And when I thought with myself, sure now there is an end of the vision concerning the Jews, there is no more to be seen or prophesied of; the angel said unto me, that beyond this destruction of the temple and Jerusalem and Judæa under Titus, to which these last parts of the vision belonged, there was yet more matter of prophecy belonging to this people, what should yet further betide them from the Romans (after this destruction) by ensuing emperors, Adrian especially, and other kings and people, that should assist him in rooting out this nation. [c] many peoples] What ἐπὶ λαοῖς here signifies may be thus collected. The word λαός, people, is frequently taken for the Jews, and then here in the plural (see Acts iv. 25, and note [f] on Rev. xi.) it will do the same; or else farther, it may signify this people in all their dispersions, in Africa and Egypt and Greece, &c., where the judgments of God should find them out, as many as continued obdurate, according to that of Christ's prediction, that wheresoever the carcass was, the Roman eagles should congregate and assemble unto them. Then for ἐπὶ, that must rather be rendered of, or concerning, (according to the looser use of the Hebrew על, answerable to it,) than before. And then προφητεύειν ἐπὶ λαοῖς, is an easy and ordinary phrase, to denote the matter of the prophecy, and not the auditors of it; as when Ezek. xxxii. 2. it is said, take up a lamentation, על פרעה, it is not before, but concerning And a multitude of the Jews were killed by them in their passage through the country. And the rear of this army was as terrible as the front, came, after wasting and destroying, as the front had done, ver. 18. And so the whole army was like that kind of serpent which hath an head in the tail, and wounds as dangerously with that as with the other. And though many of the inhabitants were destroyed by this means, yet were not they that escaped, nor the Gnostics among them that had associated with the Jews against the Christians, (and were many of them now destroyed with them,) reformed by all this; they yet repented not of their idol-worship, which they took for an indifferent thing, but rather grew worse and worse, And went on impenitently in all their bloodiness that they had been guilty of upon the Christians, their sorceries, (see note [d] Gal. v.) yea, and their abominable uncleannesses and rapines; they were no whit the better for all that had yet befallen them. ### CHAP. X. After the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, ch. x, the most memorable passage concerning this matter of the Jews (and so the fittest matter of a further vision) being that which fell on that people under the emperor Adrian, the next vision here seems to belong to that. And by way of preparation to the representing of it, here is first set down Adrian's rebuilding of Jerusalem, and setting up the heathen worship there. To this purpose, saith he, methought I had a measuring rod, or pole, or perch given me, (as in Ezekiel, ch. xl,) and a command from the angel to mete the temple of God, that is, first, the sanctuary or holy, and in it the holy of holies, and then the court, where the altar of burnt-offerings stood, and where the people worshipped and prayed to God, called the court of the Israelites. (This measuring is the inclosing or setting thus much of the temple apart in memory of the former consecration, not to be profaned or meddled with, that is, built upon by the emperor Adrian, who now designed to erect a new city there, calling it (by his own name, Ælius) Ælia. [a] altar] The word θυσιαστήριον doth in some places signify the altar of incense; see note [e] on ch. vi. In other places there is no question but it signifies the altar of burnt-offering; but that again sometimes not strictly the altar, but the court where the altar is placed. So ch. xiv. 18, and xvi. 7, it cannot be rendered altar, because there is mention of one going forth, and another speaking out of it; it must therefore signify the court, or place of sacrificing, wherein the altar is: so saith the Glossary, θυσιαστήριον, sacrarium, altarium; and in Philoxenus, sacrarium, ἡρῷον θυσιαστήριον: and in that sense, saith Ignatius, ὁ ἐκτός ὧν θυσιαστηρίου, οὗτος ὑστερεῖται τοῦ ἄρτου τοῦ Θεοῦ, he that is out of the altar, that is, the church, &c. And agreeably in this place, by that which follows, and those that worship in it, (which belongs not to the temple before, but is immediately annexed to θυσιαστήριον,) it cannot reasonably denote the altar, but the place wherein men were which worshipped, and that here most probably is (not the sanctuary, where the altar of incense was, but) ἡ ἔσωθεν αὐλὴ τοῦ ναοῦ, the inward court of the temple, (opposed to ἡ ἔξωθεν αὐλὴ, outer court, that of the Gentiles here,) that where the congregation or people worshipped. See note [i] on Matt. xxiii. But I was appointed to leave or cast out, that is, not thus to measure or inclose the court of the Gentiles, called the outer court, (see note [a] Ephes. ii,) noting that the Roman emperor should take that in, and build upon it and about it a new city, not only for Jews, but Gentiles to live in; and so that Jerusalem, formerly called the faithful and holy city, should now, being thus rebuilt, be called by another name, and profaned with idol-worship, a temple being erected to Jupiter upon mount Sion, and so continue for the same proportion of time (that is, three years and an half) that it had in Daniel's prophecy been profaned by Antiochus, Dan. vii. 25. And all this time there being two Christian bishops of Jerusalem, one of the Jewish, the other of the Gentile or stranger Christians there, and these being raised up by God like prophets to forewarn men of their sins and danger, shall like prophets set themselves against the sins both of the Jews and Gentiles, labour to convert them all to Christianity, to bring them to the reformation of their wicked lives, to the purging out of all the abominable sins (mentioned ch. ix. 20, 21.) unreformed among them; and ¹ cast out, Ἰκβαλε. ² nations, ἰθνεσι. [b] two witnesses] Who the two witnesses are is the main difficulty of this chapter: and the matter here spoken of yielding some directions to pitch on the time of which this vision treats; as, 1. the farther judgments falling on Jerusalem after the destruction by Titus; and 2dly, those after the rebuilding the city, and planting it with Gentiles as well as Jews, vv. 1, 2, which must needs belong to the time of Adrian; it may be reasonable to forsake all other conjectures, and pitch upon that which the learned Hugo Grotius hath resolved on, of making the two churches, which were at this time at Jerusalem, one of the Jewish, the other of Gentile Christians, the two witnesses here spoken of; or more distinctly, I conceive, the two bishops of (and together with them) those two congregations. That there were two such plantations in the same city, in many places, before the Jews and Gentiles grew into one, appears by divers evidences. In Antioch, as one church was planted, and governed by Peter, the apostle of the circumcision, so another by Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles; and that is expressed in the Epistle of the Council of Jerusalem, by οἱ κατ' Ἀντιόχειαν, &c. ἀδελφοὶ οἱ ἐξ ἰθνῶν, the brethren, that is, the church, at Antioch, those, or that, of the Gentiles, and in the one Euodius succeeded bishop, in the other Ignatius. So in Ephesus and Asia John was founder of the churches of the Jews, and Paul of the Gentiles; and while John continued over the former, Timothy was by Paul made bishop at Ephesus over the latter. So at Rome, Peter was bishop of the Jewish congregation, and Clemens his deacon, Paul of the Gentile part, and Linus his deacon; and after them Clemens succeeds in one chair, and Linus in the other, and after him Cletus or Anacletus; and after him both joined together under Clemens. And thus it is to be supposed at Jerusalem, especially after the destruction by Titus, when there were many Gentiles there, which may occasion the multitude of bishops that Eusebius observes to have been there in few years, till they joined both under Marcus, a Gentile bishop in Adrian's time, (see ver. 15.) And this was in some degree necessary, not only because there was some distance kept betwixt the Jewish and Gentile Christians, (which at Rome Paul endeavoured to make up, Rom. xiv., &c.) but in respect of the several languages which they were of necessity to use in their assemblies, and farther in respect of the several customs for a good while continued among them. Now that all that is said of these two witnesses doth perfectly agree to these two bishops, and their congregations of Christians, will appear in the Paraphrase; and to that belong directly the descriptions here bestowed on them. One, like Moses over the Jews, labouring to bring all that people out of their Egyptian blindness and bondage to sin, their unchristian impenitence: and the other, like Elias, preaching down idolatry, bringing the heathens to Christianity. And then to these are fitly adjoined (in the chorus, as it were) the twenty-four elders, ver. 16, that is, the bishops of all Judæa, that belonged to the bishops of Jerusalem, (as lesser cities to a metropolis, ch. iv. 4.) and had their part in the benefit of this destruction that fell on Barchochebah and the seditious Jews. These two bishops of the Christian churches there, together with the congregations belonging to them, were now to be looked on as the advancers and restorers of piety, after that general depravation and infidelity in that place; and are therefore compared, the bishops to Zerubbabel and Joshua, Zech. iv. 3, described there by the emblem of the two olive trees, and the two churches to the two candlesticks, (see ch. i. 20,) standing before the God of the land, ver. 14, that is, serving Christ continually at a time of such universal corruption among all others. And to these two are appliable two passages of story belonging to Elias: as first, bringing down fire from heaven, (noting what shall befall their enemies, ver. 13.) And secondly, having that power of prayer as to shut up heaven that it should not rain, for the same space that Elias did, that is, three years and an half, ver. 3, (see James v. 17,) and two passages more referring to Moses; as first, the power to turn the water into blood through all Egypt; and secondly, to bring plagues upon them: noting by both these, that they were a kind of Moses and Elias, designed by God, one to bring the Jews to obedience, as Moses, the other to destroy idolatry, as Elias; the first, the work of the bishop of the Jewish congregations; the second, of the bishop of the Gentiles. And when they have spent a good time in discharging their office thus, in endeavouring to reduce both Jews and Gentiles, and bring them into the church, an eminent instrument of the devil's, Barchochebah, in Adrian's time, will gather a multitude of unbelieving Jews unto him, and as a wild beast raven and devour, kill and plunder all that will not join with him against the Romans, and so (as histories affirm of him) handle the Christians cruelly and hostilely because they would not do so, and unless they would deny Christ. [c] make war against them] That Barchochebah raised a sedition against the Romans is known in story, and that he called himself by that name, as son of a star, but was after more truly called the son of a lie, that is, of an idol, which is a lie, and that idol a false god, that And upon this pretence kill them, and cast out ³ land, γῆς. ⁴ on the waters, ἀνὶ τῶν ὑδάτων. And thus shall it be, the Christians shall be thus slain and cast out into the streets, without any compassion or reverence, either from the Jews or heathens inhabiting at Jerusalem, (see note [c] ch. x,) as long as that seditious company prevail there. And this should be matter of rejoicing and congratulating to the Jews one with another, as upon the destruction of their greatest enemies, (as Elias was counted an enemy to Ahab, whom he would have reformed.) But after some time their cause should come to be heard before God, their injuries to be avenged, the Christians of these congregations should begin to flourish again, as in a kind of resurrection from the dead, by the power and mercy of God; and all that saw this, and the manner of doing it, (Christians rescued by the idolatrous, heathen Romans,) could not but acknowledge it a great work of God's, and worship God for it. And they were taken up as it were to heaven out of this bloody, seditious broil that lay so heavy upon them, that is, restored to a great and notable tranquillity, to halcyonian days of peace and Christian profession. And as they were thus rescued and relieved, so the other inhabitants of that place, that joined in that sedition, or complied with them against the Christians, ver. 10, were destroyed by the Romans, a great part of that new city and the inhabitants thereof; and upon this the rest turned Christians, seeing the prophecies of the two witnesses fulfilled upon those that would not believe or obey them. [d] the remnant were affrighted] That the remnant here, that is, all the Jews in Jerusalem that were not now destroyed, did convert and believe in Christ, appears by that which is ordinarily known in story, that Adrian at this time by edict banished all the Jews out of it, that is, all that remained such, or were not converted to Christianity, and set up the picture of a swine at the gates, to keep any of them from thoughts of entering again, and even to banish their eyes from thence, (see b Aristo Pellæus in Eusebius, Τὸ πᾶν ἔθνος ἐξ ἐκείνου καὶ τῆς περὶ τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα γῆς πάμπαν ἐπιβαίνειν εἴργεται νόμου δόγματι, καὶ Τάξεσιν Ἀδριανοῦ ὡς ἂν μηδ' ἐξ ἀπόπτου θεωροῖεν, "the whole nation was from thenceforth forbidden to enter the region about Jerusalem, and this by decree of Adrian, which commanded that none should out of any eminent place so much as behold their native soil." And Tertullian, Apolog. c. 21, Quibus nec advenarum jure terram patriam saltem vestigio salutare conceditur, "They were not permitted to salute, or visit, their native country so much as travellers or guests:" and so Advers. Jud. c. 13.) meanwhile the Christians freely returning thither from their dispersions, and inhabiting quietly there. Christianis tantum permissa civitas, saith c Orosius, "the city was permitted to Christians only," (see note [c] on Luke xxi.) that is, no Jews were there permitted that received not Christianity. And so this calamity lighting on the Jews in Adrian's time was in a manner as bloody as that other under Titus, and though it came some time after the former, yet was not long deferred. That under Titus was the second woe, described from ch. ix. 12. 