CHAPTER XVI
CONCLUDING COMMENTS
EDERSHEIM ON MATTHEW XXIV
We find that reliable commentators of earlier days have pointed out (treating
it as a matter too evident to require argument) that when Christ warned
His disciples of the great tribulation that was to come, He meant the
distresses which would attend the then approaching destruction of Jerusalem.
Alfred Edersheim, who was one of the very ablest of commentators, has
thus expounded the Lord’s Olivet prophecy. We attach special weight
and authority to his expositions, for the reason that there is probably
no man of modern times who possessed such an extensive and accurate knowledge
as he of the customs, manners, habits of thought, writings, and traditions
of the Jews and of their leaders, in the days of Christ. His "Life
and Times of Jesus the Messiah" gives a marvellously full, detailed
and accurate picture of Judea and its inhabitants—Jews, proselytes,
priests, rabbis, scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, Greeks and
Romans—at the beginning of our era. If one were to read but half
a dozen books, in addition to the Bible, Edersheim’s great work should
be one of the six.
Edersheim sees four divisions in the Lord’s Olivet prophecy, as recorded
in Matthew 24; and it will be instructive to follow his analysis of that
chapter.
1. The first division comprises verses 6-8, (#Mt 24:6- 8) which contain
warnings to the disciples that they are not to regard the "sorrows"
He was foretelling (the wars, famines, pestilences and earthquakes) "as
the judgments which would usher in the Advent of their Lord"; in
other words, they were not to regard wars, famines, &c. as the signs
of His second coming. Those warnings have been needed throughout the age.
For the "sorrows" foretold by Christ, especially when they happened
in connection with the appearance of some supposed "antichrist"—from
Nero down to Napoleon and more recently to the German Kaiser—"have
frequently, " says Mr. E., "misled Christians into an erroneous
expectancy of the immediate advent of Christ." It is really surprising
that the Lord’s people should so persistently take to be signs of
His coming the very things He warned them were not to be regarded as such.
2. The second division of the prophecy embraces verses 9-14. (#Mt 24:9-14)
It contains warnings broader in scope than those of the first section.
Two general dangers are here specified; (a) "internal, from heresies
(’false prophets’) and decay of faith; (b) external, from persecutions.
But along with those two dangers, two consoling facts are also pointed
out." The first is that, notwithstanding the fierce persecutions
they were to undergo from those high in authority, Divine aid would be
given them, and by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit they would
be enabled to testify before kings, rulers and tribunals (#Mr 13:9). The
second consoling fact, as pointed out by Edersheim, is that "despite
the persecutions by Jews and Gentiles, before the end cometh ’this
gospel of the kingdom’ shall be preached in all the inhabited earth
for a testimony to all nations. This then is really the only sign of ’the
end’ of this present age."
3. The third division of the prophecy is contained in verses 15-28. (#Mt
24:15-28) Concerning this division Mr. E. says:
“The Lord proceeds, in the third part of this discourse, to advertise
the disciples of the great historic fact immediately before them, and
of the dangers which would spring from it. In truth we have here His answer
to their question ’when shall these things be?’ And with this
He conjoins the (then) present application of His warning regarding false
Christs (given in verses 4, 5). The fact of which He now advertises them
is the destruction of Jerusalem.”
It will be observed that the question, "When shall these things be?"
is directly answered by the words, "When ye shall see"—(#Mt
24:15 Lu 21:20).
Mr. E. further says:
“This, together with tribulation to Israel, unparalleled in the terrible
past of its history, and unequalled even in its bloody future" was
about to befall them. "Nay, so dreadful would be the persecution
that, if Divine mercy had not interposed for the sake of the followers
of Christ, the whole Jewish race that inhabited the land would have been
swept away." There should have been "no flesh saved.”
We endorse, and heartily commend, this simple and satisfactory explanation
of the Lord’s words, "And except those days should be shortened
there should no flesh be saved" (#Mt 24:22). We have already shown,
from the records of Josephus, how those awful days were "shortened."
4. The fourth division of the prophecy is contained in verses 29-31. (#Mt
24:29-31) As to this portion Mr. E. says:
“The times of the Gentiles, ’the end of the age, ’and with
it the new allegiance of His then penitent people Israel, ’the sign
of the Son of man in heaven’ perceived by them, *** the coming of
Christ, the last trumpet, the resurrection of the dead, —such, in
most rapid sketch, is the outline which the Lord draws of His coming and
the end of the world (age).”
