MATTHEW CHAPTER 24.
VIEW FOOTNOTES
The Judgment of God upon Jerusalem and upon the
World. Matt.
24, 1-41.
Of the destruction of the Temple: V. 1. And
Jesus went out and departed from the Temple; and His disciples came to Him for
to show Him the buildings of the Temple. V. 2. 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 thrown down. In this chapter, as Luther
writes, there is described the conclusion and the end of both kingdoms, that of
the Jews and that of the whole world. Jesus had spent a strenuous day on this
Tuesday, teaching and preaching from early morning till the shadows of evening
fell. He now left the Temple and the city, in order to return to Bethany for the
night. As He was passing out through the Temple-gate, one of His disciples
admiringly pointed out to Him the massive, beautiful stones and the rich
ornamentation of the Temple, the pride of the Jews, and other disciples eagerly
came forward to call attention to special features, to the various porticoes,
halls, courts, and other structures. The conversation thus begun continued for
some time, probably till they reached the hill opposite the city where they
looked down upon the splendor of Herod's most magnificent building. But the
summary of Christ's words is given in the solemn prediction all the more
impressive since they were standing or sitting in a place which afforded the
most comprehensive view of the Temple that there would not remain one stone
in its proper position upon the other, which would not be completely demolished.
The beautiful foundation and walls of white marble, the splendid Corinthian
columns, the heavy gold ornamentation and veneering, all would be destroyed
completely.
The question of the disciples as to
details: V. 3. And as He sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came
unto Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be, and what shall
be the sign of
Other external signs: V. 6. And
ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that ye be not troubled; for all
these thing's must come to pass, but the end is not yet. V. 7. For nation shall
rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and
pestilences and earthquakes in divers places. V. 8. All these are the beginning
of sorrows. Christ's recital is impressive, dramatic: It will so happen,
there is no question about it. The multiplicity of wars, the restlessness
preceding, following wars, leading to new wars, wars in which the nations to
which the Christians belong are involved, and wars of which they only hear by
way of report and rumor; all these things are bound to happen, they are the
result of the rejection of the Messiah; and so the Christians should not give
way to perturbation, to excessive terror. They need calmness and strength, for
that is not yet the end of sorrows. It was not the end before the destruction of
Jerusalem, and it will not be the last thing before the end of the world. The
wars, on the contrary, will assume a definite form. There will be uprisings,
rebellions, of nation against nation, of people against people, of kingdom
against kingdom, the Jews against the Syrians, the Tyrians against the Jews, the
Jews and Galileans against the Samaritans, the Jews against the Romans and
Agrippa, and civil war in Rome itself. As it was in the days before the
destruction of Jerusalem, so the instances could be cited and multiplied from
contemporaneous history, presaging the dissolution of the world, according to
Christ's word. Even so it is with famines and pestilences and earthquakes: A
famine in the days of Claudius Caesar, Acts 21, 28, famines involving millions
of people in our days; pestilences mentioned by the historians of those days, a
most fearful, unexplainable pestilence sweeping over the earth in our times;
earthquakes in Crete, in Asia Minor, on the islands of the Aegean, at Rome, in
Judea, in those days, similar ones in our days devastating large cities and
whole provinces. And these are only the beginning of the intolerable dolors.
Persecutions: V. 9. Then shall
they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you; and ye shall be hated
of all nations for My name's sake. V. 10. And then shall many be offended, and
shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. V. 11. And many false
prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. V. 12. And because iniquity shall
abound, the love of many shall wax cold. V. 13. But he that shall endure unto
the end, the same shall be saved. V. 14. And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be
preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end
come. It is a prophecy of the fate which was in store for the apostles and
disciples during the generation preceding the fall of Jerusalem, as well as the
persecutions that would fall to the lot of the confessing Christians of all
times, especially that time just preceding the final dissolution of the world,
the Last Judgment. Then they, the enemies, would deliver them into affliction,
that the pressure of every form of hatred would encompass them. And this hatred
would not hesitate at times, since this is its favorite mood, to put some of
them to death, Luke 21, 16; John 16, 2. All this abundantly fell to the lot, not
only of the early disciples and the Christians of the first three centuries, as
in the ten persecutions, but also to the Bible Christians of the later
centuries, when they became the victims of the inquisition, of religious wars,
and of political machinations. The position of the followers of Christ of all
times has been that of the hated ones for the sake of the Lord's name. The mere
bearing of the Christian name, in some of the early persecutions, was a crime to
which was attached the death penalty. And the same hatred is abroad in the land
today, intolerance and bigotry, not directed primarily against languages, but
against the truth of Christianity. To the hatred of the enemies of Christ would
be added betrayal by members of the Church themselves, who would finally take
offense at the crosses which were laid upon the disciples. Offense, betrayal,
hatred, is the natural course of events in a case of that kind, not only in the
apostolic and ante-Nicene Church, where such former members of the congregations
were designated by special names, but also in our days, when science, falsely so
called, is causing many members to stumble and fall, and finally to become
enemies of the Bible and of the Church.
