chapter, from the thirteenth verse to the end of it. There the kings of the earth, and the whole world, are said to be gathered together to battle; "The battle of the great day of God Almighty." So here "The beast and the kings of the earth, and their armies, are gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse." And there the battle is described as coming on, upon the pouring out of the seventh vial, and great Babylon, which is the same with the beast, and the false prophet, and all the enemies of Christ, are destroyed in battle. Which is exactly parallel with the war and battle of which there is a more particular description in the nineteenth chapter, and must be one and the same event. This is confirmed by what immediately follows this destruction of the enemies of Christ, in the beginning of the twentieth chapter, which, as has been observed, is the same event with that described in the nineteenth chapter by the marriage of the Lamb, whose bride, that is the church, was made ready and arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. A more particular and remarkable description of this same thing, in the twentieth chapter, is in the following words.

"And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: And after that, he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them. 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, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands: And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand

years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection. On such the second death hath no power; but they shall be priests of God, and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."

A particular explanation of this passage of scripture will be attempted in the next section. That it does express and confirm the truth which is contained in the numerous prophecies which have been mentioned, and which is set up to be proved in this section, the following observations will show.

1. This event here predicted, is to take place after the overthrow of the Roman antichristian kingdom, and the destruction of all the enemies of Christ and his church on earth. This is evident from the account of the destruction of these in the prophecy immediately preceding these words, and upon which the glorious scene opened in this passage, is to take place. And the same is predicted in the last part of the sixteenth chapter, as has been shown. This is agreeable to the prophecies of the same event, in the Psalms, and by Daniel, and others, viz. that the time of the reign of Christ, and of the saints on earth, shall succeed the destruction of the wicked, and the total overthrow of all the preceding kingdoms and powers in the world, which has been from time to time observed upon them, when they were transcribed. And in this very passage, Satan himself is represented as bound, and cast out of the earth, and shut up in the bottomless pit, antecedent to the reign of Christ, and his followers in the world; which necessarily implies the total ruin of his cause and kingdom on earth, and the extirpation of all the wicked who are his children and servants. Therefore, the time here predicted is not yet come.

2. All this is to take place before the end of the world, and the day of judgment. This is very evident and certain, since it is said, that when this happy time of a thousand years is ended, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive

the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth: And then, after this, Christ is represented as coming to judgment; of which there is a particular account; and of the final and eternal destruction of all his enemies.

3. Christ is here said to reign, and his saints to reign with him, which, without any doubt, is the same event, and the same period, which is foretold by Daniel and other prophets, as a most happy and joyful time, when that nation and those men who will not serve Jesus Christ, shall be destroyed; and there shall be given to him dominion and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the saints of the Most High, and all dominions shall serve him. And the extent and universality of the kingdom of Christ, and of those who reign with him, as including all nations and all men, is supposed and implied in his binding Satan, and casting him out, "that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled." Satan is said to deceive the whole world.* And when he is cast out of the whole world, Jesus Christ and his people will take possession of it, and reign in all the earth.

4. Christ and his people are to reign on earth a THOUSAND YEARS. All have not been agreed in the length of time denoted here by a thousand years. Some have supposed that a thousand years is used indefinitely, not to express any precise number of years, but a great number of years, or a long time. But this cannot reasonably be admitted, as the sense of the expression here, since this precise number of years, is mentioned six times in this passage, which appears inconsistent with its being used in such an indefinite, vague sense. And besides, there is noth

Rev. xii. 9. Hence this time is called the Millennium, which signifies a thousand years,

ing in the connexion here, or in the nature or circumstances of the case, to lead any one to understand this number, as put indefinitely.

There are others who suppose, thet these are to be understood to be a thousand prophetical years, that is, as many years as there are days in a thousand literal years, a day being put for a year. According to this way of reckoning, a thousand years are put for three hundred and sixty thousand years; for in that age, a year was reckoned to consist of three hundred and sixty days. It is said, that in this book of Revelation, a day is constantly put for a year. A thousand two hundred and sixty days, mean so many years; and forty-two months, mean as many years, as there are days in so many months, reckoning thirty days to each month, as they then did; which therefore amount to the same number of years, i. e. one thousand two hundred and sixty years. And a time and times, and half a time, i. e. three years and an half, mean as many years as there are days in three years and an half; which are just as many as there are in forty-two months; that is, one thousand two hundred and sixty years. It is therefore concluded, that these thousand years must be understood in the same way; that is, that a day is put for a year; which will amount to three hundred and sixty thousand years.

It is acknowledged that this supposition is supported by some colour of argument and plausibility: But there are objections to it, some of which will be mentioned.

1. It does by no means follow that these are prophetical years, in the sense mentioned, because a day is put for a year, in other places in this prophecy.There may be reasons for putting a day for a year, in other instances; and yet there be no reason for putting a thousand years for as many years as there are days in a thousand years, in this instance; and therefore no reason for understanding them so. And a day is not put for a year in every other instance in this book. The dead bodies of the two witnesses are

D

said to lie in the street of the city, three days and an half,* which do not mean three years and an half, as no event respecting them can be made consistent with such a meaning.

2. The number, a thousand years, being repeated so many times in one short paragraph, seems to be a reason that it is to be understood literally, for just so many years, and not so many prophetical years. Especially, as there is nothing in this case to lead us to understand it in the latter sense; but it may as consistently with every thing in this book, and this prophecy in particular, and more so, as will be now observed, be understood literally. And it is farther to be observed, that there is no instance in this book, or in the whole Bible, where a precise number is so often repeated in the same words, that is not to be understood literally.

3. It seems to be out of all proper proportion, to suppose there will be so long a time as three hundred and sixty thousand years of prosperity and happiness, and of great and universal holiness in this world, the habitation of an apostate, sinful race of men; and but six thousand years of evil times. And this does not appear consistent with this world being represented as an evil world, as it is in the scripture: Or with its being cursed in consequence of man's rebellion, One thousand years may be an exception out of seven thousand, in which the curse may be mitigated, and in a great measure removed; and yet, on the whole, or the whole taken together, it may be considered and called, an evil and accursed world, for man's sake. But if there were to be only six thousand years of evil and the curse, and three hundred and sixty thousand years of good and a blessing, it would not, on the whole, be an evil or cursed, but a happy and blessed world.

4. It has been observed, that the natural world is evidently a designed type or shadow of the moral

* Rev. xi. 9.