Albert Barnes Commentary Hebrews 10:25

"not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting [one another]; and so much the more, as ye see the day drawing nigh." — Hebrews 10:25 (ASV)

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. That is, for purposes of public worship. Some expositors have understood the word here rendered assembling—episunagwghn—as meaning the society of Christians, or the church; and they have supposed that the object of the apostle here is to exhort them not to apostatize from the church.

The arguments for this opinion may be seen at length in Kuinoel, on this passage. But the more obvious interpretation is the one commonly adopted, that it refers to public worship. The Greek word (the noun) is used nowhere else in the New Testament, except in 2 Thessalonians 2:1, where it is rendered gathering together.

The verb is used in Matthew 23:3; Matthew 24:31; Mark 1:33; Mark 13:27; Luke 12:1; and Luke 13:34, in all of which places it is rendered gathered together. It properly means an act of assembling, or a gathering together, and is nowhere used in the New Testament in the sense of an assembly or the church. The command, then, here is to meet together for the worship of God, and it is enjoined on Christians as an important duty to do so. It is also implied that there is blame or fault where this is neglected.

As the manner of some is. Why those here referred to neglected public worship is not specified. It may have been from such causes as the following:

1. Some may have been deterred by the fear of persecution, as those who were thus assembled would be more exposed to danger than others.

2. Some may have neglected the duty because they felt no interest in it—as professing Christians now sometimes do.

3. It is possible that some may have had doubts about the necessity and propriety of this duty, and on that account may have neglected it.

4. Or it may perhaps have been, though we can hardly suppose that this reason existed, that some may have neglected it from a cause which now sometimes operates—from dissatisfaction with a preacher, or with some member or members of the church, or with some measure in the church.

Whatever the reasons, the apostle says that they should not be allowed to operate, but that Christians should regard it as a sacred duty to meet together for the worship of God.

None of the causes suggested above should deter people from this duty. With all who bear the Christian name—with all who expect to make advances in piety and religious knowledge—it should be regarded as a sacred duty to assemble for public worship.

Religion is social, and our graces are to be strengthened and invigorated by waiting together on the Lord. There is an obvious propriety that people should assemble for the worship of the Most High, and no Christian can hope that his graces will grow, or that he can perform his duty to his Maker, without uniting in this way with those who love the service of God.

But exhorting one another. That is, in our assembling together—a direction which proves that it is proper for Christians to exhort one another when they are gathered for public worship. Indeed, there is reason to believe that the preaching in the early Christian assemblies was largely characterized by mutual exhortation.

And so much the more as you see the day approaching. The term "day" here refers to some event that was certainly anticipated and so well understood by them that no particular explanation was necessary. It was also some event expected soon to occur, and for which there were then indications of its speedy arrival.

If it had not been something expected soon to happen, the apostle would have gone into a more detailed explanation and would have stated at length what these indications were. There has been some diversity of opinion about what is referred to here, with many commentators supposing that the reference is to the anticipated second coming of the Lord Jesus to establish a visible kingdom on the earth, and others to the fact that the period was approaching when Jerusalem would be destroyed and the temple services would cease.

As far as the language is concerned, the reference might be to either event, for the word "day" is applied to both in the New Testament. The word would properly be understood as referring to an expected period when something remarkable was to happen, which ought to have an important influence on their character and conduct. In support of the opinion that it refers to the approaching destruction of Jerusalem, and not to the coming of the Lord Jesus to establish a visible kingdom, we may offer the following considerations:

1. The term used—"day"—will refer to that event as properly as to any other. It is a word that would likely suggest the idea of distress, calamity, or judgment of some kind, as it is often used in the Scriptures (1 Samuel 26:10; Jeremiah 30:7; Ezekiel 21:15; see also Barnes' notes on Isaiah 2:12).

2. Such a period was distinctly predicted by the Saviour, and the indications that would precede it were clearly pointed out (see Matthew 24). That event was then so near that the Saviour said that that generation would not pass until the prediction had been fulfilled (Matthew 24:34).

3. The destruction of Jerusalem was an event of great importance to the Hebrews and to the Hebrew Christians to whom this epistle was directed; thus, it might be reasonable to suppose that the apostle Paul would refer to it.

4. It is not improbable that, at the time of writing this epistle, there were indications that day was approaching. Those indications were of such a marked character that when the time approached they could not well be mistaken (see Matthew 24:6-12, 24, 26), and it is probable that they had already begun to appear.

5. There were no such indications that the Lord Jesus was about to appear to establish a visible kingdom. It was not a fact that this was about to occur, as the result has shown; nor is there any positive proof that the mass of Christians were expecting it, and no reason to believe that the apostle Paul had any such expectation (see 2 Thessalonians 2:1–5).

6. The expectation that the destruction of Jerusalem was referred to, and was about to occur, was precisely what might be expected to produce the effect on the minds of the Hebrew Christians to which the apostle here refers. It was to be a solemn and fearful event. It would be a remarkable manifestation of God.

   This event would break up the civil and ecclesiastical polity of the nation and scatter them abroad. It would require all the exercise of their patience and faith in passing through these scenes. It might be expected to be a time when many would be tempted to apostatize; therefore, it was proper to exhort them to meet together and to strengthen and encourage each other as they saw that event drawing near.

The argument, then, would be this: The danger against which the apostle desired to guard those to whom he was writing was apostasy from Christianity to Judaism. To preserve them from this, he urges the fact that the downfall of Judaism was near, and that every indication they saw of its approach ought to be allowed to influence them and guard them from that danger.

It is for reasons such as these that I suppose the reference here is not to the "second advent" of the Redeemer, but to the approaching destruction of Jerusalem. At the same time, it is not improper to use this passage as an exhortation to Christians for fidelity when they see that the end of the world draws near, and when they perceive indications that the Lord Jesus is about to come.

And so of death. We should be more diligent when we see indications that the great Messenger is about to come to summon us into the presence of our final Judge. And who does not know that He is approaching with silent and steady footsteps, and that even now He may be very near?

Who can fail to see for himself indications that the time approaches when he must lie down and die? Every pang we suffer should remind us of this. When the hair changes its hue, time makes furrows in the cheek, and the limbs become feeble, we should regard these as premonitions that He is coming and should be more diligent as we see He is drawing near.