15. to [e] second woe is past] Some mistake there may possibly be in this place, by conceiving these words, ἡ οὐαὶ ἡ δευτέρα ἀπῆλθεν, the second woe is past, to denote the description of that second woe to end in this place, and consequently that, behold the third woe cometh quickly, should signify that the coming of that third woe should now next be set down. But this is a mistake, that would be apt to disturb and perplex the vision. For of the three woes denounced ch. viii. 13, it is plain that the first is set down from ch. ix. 1, to ver. 12, and there concludes, the first woe is past. Then after that, saith the vision, b L. 4. c. 6. c L. 7. c. 13. And this summarily repeated by the sounding of the seventh angel, who was to conclude this whole tragedy. For as he sounded, thunders were immediately heard, that is, pouring in of the Roman armies upon them, mentioned ver. 13, and an immense multitude of Jews, almost six hundred thousand of them, slain, saith Dio; others affirm as many more, from the beginning of this war. And as this was done on the seditious Jews, so by this means the Christians, especially of the Gentiles, came to flourish there more than ever, and that whole city became in a manner Gentile-Christian, Marcus, a Gentile, being the one bishop under which both Jew and Gentile Christians were united; and thus the church of Jerusalem entered upon her flourishing condition, and the faith of Christ got the upper hand, so as it never should be destroyed utterly again. [f] The kingdoms of this world are become the kingd—] What is here meant by this acclamation, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, &c. may best be understood by these degrees; first, that becoming the Lord's, (all one with לְאֱלֹהִים, Psal. xlvii. 9, where it is said, the shields of the earth are the Lord's,) signifies conversion to Christianity, and that is evident by the addition of καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ, and his Christ's. Secondly, that the kingdoms of the world signifies not here the whole world, and all the kingdoms of that, but as (when it is said, the world hateth you, and, I pray not for the world, and very often in the same style) the world signifies unbelievers, and, βασιλεῖαι τοῦ κόσμου, the whole societies and multitudes of them. And this being by the context applied to Jerusalem and Judæa, the plain meaning of the whole phrase must be, that the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judæa were now generally converted to the faith of Christ, as in the story it was known to be in Adrian's time, after the defeating of Barchochebah, the unbelieving Jews being finally banished thence, and the city inhabited by Christians of that and other nations indifferently: see Euseb. Eccl. Hist. I. 4. c. 5. As for that which follows in the acclamation, καὶ βασιλεύσει εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, and he shall reign for ever and ever, that is capable of a twofold interpretation: either more generally, that the Christian faith and church shall continue for ever, (the gates of hades never prevailing against it,) and support itself from being utterly destroyed, against all opposition; and this here fit to be pronounced of the church in general, upon occasion of this good success of it in Jerusalem and Judæa, where it had been so long persecuted, but now had gotten the victory: or, secondly, applying it And the four and twenty bishops of Judæa, ch. iv. 2, acknowledged this a great mercy of God, which tended wonderfully to the prosperity of the whole church of Judæa under them, Saying, Blessed be God for this infinite mercy of his, wherein he hath magnified his fidelity to the Christians, and used the Gentile-Romans as his instruments to set up his Christian church in Judæa. Now is fulfilled that prophecy of psalm ii, The Jewish nation have behaved themselves most stubbornly against Christ, and cruelly against Christians, and thy judgments are come upon them; and though the avenging of the blood of the martyr Christians hath a while been deferred, till these other sufferings under Barchochebah were added to them, ch. vi. 11, yet now the time is fully come for all the vengeance to be poured out, the Jews and Gnostics to be destroyed, and all the orthodox, pure, constant Christians to have days of tranquillity, and peaceable profession of the gospel, and liberty of assemblies. [g] nations] The word ἴθνος, or ἴθνη, doth not only belong to other nations in opposition to the Jews, (the ethnics or heathens, as we call them, though, when the word ἰθνικοί is used, that is the particular notion of it,) but also to Palestine, either altogether, (as οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἴθνοῦς, in Orig. cont. Celsum, l. 4, are the Jews in contradistinction to others,) or to the several parts of it divided now into tetrarchies, Judæa one, ἴθνος, and Galilee another, &c., and so saith Josephus of Galilee, that it was the valiantest ἴθνος, nation of Palestine, the powerfullest and best fortified, when he speaks of Vespasian's overcoming it. And so in the Gospels, ἴθνος ἐπὶ ἴθνος, nation against nation, Matt. xxiv. 7, Mark xiii. 8, Luke xxi. 10, and John xi. 48, 51, 52, and ch. xviii. 35, and in many other places; (and agreeably the tetrarch of any one of these was called ἐθνάρχης, and in Latin authors, ethnarcha; of which see Baronius ad A. C. 2. August. 49.) And not only in the singular number, but also in the plural, συνοχὴ ἐθνῶν, Luke xxi. 25, the distress of nations, that is, of the several parts of Palestine, noted by ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, on the land, which belongs to that peculiarly, (see note [a] on ch. vii. and to the inhabitants thereof, the Jews, and not to the heathens in the rest of the world. For so that text refers, speaking of their distress and great consternation, (see note [f] on Rev. vi.) συνοχὴ and ἀπορία, and their deanimation for fear and expectation of what would come upon the οἰκουμένη, world, that is, that whole people, (see Luke ii. 1.) So Acts iv. 25, out of the Psalmist, the ἴθνη καὶ λαοί, nations and people, that murmured against Christ, are sure the people of the Jews, and are expressed, ver. 26, by βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς καὶ ἄρχοντες, the kings of the land and the rulers; by the kings meaning Herod, (who had the rule of them under the Romans,) Pontius Pilate, &c., and by the ἄρχοντες, the rulers, or chief men among the Jews, which, ver. 27, is expressly set down, Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the nations and people of Israel, σὺν ἴθνεσι καὶ λαοῖς Ἱσραήλ: and this is a place directly parallel to that which we have now in hand, both referring to that of psal. 2, and so this also must be taken in that sense. See note [e] on Matt. xxiv. [h] destroy the earth] That φθείρειν and διαφθείρειν signify to corrupt, in that sense that wicked men (διαφθειρόμενοι τὸν νοῦν, being themselves corrupted, and have their very understanding perverted, by custom of unnatural sins) do corrupt others: see note [b] on 2 Pet. i., and note [b] on 2 Pet. ii.; and that γῆ signifies the land and people of the Jews, see note [a] on ch. vii. And so the Gnostics, that infused their filthy doctrines and corrupt practices into the Jewish believers, may probably here be called the διαφθείροντες τὴν γῆν, they that corrupt the land, which are here to be destroyed, and so were most notably, saith Eusebius. And this as an effect of God's covenant of mercy made with believers, and which will never fail to be performed to all Christians, that will in Another vision is here set down, and either the heaven or the air made the scene whereon it is represented, thus: And methought I saw a woman, signifying the church of Christ thereby, and that woman, that church shining most illustriously with those graces which Christ the Sun of righteousness had bestowed upon it, and thereby much outshining the Jewish state of imperfection before Christ came, which was now also destroyed, and this church founded in the twelve apostles, which, as teachers thereof, are best compared to stars, ch. i. 20, and those as so many gems in the crown of the church, that is, principal persons in the constituting this kingdom of Christ. [a] clothed with the sun, and—] What notion is here to be affixed to the sun and moon, may thus most probably be resolved; the sun being the spring and fulness of light, communicating to all, but needing not to receive light from any, may fitly represent the Christian religion, as that contains the doctrines of perfect purity, not only external, but of the heart, and is an addition of perfection to all the laws that had formerly been given to men. And then the moon, being a fainter light, and proverbially noted for mutability, it may well signify the imperfect, and accordingly mutable economy of the Mosaical law. That the moon is under this woman's feet, may signify that the church, noted by this woman clothed with the sun, that is, the Christian church, had now cast off that yoke of the Mosaical observances. Others have applied it to the use that Christian religion makes of the law and prophets, as a footstool to rest upon in some degree. But the phrase under the feet rather implies that of bringing low, destroying, than making use of it; as when the enemies are put under the feet, or made the footstool, it notes them to be subdued. And so the Mosaical economy was at this time solemnly laid aside by the Christians, and the nation and temple destroyed in the former visions. And this woman was with child, and ready to bring forth, that is, by the preaching of the apostles and apostolical men, was in travail to produce Christians, (see Gal. iv. 19,) that is, children to Christ, over all the world. And on the other side, methought there was a dragon, that is, the devil, that great enemy of Christianity, who had for a long time the city of Rome (so religiously devoted to the worship of idols, that is, of devils, 1 Cor. x. 20,) under his command, and all the principalities under it, (the first noted by the seven heads, that is, the seven hills on which the city was built, the other by the ten horns, ch. xiii. 1, and xvii. And the devil, to oppose the prospering of the word of Christ and preaching of the gospel, made use of subtilty, by the false doctrine of Simon and the Gnostics, to corrupt the doctors and people of the church; and having succeeded prosperously in it in Samaria and other places, attempted the same also at Rome, that as soon as any turned Christians, they should infuse their doctrines into them: (see note [a] 2 Tim. iii, and 2 Thess. ii.) [b] his tail] Supposing the great red dragon, ver. 3, to signify the devil, (see note [d]), the only question is, what is here meant by ἡ οὐρὰ αὐτοῦ, his tail. To this purpose it must be observed, that the serpent's power of hurting lies principally in his head; and therefore as it is of them observed, that they do all they can to preserve their head, as that wherein they are most nearly concerned, so the punishment that by God is threatened Satan in the shape of a serpent, Gen. iii. 15, is, that the seed of the woman shall bruise his head, that is, shall overpower and master him: and accordingly here the Roman imperial power, by means of which the devil is able to kill and persecute Christians, is expressed by the heads of the dragon, ver. 3. And then the tail being most distant from the head, and here mentioned distinctly from the seven heads, and that which here follows of drawing the stars, that is, corrupting the Christians, attributed distinctly to the tail, as that which succeeds, ch. xiii. 1, to the heads; it will follow, that the tail of the serpent shall most reasonably have a peculiar notion, and signify his policy and subtlety, which is the engine by which he works, before he proceeds to use his power, or when his power or force cannot prevail. And of this sort the instruments ordinarily are magicians and sorcerers, and false prophets, that by deceits seduce and corrupt men: and none more eminently deserved this title than Simon and his followers; first, in respect of the prodigies that he made show of; secondly, by his doctrine of compliances, which offered all men ways of escaping persecutions, whether from the Jews or Gentiles, by determining it lawful to deny Christ, and offer sacrifices to idols; thirdly, by gratifying all their carnal desires, and giving them liberty for all uncleanness. From whence it is that Cyril of Jerusalem calls Simon by this title, so proper to this place, ὁ πρῶτος τῆς