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that he will send his angels to reap the world, even as reapers do corn when the harvest is ripe. So when the world's sins are ripe, the harvest will be; and much like unto a master of the harvest of corn, he will thrust in his sickle first, then all his servants, until the harvest is reaped. So is it with him that sate under the white cloud; when the time is accomplished, and the harvest ripe, he will thrust in his sickle first, and then all his servants, the angels, shall fall to reaping the harvest of this world, and shall thrust in their sickles, and reap until all be cut down; that is, Christ shall come in the clouds of heaven, with all his holy angels to destroy this world for ever. Then will he thrust in his sickle indeed ; and this is the meaning of the sickle in his hand.

And those angels that cryed to him, that sate upon the cloud to thrust in the sickle, are the holy angels aforesaid, that must help to reap the world,for they have sickles also. That is, the angels have power from Christ to destroy, and cut down this wicked world, when their sins are at the full, then are they ripe, fit to be destroyed, even as the temporal Babylon was, when their sins were ripe, as in Joel iii. 13. Put you in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe, come get you down, for the press is full, the fats overflow, for their wickedness is great.

The prophet Joel spake this in relation to the reaping of Babylon, the enemies of the Jews, that after the seventy years captivity of Israel, their enemies sins of cruel usage was at the full, or ripe. Sq that now the sickle, that is, the power of the sword temporal, must utterly destroy Babylon, the Jews enemies,

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enemies, or reap it, for the harvest of their sins and cruelties were fully ripe. And the press was full, that is, their bodies were so full of wickedness and cruelty, that they did overflow with wickedness, their wickedness was so great.

So will it be with this spiritual Babylon, when the harvest is ripe; for this spiritual Babylon is so full of idolatry, of idols, images, and worshiping false gods, and persecution of the saints, that the press is full; that is, their bodies are so full of spiritual wickedness, or spiritual fornication, and persecution for conscience sake, as aforesaid, that their wickedness doth overflow, even as the aforesaid Babylon did. So that in the account of the spirit of faith, this spiritual Babylon is as really destroyed and reaped, their sins being ripe, as the other Babylon was. And as the sickle was thrust into them that they were destroyed, and reaped, so will it be with this, as in verse 19, of this chapter, And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great wine press of the wrath of God.

The earth signifies the people, and the vine of the earth signifies the wicked idolatrous worship of the people and the great wine press of the wrath of God, signifies that eternal death, and destruction upon all idolatrous people; who worship false gods.

This eternal or second death is the great wine press of the wrath of God, and in verse 20. of this chapter it is said, And the wine press was troden without the city, and blood came out of the wine press, even

unto

unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs. The meaning is this, the wine press was troden without the city, that is, the destruction of the enemies of Judah and Israel it was without the city of Jerusalem, so will the eternal destruction of all idolaters at the end of the world be without the city, New Jerusalem. That is, none of the seed of faith who are the holy city, in the spiritual, shall see their destruction, for blood shall come out of the wine press, even to the horse bridles; the blood signifies the extream torment, it being for ever; the wine press signifies the great wrath of God, pressing their souls for their wickedness to eternity; unto the horse bridles signifies the extream fulness of wickedness, so that the wrath of God might walk in their souls, even as an horse may do through blood, even up to his bridle; for God's wrath will be as many horses to crush and trample his enemies under feet, so that their miseries may break forth as blood for God's horses; that is, his vengeance to walk through to eternity,

As for the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs, that signifies a great space and distance from the city of God; that is, from the spiritual city of God, to wit, the true believers. So that this spiritual mystery Babylon, who made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, as aforesaid, I say she must undergo the wrath of God, and be troden without the spiritual city; the seed of faith, both Jew and Gentile, being called that holy city, even as the other Babylon was troden and destroyed without the city of Jerusalem; which was

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many miles off Jerusalem. Thus in short I have given the interpretation of the most things of concernment in chap. xiv.

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CHAP xv. 1. John saw another sign in heaven,

great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them is filled up the wrath of God..

This great and marvellous sign that John saw in heaven, it was those plagues or wrath of God, that was to be poured out upon this spiritual Babylon, and those beasts, and nations, and people, who did drink of the cup of her fornication of idolatry; which is more explained in the sixteenth chapter.

Alsó John saith, he saw another sign, great and marvellous. It is said to be another sign, because he spake in the chapter before much of that temporal Babylon, with the plagues and fall of it. But in this fifteenth chapter these plagues have relation only to this mystery Babylon, therefore said to be another sign in heaven, great and marvellous. It is great and marvellous indeed, for he saw the utter destruction and end of the world; therefore calls. them the seven last plagues before upon the other Babylon. But these seven plagues, are the last plagues that are to be poured out upon the earth, therefore called by the spirit marvellous, because the whole wrath or final wrath of God is filled up

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or finished upon the whore, beast, false prophets, and all idolatrous persons in the world. And this is to be executed by seven angels; that is, these seven holy angels have commission from God, to pour out those seven last plagues in a suitableness or likeness to those plagues that were poured out upon Egypt, as will appear in the next chapter.

In verse 2. John saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire, and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the numbers of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

The reader may remember that I have shewed before, when I treated upon the fourth chapter of the Revelation, that there is a chrystal sea, like unto glass or chrystal waters, in heaven above the stars, as really as there is a sea of waters here upon the earth; and as certain as ships and other vessels can, and do swim, or glide upon the sea and waters here below, so may spiritual bodies stand or walk upon the sea of glass in heaven above the stars.

And this sea of glass is mingled with fire; it is said to be mingled with fire, to signify the purity of it the more, because fire is that which purifies more than any thing but water; therefore the spirit of God is compared to fire and to water; as Christ shall baptize with the Holy Ghost, and with fire; and Christ will give every true believer water of life, so that as the spirit of God, the operation of it, is compared to fire and to water, those two being the purifying things upon earth.

So likewise this sea of glass mingled with fire,

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