Of the Conflagration of the
universe
John Gill
The effects of Christ's second
coming and personal appearance are many; as the resurrection of the just, of
which we have treated at large already; and the burning of the world, and
making new heavens and a new earth, and the reign of Christ there
with his saints a thousand years; and thou the general judgment: of all which
in their order. And to begin with the universal conflagration; which is
strongly and fully expressed by the apostle Peter, #2Pe 3:10,12 where he says,
"the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also, and the works
that are therein, shall be burnt up": which is to be understood of the
burning of the whole sublunary and visible world; signified
by the heavens and the earth, taken in a literal and not in a figurative sense.
1. First, not figuratively, as
some {1} interpret them, of the Jewish church, and of the Mosaic elements, the
ceremonial laws, and the abolition of them; and who suppose,
that the "new heavens" and the "new earth", in a following
verse, design the evangelical church state, or gospel dispensation, which took
place upon the removal of the former. But,
1a. Though the civil state of
the Jews is sometimes expressed by the heavens and the earth,
and the removing of it by the shaking of them, #Heb 12:26,27 and sometimes by
the "world", at the end of which Christ came, and upon whose apostles
the ends of it were, #Heb 9:26 1Co 10:11 yet the Jewish church is never called
the world; for, in opposition to that, the Gentiles are called the world; the
name of church the Jews took to themselves, that of the world they gave to the
Gentiles, #Ro 11:12,15 hence the love of Christ in dying for
the Gentiles is expressed by this phrase, #Joh 3:16 1Jo 2:2.
1b. Though the commandments of
the ceremonial law are called elements or rudiments, in allusion to the
elements or rudiments of a language, to which children are put
to learn; under which the Jews were while children; and while under the law, as
a schoolmaster, #Ga 4:3,9 Col 2:20 yet they are never so called, in allusion to
the elements, which belong to the system of the natural world, such as air and
earth, which are only capable of being burnt; for surely the burning of a few
papers or parchments of the law cannot be meant here.
1c. The abrogation of the
ceremonial law is expressed by other phrases usually; as by the fleeing away of
shadows, the breaking down the middle wall of partition, the abolishing of the
law of commandments, and a disannulling of it; but never by burning, melting,
and dissolving.
1d. The Mosaic elements, or
the ceremonial law and its precepts, were already abolished when Peter wrote
this epistle; these had their end in Christ, and were done away at his death;
signified by the rending of the temple vail asunder; and Peter knew this, who
was the first to whom it was made known, by letting down before
him a sheet, in a visionary way, with all kind of creatures in it, which he was
bid to slay and eat; and from whence he learnt that now nothing was to be
reckoned common and unclean, that law which made the distinction being
abrogated; whereas the melting of the elements was a future thing in his time,
and is yet so, And likewise,
1e. The new heavens and the
new earth, if by them are meant the evangelic state, or gospel church state;
that also had already taken place, and Peter was au instrument in the forming
of it; he had the keys of the kingdom of heaven given him, and opened the door
of faith by preaching the gospel to Jews and Gentiles; and on the day of Pentecost three thousand were converted and baptized,
and added to the church, which was the first gospel church in Jerusalem; and
therefore this was not a state to be looked for as to be in future time. But,
2. Secondly, the words are to
be understood literally; yet not of a partial bursting of some
particular place or city; not of the burning of Jerusalem, the city and temple,
and inhabitants of it; which is the sense some {2} put upon them; and which
some take into the former sense, and so make a motley sense of them, partly
figurative and partly literal; but such a sense of the words cannot be
admitted; for,
2a. This
would not afford a sufficient answer to the objection to the promise of
Christ's coming, taken from the continuation of all things in the same
situation as they were from the creation, #2Pe 3:4 for what change in the
system of the universe would the burning of a single city, and of a temple in
it, make? Changes and revolutions in single states, kingdoms, and cities, had
been frequent, and these objectors could not be ignorant of
them: but nothing less than such a change as was made by the flood could
strengthen the answer to the objection and serve to remove it. Wherefore,
2b. The destruction here
spoken of is of equal extent with the destruction of the world
by the flood; as the world, the whole world that then was, was overflowed by
the flood and perished; so the heavens and the earth which are now will be
dissolved and burnt by fire; and nothing short of such a dissolution of the
whole frame of nature can answer such a description. Besides, it may be further
observed, as it has been {3},
2c. That the apostle's quoting
a passage in #2Pe 3:8 from #Ps 90:4 seems to suppose, that the time of Christ's
coming might be then a thousand years off, as in fact it was, and much more,
and yet be a short time with God, and might be spoken of as such; but to make
mention of a thousand years must seem very improper, with respect to an event that was not twenty years to come; and which Christ
had assured would be in that generation, #Mt 23:36,38,39 24:3,34.
2d. No such events as here
mentioned happened at the destruction of Jerusalem and the burning of the
temple; as the passing away of the heavens with a great noise, a fervent heat in them, to the liquefaction of the elements; with
the burning of the earth and all works in it; for even the land of Judea itself
was not thus burnt up, with the cities, towns, villages, and inhabitants of
them, and all things in them.
2e. Nor was this destruction
so desirable a thing as to be looked for with pleasure, and
the coming of Christ to effect it, to be hastened to, as in #2Pe 3:12 whereas
Christ's coming to judge the quick and dead, at his appearing and kingdom, will
be glorious, and is to be looked for and loved. To say no more,
2f. The destruction here
prophesied of is expressly said to be at the day of judgment, against
which day the heavens and the earth are reserved unto fire, #2Pe 3:7 so that,
upon the whole, nothing else can be meant but the general conflagration of the
world by fire, in a literal sense. The nature and extent of this burning will
be more particularly considered after we have proved that such a conflagration
is possible and probable, yea, certain; as will appear,
2f1. First,
from partial burnings, which may be considered as
types,
emblems, and presages of the universal burning; as,
2f1a. The
burning of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities of the
plain;
which were set forth for "an example of suffering the
vengeance of
eternal fire"; and why not then be considered
as an emblem
of the burning of the world at the last day?
