Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on Revelation 20:9
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
And they went up on the breadth of the earth, etc.] Either the whole earth, in the several parts of which they will be raised; or the land of Israel, where Christ and his people will be; and so the wicked being raised, will come up from the several parts of the world, and spread themselves over the holy land; just as Gog and Magog are said to cover the land of Israel, as a cloud, (<263816>Ezekiel 38:16) and it may be observed, that the very phrase of Æxra bjr, “the breadth of thy land”, is used of Immanuel's land, or the land of Israel, in (<230808>Isaiah 8:8) and compassed the camp of the saints about; these are the blessed and Holy Ones, who have part in the first resurrection, even all the saints; not only the martyrs under the Heathen persecutions, and the confessors of Christ under the Papacy, but all the saints from the beginning of the world; these will be all encamped together, with the tabernacle of God in the midst of them, (<662103>Revelation 21:3) and Christ their King at the head of them, (<330213>Micah 2:13) the allusion is to the encampment of the children of Israel in the wilderness, about the tabernacle, which was in the midst of them, (<040202>Numbers 2:2) etc. afterwards the city of Jerusalem itself was called a camp, and answered in all respects to the camp in the wilderness f441, to which the reference is in (<581311>Hebrews 13:11-13) and which serves to illustrate the passage here, since it follows: and the beloved city: not Constantinople, as some have thought, but the holy city, the new Jerusalem, (<662102>Revelation 21:2) the general assembly and church of the firstborn, beloved by God and Christ, and by the holy angels, and by one another; and these very probably will be with Christ upon the same spot of ground where the Old Jerusalem stood, a city so highly favoured, and so much distinguished by God; so that where Christ suffered so much reproach and shame, and such an accursed death, he will now be glorified, and live in triumph with his saints: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them; not material fire; with this the earth, and the bodies of the wicked then upon it, will be burnt at the beginning of the thousand years; but now their bodies will be raised immortal, and not capable of being consumed with such fire; but the fiery indignation of God, or his wrath, which will be poured out like fire, is here meant, which will destroy both body and soul; this is no other than the lake of fire, or second death, into which they will be cast; and which will not be until the judgment is over, though it is here related to show what will be the event and issue of their attack upon the saints: the allusion is to the fire sent upon Gog and Magog, and to the burning of their weapons, in (<263822>Ezekiel 38:22 39:6,9,10) and so the Jews f442 say of their Gog and Magog, that “they shall be killed with the burning of the soul, with a flame of fire, which shall come from under the throne of glory.”
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