hope in the sorrowful sentence pronounced in the former chapter. The moral position of the parties addressed is worthy of observation. The disciples may be regarded either as Jews listening to Jesus as a Jewish prophet, foretelling the destiny of the temple and city of Jerusalem; or they may be regarded as the first living stones about to be built up into the church of Christ. They are considered by the ensuing prophecy in both these characters. The first part gives us the result to Jerusalem and Judea, for despising and rejecting Messiah their King. Jesus appears as the "minister of the circumcision" sealing up the Jew in his enmity, unto the wrath foretold by the prophets, and yet showing through the tempest the escape of the elect remnant. But Jesus is not only the minister of the circumcision; he is the prophet of his heavenly people, and therefore to them he unfolds the results of his coming, as they apply to them. Thus as the Chief Scribe instructed fully unto the Kingdom of heaven, he brings forth out of his treasury things old, in confirmation of the Jewish prophets; and things new, appertaining to believers in himself during his rejection by the Jew and the world. If so, then it manifest that one part of the prediction is to be expounded by the Jewish prophets. The prophecy before us teaches us how the time of the mystery (of which Paul speaks: Eph. i, ii,) is to pass away, and the Jews are to appear again as the chosen people of God, and the saints are to be judged and caught up to their heavenly mansions, and the Gentiles living in the flesh are to become subjects of the kingdom. The scenes on which Jesus enlarges in the first part are those familiar to the ancient prophets-Jerusalem, Judea, the temple, the rulers of the Jews. Of course, his prophecy on these points must be in full harmony with those of the the Old Testament which are yet unfulfilled. The teaching of the second part is in direct relation to the Epistles. THE STRUCTURE. In order to enter into the prophecy, its structure requires investigation. And this is such as fully to repay the search. It is most beautiful and worthy of its divine author. First, then, it is divided into two great sections at the 31st verse of Ch. xxiv. These two great divisions I beg to call, for the convenience of reference, A and B. But the second great division may be considered as consisting of two parts; therefore the main divisions will be threefold, A. B. and C, answering to the three great parties affected by the coming of the Lord, the Jews, the Church of God, and the Gentiles. The main divisions (A and B) are each subdivided into seven smaller parts, which are represented below and are numbered, for the convenience of reference, A 1, A 2, &c. lightning. The Elect. 14-30 6 The Talents. Hour. 29-31 7 Coming as eagles. Signs in heaven. Mourning. C The elect. Son of Man seen. 31-46 7 Sheep and Goats. This view of the divisions of prophecy will be greatly sustained by a comparison of the same prophecy as given in the Gospels of Mark and Luke. War. Famine. 8 Pestilence. 10, 11 2 Beware! Persecution. 9-13 3 Gospel preached. Aid promised. 12-19 3 False Christs. Wars. Rumors. War. Earthquakes. Famine Persecution. Aid promised. Betrayed, Hated. Patience Jerusalem compassed. Flee Gentiles. Signs in heaven. Son of Man comes. 28-31 6 The Fig-tree 29-33 6 The Fig-tree. Day unknown. 32-37 7 Family waiting for Master. 34-36 7 Take heed against fleshly Here it is seen that the series in both Mark and Luke But we must return to Matthew. 1. A is literal, and literally to be interpreted. Bis 66 beautifully seen in the different senses of "winter" and "summer;" the first occuring in A 5 and there literal. Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter." The other occurring in B 1, and there it is spiritually or parabolically taken. "Ye know that summer is nigh." In A 5 "the house" is literal; in B 3" the house" is parabolic, and in B 1 the "door." 2. A is local, and refers to the country of Judæa principally. B is universal as the spread of the Church of Christ, and fixed to no place. 3. A is physical; B is moral. Mankind in A are described as Jews and Gentiles; men and women; pregnant females or suckling infants. Flight from an enemy is the great lesson of A. Preparation of spirit for the Lord our Master is the great doctrine of B. The going forth to the false Christs is physical in A 6, but the going forth to meet the true Christ is moral, in the case of the Virgins: xxiv, 26, XXV. 1. 4. A is Jewish, B is Christian in its aspect and lessons. In A there is danger of being deceived by false pretenders to Messiahship. In B nothing of the kind. In the first the distinction of Jew and Gentile prevails (@vos occurring in A 2, 3, 4.) In the second part, moral distinctions alone are found. It is worthy of observation, though I am unable to append the reason at present, that what is literal here, is symbolic in the Apocalypse. Thus, War, Famine, and Pestilence are here spoken of literally, but in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th seals they are described symbolically. The flight from Jerusalem is here literally set forth; but in Rev. xii. it is symbolically represented to us. On the contrary, here, when addressing his Church, Jesus continuously speaks in parable. Is it because Jesus wished the Jew, (who is the child of the letter) to be literally instructed in what was absolutely necessary to the preservation of a remnant of his nation; but left the veil upon them, when he spoke of things of faith? I would just further observe on this point, the remarkable verbal agreement, or symmetry which unites the four first, and the three last divisions of A. A 1, 2 3, 4 are distinguished by the occurrence of the word "the end" (rehog), or its opposite "the beginning;" while A, 5, 6, 7, are distinguished by the "elect" being found in each. It is also observable that in A 2, 3, 4, the word "nation" (@vos) occurs, balancing, so to speak, and standing opposed to "the elect" of the succeeding divisions. Words thus situated, I call for want of a better name,-catchwords: they occur frequently in the parables. THE QUESTIONS OF THE DISCIPLES. After leaving the temple, Jesus went and sat upon the Mount of Olives facing it; and there the disciples asked the questions which drew forth the prophecy. The questions are, I judge, three in number. 66 Tell us,-1. "WHEN SHALL THESE THINGS BE?" 2. AND WHAT SHALL BE THE SIGN OF THY COMING?" 3. "AND (what shall be the sign) OF THE END OF THE AGE?"* (αiwvos). But though in one view of them, they are three questions, yet in another and more strict estimate, the events to which they refer all belong to one period, and that, still future-the time of Jacob's trouble, of the Savior's appearing, and of the closing of this scene of iniquity. To the same period belongs the restoration of the kingdom to Israel, concerning which the apostles asked just before the ascension. This also depends on Messiah's return, and the closing of that age, during which dominion is given to the Gentiles. They perceived not the identity of this question with those, concerning which he had told them before, that none knew but the Father. This called forth his rebuke, "It is not for you to know times or seasonst which the Father hath put in his own power." Of these questions, as I * It is because the two latter questions are not asked in Mark and Luke, that we find so great a difference between their account and Matthew's. They have no record of the parables which specially concern the Lord's coming. (B 3, 4, 5, 6.) Nor have they the two which specially refer to the end of the age, B 2, and B 7 or C. + Χρονους η καιρους. No article. |