κακίας δράκων, the prime dragon of wickedness, or wicked dragon. And so this is most proper to this part of the ecclesiastic story of those first times, that as soon as the wheat was any where sown, the enemy sowed his darnel And there came into the church many Christians in the city of Rome, that imperial city, ver. 3, who proved very constant and faithful to Christ; and so a church was established there, which should convert many to the faith of Christ by preaching the word (which is the rod of iron, that is, spiritual sword or sceptre of Christ, the instrument of managing his spiritual kingdom, see note [o] ch. ii.) unto them. And as soon as a church was planted here, it was in the infancy endangered to be devoured by the dragon, the devil, assisted by the Roman power, the persecuting emperor Nero, about the tenth year of his reign, had it not been wonderfully preserved by God. And soon after the Christians were by edict forbidden throughout the empire; but God preserved his church in this persecution, which lasted three years and an half. [c] woman fled into the wilderness] The time of the woman's flying into the wilderness, that is, of the banishing of the Christians from Rome, is known in story to have been in the tenth of Nero, at which time having fired the city, he imputed it unto the Christians. That he did it himself is affirmed clearly by Suetonius, in Ner. c. 38, Quasi offensus deformitate veterum ædificiorum, et angustii flexurisque vicorum, incendit urbem; et incendium ex turre Mæcenatiana prospectans, latus flammæ, ut aiebat, pulchritudine, ἄλωσιν Ilii in illo suo scenico habitu decantavit, "Not liking the unbeautifulness of the ancient buildings, nor the narrowness and turnings of the streets, he set the city on fire, and there burnt all that was sacred and precious in the city, and looking on the fire from a tower, and delighted, as he said, with the beauty of the flame, sang in his scenical habit the taking of Troy." Thus again we find in Xiphilin, out of Dio. But for this the Christians were accused by him, and cruelly punished, saith Tacitus, Annal. l. 15, and that writer, being an hater of the Christians, is pleased to think them guilty, and falsely affirms, that some of them confessed the fact, whilst not only in the general reputation of all men that then lived, of other writers that wrote of those times, but by the confession of Tacitus himself, Nero was acknowledged the author of it, who meant to have the honour of building a new city, and calling it by his own name by this means. However, the persecution of the Christians began by this pretence, was by Nero's edicts the next year improved and advanced to so high a pitch, that Christianity was quite interdicted the Roman empire. So saith Sulpicius Severus; Neque ulla re Nero efficiebat quin ab eo jussum incendium putaretur; igitur vertit invidiam in Christianos, actæque in innoxios crudelissimæ quæstiones, quin et novæ mortes excogitatæ—Hoc initio in Christianos sæviri æptum, post etiam datis legibus religio vetabatur, palamque edictis propositis Christianum esse non licebat, "Nero could by no means persuade men but that the city was burnt by his command; whereupon he diverted the envy of it on the Christians, and appointed cruel torments for the examining them, and invented new kinds of death. On this beginning the persecution brake out against the Christians, and after it the religion was prohibited by laws, and public edicts made that no man might be a Christian." And this is it which is here meant by the woman's flying into the wilderness, and accordingly is by Tertullian called the first persecution; because though the Christians as such suffered before in Claudius's time, yet that was not by any imperial edict, but only by tumults, when the heathen people were incited by the malicious Jews. For as we read Acts xviii. the proconsul Gallio would be no judge in such matters, but drave the Jews from the judgment-seat. And this was toward the latter end of Claudius, after Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome: in which banishment of the Jews some Christians might suffer occasionally, and St. John be banished into Patmos; but there was as yet no edict against them as Christians, at the least none for And there was a great contention at Rome between Simon Peter on one side, the planter of the Christian faith, and bishop of the Jewish Christians, and so maintainer of Michael's or Christ's cause there, and Simon Magus, that apostate servant of the devil, at his second coming to Rome in Nero's time; the one contending for Christ, the other against him: (see note [a] 2 Tim. iii.) And Peter and the cause of Christ prevailed against him; for though at his former coming to Rome, in Claudius's days, Simon was there worshipped for a god; and at his second coming much favoured by Nero; yet upon his undertaking to fly in the air, by Peter's prayers he was cast down and maimed in the fall, and through pain and shame forced to cast himself headlong down from the top of an house: (see note [a] 2 Tim. iii.) and 12,) and that city (noted by the seven heads) was the imperial city, and so had as many crowns on the heads. And by this means the devil (that doth so oppose the Christian faith, and seduce men to heathenism [d] great dragon] The Hebrews call Satan הנחש הקדמוני, the old serpent: so again, ch. xx. 2. And the casting him out at this time is the prospering of the Christian faith, consequent to this discomfiture of Simon Magus, and the manifestation of the power of Christ. So saith Arnobius, l. 2, Non distulerunt res patrias linquere, et veritati coalescere Christianæ: viderunt enim currum Simonis, &c. "They delayed not to leave all their worldly possessions, and to cleave to Christianity, (which was now under interdict:) for they saw Simon's chariot and fiery horse dispelled by the breath of St. Peter's mouth, &c." And as by this means the heathens were converted to the faith, by seeing the power of Peter, so were the Gnostics discomfited, seeing their leader Simon destroyed. And this was matter of joy to all the Christians, nay, to the angels of heaven, who therefore praised and magnified the power of the Christian doctrine, which had cast out that eminent piece of hypocrisy out of the church, the doctrine of the Gnostics, which did really infuse that into Christians for which the devil is wont to accuse the servants of God falsely, (and gave an essay of it in his charging of Job, ch. i. 11,) to wit, that in time of persecution they will deny and forswear Christ. [e] accused them] The accusation that Satan brings against sincere Christians appears by his dealing with Job, ch. i. 9, 11, to be to this effect, that they are hypocrites, and will only serve God as long as he protects and defends them. This it hereby appears that Satan looks on, as the charge of all others most for his turn to bring against men, and therefore that which he most desires to have truly said of them. Now the chief doctrine of the sect of the Gnostics, the followers of this Simon, (who is called the first-born of Satan,) was this, that in time of persecution it is lawful to deny and forswear Christ, (which was the very thing that the devil laid to Job's charge,) and consequently all that were by him seduced into that doctrine, Satan might justly accuse before God day and night, as really guilty of that accusation. But when the doctrine of the Gnostics and the professors of it were now cast out of the church, then this is here truly said, that the accuser of the brethren, that is, of Christians, is cast out; that is, Satan can no longer with any justice accuse the Christian church, or, if he do, he is found to be a false accuser. And the faithful, sincere Christians, Peter and Paul, and divers others, having the patience and constancy of Christ before their eyes, (who laid down his life for them,) and his frequent doctrines of taking up the cross and following him, resolved to do so as he had given them example and command; and this was a victory over Satan, and these instruments of his, the Gnostics, which would have seduced all the Christians from their constancy. A thing much to be applauded and rejoiced at by all good men and angels. But upon this the devil was hugely enraged, to see his subtilty, (the tail of this serpent, ver. 4,) the false doctrines and infusions of these heretics, thus miscarry; and therefore in that rage of his, knowing that if he did not bestir himself mightily, Christianity, prevailing in the purity and sincerity of it, would utterly be his ruin, and that suddenly, he set a-foot the persecution against the whole Christian church by Nero's edicts in a sharp manner. By this to revenge himself upon Christianity for the destruction of Simon, his beloved instrument. And so not only at Rome, ver. 6, but in all other parts of the Roman empire, Christianity was persecuted, and the Christians forced to fly, some one way, and some another, (as they had been Acts viii. 1,) by which means they were by the providence of God kept safe for some while: (see ver. 6.) ⁴ cast to the ground, ἄβληθη εἰς τὴν γῆν. ground, εἰς τὴν γῆν. ⁷ season, καιρόν. ⁵ a little season, δλίγον καιρόν. ⁶ on the [f] the earth helped the woman] The solemn notation of Judæa by ἡ γῆ, the land, hath often been taken notice of, and is very pertinent to this place, the seditions that were raised there about this time of Nero's reign diverting the malice designed against the Christians: and the same continued all the time of Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian and Titus, and in all this space the Romans being wholly taken up about the Jews, the heathen emperors did nothing against the Christians, till Domitian comes, who is the subject of the vision in the next chapter. And I was in the island Patmos, upon the sea shore, when I saw the vision that I am now to set down, viz. concerning the execution of that design of Satan of bringing persecution on the Christians at Rome, ch. xii. 17. And here the first thing I saw was a beast, representing the heathen worship as it stood at Rome, rising out of the sea, as that is all one with the abyss or deep, that is, introduced among them by Satan, (see note [c] ch. xi,) and thriving and prospering by the strength and power of the Roman emperors; that heathen worship represented by this first beast, and the Roman empire by the seven heads, either as seven emperors, ch. xvii. 10, or else as referring to the seven hills of Rome, the seat of this idolworship, usurping to itself that blasphemous title of being a goddess; and the ten horns, ten kings, noting those that complied with Rome in this deifying of their emperors, and in the rest of their idol-worship, viz. the many kings that were by the Roman emperor set over other places, who therefore are said to have ten crowns. [a] the name of blasphemy] "Ονομα βλασφημίας, name of blasphemy, literally signifies such a title as cannot be assumed or owned without blasphemy. Now blasphemy is committed two ways, either by speaking contumeliously of the true God, or giving divine honour to any else; which is also the taking that honour which is due to him alone, and bestowing it upon others, and so as contrary to his being acknowledged the one God, as the using him reproachfully is to his being God. And therefore it is that Paul and Barnabas having divine honours attributed to them at Lystra, they rent their clothes, Acts xiv. 14, in the same manner as was usual among them when any man was heard to blaspheme, signifying thereby, that sacrificing to any creature is direct blasphemy against the Creator. Now what this title of blasphemy was, which is here referred to, is specified by St. Jerome, Qu. 11. ad Algas. Æterna cum dicitur quæ temporalis est, nomen est blasphemiæ, "The city Rome was called the eternal city." (So Ausonius Gallus, Urbis ab æternæ deductam rege Quirino Annorum seriem— and Hæc erit æternæ series ab origine mundi.) "Which to be attributed to any thing which had a beginning and shall certainly have an end, is a name of blasphemy." So in the same words "Prosper, Æterna cum dicitur quæ temporalis est, utique nomen est blasphemiæ, cum mortules, licet reges, in ea dicantur divi, eisque supplices dicunt, Numini vestro, altaribus vestris, perennitati vestræ, &c. "For that which is temporal to be called eternal, is the name of blasphemy, when their kings though mortal are called gods, and their suppliants address to them in this style, To your deity, your altars, your eternity, &c." See note [a] on ch. xvii. But beside this, (and what Athenaeus says of it, l. 1, where he instyles it οὐρανόπολις Ῥώμη, Rome the celestial, or heavenly city,) it appears by many ancient Roman coins, (set down by Goltzius in Thesauro,) that Rome was called a goddess, there being many such inscriptions, Ῥώμη θεά, Rome a goddess. Accordingly the people of Smyrna built a temple to it, saith Tacitus, Hist. l. 3, and other provinces used the like flattery, erected temples, appointed priests to the goddess Rome; and at last Adrian raised a stately temple, and called it Templum Romæ et Augustorum, the "temple of Rome and of the emperors," (that is, dedicated to them, as to gods,) saith Dio in Adriano. And accordingly this idolatry or blasphemy is taxed by Prudentius, —colitur nam sanguine et ipsa More deæ, nomengue loci ceu numen adorant, "Rome is worshipped by sacrifice, after the manner of a goddess, and they adore the name of the city as a deity." And to this it is agreeable that many other copies read, ὀνόματα βλασφημίας, names of blasphemy, in the plural, more such blasphemous titles beside that of urbs æterna, "the eternal city," that one of θεά, goddess, and the erecting temples