Matthew Poole and continuators on Revelation 6:17

17 For the great day of his wrath is come ; and who shall be able to stand ?

For this Judgment that is upon us, is the effect of his wrath for our abusing, and persecuting his Members;

and we with all our Courage, Might, and Power, are not able to abide his Wrath. These words import, That in this great change, as the greatest Persons should be at loss what to do, so they should perish under a Conviction, that the great Vengeance of God was come upon them for their opposing the Gospel, and provoking Christ by persecuting of his Members. There are other more particular Explications of the Sun, Moon, Stars, Heavens, &c. but they all cente[illegible: 1 letter] in this General; That here is prophesied a great and universal Change of the R[illegible: 1 letter] ligion of the World, which should strike a great Terror into the Pagan Rulers, and issue in the overturning of all their Altars, and Temples, and the Ruine of the great Men, relating either to their Civil, or Ecclesiastical State; and that they as last should know tha[illegible: 1 letter] God was God, and that these Judgments came upon them for their Opposition to Christ. And (which addeth strength to this Interpretation) Mr. Dur[illegible: 1 letter]am hath observed, that no so short Period of Time hath produced so many remarkable Jugments, and extorted so many ingenuous Confessions from Enemies, that what came upon them was for their Persecutions; and a Catalogue of which may be found in Mr. Mede, and in Mr. Durham. Mr. Mede reckoneth Galerius, Maximinus, and Licinius. Galerius was eaten up of Worms, being before he died sensible of his Guilt, ceasing from his Persecution, and begging the Christians Prayers. Maximinus, another Roman Emperor (or Partner in the Empire with the former) being beaten by Licinius, fled to Tarsus, and there fell upon his Pagan Priests, who had deceived him by their lying Oracles, and made a Decree for the Christians Liberty; but God would not suffer so bloody a Wreth to die after the ordinary Death of Man; he died miserably through intolerable Pain, his Eyes dropping out of his Head. Licinius was a Christian, and joined a while with Constantine, but apostatized; was overcome in two Bat[illegible: 1 letter]el[illegible: 1 letter], taken, and by him put to death. All these three were within the space of 18 years. Mr. Durham to these adds th[illegible: 1 letter] [illegible: 1 letter]nstances of Dioclesian and Maximinian, little above 20 years before, in the heat of their Persecution making a stop, and through an Horror of Conscience▪ laying down their Imperial Dignity, and Maxentius drowned in the River Tyber; and he saies Licinius before-mentioned, before he died, revenged himself upon his idolatrous Priests that had perswaded him to forsake Constantin[illegible: 1 letter] 's God. The change was so great in the Empire, upon Constantine the Great his coming to the Throne, by the Death of some great Persons, turning others ou[illegible: 1 letter] of place, destroying the whole Frame and Practice of the Pagans Religion, that it might well be expressed by Earthquakes, the Sun turning black, the Moon as Blood, the Stars falling from Heaven to Earth, the Heavens departing lik[illegible: 1 letter] a S[illegible: 1 letter]rowl, and the removing of Islands and Mountains, and by the Consternation it would bring all the Pagan great Men into, &c. And this time, which was a Period of obout 25 or 27 years, is thought to be understood to be the time predicted upon the opening of the sixth Seal. Thus we see the Dragon's Reign at an End in about 311, or 325 years after Christ. The Empire, as Pagan, persecuting the Church of Christ, and following it with Ten successive Persecutions, quite overturned, and a Christian Emperor, Constantine the Great, ruling it. But we must understand these great things were not perfected in a few Months, some Relicts of Paganism remained; for tho Constantine shut up the Pagan Temples, ye[illegible: 1 letter] all the Idols in them were not destroyed until the time of Theodosius, who began to rule in the Empire 379, and reigned 16 years. Betwixt Constantine and him, were Constantius, and Constans, Iulian the Apostate, and Iovianus, Valentinianus, Valens and Gratian: During some of whose Reigns (Iulian's especially) the Christians suffered much both from Pagans and Arrians, so that the Christians had not a full and perfect quiet till after 390.