dead lived not again, until the thousand years were finished ;" then follows, "This is the first resurrection, blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection." Now what coherence does it make to say, 'The rest of the dead lived not again, (i. e. were not regenerated, say these objectors,) until the thousand years were finished;' unless we dream that the rest of the dead were regenerated at the end of the thousand years, when comes apostasy instead, and the general judgment? Therefore this phrase first resurrection can no way relate to regeneration by the word and Spirit; and to me therefore this text gives a distinct sound, viz. that as the rest of the dead lived not again till the last resurrection, at the end of the thousand years; so the saints did live again at the first resurrection, at the beginning of the thousand years. More may be dug out of this place, worthy of consideration. For it is said, "The rest of the dead lived not again;" as in relation to the dead saints in glory, as the objectors grant. Well, if the saints were now corporally dead, immediately before these thousand years, then the rest of the dead (the wicked) were also dead corporally. It is also granted by most, that at the end of the thousand years, they lived again corporally: why then do any doubt in the least to understand that the saints, said to be alive during the thousand years, are alive corporally. The saints are alive in body during the thousand years, as really as the rest are dead in body before and during the thousand years, and alive in body after the thousand years are ended. The very word 'rest' imports a remnant of the same lump,-a kind of the same general. The lump or general is, that many are dead, both saints and wicked, before the thousand years begin; but when the thousand years are begun, all the one kind, viz. the saints, are raised to life, and reign with Christ; but the remnant or other kind, the wicked, live not again. It is likewise added, as an improvement of the condition of the saints, that Satan is bound during the thousand years, that he should not deceive nor stir up the nations against the saints, till the thousand years be expired. If the true meaning, however, of the saints living a thousand years were the glorious condition of their souls in the highest heaven, what need was there to chain up Satan from deceiving the nations, and just to that G thousand years; for the saints, if in heaven, would be far above the reach of tumultuating nations and tempting devils. But in as much as it is added, that after the thousand years are expired Satan shall be loosed, and shall deceive the nations, and gather them together from all quarters, and they shall encompass the camp of the saints, and the beloved city, it necessarily follows, that those saints, that are here said to live the thousand years, Idid live that while on earth. It is likewise further to be considered, that the Jews are to have a great share in this millennary life. For the Book of Revelation is full of representations, prophecies, and promises quoted out of the Old Testament, which are there made to them; and the mention, that Euphrates is to be dried up, relates to the Jewish Antichrist, who is to fall, and the Jews are to be restored; and therefore (though John wrote in the Gentile Greek language) the song of the Church for her restoration and the destruction of her enemies, is set forth in Hebrew four or five times in six verses together- alleluja,' and 'amen.'n Now as the restoration of the Jews is mainly regarded in all the Scriptures that concern the glory of the universal church on earth; so it is spoken of as a further and greater thing than the conversion of their particular persons. The dry bones must live, and become a mighty host or armed multitude; and the two dry sticks of Judah and Israel shall grow into one, as ingrafted scions into a stock, and become one nation gathered from all quarters of the world into one body; sleep in the dust shall awake, &c. P end of 1335 years, after the ceasing of the daily sacrifice, (which falls into the time of calling and gathering the Jews,) shall stand in his lot. 9 Concerning which and similar expressions Paul saith, What shall be the receiving of them (a more comprehensive word than converting) but life from the dead?" r He saith not 'life from death,' as meaning only spiritual life; but gives a fuller phrase according to the Greek, (¿wn ɛk vɛkpwv,) importing a resurrection too, of the deceased believers. After this he adds at verse 26, That there shall come out of Zion the DELIVERER, and shall turn away iniquity from Jacob;" the Apostle still o Ezekiel xxxvii. p Dan. xii, 2. q Ibid. v. 13. r Rom. xi, 15. n Rev. xix, 1-6. and many of them that And Daniel himself at the looking upon it as a thing future, though Christ had already been come and gone ;) and he speaks it in relation to the saving of all Israel; intimating, that the bringing in of the Jews at the “restitution of all things" would be a very great and glorious business. And therefore the share which the Jews have in this millennarian enjoyment, will not endure that this Scripture, (Rev. xx,) should be got rid of by a metaphorical gloss. But we must now proceed to another part of the text in question; viz. that the saints are said, Rev. xx, 4, not only to live that thousand of years, but to reign also, and to reign with Christ. This is stated in some measure to distinguish the saints of the thousand years from the men who remain in the flesh; who, though they live this thousand years, do not reign, being many of them inwardly slaves to sin and Satan, and outwardly vassals to the Church through fear; and so (alas !) they linger out and refrain themselves till Satan is again let loose; and then, seduced by him, they muster themselves together, hoping for