MATT. XXIV.

temple and his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings 2 of the temple.

And

Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be 3 thrown down. And as

he sat upon the mount of Olives, the diciples

MARK XIII.

are

his disciples saith unto
him, Master, see what
manner of stones and
what buildings
2 here! And Jesus an-
swering said unto him,
Seest thou these great
buildings? there shall
not be left one stone
upon another, that
shall not be thrown
3 down. And as he sat
upon the mount of
Olives over against
the temple, Peter and
James and John and
Andrew asked him pri-
4 vately, Tell us, when
shall these things be?
and what shall be the
sign when all these
things shall be fulfil-
5 led? And Jesus an-
swering them began
to say, Take heed lest
any man deceive you:
6 for many shall come in
my name, saying, I
am Christ; and shall
And 7 deceive many. And

came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the 4 world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall 6 deceive many.

ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled:2 for all these things must come to pass, but the end is 7 not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers 8 places. All these are

8

6

7

8

9

when ye shall hear of
wars and rumours of
wars, be ye not trou-
bled:2 for such things
must needs be; but the
end shall not be yet.
For nation shall rise 10
against nation, and
kingdom against king-
dom: and there shall
be earthquakes in di- 11
vers places, and there
shall be famines and
troubles: these are

of Olives, over against the temple, where the city was spread out before him as on a map; and here four of his disciples put to him the question, "When shall these things be?" According to Matthew they add," and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" They were still in darkness; and believed, like the other Jews, that the Messiah was yet to go forth as an exalted temporal prince, to subvert the then existing order of things, to overthrow their enemies and subdue all nations, and thus restore pre-eminency and glory to the Jewish people, and reign in peace and splendour over the

LUKE XXI.

was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,

As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass? And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ;1 and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified:2 for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences;

world: see Luke 24. 21; Acts 1.6. This was the expected coming, and the end of the world, or present state of things, referred to in Matt. 24. 3; as also in Luke 17. 20, sq.; 19. 11. See American Bibliotheca Sacra, 1843, No. III. pp. 531–535.

Jesus does not directly answer the question of the four apostles; but speaks of deceivers, and calamities, and persecutions that should arise. His language here is introductory to the next Section.

Comp. Acts 5. 36, 37; 8. 9, 10. 2 Comp. Isa. 8. 11-14.

MARK XIII.

the beginnings of sor

§ 128. THE SIGNS OF CHRIST'S COMING TO DESTROY JERUSALEM, AND PUT AN END TO THE JEWISH STATE AND DISPENSATION.-Mount of Olives.

19

19 And woe unto them 17
that are with child, and
to them that give suck
20 in those days! But 18
pray ye that your flight
be not in the winter,
neither on the sabbath
21 day:2 for then shall be
great tribulation, such
as was not since the
beginning of the world
to this time, no, nor
22 ever shall be. And ex- 20
cept those days should
be shortened, there
should no flesh be
saved: but for the
elect's sake those days
shall be shortened.

MARK XIII.

by Daniel the pro-
phet, standing where
it ought not, (let him 21
that readeth under-
stand,) then let them
that be in Judea flee to
the mountains: and
let him that is on the
housetop not go down
into the house, neither
enter therein, to take 22
any thing out of his
house: and let him
that is in the field not
turn back again for to
take up his garment.
But woe to them that 23
are with child, and to
them that give suck in
those days! And pray
ye that your flight be
not in the winter. For
in those days shall be 24
affliction, such as was
not from the beginning
of the creation which
God created unto this
time, neither shall be.
And except that the
Lord had shortened
those days, no flesh
should be saved: but
for the elect's sake,
whom he hath chosen,
he hath shortened the

Jerusalem was destroyed, is shown conclusively by Luke 21. 20.

The subsequent desolation and calamity spoken of in Matt. 24. 29-31 and the parallel passages, is considered by Robinson to refer to the overthrow and complete extirpation of the Jewish people fifty years later under Adrian; when they were sold as slaves, and utterly driven out from the land of their fathers. See Münter's Jewish War (Jüdischer Krieg), Leipz. 1821; translated in the Biblioth. Sacra, 1843, No. III. p. 393, sq. Comp. ibid. p. 550, sq. This was the final war of the Jewish nation under the celebrated and mysterious Bar-Cochba, "Son of a Star." It was a catastrophe far more terrible than that of the destruction of Jerusalem; though the latter, in consequence of the vivid description of it by Josephus, has been usually considered as the last act in this great tragedy.

