Zechariah 14

Zechariah 14:1

THe day] it is likely that these things must be understood, concerning the spirituall and corporall warres, which Antichrist shall raise against the Church of God: drawing thorow Gods permission, the Princes and Nations of the earth to follow him, Revelation 14:8; Revelation 17:15. Unlesse he meaneth that great unknowne accident described, Ezekiel 38:1-23. of Gog and Magog, the last enemies of the Church.

Zechariah 14:2

Halse] God shall suffer a great part of his Church to be discomfited and subdued, Rev. 11. 7. & 13. 7. but he shall reserve unto himselfe a remainder for grace and election.

Zechariah 14:3

Go. forth] see concerning these victories which the Sonne of God shall obtain against Antichrist, 2 Thessalonians 2:8. Rev. 17. 14. & 18. 2 Of battell] the battell of Midian under Gideon, Judges 7:22. Isay 9. 4. & 10. 26. where God discomfited his enemies by their own swords: as threatning to do the like at this time, V. 13.

Zechariah 14:4

His feet] figurative termes to signifie the re-establishment and gathering together of the Church dispersed by Antichrist, by a new and firme presence of Christ in the middest of her: calling unto him all those which were driven away, Revelation 14:1. No, where it is set downe, that at His returne He shall stand upon the Mount of Olives: being correspondent to His departure which was also from off that place, as it is described, Ezekiel 11:23 Shall clave] all lt and difficulty which might hinder the concourse of mine Elect, shall be taken away, as Isa. 40. 3. & 57. 14. & 62. 10.

Zechariah 14:5

Shall flee] all you beleevers shall speedily come to the Church, to save your selves from perishing with the world For the valley] the free entrance into the Church shall be open every where, save onely where Gods election hath not wrought; but hath lest a man as it were sequestred: which seemeth to be meant by the word Azal, which signifieth separation. See Isay 4. 3 With thee] O Christ, this may be understood of the Elect which shall joyne themselves to Christ; Or of the Angels which shall accompany Christ at His last coming, Matthew 25:31. Jude 1:15. whereunto these following things seem to have a relation.

Zechariah 14:6

In that day] after the destruction of Antichrist shall the Sonne of God come in, who shall bring the Church into its glory, where without any vicissitude or variation of day and night, of calamity and prosperity, of knowledge and ignorance; it shall enjoy eternall light by the sight of God, Isay 16. 19, 20. Rev. 21. 23. and 22. 5.

Zechariah 14:7

One day] equall and everlasting, not varied nor interrupted Shall be knowne] this may be referred either to the prefixed time of Christ his comming to judgement; which God alone knoweth, Matthew 24:36. Or to the quality of that eternall glory which no man hath seen nor can comprehend, 1. Cor. 2. 9.

Zechariah 14:8

Waters] namely; the grace and gifts of Gods Spirit in this world, and His glory in the heavenly life shall be powred out upon his Elect for ever, Ezekiel 47:1. Joe 3:18. Revelation 22:1 The former sea] this is the sea of Sodome, and the west or uttermost Sea, the Mediterranean, which by the setting forth of diverse places of Judea, signifieth nothing but a generall powring out on all sides, and upon all men Shall it be] those waters shall never be dried up, as your Summer streames are. See Job 6:16-17.

Zechariah 14:9

The Lord] the Sonne of God shall alone be acknowledged and worshipped for everlasting King of the world.

Zechariah 14:10

All the land] figurative termes taken from the hilly situation of Judea: to signifie that all worldly height shall be beaten downe, and the Church alone shall be glorified, as Isay 2. 2. See Zech, 4. 7 From Gba] Geba and Rimmon were two confines of Judah, the one towards the North, and the other towards the South, Josh. 15. 32 57 From Benjamins gate] by a similitude taken from the precinct of the earthly Jerusalem, as Jeremiah 31:38. he doth imply a perfect re-establishment of the Church in all parts of it Of the first gate] it seemes he meanes the fish gate, which was against the second gate, Jeremiah 39:3. Zephaniah 1:10. and so he mentioneth the whole circuit of Jerusalem. Benjamins gate was on the North-east side: from thence going towards the corner gate which was on the North-west side; they went along by the fish gate: and from Hananiels tower which was on the same side as Benjamins gate; they went the other compasse from the South to the Kings winepresses which were on the west side: where these two halfe compasses did meet, to make up a whole compasse The còrner gate] See 2 Chronicles 26:9. peradventure there was some Tower there to make the corner, or some point like spurres or bastions.

Zechariah 14:12

The plague] he seems to describe the eternall punishments of the wicked They 〈…〉and] though he subsist, and live, and shall not be capable of death, yet he shall be tormented everlastingly, still outliving his paine: having no end that his paine may also be endlesse Th〈…〉yes] though they be alive, and can see, yet shall they be deprived of light, in infernall darknesse, having neither eyes nor understanding, but onely to see and judge of their extreame misery.Their tongue] see Luke 16:24.

Zechariah 14:13

In that day] of Gods victory over his enemies which is described, v. 3 Shall lay hold] God shal cause thē to fight, one against the other, as in the battell of Midian, Judges 7:22. Matthew 24:7.

Zechariah 14:14

Iudah] the carnall & unbeleeving Jewes shall also be enemies to Christs true Church The wealth] that is to say; the booty or spoiles: a figurative terme, to signifie a compleatvictory.

Zechariah 14:15

The plague] God shall not onely destroy his enemies, V. 12. but even all the instruments they made use of for to afflict the Church.

Zechariah 14:16

That every one] God shall save some of his enemies, whom he shall cause to turne to his true spirituall service described here as in a shadow by the ceremoniall service of the law, as Isay 66. 23 The feast] a figure of the Elects gathering together into particular Churches in this world, to which every one must reduce themselves to partake of the communion of Saints, and of Gods grace.

Zechariah 14:17

Shall be no] God shall impart none of his blessings to them.

Zechariah 14:18

Of Egypt] which was the ancientest enemie of the Church; which also seemed not to have much reason to feare the foresaid want of raine, because of the yearly overflowing of Nilus; but therefore instead of that it is threatned wth everlasting burnings, V 12.

Zechariah 14:20

Vpon the bels] the Italian, The osses] having spoken of the horses overthrow and other cattell of the enemies, V. 15. He addeth to make up the measure, that all their spoiles; even the deckings of their furniture, if they were of metall; should be consecrated to God, to make utensiles for his service: wherein he seems to have a relation to that as Gideon did, Judges 8:26. The meaning is, God shall convert to his service in his Church, all such things as before was imployed against him The pots] made of these bosses. The meaning is; that there shall be frequent sacrifices of thanksgiving, of which some parts were dressed in the Temple, in the Kitchins, belonging to it, Ezek. 46. 22. 23. for the sacred feasts, 1 Samuel 2:15. And all this must be understood of the spirituall service which should be in the Christian Church, described by the ancient ceremoniall service, as Isay 60. 7. and 66. 23. Malachi 1:11 The bowles] which were in very great number, for to receive the blood of the sacrifices, and to make the sprinklings.

See 2 Chronicles 4:8. Ezra 1:9.

Zechariah 14:21

Every pot] he seemes to meane, that the spirituall service shall be yeelded to God every where, even in the most ordinary actions of a Christian life There shall be no more] God shall cleanse his mysticall Church composed of true Beleevers and Elect, from the mixture of all profane persons. See Isay 35. 8. Joe 3:17 Cannite] or Merchant: he seemes to have a speciall relation to the abuse of Merchandizing, and selling, which was used in the Temple, Matthew 21:12. John 2:15.