Exposition of the Whole Bible

tioned with it, and never were under the power of enemy of the church of God, ‘is here repréfented as fetting up his bloody flag-or enfign, and preparing for. battel, “threatening with utter ‘defolation ahd deftru€tion. And this will be defween the feas, in the glorious holy mountain;-in the mountain of mountains of the land of J/rael, upon which it is certain Gog or the Turk fhall come, and there he fhall fall, Ezek. xxxix. 2, 3, 4, 5. particularly the mountains about, Ferufalem, and more. efpecially mount Zion, or Moriah, as Facchiades; on ‘which the temple was built formerly, and was clorious and holy on that account, and for which reafon the epithets may be retained, tho’ it will now ‘be glorious and’holy, thro’ a glorious and. ‘holy people the ‘ews, become chriftian, refiding and wotfhipping in ‘Ferufalem;° whofe fituation is’ between two feas, the Mediterranean fea to the weft, and the fea of Sodom, or the Syrian or Perfian fea, to the eaft, called the hinder and the fornyer feas in Zech. xiv. 8. _Sorne take the word 3458 Apadno, tranflated palace, for the proper name of a place. Theodoret takes it to be a place near Ferufalem, and Ferom fays it was’ near Nicopolis, which was fotmerly called Exmaus, where the mountdinous parts of ‘Fudea begin to rife, and lay between the dead fea on the eaft, and the great fea on the weft, where he fuppofes antichrift will pitch his tent: and Porphyry, as he relates, who interprets the whole of Antiochus, places it between the two rivers Ligris and Euphrates, he fays, that Antiochus went on an expedition againft Artaxias king of Armenia, ‘arid having flain many of his army, pitched his tent in the place paduo, which is fituated between two large rivers, Tigris and Euphrates; and that he afterwards went to the top of ‘a mountain, in the province of Elymais, the further part of Perfa to the eaft, with a defign to rob the temple of Diana, but being difcovered by the people was obliged to flee, and that he died with grief in Tabes, a town in Perfia: and Father Calmet is of opinion, that a place between thofe two rivers before-mentioned is meant, and tranflates the words thus, ‘* he “fhall ‘¢ pitch his tents in Apaduo of the two feas;” or in Padan of two rivers, Mefopotamia, fituated between the Euphrates and the Tigris, two large rivers, and juftly compared with the fea, particularly for their inundations. Dr. Goodwin" exprefies his fears, that our Briti/h ifles are here intended, which fo eminently ftand between the’ feas, and which God has made the eminent feat.of the church in thefe latter days;‘ and his fears would feem to be too well grounded, were the Romifh or weftern antichrift here defigned; but the Turk, or the eaftern antichrift, is manifeftly fpoken of, as appears by the context: and the reafon why he is fo much obferved, and fo many things faid of Him is, becaufe the Fews have, and will have, the greateft concern with him, their country being in his hands; and it is for their fakes chiefly, that the whole of this prophecy is delivered out; however, both antichrifts, the one and the other, fhall come to utter deftruétion, as follows: yet he /hall come to his end, and none foall help bim, he fhall fall upon the mountains of J/rael, he and his princes, his generals, and captains, and mighty men; the whole Ottoman empire fhall be deftroyed, fignified by the drying up of the river Expbrates, ‘which is ‘in his

4 Tas cxmas Te urrosact ave, Symm. papiliones © 'Yentoria aulai dominions, Rev. xvi. 12. and of the vaft multitudes that fhall come with him, Perfia, Ethiopia, Lybia, Gomer, and Togarmah, Ezek, xxxviii. 5, 6. hall be able to help him, or fave him from ruin: of the deftruction of the Turk, under the name of Gog, fee Ezek, xxxix.

and the numerous provinces he is mafter of; none

"Te chapter begins with an account of a time of exceeding great trouble to the people of God, who are comforted with the confideration of Michael the great prince being on their fide, and with a promife of deliverance, with the refurrection of the dead, and the glorious ftate of wife and good men upon that, y. 1, 2, 3. and Daniel is ordered to fhut up and feal the book of the prophecy, until a time when it fhould be better underftood, ¥. 4. next follows a queftion put by an angel to Chrift, and his anfwer to it, with refpect to the time of the fulfilment of thofe wonderful events, ¥. 5, 6, 7. Damiel not underftanding what he heard, afks what would be the end of thofe things, ¥. 8. in anfwer to which he is bid to be content with what he knew; no alteration would be among men; things would be neither better nor worfe with them, y. 9, 10. a time is fixed for the accomplifhment of all, ¥. 11, 12. and it is promifed him, that he fhould have reft after death, and rife again, and have his lot and fhare with the blefled, y¥. 13.