to it, containing all imaginable blasphemies in it. And this idolatrous, heathen worship, thus assisted by the power of the empire, began to be very cruel, and cannot sufficiently be expressed by one cruel beast; but having variety of all kinds of gods in it, from which it is represented by a speckled leopard, it exercises all the cruelty both of bear and lion, as was manifest by their persecutions of Christians. And to the sustaining of this beast (the idolatrous heathen worship) the devil (that laboured to destroy Christianity, ch. xii. 3.) contributed all his power and skill, did all that he could to hold it up by prodigies and by all other means. And though one prime temple on one of the seven hills of Rome, the most stately of all the rest, and so called the capitol, from a Latin word signifying head, were burnt down by lightning, and esteemed to be smitten by God from heaven, and so idolatry conceived to have received a fatal blow; yet that was soon rebuilt by Domitian, the emperor of Rome, and that gave a great confirmation to idolatry among all that lived in the Roman dominions and took notice of it: (see note [k].) [b] one of his heads] What is here meant by μία τῶν κεφαλῶν, one of the heads, will be judged, first, by the notion of head; secondly, of • Dimid. Temp. c. 7. And they worshipped the devil, who had thus upheld the heathen religion when the Jewish was destroyed, resolving from hence, that the God of Israel was not able to contend with their devils, nor his religion able to maintain itself against their idol-worship. And hereupon the heathen idol-worship and worshippers began to despise all others, and to scoff at the God of Israel (and the heathen emperors to call themselves gods, for so Domitian did) upon the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem, concluding thence that that God of Israel was not the true God. And soon after this, Domitian began a persecution against the Christians, as those which opposed the heathen worships, and continued it about three years and a half, until his death. [c] a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies] One special testimony of the heathens' blasphemy against God upon occasion of the Romans' victories over the Jews, is that of Cicero pro Flacco, speaking of the Jews, Illa gens, quam chara diis immortalibus esset, docuit, quod est victa, quod clocata, quod servit, "That nation hath taught us how dear they are to the immortal gods by their being conquered, and subjected" by the Romans to a king of their sending thither. This hath been thought fit by a learned man to be brought to the illustrating of this place, though indeed it belong to it only by way of accommodation, as a proof how apt the Romans' prosperity and conquests over Judæa were to make them blaspheme God; not that this speech can belong to the point of time now spoken of, being delivered long before by Cicero. Dionysius Alexandrinus, in Eusebius. l. 7. c. 10, applies it to Valerian, 255 years after Christ, who (by the instigation of the chief of the magicians in Egypt, commanding him τοὺς καθαροὺς ἄνδρας καὶ ὁσίους κτίνενσθαι καὶ διώκισθαι, to kill and persecute the pure and holy men, ὡς κωλυτὰς, &c. as those that hindered their enchantments) became a great enemy of the church. The like is again related of Diocletian, that upon a response of Apollo from Delphi, that the just upon earth hindered him from speaking truth, he fell on persecuting the Christians: see Eusebius de Vita Const. l. 2. c. 49, 50. But that which is more pertinent to the times whereof, I conceive, the vision speaks, is Domitian's styling himself Dominus et Deus noster, and forbidding ne scripto quidem ac sermone cujusquam appellaretur aliter, "that any, whether in words or writing, should call him otherwise," and appointing his statues of gold and silver to be set up in the capitol, and his professing his contempt of thunder and lightning. See Suetonius in his Life, c. 13. [d] continue forty and two months] That which is read in some copies, ποιῆσαι πόλεμον μῆνας τεσσαράκοντα δύο, to wage war fourty-two months, that is, three years and a half, is in other the best and ancientest copies (without πόλεμον) ποιεῖν μῆνας, &c., and then that is, to spend or stay so many months. Thus the king's MS. hath it; and so in Eusebius, Eccl. Hist. l. 7. c. 10. Dionysius Alexandrinus, citing this place, reads it, ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἰξουσία καὶ μῆνες (or, as another reading of Eusebius hath it, μῆνας) τεσσαράκοντα δύο, power was given him forty-two months. And then to stay so many months, is to live so long; which was punctually true of Domitian, who began his persecution in the thirteenth, and died in the sixteenth year of his reign. And so this is directly answerable to the space wherein Antiochus had vexed the Jews, Dan. vii. 24, (see Eusebius Eccl. Hist. l. 3. c. 13,) and so is fit to be expressed in the same form of words, as we see it is. And this same Domitian was very bitter against God, the church, and all Christians; in all this being a factor for the beast, or idol-worship. And was permitted by God to persecute the Christians, and to suppress them wheresoever they inhabited, whether of Jewish or Gentile extraction: (see note [c] ch. x.) And all the Christian professors within the compass of the Roman dominions were put to sore trials, and of them very many were wrought upon by this means, viz. the carnal, temporizing Gnostics, which had not a mind to be martyrs and confessors for Christ, but rather chose to comply with idolatry than to suffer for Christ. 9, 10. And this persecution of his against the Christians was so sharp and unresistible, that (which is the thing that all Christians are concerned to take notice of) there was nothing left to the persecuted but the exercise of their patience and faith; the one, in bearing without resistance what befalls them; the other, in trusting God with their condition, and never revolting from him, or attempting to relieve themselves by secular arms; for as those are unlawful for subjects to make use of against the lawful power under which they are, though never so sharp or injurious to them, so would it prove, if it were used, but a means to bring more misery upon them. [e] names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain] That the words here should not be read thus, the Lamb slain from the [f] leadeth into captivity] Αἰχμαλωσίαν συνάγειν, is to gather together a captivity, that is, a number of captives, as he that undertakes to bring them back out of their captivity, to be their captain, and lead them against their conqueror that hath taken them, as συνάγειν εἰς πόλεμον, to gather to war, ch. xvi. 14, 16, and ch. xx. 8, and as the word gathering is particularly applied to captives, and so used by the psalmist, Gather us, O Lord, from among the people, &c. psal. cvi. 47, having in the former verse mentioned, τοὺς αἰχμαλωτεύσαντας, those that had carried them captive, which concludes the ἡμᾶς, us, there to be the αἰχμαλωσίαν, captivity here, (in like manner as περιτομή, circumcision, is the Jews which were circumcised, and many the like,) just as the קבצנו, or, ἐπισυνάγαγε, gather together, is all one with the συνάγειν, gathering. This is after farther expressed by killing with the sword, that is, making violent resistance and opposition against the persecuting emperors; which for a Christian to do is quite contrary to the faith and patience of the saints, which consists in suffering, not in resisting, in having their names written in the slain Lamb's book of life, (see note [d]), not in the military list of those that will fight against their lawful superiors rather than suffer under them. Now as God hath in the fifth commandment of the Decalogue commanded obedience, and (in the Psalmist, and in the sermon on the mount, meekness, with the promise of temporal blessings; so here doth he deter from resistance or rebellion, even against persecuting emperors, by denouncing of temporal judgments of an higher nature than those which by that means any man desireth or attempteth to avoid. He that goeth about to deliver those conquered captives out of the emperor's hands, out of his oppressions or persecutions, shall do them no good, but shall himself be justly punished by him, by the righteous judgment of God, who loves not thus to be assisted (any more than Christ by St. Peter's HAMMOND ANNOTT. VOL. II. P P The next part of this vision was the representing a second beast; by which is meant the magic and auguries and oracles of the heathen priests, which appeared to me to ascend out of the earth, or from under ground, as the oracles were wont to be delivered; and this beast had two horns, these men had two powers, by which they made themselves fit to be considered, doing of miracles and divination, wherein they had some resemblance of Christ the Lamb, but made use of these to all diabolical ends of cruelty, and delivered their oracles, as the devil was wont to do, in dubious forms. [g] another beast] What this ἄλλο θηρίον, other, or second, beast signified in this vision, is determinable by the consequents (vv. 13, 14.) thus far, that it must denote some one or more sorcerers or magicians, to whom it is peculiar to do the great wonders, to make fire come down from heaven, ver. 13, to deceive by means of those miracles which he hath power to do before the beast. Of this therefore so signally set down there can be no place of question, nor consequently that these sorcerers were heathens, being by the devil made use of to support and advance heathenism and idolatry. This appears, 1. by his speaking like the dragon, that is, the devil, (see note [b]); 2dly, by his exercising all the power of the first beast before him, that is, assisting of the heathen worship, ver. 1, whose deadly wound was cured, that is, which was newly restored to a flourishing condition again by Domitian's reedifying of the capitol, (see note [b]); 3dly, by his commanding to make an image to the beast, ver. 4, (which must be again the advancing of heathen worship,) and so the giving breath to the image, as shall anon appear. It is therefore most reasonable to interpret this second beast of Apollonius Tyaneus, that did such feats at this point of time, and was the person whose life is so solemnly written by Philostratus, and his miracles by Hierocles compared with and preferred before Christ's, that he cannot be looked on as a person too mean to be thus represented in this vision. But this not so as to confine it to his person, (for Christ himself is oft not the person of Christ, but he and his followers, the Christians together,) but to comprehend also the magicians, sorcerers, augurs, heathen priests, ἱεροσκόπω, that divined by the entrails of beasts, flying of birds, the whole sort and profession of these. For that it belongs not to Simon Magus, and his followers, Menander and Basilides, &c. (though they were all sorcerers,) appears, 1. because Simon was worshipped in time of Claudius; and though in Nero's reign he came a second time to Rome, yet he was then worsted and destroyed by the apostles St. Peter and St. Paul, and the Christian religion advanced by that means, not heathenism, as here it is; and, 2dly, the contexture of these visions, and other characters in the former part of this chapter, determine this of the second beast to Domitian's, and not to Nero's time: and for Menander and Basilides, &c., they kept and taught in Palestine, Egypt and Syria, whereas this second beast must have a larger influence, and that particularly on heathen Rome, and the heathen worship there, denoted by the first beast, whose deadly wound had been cured. And for the confirming of this interpretation, it is to be observed, (what is most evident,) that this second beast, and the false prophet, ch. xix. 20, had the same design. For as here the second beast doth his miracles before the first, ver. 12, and commands to make an image to the beast, ver. 14, and causeth them to take the mark And all this was made use of to advance idol-worship, which before had lost some reputation in the burning of the capitol, ver. 3. And by these, great wonders were pretended to be done, even calling and bringing down fire from heaven; which is affirmed of Apollonius. And by these and the like prodigies, shewed in several parts of the empire, they endeavoured to set up the same idol-worship among them which was at Rome. Meanwhile Satan used all means to pursue the Christians whither they fled, raising up persecutions from Nero against them in the provinces, by which he hoped to have utterly drowned and destroyed the church. [l] life] That πνεῦμα signifies breath, not life, is sufficiently known, and consequently to give breath must be to enable to speak, as it here follows; and to give this to the image of the beast (in the notion of that forementioned, note [k]) must signify, to devise arts by which oracles were now given, or the devils raised to give responses in those other places where these Roman worships had been received. That the oracles at Cumæ, at Dodona, at Delphos, in all Bœotia, and in most other places, were become dumb before this time, is acknowledged by all heathen writers: and Plutarch's discourses of that subject are very considerable to shew the influence that the Christian faith had on this, and how idol worship lost much of its reputation by this means. These augurs then and heathen priests, as they did undertake to divine by looking into entrails of sacrifices, and by many other ways, so did they contrive the delivering of oracles in new places, as in Pontus by Æsculapius, and the like, as may be seen in Lucian's Pseudomantis. This practice continued