It is faid that his coming will be fudden like a cloud and that his defign will be, (with the other nations with him) to take the fpoil from the Jews who are peceably enjoying their riches, which they brought with them from different parts of the world.

This places the matter beyond all doubt concerning this army that fhall come against the Jews in the laft days. Verse 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, "Therefore, fon of man, prophecy, and fay unto Gog, thus faith the LORD GOD, in that day when my people of Ifrael dwelleth fafely, fhall thou not know it; And thou fhalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horfes, a great company, and a mighty army. And thou shalt come up against my people of Ifrael as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee againft my land, that the heathen may know me, when I fhall be fancttified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. Thus faith the LORD GOD, art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my fervants the prophets of Ifrael, which prophecied in those days many years, that I would bring thee against them? And it fhall come to pafs at the fame time, when Gog fhall come against the land of Ifrael, faith the LORD GOD, that my fury fhall come up in my face."

1. This prophecy fays plainly, that Gog fhall come against God's people Ifrael in their land, and that it fhall be in the latter days.

2. It is also mentioned that this leader of the army is the one the prophets of Ifrael fpake of many years ago, and the LORD fays that though this army comes all of them riding on horses; yet at that time his fury fhall come up in his face, the confequence of which will be, that this great army will chiefly be flain upon the land of Iftael.

When this army comes against Jerufalem it will be a time of the greatest trouble that the Jews ever experienced; they will expect nothing but to be wholly fwallowed up by their enemies; It appears from Zechariah, that the enemy will take many of them captive, and even

take their property and divide it there, one half of the city Jerufalem being taken by Gog and his army. This is mentioned in Zechariah xiv. 1, 2, "Behold the day of the Lord cometh and thy spoil fhall be divided in the midst of thee; for I will gather all nations against Jerufalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houfes rifled, and the women ravifhed; and half of the city fhall go forth into captivity, and the refidue of the people fhall not be cut off from the city." From what is faid here, it is plain that this prophecy refers to fomething that has not yet taken place, for it is faid in verse 3, 4, that "then the LORD fhall go forth, and fight against thofe nations," who are in Jerufalem, and that the Lord's feet fhall stand on the Mount of Olives.

It appears to me that the reason why this great army will be fuffered to come against the Jews after their return, will be to punifh them for idolatry, for it is faid in chap. xiii. 2, that in that day, the Lord will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and that they shall be no more remembered.

It appears, from verfe 8 of this chapter, that this great army will cut off great multitudes of the Jews in the land, before they take Jerufalem. It is faid, "And it fall

come to pafs, that in all the land faith the LORD, two parts therein fhall be cut off and die; but the third fhall be left therein." This fpeaks of the death of two thirds of the people in all the land. This muft be a time of terrible diftrefs to those who remain. They will be tried to the utmost, and will not give up to their enemies, but will find deliverance and fhare in the bleffings of the new covenant, which will be made after the war is over. This is mentioned in verfe, 9, "And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as filver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried; and they fhall call on my name, and I will hear them; I will fay, it is my people; and they fhall fay, the LORD is my God. According to this, after the third part of the people fee fo many cut off, and the army advancing, Jerufalem taken, one half of it in captivity, and the houfes rifled, that they will be led to think of deliver

ance from God only; then in great distress, they will all as one call on the Lord who has fo often heard, and delivered the Jews out of their diftreffes, and at the moment, when they are like to be fwallowed up, the Lord will hear,answer, and come for their relief, and flay their enemies before their eyes. This will be the time when Jefus Chrift will be seen in the air to the joy of his friends and the terror of his and their enemies.

The manner in which Christ will appear at this time without doubt, will be terrible to the Jews and the army which will be fighting against them.

1. He will be seen over them, in the air. It is faid in Zechariah ix. 14, "And the LORD fhall be feen over them." This will caufe great diftrefs among the Jews, who are furrounded by their enemies out of all nations; when they fee him whom their fathers pierced; and this army will be filled with wailing when they fee him on a cloud in the air. This is mentioned by John in Revelation, i. 7, "Behold he cometh with clouds, and every eye fhall fee him, and they alfo which pierced him, and all kindreds of the earth fhall wail because of him. Even fo, Amen." This verfe includes the Jews and fome of all nations, which will then be gathered at Jerufalem.

