PROPHECY
OF THE
FRENCH REVOLUTION,
FROM A PUBLICATION BY
THE LATE MR. PETER JURIEU,
IN 1687.
Rev. xi. 13.
And the same hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand, and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to God.
Now what is the tenth part of the city which shall fall? in my opinion we cannot doubt that it is France. This kingdom is the most considerable part or piece of the ten horns, or states, which once made up the great Babylonian city: it fell; this does not signify that the French Monarchy shall be ruined: it may be humbled; but in all appearance Providence does design a great elevation for her afterwards. ’Tis highly probable that God will not let go unpunished the horrible outrages which it acts at this day. Afterward, it must build its greatness upon the ruins of the papal empire and enrich itself with the spoils of those who shall take part with the papacy. They who at this day persecute the protestants know not whither God is leading them: this is not the way by which he will lead France to the height of glory. If she comes thither it is because she shall shortly change her road. Her greatening will be no damage to protestant states; on the contrary, the protestant states shall be enriched with the spoil of others and be strengthened by the fall of Antichrist’s empire. This tenth part of the city shall fall, with respect to the papacy; it shall break with Rome and the Roman religion. One thing is certain, that the Babylonian empire shall perish through the refusal of obedience by the ten Kings, who had given their power to the beast. This thing is already come to pass in part. The kingdoms of Sweden, Denmark, England and several sovereign States in Germany have withdrawn themselves from the jurisdiction of the Pope. They have spoiled the harlot of her riches. They have eaten her flesh, i.e. seized on her benefices, and revenues, which she had in their countries. This must go on and be finished as it is begun. The Kings who yet remain under the empire of Rome must break with her, leave her solitary and desolate.
But who must begin this last revolt? it is most probable that France shall. Not Spain, which as yet is plunged in superstition and is as much under the tyranny of the clergy as ever. Not the Emperor, who in temporal matters is subject to the Pope and permits that in his states the Archbishop of Strigonium should teach that the Pope can take away the Imperial crown from him. It cannot be any country but France, which a long time ago hath begun to shake off the yoke of Rome. ’Tis well known how solemnly and openly war hath been declared against the Pope by a declaration of the King (ratified in all the parliaments) by the decisions of the assembly of the French Clergy, by a disputation against the authority of the Pope, managed in the Sorbonne, solemnly and by order of the court. And to heighten the affront the theses were posted up even upon the gates of his Nuncio. Nothing of this kind had hitherto happened at least in a time of peace and unless the Pope had given occasion by his insolence.
Besides this superstition and idolatry lose their credit much in France.—There is a secret party, though well enough known, which greatly despiseth the popular devotions, images, worship of saints, and is convinced that these are human inventions: God is beforehand preparing for his great work.
To this it may be objected that for the last hundred and fifty years the Pope’s empire hath not been made up of ten Kings, because the Kings of England, Sweden, Denmark, etc., have thrown off his government; and consequently, France is not at this day the tenth part of the Babylonian empire; for it is more than a tenth part of it. But this is no difficulty; for we must know, that things retain the names which they bore in their original (without regarding the alterations which time does bring along.) Though at this day there are not ten kingdoms under the Babylonian empire, it is, notwithstanding, certain, that each kingdom was called, and ought to be called in this prophecy, the tenth part, because the prophet having described this empire in its beginning, by its ten horns, or ten kings, it is necessary for our clear understanding, that every one of these Kings and kingdoms, should be called one of the ten Kings, or of ten kingdoms, with respect to the original constitution of the Antichristian empire.
Seeing the tenth part of the city that must fall, is France, this gives me some hopes that the death of the two witnesses hath a particular relation to this kingdom. It is the street or place of this city, i.e. the most fair and eminent part of it. The witnesses must remain dead upon the street and upon it they must be raised again. And as the death of the witnesses and their resurrection have a relation to the kingdom of France, it may well fall out, that we may not be far distant from the time of the resurrection of the witnesses, seeing the three years and a half of their death are either begun, or will begin shortly.
And in the earthquake were slain seven thousand; in the Greek it is seven thousand names of men, and not seven thousand men. I confess that this seems somewhat mysterious: in other places we find not this phrase, names of men, but simply men. Perhaps there is a figure of grammar, called hypolage casus, so that names of men are put for men of name, i.e. of raised and considerable quality, be it on account of riches, or of dignity, or of learning. But I am more inclined to say, that here these names of men, must be taken in their natural signification and do intimate that the total Reformation of France shall not be made with bloodshed, nothing shall be destroyed but names; such as are the names of Monks, of Carmelites, of Augustines, of Dominicans, of Jacobins, of Franciscans, Capuchins, Jesuits, Minimes and an infinite company of others, whose number it is not easy to define and which the Holy Ghost denotes by the number seven, which is the number of perfection, to signify that the orders of monks and nuns shall perish for ever. This is an institution so degenerated from its first original, that it is become the ruin of Antichrist. These orders cannot perish one without the other.
These great events deserve to be distinguished from all others; for they have changed, or shall change, THE WHOLE FACE OF THE WORLD.