_And Jesus went out_ For the last time; _and departed from the temple_
Which he never entered afterward; _and his disciples came to him_ As
he was going away; _to show him the buildings of the temple_ To call
his attention to the splendid buildings and sumptuous decorations of
the place, saying, acc... [ Continue Reading ]
_Jesus said There shall not be left one stone upon another_ A
proverbial and figurative expression to denote an utter destruction;
and the prophecy would have been amply fulfilled, if the city and
temple had been utterly ruined, though every single stone had not been
overturned. But it happened that... [ Continue Reading ]
_And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him_
The disciples were desirous to know more of these events, when they
should be, and how they should be; but thought it not proper to ask
him at present, the multitude probably still crowding about him, and
therefore they take an op... [ Continue Reading ]
_And ye shall hear of wars_, &c. This is the second sign. That there
were wars and rumours of wars, appears by all the historians of those
times, and above all by Josephus. To relate the particulars would be
to transcribe a great part of his history of the Jewish wars. There
were more especially _ru... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted_, &c. From the
calamities of the nation in general, he passes to those of the
Christians in particular: and indeed the former were in a great
measure the occasion of the latter; famines, pestilences, earthquakes,
and the like calamities, being reckoned... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then shall many be offended_ That is, shall stumble and fall, or
shall be turned out of the right way. By reason of persecution, many
apostatized from the faith, particularly those mentioned by Paul, 2
Timothy 1:15; and 2 Timothy 4:10. _And shall betray one another_ To
illustrate this, it is suffic... [ Continue Reading ]
_This gospel of the kingdom_ Namely, of the kingdom of God; _shall be
preached in all the world_ Not universally; this is not yet done; but
in general, through the several parts of the world, and not only in
Judea. And this was done by St. Paul and the other apostles, before
Jerusalem was destroyed;... [ Continue Reading ]
_When ye shall see_, &c. The preceding verses foretold the signs of
the destruction of Jerusalem, that is, the circumstances which were to
be the forerunners and attendants of that great event: we now proceed
to those verses which respect what happened during the siege, and
after it. Never was a pro... [ Continue Reading ]
_Let him who is on the house-top not come down_ It is well known that
the houses of the Jews, as well as those of the ancient Greeks and
Romans, were flat on the top, for them to walk upon, and had usually
stairs on the outside, by which they might ascend and descend without
coming into the house. I... [ Continue Reading ]
_But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter_ For the inclemency
of the season, the badness of the roads, the shortness of the days,
will all be great impediments to your flight: _neither on the sabbath
day_ That you may not raise the indignation of the Jews by travelling
on that day, and so m... [ Continue Reading ]
_Except those days should be shortened_, &c. If these wars and
desolations were to continue for any length of time, none of the Jews
would escape destruction; they would all be cut off, root and branch.
For the calamities will be so severe that, like fire, they would soon
consume all, and leave noth... [ Continue Reading ]
_If any man say, Lo, here is Christ, or there_ During the terrible
calamities here foretold, the expectations of the nation were all
turned toward their Messiah; for they thought if ever he was to
appear, it would be then, to deliver them from the impending
destruction. Hence many arose, pretending... [ Continue Reading ]
_For as the lightning cometh out of the east_, &c. The coming of the
Son of man shall be in a very different manner, and for very different
ends from what you are imagining. It shall be like lightning, swift,
unexpected, and destructive. His appearance will be as distinguishable
from that of every f... [ Continue Reading ]
_Immediately after_, &c. We are now come to the last act of this
dismal tragedy, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the final
dissolution of the Jewish polity in church and state, which our Lord,
for several reasons, might not think fit to declare nakedly and
plainly, and therefore chose to clothe hi... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven_ Christ
proceeds here in the same figurative style, and the plain meaning of
his words is, that the destruction of Jerusalem and of the Jewish
state, civil and religious, would be such a remarkable instance of
divine vengeance, and such a signa... [ Continue Reading ]
_Now learn a parable of the fig-tree_ Our Lord proceeds to declare
that the signs which he had given would be as certain an indication of
the time of his coming, as the fig-tree's putting forth its leaves is
of the approach of summer; and that the time of his coming was at no
great distance. For he... [ Continue Reading ]
_But of that day and hour knoweth no man_, &c. I consider ωρα,
_hour_, here, says Grotius, as denoting, not a part of a day, but a
larger portion of time. So also Bishop Newton, who observes, “It
would seem improper to say, _Of that day and hour knoweth no man;_ for
if the _day_ was not known, certa... [ Continue Reading ]
_But as the days of Noe were_, &c. As then they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, till they were surprised by
the flood, notwithstanding the frequent warnings and admonitions of
that preacher of righteousness: so now, they shall be engaged in the
business and pleasures of th... [ Continue Reading ]
_Watch therefore_ Let your mind be thoroughly awake to a sense of the
certainty and importance of these things, and be on your guard that
they may not overtake you unawares, but that you may be prepared to
meet Christ in the way of judgment or mercy; _for ye know not what
hour your Lord cometh_ Eith... [ Continue Reading ]
_Who then is the faithful and wise servant_ Which of you aspires after
this character? _Wise_ Every moment retaining the clearest conviction
that all he now has is only intrusted to him as a steward: _Faithful_
Thinking, speaking, and acting continually in a manner suitable to
that conviction. _Whom... [ Continue Reading ]