public as long as the emperors continued pagan, and afterwards more privately: but about the time to which this vision belongs, that is, in the reign of Domitian, (as also of Trajan and Adrian,) upon the great defection of oracles, the devil in these his agents was most active to repair the loss by setting up new impostures in this kind; and this as a branch or effect of that prophetic power signified by the second horn (of this second beast) like unto the Lamb, But these afflictions and calamities which the devil designed the Christians were diverted by the seditions raised by the Jews against the Romans, by which means it came to pass, that all the malice which was by Satan designed against the Christians, fell actually upon the Jews, under Vespasian and Titus, and so at that time the persecution of the Christians was necessarily cooled, and fell upon the Jews, their greatest enemies. [m] a mark in their right hand] The giving χαράγματα, marks in the right hand or forehead, was ordinary in Syria and the neighbour countries, not as a brand or στίγμα, (as it is among others, by way of punishment, see Gal. vi. 17,) but as a note of servants, or to discriminate the servants of one master from another. These marks were either in their right hands (or arms or wrists, as χείρ oft signifies, and not only the hand, which is ἀεροχείρ, see note [a] on Mark vii.) or in their foreheads: Στίγματά ἐστι τῶν στρατευομένων ἐν ταῖς χερσίν, saith Julian, "Marks of soldiers are in their hands or wrists;" and Lucian de Dea Syr. hath στίζεσθαι εἰς καρποῖς, "to be marked on the wrists." So that to cause all to receive this mark, is to force all to the receiving these idol-worships; and the way of forcing them is specified, ver. 17, ἵνα μὴ τις δύνηται ἀγοράσαι ἡ πωλήσαι, that no man might buy or sell, that would not; that is, incensing the emperor and his officers in the provinces to make interdicts against Christian assemblies, and to proceed severely and capitally against all that used any but these heathen idol-worships. This whole passage seems to allude to the tyranny of Ptolemæus Philopator upon the Jews in the third of the Maccabees, Προέθετο δημοσίᾳ κατὰ τοῦ ἔθνους διαδούναι ψόγον καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ κατὰ τὴν αὐλὴν πύργου στήλην ἀναστήσας, ἐξεκόλαψε γραφὴν, Μηδείνα τῶν μὴ θυόντων εἰς τὰ ἱερὰ αὐτῶν εἰσιέναι, πάντας δὲ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους εἰς λαογραφίαν καὶ οἰκετικὴν διάθεσιν ἀχθῆναι — Τούτους τε ἀπογραφομένους χαράσσεσθαι καὶ διὰ πυρὸς εἰς τὸ σῶμα παρασήμῳ Διονύσου κισσοφύλλῳ — "He made an edict to bring disgrace upon the nation; and upon a tower joining to the court he erected a pillar, and engraved on it, that no man should enter but those who sacrificed after the heathen manner to their gods; and that all the Jews should be forced to be enrolled and put in a servile condition, and that those that were enrolled should be marked also with fire upon their body with Bacchus's ensign, an ivy-leaf." Which passage seems to be taken notice of by the author of the Ἐτυμολογικὸν μέγα, who speaks of Ptolemæus Philopator marking men διὰ τὰ φύλλα κισσοῦ, with ivy-leaves. All which we see signifies the marking them out as servants with the ensign of their heathen god Bacchus, as here with the mark of the beast, that is, of idol-worship. And this was a great vexation to Satan, to see Christianity thrive the better by this means, and therefore he set to his former design again, that of setting the emperors upon persecuting the Christians, viz. the pure orthodox of them that stood out constant in confession of Christ, and would not, for acquiring safety, join with the Jews or Gnostics, and comply with them. And this persecution now designed by Satan is that which fell out under Domitian, the subject of the next vision, ch. xiii. ### CHAP. XIII. [n] name of the beast] Beside the mark of the beast, here is mentioned the name of the beast, and the number of the name, which are in [o] Here is wisdom] What ὡδε ἡ σοφία ἐστίν, here is wisdom, signifies, is somewhat uncertain. It may refer to God: Herein is wisdom shewed, that as the heathen priests veil the names of their gods in secret numbers, so God hath here set down in cypher the name of that heathen god whose worship is by these edicts prescribed. And then that which follows, ὁ νοῦν ἔχων ψηφισίσω, let him that hath understanding count, or reckon, will be no more than, Let him that knows what belongs to mystical expressions of names by numbers take notice of this number now given him, and he shall find how it fits the event. But it is also possible that the phrase here is wisdom, may refer only to man: It is an act of special wisdom to do it: and then to that sense Here is another vision, or, another branch of the former. And methought I saw the Lamb, that is, Christ, on mount Sion, in the Christian church, and with him all those constant, pure Christian Jews, ch. vii, openly and constantly professing the truth. [a] I looked, and, lo, a Lamb—] The sum of this ensuing vision, and the propriety of it to this part of the story, is here fit to be set down as preparative to the interpretation of it; and it is this: The state of heathen Rome being set down in the former chapter as it was in Domitian's time, that time of persecuting of Christianity, and reviving of heathenism, (that had lost a little of its lustre,) here is now a general view given of all that is more largely set down in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth chapters, that is, of all from Domitian to Constantine, or the prediction in gross of what is there particularly executed; just as the sixth chapter was the representation of the several degrees by which the Jews' polity came to its dissolution, and the premising in short what was afterwards to be acted on the Jews in the following chapters. And as there the total destruction of the Jewish state is chiefly insisted on, from ver. 12 to the end, so here in this, the period of the Roman idolatrous power, and the destruction thereof by an immense effusion of blood, is described, from ver. 14 to the end; but preparatory to that, a description of the pure, constant, primitive Christians, in the first five verses; an angel declaring happy tidings to the whole Christian church for the time to come, and requiring them to walk in a religious fear, and to give glory to God, because he would now appear and judge their persecutors, vv. 6, 7. Then another angel foretelling the destruction of heathen Rome, ver. 8, and another, the bitter punishments and utter ruin of apostatizing, complying Christians, vv. 9, 10, 11; then a declaration from heaven, that most sore persecutions should fall upon the church immediately before this happy change, so that they should be happy who were well dead, and were come to enjoy their reward, and not left to undergo so sore a trial, ver. 13. And this to point at the time of persecution under Diocletian, Maximian Herculius, Maximian Armentarius, Maximinus, Maxentius, Licinius, which was long and most sharp. And again methought I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, &c., that is, the gospel preached aloud among the Gentiles, and a multitude of Gentile Christians (see ch. vii. 9.) a rejoicing together. And these, methought, were singing of praise to God, (sitting, as he was before represented, ch. iv. 2, These are they which had kept pure from all the heretical Gnostic corruptions of uncleanness, &c. (see note [n] ch. ii,) and that held out constant against all terrors of persecutions, and so were rescued from the sins of that wicked age, the pure primitive Christians, That never fell off to any false idolatrous or heretical practice, but served God blameless. And methought I saw another angel, none of those before mentioned, flying or hastening about the world, carrying good news with him, happy tidings for the time to come, to all nations, Jews and Gentiles, viz. to the Christians of all; [b] everlasting gospel] That the word εὐαγγέλιον signifies good news, and by a figure only is appropriated to the gospel, (as being most eminently such,) is sufficiently known. And therefore here in all probability it must be taken in the native sense, and denote simply good tidings. And what they are appears ver. 7, where the words of this good news are, The day of God's judgments are come, the former words, Fear God, and give him praise, being the preface to it. Which though they are a sad proclamation of judgment, and ill news to the impenitent, yet they are a special piece of good news to the pious, constant confessors, that fear God, and confess and give him praise, that is, courageously confess him, whatsoever the danger be, (for so δοξάζειν Θεόν, to praise God, signifies, 1 Pet. iv. 16.) Now for the addition of αἰώνιον to εὐαγγέλιον, that sure must signify this good news to be such, as not only the present but future ages were concerned in. Thus was this (here mentioned) the freeing of the Christian church from public universal persecution of the heathen power, which was to be afforded at the time pointed at in this vision, that is, at the fall of Babylon, ver. 8. For after that the heathen persecution was taken off by Constantine, there never came any such universal persecution, but that in one place or other Christians have had the benefit and liberty of assemblies. And And thereupon admonishing all now to stand out firmly and constantly, to adhere to the true God and the Christian faith, in opposition to the heathen idolatry, which should now shortly be destroyed. And as ver. 7. it was foretold that idolatry should suddenly be destroyed, so presently another angel, methought, brought news that it was done, that that whole impure city of Rome heathen, (under the title of Babylon, (see note [a] ch. xviii,) that old heathen, idolatrous city, that had lain so heavy upon the people of God, a numerous, populous city, and in each of these respects fitly expressing this,) was, that is, should speedily be destroyed, for advancing the hea- [c] Babylon is fallen] That by Babylon heathen Rome is signified in these visions shall be shewed at large, note [a] on ch. xviii. Here only it will be observable, first, why it is called the city, the great, (for so ἡ πόλις ἡ μεγάλη, is best rendered,) viz., first, in respect of her dominion, see ch. xvii. 18, that great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth; and accordingly it was generally known by that title of urbs dominatrix, regno superba, sanctorum debellatrix, &c., "the imperial city, proud of her dominion, the subduer and destroyer of the saints. —— regina tui pulcherrima mundi, in Rutilius Numatian. "the beautiful queen of thy world." So in Cicero it is lux orbis terrarum, "the light of the world;" ἄστρον τι κοινὸν τῆς ὅλης οἰκουμένης, in Marcianus Heracleota, "the common star of the whole world;" regina et domina, in Julius Frontinus, "the queen and ruler of the world." Secondly, for the large circuit of the city, to which purpose this testimony of Athenaeus is worth observing, lib. 1, Ἐπιλείποι δ' ἂν γε οὐχ ἡμέρα μία ἐξαιριθμούμενον τὰς ἐν τῇ Ῥωμαίων οὐρανοπόλει Ῥώμῃ ἀριθμούμενας πόλεις, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαι αἱ κατὰ τὸν ἐνιαντὸν ἀριθμούμεναι, διὰ τὸ πλῆθος, "If I should reckon the cities that are numbered in Rome, that heaven-city of the Romans, not only one day would fail me, but as many days as make up a year, the number of them is so great." Secondly, why this title of Babylon is here adapted to it, viz., to keep a special decorum, observable in these visions, in representing the Christian church by the ancient Jewish. This is observable in many lesser particulars, but most eminently in this description of her persecutors. There were three most remarkable calamities that fell upon the seed of Israel; the bondage in Egypt, the captivity in Babylon, the persecution of Antiochus. And the like is prophesied in this book to befall Christians. First, miseries by Jewish persecution, and therefore Jerusalem is called Egypt, Rev. xi. 8; the second by Roman idolatry, which is therefore called Babylon here, and chapters xvii. and xviii; and the third, when the devil is let loose by Gog and Magog, Rev. xx. 8, which are most perfectly parallel to Antiochus, (see the paraphrase there.) And there is little reason of doubting but these allusions were intended, and there is great decorum and method therein, which ought to be carefully attended. [d] the wine of the wrath—] That χολή and θυμός are all one, that they both promiscuously signify those intoxicating poisoning mixtures which were put into wine, hath been shewed in note [f] on Matt. xxvii. And agreeably to that notion, οἶνος θυμοῦ is applied in this chapter to signify two things, abominable sin, and intolerable punishment. The former of them, in the 8th verse, is joined with πορνείας, fornication, and it is the same in effect which it would be if the words had been οἶνος ἐσμυρνισμένος τῆς πορνείας, a myrrhate (bitter poisonous) cup of fornication. Then for punishment it is here used, ver. 10, being spoken of God, οἶνος τοῦ θυμοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, not as if θυμός signified wrath, (any more than the same word could signify so, ver. 8, where it is applied to fornication,) but again as θυμός and χολή are all one, and as they signify all those poisonous bitter mixtures put into wine; and so οἶνος τοῦ θυμοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ is God's myrrhate cup of punishments, which he there threatens to pour out on them, expressed again in that that follows, κεκερασμένον ἀκράτου, mixed unmixed; ἄκρατος being the word to signify wine not mingled with water, merum, strong wine, or red wine, (as πλεν, which is rendered ἄκρατος, unmixed, psalm lxxv. 9, signifies,) and κεκερασμένος, mixed with these inebriating spices, meant by θυμός, which the Septuagint in that place of the psalmist, psalm lxxv. 9, express by πλήρης κεράσματος, full of mixture: and then both these put thus together are very proper to express the cup of maledication, (see note [f] on Matt. xxvii,) and consequently the curses and fierce punishments of God. Thus, ch. xvi. 19, οἶνος θυμοῦ τῆς ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ, the bitter wine of his wrath, not the wine of the anger of his wrath. Many the like phrases we find scattered in authors; κόνδυ πικρίας, in c Eustathius, a cup of bitterness; κύπελλον ὀλίθρου, in Manasses, a cup of destruction; and again, συμφορῶν ὑπερχειλῆ τὸν σκύφον, a cup of afflictions above brim full, and ἀψινθιάζοντα πικρὸν ἐκίρασε κρατήρα, a bitter cup of the taste of wormwood; and τὸ τοῦ θυμοῦ ποτήριον, in d Nicetas Choniata. See Gaulmin on Eustathius, p. 35. [e] from henceforth] The word ἀπάρτι (be it so read, or ἀπ' ἄρτι, in two words) signifies, saith Euthymius, within a short time, not long after, quickly; see note on Matt. xxiii. 