Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/6_700.lzh/6_746.TXT

Text File | 1994-11-26 | 7KB | 128 lines

"and after that, and I will bring you into the land of
"Israel." Which is before Jerusalem on the east; a
sabbath-41ay's journey from it, about a mile, Acts i.
12 : and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst
thereof toward the east and toward the west; and there
shall be a very great valley, and half of the mountain
shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the
south; and this valley will be made by cleaving and
removing the mountain in this manner, to hold the
dead together when raised; and this is thought by
some to be the same with the valley of Jehoshaphat,
called the valley of decision, into which the Heathen,
being awakened and raised, will be brought and judged,
Joel iii. 2, 12, 14.
Vet. 5. And ye shall flee to the valley of the moun-
tains, &c.] To seek for shelter and safety in them,
for fear of the Lord, and the glory of his majesty,
whom every eye shall see, Isa. ii. 19. Rev. i. 7: for
the valley oJ' the mountains shall reach unto Azal ; a
name of a place not known; it may be thought
to be at some considerable distance: yea, ye shall
flee, lilce as ye fled from beJbre the earthquake in
the days of Uzziah Icing of Judah; two years before
which Amos prophesied, Amos i. 1. and which, ac-
cording to Josephus {i}, was at the time when King
Uzziah was stricken with a leprosy for invading the
priest's office; when, as he says, at a place before the
city called Eroge, half-part of the mountain towards
the west was broken, and rolled four furlongs towards
the eastern part, and there stood; so that the ways
were stopped up to the king's gardens: and the Lord
my God shall come; the Lord Jesus Christ, who is
truly God, and the God of his people; and who will
appear to be so at his second coming, which is here
meant, by raising the dead, gathering all nations be-
fore him, and separating them; by bringing to light
all secret and hidden things; judging the whole world,
and executing the sentence on them; and particularly
by taking his own people to himself: and all the saints
tsith thee: the Targum, and the Septuagint, Syriac,
and Arabic versions, read, with him; meaning either
the holy angels; so Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and Ben
Melech; who will attend him partly for the glory of
his majesty, and partly for terror to the wicked,. and
also for service; or rather glorified saints, the spirits
of just men made perfect, whom Christ will bring with
,him to be united to their bodies, which will now be
raised, and to be with him in the new heavens and
new earth, which will now be formed, and to be pre-
sented to him, and dwell with him, during the thou-
sand years.
Ver. 6. And it shall come to pass in that day, &c.]
Which shall precede the coming of Christ,' both his
spiritual and personal reign; for what follows will not
agree with either state: that the ligltt shall not be
clear nor dark; before the latter-day glory it will be
a darkish dispensation; not clear, as in the first times
of the Gospel, when the sun of righteousness appeared,
and the shadows of the ceremonial law were removed,
and the Gospel shone out in the ministry of Christ and
his apostles; nor as at the reformation from Popery,
when the morning-star was given, Rev. ii. 28. nor as
it will be in the spiritual reign of Christ, when Zion's
light will be come, and her watchmen will see eye to
eye; when the light of the moon shall be as the light
of the sun, and the light of the sun seven-fold as
the light of seven days; and much less as will be in
the kingdom-state, when there will be no need of the
sun or moon; or in the ultimate glory, when we shall
see no more darkly through a glass, but face to face: and
yet it will not be dark, as it was with the Jews under
the legal dispensation; and'much less as with the
Gentiles before the coming of Christ; or as in the dark
times of Popery; it will be a sort of a twilight,. both
with respect to the light of doctrine, and of spiritual
joy, comfort, and experience; which is much our
case now. Some read the words, there shall be no
light, but cold and .frost {k}; it will be a time of great
coldness and lukewarmhess, with regard to divine and
spiritual things; iniquity will abound, and the love of
many wax cold, Matt. xxiv. 1.o.
Ver. 7. But it shall be one day, &c.] A very singu-
lar, remarkable, and uncommon one; and it will be
but one day; things won't continue long in such a po-
sition: which shall be known to the Lord; all times
and seasons are known unto the Lord, but this will
come under his special notice and observation, and be
under the direction of his special providence; it will
only be taken notice of by hint, and not by others;
scarce any will observe it, or know what God is doing
in it, or about to do: not day, nor night; not clear and
full day, as at noon; nor yet quite 'night or dark, as at
midnight; see the note on ver. 6: but it shall come to
pass, that at evening-time it shah be light; after this day
is over, which is neither clear nor dark, there will be
an evening-time; things will be worse with us than
they are; the sun will be set; Christ will be with-
drawn in the ministry of the word; his witnesses will
be slain and silenced; great coldness and lukewarmhess
will seize upon professors; great darkness of error will
spread itself everywhere; great sleepiness and seen-
will fall upon all the virgins, and there will be
distress of nations; and, when it will be feared
and expected that greater darkness and distress still
are coming on, light will break forth; deliverance and
salvation from Popish darkness and tyranny will be
wrought; the light of the Gospel will break forth, and
spread itself everywhere; the light of joy and glad-
ness will arise to all the saints, and it will be a time
of great spiritual peace, prosperity, and happiness. Vi-
tringa on Isa. Ix. e0, interprets it there shall be no vi-
cissitude, or succession of day and night, but all day;
at evening it shall be light; no calamity nor sorrow;
Christ the light, and su.n. of righteousness, will break
out in a gloriousand spiritual manner.
Ver. 8. And i,t shall be in that day, that living waters
shall go out from 3erasalem, &c.] When it shall be
light; and this is one of the things which will make it
so; for by living waters are meant the Gospel, and the
doctrines of it; compared to running waters. for the

{l} Antiqu. l. 9. c. 10. sect. 4.
{k} \^Nwapqz twrqy rwa hyhy al\^ \~ouk estai fwv kai quch, kai pagov\~, Sept.;
non erit lux, sed frigus & gelu, V. L; so Syr. Ar.; congelatio, Tigurine
version; so Ben Melech; non erit lux; frigora potius & congelatio;
vel non erit lux; frigoribus congelascent, scilicet peccatores, Hiller. de
Arcano Kethib & Keri, p. 370.