security. Satan will not only be confined to the abyss. and thereby totally expelled from the earth, the former theatre of his kingdom; but also chained in that place of confinement to a particular spot, where his angels may witness the deep degradation and abasement of their proud head, without his being able to do any mischief, or even chastise his revilers. This must be a great torment to a being of his arrogance and superior abilities.

He laid hold on the dragon-and bound him a thousand years. The arch-enemy of God and man is here described by his different names, every one of which he obtained from some important exploit which he accomplished among the children of men in former ages. Thus he, was known to the antediluvian world by the appellation of serpent, in the days of Job, and to the posterity of Abraham by the name Satan; to the Greeks by the name diabolos, which we have rendered devil; and on account of his being the author of Pagan idolatry, and persecution by means of the Roman government, he is termed the seven-headed dragon. When the first fountain of all evil is stopt, and ceases to spread its thousand streams into all the churches, governments and families over the whole earth; then also those plans of warfare against the Son of God and his people, by which the arch-enemy acquired these names, must terminate with his imprisonment. This glorious event will then show the degree of power and influence, Satan has had in the world, which hitherto so often, has been matter of dispute. Then all obstacles to the promulgation of the gospel among the

*The Hebrew word Satan, and the Greek diabolos, 8 vov xoσμov agxov, probably, are intended to convey collective ideas in many passages of Scripture, consisting of an aggregate of divers simple ideas united in one. This also seems to be the case here

†This is an ancient name of Satan, known many centuries before John in the East. He is called Dragon in the book Bundehesch, annexed to the Zend Avesta. See Index under the word "resurrection."

Heathen, will cease in a great measure, and the grace of God connected with his word and ordinances, will have a free course, and develope its whole power and celestial beauty among the children of men. All saints will be more perfect, and virtue shall shine forth in her genuine lustre, and meet with deserving recommendation. Plans and enterprises, for the happiness of man and the glory of the Lord, will meet with more general support and suitable sacrifices from the citizens of Christ's kingdom and never want for divine tokens of approbation and success. For the Lord has now manifested himself in the midst of his people, and is present with them on his holy hill of Zion, Ps. 11. a glorious rewarder of all that serve and seek him.

Satan is imprisoned and bound a thousand years; which are so many years of natural time, and should not be considered a prophetic number. See Introduction to the first volume. This has never been the case since the beginning of the world, and must necessarily be the harbinger of a new economy in Courch and state, or of a great change in the present order of things in the world. The Millennian reign of Christ's personal kingdom on earth then, commences with the manifestation of the King with many crowns, the battle of Armageddon, and the imprisonment of Satan and his angels. According to the system of prophetic chronology here adopted, and which has been verified by the completion of a long series of prophecies, from the year of the destruction of Jerusalem A. D. 72, down to the present time, these momentous events will probably take place in the great year of our Lord 1850. If therefore the blessed Millennium terminates in the year 2850, and the gov xgovor, little epocha of Satans respite, should prove a term of 950 years, as supposed in the Introduction to the first volume and chap. v1, 11, there would be 200 years left for the day of judgment; in order to make the duration of the world after the birth of Christ, equal to the years before his first Advent, as the

Prophet Habakuk chap. 111, 2, has prophesied the ageof the world should be. See vol. I. p. 33.

Yerse 4. AndI 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.

5. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

6. 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 a bim thousand years

I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them. All obstacles to the establishment of Christ's personal kingdom, upon the theatre of the four great monarchies, are at this point of the prophecy done away; and the Lord now begins to take important measures for its introduction. St. John introduces us now into a more august assembly, than the world has ever witnessed. These words are not to be understood as referring to the day of judgment, for that will not take place, until after the thousand years, ver. 11-15. The Lord here invests, those worthy and qualified from a:nong his faithful combatants, with royal authority, to govern the different nations, kingdoms, countries and states as his viceroys, under his superintendence and direction. This is indicated by the thrones, upon which they seated themselves to execute xęμa, temporal judgment against the disobedient. On this occasion they also seem to act as the Lord's particular confidants, through whom he promulgates his laws, makes his appointments to inferior offices, and selects those worthy of citizenship in his kingdom. Some authors have considered them to be the same with the holy martyrs, in the following sentence of

this verse, but they are evidently different persons; for Ts in the original, can not be construed with the following τας ψυχας. They are no doubt a selection of those who followed him on white horses, dressed in byssus, whom also Daniel saw, and termed the saints of the most High, Dan. vii, 22. 27. See also the passages Matt. XIX, 28. 1Cor. v1, 2. 3. which do not refer to the day of final retribution, but to what will take place during the Millennium, when the twelve tribes of Israel, and the Gentile nations will be converted to Christianity. Ps. LXXII, 1. Rom. VI, 8. 2 Tim. II, 12.

The apostle now describes those, who were considered worthy partakers, and associates in the blessings of Christ's kingdom. Of this number, the first are the holy martyrs, who were beheaded by the Pagans for their witness of Jesus, and by the Papal beast and its adherents, for bearing testimony to the word of God against papal corruptions. The word in the original, TETERENIGμEROV, occurs nowhere in Scripture except here, and does not signify persons beheaded with a sword, as customary in modern times in Europe; it signifies persons who have been killed with the axe, which was a Roman mode of executing criminals, very often used during the ten persecutions against the primitive Christians. The prophecy thus points to he ancient and modern martyrs, who suffered in the Roman empire, however, without excluding those who lost their lives for Christ's sake in other countries, or by dif ferent modes of torture. For the following words certainly refer to true martyrs of a more modern date, who suffered persecution and death, because they would not worship the beast neither his image neither receive his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands. Thus all

Securis the axe, was an ensign of office and authority among the Romans, which was carried before them on public occasions. They had more or less borne before them, according to their dignity; the consuls always had twelve.

the martyrs under the New Testament economy, as an equivalent for having lost their lives in the cause of Christ, shall be raised from the dead, to live and reign with the Lord a thousand years, previously to the day of general resurrection. The word soul in scripture, sometimes signifies the whole person, Acts. vII, 14. in other places the spirit separated from the body; but here it denotes the life of the body Ps. XVI, 10, in which they will be revived at this period. They have been killed in their bodies, for the spirit never dies, and in their immortal bodies they shall live again, and reign with Christ as his associates in his universal monarchy on earth. This is a privilege peculiar to them only, which is not promised to the rest of dead, i. e. to those millions of saints, who have died in the Lord since his pilgrimage on earth. The saints shall also reign with him, but at a more future period, as I shall show in chap. XXI; during these thousand years they sleep in peace, and rest from their labours. Oh, how great and glorious is the reward of the holy martyrs! how much does the Lord appreciate their sufferings! All the martyrs from Stephen down to the two witnesses, Rev. XI, 11. who probably will be the last; all these will now see, and rejoice with each other, and with the bride of the Lamb ;-not one will be wanting.

This is the first resurrection. These words are not to be taken as a general rule without exception. For many bodies of the saints arose during the earthquake, when Christ died upon the cross, and graced the triumph of his ascension, Matt. XXVII, 52. Ps. XLVII, 5; and others may have been raised since for special purposes, many of

†Their bodies will, probably, be organized, to possess a sensorium for this world, and for the world of spirits.

‡D. Dannhauer, speaking of the general resurrection in his Hodosophia p. m. 1445, says, Excipiendi tamen, si qui ante diem extremum singulari gratia revixerunt, e. g. Moses, et forte illi, de quibus dictum est, sav, Apoc. xx, 4. The fathers of the Church, Papias,