This finishes the prophetic part of the chapter; and now at verses 32,
33 (#Mt 24:32,33) the Lord speaks a parable to impress upon the minds
of His disciples the importance and the application of the sign He had
given them, whereby they might know that the destruction of the holy city
was near. We quote further from Edersheim:
“From the fig tree, under which on that spring afternoon they may
have rested, they were to learn a parable. We can picture Christ taking
one of its twigs, just as its softening tips were bursting into young
leaf. Surely this meant that summer was nigh—not that it had actually
come. The distinction is important; for it seems to prove that ’all
these things’ which were to indicate to them that ’it’
was ’near, even at the doors, ’ and which were to be fulfilled
ere ’this generation’ had passed away, could not have referred
to the last signs connected with the advent of Christ, but must apply
to the previous prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem and of the
Jewish commonwealth.”
This too is a very simple and satisfactory explanation of the words, "This
generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled." If
those words be taken as His answer to the question, "When shall these
things be?" (v. 3), they are easy of interpretation; but if their
application be postponed to the far off future they present much difficulty.
For example, thus to postpone their application would make the Lord contradict
His positive and most emphatic statement that no signs would precede and
give warning of His second advent.
Edersheim further points out in this connection that the bursting of the
fig tree into leaf is not the sign of harvest, which is the end of the
age, but of summer, which precedes the harvest. This is significant.
THE BEGINNING OF SORROWS
In describing the wars and other commotions which were to characterize
this age from the very start, the Lord used an expression which calls
for special notice. "All these, " He said, "are the beginning
of birthpangs" (#Mt 24:8). This word pictures to us the present age
as one of pains and sorrows such as accompany childbirth. But there is
a decidedly hopeful character to such pains; for they eventuate in that
which causes "joy." This present age is the period of the birthpangs
of the new era, which will be that of the manifestation of the sons of
God.
The word "birthpangs" connects this part of our Lord’s
prophecy with that of Paul in (#Ro 8:22, ) where the same word occurs
in its verb form’ "For we know, " says the apostle, "that
the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now."
But the verses which precede tell what the joyful outcome will be, namely,
"the manifestation of the sons of God, " also called "the
adoption, " at which time the creation itself also "shall be
delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of
the children of God."
The word "travail-in-birth" is found again in a similar connection
in (#1Th 5:3, ) where (speaking of the coming of the day of the Lord)
Paul says: "For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden
destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child."
From these and other passages of Scripture we may gather that woes and
pains of the sort specified by the Lord in Matthew 24:6-8 (#Mt 24:6-8)
will visit the earth with intensified force at the very time of the end
(although the frequency of such occurrences throughout the age would prevent
them from serving as signs). The wars and other woes whereof the Lord
spake were "the beginning of birthpangs"; and it is pertinent
to recall that birthpangs, after the first intense ones, are intermittent
until, at the very end, occur the most severe of all. Thus, no doubt,
it will be at the end of this present age, as is clearly predicted in
the Book of Revelation.
We would also point out in this connection that the word "birthpangs"
connects the prophecy likewise with Jeremiah 30:5-7, (#Jer 30:5-7) which
we have already discussed. In that passage the prophet foretells the return
of the Jews from Babylon (#Jer 30:3) and then he speaks of "the time
of Jacob’s trouble, " concerning which he says: "Ask ye
now and see whether a man doth travail with child? Wherefore do I see
every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, " etc.
If then we regard this entire age as a period of birth pangs (as we have
warrant to do from the scriptures cited above) we may consider "the
time of Jacob’s trouble" as lasting from the destruction of
Jerusalem until now. In that view, the words "but he shall be saved
out of it" seem to be now upon the eve of fulfilment.
AN ILLUMINATING CONTRAST
We would now call attention to a strong and pointed contrast in our Lord’s
Olivet discourse, the which, if we give due heed thereto, will afford
us much aid in the interpretation of this prophecy, and in the interpretation
of all prophecies which relate to the end of this present age.
If we examine carefully the entire discourse (as given for example by
Mark) we will see that our Lord divides the future into two distinct periods.
The first of these extended from the time then present to the destruction
of Jerusalem, the second from that event to His own second advent. Beginning
at verse 14 with the words, "But when ye shall see the abomination
of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought
not, " down to the end of verse 23, (#Mr 13:14-23) Christ is speaking
to His disciples concerning the invasion of Judea and the siege of Jerusalem
by the Roman armies. As to all those things (whereof the utter demolition
of the magnificent temple was the most prominent) His purpose manifestly
was to give them explicit information; for those things were to happen
in that generation.
