people prayed without in silence, which is the silence in heaven for half an hour. When the High-Priest had laid the incense on the Altar, he carried a Censer of it burning in his hand, into the most holy place before the Ark.And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the Saints, ascended up before God out of the Angel's hand.On other days there was a certain measure of incense for the golden Altar: on this day there was a greater quantity for both the Altar and the most holy Place, and therefore it is calledmuch incense. After thisthe Angel took the Censer, and filled it with fire from thegreatAltar, and cast it into the earth; that is, by the hands of the Priests who belong to his mystical body, he cast it to the earth without the Temple, for burning the Goat which was the Lord's lot.Andat this and other concomitant sacrifices, until the evening-sacrifice was ended,there were voices, and thundrings, and lightnings, and an earthquake; that is, the voice of the High-Priest reading the Law to the people, and other voices and thundrings from the trumpets and temple-musick at the sacrifices, and lightnings from the fire of the Altar.
The solemnity of the day of expiation being finished, the seven Angels found their trumpets at the great sacrifices of the seven days of the feast of tabernacles; and at the same sacrifices, the seven thunders utter their voices, which are the musick of the Temple, and singing of theLevites, intermixed with the soundings of the trumpets: and the seven Angels pour out their vials of wrath, which are the drink-offerings of those sacrifices.
When six of the seals were opened,Johnsaid:[3]And after these things, that is, after the visions of the sixth seal,I saw four Angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another Angel ascending from theEast, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four Angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.This sealing alludes to a tradition of theJews, that upon the day of expiation all the people ofIsraelare sealed up in the books of life and death. For theJewsin theirTalmud[4]tell us, that in the beginning of every new year, or first day of the monthTisri, the seventh month of the sacred year, three books are opened in judgment; the book of life, in which the names of those are written who are perfectly just; the book of death, in which the names of those are written who are Atheists or very wicked; and a third book, of those whose judgment is suspended till the day of expiation, and whose names are not written in the book of life or death before that day. The first ten days of this month they call the penitential days; and all these days they fast and pray very much, and are very devout, that on the tenth day their sins may be remitted, and their names may be written in the book of life; which day is therefore called the day of expiation. And upon this tenth day, in returning home from the Synagogues, they say to one another,God the creator seal you to a good year. For they conceive that the books are now sealed up, and that the sentence of God remains unchanged henceforward to the end of the year. The same thing is signified by the two Goats, upon whose foreheads the High-Priest yearly, on the day of expiation, lays the two lots inscribed,For GodandForAzazel; God's lot signifying the people who are sealed with the name of God in their foreheads; and the lotAzazel, which was sent into the wilderness, representing those who receive the mark and name of the Beast, and go into the wilderness with the great Whore.
The servants of God being therefore sealed in the day of expiation, we may conceive that this sealing is synchronal to the visions which appear upon opening the seventh seal; and that when the Lamb had opened six of the seals and seen the visions relating to the inside of the sixth, he looked on the backside of the seventh leaf, and then sawthe four Angels holding the four winds of heaven, and another Angel ascending from theEastwith the seal of God. Conceive also, that the Angels which held the four winds were the first four of the seven Angels, who upon opening the seventh seal were seen standing before God; and that upon their holding the winds,there was silence in heaven for half an hour; and that while the servants of God were sealing, the Angel with the golden Censer offered their prayers with incense upon the golden Altar, and read the Law: and that so soon as they were sealed, the winds hurt the earth at the sounding of the first trumpet, and the sea at the sounding of the second; these winds signifying the wars, to which the first four trumpets sounded. For as the first four seals are distinguished from the three last by the appearance of four horsemen towards the four winds of heaven; so the wars of the first four trumpets are distinguished from those of the three last, by representing these byfour winds, and the others bythree great woes.
In one ofEzekiel's visions, when theBabyloniancaptivity was at hand,six menappearedwith slaughter-weapons;and a seventh, who[5]appearedamong them clothed in white linen and a writer's ink-horn by his side, is commanded togo thro' the midst ofJerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and cry for all the abominations done in the midst thereof: and then the six men, like the Angels of the first six trumpets, are commanded to slay those men who are not marked. Conceive therefore that the hundred forty and four thousand are sealed, to preserve them from the plagues of the first six trumpets; and that at length by the preaching of the everlasting gospel, they grow intoa great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people and tongues: and at the sounding of the seventh trumpet come out of the great tribulationwith Palms in their hands: the kingdoms of this world, by the war to which that trumpet sounds,becoming the kingdoms of God and hisChrist. For the solemnity of the greatHosannahwas kept by theJewsupon the seventh or last day of the feast of tabernacles; theJewsupon that day carrying Palms in their hands, and cryingHosannah.