These cities were
destroyed by fire which came down from
heaven; and
on a day, when in the morning there was no
appearance
nor likelihood of it, a fine, bright, sunshine
morning, #Ge
19:23,24 and when the inhabitants of it were
thoughtless
and secure, and indulging themselves in
pleasures;
and thus, says our Lord, "shall it be in the day
when the Son
of man is revealed", that is, in flaming fire,
to
take vengeance on the wicked, #Lu 17:28-30 and if God
could destroy
these cities, and all in them, by fire from
heaven, what
should hinder but that he can destroy the whole
world in like
manner?
2f1b.
The destruction of Jerusalem, and the burning of the
temple, were
emblems of the destruction of the world by
fire; hence
in answer to the question, put by the disciples
of Christ
unto him; "What shall be the sign of thy coming,
and of the
end of the world?" #Mt 24:3. Our Lord gives such
as
were common, both to the destruction of Jerusalem, near
at hand, and
of the whole world, at the end of it, the one
being typical
of the other: and so these signs had a double
accomplishment;
first in the destruction of Jerusalem, and
then in the
final dissolution of the world. And so the
destruction
of the Jews is sometimes expressed in such
language as
suits with the destruction of the whole world;
particularly
in #De 32:22. "For a fire is kindled in my
anger",
&c. And, indeed, this conflagration here spoken of
may be
thought to reach further than the land of Judea,
though
that seems principally designed; even other parts of
the earth,
and to terminate in the destruction of the whole
world; and so
Justin Martyr {4} interprets it of the general
conflagration.
And though Jerusalem and the temple were not
burnt by fire
from heaven, yet the hand of God was so
manifest
therein, that Titus, the heathen emperor himself,
could observe
it; who strove, by all possible means, to
prevent the
burning of the temple, but could not do it; for
God, as the
historian observes, had condemned it to the fire
{5}; as,
indeed, it was: our Lord foretold the burning of
the
city by the Romans, #Mt 22:6 and the blaming of
the temple is
prophesied of in #Zec 11:1 there called
Lebanon,
because built of the cedars of Lebanon.
2f1c. The
burning of the beast, of antichrist, and of the
antichristian
states. The judgment which will issue in that
is described
in such manner as if the last and the great day
of judgment
was intended, and the dissolution of all things
at hand; yet
nothing else follows upon it, but the body of
the beast
being destroyed and committed to the burning
flame,
#Da 7:9-11 and the destruction of Idumaea, which
seems to be a
type of Rome and of the antichristian states,
is expressed
in such language as agrees very well with the
dissolution
and burning of the whole world, #Isa 34:4-6,9,10
of the
burning of Rome, see #Re 18:8-18.
2f1d. The
destruction of Gog and Magog, or the Turk, will be by
fire; which
will be at the beginning of the spiritual reign
of Christ; and
when the Jews are converted, and restured to
their own
land, which will irritate the Turk to bring his
armies
against them, the Lord will "rain upon him an
overflowing
rain, and great hailstones, fire and brimstone",
#Eze 38:22
this is said of Gog; and the like is said of
Magog, #Eze
39:6. And I will send a fire on Magog: these are
different
from the Gog and Magog in #Re 20:8,9 who are no
other
than all the wicked dead raised; whereas these are the
Turks: and
they will appear at a different time; the one at
the beginning
of the spiritual reign of Christ, as before
observed; and
the other at the end of the personal reign of
Christ, or
the millennium; and so the fire that comes down
from
heaven on the one is of a different nature from that
which comes
on the other; the one is a material fire, the
other the
wrath of God. Now these several partial burnings, as
they are
types and presages of the universal burning of the
world, so
they at least make that possible and probable.
2f2.
Secondly, the probability of the universal conflagration may
be argued
from the preparations in nature which are made and
making for
it; for the apostle says, that "the heavens and
the earth
which are now", which are now in being, "are by
the
same word", the word of God, "kept in store", as a
treasure, and
are treasured up among the stores of
vengeance,
"reserved unto fire"; for which preparations are
making in
them; "against the day of judgment, and perdition
of ungodly
men", when it will break forth and destroy the
universe
and all things in it. Preparations are making in
the earth for
this general burning. Not to take notice of
the central
fire, supposed by some to be in the midst of the
earth, since
it is doubtful whether there is such a thing or
not; it is
certain there are various volcanos, or burning
mountains,
in different parts of the world; besides Mount
Etna, in
Sicily {6}, which has been burning for many ages,
as also has
Vesuvius, near Naples; and the island of
Strombilo, in
the sea, which lies between them both, and is
thought to
have a communication with them under the bottom
of
the sea; and Lipara, near Sicily: and so far north as
Iceland,
there are three burning mountains; one of them
called Hecla,
which oftentimes rages no less than Etna,
vomiting out
prodigious stones, with a terrible noise;
besides hot
springs in abundance. In the East Indies, in the
island
of Java, not far from the town Panacura, a mountain
broke out in
1586, for the first time; discharging such
quantities of
burning brimstone, that above ten thousand
persons in
the country round about were destroyed. The mount
Gonnapi, in
one of the islands of Banda, in the same year,
which
had been burning seventeen years, broke from the rest,
throwing out
a most dreadful quantity of burning matter, and
great red hot
stones, &c. There is another mountain on the
island of
Sumatra, which smokes and flames just like Etna.
The earth, in
the Molucca islands, casts out fire in several
places;
as in Sorea and Celebes; especially a mountain in
Ternata. In
one of the Moorish islands, about one hundred and
twenty miles
from those of the Molucca, there happen very
often
earthquakes, with eruptions of fire and ashes. In
Japan, and the
islands about it, there are many little, and
one
great burning mountain; nay, it is said {7}, there are
eight
"volcanos" in Japan, besides many hot springs. In
Tandaja, one
of the Philippine islands, are found many small
fire
mountains; and one in the island Mariudica, not far from
them. The
like are found in North America, in the province of
Nicaragua.