Therefore, as regards that period He says: "But take ye heed; behold,
I have foretold you all things" (#Mr 13:23).
At that point He begins to speak of the second period, saying: "But
in those days after that tribulation" (#Mr 13:24). Concerning this
second period, however, instead of imparting definite information, and
giving a sign whereby His people might be warned of the approaching end
thereof, He speaks only in the most general terms, and He makes plain
only one thing, namely, that no immediately preceding signs would be given
whereby His people would know that His advent was near. This feature of
His coming again—its unexpectedness—is stated in so many different
ways, and is so emphatically applied and illustrated (see #Mr 13:32-37)
that we are absolutely controlled by it in the interpretation, not only
of the Mount Olivet discourse, but of every other prophecy relating to
the second coming of Christ. Here is a great contrast: one event whereof
the Lord was speaking was then close at hand; it was to happen within
that generation, and it would be immediately preceded by a sign, which
His disciples could not fail to recognize. But the other event (His own
coming) would be at a time unknown even to Himself, and moreover there
should be no sign to appraise His people of its approach, for which reason
He impressed it upon them that they were to watch "at every season"
(#Lu 21:36 Gr.). Concerning the first event He said, "Behold, I have
foretold you all things"; but of the second He said, "But of
that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven,
neither the Son, but the Father" (#Mr 13:32).
We are aware that it is often attempted to escape the force of this verse
by saying that it is only the precise "day and hour" of the
Lord’s coming that is left in uncertainty, and that His words do
not forbid us to compute (as many attempt to do) the year of His return.
But we think that is not treating the Lord’s words fairly, or giving
them their proper force; for He plainly meant to declare emphatically
that the time of His coming was a matter of uncertainty. Moreover, the
very next verse says, "Watch and pray; for ye know not when the time
is, " so it is not merely a question of the day and hour, but of
the time in general. And finally, the teaching of verses 33- 37, with
the parable by which the Lord illustrated it, makes it plain that the
uncertainty as to His return was to extend through the entire period of
His absence.
For, just as He spoke a parable to illustrate and to settle the meaning
of His teaching concerning the period before the destruction of Jerusalem
(the parable of the fig tree), so likewise He spoke a parable to illustrate
and to settle the meaning of His teaching concerning the period we are
now in, which He designates simply as "those days after that tribulation,
" but which, in Luke’s account, is called "the times of
the Gentiles."
The point of the first parable is that just as the budding of the fig
tree was a sure sign of the nearness of summer, so the presence of the
Roman armies in Judea would be a sure sign of the nearness of the destruction
of Jerusalem.
The second parable speaks with equal clearness. It is in these words’
"(For the Son of man is) as a man taking a far journey, who left
his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work,
and commanded the porter to watch." The Lord Himself has applied
this parable, saying, "Watch ye therefore, FOR YE KNOW NOT WHEN THE
MASTER OF THE HOUSE COMETH at even, or at midnight, or at the cock crowing,
or in the morning’ lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping. And
what I say unto you, I say unto all, Watch."
So this parable teaches exactly the reverse of the other. The night was
divided, according to the custom of that time, into four watches. So the
Lord speaks of His absence as being like a night, in any one of the four
watches whereof He might return. Thus the question of the time of His
return was purposely left from the very beginning in uncertainty, insomuch
that, after the destruction of Jerusalem, the only way for His people
to insure themselves against being taken unawares was "to watch."
He was "coming suddenly, " and hence there was always the possibility
that His people might be found "sleeping."
Thus Mark’s account gives the Lord’s teaching on this subject
in a positive way, showing the possibility that He might come at any watch
of the night. In Matthew’s account (and also in #Lu 17:24-30) the
converse is declared, namely, that the Lord’s coming would not be
preceded by any sign whatever. It would be "as in the days that were
before the flood" when the ordinary incidents of life continued "until
the day that Noah entered into the ark" (#Mt 24:37,38); and "also
as it was in the days of Lot, " when the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah
came suddenly and unexpectedly, there being no warning, "but the
same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from
heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when
the Son of man is revealed" (#Lu 17:28-30). Words could not be plainer.
From these sayings of the Lord Jesus Christ we can see that it is, and
always has been, an impossibility to calculate, from any figures given
in the Bible, the year, or even the approximate year, of the Lord’s
return. For if that was unknown even to Christ Himself when He spoke those
words, then there was certainly no information in the Scriptures from
which it could be computed.