After six of the Angels, answering to the six men with slaughter-weapons, had sounded their trumpets, the Lamb in the form ofa mighty Angel cane down from heaven clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the Sun, and his feet as pillars of fire, the shape in whichChristappeared in the beginning of this Prophecy;and he had in his hand a little book open, the book which he had newly opened; for he received but one book from him that sitteth upon the throne, and he alone was worthy to open and look on this book.And he set his right foot upon the sea and his left foot on the earth, and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth. It was the custom for the High-Priest on the day of expiation, to stand in an elevated place in the peoples court, at the Eastern gate of the Priests court, and read the Law to the people, while the Heifer and the Goat which was the Lord's lot, were burning without the Temple. We may therefore suppose him standing in such a manner, that his right foot might appear toJohnas it were standing on the sea of glass, and his left foot on the ground of the house; and that he cried with a loud voice, in reading the Law on the day of expiation.And when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. Thunders are the voice of a cloud, and a cloud signifies a multitude; and this multitude may be theLevites, who sang with thundering voices, and played with musical instruments at the great sacrifices, on the seven days of the feast of Tabernacles: at which times the trumpets also sounded. For the trumpets sounded, and theLevitessang alternately, three times at every sacrifice. The Prophecy therefore of the seven thunders is nothing else than a repetition of the Prophecy of the seven trumpets in another form.And the Angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth, lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, thatafter the seven thundersthere 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. The voices of the thunders therefore last to the end of this world, and so do those of the trumpets.
And the voice which I heard from heaven, saithJohn,spake unto me again and said, Go and take the little book, &c. And I took the little book out of the Angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey, and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. This is an introduction to a new Prophecy, to a repetition of the Prophecy of the whole book; and alludes toEzekiel's eating a roll or book spread open before him, and written within and without, full of lamentations and mourning and woe, but sweet in his mouth. Eating and drinking signify acquiring and possessing; and eating the book is becoming inspired with the Prophecy contained in it. It implies being inspired in a vigorous and extraordinary manner with the Prophecy of the whole book, and therefore signifies a lively repetition of the whole Prophecy by way of interpretation, and begins not till the first Prophecy, that of the seals and trumpets, is ended. It was sweet inJohn's mouth, and therefore begins not with the bitter Prophecy of theBabyloniancaptivity, and theGentilesbeing in the outward court of the Temple, and treading the holy city under foot; and the prophesying of thetwo Witnessesin sackcloth, and their smiting the earth with all plagues, and being killed by the Beast; but so soon as the Prophecy of the trumpets is ended, it begins with the sweet Prophecy of the gloriousWoman in heaven, and the victory ofMichaelover the Dragon; and after that, it is bitter inJohn's belly, by a large description of the times of the great Apostacy.
And the Angel stood, upon the earth and sea,saying, Rise and measure the Temple of God and the Altar, and them that worship therein, that is, their courts with the buildings thereon,viz.the square court of the Temple called the separate place, and the square court of the Altar called the Priests court, and the court of them that worship in the Temple called the new court:but thegreatcourt which is without the Temple, leave out, and measure it not, for it is given to theGentiles, and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. This measuring hath reference toEzekiel's measuring the Templeof Solomon: there the whole Temple, including the outward court, was measured, to signify that it should be rebuilt in the latter days. Here the courts of the Temple and Altar, and they who worship therein, are only measured, to signify the building of a second Temple, for those that are sealed out of all the twelve tribes ofIsrael, and worship in the inward court of sincerity and truth: butJohnis commanded to leave out the outward court, or outward form of religion and Church-government, because it is given to theBabylonian Gentiles. For the glorious woman in heaven, the remnant of whole seed kept the commandments of God, and had the testimony ofJesus, continued the same woman in outward form after her flight into the wilderness, whereby she quitted her former sincerity and piety, and became the great Whore. She lost her chastity, but kept her outward form and shape. And while theGentilestread the holy city underfoot, and worship in the outward court, the two witnesses, represented perhaps by the two feet of the Angel standing on the sea and earth, prophesied against them, andhad power, likeElijahandMoses,to consume their enemies with fire proceeding out of their mouth, and to shut heaven that it rain not in the days of their Prophecy, and to turn the waters into blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues as often as they will, that is, with the plagues of the trumpets and vials of wrath; and at length they are slain, rise again from the dead, and ascend up to heaven in a cloud; and then the seventh trumpet sounds to the day of judgment.
The Prophecy being finished,Johnis inspired anew by the eaten book, and begins the Interpretation thereof with these words,And the Temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his Temple the Ark of the Testament. By the Ark, we may know that this was the first Temple; for the second Temple had no Ark.And there were lightnings, and voices, and thundrings, and an earthquake, and great hail. These answer to the wars in theRomanEmpire, during the reign of the four horsemen, who appeared upon opening the first four seals.And there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the Sun. In the Prophecy, the affairs of the Church begin to be considered at the opening of the fifth seal; and in the Interpretation, they begin at the same time with the vision of the Church in the form of a woman in heaven: there she is persecuted, and here she is pained in travail. The Interpretation proceeds down first to the sealing of the servants of God, and marking the rest with the mark of the Beast; and then to the day of judgment, represented by a harvest and vintage. Then it returns back to the times of opening the seventh seal, and interprets the Prophecy of the seven trumpets by the pouring out of seven vials of wrath. The Angels who pour them out, come out of theTemple of the Tabernacle; that is, out of the second Temple, for the Tabernacle had no outward court. Then it returns back again to the times of measuring the Temple and Altar, and of theGentilesworshiping in the outward court, and of the Beast killing the witnesses in the streets of the great city; and interprets these things by the vision ofa woman sitting on the Beast, drunken with the blood of the Saints; and proceeds in the interpretation downwards to the fall of the great city and the day of judgment.
The whole Prophecy of the book, represented by the book of the Law, is therefore repeated, and interpreted in the visions which follow those of sounding the seventh trumpet, and begin with that of the Temple of God opened in heaven. Only the things, which the seven thunders uttered, were not written down, and therefore not interpreted.