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1 The temple is commanded to be measured. 3 The Lord stir∣reth vp two witnesses: 7 whom the beast murthereth, 9 and no man burieth them. 11 God raiseth them to life. 12 and calleth them vp to heauen, 13 The wicked are terrified. 15 By the trumpet of the seuenth Angel, the resurrection 18 and iudgement is described.
rodde; and the Angel stoode by me, saying, Rise 2 1.3 and mete the Temple of God, and the al∣tar, and them that worship therein.
2 3 1.4 But the a 1.5 court which is without the tem∣ple b 1.6 shut out, and mete it not: for it is giuen vn∣to the 4 1.7 Gentiles; and the holy citie shall they tread vnder foote, 5 1.8 two and fortie moneths.
3 But 6 1.9 I wil giue the same vnto my two wit∣nesses, & they shal 7 1.10 prophecie a thousād two hū∣dreth and threescore daies, clothed in sackcloth.
4 These 8 1.11 are the two oliue trees, and two candlestickes, standing before the God of the earth.
5 9 1.12 And if any man will hurt them, fire pro∣ceedeth out of their mouthes, and deuoureth their enimies: for if any man will hurt them, thus must he be killed.
6 These haue power to shut vp heauen, that it raigne not in the dayes of their prophecying; and haue power ouer the waters to turne them into bloud, and to smite the earth with all maner plagues, as often as they will.
7 10 1.13 And when they haue c 1.14 finished their testi∣monie,
of the great citie, which d 1.18 spiritually is called So∣dō & Egypt, 14 1.19 where also our Lord was crucified.
9 And they of the people and kinreds, and tongues, & Gētiles shall see their corpses 15 1.20 three dayes and an halfe, and shall not suffer their car∣kasses to be put in graues.
10 And the inhabitants of the earth, 16 1.21 shall reioyce ouer them, & be glad; and shall send gifts one to another: because these two Prophetes 17 1.22 vexed them that dwelt on the earth.
11 18 1.23 But after 19 1.24 three daies & an halfe, 20 1.25 the spirit of life cōming from God, shal enter into thē; & they 21 1.26 shall stand vp vpon their feete: & great feare shall come vpon them which shal see them.
12 After this they heard a great voice from heauen, saying vnto them, Come vp hither. And 22 1.27
they ascended vp to heauen in a cloud, 23 1.28 and their enimies did see them.
13 24 1.29 And the same houre was a great earth∣quake, and the tenth part of the citie fell, and in the earthquake was slain in number seuen thou∣sand men: and the rest were sore feared, 25 1.30 and c 1.31 gaue glorie to the God of heauen.
14 26 1.32 The second wo is past, and behold the third wo will come quickly.
15 27 1.33 Then the seuenth Angel blew the trum∣pet, & there were great voyces in heauen saying, 28 1.34 The kingdomes of this world are our Lords, and his Christs, who shall raigne for euermore.
16 29 1.35 And the foure and twentie Elders, which sate before God on their thrones, fel vpon their faces, and worshipped God,
17 Saying, We giue thee thankes, Lord God almightie, Which art, and which wast, and which art to come: for that thou hast taken vnto thee thy great might, and hast entred thy kingdome.
18 30 1.36 And the Nations were angrie, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be iudged, and that thou shouldest giue reward vnto thy seruants the Prophetes, and to the Saintes, and to them that feare thy Name, both small and great, and shouldest destroy them, which destroy the earth.
19 Then the temple of God was 31 1.37 opened in heauē, & there was seen in his Tēple the Arke of his couenant: & there came lightnings, & voyces, and thundrings, and earthquake, and great hayle.