mastery, which the sudden coming of the general judgment doth utterly anticipate and frustrate. The reign of the saints is such, as is altogether to be distinguished from their best condition before the thousand years. Before they reigned partially only, over their corruptions and Satan's temptations, but never over men; but now totally and finally over sin, men, and devils. They shall now reign in soul and body, and on earth most gloriously: for the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy unto the end; and the kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is everlasting, &c. s Mark the order, time, and place of fulfilling these things. In Revelation also, one hundred forty and four thousand are seen on Mount Zion with the Lamb, who are redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb: these give glory to God, for that the hour of his judgment is come-Babylon is fallen. t These in the third verse are further said to sing a new song, (the same as in Rev. v, 9, 10,) the burden of which is, "Thou hast made us unto our God s Dan. vii, 26. t Rev. xiv. kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth." I only allege these Scriptures now, to give a hint of the eminent reigning of the saints in the thousand years in scripture language, rather than in my own words. I shall hereafter, Christ assisting, more amply discuss these texts; meanwhile the Reader cannot but see, that they hold forth a glorious reign of the saints in soul and body, over the whole earth, upon the fall of the fourth monarchy, and its two limbs of seven and three horns,-Pope and Turk, Rome and Babylon. It is objected by the learned Dr. Prideaux, that the dignity of reigning is not attributed to the saints and martyrs themselves, but only to their souls; and therefore that it is far from the scope of the prophecy to extend the first resurrection to any other than a resurrection from the deadly opinions of Antichrist. To say nothing of the difficulty of limiting the thousand years in this case, (which the Doctor admits to be a thousand,) seeing that men have in all ages risen up from antichristian opinions, and not for a thousand years only years only I rather argue from the Greek text, that the souls must in this instance be a synechdoche for the persons, and that the resurrection must signify the union of body and soul. For first, in that passage "which had not worshiped the beast," the word which (orives) is in the masculine gender; whereas souls, which is the antecedent to it, is feminine. So also the rest of the dead (oi Noiñoɩ twv vekpwv) is in the masculine, in antithetical opposition to those that were beheaded, των πεπελεκισμένων. : In regard to the thousand years I shall only in conclusion observe; that it is so punctually and positively set down to be a thousand years,' that I know not how, without perverting the Scripture, to made it otherwise. To witness the Holy Spirit six times over in six verses name a thousand years precisely, touching the same business,―never varying the phrase so as to weaken it, but four times strengthening it with emphasis in the Greek, viz. the or that same thousand years,'-to witness this I say, and yet meanwhile imagine another number without good ground, appears to me presumptuous. I know no instance in the Bible of such a phrase being put for any other number, that may encourage me to such a bold imagination. That of Peter, 2 Epistle, iii, 8, is nothing against us. It is true, a thousand years in God's account, in regard to his knowledge of all things as present, and his eternal entity before and beyond all things, are but as one day; but still, a thousand years are a thousand years in themselves, however they be as nothing in comparison with God. But man cannot make a long time and a short time all one: a thousand years to him are not as one natural day, neither to the saints here reigning; or their privilege will amount to a very small matter. Nor can any considerate man make these thousand years to signify more than a thousand years, viz. eternity, as some would have it. There is an eminent punctum, or point, both for the beginning and the ending of these thousand years, which forbid such a conclusion. They begin with the fall of Antichrist, the destruction of his army, and the wonderful binding of Satan; and they end with the loosing of Satan, and the war with Gog-Magog. Is it possible that any should refer this to the eternity of supreme glory? Besides, the parts to which this number is applied, are so cemented together, as to cause and effect, distinction and opposition, &c. that they mightily strengthen and prove the just account of a thousand years. Satan is bound a thousand years, that he should not deceive the nations, till that same thousand years should be fulfilled. Then the saints live and reign with Christ that same thousand years; (so the Greek ;) but the rest of the dead live not again, until those thousand years are finished ; i. e. whilst the holy ones are made priests of God, and of Christ, and reign with Christ a thousand years. And it is worth our noting by the way, that instead of adding here kings to priests, (as in Rev. v, 10,) it is supplied with this, that they reign with Christ; so that when it is said in Rev. v, 10, that the saints are made priests and kings to God, their kingly office is meant in relation to that which there follows, viz. their reigning upon earth. Nor is it the least consideration, that the thousand years, in order that we may not stretch or shrink this number, are bounded in by two most notable things, namely two resurrections. The living of the saints, whilst the rest of the dead lived not is the first resurrection; and this relates to a second, at the end of the thousand years, when Satan having been loosed a little space, the dead, small and great, stand before God. |