Matthew 24:1

CHAPTER XXIV.

Christ foretells the destruction of the temple, 1, 2.

His disciples inquire when and what shall be the sign of this

destruction, 3.

Our Lord answers, and enumerates them-false Christs, 5.

Wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes, 6-8.

Persecution of his followers, 9.

Apostasy from the truth, 10-13.

General spread of the Gospel, 14.

He foretells the investment of the city by the Romans, 15-18.

The calamities of those times, 19-22.

Warns them against seduction by false prophets, 23-26.

The suddenness of these calamities, 27, 28.

Total destruction of the Jewish polity, 29-31.

The whole illustrated by the parable of the fig-tree, 32, 33.

The certainty of the event, though the time is concealed, 34-36.

Careless state of the people, 37-41.

The necessity of watchfulness and fidelity, illustrated by the

parable of the two servants, one faithful, the other wicked,

42-51

NOTES ON CHAP. XXIV.

This chapter contains a prediction of the utter destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem, and the subversion of the whole political constitution of the Jews; and is one of the most valuable portions of the new covenant Scriptures, with respect to the evidence which it furnishes of the truth of Christianity. Every thing which our Lord foretold should come on the temple, city, and people of the Jews, has been fulfilled in the most correct and astonishing manner; and witnessed by a writer who was present during the whole, who was himself a Jew, and is acknowledged to be an historian of indisputable veracity in all those transactions which concern the destruction of Jerusalem. Without having designed it, he has written a commentary on our Lord's words, and shown how every tittle was punctually fulfilled, though he knew nothing of the Scripture which contained this remarkable prophecy. His account will be frequently referred to in the course of these notes; as also the admirable work of Bishop Newton on the prophecies.

Verse Matthew 24:1. And Jesus went out, and departed from, the temple] Or, And Jesus, going out of the temple, was going away. This is the arrangement of the words in several eminent manuscripts, versions, and fathers; and is much clearer than that in the common translation. The Jews say the temple was built of white and green-spotted marble. See Lightfoot. Josephus says the stones were white and strong; fifty feet long, twenty-four broad, and sixteen thick. Antiq. b. 15. c. xi. See Mark 13:1.