_CHRIST FORETELLETH THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE: WHAT AND HOW GREAT CALAMITIES SHALL PRECEDE IT. THE SIGNS OF HIS COMING TO JUDGEMENT: BECAUSE THAT DAY AND HOUR IS UNKNOWN, WE OUGHT TO WATCH LIKE GOOD SERVANTS, EXPECTING EVERY MOMENT OUR MASTER'S COMING._ _Anno Domini 33._... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JESUS—DEPARTED, &C.— Our Saviour was in the temple, speaking to a mixed audience of his disciples and the multitude, when he uttered that pathetic lamentation at the close of the preceding chapter; wherein he has left to his disciples a generous and amiable pattern of a patriot spirit; and whenc... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE SHALL NOT BE LEFT HERE ONE STONE— No impostor, Bishop Chandler very justly observes, would have attempted to foretel an event at once so disagreeable, and so improbable as it seemed at present, considering the peace of the Jews with the Romans, and the strength of their citadel;which forced Ti... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AS HE SAT UPON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES— When the disciples heard their Master affirm, that not so much as one of those stones, which had mocked the fury of Nebuchadnezzar's army, and survived the envy of time, was to be left upon another, but that they were all to be thrown down, they perceived that... [ Continue Reading ]
TAKE HEED THAT NO MAN DECEIVE YOU— Our Saviour mentions false Christs as the first sign of his coming. He begins with this inall the evangelists, and in all uses almost the same words: only in St. Luke 21:8 he adds, _the time draweth near;_ and indeed within a little time this part of the prophesy b... [ Continue Reading ]
AND YE SHALL HEAR OF WARS, &C.— To relate the particulars of wars and rumours of wars, which happened at the period here referred to, would be to transcribe a great part of Josephus's History. There were more especially rumours of wars, when Caligula the Roman emperor ordered his statue to be set up... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR NATION SHALL RISE, &C.— Here, as Grotius observes, Christ declares, that greater disturbances than those which happened under Caligula should fall out in the latter times of Claudius, and in the reign of Nero. The rising of _nation against nation_ portended the dissensions, insurrections, and mu... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THESE ARE THE BEGINNING OF SORROWS— αρχη ωδινων, _the beginning of throes,_ or _pangs._ Great troubles and calamities are often expressed in Scripture language metaphorically, by the pangs of travailing women: "All these are only the first pangs and throes, and are nothing to that hard labour wh... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN SHALL THEY DELIVER YOU UP, &C.— Had Jesus been an impostor, he would, like all other impostors, have fed his followers with fair hopes and promises; but on the contrary, we see that he denounces persecution to be the lot of his disciples; he pointeth out to them the difficulties they must encou... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN SHALL MANY BE OFFENDED, &C.— By reason of persecution and of the universal hatred which all nations bore against theChristian name, _many were_ indeed _offended,_ and apostatized from the faith; as particularly _Phygellus_ and _Hermogenes,_ and _many others_ in Asia, 2 Timothy 1:15 and Demas,—M... [ Continue Reading ]
MANY FALSE PROPHETS SHALL RISE— Such particularly were _Simon Magus,_ and his very numerous followers, the Gnostics. Such also were the Judaizing teachers, mentioned 2 Corinthians 11:13. Such also were _Hymeneus and Philetus,_ of whom the apostle, 2 Timothy 2:17 complains, that they affirmed _the re... [ Continue Reading ]
BECAUSE INIQUITY, &C.— The genuine fruit and effect of all these evils was the lukewarmness and coolness among Christians. By reason of these trials and persecutions from without, and these apostasies and false prophets from within, the love of _many_ to Christ and his doctrine, and also their love... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT HE THAT SHALL ENDURE— "He who shall not be terrified by these trials and persecutions; he who shall neither apostatize from the faith of himself, nor be seduced by others; he who shall not be ashamed to profess his faith in Christ, and his love to the brethren; _the same shall be saved, both her... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS GOSPEL—SHALL BE PREACHED IN ALL THE WORLD—AND THEN, &C.— Then shall the destruction of Jerusalem, and the end of the Jewish polity, come to pass; when all nations shall be, or may be, convinced of the crying sin of the Jews in crucifying the Lord of glory, and of the justice of God's judgments... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN YE THEREFORE SHALL SEE, &C.— Whatever difficulty there be in these words, it may be cleared up by the parallel place, Luke 21:20. Whence it appears, that the _abomination_ of _desolation_ is the Roman army; and the _abomination of desolation standing in the holy place,_ is that army besieging J... [ Continue Reading ]
LET HIM WHICH IS ON THE HOUSE-TOP— The houses of the Jews, and of the present inhabitants of the East, as well as those of the ancient Greeks and Romans, were flat on the top for them to walk on, and had usually two pair of stairs, one on the inside, and the other on the out, by the latter of which... [ Continue Reading ]
NEITHER LET HIM WHICH IS IN THE FIELD RETURN— Our Saviour makes use of these expressions to intimate, that their flight must be as sudden and hasty as Lot's was out of Sodom; and the Christians escaping just as they did, was the more providential, because afterwards all egress out of the city was pr... [ Continue Reading ]
WOE UNTO THEM THAT ARE WITH CHILD, &C.— For neither will such persons be in a condition to fly, nor will they be able to endure the distress and hardships of a siege. This woe was sufficiently fulfilled in the cruel slaughters which were made both of the women and children, and particularly in that... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT PRAY YE THAT YOUR FLIGHT BE NOT, &C.— "Pray that these evils be not further aggravated by the concurrence of other natural and moral evils, such as the inclemencies of the seasons, and your own scruples: _Pray that your flight be not in the winter;_ for the hardness of the season, the badness of... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN SHALL BE GREAT TRIBULATION— In the preceding verses our Saviour warned his disciples to fly as soon as ever they saw Jerusalem besieged by the Romans, and now he assigns a reason for his giving them this caution. The words used in this verse seem to be a proverbial form of expression, as in Exo... [ Continue Reading ]