The authority of the intended reuelation being declared, together with the necessitie of that calling which was particularly imposed vpō Iohn: hereafter followeth the historie of the estate of Christ his church both conflicting or warfaring, & ouercomming in Christ. For both the true church of Christ is said to sight against that which is falsely so called, ouer the which Antichrist ruleth; Christ Iesus ouerthrowing Antichrist by the spirit of his mouth: and Christ is said to ouercome most gloriously vntill he shall slay Antichrist, by the ap∣pearance of his comming, as the Apostle excellētly teacheth. 2. Thes. 2. 8. So this historie hath two parts: One of the state of the church conflicting with temptations, vnto the 16. chap. The other of the state of the same church, obteining victorie, thence vnto the 20. chap. The first part hath two mēbers, most conueniently distributed into their times, whereof the first conteineth an historie of the Christian church for 1260. yeres, what time the Gospel of Christ was, as it were, taken vp from amongst men into heauen: the second conteineth an historie of the same church vnto the victorie perfected. And these two members are briefly, though distinctly, propounded in this chap. but are both of them more at large discoursed, after in due order. For we vn∣derstand the state of the church conflicting, out of chap. 12 & 13. and of the same growing out of afflictions, out of the 14. 15. & 16. chap. Neither did S. Iohn at vnwares ioyne together the historie of these two times in this chap. because here is spoken of prophesie, which all confesse to be but one: iust & immutable in the church, & which Christ commanded to be continual. The historie of the former time reacheth vnto the 14. vers. the latter is set downe in the rest of this chap. In the former are shewed these things: the calling of the seruants of God in 4. verses: the conflicts which the faithfull must godly vndergo in their calling, for Christ & for his church, thence vnto the 10. ver. and their resurrection, & receiuing vp into heauen, vnto the 14. verse. In the calling of the seruants of God, are mentioned two things: the begetting and setling of the church in two verses: and the education thereof in two other verses. The begetting of the church is here commended vnto S. Iohn by signe and by speech: the signe is a measuring rod; and the speech a comman∣dement to measure the Temple of God, that is, to reduce the same vnto a new forme: because the Gentiles are alreadie entred into the Temple of Ierusalem, and shall shortly defile and ouerthrow the same vtterly.
F. IVNIVS.
Either that of Ierusalem which was a figure of the church of Christ, or that heauenly exemplar, whereof verse 19. but the first liketh me better, and the things following doe all agree thereunto. The sence therefore is, Thou seest all things in Gods house, almost from the passion of Christ, to be disordered: and that not onely the citie of Ierusalem, but also the court of the Temple is trampled vnder foote of the nations, and of prophane men whether Iewes or straungers: and that onely the Temple, that is, the bodie of the temple, with the altar, and a small companie of good men which truely worship God, do now remaine, whom God doth sanctifie and con∣firme by his presence. Measure therefore this, euen this true church, or ra∣ther the true type of the true church, omitting the rest and so discribe all things from me, that the true church of Christ may be, as it were, a very little center: and the church of Antichrist as the circle of the center, euerie way in length and breadth compassing about the same: that by way of prophe∣sie thou mayest so declare openly, that the state of the Temple of God, and the faithfull which worship him, that is of his church, is much more streight then the church of Antichrist.
As if he should say, it belongeth nothing vnto thee, to iudge those which are without, 1. Cor 5. 12. which be innumerable: looke vnto those of the houshold onely, or vnto the house of the liuing God.
He speaketh of the outer court, which was cal∣led the peoples court, because all men might come into that.
That is coun∣ted to be cast out, which in measuring is refused as prophene.
To pro∣phane persons, wicked, and vnbeleeuers, aduersaries vnto the Church.
Or a thousand two hundred and threescore dayes, as is said in the next verse: that is, a thousand two hundred and threescore yeeres, a day for a yeere, as often in Ezechiel and Daniel: which thing I noted before 2. 10. The beginning of these thousand two hundred and threescore yeeres, we account from the passion of Christ, whereby (the partition wall being bro∣ken downe) we were made of two, one, Ephes 2. 14. I say one flocke vnder one shepheard, Ioh. 10. 16 & the end of these yeres precisely falleth into the Popedome of Boniface the eight, who a little before the end of the yeere of Christ 1294. entred the Popedome of Rome, in the feast of S. Lucie (as Bergomensis saith) hauing put in prison his predecessour Coelestinus, whom by fraude, vnder colour of oracle, he deceiued: for which cause, that was well said of him, Intrauit vt vulpes, regnauit vt leo, mortuus est vt canis. That is, He entred like a foxe, reigned like a lion, and died like a dog. For if from 1294. yeeres thou shalt take the age of Christ which he liued on the earth, thou shalt finde there remaineth iust 1260. yeares, which are mentioned in this place, and many others.
I had rather translate it illud then illam, the temple then the cittie: for God saith I will giue that tem∣ple, & commit it vnto my two witnesses, that is vnto the mi∣nisters of the word, who are few indeed, weake and cō∣temptible: but yet two, that is of such a num∣ber as one of them may helpe another, and one confirme the testimonie of another vnto all men, that from the mouth of two or three witnesses euerie word may be made good amongst men 2. Cor. 13. 1.