These conditions would be rendered
still more difficult to bear because false prophets would arise in the very
midst of the congregations, Acts 20, 29. 30; 2 Tim. 2, 17. 18, as they do today,
counteracting the effect of the pure Gospel-preaching and causing further
offense by leading many into error. And in the same measure and degree as
godliness and iniquity increase, real love and charity among the Christians
would decrease, would be chilled and killed by the winds of affliction. There
the combined admonition and promise stands out like a glorious emblem. He that
endures patiently, bearing all for the sake of the Lord's name, he whose faith
remains unwavering, and whose life bears witness to that faith, he shall be
saved, shall finally be delivered from all evil and receive eternal glory as a
reward of mercy. "This is what matters here, where we have a life full of
crosses, and the devil and the world place many obstructions in the way, that
the exponents of Christianity endure to the end, that is, valiantly conquer all
obstructions and offenses, if thou desirest to be saved before God. For the
kingdom of heaven, Christ says elsewhere, Matt. 11, 12, suffereth violence, and
the violent take it by force. Therefore a Christian must not only begin in
faith, hope, love, patience, and continue for a while, but also continue to the
end. Otherwise, if all the good would materialize that we attempt, heaven would
be on earth." 184)
There is also a great deal of
comfort in the second promise of the Lord, that the end of the world will come
when the Gospel has been preached throughout the inhabited world. Jesus
purposely does not fix exact limits, but makes His statement very general, in
order to prevent the foolish reckoning of time, which has become such a fad in
our days. Very extensively, throughout the heathen world, to and among all
nations, to prevent false accusations as to
The abomination of desolation: V.
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,) v. 16. then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains; v.
17. let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his
house; v. 18. neither let him which is in the field return back to take his
clothes. This is true above all of the time of Jerusalem's fall. The
disciples are to bear everything in mind that the Lord said, remember what
promises He made them, what hopes He held out before them. Then they shall be
able to maintain that poise which is so necessary in these latter days, in the
troublous times that are then to come. Luther and others have thought the
abomination of desolation referred to here was a statue of the Emperor Caius
Caligula, which the governor caused to be placed in the Temple for adoration.
185) That indeed was an abomination, a defiling of the Temple consecrated to the
true God. But it is used here in even a wider sense, Luke 21, 20. 24. The
abomination of desolation, the blaspheming horde that carried death and
destruction with it, that carried out the terrible, but just sentence of God
upon the Jewish people, was the army of Rome, with its military ensigns, its
eagles and idols. This, as Daniel describes it, chapter 11, 25. 27; 9, 27; 11
,31; 12, 11, would indicate that the Holy Place had fallen into the hands of the
heathen, and that sacrifices to the living God would cease. Such a condition of
affairs would be so terrible, so far exceeding all imagination, that they must
force their mind to understand what that really means. This sign, the
abomination of desolation, indicates the final period beyond which they should
not delay; the Christians should not attempt to stay in the city any longer. The
most abrupt flight is advised. Those that are still in Judea should flee into
the mountain fastnesses, an advice followed literally by the Christian
congregation of Jerusalem in fleeing to Pella. Any one that happens to be on the
flat housetop when the news comes should not even endeavor to make his way out
through the house, but should use the stairway leading down into the street
immediately, in order to lose no time. In the same way he that happens to be
engaged in the field should make no attempt to get his good clothes. Precipitate
flight is the one way to be saved.
Further advice: V. 19. And woe
unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! V. 20.
But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day.