2. Befides this appearance of Chrift over Jerufalem; he will caufe the most terrible earthquake that ever was, it will be felt all over the earth, and feas, even the fishes of the fea will feel the fhock. This is mentioned in Ezekiel xxxviii. 18, 19, 20, "And it fhall come to pafs at the fame time, when Gog fhall come against the land of Ifrael, faith the LORD GOD, that my fury fhall come up in my face; for in my jealoufy, and in the fire of my wrath, have I fpoken, furely in that day there fhall be a great SHAKING in the land of Ifrael; fo that the fishes, of the fea, and the fowls of heaven, and the beafts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, fhall fhake at my prefence; and the mountains fhall be thrown down, and the steep places fhall fall, and every wall fhallfall to the ground." This is mentioned immediately af

G

ter the great army of Gog is described, who fhall come to take the Jews.

What an awful trembling this will caufe among the Jews, the army and all the world, who will then feel the fhock of this terrible earthquake. What this earthquake will do in Judea, we are told in Zechariah, xiv. 4, 5, "And the mount of Olies fhall cleave in the midft thereof towards the east, and towards the west, and there fhall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain fhall remove towards the north, and half of it towards the fouth. And ye fhall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains fhall reach unto Azal; yea, ye fhall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah; and the LORD MY God fhall come, and all the faints with thee."

Here we are told that the earthquake at the coming of Chrft to deliver the Jews, fhall be fo great, that it will part the mount of Olives and make two of it, and remove them at fuch a distance that there fhall be a great valley between them; this awful fight, Chrift ftanding on the mount, with his faints, the mountain parting and removing, will fo alarm the people that they will flee, fearing it will fall on them.. O what a day will this be ! Who may abide the day of his coming?

3. At this very time the Lord Jefus will bring this great army into the valley of Jehoshaphat, called the valley of decifion, and judge them there for their wickedness. This I think must be the valley between the two mountains made by the earthquake which divided the mount of Olives in two. This is mentioned in Joel iii. 1, 2, "For, behold, in those days and at that time, when I fhall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerufalem, I will alfo gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehofhaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage, Ifrael, whom they have fcattered among the nations, and parted their land." This account agrees with the other places concerning this wonderful event ;-firft it is faid that this fhall take place when the Lord brings a

gain the captivity of Judah and Jerufalem ;-fecond, he fays that all nations will be gathered against them ;— third, that the Lord will bring all thefe nations down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, to plead with them for their cruelty to the Jews. Joel has mentioned this again, in verse 12, 13, 14, "Let the heathen be weakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there will I fet to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the fickle, for the harvest is ripe; come, get you down; for the prefs is full, the fats overflow; for their wickednefs is great. Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decifion; for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decifion." From this it appears, that Jefus Chrift will ftand on the mount of Olives, and there judge thofe nations, and decide the controverfy between thefe heathen and the Jews. Then, having judged them he will cut them off from the earth for their wickedness, as the grain is cut off when it is fully ripe. It is mentioned that multitudes will be flain there by the Lord, when he shall roar out of Zion and utter his voice from Jerufalem. Chrift judging among these heathen, flaying them, and filling the valley with their dead bodies, deftroying kings and wounding the head men of many countries is men-, tioned by David, in Pfalm cx. 2, 3, 5, 6,—“ The LORD fhall fend the rod of thy ftrength out of Zion, rule thou in the midst of thine enemies; thy people fhall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning; tha haft the dew of thy youth. The LORD at thy right hand fhall strike through kings in the day of his wrath; he fhall judge among the heathen, he fhall fill the places with the dead bodies; he fhall wound the heads over many countries.

Here is the time when the Jews, God's people will be willing, this will be the day of his power, when he will come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, when all these tribes of the earth (this great army) fhall mourn, Matth. xxiv. 30. In this day of his power the Jews will be willing to have this man to reign over them, and feeing him judging the heathen in this valley, and