_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 ]