Furthermore we can see how contrary to the teaching of Christ is the idea,
which is accepted by so many at the present time, that He will be "revealed"
at the end of a supposed "great tribulation" of determinate
length (seven years, according to some, or three and a half years, according
to others). Those who locate the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ at
the end of "the great tribulation" of current teaching, do plainly
contradict His own teaching, in that they make the supposed "tribulation"
a sure sign that His coming is at hand.
Mr. H. Grattan Guinness, in his "Light for the Last Days, "
speaking of signs of the Lord’s second coming, says:
“If such signs as are imagined by some were to precede the advent,
the state of society predicted in these passages could not by any possibility
exist. If monstrous, unheard of, supernatural, portentous events were
to transpire, would they not be telegraphed the same day all over a startled
world, and produce such a sense of alarm and expectation that buying,
and selling, planting and building, marrying and giving in marriage, would
all be arrested together, and ’peace and safety’ would be far
from anyone’s lips or thoughts? *** No, there was nothing special
to alarm the antediluvians before the day that Noah entered into the ark;
nothing special to startle the men of Sodom ere the fire from heaven fell;
and like as it was in those days, so will it be in these. All going on
just as usual, no stupendous sign to attract the world’s attention.”
SIGNS IN THE SUN, MOON AND STARS
There remains for consideration a passage which is undeniably difficult.
We refer to the Lord’s saying about signs in the sun, moon and stars,
which, as given by Mark, is as follows:
“But in those days after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened,
and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall,
and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they
see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.”
This passage might be taken to mean that the "signs" in the
physical sun, moon and stars, were the immediate precursors of the revelation
of the Son of man; but the teaching of Christ which we have just been
considering absolutely forbids that interpretation; and to that extent
it helps us in our search for the true meaning.
Looking closely at the passage we will see that it is very indefinite.
All it tells us is that "in those days after that tribulation"
the commotions in sun, moon and stars will occur; but there is nothing
to indicate at what part of "those days" (which now have lasted
over eighteen hundred years) the described commotions would take place.
"Then"—which may mean any indefinite period in the future—Christ
Himself would be seen coming in the clouds.
Inasmuch as what we have learned from the latter part of the chapter forbids
us to take celestial disturbances here foretold as premonitory signs of
the Lord’s coming, the question arises, for what purpose then did
He mention them? And this raises another question, namely, are we to take
these words literally, as do the "Adventists" and some others?
or are they to be taken as figurative, and as referring to the political
"heavens" (i.e., the sphere of governments) as understood by
some able expositors, among whom one of the most prominent is Sir Isaac
Newton? We know of nothing at present whereby this question can be so
definitely settled as to put the matter beyond all doubt; but we will
offer some further suggestions which may perhaps contribute towards its
solution.
In the first place, seeing we are debarred by the Lord’s plain teaching
from taking these commotions to be physical signs, visible to the eye,
preceding and heralding His coming, or as having any special connection
with that event, it would seem almost imperative that we give the words
a figurative meaning. For it is not conceivable that, in speaking of this
long age which was to be so full of important happenings, Christ would
single out for mention nothing but a few isolated phenomena of nature
in the physical heavens. This consideration practically compels us to
find a meaning for the words which would make them descriptive of some
distinguishing characteristic of the age, or at least of the latter part
of it.
When we turn to Luke’s account we find strong confirmation of this
view. This confirmation appears in two particulars, first in the manner
in which the reference to the sun, moon and stars is introduced; and second
in the fact that it is directly coupled with certain general characteristics
of the age, such as we should expect in a brief utterance of this kind.
For Luke gives it thus (we put the salient part in italics):
“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. 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”(#Lu
21:23-26).
According to this account the Lord does not break off His predictions
abruptly at the capture and destruction of Jerusalem, but follows the
Jews in their dispersion "unto all nations, " and also foretells
the treading down of Jerusalem by the Gentiles until the times of the
Gentiles be fulfilled. Thus we are carried into the period which follows
"after the tribulation of those days, " and are informed that
that period is divinely designated "the times of the Gentiles."