39, and Matt. xxvi. 64. In both which (as here) the ancient Latin reads amodo, within a while. This verse belongs to that which went immediately before, ver. 12, ὧδε ὑπομονὴ τῶν ἁγίων ἐστί, here is the patience of the saints, to signify a time of persecution, (see ch. xiii. 10.) And to that nothing can be more proper than this, that they are to be accounted happiest that die soonest, that within a while are taken out of this life, from having their part in the evil to come, Isa. lvii. 1. So Eccl. iv, upon mention of the oppressors and strength on their side, and the no-comforter, ver. 1, it follows, wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead, &c., ver. 2. And to this belongs the answer of the Spirit in the words following, they shall have rest from their κόποι, that is, from those persecutions which attend them here, (see note [c] on Heb. iii.) and which only death can give them an end of. [f] a golden crown] That the στίφανος χρύσεος, golden crown, is an ensign of regal power, is sufficiently known, and little doubt but here it is so, denoting that which in the New Testament is oft ex- c Iamen. p. 146. d In Alex. And these heathen augurs and priests set up oracles in new places, and by responses from them engaged the emperor, and his officers in the provinces, to persecute and make bloody edicts against the Christians. And by that means edicts came out for all men in the whole empire to enter into and join in their heathen worships. And he did accordingly, and this vengeance befall heathen Rome. And therewith banishment, or interdicting of all privileges and advantages of life, to all that do not thus join publicly with them, and to that end enter into their religion by some of those ways usual among them, by having the mark of the god, or the name, or some numeral letters that signify his name, branded on them. And another angel or officer of Christ's vengeance was sent out by him on the same errand; and methought he came from God in heaven, as out of the sanctuary, the place where incense is offered, (an effect of the prayers of the saints again,) with a sharp sickle in his hand, an emblem of excision. And for the last of these, it was represented in the vision to be three letters, which signify six hundred sixty-six: the foretelling of which ought to be looked on as an act of infinite wisdom in Christ, that sent this prophecy, and consequently to be attended to as such: or else, the finding this out will be matter of wisdom, a work of sagacity in any, and yet possible, when the time comes, to be observed; for the way of numbering here mentioned is that which is of ordinary use among men. # CHAP. XIV. AND [a] I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. And another angel came from the altar of burnt offerings, by which the wicked are represented, having the execution of God's wrath upon the wicked intrusted to him, and he cried aloud to him that had the sharp sickle, and bid him set about this work as if it were a time of vintage, cutting down the clusters of grapes of the vine of the land, that is, destroying this idolatrous, cruel city and people, as having filled up the measure of their iniquities, and being now full ripe for slaughter. [g] power over fire] The ὀναιαστήριον, altar, here, being that whereon the beasts were offered, and those beasts to be burnt with fire, and that fire being a denotation of the wrath and vengeance of God against the wicked, this angel coming from the altar, and having power over fire, is consequently a minister or executioner of God's wrath upon the wicked impenitents, who are those beasts to be sacrificed to God, to be destroyed before him. And accordingly it was done: these obdurate sinners, ripe for judgment, were terribly destroyed, cut down, and cast like ripe grapes into a winepress, the wrath of God falling sadly upon them. And this extended not only to the city of Rome, but to other parts of the empire, wherein Christianity had been persecuted; and a most bloody slaughter there was among them. ¹¹ is dried, ἕπραση. [h] a thousand and six hundred furlongs] That the thousand and six hundred furlongs here do refer to the bounds or extent of Judæa, is the opinion of the learned H. Grotius; and his proof for it is, because St. Jerome, which had lived in those parts, and examined it very accurately, affirms that Judæa was in length 160 miles, which, accounting every mile to contain ten Greek stadia, or furlongs, amounts to 1600 furlongs. But if it be first adverted that the winepress is here said to be trodden without the city, and the blood to have extended to this space of 1600 furlongs; secondly, that Jerusalem was in the midst of the country, and consequently that from thence to the utmost bounds of it the space will be but half so much as is the longitude of all Judæa; this conjecture will not be so agreeable to this place. And therefore it will be more proper, and accordant to the context, which speaks not of Judæa, but of Rome, to apply it to the adjacent regions about Rome, And I had another vision concerning the judgments of God upon heathen Rome, and methought I saw seven angels with seven plagues, all which were to come one after another, and between them to divide the tragedy, and act all God's vengeance upon them. And methought I saw a great multitude of pure, zealous Christians, (the multitude noted by the sea, their purity by glass, and their zeal by fire) that had not yielded to the heathen terrors in any the least degree, but continuing constant in their purity and steadfast confession of faith. And they had in their hands harps, such as were wont to be used in the temple in God's service, called the musical instruments of God, 1 Chron. xvi. 42. And they sung to Christ the same song (or another after that pattern) that Moses had done upon the victory and deliverance out of Egypt, when the Egyptians were overwhelmed in the sea, noting their acknowledgment of God's goodness and mercy to them, who now, they saw, would punish and destroy the persecuting heathen emperors. And they magnified the mighty and wonderful works of God, his overruling power and fidelity in making good his promises to the Christians, his servants; And said, Now shall all the men in the world be obliged to fear and dread thee, and withal to magnify thy name. This is thine only work, O Lord; for the nations of the world, the Gentiles, the Roman empire, shall at length convert to Christianity upon the sight of thy revenges upon them who had crucified Christ, both Jews and Romans. And then methought I saw the holy of holies opened, those great mysteries which had long lain hid, revealed, that is, the decrees of God concerning the Romans now ready to come forth. And the sum of them was contained in seven plagues or punishments upon the Roman empire, brought out by as many angels in shining, glorious AND I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. And the execution of the fourth angel was by bringing a great drought and famine on the empire, such as was in Maximinus's time. [c] with fire] If ἐν πυρὶ, by fire, were here literally to be understood, many completions there would be of it, by great fires, in the city of Rome especially, within the space referred to by this vision. One remarkable one hath been mentioned in Commodus's time, note [a], out of Herodian, l. 1, falling on the temple of peace, and at length coming to the temple of Vesta, and burning many great houses, and so continuing for many days, till the rain from heaven put it out, and And the first angel did so; and there fell heavy plagues upon them, which swept away a multitude of heathens, and carnal temporizing Christians, both in the city of Rome and in other places: (see note [a].) [a] upon the earth] What is here meant by ἡ γῆ, and ἡ θάλασσα, and οἱ ποταμοὶ καὶ πηγαί, the earth, or land, and the sea, and the rivers and fountains of waters, vv. 2, 3, 4, may appear by ver. 1, where the angels are appointed to pour out their vials upon the earth or land. That in all reason signifies the Roman empire, the thing represented in these visions, as before it signified the nation and people of the Jews, (note [b] on chap. vii.) And there is no reason to affix any nice critical notation to either of these single, that the land, ver. 2, should signify severally, and so the sea, ver. 3, and the rivers, ver. 4, but to take all together for that which was meant by the land, ver. 1, for so the series here requires, where the angels, that were commanded to pour out their And the second angel did likewise; and there fell great slaughters upon the city of Rome by the cruelty of the emperors, and on occasion of sedition, &c., and very great multitudes died thereby: (see note [a].) s living creatures, ζων. And the third angel did likewise; and me-thought his vial fell on the other cities and provinces of the empire, and a great deal of war followed, (see note [a],) and a multitude were slain there also. 5—7. And this angel that poured out the vial upon the waters, ver. 4, God's judgments on those other cities and provinces, did it as a just judgment on them for the blood of Christians that had been shed by them, and as an act of pity and relief to the persecuted, whose persecutions ended by this means: and so it was acknowledged by the souls of those that had been slain by them: (see note [e] ch. vi.) [a] temple of the tabernacle] What is here literally meant by ὁ ναὸς τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου, ordinarily rendered the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony, may thus be collected: the tabernacle of the testimony clearly signifies that tabernacle among the Israelites in Moses's time before the building of the temple, called אֲהַל מִיָּעַד, the tabernacle of meeting, Exod. xxvii. 1, and elsewhere the tabernacle of the testimony, Acts vii. 44, because God was there pleased to exhibit himself, and give testimony of his presence, Acts xxvii. 22. In that there were two regions; the first called the sanctuary, the second רָבִיר, or oracle, the holy of holies: and this is here, and ver. 6, called ναός, and so again, ch. xvi. 1 and 17, not as that signifies the whole temple, but a part of the tabernacle, viz. the holy place, or holy of holies. What ναός elsewhere signifies, see note [e] on Acts xix, and note [c] on Rev. xiv, out of the Scholiast on Nazianzen, Στηλετευτ. α', who distinguishes ναός in the Christian church from σηκός and τίμνος: the two latter, saith he, signify ἱερὸν ὅλον, the whole temple or church, but the former the place where the communion table stands, which being divided from the rest of the quire, is to that as the holy of holies to the sanctuary. And in this sense of ναός it is that psalm lxxxii. 