is converted at his coming, for he "And says, then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn.” If one tribe was converted, that tribe would rejoice. wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be Having given them this warning, he recurs to their two questions, and answers them in famines, and pestilence, succession, giving also the intermediate history of his church, and warnings to it. and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then shall they deliver you up to be af flicted, and shall kill you: and ye shail be Their first question was, "WHEN shall these things be ?” (viz. the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem, which he had just foretold); and he marks his answer by commencing it in a similar way (which is the common mode of speaking), both question and answer begin- ther, and shall hate one ning with When. (See Note C.) hated of all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one ano another. "When ye therefore shall prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then Our Lord says, see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet." Let us observe, that this "when ye" was not principally addressed cold. to his disciples who were then present. But to his church, and to all who should belong to his church, and see the abomination of desolation stand in the holy place, this "when ye" was as much addressed, as it was to the shall the end come. disciples then present. Perhaps none of the apostles were at Jerusalem at the time the events here described took place. History informs us, that part of them had been previously put to death. And to understand this chapter aright, we should, throughout it, bear in mind, that "no scripture is of any private interpretation," but that by it our Lord speaketh to us from heaven. See Hebrews xii. 25. After warning his church to flee from Jeru 15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand,) 16 Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains : 17 Let him which is on the house-top not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18. Neither let him which is in the field re turn back to take his clothes. 19. And woe unto them that are with child, salem on seeing the sign mentioned, he goes on to predict the great persecution of his and to them that give church, to which she was to be exposed from that time to the time immediately preceding suck, in those days! 20. But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath-day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. his coming again. See Daniel xi. 31st to the 35th verse inclusive. The persecution of his church, first by Rome Pagan, and then by Rome Papal, partly described in Daniel vii. 21, as the war of the little horn against the saints; and in Rev. xii. the persecution of the woman who brought forth the man-child by the great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and the war with the saints made by the beast with seven heads and ten horns, in Rev. xiii. 7, and by the two horned beasts, in the 15th and following verses. Rome, Pagan and Papal, is used by Satan, the old serpent or dragon, to persecute the church. It is said, in Rev. xiii. 4, " And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast;" and in verse 7th, it is said, “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them." See Rev. ch. 17. (Note D.) See also Lord Cobham's speech. When examined before the powers of the persecuting Roman Church, he applied the tribulation mentioned in this prophecy of our Lord to the persecution of Christ's church by Rome Papal. (See Note E.) 66 was In Rev. xviii. 24, it is said, "In her" (that is, Rome) found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth;" and she is represented, in the 3d verse of this same chapter, as sitting upon the beast with seven heads and ten horns. Jerusalem formed, as it were, the head-quarters of the church, till the time of its siege by the Romans. It is said, in Acts vi. 7, "The number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly, and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith ;" and the church seems to have enjoyed, upon the whole, great quietness there, with some few exceptions, after St Paul's conversion: but the great tribulation of the church commenced with their flight from Jerusalem. Our Lord says, "Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day" (observe here, that he addressed his church, for the flight was theirs, and theirs only, so far as we know); "for then shall be great tribulation," &c. And this tribulation lasts down till the signs of his coming again appear; for he says, in the 29th verse," Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened," &c. &c. But it says in the 22d verse, "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened." And it appears that the days of the great tribulation were shortened, as its intensity was mitigated, by the prevalence of the Reformation (see what is quoted in Note E, from Lord Cobham's speech before his judges); and it may mean, that, unless the days of this great tribulation had been so shortened, the knowledge of the gospel would have been washed out in a torrent of blood; but this was not permitted, for the sake of the elect, who were afterwards to hear and believe. 23 Then if any man here is Christ, or there; believe it not. Our Lord then warns them against false Christs and false prophets; "Wherefore, if they shall say unto you, Behold he is in the desert, go not forth" (Note shall say unto you, Lo, "behold he is in the secret chambers, beF); lieve it not." The coming was not to be a merely spiritual one (therefore he warns them against such a mistaken belief), which might take place in the secret chambers, "for as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told even unto the west, so shall also the coming of you before. the Son of man be." The 28th verse appears to be an anwer to 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth; behold, he a question which is contained in St Luke's is in the secret cham Gospel, 17th chap. 37th verse, but the answer bers; believe it not. ning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 28 For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered toge ther. 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the only is given here. In the 29th verse he states, " Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened," &c. &c. Looking back to the 21st verse, we find that this tribulation commenced with the flight of his church from Jerusalem. The days of tribulation had, therefore, commenced when St John wrote the Revelation; see 1st chap. 9th And the 10th verse of the 2d chapter verse. powers of the heavens shews that the tribulations of Christ's church are Satan's persecutions. (See Note G.) shall be shaken. The latter part of the great tribulation is the 1260 years' persecution of the church by Rome Papal; and immediately after their completion, the sun is darkened, &c. &c., the signs of Christ's coming take place, and then his coming. (Note H.) And Scripture, speaking of the son of perdition, viz. the Papacy, says, in 2 Thessal. ii. 8, "Whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and destroy with the brightness of his coming" so that the papacy prevails till this time arrives, and is not destroyed till Christ's coming; therefore, immediately after the tribulation, viz. at the end of the 1260 years (of the little horn's successful war, the same war mentioned in Rev. xiii. 7.), the signs of Christ's coming here mentioned pear the sign of the Son begin, viz. the darkening of the sun and moon, and falling of the stars: then Christ comes, in power and great glory, with the clouds of the heaven, as described in the 30th and 31st 30 And then shall ap of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 32 Now learn a parable of the fig-tree: verses, and his elect are caught up to meet him in the air, as is also described in 1 Thes. iv. 14th and following verses; and we see, from 1 Thess. v. 2, that this is the day of the Lord, which so cometh as a thief in the night. With regard to the signs of His coming, and When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. his coming, he says in the 32d, 33d, and 34th verses, "Now learn a parable of the fig-tree: When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh; so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, (that is, to you who see all these things, viz. these signs), this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." If we, then, see these signs, to us is this addressed by Christ, speaking to us from heaven, through the medium of the Scriptures,-" Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled," for the ye 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. and you must be the same persons addressed in both the 33d and 34th verses; but let us remember that future events are present to the great I AM. In St Luke xxi. 25, he says, "And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon," &c. &c.; and, in the 28th verse, he says, addressing his church, " And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh-(that is, the redemption of the body, as it is said in Rom. viii. 23, "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, redemption of our body"); 31st verse, 66 so likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.” And in the 34th verse, “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares ; for as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the WHOLE EARTH. Watch ye, therefore, and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." It is evident, then, from the |