¥.1. And at that time fhall Michael fland up, &c.] ‘The arch-angel, who has all the angels of heaven under him, and at his command, the Son of God, our Lord Jefus Chrift; who is as God, as the name fignifies, truly and really God, and equal in nature, power, and glory, to his divine Father: he fball fiand up 5 which is not to be underftood of his incarnation, or manifeftation in the flefh, for this refers to times long after that; yet neither of his perfonal appearance in the clouds of heaven, and ftanding upon the earth in the latter day; but of his fpiritual prefence among his people, and protection of them, and continuance with them: this refpects the fpiritual reign of Chrift, the Lamb’s ftanding upon mount Zon, and the 144,000 with him, Rev. xiv. 1. and this will be at that time, when the eaftern antichrift, the Turk, will be deftroyed; for the words are clofely connected with the laft verfe of the preceding chapter; and when alfo the weftern antichrift, the pope of Rome, will come to his end; for as they rofe, fo they will fall, much about the fame time; and then Chrift will rife and ftand up, as the glorious head of the church, and as a triumphant conqueror over all his enemies, and take to himfelf his great power and reign, and that kingdom which of right belongs tohim. The great prince which flandeth for the children of thy people; the King of kings, and Lord of lords, the prince of the kings of the earth; great in his perfon, and in his office; great in dignity, power, and authority; who always did,.and ever will, ftand on the fide of the true J/rael of God: he efpoufed their caufe very early; he wrought out falvation for them in time; he intercedes for them now in heaven, and will appear to be their patron and defender againft all their enemies in the latter day: here it feems to have fpecial regard to the people of the Fews, Daniel’s people; whom Chrift ihall appear unto, and for, in an eminent manner, to convert and fave them, help and affift them, protect and defend them. And there fhall be a time of trouble, fuch as never was fince there was @ nation, even to the fame time; that is, ever fince the world was, from the beginning of it, from the creation of the world; not only from the time that the Fews became a people, which was at their coming out of Egypt, as fome underftand it, but from the beginning of time; and fo our Lord interprets it, who feems to have this paffage in view in Ma#t. xxiv. 21. there have been many great and fore troubles in the world, great confufions in it, and convulfions of it, ftrange and amazing changes in it; very afflictive and diftreffing times have been to feveral kingdoms, nations, and cities, which have been entirely overthrown; but never was any like to this; which refpects not the diftreffes of the Fews in the times of Antiochus, or at the deftruction of Ferufalem by the Romans; nor does it feem to refpect them at all, at leaft they will have no further fhare and concern in it, than as they will be in connexion with other people, among whom they will be at this time; and it will be to them rather a time of deliverance and falvation, than of diftrefs; but it is that time of trial, and hour of temptation, that fhall come upon all the world, Rev, iii, 10. as it may concern the church and people of God, it is the laft ftruggle of the beaft, of antichrift, at the time of his downfal and ruin, when he’!l make his laft effort; this will be the laft perfecution of the faints, which will be fhort and fharp; the flaying of the witneffes, which will affect the whole intereft of Chrift every where: and as this concerns others, it defigns the pouring out of the vials of God’s wrath upon all the antichri+ ftian ftates, and all thofe judgments and calamities which will come upon the nations of the world, fignified by the harveft and vintage; fee Rev. xiv. 14—20. and xv. 1. and xvi. 1, &c. and this time of trouble, for the nature, quality, and extent of it, will exceed any and all that ever were in the world. And at that time thy people fhall be delivered; the Fews, the people of Daniel; thefe fhall be delivered not only from the then prefent out-.

ward troubles, not only from their prefent captivity and afflictions, but from their {piritual evils; from the bondage of fin, and the captivity of fatan; their difbelief of the Meffiah; their confidence in their own righteoufnefs, and attachment to the traditions of their fathers; they fhall be turned from their tranfgreffions, and return to the Lord their God, and David their king, and thall be truly converted, and fpiritually and eternally faved, Rom. xi, 25,26. Every one that foall be found written in the book, in the book of life, as Facchiades; in the book of God’s eternal purpofes and decrees, concerning the falvation of his people by Chrift; for it is according to thefe that God faves and calls ~

y. 2. And many of them that fleep in the duft of —

the earth fhall awake, &c.] Which is not to be underftood in a figurative and metaphorical fenfe, as

