But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when
he
shall begin to sound
This is an exception to what the angel had said and swore to,
that time should be no longer; "but", or "unless", or "except the
time of the voice of the seventh angel", as the Ethiopic version
renders it; when a new period and sort of time should begin, very
different from the former, which then should be no more; for now
will be the time of Christ's kingdom on earth, which shall last a
thousand years; this time will not be like the former, a time of
darkness and ignorance, as was in some periods, partly through
the errors and heresies which were propagated in early times, and
through that barbarity and ignorance which the Goths, Huns, and
Vandals, spread over the empire, when they broke into it, and
chiefly through the smoke of the bottomless pit, the false
doctrine and worship of the Papists and Mahometans; but in the
time of the seventh angel, all this gross darkness will be
removed, and it will be a time of unspeakable and everlasting
light, so that there will be no need of the sun and moon, of
Gospel ministrations and ordinances: nor will it be a time of
affliction and persecution; time in that sense will be no more,
as it has been under the ten Pagan emperors, and under the Arian
emperors, and under the Papal hierarchy; for in this period there
will be no more death, sorrow, crying, pain, and tears; though
there will be time, it will be another sort of time, quite
different from the former, which will be no more when the seventh
angel once begins; and as soon as he begins to sound, this will
put an end to antichristian time; and at the end of his sounding
will begin the time of Christ, or the thousand years' reign: and
then
the mystery of God should be finished;
that is, the angel not only swears that time shall be no longer,
but that also then shall be finished the mystery of God; by which
is meant, not the resurrection of the dead, and the change of the
living, which is called a mystery, ( 1
Corinthians 15:51 ) ; for though when this angel sounds, and
has done sounding, and Christ comes, the first resurrection, or
the resurrection of the dead in Christ, will be finished, yet not
the whole resurrection; for the rest of the dead will not live
again till the end of the thousand years: but rather the Gospel
is designed, which is often called the mystery, and the mystery
of the Gospel, and contains many mysteries in it, which are
styled the mysteries of God; which respect him, his being,
persons, operations, and grace; and are revealed and made known
by him; and the finishing of this may respect the preaching of
the Gospel to all nations, which will be before the end of the
world, and whereby the earth will be filled with the knowledge of
the Lord, and multitudes of souls converted; wherefore it may be
best of all to understand this of the church of God, the general
assembly and church of the firstborn, even all the elect of God,
whose number will now be finished and completed in the conversion
of the Jews, and in the bringing in the fulness of the Gentiles,
both which are called "mysteries", ( Romans 11:25
Romans
11:26 ) ( Ephesians
3:4-6 ) ; and now as the antichristian church is called
"mystery", "Babylon", ( Revelation
17:5 ) ; and "the mystery of iniquity", ( 2
Thessalonians 2:7 ) ; so the true Christian church, the new
Jerusalem, coming down from heaven, and prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband, may bear the name of the mystery of God;
and this may also take in the mystery of all God's providences
and promises, and prophecies, respecting the state of his church
and people on earth:
as he hath declared to his servants and
prophets;
as to Isaiah in ( Isaiah
60:3-5 ) and ( Isaiah 66:8 ) ; and to
Daniel, in ( Daniel 2:44 ) (
Daniel 7:25 )
( Daniel
12:6 Daniel 12:7 ) ; and to
Zechariah, in ( Zechariah
14:9 ) , and others; and which was a Gospel declaration, as
the word signifies; it was good news and glad tidings; glorious
things were declared to them, and spoken by them, concerning the
city and church of God, its happy state on earth, and Christ's
reign in it.