V. 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. V. 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. Naturally, such circumstances would be
especially unpleasant and dangerous for such women as were about to become or
had just become mothers, since quick flight would be attended by many
difficulties. Another evil possibility would be that the time of flight would
fall in the season of winter, when the weather would further increase the
difficulties and hardships of traveling. And if the flight should fall on a
Sabbath, when a false understanding of God's will might endanger their lives, or
occur in a Sabbath year, when the land was lying fallow, they might have trouble
in obtaining the necessary food on the way. All such factors would tend to bring
out still more strongly the extraordinary tribulations, the great distresses of
that period in the history of the Jews; God would be pouring out the vials of
His wrath in full measure upon their city and nation. If God would not temper
justice with mercy and pity, all the people would be consumed in the general
destruction. But even in the midst of His anger He has compassion; for the sake
of His people, the believers in Him, He will shorten the time of punishment,
lest all perish.
The attack upon the faith: V.
23. Then, if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there, believe
it not. V. 24. For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall
show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall
deceive the very elect. V. 25. Behold, I have told you before. V. 26. Wherefore,
if they shall say unto you, Behold, He is in the desert, go not forth; behold,
He is in the secret chambers, believe it not. V. 27. For as the lightning cometh
out of the east and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the
Son of Man be. V. 28. For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be
gathered together. The Lord still has in mind principally the days preceding
the destruction of Jerusalem, though His words may be said to find a general
application. The external afflictions would become still more unbearable owing
to the fact that the attacks on the faith of the disciples of Christ would be
more subtle and be managed with much boldness. False Messiahs would attempt to
gain power, at least for a time. The manner and circumstances of their conduct
are here briefly sketched, and they find their application to this day. They
would present to an astonished world great signs and wonders, such in appearance
as well as such in truth, such as are easily explained by reference to religious
psychology and plain swindle, and such as baffle the investigators. There is
need of careful distinction here to keep the false Christs separate from the
true Christ, the false teachers from the true teachers. "Here you may
consider whereon the right doctrine, from which we dare not budge, depends. Here
remember: The right doctrine does nothing else than to show and set before thee
Christ, in order that thou mayest comfort thy heart through Him against sin and
death. This is done thus that we are taught Christ is the true, eternal,
almighty God, together with the Father and the Holy Ghost, come down to us men
on earth, conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary into this
world; that He finally died on the cross, not on account of His sins, for He, as
God, could not sin, but on account of our sins, in order that God by such death
might be satisfied and our debt be paid, and we by Christ's resurrection from
the dead might also come to eternal life; that therefore Christ conquered sin
and death for our benefit, that sin and death should not harm us; and now
henceforth sits at the right hand of God, in order to defend us against the
devil, mercifully grant us His Spirit, and hear us in all things which we need
for body and soul and ask in His name. That is preaching correctly concerning
Christ, and agrees in every detail with the Word; therefore one need not worry
about the Antichrist and his lies in that case." 186) In case one's faith
is firmly based upon this Gospel of Jesus, he will not be disturbed by the signs
and wonders of the false Christs. "This we should remember, in order that
we may meet such as praise the miraculous signs so highly and say: I know the
devil, he can imitate God (for he is God's ape), he can do all miraculous signs,
but they are false miraculous signs. The people imagine, indeed, that they are
true signs; even those upon whom they are performed, have no other feeling than
that they are blind, dead
. But they are false signs, which are done for the
purpose that we desert God and pledge ourselves to some saint. But when the
people have pledged themselves, then the devil removes the ghost. Then the
people say: This or that saint has helped me, and are strengthened in their
idolatry. Such false miraculous signs, which the devil has done to substantiate
his lies and errors, and that idolatry might become all the greater in the
world, the Pope has confirmed and strengthened with his indulgences." 187)
Thus the subtlety of the false Christs might succeed, if such a thing were
possible, if God
Two further characteristics of
false teachers are that they always aim to pique curiosity by making their
teachings as obscure as possible, either by going out into desert places or by
hiding themselves in inner chambers. Such cases are mentioned not only in the
Bible, Acts 21, 38, and by the historian Josephus, but they have had their
logical successors in the ascetics, the monks and nuns of all times, that shut
themselves away from the world in the foolish effort to know Christ more fully.
Many such people were regarded with the greatest veneration by the ignorant and
vested with the personality and power of Christ Himself. Such fanaticism is
branded in the words of Christ: Behold, I have told you in advance; believe it
not! And He emphasizes His words by a picture, that of the unexpectedness of the
lightning, whose brightness nevertheless illumines the earth. So will Christ
come to Judgment, first of all upon the Jews that had rejected Him and His Word.