{a} And now immediately follows (in Luke’s account) the passage we
are examining, "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon,
and in the stars." But here we have also the further statement, "and
on the earth distress of nations with perplexity, the sea and the waves
roaring, men’s hearts failing them, " etc. From these words
it is clear that the Lord is giving (which, as we have pointed out, is
what we should expect) some very broad and general characteristics of
our age, with an eye especially upon the closing part thereof. Moreover,
in speaking of the unsettled state of the nations He uses a familiar figurative
expression, namely, "the sea and the waves roaring." This figure
represents the turbulence of the peoples of the earth (see #Re 17:15,
Isa 8:7), just as the sun, moon and stars represent rulership, governments,
and authorities. Thus we find good reason for concluding that the Lord
is here speaking figuratively of unusual happenings in the political firmament,
that is to say, in the sphere of governments, or what Paul calls "the
higher powers" (#Ro 13:1).
In Isaiah 13:7-10 (#Isa 13:7-10) we have an example of the use of this
figure. It occurs in connection with a description of "the day of
the Lord." We quote verse 10: "For the stars of heaven and the
constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened
in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine."
Taking these words in connection with Genesis 1:16-18, (#Ge 1:16-18) and
with Joseph’s dream about the sun, moon and stars (which his father
and brethren had no need of one to interpret for them, (#Ge 37:9,10)),
and in connection also with (#Eze 32:7 Joe 2:31,3:15 Re 12:1), we get
the idea that the sun stands for authority on earth in the broadest sense,
and the moon for lesser authority, and the stars for prominent persons
in the sphere of government.
Further reason in support of the view that the Lord used the sun, moon
and stars as symbols in this passage, is found in the fact that, throughout
the Scriptures, the prediction of political changes of this era are given
in a veiled form, that is to say, by figures and symbols. Thus, in Daniel
the successive powers are indicated first as parts of a huge metallic
image, and then as great beasts, following one after another. In Revelation
the last of these beasts reappears, in its ten horned (that is its latter)
stage of development, which is the state it will be in when destroyed
by the coming of Christ. Individual powers are represented by horns, and
notable personages in the political heavens by stars. That the sun, moon
and stars are used in a figurative sense in Revelation is proved by the
words: "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed
with the sun; and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of
twelve stars" (#Re 12:1). From this we may safely infer that the
sun stands for supreme governmental authority over the earth, the moon
for lesser dominion, and the stars for notable rulers or potentates.
Turning now to (#Re 6:12) we read, "and the sun became black as sackcloth
of hair, and the moon became as blood, and the stars of heaven fell unto
the earth, " &c., which words are suited to present, symbolically,
the complete overthrow of governmental authority, the bloody character
of that which for the time takes its place, and the downfall of all rulers
and magistrates.
The reasons for speaking thus in veiled language of political changes
in the world in this dispensation, are not hard to discern; for this is
an era in which God’s people are strangers and pilgrims on earth,
having no affiliations with the powers that be, but are taught to be in
subjection to them. Hence, our Lord Himself would, of course, use the
same form of utterance in forecasting the political happenings of these
times of the Gentiles. Therefore it may reasonably be taken that when
the Lord spake of the sun, moon and stars in terms strikingly similar
to those found in Revelation, He meant to say that the darkening of the
sun (i.e., the decay of supreme authority in the world), would begin "immediately"
after the destruction of Jerusalem; and putting the two passages together,
we would conclude that this figurative darkening of the sun was to become
more and more pronounced until, at the climax of the dispensation, it
would become total darkness, while at the same time the rulers would all
fall together, as a fig tree casts her figs when shaken by a mighty wind.
Some such interpretation of the Lord’s words seems almost a necessity
when we consider His express declaration that physical signs were not
to be given in this age in respect to the one and only event for which
His people were to wait and watch.
A gradual weakening of authority on earth in the hands of those with whom
it has been lodged, such as we have indicated above, has been a characteristic
of this age; and it is such a pronounced feature of our own days, that
"the decay of authority" and "the spirit of lawlessness"
are themes upon which men in public life often dilate at the present time,
and in words which betray the most serious apprehensions as to the outcome.
In the moon’s not giving her light, we may see the weakening of authority
in a narrower sphere, such as national governments, which are all changing
from monarchies to democracies. And in the stars’ falling from heaven,
we may see the downfall of notable personages, as the German Kaiser, the
imperial family of Austria (the Hapsburgs), the Romanoffs—for centuries
rulers of Russia—the kings of Greece and Bulgaria, and lesser personages
in the political sphere (see #Re 9:1).