The figurative language of these verses is similar to that of many passages in the Old Testament which refer to civil commotions and historical events. See Isa. 13. 9, sq.; 19. 1, 5, sq.; 34. 2, 4. sq.; Ezek. 32. 2, 7; Psa. 18. 7-14; 68. 1, sq. &c. See also Biblioth. Sac. 1843, No. III. p. 545, sq. Further, Luke 21. 28 shows that these

LUKE XXI.

then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them

which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

verses cannot have reference to the general judgment of the great and final day; and the same appears also from the limitation to this generation, in Matt. 24. 34, and the parallel passages.

Matt. 24. 36-42 connects itself directly with what precedes, see ver. 36; and refers likewise to the overthrow of the Jewish nation and dispensation. Comp. Luke 17. 20-37. But with ver. 42 of Matthew all direct reference to the Jewish catastrophe terminates. This appears from the nature of the language; and further from the fact, that thus far both Mark and Luke give parallel reports; while at this very point their reports cease, and all that follows belongs to Matthew alone. This goes to show, that the discourse of our Lord up to this point is to be regarded as a whole, which is here completed; having reference to his coming for the overthrow of Judaism. At this point a new topic is introduced. I Dan. 9. 27.

2 Nor on the sabbath: probably because the Jews were accustomed to go only a short distance on that day, which distance they called a sabbathday's journey, reckoned about a mile. Compare Ex. 16. 29; Acts 1. 12.

days. And then if
any man shall say to
you, Lo, here is Christ;
or, lo, he is there; be-

there shall arise false 22 lieve him not: for

Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders;2 insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very 23 25 elect.3 Behold, I

have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall

say unto you, Behold,

2

false Christs and false
prophets shall rise, and
shall show signs and
wonders, to seduce, if
it were possible, even
the elect. But take
ye heed: behold, I
have foretold you all
things.

he is in the desert; go not forth behold, he is in the secret 27 chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the 28 coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together."

MARK XIII.

after that tribulation,
the sun shall be dark-
ened, and the moon
shall not give her light,
and the stars of hea-
ven shall fall, and the
powers that are in hea-
ven shall be shaken."

26

And then shall they 27

29 Immediately after the 24 But in those days, 25
tribulation of those
days shall the sun be
darkened, and the
moon shall not give
her light, and the stars 25
shall fall from heaven,
and the powers of the
heavens shall be shak-
30 en:6 and then shall
appear the sign of the
Son of man in heaven:
and then shall all the
tribes of the earth
mourn, and they shall 26
see the Son of man
coming in the clouds
of heaven with power
31 and great glory. And 27
he shall send his an-
gels 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 28
of the fig tree; When
his branch is yet ten-

1 Comp. Luke 17. 23.

2 2 Thess. 2. 9-11; Rev. 13. 13.

3 Comp. John 10. 28, 29.

Comp. Luke 17. 24.

see the Son of man
coming in the clouds
with great power and
glory. And then shall 28
he send his angels, and
shall gather together
his elect from the four
winds, from the utter-
most part of the earth
to the uttermost part
of heaven.

Now learn a parable 29
of the fig tree; When
her branch is yet ten-

LUKE XXI.

And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.7 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

And he spake to them
a parable; Behold the
fig tree, and all the

5 Luke 17. 37. Comp. Job 39. 30.
6 Comp. Isa. 13. 9, 10; Joel 3. 15.
7 Comp. Dan. 7. 13, 14.

37 But as the days of Noe were,3 so shall also the coming of the Son of man 38 be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered 39 into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; 40 so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the 41 field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other

event the apostle John outlived by about thirty years. The full accomplishment took place, perhaps, in the complete scattering of the Jews about fifty years later under Adrian. See Robinson's article in the American Bibliotheca Sacra, 1843, p. 540.

2 Comp. Matt. 16. 28.

3 Gen. 7. 1-13. Comp. Luke 17. 26, 27.