Revelation 20

We are now come to the darkest part of the whole Revelation, what is meant by the thousand Years, and the first and second Resurrection, and by Gog and Magog, chap. 20. or the New Heavens and New Earth, and the Jerusalem coming down from Heaven, discoursed on, chap. 21.22. is very hard to say, and possibly much more cannot with any probability be conjectured as to them, than has been already said. I shall only tell my Reader that, leaving him to judg what is most probable, and leaving it to the Divine Providence to give us a certain and infallible Exposition of what is contained in these three last Chapters.

AND I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless-pit, and a great chain in his hand The description of this Angel can agree to none but Christ, or one that exerciseth a Power by delegation from him: for, chap. 1.18. it is he who has the Power of Hell and Death; and it is he who alone is stronger than the Devil, which must be supposed to him that binds him, or we must think the Devil much tamer than he is..

And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil and Satan There can be no question who is meant by the Dragon here, and the old Serpent, for the Holy-Ghost interpreteth it, the Devil, the Enemy of Mankind., and and bound him By binding also is meant the Restraint of the Devil in the exercise of his natural Power, or the Power God had before allowed him to exercise for the trial of his Saints Faith and Patience. The Devil is restrained in the restraint of his Instruments. It is expounded, v.3. that he should, deceive the Nations no more. a thousand years Whether these thousand Years signify that certain space of Time, or a long Time, I can't say; only it is probable, that if it, signifies an uncertain indefinite Time, it is a much longer Time than any other Period of Time spoken of, which have all hitherto been expressed by Days, or Months, or a lesser Number of Years by far. But what the Complexion of the World shall be during this long Time, or when the Epocha or Beginning of these thousand Years shall be? are both of them very hard Questions. It was the Opinion of the old Chiliasts or Millenaries, That 6000 Years of the World should pass, then Antichrist with all wicked Men should be destroyed: That in the next thousand Years Christ should appear, and be upon the Earth, ruling it with his Saints; after which there would be another Time of sharp Persecution, according to what is said, 4.7. to which Christ should put a period by coming to the last Judgment. It is plain that (if most Men be not mistaken, that have counted the Years from the beginning of the World) these Men were mistaken; for more than 6000 Years are passed, yet there is no such thing come to pass. Divers very good and learned Men, (leaving out the Age of the World when these thousand Years should begin) have judged, That after the great Battel in Armageddon, (which, as was said before, shall be after the Ruine both of Turk and Pope) the Church of Christ shall for a thousand Years enjoy great quiet under the conduct of Christ, (as some think) who in these 1000 Years shall personally be upon the Earth; or of such a Godly Magistracy in all Places of the Church, as shall do and execute what Christ would have done and executed. After which the Enemies of the Church (mentioned here v. 8. under the Notions of Gog and Magog) shall rally again, but be destroyed by Christ appearing to the last Judgment. This Opinion has had, and has many learned and grave Patrons. I shall only say this, That I do not understand what these thousand Years mean, if they do not denote a serene and calm Time for the Church of God, of long continuance, before the Day of Judgment. Whether Christ shall be here personally, or none but Saints shall be in places of Power, or the Power of Christ only shall be seen in so ruling and governing all Magistrates, that they shall not, as before, impose Superstition and Idolatry, and kill or ruine Men for not complying with them; but the Servants of God, that worship him in Spirit and Truth, shall under Magistrates live quiet and peaceable Lives in all Godliness and Honesty, I cannot determine, but do in my own thoughts most incline to the last, that the thousand Years only denote a large space of Time, (as yet at a great distance) when the Church of God shall freely enjoy their Liberty, without such Temptations to Idolatry, Superstition, or other Wickedness, as they have yet all along had, either from Jews, Pagans, or Antichrist's Party..