2, the vulgar Latin, and from thence the English in our Liturgy, read temple, where the Hebrew have רָבִיר, and from thence our Bibles read oracle. From this place God promises to speak to Moses of all things which he would give him in command to the people of Israel, Exod. xxv. 23. And accordingly this opening of this holy place, or this holy of holies, in this tabernacle of the testimony, is a representation of God's revealing his will as from the oracle concerning heathen Rome; and so straight the seven angels came out from thence, habited like the high priest, (who alone was permitted to go into the holy of holies in the temple,) and as executioners of this decree have the seven plagues, or blows, or judgments, ver. 6, that is, come ready to act a complete destruction, such as was before meant by the ἱπτά βρονταί, seven thunders, in the vision about the Jews, note [a] on ch. x. [b] and shalt be] Instead of ἰσόμενος, he that shall be, the copies generally read ὅσιος. That is answerable to the Hebrew חסר, pitiful and merciful, as that is more than צדקה, δικαιοσύνη, justice or righteousness, as hath oft been said. And so it is fitly superadded here to the δικαιος εἶ, thou art just or righteous, preceding. That the justice of God, here acknowledged in these vengeances on heathen Rome, denotes his punitive justice, there is no doubt, and accordingly follows, ὅτι ταῦτα ἔκρινας, because thou hast judged these. Where the ταῦτα seems to denote the persons neutrally set down, the inhabitants of the empire, which are here supposed to be judged, that is, justly punished, and of whom it follows, ὅτι αἷμα τῶν ἁγίων καὶ προφητῶν ἐξίχων, because they have shed the blood of thy saints and prophets, that is, of the Christians, and those that by their preaching would have wrought reformation among them, and so did act as prophets, and had the portion of prophets, were resisted and slain by them. But besides this punitive justice expressed by these judgments, there was also ὁσιότης, pity, compassion to the persecuted Christians, whose sufferings were abated and taken off by this means. Thus it is often to be observed in Eusebius's story, particularly at the end of the great slaughters, and famine, and plague in Maximinus's time, l. 9. c. 8, (mentioned note [a].) "Hereupon," saith he, "God, the defender of Christians, having shewed his wrath and indignation against all mortals for their persecuting us, restored the pleasant and bright splendour of his providence toward us, so that from that time peace and light, with the great admiration of all, shined out and was revealed to us that sat in darkness before, shewing us that God hath the oversight of our affairs continually, chastising and afflicting us for a time, but after he hath disciplined us sufficiently, appearing favourable and propitious to us again." And one of the four living creatures (attending and encompassing God's throne, by which four apostles were understood, ch. iv. 6, and those there having power to foretell things to come) was therefore represented to give to these seven angels (executioners of God's wrath) seven vials full of the wrath of the eternal God, that is, to give them commission for the pouring out of God's wrath upon heathen Rome. And the place where this vision seemed to be, that is, the sanctuary in heaven, ver. 5, was filled with smoke, as an expression and consequent of this fire of God's wrath and vengeance, which was like to prove so heavy, that the very representation of it was unsupportable, nobody could endure to come into the sanctuary whilst that was representing; noting that it would fall very terribly on all them that should come within the reach of it. And though this famine tormented them exceedingly, yet were they so far from repenting or amending their ways, from receiving the faith of Christ, that they railed at the Christian religion as the author of all their miseries, and so were more aliened from it: (see note [c].) And the fifth angel's vial was poured out, not upon the persons of men, but upon the government itself, which was sore afflicted and distressed (see Jer. xiii. 16, where for darkness the Targum reads tribulation or affliction) by the invasion of the barbarians, and the emperors were much troubled at it, but could not help it. [d] seat of the beast] What θρόνος θηρίον, the throne, or seat, of the beast, signifies, may thus be gathered: θηρίον, the beast, signifies idol-worship, ch. xiii. 1; and as the throne of that may signify the place where it resides, so it may signify also that which sustains and supports it, a seat being that which sustains and holds up from falling that which rests upon it. This was the power of the Roman empire, the strength and dignity thereof, to which so great a part of the world HAMMOND ANNOTT. VOL. II. a q And as before, ver. 8, so now again, these invasions of the barbarians were imputed as a punishment inflicted on them for the permitting of Christianity, and so made them set themselves more violently against the Christians: so far were they from reforming or mending by this means. And the execution of the sixth angel was the destroying of Maxentius's forces in Italy, and so weakening of Rome, the mystical Babylon, (noted here by Euphrates, the river that belongs to Babylon,) and making it capable of being taken, and possessed by Constantine and his sons, which were Christians. [e] Euphrates] That it is agreeable to the calling of Rome Babylon (see note [a] on chap. xviii.) to set Euphrates, the river that belongs to Babylon, to signify Tiber, that belongs to Rome, hath been formerly shewed, note [e] chap. ix. And that it so signifies here, there is little doubt. From hence it follows, that the drying up of Euphrates, being an allusion to the history of Cyrus, prophetically set down, Jer. l. 38, and drought is upon her waters, and they shall be dried up; and ch. li, where is mention of the drying up her sea, and making her springs dry, ver. 36, it must in reason be interpreted thereby. There, in the taking of Babylon, Cyrus turned away the river Euphrates, and entered the city through the channel thereof. (See Orosius, l. 11. c. 6.) And so the drying of the river being the preparative to the taking the city, and the making that weak and accessible which otherwise was impregnable, this phrase of drying up the water of Euphrates is thought commodious to be made use of to express the weakening of the strength of Rome, and making it conquerable, or, as it here follows, that the way of the kings—might be prepared. To prepare a way, we know, is to remove difficulties and obstructions, to level and plain a passage, and that in the prophets expressed by exalting valleys, and bringing hills low, and plaining the rough places. And when rivers or waters are in the way, then the drying them up, is preparing the way, making them passable. And so the fitting the city of Rome for conquest by Constantine and his sons (who are here called kings from the rising of the sun, see note [f]) is the full interpretation of drying up Euphrates, that the way of the kings might be prepared. Of this the history is clear in Eusebius, Eccl. Hist. l. 9. c. 9, (and so in Zozimus also,) that Maxentius having fastened himself in Rome, (out of which he went not himself, having no confidence in the love and fidelity of the people,) "he fortified every place and region and city with armies for guards, and [f] kings of the east—] What ἀνάτολῶν ἡλίου, from the rising of the sun, signifies, may be resolved by these two considerations: first, that the kings or magi that came to worship Christ, soon after his birth, whilst Herod designed the killing of him, are said to come Q Q 2 And methought I saw three diabolical spirits, like the frogs of Egypt, one coming from the devil, another from the heathen worship, and the third from the false prophet: 1. the response of the devils raised by Maxentius's command; 2. the encouragement of the augurs, or, heathen priests, that divined by entrails; 3. some false predictions out of some passages of the Sibyls' writings. [g] unclean spirits] What is here meant by πνεύματα ἀκάθαρτα, unclean spirits, may in part be resolved by Eusebius in the story of Maxentius, Eccl. Hist. l. 9. c. 9, where the first thing that he saith of him is, that he "relied on magical arts in this whole matter, and thereupon kept himself up close in Rome, and would not go out of it." So again, De Vita Constant., l. 1. c. 30, "At last he fell to magic and sorcery; sometimes cut up women great with child, sometimes ript up the bowels of tender infants, sometimes killed lions," all to divine thereby: "he often used wicked adjurations to raise up devils," saith he, "by whose help he might avert the violence of the war from him, hoping that they would help him to the victory." Now these impure spirits are here said to be three, but the king's MS. wants that word τρία, three. If we read it without three, then it is already explained that he made use of magic and augury. But if the word three be retained, then either may it signify that he betook himself wholly to these arts, (the number of three, as of seven, having oft no other importance in it but to signify a great deal,) or else peculiarly these three sorts: first, augury, or divination by entrails; secondly, calling up of devils, (both particularly mentioned by Eusebius;) and thirdly, the use of the Sibylline oracles, which the Roman sorcerers and diviners generally dealt in, and Maxentius made use of; see Zozimus, l. 2. Of these it is further said, that they were ὡς βάτραχοι, as frogs, referring to those creatures brought forth upon Egypt by the magicians at Pharaoh's command, Exod. viii. 7. Of which, as it is known that they are impure creatures, breeding and dwelling in the mire, and so these impure spirits or arts are fitly compared to them; so it is also observable how useless and unprofitable they are; they croak, but do nothing else, and so they fitly resemble these magical arts, which made a great noise, but never brought him the least advantage, but rather hastened his ruin by relying on them. Then these frogs are said to come out of the mouth of the dragon, and the beast, and the false prophet: which again, if the word three be not retained, will conclude these magical arts, which he made use of, to proceed promiscuously from these three; but if the word τρία, three, be retained, then it will be proper to confine the responses of the devils, when they were raised by him, to the first of the three, those that came out of the mouth of the dragon, for that is everywhere the devil's title in this book, (see note [d] on ch. xii. and And all these were made use of to deceive Maxentius, and give him confidence that he should prosper in his tyranny, and holding out against Constantine, which was the occasion of Constantine's setting upon and destroying his army, of his entering Rome, and of that blow that befell idolatry by this means. (Such unexpected, sudden changes as these, such secret, undiscernible proceedings of God's providence, may in all reason be admonitions to all to be watchful, and not to comply with the present prevailing power in any unchristian or uncomely manner, lest, when they have done so, that which they have designed as their greatest security be indeed their greatest danger.) And these evil spirits excited him and engaged him and all his armies in a fight, wherein they were utterly vanquished and destroyed: (see note [e].) [h] Armageddon] What Armageddon, which is here said to be an Hebrew word, signifies, or of what composition it is, is a matter of some question. The learned H. Grotius conceives it to be הר מגדון, the mount of meeting, to note the place and battle where the armies met, viz. on Constantine's side, 90,000 foot and 8000 horse, of Germans, Gauls, and Britons; on Maxentius's side 170,000 foot and 18,000 horse, of Romans, Italians, &c., in Zozimus: and that this is here said in reference not to the valley of Megiddo, where Josias was slain, but to the waters of Megiddo, Judges v. 9, where the Canaanites were slain by Barac, which appears the more probable, because the Hebrew הר is in Greek rendered 'Αρ, as 'Αργαρίζω, in Eusebius Præp. for הר גריון, mount Gerizin. But another composition of the word may be yet more probable, viz. that of Drusius, that it be made up of הרכא and גרהון, the excision or destruction of their armies, as בר in Hebrew, or their fortunes, (all their former good successes,) as בר in Chaldee signifies. And so the clear meaning of the verse is this, that the evil spirits, ver. 14, the magicians and augurs, &c., gathered them together, (so it is said, ver. 14, συναγαγίω αὐτοῦ, and to them in the plural neuter belongs the συνήγαγαι in the singular,) caused them to fight this great battle with Constantine, which was the utter destruction of that great army of the heathens, and so a very heavy judgment or excision, the effect of the vial of the sixth angel. This victory of Constantine over Maxentius was so signal and considerable, that, as Onufrius tells us, Fast. l. 2, the indictions (that known way of computing of times among the Romans) were taken from thence: ab eaque die primam indictionem inchoari, saith Baronius, "and from that day the first indiction began;" ut liberatam a Maxentii tyrannide urbem et ecclesiam indicaret, "that it might proclaim and commemorate the freeing of the city and church from Maxentius's tyranny." By which it may appear how memorable a passage this was, and how fit to be the matter of this vision. See Abr. Bucholcer's Chronology, an. Chr. 312. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air, (noting a decree of heaven now to be executed on the earth,) and presently, methought, I heard a proclamation come out of the holy of holies, from the throne of God, denoting the going out of God's decree, which was delivered in these words, It was, or hath been; that is, Heathen Rome is now destroyed. (And this was after, in Honorius's time, as will be more fully set down, ch. xvii.) And another vision I saw to the same purpose. One of those executioners of God's wrath came unto me, saying, I will shew thee the vengeance that is ready to befall the imperial dignity of Rome, fitly entitled the great whore, (great in itself, and whore for their impieties against God, their worship of many heathen gods, directly owning that title, as an harlot is she that takes in many others instead of the one husband,) sitting, that is, ruling, over many waters, that is, much people, having many nations under her dominion. AND there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: From the power and authority whereof, many other kingdoms (see ch. xiii. 14.) have been confirmed and fortified in their idolatrous courses, and had And in this vision methought I was in a desert, (fit to represent the desolation that was to be expressed in that vision,) and there I saw what he had promised me, ver. 1, a woman, that great whore mentioned there, the imperial power of Rome heathen, seated on an emperor in a scarlet robe, a great blasphemer against the true God, and advance of idolatry, and he had seven heads, (the city of Rome built on seven hills,) and ten horns, that is, so many other kings that ruled over divers countries, and were confederate with the Roman emperor. [a] a woman sit upon a scarlet—] That the beast here must signify the idolatrous heathen worship, may be thought, by comparing this verse with ch. xiii. 1. There the beast, whereby that is acknowledged to be represented, is said to have seven heads and ten horns, and upon the heads the name of blasphemy: and so here, much to the same purpose, the beast is full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. But it must be observed, first, that there are more beasts than one mentioned in these visions, and not all signifying the same, but visibly divers things, and that difference observable from other circumstances. As, first, here is the addition of κόκκινον, scarlet-coloured, which refers to the colour of the imperial robe, which was such, saith Pliny, Nat. Hist. l. 22. 