The clouds may have been coming up for some time and the thunder reverberated in
the distance, but the sudden flash of lightning, sending its bolt in fearful
destruction, is unexpected. So the signs preceding the fall of Jerusalem, as
those presaging the Judgment Day, will make the watchful more alert, and yet the
actual appearance of the Judge will be like a bolt of lightning, sudden,
terrible. Hence the striking, though homely admonition: Wherever the dead body
is lying, there the carrion vultures will assemble. Where Christ is, there shall
His elect also be. "Thus the Lord has made use of two parables, first of a
heavenly one, that of the lightning, which is a fine light, to indicate that His
kingdom is unfettered and uncaptured. For since Jerusalem is now destroyed,
where the kingdom of Christ was formerly, the question is asked where the
kingdom will now be, since Jerusalem is now torn to pieces. There it is said:
Where the lightning and where the carcass will be, that is, where the divine
Word will be, whether it be here or in another place, there will the Church
be." 188)
The signs of the Last Day: V.
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 powers of the heavens shall be shaken. V. 30. 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 see the Son of Man coining in the clouds of heaven with power and
great glory. V. 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. The entire passage is intensely vivid. Note: A
striking feature of prophetic utterances in general is the absence
of the element of time according to human standards. Events that may be years
and centuries apart are connected as though they would take place in one
continuous action. The eternal God, who inspires prophecy, is not subject to
time. Whatever happens, takes place before Him in one great Now. Another
significant fact: Jesus connects the prophecies concerning Jerusalem and
concerning the final judgment in such a way that they almost overlap. The
judgment upon Jerusalem is not only a type of the last, great Judgment Day, but
the judgment of the world has, in a way, begun with the fall of Jerusalem.
There are solemn lessons contained in this chapter. When the day which is
destined to be the last day of this world dawns, most unusual and terrible signs
will appear. The sun will be darkened, the moon will lose her splendor, the
stars wall fall from the sky, the powers which control the heavens will be
agitated, all the laws of nature will be overthrown. No ordinary eclipses,
shooting stars, meteors here, that are merely acting in accordance with nature's
laws; here is chaos, here is the subverting of all the powers that have held the
universe in its accustomed path. The same Creator that formed the heavens and.
framed the laws which regulate the great machinery of creation will at that time
recall the laws, and deal with the universe according to His further plan and
will. And then, amid the uproar of the elements and the quaking of the heavens,
the great sign, the Son of Man Himself, will appear in the sky, clothed with His
eternal power and majesty. The former despised Nazarene, the Son of Man in His
humiliation, will show that His claims of supernatural endowments were only too
well founded. 189) Then all the tribes, all the nations of the earth, shall wail
and lament, as the Judge comes in the clouds of the sky, with power and much
glory. And there will be the sound of a mighty trumpet, and the angels will be
sent out as His messengers to collect those that are His own in faith. From the
four winds and corners of the earth, from every people and tongue and nation,
they will come together at the great call.
The lesson of the fig-tree: V.
32. Now learn a parable of the fig-tree: When his branch is yet tender, and
putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: v. 33. so likewise ye, when
ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. V. 34.
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass till all these things be
fulfilled. V. 35. Heaven and earth shall
The time of Judgment Day: V. 36.
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My
Father only. V. 37. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the
Son of Man be. V. 38. 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 into the ark, v. 39. and knew not until the Flood came, and took them
all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. V. 40. Then shall two
be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. V. 41. Two women
shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Here is material for careful pondering, above all for those that make it a
practice to predict the exact date of Christ's coming to judgment, as many sects
have been in the habit of doing since the beginning of the Christian Church, but
especially since the year 1000 A. D. Neither men nor angels have a knowledge of
the exact season and time, day and hour, when the Day of Judgment will break
upon the world, not even Jesus according to His humanity, in the lowliness of
His human nature only, Mark 13, 32. It is a secret which is hidden in the
councils of God the Father. The Son of God, according to His humanity, has
renounced the right to this knowledge for the sake of men, lest they inquire
after the day and the hour and give themselves over to a false security. But so
much is sure: there will be a repetition of the confident carelessness which
characterized the days before the Flood. As the time of Christ's coming to
Judgment draws near, there will be a continuous round of feasting and
pleasure-seeking, without in any way regarding the gravity of the
situation. Note: The Lord's words, "marrying and giving in marriage,"
are not meant to discountenance the holy estate of matrimony, but they throw a
spotlight upon conditions of the present time. For instead of understanding the
holiness of the wedded estate, and seeking and entering into it in the fear of
the Lord, people in our days have only the gratification of their lusts in mind.