And in South America, in Peru, among those
mountains
that make the ridge of the Cordillera, near the
city
Arequipa, there flames a mountain continually. There is
likewise one
near the valley Mullahalo, which being opened by
fire, casts
out great stones. There are also several burning
mountains
in the district that lies on the east side of the
river
Jeniscea, in the country of the Tongesi, some weeks
journey from
the river Oby, according to the relation of the
Muscovites;
as also near another water called Besida. Near
the island
Santorini, no longer ago than the year 1707,
sprung
up a new island from the bottom of the sea; in which,
about the end
of August that year, the subterraneous fires,
after a
terrible rumbling, burst out with such violent noise
as if six or
seven pieces of cannon were discharged at once;
and
frequently a great quantity of ashes, glowing stones, and
huge
pieces of burning rocks, have been tossed into the air
with such a
force, that they have been carried seven miles
before they
have dropped into the sea {8}! Strabo {9} reports
somewhat
similar to this, as done near this place some
hundreds of
years ago. Nor is our island free from symptoms
and
appearances of subterraneous fires; for by what are the
hot waters at
Bath and Bristol occasioned, but by them, by
which they
are heated? Besides, there are eruptions of fire
in some places
in other parts of the land {10}. And by the
above
accounts it appears, that not only there have been
burning
mountains in ages past, in some places, even
thousands of
years ago; but that new ones, in later times,
have broke
out: so that the preparation for the general
burning of
the world is still carried on and is increasing;
and which may
seem to portend its being near. And there is
not
only a preparation making in the earth but in the heavens
also, where
there is great store of materials fit for this
purpose
provided; witness the fiery meteors in them, the
blazing
comets, which sometimes appeal and are always in
being, though
not always seen by us; also those vast bodies
of
light and fire, the sun and stars, to be made use of on
occasion; and
the vast quantities of matter which occasion
such dreadful
thunders and lightnings which, in some parts of
the world,
are almost continual, and from which they are
scarce ever
free. Now when these things are considered, the
general
conflagration of the world will seem neither
impossible
nor improbable; but rather it may be wondered at,
and thought a
miracle, that the earth has not been destroyed
by fire long
ago. Let the atheist, the infidel, the profane
and careless
sinner tremble at this. Pliny {11} the heathen,
observing
the many fires in the earth and in the heavens, and
how easily
fire is kindled by holding concave glasses to the
sun, says,
``It exceeds all miracles,
that one day should pass and all things not put into a conflagration!''
2f3. Thirdly,
what may make the doctrine of the universal
conflagration
probable, is, that it has been believed in all
ages, and by
all sorts of persons. Josephus {12} says, that
Adam
foretold the destruction of all things, at one time by
the force of
fire; and at another time by the violence and
multitude of
water; and therefore the posterity of Seth
built two
pillars, one of brick and the other of stone, on
which they
inscribed their inventions; that if that of brick
was
destroyed by the force of showers of rain, that of stone
remaining,
would show to men what was written on the brick:
from hence,
or, however, from an early tradition, this
notion of the
burning of the world has been received and
embraced by
various nations, both Jews and Gentiles: as for
the
Jews, they might have it, not only from tradition, but
might
conclude it from the word of God, as they do; who say
{13}, that
though God has sworn he will not bring a flood of
water on the
world, yet he will bring a flood of fire; as it is said,
#Isa 66:16. "For by fire will the Lord
plead", or judge;
hence
they speak of the wicked being judged with two sorts of
judgments, by
water and by fire {14}: and this same
tradition got
among the Gentiles, and was received by them;
as by the
Indians {15}, the inhabitants of Siam and Pegu,
the
Egyptians, the Chaldaeans, and the ancient Gauls and Britons,
and
the Druids among them {16}. And it has been
embraced by
poets and philosophers, Greek and Latin.
Lactantius
{17} quotes a prophecy of one of the sybils,
that as God
formerly destroyed the world with a flood,
so he would
hereafter destroy mankind for their wickedness
by
burning. Justin Martyr {18} observes, that the sybil, Hystaspes
(the Persian)
and the Stoics, assert, that corruptible things shall
be destroyed
by fire. Orpheus, that very ancient poet, as
quoted by
Plato {19}, affirmed, that in the sixth generation, the
world,
katakausetai, (so it should be read) shall be burnt; and
Sophocles,
as quoted by Justin {20}, and Clemens of Alexandria
{21}, speaks
of this burning. The verses of Ovid {22}, concerning
this matter,
and so of Lucan {23}, are well known. The philosophers
make frequent
mention of it; Empedocles {24} says, there
shall be
sometime a change of the world into the substance of
fire.
And Heraclitus taught {25}, that as all things are of fire,
all shall be
resolved into it again; and that as the world was
generated out
of fire, in a course of years the whole world shall
be burnt
again; and so say Hippasus {26}, and Phurnutus
{27}; and
Zeno {28} expresses himself almost in the words
of
Peter, that the elements shall be destroyed, or corrupted, by
a fiery
eruption; and Plato {29}, in so many words, says, in
length of
time, or, as some read it, in a short time, there will be
a destruction
of the things on the earth by much fire. And it
is the
observation of many writers, that the Stoic philosophers
held
an ekpurwsiv, or conflagration of the world by fire; Epictetus
{30} speaks
of it; and so does Seneca {31}, who says, that fire is
the
"exitus" of the world; nay, Minutius Felix {32} asserts, that
this was not
only the constant opinion of the Stoics; but
that the same
was the sentiment of the Epicureans, concerning
the
conflagration of the elements, and the ruin of the world;
and it has
been observed, that of all the heretics under the
Christian
name, none have risen up who have denied the
dissolution
of the world by fire. Now that men of different
nations, and ages,
and sentiments, should agree in this, makes
it
probable that so it may be: but we have a more sure word
of prophecy,
which makes this matter certain to us Christians.
Wherefore,
2f4.