2. And so that inclines it to signify the emperor in this place: and though θηρίον, a beast, may seem a mean title to represent so great a person, yet when it is considered that rage and cruelty, and all manner of uncleanness, may be found in an heathen idolatrous emperor, all these being so fit to be represented by a θηρίον, or wild beast, such an emperor as this may well own that title. And so when Julian introduceth C. Caligula, it is in this style, μετεσέρχεται θηρίον πονηρὸν, an evil beast succeeds, in his Satire against the Cæsars; and in like manner of Vindex, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, ταντὶ τὰ θηρία, these beasts; and of Domitian, with a peculiar epithet, to denote his cruelty, (such as was proverbially observed in Phalaris,) τὸ Σικελικὸν θηρίον, the Sicilian beast; and again, φονικὸν θηρίον, the bloody beast, exactly parallel to the scarlet-coloured beast in this place. Secondly, here is a woman sitting upon that beast, which makes it differ again from that representation, ch. xiii. And this woman appears to be the whore, in the first verse of this chapter: for being there told by the ᵉ Annot. in Festum. ʰ Id. cont. Leptir. ᶠ Od. 10. 1. 2 ⁱ Cont. Lept. ᵍ Demosth. κατ' Ἀνδρωτίανος. [b] ten horns] That these ten horns, or kings, were those barbarous nations that lay on the north of the Euxine sea, and of Danubius, and the Rhine, (which were the ordinary bounds of the Roman empire on that side,) the number of them will sufficiently evince. Procopius reckons them up to that number of ten, Ostrogothi, Wisigothi, Vandali, Gepidæ, Longobardi, Heruli, Burgundions, Huns, Franks, Saxons. Of these it is said, ver. 12, that they were ten kings, οἵτινες βασιλείαν οὔπω ἔλαβον, which had not yet received the kingdom. This cannot be understood that they had as yet (in that point of time to which the vision belonged) no dominions of their own, for they are called δίκα βασιλεῖς, ten kings; and it is evident in story, that those barbarous nations had their several kings in that time. The meaning then must be, that they had as yet no dominion within the Roman territory, (but only made sudden incursions into it,) their receiving the kingdom being when they shared the empire among them. So the fathers in the time of persecution interpreted it, Romani imperii abscessio in decem reges dispersa, saith Tertullian, "The departure of the Roman empire dispersed into ten kings:" et decem regibus, in quos dividetur quod nunc regnat imperium, saith Irenæus, "The ten kings, into which the empire which now reigns shall be divided." And then, before they came to this having a kingdom, dominion in the Roman territories, it is said of them, that as kings they receive power with the beast, that is, join and comply, and act with the beast, assist heathen Rome in persecuting the Christians, (but that only μίαν ὅραν, one hour, a small short while,) which is further expressed by having one mind, and giving their strength And this Roman power was in great prosperity, much sumptuousness was bestowed upon their idol-worship, and all manner of abominable filthiness was committed therein. Which being so frequent, and acknowledged in their secreter devotions, are best described by the word mystery, which was the word which the Greeks used for their uncleanest meetings, and by Babylon, (see note [c] ch. xiv, and note [a] ch. xviii,) which of old was famous for these, and so destroyed. From hence came all the idolatry of the other cities: (see ver. 2.) [c] MYSTERY] The word μυστήριον signifies a secrecy. It is also an unclean word, set by Achilles Tatius to signify the nakedness of a woman. Among the Gentiles it was used to denote their secretest idol worships, their τελεταί and ἐποπτεῖαι, which being for the most part very unclean and abominable, as in their Eleusinia sacra, &c., they were generally styled μυστήρια, and divided into μεγάλα and μικρὰ, their greater and lesser mysteries. These, saith Tertullian, the Gnostics imitated, and had in their worships curtains drawn, and silence strictly kept to veil and keep secret what they did. Hence is it that this word is here thought fit to express the idolatry and heathen worship of this city, which had generally this of uncleanness joined with it. And beside her idolatries and uncleanness, she was represented as a great persecutor of Christians, (see note [d] ch. i.) At this sight of a woman thus represented in all glory, and then drunk with blood, and vomiting it out, I was much astonished. And the angel that shewed it me, ver. 1, told me the interpretation of it, viz. that it was designed by God to represent the Roman heathen power, the seven hills on which it was built, and the ten kings confederate with it. And the scarlet beast, ver. 3, on whom this power is seated, and which blasphemeth and defieth the God of heaven, that is, the person of the emperor, in whom this power is vested, at the time to which this part of the vision refers, (see note [a],) is one which was in power, but at this point of time, that is, after Vespasian's return out of Judæa, was out of it, but shall come to it again, sent, as it were, out of hell, to persecute the Christians. And when he, that is, Domitian, ¹ embroidered, κεχρωσωμένη. Latin. ² Or, whoredoms, πορνειών: so Arethas and the ancient [d] that was, and is not] That Domitian had and exercised all power at Rome in his father Vespasian's time whilst he was employed abroad in Syria, &c., appears by Tacitus, who saith of him distinctly, Domitianum Cæsarem consulutatum, &c., " that Domitian was saluted by the name of Cæsar," Hist. l. 3, in fine; and, nomen sedemque Cæsaris Domitianus acceperat, " Domitian had received the name and throne of Cæsar," l. 4, in initio; and by all other writers of those times. At the return of Vespasian he was divested of his power; and so though he had been emperor, and still continued alive at that point of time to which this part of the vision refers, yet it is true of him, οὐκ ἴστι, he is This is the meaning of the riddle; The seven heads are the seven hills, which are so famously known in Rome. And beside, they denote the seven kings or emperors thereof, (that have had any thing to do with the Christians,) which are here to be numbered from the time of the beginning of these visions till this of the writing of them: of them five are dead, all of violent deaths, poisoned, or killed by themselves or others, viz. Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius; one then reigned, viz. Vespasian; and a seventh was not yet come to the kingdom, viz. Titus, who, when he should come to it, should reign but two years and two months. And Domitian, described ver. 8. as he that was, and is not; that is, one that in Vespasian's time, while he was busy in other parts, exercised all power at Rome, and was called emperor, is the eighth, that is, comes to the empire after those seven, being the son of one of them, to wit, of Vespasian, (in whose time also he held the government of Rome,) and this a wretched, accursed person, a cruel, bloody persecutor of the Christians, and shall be punished accordingly. As for the ten kings of the barbarous nations, noted by the ten horns, ver. 3, those which (though after, ver. 16, they shared the Roman empire, yet) as yet had not done so, had no kingdom as yet within the Roman territory, they for a small time complied with the Roman power. And did as the emperor did, persecuted the Christians in their territories. And having done so, they shall ere long be subdued to the Christian faith, according to God's promise, that Christ should be King of kings, &c. ³ although it be, salveo devir. ⁴ sense, voiz. ⁵ they are, clair. [e] war with the Lamb] Warring with the Lamb signifies opposing and persecuting Christianity; not as if there were set battles between them and Christians, but such as are supposable against those whose principle was to suffer, not to resist the persecuting emperors, (under whom they were;) for this is the condition of the Lamb here, to endure, to be slaughtered, but not to fight again. This is here said of these ten kings, (confederate with the Romans,) that they should thus war, that is, be used as soldiers to execute the Romans' bloodiness upon Christians: and this is true of the Goths and others, while they were confederate with heathen Rome; though soon after they themselves came over to Christianity, (though most to Arianism,) (Gothi per legatos supplices poposcerunt, ut illis episcopi, a quibus Christianæ fidei regulam discerent, mitterentur. Valens imperator doctores Ariani dogmatis misit. Gothi primæ fidei rudimentum, quod accepere, tenuerunt: "The Goths desired by their ambassadors that bishops might be sent them, from whom they might learn the rule of faith. Valens the emperor sent them Arian doctors. The Goths retained those rudiments which they first received," Oros. l. 7. c. 33,) no doubt much forwarded therein by seeing the patience and constancy of Christian martyrs, who have no other way to overcome their enemies, and so in that only respect are said to conquer them here, that is, to bring them to Christianity, and subject them to Christ's kingdom. For of Alaricus it is clear that he was then a Christian, and sent embassies to Honorius by bishops, (see Sozomen, l. 9. c. 8,) and that Attalus was baptized by Sigesarius, a Gothish bishop, and by that was the dearer to Alaricus and all the Goths, c. 9. And that in reverence to St. Peter Alaricus gave mercy to all those that fled to his temple for sanctuary, and restored all that was taken out of the church, (by a Gothish soldier, who, astonished with the richness of the sight, told Alaricus of it,) and at the putting [f] make her desolate] The Goths and Vandals overrunning Italy and Rome itself, (Alaricus the Goth and Gensericus the Vandal kings, and divers others, πολλῶν ἐπανισταμένων τυράννων, many kings making insurrections, saith Sozomen,) is famously known in story. See Socrat. l. 7. c. 10, Sozom. l. 9. c. 6. Of the spoils also that were made by them historians are plentiful, especially Procopius. Of Alaricus and his, that they left nothing behind them, either of private or public treasure, the commander giving order to his soldiers, saith Sozomen, l. 6, 9, ἱκάστῳ τῶν Ῥωμαίων πλοῦτον ἁρπάζειν, to plunder all the wealth of the city, and ὡς ἂν δύναιτο πάντας τοὺς οἴκους ληξίεσθαι, as near as was possible to spoil every house. Of Gensericus, that he brought by sea to Carthage a vast deal of gold and silver; and that he robbed the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, or Olympius. So Socrates of Alaricus, that they took the city and rifled it, and τὰ πολλὰ τῶν θαυμαστῶν ἱκείνων θεαμάτων κοτίκουσαν, burnt many of those admirable spectacles. So also that they conquered many provinces of the Romans, and possessed them as their own, as Dacia, Pannonia, Thrace, Illyricum, France, Spain, Afric, Italy, and Dalmatia, which is here called the eating of the flesh of the whore. As for their burning of the city, (though that signify not their burning it all down to the ground, but only πολλὰς τῆς πόλεως οἰκοδομὰς, many buildings of the city, and in Socrates, the many admirable spectacles there,) that is known to be done by Totilas at the first entering the city, though Belisarius was a means that it was not all burnt down; see Procopius Goth. 4. and Sozomen l. 9. c. 6. This being done in the time of Honorius the emperor, and Innocentius bishop of Rome, and so in time of Christianity, may be thought not to belong to heathen Rome. But then it is observable, first, that by the providence of God not only Honorius himself was out of the city, but k L. 11. c. 10. l Hist. Raven. l. 2. p. 64. [i] It is done] It is usual in prophecies to set down the sad events most covertly. Thus ᵉ Scaliger observes, Augures sedentes in templo abstinebant vocibus male ominatis, ideoque Alteram avem potius quam Aversam dicebant, "The augurs, sitting in the temple, abstained from the sadder expressions; and therefore when they meant to signify any ill abode, they called it not the Averse but the Other Augury. Accordingly is that style of Horace, ᶠ *Sperat infestis, metuit secundis, This the Grecians call ᵍ μηδέν εἰπείν φλαῦρον, and ʰ μὴ βλασφημεῖν, not to deliver any sad thing, not to speak any hard or evil saying. And their name for this figure is εὐφημισμός. Agreeable to this is the ordinary style of fuit, or vixit, he hath been, or he hath lived, for mortuus est, he is dead; fuimus Troes, fuit Ilium—we have been Trojans, Troy hath been: and in ⁱ Demosthenes, νῦν δὲ εὐπορήσει, now it shall be rich, to signify that it hath been, and is yet poor. Δεὶ γὰρ οὕτω λέγειν, καὶ μὴ βλασφημεῖν, saith he, "for thus I must speak, and not use gross or harsh expressions." And just such is γέγονε here, it hath been, that is, now it ceaseth to be, it is destroyed, by this figure, εὐφημισμός, fit for prophecies. And methought there were thunders and lightnings and an earthquake, such as never had been known before, denoting this vast change, (the greatest of any,) that now was by this means wrought in the world.