Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrew 10:25 KJV)
Adam Clarke’s Commentary
The day approaching. yhn hmeran. That day-the time in which God would come and pour out his judgments on the Jewish nation. We may also apply it to the day of death and the day of judgment. Both of these are approaching to every human being. He who wishes to be found ready will carefully use every means of grace, and particularly the communion of saints, if there be even but two or three in the place where he lives, who statedly meet together in the name of Christ. Those who relinquish Christian communion are in a backsliding state; those who backslide are in danger of apostasy. To prevent this latter, the apostle speaks the awful words following. See at the end of this chapter. {See “Heb 10:39”}
Brethren NT Commentary
The day approaching. The allusion, in part to Heb 10:28, appears to be to the day of the terrible overthrow of the Jewish metropolis, — Jerusalem (see Mt 24:1-28), — as it appears this epistle was address to Jewish Christians in and about that city. It appears that that day was, at this writing, not far distant. The author would therefore stir them up to activity, that they might gain strength to endure the dreadful event, when the elect Christian would scarcely be saved. (Compare Mt 24:21,22.)
British family Bible
— as ye see the day approaching. The day of God’s judgment upon the unbelieving and apostatizing Jews. Dr. Whitby. That day the Hebrews saw approaching, by the appearing of those signs, which our Lord had mentioned in his prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem. Dr. Macknight.
Or, the day of God’s righteous judgment of all men. The uncertainty, in which God hath left the world concerning its end, and the general day of judgment, is made by the Apostle a motive to prepare for it as near. So our death and judgment are joined together, Heb 9:27,28; “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Because no action of the man intervenes between these two; and as the one leaves him, so the other finds him, at what distance soever these happen to be: see Php 1:6; 1Ti 6:14; Jas 5:7,8; 2Th 1:7; 2Ti 4:22; Heb 10:35-37. Bp. Fell.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary
the day approaching–This, the shortest designation of the day of the Lord’s coming, occurs elsewhere only in 1Co 3:13; a confirmation of the Pauline authorship of this Epistle. The Church being in all ages kept uncertain how soon Christ is coming, the day is, and has been, in each age, practically always near; whence, believers have been called on always to be watching for it as nigh at hand. The Hebrews were now living close upon One of those great types and foretastes of it, the destruction of Jerusalem (Mt 24:1,2), “the bloody and fiery dawn of the great day; that day is the day of days, the ending day of all days, the settling day of all days, the day of the promotion of time into eternity, the day which, for the Church, breaks through and breaks off the night of the present world” [DELITZSCH in ALFORD].
People’s New Testament Commentary
As ye see the day approaching. There were signs that the Hebrew Christians could see that the day was near at hand. They probably thought that Christ would come in person at that day. He did come in judgment on the Jewish nation. As that awful time of trial seemed near at hand they should be zealous in exhorting each other. Macknight, Stuart, Milligan, Meyer and many others refer “day” to the destruction of the Jewish nation.