Fourthly, that the world, and all things in it, shall at
last
be consumed by fire may be concluded from the sacred
scriptures.
And,
2f4a. First,
from #Ps 50:3. "Our God shall come", &c. By "our
God", is
meant Christ, "Immanuel, God with us"; called "the
mighty
God", #Ps 50:1 and is one of his names, #Isa 9:6
who, as at
his first coming, came out of Zion, #Ps 50:2 so
he will when
he comes again, #Joe 3:16 of which second
coming these
words are to be understood; as appears by his
order to
gather his saints to him, #Ps 50:5 which order will
be
given to his angels, to gather his elect from the four
winds, when
raised from the dead, at his coming, #Mt 24:30
and by his
appearing under the character of a Judge,
#Ps 50:6 to
judge his people, #Ps 50:4 and even all the
inhabitants
of the earth, who will be called from one end of
it
to the other, #Ps 50:1 and be judged in righteousness;
and so the
Targum applies the text to the judgment of the
great day
{33}, when he will "not keep silence". His descent
from heaven
will be with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel,
and the trump of God; when his voice will be
heard
from the rising of the sun to the going down of it;
and reach the
dead in their graves, who will hear it and
come forth;
and then a "fire shall devour before him", and
consume all in
the way, dissolve the heavens, melt the
elements, and
burn the earth, and all in it, and be
"tempestuous
round about him"; which agrees with Peter's
account of
the conflagration, that the heavens shall pass
away with a
"great noise", roizhdon, like that of a storm
and tempest;
and now, in a literal sense, will the Lord rain
upon the
wicked fire and brimstone, and "an horrible
2f4b.
Secondly, from #Ps 97:3-5. "A fire goeth before him", to
make way for
him, by destroying everything combustible;
"and
burneth up his enemies round about", who would not have
him
to reign over them, reject him as a Saviour, despise his
gospel, and
submit not to his ordinances; so the fire with
which the
world shall be burnt is "for the perdition of
ungodly
men", all the wicked inhabitants of the earth; it
will leave
none: "his lightnings lightened the world"; such
dreadful
thunder and lightning will be in the heavens, that
the
corruscations thereof will blaze all over the world; the
sight of
which will be so awful and tremendous, that "the
earth",
the inhabitants of it, will "see and tremble",
fearing the
flashes of it will consume them: "the hills
melted
like wax" before the fire, "at the presence of the
Lord, at the
presence of the Lord of the whole earth"; who
will now come
to judge the world with righteousness, and the
people with
equity; as at the close of the preceding Psalm, with
which this is
connected; when "righteousness and judgment"
will
be "the habitation of his throne", and he will sit on
his throne
judging righteously; when he will come in the
"clouds"
of heaven, and be surrounded with them, #Ps 97:2
and when he
will take to himself his great power and
"reign",
which will cause joy and gladness to his people,
#Ps
97:1 for his judging of quick and dead, will be at his
appearing and
kingdom, #2Ti 4:1 for all these things go
together;
Christ's appearance in the clouds, taking
possession of
his kingdom, the judgment of quick and dead,
and the
burning of his enemies.
2f4c. From
#Isa 24:1-23 which is a prophecy, not of the
destruction
of a single state and kingdom, but of the whole
world; as
appears from #Isa 24:1,3,4,19,20 and which is
expressed by
a "dissolution" of it, and by "burning the
inhabitants"
thereof, #Isa 24:19,6 and is spoken of as what
will
immediately precede the personal and glorious reign of
Christ, #Isa
24:23.
2f4d.
Fourthly, from #Isa 66:15,16. "For behold the Lord will
come
with fire", &c. which perfectly agrees with the account
of Christ's
coming to burn the world, and take vengeance on the
wicked, given
in the New Testament, #2Th 1:7,8 2Pe 3:10.
"For by
fire, and by his sword", which proceeds out
of his mouth,
"will the Lord plead with all flesh", with all
mankind,
or "judge" them; for of Christ's coming to judgment
must this be
understood; for the judgment is universal. In
the former
part of the chapter are various prophecies
concerning
the spiritual reign of Christ, the conversion of
the Jews, and
a large addition to the church from among the
Gentiles,
and of the great peace and prosperity of it,
#Isa 66:7-13
an hint is given of the resurrection of the
dead, #Isa
66:14. "Your bones shall flourish like an
herb"
{34}; compare with it #Isa 26:19 which will be at
Christ's
second coming; and after this, mention is made "of
the
new heavens and the new earth", #Isa 66:22 which
will succeed
the old heavens and earth that will perish in
the
conflagration of the universe.
2f4e.
Fifthly, from the various passages in the minor prophets;
particularly
in #Na 1:3-5 for though the prophecy is
concerning
the destruction of Nineveh, yet God is described
as what he
will appear to be, and by what he will do at the
dissolution
of all things; "the Lord hath his way in the
whirlwind and
in the storm"; and in such an one the heavens
will
pass away, according to the apostle Peter: "And the
clouds are
the dust of his feet"; in these the Lord of the
whole earth,
the Son of man, will come to judgment. "He
rebuketh the
sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the
rivers";
which yet was never done; but will be done at the
conflagration
of the world; hence John says, "The first
heaven, and
the first earth, were passed away, and there was
no more
sea", #Re 21:1 being dried up at the general
burning.
"Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of
Lebanon
languisheth"; the trees, herbs, and flowers, which
covered
and adorned these mountains, being all consumed by
the fire;
"and the hills melt, and the earth is burnt at his
presence;
yea, the world, and all that dwell therein!" than
which nothing
can more filly agree with the description the
apostle Peter
gives of the dissolution of all things,
Some passages
in #Zep 1:2,3,18 seem to look this way;
for though
the destruction of the land of Judea is
particularly
threatened; yet they seem to have a further
view,
even to all the nations and kingdoms of the whole
world, and to
all the earth, which shall be devoured with
the fire of
God's jealousy, #Zep 3:8 and the time of it is
called,
"the great day of the Lord", #Zep 3:14 the day of
judgment, the
judgment of the great day, as that is called
in
the New Testament; against which the fire that shall burn
the world is
reserved, #Jude 1:6 2Pe 3:7 but especially the
prophecy in
#Mal 4:1-3 in the ultimate completion of it, may
be thought to
respect the general conflagration; for though
it may be
applied to the destruction of Jerusalem, and the
Jews
in it, and to Christ's coming to take vengeance on
them, yet
only as a type and emblem of this; "for behold,
the day
cometh that shall burn as an oven"; the day of the
Lord, as
Peter expresses it, which will burn like an oven
indeed, with
great fury and fierceness; so that the heavens
shall
pass away, the elements melt, and the earth, and all
therein, be
burnt up; and "all the proud", the despisers of
Christ and
his gospel, "and all that do wickedly, shall be
stubble";
fit for such an oven, and which the fire will soon
and easily
consume; "and shall burn them up, that it shall
leave
them neither root nor branch"; not one wicked man will
escape the
conflagration, all will be burnt in it, yet the
wicked only;
for the righteous dead, who will then he
raised, and
the living saints, who will be changed, will be
caught up
together into the clouds, to meet the Lord in the
air;
and will be carried up far enough to be out of the
reach of the
devouring flames; and these are they who are
meant by such
that fear the Lord, to whom "the Sun of
righteousness
shall arise"; Christ shall appear to them as
bright and as
glorious, as comfortable and delightful, as
the
sun; and arise on them "with healing in his wings"; so
that they,
the inhabitants of the new heavens and the new
earth, which
will now be formed, "shall not say, I am sick";
these will be
the times of refreshing from the presence of
the Lord; and
"the wicked shall be ashes under the soles of
their
feet": which words will be literally fulfilled; for
the wicked
being burnt, and their ashes mixed with that
matter which
shall form the new earth, and be interred in
it, the
saints that dwell on it, will, in a literal sense,
tread on
them; and they will be, not as ashes, but really
ashes,
under the soles of their feet.
It will be
needless to take notice of passages in the New
Testament;
since the famous one in Peter, which so fully
asserts, and
so clearly describes the conflagration, has
been
throughly considered, and its sense established; and
the text in
#2Th 1:7,8 has been often quoted, or referred
to; only it
may be proper to take notice of what our Lord
says shall be
at the end of the world, at the dissolution of
it, and which
plainly suggests it shall be by fire; that "as
the
tares are gathered and burnt in the fire, so shall it be at
the end of
the world"; the wicked shall be gathered and
separated
from the righteous, and be cast into a furnace of
fire; and
such the world will be when destroyed by fire, and
all the
wicked in it, #Mt 13:40-42,49,50. Proof being thus
given
of the general conflagration, I proceed,
2f5. Fifthly,
to answer some queries relative to it; as with what
sort of fire
the world will be burnt? what the extent of
this burning?
and whether the earth will be destroyed by it
as
to its substance, or only as to its qualities?
2f5a. First,
with what sort of fire the world will be burnt? Not
with fire
taken in a figurative, but in a literal sense; not
with metaphorical,
but material fire. Fire is sometimes
taken
figuratively for the wrath of God, whose fury is
poured forth
like fire, #Na 1:5 Ps 18:8 79:5. But though the
burning of
the world will be the effect of God's wrath
against
sinners for their sins, yet that will be executed by
means of
material fire: the world will be burnt with such
fire
as will come from heaven, and break forth out of the
earth; with
such fire from heaven by which Sodom and
Gomorrah, and
the cities of the plain were destroyed; with
which Aaron's
two sons were consumed; with which the two
hundred and
fifty men of Korah's company were destroyed;
with
which the two captains, and their fifties, perished,
who came to
take the prophet Elijah; of the same sort with
that which fell
on Job's sheep, and the servants that kept
them, and
killed them; and such as very often flashes from
heaven, and
destroys houses, buildings, men, and cattle: and
such
fire as breaks out of the earth, of which various
instances
have been given, in volcanos, and other eruptions;
and like that
which the historian {35} speaks of, which many
hundreds of
years ago broke out of the earth in Germany, and
burnt towns,
villages, and fields everywhere, and was with
great
difficulty extinguished. So that the world will be
destroyed by
fire much in the same manner as it was by
water: the
flood was brought upon it partly by the windows
of heaven
being opened above, which let down rain; and
partly by the
fountains of the great deep being broke up
below,
which sent forth great quantities of water; and both
meeting
together, drowned the world: so the stores of fire
in the
heavens being opened, and great quantities issuing
out of the
bowels of the earth, these joining together will
set the whole
world on fire, heavens and earth, and bring on
their
speedy dissolution. Some have thought the stars will
have a great
influence in this affair. Berosus, an ancient
writer, says
{36}, that it will be according to the course
of the stars;
and that all earthly things will be burnt up,
when all the
stars shall meet in Cancer: and one Serarius
{37},
in the last century, because of the conjunction of all
the planets
in Sagittarius, a fiery sign, conjectured that the
burning of the
world was near; and Mr. Whiston {38}, of
the present
age, fancied the world will be burnt by the near
approach of a
comet to it; so the Brahmins {39}. But for such
conjectures
there is no foundation; the manner seems to be as
before
described. This fire will be but temporary, it will last
but for a
time; how long the world will be burning cannot
be known;
fire usually makes quick dispatch, and consumes
presently;
and so it is to be distinguished from that fire in
which
the wicked will be tormented, that is called everlasting
fire, fire
which cannot be quenched, the smoke of which ascends
for ever and
ever, #Mt 25:41 Mr 9:44 #Re 14:10,11.
2f5b.
Secondly, what will be the extent of this burning? or how
far,
and to what will it reach? To the heavens, the
elements, the
earth, and all the works in it.