The sanctity of the marriage vow has been relegated to the rubbish heap, and
while the majority of so-called Christian people do not yet openly profess free
love, a great many come dangerously near sanctioning and practicing it. For
them, as for the people in the time of Noah, the Day of Judgment will truly be a
cataclysm, bringing them sudden, terrible punishment. For the guilty cannot
escape, even if he be associated outwardly with the innocent, with the believer.
Of two men working together, as partners, in the field or elsewhere, one will be
accepted, the other will be left and thus rejected. Of two women busy with their
housework, attending to the duties that fall to their lot, one will be accepted
as a believer, the other will be rejected as an unbeliever. Christ here, in a
single vivid flash, shows the routine of Oriental life the men in the field,
the women in the kitchen. "When the grain was cut, threshed, and winnowed,
there were no mills to which it could be taken for grinding. This process had to
be done in each home, and the labor of doing it fell to the women of the
household. Grain was reduced to flour either by rubbing or by pounding. The
process of rubbing or grinding was accomplished either by a flat, saddle-shaped
stone over which another was rubbed, or by crushing between two stones, the top
one of which was revolved somewhat as a modern millstone. It required two women,
as Jesus said, to grind at such a mill one to feed it, while the other
manipulated the rubbing stone. The upper stone was apparently rotated by
twisting the wrist. It could thus be turned half-way round and then back
again." 190)
The Need of Watchfulness. Matt.
24, 42-51.
A summary: V. 42. Watch
therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. V. 43. But know this,
that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come,
he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. V.
44. Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of
Man cometh. Therefore: Since the exact time is unknown and since
faithfulness is required, watch, be on your guard, do not even for a day, an
hour,
The faithful servant: V. 45.
Who, then, is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over
his household to give them meat in due season? V. 46. Blessed is that servant
whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. V. 47. Verily I say unto you,
That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. If a master entrusts to one
of his slaves, during his absence, the care of the entire household, the
supervision of all the servants, such a slave will show that the trust has not
been misplaced by being doubly faithful and judicious at such a time. He will
not become negligent and careless on account of some delay of his lord in
returning, but will redouble his efforts every day, in order to be found worthy
by the master. Such faithfulness will be rewarded by happiness and blessing upon
the lord's return. The slave will be given still more authority; he will be
placed in charge of the entire estate. Even so the disciples of Christ, to whom
He has entrusted His means of grace, will be undaunted by the taunts of the
world and by the seeming delay of their Lord in returning: they will remain
faithful in the discharge of their duties as Christians and not grow lax.
The unfaithful servant: V. 48.
But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his
coming, v. 49. and shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and
drink with the drunken, v. 50. the lord of that servant shall come in a day when
he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, v. 51. and shall
cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites; there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth. The opposite side of the picture: the servant
that takes advantage of the supposed delay of his master. Frivolously,
exultingly, he says in his heart: There is no danger, the master is tardy about
coming. The very remark proves that his work is mere eye-service. And this is
borne out by his behavior: playing the tyrant in beating his fellow-slaves,
especially such as are anxious to do their duty, indulging to excess in eating
and drinking with such as are willing to join him in his debauch. Here the
unexpected arrival of the master brings the curse and punishment, an unmerciful
thrashing and a condemnation to the lot of the hypocrites, the dungeon with a
remorse of weeping and gnashing of teeth. The same doom awaits the false
Christians that abuse the trust of their Lord Jesus Christ, delay true
repentance, are unmerciful in their dealings with others, join with the children
of the world in all the lusts and vices of the flesh, and try to console
themselves with the thought: The Day of Judgment is not yet coming. While the
Lord rewards the true believers with the fullness of His heavenly blessings and
all the riches of the mansions above, the false servants will be doomed to
everlasting torment in hell. And not without reason have commentators of all
times made special application of this parable to the ministers of the Word,
upon whom special responsibilities devolve. The greater the trust placed by God
in any man, the more exact will be the reckoning.
Summary. Jesus foretells the
destruction of the Temple and of the city of Jerusalem, with all the signs that
are intended as a warning to believers; He makes this a, type of the
coming to Judgment, which He briefly describes, adding an
earnest admonition to be watchful and faithful.