They shall exercise their office inioyned by me by the space of those thousand two hundred and sixtie yeares, in the middest of afflictions though neuer so lamentable; which is figuratiuely shewed by the mourning gar∣ment.
That is, the ordinarie and perpetuall instruments of spiri∣tuall grace, peace and light in my Church, which God by his onely power preserued in this Temple. So Zach. 4. 3.
The power and efficacie of the holy ministerie, and which is truely E∣uangelicall, is declared both in earth and in heauen, protecting the admi∣nisters thereof, and destroying the enimies, in this verse, vertue indeede diuine, most mightily shewing forth it selfe in heauen, earth, and the sea, verse 6. as it is described 2. Cor. 10. 4. according to the promise of Christ, Mar. 16. 17. And this is the second place (as I said before) of the combats which the seruants of God must needes vnder goe in the executing of their calling, and of the things that follow the same combats. In the combats or conflicts are these things: to ouercome, in these two verses; to be ouercome and killed, verse 7. After the slaughter follow these things: that the carkas∣ses of the godly are layd abrode, verse 8. being vnburied, are made a matter of scorne, together with cursing and bitter execrations, verse 9. and that therefore gratulations are publikely and priuately made. verse. 10.
That is, when they haue spent those thousand two hundred and six∣tie yeares mentioned verse 2. and 3. in publishing their testimonie according to their office.
When they haue done their message.
Of which af∣ter, chap. 13. &c. That beast is the Romaine Empire, made long ago of ciuill, Ecclesiasticall: the chiefe head whereof was then Boni∣face the eight, as I said before: who lifted vp himselfe in so great arrogancie (saith the author of Fasciculus temporum) that he called himselfe Lord of the whole world, as well in temporall causes as in spirituall. There is extant of that matter, written by the same Boniface, most arrogantly, shall I say, or most wickedly ca. vnam sanctam. extra. de maioritate & obedientia; and in the sixt of the decretals (which is from the same author) many things are found of the same argument.
He shall persecute most cruelly the holy men, and put them to death, and shall wound & pierce through with cursings, both their names and writings. And that this was done to verie manie godly men by Boniface and others, the histories do declare, especially since the time, that the odious and condemned name amongst the multitude, first of the brethren Waldenses or Lugdunenses, then also of the Fraticells, was pretended, that good men might with more approbation be masta••red.
That is, openly at Rome: where at that time was a most great con∣course of people, the yeare of Iubilie being then first ordained by Boni∣face vnto the same end, in the yeare of Christ one thousand three hun∣dred, example whereof is read Chapter 1. Extra. de poenucntijs & remissio∣nibus. So by on act he committed double iniurie against Christ, both aboli∣shing his truth by the restoring of the type of the Iubilie, and triumphing ouer his members by most wicked superstition. O religious heart! Now, that we should vnderstand these things of Rome, S. Iohn himselfe is the author, both after in the seuenteenth Chapter almost throughout, and also in the circumscription now next following, when he saith, it is that great Citie (as Chapter 17. 18. he calleth it) and is spiritually tearmed Sodome and E∣gypt: and that spiritually (for that must here againe be repeated from be∣fore) Christ was there crucified. For the two first appellations signifie spi∣rituall wickednesses: the latter signifieth the shew and pretence of good, that is, of Christian and sound religion. Sodome signifieth most licentious impietie and iniustice; Egypt most cruell persecution of the people of God; and Ierusalem signifieth, the most confident glorying of that Citie, as it were in true religion, being yet full of falshood and vngodlinesse. Now who is ig∣norant that these things do rather and more agree vnto Rome, then vnto any other Citie? The commendations of the Citie of Rome for manie yeares past, are publikely notorious, which are not for me to gather toge∣ther. This onely I will say, that he long since did verie well see what Rome is, who taking his leaue thereof vsed these verses:
Roma vale, vidi, satis est vidisse: reuertar Quumleno, meretrix, scurra cinaedus aero.Now farewell Rome, I haue thee seene: it was inough to see: I will returne when as I meane, baud, harlot, knaue to be.
After a more secrete kind of meaning & vn∣derstanding.
Namely in his members, as also he said vn∣to Saul, Act. 9. 5.