And cast him into the bottomless pit That is, into Hell, his proper place: He shall no longer, or at least not till these thousand Years be expired, exercise his Power, as Prince of the Power of the Air, Eph. 2.2. or compassing the Earth, and walking up and down in it, as Job 1. 7., and shut him up, and set a seal upon him But shall be restrained as much as one shut up in Prison, whose Doors are sealed up., that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled That till this Time of God's Counsel for the quiet of his Church be run out, he shall not deceive People by his old Arts.; and after that he must be loosed a little season But after that he shall have a Liberty again, (as vers. 7.) for a little time..

And I saw thrones This is a very difficult Text. Thrones are Places of Dignity and Judicature; they seem here to signify only Places of Dignity., and they sate upon them Those mentioned afterward in this Text sate upon them., and judgment was given unto them That is a Power of Judgment, 1 Cor. 6.2, 3. to be executed afterward.: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, nor his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands The Persons sitting upon these Thrones are described to be, 1. Such as had kept themselves from Idolatry, or any Compliance with Antichrist, either in the form of the Beast, or of the Image of the Beast. 2. And for that Non-compliance had suffered Death, and for witnessing to the Truths of Christ contained in his Word. These; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. are described as living with Christ in Honour and Dignity, all that space of the Churches Rest and Tranquility before exprest. Our learned Dr. More interprets the Thrones and Iudgment, concerning those Thrones or Places of Judicature, upon which the Dragon's Officers sate to condemn the Saints from whence issued the putting to death of many of God, and thinks that in this Vision there is a and Thunder. Now these Saints are said to live and r gn a thousand Years; that is, (say some) in Heaven, in a blessed State of Glory, while the Militant Church upon the Earth, enjoyed great rest and quiet on Earth. Others have thought, that these should be raised from the dead, and live with Christ on Earth these thousand Years. Which Notion (if true) will solve a great Phaenomenon, and render it not improbable, that the Number of the Saints on Earth will, during these thousand Years, be enough to rule the World, and overballance the Number of all the Wicked of the Earth. Those who think thus, judg there will be two Resurrections; the first, of Martyrs, which shall antedate the general Resurrection a thousand Years: but the Scripture no where else mentions more than one Resurrection. For my own part, I shall freely confess that I do not understand this and the two next Verses, nor shall I be positive as to any sense of them: For the spiritual Resurrection, as to the Martyrs, it was long since past, or else they had died in their Sins. But of this see more in the next Verse.

But the rest of the dead By the rest of the Dead, some understand all except Martyrs; others, only that Party who adhered to Antichrist. Those who by the rest understand all the Dead, both good and bad, (the Martyrs alone excepted) judg that there will be two Resurrections: The first more particular, of those that have suffered Death for Christ; the second general, of all the rest of the Dead. I must confess, I find a difficulty to allow this; it is too great a Point to found upon a single Text, in a portion of Holy Writ so clouded with Metaphors as this, and I know no suffragan Text. Those who understand by the rest of the Dead, only the Wicked, understand by this living again, a politick Life, that is, recovered not their former Power, continued as dead Men, able to do no mischief, till the thousand Years of the Churches Peace and Tranquillity were expired. May this Sense of living, and living again, be allowed, it will deliver us from almost all our difficulties about the sense of these Verses; for then by living in the foregoing Verse, is signified a political Living, not a Resurrection from a natural Death. But then ariseth a question, If these beheaded Saints did not rise from their natural Death, how could they be restored to Places of Dignity with Christ in the Church? To which they answer, That those formerly suffering for the Name of Christ, and all the Saints upon the Earth, are to be considered as one Church; and so those formerly beheaded, lived and reigned with Christ in their Successors in the same Faith: that is, those alive at that time, being restored to their Peace, and Liberty, and Reputation in the World, the Martyrs, who were Members of the same Body, are also said to live. This appears to me the most probable Sense: For that the glorified Saints should leave Heaven (as to their Souls) to be again cloathed with Flesh, and in it to live a thousand Years, and be concerned in the following Troubles the Church should meet with after these thousand Years, seems to me to be utterly improbable, and to lay a foundation for so many difficult questions, as will pose the wisest Man to answer to reasonable satisfaction. But yet there remains a difficulty, lived not again until the thousand years were finished p. This is the first resurrection How this restoring God's holy Ones to a better State, can be called the first Resurrection? That it may be called a Resurrection, is plain, as the Conversion of the Jews, and restoring them to their former State as the Church of God, is called Life from the Dead, Rom. 11.15. And the Restauration of the Witnesses, chap. 11.11. is called so, tho neither the one nor the other were naturally dead. Nor is it unusual in Scriptural and Prophetical Writings, to speak of People recovered to their former and better State, as being risen from the dead: It may be called the first, with reference to that far more excellent State which they shall be put in after the last Judgment, when they shall live and reign with Christ in a more happy and glorious manner. If this may not be allowed as the sense of these two Verses, I must confess this such a, or difficulty of Scripture, as I do not understand. I shall proceed with the following Verses upon this Hypothesis that this is the Sense, tho I dare not be positive in it..

Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection That is, they are only holy Ones, that shall be thus restored to share in the Churches Happiness,: on such the second death has no power and such as shall not perish eternally,, but they shall be priests of God, and of Christ but they shall be as Priests to God and Christ, glorifying him with the spiritual Sacrifices of Prayer and Praise,, and shall reign with him a thousand years and shall enjoy a quiet and honourable Station with Christ upon the Earth for a long time..

And when the thousand years are expired When the long Time expressed under the Notion of a Thousand Years, shall be expired,, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison God shall take off his Restraint from the Devil, so as he shall influence the Wicked of the Earth once more to make Opposition to his Church..

And shall go out to deceive the nations, which are in the four quarters of the earth That is, the Devil, being got from under the Restraint of Divine Providence, shall fall upon his old Work, going about to deceive Men over all the World, either tempting them to Idolatry, or Heresy, or Lewdness of Life, or (which seemeth most probable) stirring them up to one Attempt more to ruine the Church., Gog and Magog These People are called Gog and Magog, about the meaning of which there are various Opinions. We read of Magog, Gen. 10.2. he was one of the Sons of Japhet, see also 1 Chron. 1.5. he inhabited that Country called Syria, and from thence, his Posterity being multiplied, (as some think) transplanted some Colonies into America. We read to Gog no where in Scripture, but in Ezekiel, chap. 38.39. where both Gog and Magog are mentioned as the great Enemies of God's ancient Israel. Gog there, chap. 38.2. is named as the chief Prince of Meshec and Tu al. There are Disputes who are meant by Gog and Magog in ose 2 Chapters. The Iewish Rabbies apply the terms to some Nations whom the Messiah (expected by them) shall encounter and overcome; but if we consider that Prophecy, as made in Babylon, and to comfort the People in that Captivity; we can hardly think the Enemies there intended, were to appear at such a distance of time, as more than 2000 years (for so many, and more, are elapsed already, since Ezekiel's Prophecy.) The best Interpreters therefore rather think, that Antiochus, and the race of Seleucus, (a King of Syria, who in those quarters of the World succeeded Alexander, of whom we read in the Book of Maccabees) is there intended, whose ruine is there foretold, as being a great Enemy to the Iews after their return from Babylon; yet some think that in both these Chapters, Ezekiel prophesieth of the same Gog and Magog here intended, which should be the last Enemies of the Church. The Papists, who (according to their interest) contend for Antichrist as yet to come, make G g and Magog here to signify some King or Kings that shall join with Antichrist when he appeareth. Others think that Gog and Magog in this place, signifies more generally, a Coll vies or mixt company of all Wicked Men, a very great multitude, who shall come from all parts, only typified by the Gog and Magog in Ez kiel, as being like them, 1. For Number, 2. In their design to ruin the Church, upon its restauration to a more quiet, peaceable state, 3. And who shall be ruined like them, by the more than ordinary Providence of God: For the Gog and Magog, mentioned in Ez ch. are described in three Texts of that Prophecy as coming from the North, but these are described, as coming from the four quarters of the World; this seemeth a much more probable Opinion than theirs, who will have them some particular Nations, whether Americans, Turks, or Indians., to gather them together to battel: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea These Enemies shall make a vast number, therefore compared to the Sand of the Sea; and in this they hold a proportion also with the Gog and Magog mentioned in Ezekiel, who were a great company, chap. 38.4. many People, v. 6. Covering the Land, v. 9..