as by R. Fefhuab the Few, Porphyry the heathen, rewatds of his grace, ‘to which the following verle and by fome chriftian writers; neither of the deliverance of the Jews from the troubles of Antiochus, or their prefent captivity; nor of the fpiritual refurrection of them, or others, from their {tate of infidelity to a profeffion of the gofpel, which in fome is real, in others only hypocritical;- but in a literal fenfe, of the refurrection of the dead at the laft day, which, with refpect to the righteous, will take place upon the perfonal appearance of Chrift at firft, 1 Thef: iv. 16. for, as death is oftentimes compared to fleep, in which the fenfes are bound up, and the body is in a ftate of inactivity; fee Fobn xi. 11. 1 Cor. xv. 20. 1 Theff. iv. 14. fo the refurrection from the dead is exprefled by awaking out of fleep, when the body fhall rife frefh and vigorous, in full health and ftrength, as a man out of a comfortable fleep; fee Pf. xvii. 15. Jf xxvi. 19. The word many is ufed, either becaufe as all will not fleep, fo all will not be awaked; there will be fome that will be alive and awake at Chrift’s coming, 1 Cor. xv. 51. 1 Theff. iv. 17. or, as it fignifies, a multitude, P - xcvii. 1. and fo here the innumerable multitude of the dead, who are afterwards diftributively confidered; and indeed the word is fometimes ufed for all; fee Rom. v. 15, 19: fome to everlafting life, to the enjoyment of everlafting life and happinefs with Chrift in the world to come; a phrafe often ufed in the New Teftament, tho’ never before in the Old; expreffive of that felicity and blifs which the faints enjoy in heaven after this life is over, firft in the feparate ftate of the foul, and then at the refurrection in foul and body, and of the everlafting continuance of it; they that fhall enjoy this, are thofe that are written in the Lamb’s book of life, or are ordained unto eternal life; who are redeemed by the blood of Chrift, regenerated by his Spirit and grace, juftified by his righteoufne(s, adopted into the family of God, are heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Chrift; thefe are the dead in’ Chrift, which rife firft: and fome to fhame and everlafting contempt; wicked men, who lived in a courfe of fin in this world, without any remorfe or fhame; but when they fhall rife from the dead, they'll rife with all their fins upon them, and with a full conviction of them in their confciences; and will be afhamed of them, and to appear before God the judge of all; and will be had in contempt by the Lord, by elect angels, and all good men; and this reproach fhall never be wiped off; fee J/. Ixvi. 24. Our Lord feems manifeftly to have refpect to this paflage, when he fpeaks of men coming out of their graves at the laft day, fome unto the re/urvettion of life, and others unto the refurrection of damaation, Fobn v. 28, 29. and upon thefe words it may well be thought the apoftle Pau! grounded his faith of the refurrection of the dead, both juft and unjutt, As xxiv. 15. and tho’ the refurrection of both is fpoken of here and elfewhere together, yet it will be at diftin& periods of time; the refurrection of the juft at the beginning of the thoufand years, and that of the wicked at the end of them, Rev. xx. 5, 6. between which will be the intermediate ftate of the faints dwelling with Chrift on earth; where they will be favoured with his prefence, and the

_ Ye 3.: Aud they that be wife foall fhine as the brightne/s of the firmament, &c.| That are wile, not in things natural and civil, but in things fpiritual; who are wife unto falvation; ‘that are wife to know themfelves, their ftate and condition by nature; their impurity and impotence; the infufficiency of their own righteoufnefs; the exceeding finfulnefs of fin, and the dangerous circumftances they are in; that are wife to know Chrift, and him crucified; to believe in him, and truft in him for everlafting life and falvation: thefe at the refurrection fhall /bine, both in body and foul; their bodies fhall be fafhioned like to the glorious body of Chrift; their fouls fhall be filled with perfect light and knowledge, and be completely holy, without any fin upon them; and this light and glory that will be upon both foul and body, will be like the brightnefs of the heavens when the fun is rifen yea, it will be like the brightnefs and glory of the fun itfelf, as our Lord affirms; having, as it feems, refpect to this paffage, Mart. xiii. 43. Some render it, they that inftru@‘; or make others wife, and fo reftrain it to minifters of the word; but

‘the more general fenfe is beft; and befides, they are more particularly defcribed in the next claufe;: and they that turn many to righteoufne/s, as the ftars for ever aud ever or, that juftify many *; that teach the doétrine of a finner’s free juftificatidn by the righteoufnefs of Chrift; that lead and direct fouls fenfible of fin, and of the weaknefs of their own righteoufnefs, to the righteoufnefs of Chrift, as being that only which juttifies before God; otherwife it is God alone that juftifies men, by imputing the righteoufnefs of his fon unto them: but thefe fhew men the way of juftification, or that which God takes to juftify finners; and this being the principal doétrine of the gofpel, they are denominated from it; and.no man deferves the name of a gofpel-minifter, that does not preach it, tho’ this is not all that they preach; they preach all other doétrines of the gofpel in connexion with it, and alfo inftrué& men thus juftified to live foberly, righteoufly and godly: now, as thefe are ftars in the church of Chrift below, who receive their light from Chrift the fun of righteoufnefs, and communicate it to his people; fo they will continue {tars in the millennium-ftate, and appear exceeding glorious, having the glory of God and Chrift upon them, and not only then, but toall eternity. Thefe words are applied to the days of the Meffiah by the Fews '.

y. 4. But thou, O Daniel, fout up the words, &c.] Of the book, in which he had wrote the vifions and prophecies delivered to him: this he is bid to jout up, to keep it from the common and profane people, who would only burlefque it; and to keep it to himfelf as a peculiar treafure committed to his care; and tho’ it was not kept from the faints and people of God, from their reading it, yet he was not to interpret and explain it to them; it was to remain a fecret until the’ time of its accomplifhment was come, or however near at hand; fo that this denotes the obfcurity of the prophecy, and the great difficulty of underftanding it; it being like a book that is fhut and fealed, as