2f5b1. To the
heavens; not to the third heaven, into which the
apostle Paul
was caught up, and heard and saw what it was
not
lawful to utter; for this is the throne of God, the
habitation of
angels and glorified saints, and now the
residence of
the glorious body of Christ; but the fire will
not reach the
palace of Jehovah; nor at all annoy any of his
courtiers and
friends: it is a question, whether it will
reach
the starry heaven, or at all affect the luminaries of
the sun,
moon, and stars; for though the city of the perfect
saints, the
inhabitants of the new heavens and earth, will
stand in no
need of the sun and moon to enlighten them, it
does not follow
that these then will not be; but rather it
is
implied, that they will be, though the saints will not:
need them.
Things that are durable, are said sometimes to
endure, as
the sun, and moon, and stars, for ever and ever;
and it seems
as if these will be always continued, as
monuments of
the power, wisdom, and goodness of God. But it
will
be the airy heaven {40}, that will be the subject of
the
conflagration, the atmosphere about us, the surrounding
air, and the
meteors in it. Some have thought this burning
will reach no
farther than the waters of the flood did,
which verged
the highest hills, and it may be reached fifteen
cubits
higher; but that is no certain rule to go by:
however, as
the fowls of the heaven or air, were destroyed
by that, so
they will by this, #Ge 7:23 Zep 1:3.
2f5b2. To the
earth, and all the works that are in it; to the
whole
terraqueous globe, both land and sea: it may seem a
difficulty,
how that part of the globe which contains such
vast
quantities of water, as are in the main ocean, in other
seas, and in
the rivers, should be consumed hereby; yet
this will be
none, when the omnipotence of God is
considered,
and what the prophet says of him with respect to
this affair;
"He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and
drieth up all
the rivers", #Na 1:4 which will be the case,
represented
to John, in a vision, who saw the first heaven
and earth
pass away, and new ones succeed; and "there was no
more
sea", that being dried up; see #Am 7:4. This fire will
reach to all
the living creatures in the earth, land, and
sea, the
works of God's hands: as the fowls of the air, so
the fishes of
the sea, and "the cattle on a thousand hills";
all the
beasts of the field, and all men found on the
earth;
all wicked of the earth, who will be all burnt up
root and
branch, not one will escape. This fire is reserved
for the
perdition of ungodly men. It will extend to all the
works of
nature, mountains, hills, and rocks, metals and
minerals in
the bowels of them, and all that cover and
ornament
them, trees, herbs, plants, and flowers; for, as
the prophet
says in the above place, "Bashan languisheth,
and Carmel
and the flower of Lebanon languisheth", being
stripped of
all their glory; the same will be true of all
other
mountains and hills: It will consume all the works of
art,
towers, palaces, and stately buildings, which it was
thought would
have continued for ever; all the utensils and
instruments
of various manufactories; and all the curious
things
wrought by the hands of men. Likewise all literary
works, the
archives and records of kingdoms, states, and
cities;
the treaties, covenants, and agreements of princes;
compacts
between men; bonds, bills, deeds of conveyance of
right to
estates, lands, possessions, and inheritances; all
the writings
of men, good and bad: all that good men have
written for
the use of the church, which will be continued to
this
time, will now be destroyed, there being no further
need of them,
and use for them. Some think that moral works
and actions
are included, and that these are the works that
will be burnt
up, and this the fire the apostle speaks of in
#1Co 3:13-15
but such works are not the subjects of
fire:
nor is it such fire the world will be destroyed with
that is there
meant: the "day" that shall declare every
man's work,
is the bright day of the gospel, in the
spiritual
reign of Christ; the light of which will be as the
light of
seven days, when the people of God, ministers and
others,
will see eye to eye; every truth will be seen in its
true light,
and be easily distinguished from error: and the
"fire"
designs the gospel, which will then burn bright and
clear, and
burn up everything contrary to it; and so by
"works"
are meant doctrines, some comparable to gold,
silver,
and precious stones, which will bear the test of
this day, and
the fire; and others like wood, hay, and
stubble,
which will not be able to stand before them: and it
should be
observed, that the apostle is speaking of good men
and
ministers, who were on the foundation themselves, and
laid
the foundation, Christ, ministerially; but laid
different
things on this foundation, some very good, others
good for
nothing, and a mixture of both; which, when the
day, the time
comes spoken of, will be declared and
distinguished;
such as will abide the scrutiny and test,
shall
be rewarded in the kingdom state; but such as will
not, will be
condemned, as not agreeable to the word,
though the
ministers of them, as to their persons, shall be
saved, being
on the foundation, Christ.
Here
let it be observed, for the comfort of the saints,
that there
are many things which will escape the general
conflagration;
as the "book of life", in which the names of
God's elect
are written; the "covenant of grace", which
contains the
"magna charta" of their salvation; the "word of
God",
as it is the engrafted word in their hearts; their
"title"
to the heavenly inheritance; the "inheritance
itself",
which is incorruptible, and reserved in the
heavens: nor
shall they themselves destroyed in it; the
wicked will
be all burnt in it, not one will escape that
will
then be found on the earth: but as for the saints, the
dead bodies
of all who have died from the beginning of the
world will be
raised, and their souls being brought by
Christ along
with him, will be reunited to them; and they,
with the
living saints then on earth, who will be changed,
shall
be caught up together into the clouds, to meet the
Lord in the
air; and shall be carried up high enough, and be
with him out
of the reach of this fire {41}; so that it may
be said of
them, as of Daniel's three companions in the
furnace, that
not an hair of their heads shall be singed,
nor
the smell of fire pass upon their garments.
2f5c. Thirdly,
the next query is, whether the earth shall be
dissolved by
fire, as to its substance, or only as to its
qualities?
There are persons of great note on both sides of
the
question; and the arguments of each are not despicable:
but I rather
incline to the latter, that the world will only
be destroyed
with respect to its qualities; those who are
for the
destruction of the world as to the substance of it,
argue both
from reason and scripture.