These happenings are not sufficiently definite to serve as "signs"
of the Lord’s coming, nor do they stand in any given time relation
to that event. But they do serve admirably to the furtherance of the one
practical object which the Lord had in view in speaking this part of His
discourse, and which He has made quite plain, namely, that His people
should be kept constantly in a state of expectancy of His coming again.
So, without giving them any sign of His coming, or making any definite
statement about it, He could say, "And when these things begin to
come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption
draweth nigh" (#Lu 21:28).
One further point is to be noted: In connection with the reference to
the sun, moon and stars, Luke says, "for the powers of the heavens
shall be shaken"; and the same words occur, in the same connection,
in both Matthew and Mark. These words are explanatory of what the Lord
said about the sun, moon and stars, and show that He did not mean physical
commotions. "There is no power" (of this sort) "but from
God" (#Ro 13:1). Peter uses the same word when, speaking of Christ’s
having ascended on high, he said, "angels and authorities and powers
being made subject unto Him" (#1Pe 3:22). We have seen in the course
of these studies that there is a mysterious connection between the several
"powers" that rule in the world and certain mighty angelic beings.
But these "powers" have been all made subject to Christ, Whose
prerogative it is to "shake" them at His pleasure. And surely
there has been a great shaking of these powers in our day, {b} reminding
us of what is written in another place: "But now He hath promised,
saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven"
(#Heb 12:26). This is in close agreement with the words found in Matthew’s
account, "And the powers of the heavens shall be shaken" (#Mt
24:29).
It should not be overlooked that, in Matthew’s account, we have the
word "immediately"; for he says "Immediately after the
tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, " etc. (#Mt
24:29); and no doubt this word is what has led many expositors to suppose
that the great tribulation was to be at the very end of this present age,
followed "immediately" by signs in the physical heavens, and
by the visible coming of Christ. But whatever be the force of the word
which our translators have rendered "immediately, " it cannot
be permitted to displace the tribulation foretold by Christ as coming
(and which did come) in that generation, and to remove it away off to
the end of this age. Nor can it be permitted to make the tribulation and
the commotions in the heavens a sign of His second coming, in contradiction
of His plain teaching as to that event. Rather, must we assume, in harmony
with all that Christ has said on that subject, that the fulfilment of
this particular part of the prophecy began from the destruction of Jerusalem,
and is to be seen in all of God’s dealings in judgment with "the
higher powers" (#Ro 13:1), from that time onward.
The word "immediately" used by Matthew (not found in the corresponding
part of Mark or Luke) signifies merely that the destruction of Jerusalem
would be followed immediately by a period (of unmeasured length) which
would be characterized by commotions of the sort described. Such disturbances
have been, as we have seen, one of the outstanding characteristics of
the age, and are a special mark of our own times.
Finally, in bringing these studies to a close, we would say again that
we do not in the least question that there will be much "tribulation"
for mankind, and many "distresses" and "woes, " in
the end time of this present age, to be followed by the outpouring of
the vials in which is "filled up the wrath of God" (#Re 15:1).
All we assert is that, regardless of the nature and severity of the afflictions
which are yet to come, that particular "tribulation" whereof
the Lord spake as the "great tribulation, " and as "the
days of vengeance (#Mt 24:21 Lu 21:22) was the execution of Divine judgment
upon Daniel’s people and his holy city, for which God used the Roman
armies under Titus in 70 AD.
{a} The times of the Gentiles are commonly taken as beginning when Nebuchadnezzar
carried the Jews into captivity. But there is nothing in the Scripture
to support this idea, so far as we are aware. If the times of the Gentiles
were the captivity in Babylon, then they would have ended when that captivity
ended. But God did not then turn away from the Jews to the Gentiles. For
He sent them His prophets, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. John the Baptist’s
ministry was to Israel; the Lord Himself was sent to the lost sheep of
the house of Israel, and His apostles were charged to preach the gospel
"to the Jew first, " which they were faithful to do. But from
the destruction of Jerusalem down to the present time, the work of God’s
Word and Spirit has been among the Gentiles. In view of all this we are
inclined to the opinion that, although there was a brief period when the
preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles overlapped the preaching of Peter
and other apostles to the Jews, yet "the times of the Gentiles"
may be said to have fully begun from the destruction of Jerusalem. It
is, of course, a matter of comparatively slight importance when the times
of the Gentiles began, since it is agreed on all hands that they are in
continuance at the present time, and that they will extend to the second
coming of Christ.
{b} And now (in April, 1944) a far greater shaking is in progress than
that referred to above.
Index - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - Appendix
