_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 ]