Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/6_500.lzh/6_567.TXT

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they stood; and Jerom {k} affirms the temple was
ploughed up by Titns Annius Ruffus; which, as it
literally fulfilled this prophecy, denotes the utter de-
struction of them; for, as it was usual with the an-
cients to mark out with a plough the ground on which
a city was designed to be built; so they drew one over
the spot where any had stood, .which was become
desolate, and to signify that the city was no more to
be rebuilt and inhabited: thus Seneca {}, Horace {m}' and
other writers, express the utter destruction of a city by
such phrases.

This chapter contains some gracious promises con-
cerning the glory and happiness of the church of Christ
in the last days; as of its stability, exaltation, and in-
crease, and of the spread of the Gospel from it, yet.
1, 2. and of the peace and security of it, and constant
profession and exercise of religion in it, vet. 3, 4, 5.
and of the deliverance of it from affliction and distress,
and the ample and everlasting kingdom of Christ in it,
yet. 6, 7, 8. and then follow some prophecies more par-
ticularly respecting the Jews; as that, though they
should be in distress, and be carried captive into Ba-
bylon, they should be delivered from thence, yet. 9, 10.
and, though many people should be gathered against
them, yet should not be able to prevail over them, but
their attempts would issue iu their own destruction,
yet. 11, l2, 13.
Vet. 1. But in the last days it shall come to pass, that
the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established
in the ton of the mountains, &c.] It appears by the
adversative but, with whi,"h these words 'are intro-
duced, that they have a dependence upon and a con-
nexion with the last of the preceding chapter; sigui-
fying, that though the mountain of the house, on which
the ternple stood, should become desolate, vet
mountain of the house of the Lord, which is not literally
the same, but what that was typical of, the church
Christ, should be greatly exalted and enlarged; and
which, according to this prophecy, would be in the
last days: that is, as Kimchi rightly interprets it,
days of the Messiah; and it should be observed, that
all this will be in the last of his days, or of the Go!
dispensation: the first of these days were the
Christ in the flesh, the times of his ministry, and o.+
John the Baptist his forerunner, and of his disciples;
and were indeed the last days of the Jewish world, or
of their civil and church state; and when also it must
be allowed tile mountain of the Lord's house, or the
temple literally taken, became glorious by the presence
of Christ in it, .by his doctrine and miracles there, and
by the effusion of the spirit on his disciples in that
place, and the ministration of the Gospel; but then all
this was before the destruction of the second temple;
whereas this prophecy follows that, and is opposed to
it, and supposes it; besides, in those times there was
not such an exaltation and stability of the church of
Christ; nor such a flow of nations to it; nor such a
settled and universal peace and security as here pro-
mised: this prophecy therefore respects times yet to
come, as Abea Ezra observes; the last of the days of
the Messiah, or the last times of the Gospel dispensa-
tion, when the reign of antichrist will be at an end; he
will be destroyed, and the kingdom of Christ set up,
established, anti enlarged in the world. The Prophet
Isaiah predicts the same things, and much in the same
words, Isa. ii. 2, 3, 4. these two prophets were cotem-
poesty, and might converse together, and communi-
cate to each other what they had received from the
Lord upon this subject; but it is needless to inquire
which might have them from the other, since they
were both holy men of God, and moved by his spirit,
and were inspired by the same spirit, with the same
things, and to speak the same language; yet there is a
diversity in words, though an agreement in sentiment
nor does it appear a clear case .that they borrowed,
much less that they stole, their words front one
other, as the false prophets did; for they don't always
use the same words to convey the same idea; and there
are some words which Isaiah has that Micah has not
and there are others that Micah uses that Isaiah has
not; though in the whole there is a most beautiful har-
mony of sense in their diversity of expression. By/the
mountain of the house of the Lord is not meant the
temple built on Mount Moriah, where the divine Ma-
jesty resided; where were the symbols of his presence,
the ark and mercy-seat, and where he was woeshipped,
which has been destroyed long ago, and will never be
rebuilt more; for a third temple hereafter to be built
at Jerusalem is a mere fiction of the Jews; nor indeed
is any material building here intended, and still less
any such building to be erected in such an absurd
sense, literally taken, as if mountain was piled on
mountain, and hill on hill, to raise it higher; but, mys-
ticaliv and spiritually, it designs the church of God,
called so because it is built by him, and built for a
habitation for him; where he will, at the time here
referred to, more manifestly dwell in a spiritual man-
ner; and by whom, and by which spiritual and gra-
cious presence of his, it will be made very beautiful
and glorious: and it is signified by a mountain, to de-
note its visibility, immovableness, and perpetuity;
and is said to be established in the top of the mountains,
with respect to the kingdoms of this world, and espe-
cially antichristian churches, which, because of their
eminence, and largehess, and national establishment,
may seem like mountains; but, in the latter day, the
true church of Christ, which now may seem like a
mole-hill to them, will be above them, and will be in a
settled state and condition, and not be fluctuating, and
tossed to and fro, and removing here and there, as
now; but be fixed and stable, and continue so until

{k} Comment. in Zach. viii. 19.                                                                    at ~ lmprimeretque muris
{l} Aratrum vetustis urbibus inducere, Seneca de Clementia, l. 1. c. 26.                        Ho~tit, liratram excrcitun insoleas.. Hot, Cam tin, 1. l., Ode 36,
{m} -----Imprimeretque muris
    Hostile aratrum exercitus insolens. Hor. Carmin. l. 1. Ode 16.