And they went up on the breadth of the earth That is, in all parts of it, where the Church of Christ was., and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city The Church of God (typified by old Hierusalem, which was God's beloved City) they encompassed in a Military order and manner, de gnin o destroy it, or make it subject to their Lusts., and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them But Fire, came down, &c. This Ezekiel prophecied of the issue of the Gog and Magog by him mentioned, Ezek. 38.18, 19, 20, 21, 22, v. 22. And I will plead against im with Pestilence, and with Blood, and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great h lstones, fire, and brimsto e. The meaning is, that God would destroy them with a quick and terrible destruction; such as is that destruction of persons and places which is by Fire..

And the devil that deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night, for ever and ever After this shall be the end of the World, when the Devil shall be restrained to Hell the place of Torments, where he shall have all Heathens, and all the rabble of Antichrist, who shall be there tormented constantly, and for ever and ever..

And I saw a great white throne God ow giveth his Prophet a Vision of the last Day, [the Day of Judgment.] He seeth a Throne, a place of Judicature; said to be great, to denote its gloriousness; white, to signify Christ's Purity and Holiness in his Judging the World., and him that sat on it And he saw Christ sitting upon it., from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them And all old things passing away. Peter thus describes this flying away of the Earth and Heavens, 2 Pet. 3.10. The shall ss away with a great wis and the Ele s shall with ser nt heat, the Earth also, and the works therein shall be burnt up,—ver. 11, 12. All these things shall be dissolved..

And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before Gods; and the books were opened To show the Justice Righteousness according which this Judg would proceed, Books are said to be opened; what Books? The Book of God's Law; the Book of God's Omniscience; the Book of Men's Consciences. In the former is contained what all Men should have done; the two latter will discover what they have thought, spake, or done in the Flesh.. and another book was opened, which is the boo of life The Book of Life, mentioned ch. 3.5. by which is to be understood the Book of God's Election, wherein are the Names of all those who being from Eternity chosen to Life, were redeemed with the Blood of Christ, and afterwards effectually called, justified, and sanctified. According to these Books shall the last Judgment be, Rom. 2.16. with respect had unto every ones work.: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books m according to their works. The former Verses gave us an account of Christ the great Judg of the quick and the dead in the Last Day; the Lord Jesus Christ sa e upon a Throne of Glory, about to execute his last Holy and Righteous J dgment. Now he describes the persons to be Judged, vi. all, both small and great.

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell By Hell is meant all places where the Dead are; whosoever shall be at that day in the state of the Dead; the Bodies of Men whether buried in the Earth or Sea; and the Souls of Men whether they be in the place of Torments or Happiness, shall all be re-united to their Bodies, that they may both in Soul and Body receive their final doom of Eternal Happiness, or Eternal Misery, accordingly as they have lived in the World; and those who shall be alive at that day, who shall be Changed (as the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 15.51.) are to be counted dead in the sense of this Text (their Change being instead of Death to them.) delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works It is not said they shall be judged for their works (though that as to the Wicked is true) but according to their works; which is true as to the Elect, who though their Names be written in the Book of Life, yet must work Righteousness, and they shall have Judgment of Absolution, not according to the Perfection, but the sincerity of their works done, in obedience to the Will of God..

And death, and hell were cast into the lake of fire There shall be no more natural Death, nor any more separate state of Souls (so signifies) they shall all be swallowed up in the issue of the last Judgment, where some shall go into Life, some into Eternal Condemnation. Dr. More expoundeth it of the whole Region of Mortality, being set on Fire at the last Thunder.. This is the second death This, as to the wicked of the Earth, is the second Death, mentioned Rev. 2.11..

And whosoever was not found written in the book of life See the Note l on Verse the 12th., was cast into the lake of fire.