EXCEPT THOSE DAYS SHOULD BE SHORTENED— "If those wars and desolations were to continue, _no flesh—_none of the _Jews,_ would escape destruction." The number of those who perished in the siege were about _eleven hundred thousand,_ besides those who were slain in other places; and, if the Romans had g... [ Continue Reading ]
LO, HERE IS CHRIST, OR THERE— In fact, many such impostors did arise about that time, and promised deliverance from God; but as it was to little purpose for a man to take upon him the character of the Christ, or even of a prophet, without miracles to vouch his divine mission, so it was the common ar... [ Continue Reading ]
BEHOLD, &C.— "Behold, I have given you sufficient warning." It is remarkable, that our Saviour should not only foretel the appearance of these impostors, but also the manner and circumstances of their conduct; for some he mentions as appearing _in the desert,_ and some in _secret chambers,_ and the... [ Continue Reading ]
AS THE LIGHTNING—SHALL ALSO THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN BE— His coming will not be in this or that particular place, but, like the lightning, sudden and universal. The appearance of the true Christ will be as distinguishable fromthat of the false Christ, as lightning, which shineth all round the he... [ Continue Reading ]
WHERESOEVER THE CARCASE IS, &C.— By the word _carcase_ is meant the Jewish nation, which was morally and judicially dead, and whose destruction was pronounced in the decrees of heaven. Our Saviour, after his usual manner, applies a proverbial expression with a particular meaning: for as, _according_... [ Continue Reading ]
IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE TRIBULATION, &C.— Commentators generally understand this and what follows, of the end of the world, and of Christ's coming to judgment; but the words evidently shew that he is not speaking of any distant event, but of something consequent upon the tribulation before-mentioned,a... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEN SHALL APPEAR THE SIGN, &C.— The plain meaning of this is, that the destruction of Jerusalem will be such a remarkable instance of divine vengeance, such a signal manifestation of Christ's power and glory, that all the Jewish tribes shall mourn, and many will be thence led to acknowledge Chr... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SHALL SEND HIS ANGELS— This is all in the style and phraseology of the prophets, and, stripped of its figures, means, that after the destruction of Jerusalem, Christ, by his angels or ministers, will gather to himself a glorious church out of all the nations under heaven. No one ever so littl... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW LEARN A PARABLE OF THE FIG-TREE— Our Lord, having answered the latter part of the question proposed Matthew 24:3 proceeds in these verses to answer the former part, as to the _time_ of his coming, and the destruction of Jerusalem. And he begins by observing, that the signs which he had given wou... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS GENERATION SHALL NOT PASS, &C.— Our Lord proceeds to declare, that the time of his coming was at no very great distance; and to shew that he has been speaking all the while of the destruction of Jerusalem, he affirms with his usual asseveration, _Verily, I say unto you,_ &c. It is therefore mat... [ Continue Reading ]
HEAVEN AND EARTH SHALL PASS AWAY— It seems as if our Saviour had been aware of some such misapplication of his words, as is intimated in the preceding note, by adding yet greater force and emphasis to his affirmation; _heaven and earth shall pass,_ &c. It is a common figure of speech in the oriental... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT OF THAT DAY AND HOUR KNOWETH NO MAN— The word Ωρα, is of a larger signification than _hour;_ and besides, it seems somewhat improper to say, _of that day and hour knoweth no man;_ for if the _day_ was not known, certainly the _hour_ was not; and it was superfluousto make such an addition. The pa... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT AS THE DAYS OF NOE, &C.— The _days of Noah_ signify the days in which he preached to the old world that righteousness which they ought to have practised, and denounced the judgments of God to fall on them, if they did not repent of their wickedness. By parity of reason, the _days of the Son of M... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN SHALL TWO BE IN THE FIELD, &C.— Providence will then make a distinction between such as are not at all distinguished now. Some shall be rescued from the destruction of Jerusalem, like Lot out of the burning of Sodom; while others, no ways perhaps different in outward circumstances, shall be lef... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT KNOW THIS, THAT, &C.— _But consider that if,_ &c. Heylin.... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE, BE YE ALSO READY— As the miseries which men were to undergo at the destruction of Jerusalem, the reasons of that destruction, the passions which its approach would raise in their minds, together with the suddenness and unexpectedness of it, nearly resembled what shall happen at the destru... [ Continue Reading ]
BLESSED IS THAT SERVANT— "You, the ministers of religion, ought to be particularly faithful in the discharge of your duty; for it is not an ordinary trust which is committed to your charge; you are stewards, whose business it is to take care of the whole family; and who, because of the influence whi... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT, &C.— _But if that servant, being evil, shall say,_ &c. Heylin. "If on the other hand you behave like wicked stewards, who, because their Lord delays his coming, beat their fellow-servants, and get drunk with sots and epicures: if you tyrannize over the consciences of your brethren, neglect the... [ Continue Reading ]
SHALL CUT HIM ASUNDER— This was one of the heaviest kinds of punishment anciently used: see 1 Samuel 15:33. 2 Samuel 12:31.Daniel 2:5; Daniel 3:29. A. Gellius, lib. 20. 100: 1, In the passage first cited we are told that Samuel _hewed Agag in pieces;_ wherefore, as that action proceeded from the gre... [ Continue Reading ]