2f5c1. From reason:
they urge, that as the world was made
out of
nothing, it shall be reduced to nothing again. But this
reasoning
will not hold good; for there are some beings
which are
produced out to nothing, which shall not be
annihilated;
as angels, and the souls of men, neither of
which are
formed out of any pre-existent matter, but out of
nothing; and
so being immaterial, are immortal, and shall
never die,
nor be reduced to nothing. They argue also, that
there will be
no further use of the world hereafter, and of
the
things of it; and as God does nothing in vain, therefore
it will not
be continued any longer, as to its substance,
men ceasing
to be upon it, for whose use it was made. But it
is more than
we are able to say, that it will be of no use
hereafter;
there are some things that will be in a future
state,
that we are not able to assign the uses of; as some
parts of the
human body, when that shall be raised, as no
doubt it will
be, with all its parts, some of which are not
suited to a
state in which there will be no eating nor
drinking, nor
marrying, nor giving in marriage; yet be
raised
with the rest, both for the perfection of the body
and the
ornament of it: and besides, if for nothing else,
this world,
as to the substance, may be continued as a
standing
monument of the power, wisdom, and goodness of God;
to which may
be added, that there will be men to inhabit it,
even
all the righteous ones, at least for the space of a
thousand
years. It is further observed, that God usually
proceeds from
things less perfect, to things more perfect;
and so from
things temporal to things spiritual and eternal.
To which may
be replied, that this will be the case, by
renewing
the earth as to its qualities; it will become more
perfect, and be
suitable to men in a perfect state, and
whose bodies
will be raised spiritual and immortal.
2f5c2. They
also argue from scripture; as even from the text in
#2Pe
3:10 and observe, that the heavens are said to pass
away, the
elements to melt, the earth, and all therein,
burnt up;
which they judge, can intend no other than a
substantial
destruction of the world. But the phrases are
not strong
enough {42} to support this; the heavens may pass
away
into another state and form, as the fashion of the world
will, and yet
not be dissolved as to their substance: things
may be
melted, as wax, and other things; which, though they
lose their
form, do not lose their being; and things being
burnt, may be
reduced to ashes, yet not annihilated; ashes
are
something. They urge the text in #Ps 102:26. "They",
the heavens,
"shall perish, but thou shalt endure; they all
shall wax old
as a garment, as a vesture thou shalt change
them, and
they shall be changed". But those on the other
side of the
question, urge the same text in favour of their
sentiment;
since the perishing of the heavens is explained
by changing
them; and all change does not suppose a
destruction
of substance; and a garment that is waxed old,
may be
refitted, and put into a new form, and be for more
and after
use; and besides, the author of the epistle to the
Hebrews,
interprets this change by a folding up a vesture,
which is done
in order to be laid up, and made use of
hereafter. A
similar place is produced by them, in
#Isa 51:6.
"The heavens shall vanish away like smoke"; but
then smoke is
something, and that vanishes into air, and that
air
is something; "And the earth shall wax old like a garment";
but that, as
before observed, may be fitted up in another
manner, and
be for the better; "And they that dwell therein
shall die in
like manner": but if the heavens and the earth
perish in
like manner as men do, they do not perish as to
their
substance, neither with respect to body nor soul; the
body, at
death, returns to the earth and dust, from whence
it was, and
the soul to God that gave it. They instance also
in #Isa
65:17. "Behold, I create new heavens and a new
earth";
and therefore the old heavens and earth must be
destroyed,
as to their substance, since the new ones are not
formed out of
them, but are created; and creation is a
production of
things out of nothing. But it may be observed,
that the word
"create" does not always so signify; but
sometimes
only the renovation of what already is; as in
#Ps
51:10. They likewise make use of all those
scriptures
which speak of the heavens, and the earth, and
the world,
passing away, #Mt 5:18 24:35 1Jo 2:17 in what
sense they
may be said to pass away, as in #2Pe 3:10 has
been observed
already. The first of those scriptures only
says,
"till heaven and earth pass", which will never be; and
so not one
jot or tittle of the law shall pass till all be
fulfilled:
the other indeed asserts, that "heaven and earth
shall pass
away"; but then the sense may be only
comparatively,
that sooner shall heaven and earth pass away,
as
they never shall, than that "Christ's words shall pass
away":
the last of them refers to the fashion of the world,
and the lusts
in it, which shall pass away, and have no
place in the new
earth; in which, not worldly and sinful
lusts, only
righteousness shall dwell. All such passages of
scripture,
likewise, which speak of "the end of the world",
are brought
into this argument: but these, some of them,
have only
reference to the end of the Jewish state: as
#1Co 10:11
Heb 9:26 and others only refer to the present
state of
things in the world; but not to the destruction of
it;
as #Mt 28:20 and such passages which only respect the
mutability of
the things of this world, and the temporary
enjoyment of
them, can be of no use in this controversy; as
#Heb 13:14
2Co 4:18. So likewise, when the Angel swore "that
time shall be
no more", it can be understood only of
antichristian
time, or of the time of the reign of
antichrist;
of the holy city being trodden under foot by the
Gentiles; of
the witnesses prophesying in sackcloth; and of
the church
being in the wilderness; which will be finished at
the period
referred to: but then all time, in every sense, is
not
then to be no longer; for not only after that, but after
the first
resurrection, and the general conflagration, there
will be a
time of a thousand years at least, in which the
saints will
dwell with Christ on earth.
Those
who suppose that the world will he only destroyed,
as to the
qualities of it, argue also from reason and
scripture.
2f5c2a. From
reason: they observe that the old world which
perished
by the flood, was not destroyed as to its
substance;
for after the waters were removed from off the
earth, Noah, with
his family, and all the creatures with him
in the ark,
went out of it upon the earth; and he built an
altar on it,
and sacrificed; and he and his sons repeopled
the
earth. And in like manner, the earth will not be
destroyed by
fire, as to its substance; but renewed, so as
to be
inhabited again. They further observe, that man, who
is a
microcosm, a little world, a world in miniature, when
he perishes
by death, it is not a destruction of him as to
his
substance, neither of soul nor body, as before observed.