That is, for three yeeres & an halfe: for so manie yeeres Boniface liued after his Iubi∣ley, as Bergo∣mensis witnes∣seth.
So much the more shall they by this occasiō exercise the iolities of their Iubilie.
The Gospel of Christ is the afflictiō of the world; & the ministerie therof, the sauour of death vnto death, to those that perish. 2. Cor. 2. 16.
The third place as I noted before, is of the ri∣sing againe of the Prophets from the dead, and their carrying vp into hea∣uen. For their resurrection is shewed in this verse; their calling and lifting vp into heauen, in the verse following.
That is, what time God shall destroy that wicked Boniface.
That is, the Prophets of God shall in a sort rise againe, not the same in person (as they say) but in spirit; that is, in the power & efficacie of their ministerie, which S. Iohn expressed before vers. 5. and 6. And so the prophecy that is spoken of Elias, is interpreted by the Angel to be vnderstood of Iohn the Baptist, Luke 1. 17. For the same Boniface himselfe, who sought to kill and destroy them, was the fire of Gods mouth (which the holy ministerie sheweth and exhibiteth) deuoured, and died miserablie in prison, by the in∣deuour of Sarra Columnensis, and Nogaretus a French knight, whom Philip the faire king of France sent into Italie but with a verie small power.
That is, the most grieuous heat of afflictions and persecutions shall stay for a while, for the great amaze that shall arise vpon that sodaine and vnlooked for iudgement of God.
They were called by God into heauen, and taken out of this malignant world, into the heauenly Church, which also lyeth hidden here in the earth, to exercise their calling secretly: as of whō this wretched world was vnworthy. Heb. 11. 38. For the Church of the wicked is by comparison called the earth or the world; & the Church of the godly, heauen. So in ancient time amongst the godly Israelits; so amongst the Iewes in the dayes of Manasses & other kings, whō the earth refused that heires of heauen, we reade that they lay hidden as heauen in the earth.
Yet could they not hinder the secret ones of the Lord (as the psalmist cal∣leth them, Psal. 83. 4.) but that they went on forward in his worke.
Bergomēsis saith, in the yere of our Lord 1301 this yeare a bla¦sing starre fore∣telling great calamitie to come, appeared in heauen: in which yeare vp∣on the feast of S. Andrew, so great an earth∣quake suddenly arose, as neuer before: which also continuing by times, for many dayes, ouerthrew many stately houses. This saith he of the yeare next folowing the Iubilie: which S. Iohn so many ages before, expressed as it were word for word.
They were in deed broken with present astonishmēt of mind, but did not earnestly repent as they ought to haue done.
Glorified God by confessing his Name.
He passeth vnto the second historie, which is the second part of this Chapter. S. Iohn calleth these the second and third wo, hauing respect vnto Chap 9. 12.
Of whose sounding the trumpet Christ expresly foretold. ch. 10. 7. & this is the second part of this chap. containing a general historie of the Christian Church, frō the time of Boniface the 8. vnto the cōsummatiō of the victory declared by voice from heauen. In this historie there are three branches: a preparation by the sound of the Angels trumpet: a narration by the voyces of heauenly Angels & Elders: and a confirmation by signe.
The nar∣ration hath 2. parts; an acclamation of the heauēly creatures, in this vers. and, both an adoration by all the Elders, vers. 16. & also a most ample thanks gi∣uing, ver. 17. 18. The sence of the acclamation is, Now the Lord is entred on his kingdom, & hath restored his Church, in which most mightily recouered from the profanation of the Gentiles, he may glorifie him self. Namely, that, which the Lord ordained when first he ordained his Church, that the faith of the Saints doth now behold as accōplished.
As before 7. 11. This gi∣uing of thāks is altogether of the same cōtent with the words going before.
A speech of the Hebrew lā∣guage, as much to say, as, the Gentiles being angry, thine in∣flamed wrath came vpon thē, and shewed it selfe frō heauē, occasioned by their anger and furie.
This is the confirmatiō of the next prophecie before going by signes exhibited in hea∣uen, and that of two sortes, where of some are visible, as the passing away of of the heauen, the opening of the Temple, the Arke of the couenant appea∣ring in the Temple, & testifying the glorious presence of God, and the light∣nings: others apprehended by eare and such more dull sences, which beare witnesse in heauen and in earth to the truth of the iudgements of God.