A plaine discovery of the whole Revelation of S. John
John Napier (1611)
Revelation
11 (JKV) |
Paraphrase
by John Napier |
And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. | And there was power and
knowledge given me straightly, as with a met-wand, to measure the state
of things to come: so Christ the great Angel of the covenant assisting
me, commanded me to arise from all earthly affections, and to prophesy
now the precise measure of times, that God has carefully appointed over
his true inward and invisible Church his holy religion, and all the
true posessors thereof. |
But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. | But as for the outward
superstitious and visible face of the pretended Church, it must be
rejected from God, and no care, measure, nor account had by him
thereof, because it must be given over to Antichristian and Idolatrous
people, who shall subdue his holy Church and spiritual Jerusalem, and
tread it under foot 1,260 years. |
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. | Yet in the meantime shall God
give that grace, that his two Witnesses, the old & new Testaments
shall be authorized, and shall preach and prophecy these thousand two
hundred and threescore years, though not in their due apparel but
disguised with the obscurity of men's traditions. |
These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. | These testaments be as two
Olives, to anoint us Kings and Priests to our God, and as two lanterns
to illuminate us with the true light of his holy Spirit. These abide
and stand before God with his elect upon the earth. |
And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. | If any Heretic would pervert
these the fire of godly zeal, proceeding from the mouths of their
posessors, shall confound these Heretics. And if any Atheist would
utterly subvert these Testaments, they shall be destroyed and die
eternally. |
These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. | These have such authority, that
the heaven shall be closed, and no rain shall descend from thence, and
tyranny and bloodshed shall be among the people of the earth, and the
world scourged with all kind of plagues, during all the days that these
Testaments and posessors thereof do so prophesy and threaten us for our
iniquities: yea even so often as they list to pronounce God's wrath
against us for that cause. |
And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. | And when these two Testaments
are completely written out, and their testimony authorized the
Antichrist Monarch, rising from the devil, shall strive against them,
and shall overcome them and shall deprive them of their spiritual
meaning and lively sense. |
And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. | And their dead letter shall lie
as dead carcases patiently, throughout all the jurisdiction of that
great Antichristian city which spiritually is as Sodom in all stinking
and unnatural lechery, and as Egypt in tyranny and oppression over the
Saints of God, for even there, Christ our Lord, in many respects is
continually crucified and put to death. |
And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. | And they of all tribes, people,
tongues, and nations shall see this dead letter, lying as dead carcases
the said space of one thousand two hundred and sixty years, and shall
not suffer the same to be duely buried, settled, & ingraved within
their breasts. |
And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. | For all that dwell in earthly
pleasures shall be merry to see God's word so smothered, and shall
rejoice together, and send gifts and propines every one to another: For
these two testaments would have preached against sins and prophesy
their destruction and have troubled the glad state of these that dwell
in earthly pleasures. |
And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. | But after the said thousand two
hundred and sixty years, the lively spirit of interpretation from God
shall quicken them up, and they shall be authorized and set up in
estimation, and the fear of God shall come upon the hearts of all men
that shall then rightly see & consider them. |
And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. | For by the voice and preaching
of God's heavenly and true Church, they were chosen & called upon,
to ascend up to them, and be promoted above all human traditions, and
they arose up, and were promoted to their due honour and authority,
among them of that heavenly and true Church, while as yet they were but
cloudy, dark, & unknown to the world: then shall their enemies the
Antichristians, now begin to see and perceive their authority. |
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