Besides, if
God meant to annihilate the world, he would not
make use of
fire; for fire, though it divides and separates
the parts of
matter, it does not destroy it; it purges,
purifies, and
refines; but does not reduce the substance of
anything
to nothing. Besides, bodies raised, must have a
place to be
in, to stand before God in, at judgment; and to
be either in
a state of happiness or misery afterwards; for
which there
would be no place found, if the world, as to the
substance of
it, was dissolved.
2f5c2b. They
likewise produce passages of scripture, and argue
from them,
against the substantial destruction of the world,
and for the
change of it only, as to qualities. That the
earth, as to
the matter and substance of it, shall always
abide,
they urge #Ps 104:5 Ec 1:4. They argue from some of
the places
brought by others for the utter destruction of
the world; as
#Ps 102:26 Isa 51:6 on the former of which
they observe,
with Jerom on the place, that the words do not
express the utter
destruction of the world, but a change of
it
for the better: and on the latter, that the words
suggest, that
the heavens and the earth will perish in like
manner as men
do at death; which is not a destruction of
their being,
but a change of them into another form and
state. They
reason from all those scriptures which speak of
a
new heaven and a new earth; that these signify renewed ones,
not new as to
substance, but quality: as a new heart, and a
new spirit,
do not design a new soul of man, new powers and
faculties;
but a renewing of the same as to qualities. They
observe what
the apostle says, "The fashion of this world
passeth
away", #1Co 7:31 the scheme, the figure, and form of
it, in its
present situation; not the matter and substance of
it. And they
further observe, that the state of the world at
this time, is
expressed by a "regeneration" of it, #Mt 19:28
and by a
"restitution of all things", #Ac 3:21 which signify
a
forming and restoring them to a more pure and glorious
state. I take
no notice of #Ro 8:19, &c. commonly made use of
on this
subject, because I think it belongs to something else
{43}, and to
another time; and from the whole, those on
this side the
question conclude, that the dissolution of the
world
by fire, will be only a purging, purifying, and refining
it, as to its
form and quality, and a removing from it
everything
included in the curse, which the sin of man brought
upon it; and
so will become an habitation fit for the second
Adam, and his
holy, spiritual, and perfect offspring. But
of
this more in the following chapter.
{1} Lightfoot's Works, vol.
ii. p. 626, 1074. And Owen. Theologoumena, l. 3. c. 1. p. 153.
{2} Hammond in Loc.
{3} See
Ray's Dissolution of the World, p. 244, 245.
{4} Apolog. 2. p. 93.
{5} Josephus de Bello Jud. l.
6. c. 4. s. 5, 6.
{6} Pliny speaks of the
burning of Etna in his time, and says of it, that nature not only raged in it,
but that it threatened and denounced the burning of the world; and he makes mention of several places then always burning, as in
Phaselis, Lycia, Bactria, Media, Persia, Ethiopia, Babylonia, &c. Nat.
Hist. l. 2. c. 106, 107.
{7} Philosoph. Transact.
abridged, vol. 3. p. 621.
{8} See Nieuwentyt's Religious
Philosopher, vol. 2. contempt. 21. s. 18. p. 621, 622. Philosophical Transact.
abridged, vol. 2. p. 391-394. and vol. 5. part. 2. p. 196, &c.
{9}
Geograph. l. 1. p. 39. vide Justin. e Trogo, l. 30. c. 4.
{10} Of a burning spring at
Brosely in Shropshire; see Philosophical Transactions abridged, vol. 4. part 2.
p. 195.
{11} Ut supra, c. 107.
{12} Antiq. l. 1. c. 2. s. 3.
{13} T.
Bab. Zebaehim, fol. 116. 1.
{14} Zohar in Gen. fol. 50. 4.
& 51. 1.
{15} Ross's View of all
Religions, p. 51, 52.
{16} Strabo, l. 4. p. 136.
{17} De Ira Dei, c. 23.
{19} In Philebo, p. 406. vid
Plutarch. de Oracul. Defect. p. 415.
{20} De Monarchia, p. 105.
{21} Stromat. l. 5. p. 606.
{22} "Esse quoque in
fatis", &c. Metamorph. l. 1. fab. 7.
{23}
Pharsalia, l. 7. v. 812, &c.
{24} Apud Clem. Alex. Stromat.
l. 5. p. 599.
{25} Laert. l. 9. in Vita
Heracliti. vid. Hesychium de Philosoph. p. 35.
{26} Plutarch. de Placit.
Philosoph. l. 1. p. 877.
{27} De Naturn Deorum, p. 39.
{28}
Laert, l. 7. in Vita Zenonis.
{29} In Timaeo, p. 1043.
{30} Arrian. Epictet. l. 3. c.
13.
{31} Nat. Quaest. l. 3. c. 13.
vid. Consolat. ad Marciamm, c. 26.
{32} Octav. p. 37.
{33} So
Austin de Civ. Dei, l. 20. c. 24.
{34} Ubi Resurrectionem
Corporum Strinxit, Aug. de Civ. Dei. l. 20. c. 21.
{35} Tacit. Annal. l. 13. c.
57.
{36} Apud Senecae. Nat.
Quaest. l. 3. c. 29.
{37} Apud Heidegger. Dissert.
24. de Signis Coelest. s. 8.
{38} New
Theory of the Earth, b. 4. c. 5.
{39} Bedang, c. 1. apud Dow's
Hist. of Hindostan.
{40} So Augustin. de Civ. Dei,
l. 20, c. 18, 24.
{41} "Futuros eos esse in
superioribus partibus, quo ita non ascendit flamma illus incendii", Aug.
de Civ. Dei, l. 20, c. 18.
{42}
"Sed puto quod praeterit, transit, transibunt, aliquando mitius dicta sunt
quam peribunt", Aug. de Civ. Dei, l. 20. c. 24. "Mutatione namque
rerum, non omnino interitu transibit hic mundus-----figura ergo praeterit, non
natura", ibid. c. 14.
{43} See my Exposition of Rom.
viii. 19, &c. See Gill on "Ro 8:19".