both of the city and the temple.* The Jewish writers also themselves acknowledge, that Terentius Rufus, who was left to command the army, did with a plough-share tear up the foundations of the temple ;t and thereby fulfilled the prophecy of Micah."Therefore shall Zion for your sake be ploughed as a field." And in confirmation of this remarkable circumstance, Eusebius also assures us, that the temple was ploughed up by the Romans; and that he himself saw it lying in ruins.|| The evangelist next informs us, that as Jesus sat on the mount of Olives, which was exactly opposite to the hill on which the temple was built, and commanded a very fine view of it from the east, his disciples 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 world." The expressions here made use of, the sign of thy coming, and the end of the world, at the first view naturally lead our thoughts to the coming of Christ at the day of judgment, and the final dissolution of this earthly globe. But a due attention to the parallel passages in St. Mark and St. Luke, and a critical examination into the real import of those two phrases in various parts of Scripture, will soon convince a careful inquirer, that by the coming of Christ is here meant, not his coming to judge the world at Jeruthe last day, but his coming to execute judgment upon salem;§ and that by the end of the world is to be understood, not the final consummation of all things here below, but the end of that age, the end of the Jewish state and polity; the subversion of their city, temple, and government.** The real questions therefore here put to our Lord by the disciples were these two: 1st. At what time the destruction of Jerusalem was to take place: "Tell us, when shall these things be?" 2dly. What the signs were that were to precede it: "What shall be the sign of thy coming?" Our Lord in his answer begins first with the signs, of which he treats from the 4th to the 31st verse, inclusive. 66 The first of these signs is specified in the 5th verse, Many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many." * Jos. de Bello Jud. 1. vii. c. i. p. 170. B. xxi. 22. + See Whitby in Loc. Evang. 1. vi. 13. xxiv. 4, 5; xvi. 28. John ** The word aion (here translated the world) frequently means nothing more than an age, a certain definite period of time. See Matth. xxiv. 6. 14. Mark xiii. 7. Luke xxi. 9, compared with ver. 20. Hebrews ix. 26. This part of the prophecy began soon to be fulfilled; for we learn from the ancient writers, and particularly from Josephus, that not long after our Lord's ascension several impostors appeared, some pretending to be the Messiah, and others to foretel future events. The first were those whom our Lord here says should come in his name, and were therefore false Christs. The others are alluded to in the eleventh verse, under the name of false prophets: "Many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many." Of the first sort were, as Origin * informs us, one Dositheus, who said that he was the Christ foretold by Moses; and Simon Magus, who said he appeared among the Jews as the Son of God. Besides several others alluded to by Josephus.† The same historian tells us, that there were many false prophets, particularly an Egyptian, who collected together above thirty thousand Jews whom he had deceived, and Theudas a magician, who said he was a prophet, and deceived many; and a multitude of others, who deluded the people even to the last, with a promise of help from God. And in the reign of Nero, when Felix was procurator of Judæa, such a number of these impostors made their appearance, that many of them were seized and put to death every day. The next signs pointed out by our Lord are these that follow. "Ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars; see that ye be not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet: for nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdoin; and there shall be famines and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places: all these are the beginning of sorrows." That there were in reality great disturbances and commotions in those times, that there were not only rumours of wars, but wars actually existing, and continued dissentions, insurrections, and massacres among the Jews, and other nations who dwelt in the same cities with them, is so fully attested by all the historians of that period, but more particularly by Josephus, that to produce all the dreadful events of that kind which he enumerates, would be to transcribe a great part of his history. It is equally certain, from the testimony of the same author, as well as from Eusebius, and several profane historians, that there were famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. It is added in the parallel place by * Origen; Adv. Cels. 1. 1 and 6. + De Bell. Jud. 1. i. p. 705. St. Luke,*"that fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven." And accordingly Josephus, in the preface to his history of the Jewish war, and in the history itself, enumerates a great variety of astonishing signs and prodigies, which he says preceded the calamities that impended over the Jews, and which he expressly affirms, in perfect conformity to our Saviour's prediction, were signs manifestly intended to forbode their approaching destruction. And these accounts are confirmed by the Roman historian Tacitus, who says that many prodigies happened at that time; armies appeared to be engaging in the sky, arms were seen glittering in the air, the temple was illuminated with flames issuing from the clouds, the doors of the temple suddenly burst open, and a voice more than human was heard, "that the gods were departing ;" and soon after a great motion, as if they were departing.‡ 66 The sign next specified by our Saviour in the ninth and the four following verses, relates to the disciples themselves. "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." The parallel passages in St. Luke and St. Mark are still stronger, and more particular. St. Mark 66 says, they shall deliver you up to the councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten; and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them." St. Luke's words are, They shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake."§ That every circumstance here mentioned was minutely and exactly verified in the sufferings of the apostles and disciples after our Lord's decease, must be perfectly well known to every one that has read the Acts of the Apostles. You will there see that the lives of the Apostles were one continued scene of persecution, affliction, and distress of every kind; that they were imprisoned, were beaten, were brought before councils, and sanhedrims, and kings; were many of them put to death, and were hated of all nations, by the heathens as well as by the Jews, for the sake of Christ; that is, for being called by his The very name of a Christian was a crime; and it exposed them to every species of insult, indignity, and cruelty. To all these calamities was to be added another, which we name. *Luke xxi. 11. ¡t Jos. Prœm. sect. 11. De Bell. Jud. 1. vi. c. 5. f. 3. & 1. 7. c. 30. "Then shall many be offended, and The find in the tenth verse. shall betray one another, and shall hate one another." meaning is, that many Christians, terrified with these persecutions, shall become apostates to their religion, and renounce their faith; for that is the meaning generally of the word offend in the New Testament. That this would sometimes happen under such trials and calamities as the first Christians were exposed to, we may easily believe, and St. Paul particularly mentions a few who turned away from him, and forsook him; namely, Phygellus, Hermogenes, and Demas.* The other circumstance here predicted, "that the disciples should betray one another," is remarkably verified by the testimony of the Roman historian Tacitus, who, in describing the persecution under Nero, tells us, "that several Christians at first were apprehended, and then, by their discovery, a multitude of others, were convicted, and cruelly put to death, with derision aad insult.† It is a natural consequence of all this, that the ardour of many in embracing and professing Christianity, should be considerably abated, or, as it is expressed in the twefth verse, that the love of many should wax cold; and of this we find several instances mentioned by the sacred writers.‡ "But he that shall endure unto the end," (adds our Lord in the thirteenth verse) "the same shall be saved." He that shall not be dismayed by these persecutions, but shall continue firm in his faith, and unshaken in his duty to the last, shall be saved, both in this world and the next. It is, we know, the uniform doctrine of scripture, that they who persevere in the belief and the practice of Christianity to the end of their lives, shall, through the merits of their Redeemer, be rewarded with everlasting life. And with respect to the present life, and the times to which our Saviour here alludes, it is remarkable, that none of his disciples were known to perish in the siege and destruction of Jerusalem. Another sign which was to precede the demolition of the temple and the city of Jerusalem, was, that the Christian religion was first to be propagated over the greater part of the Roman empire, which in scripture, as well as by the Roman writers, was called the world. "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Then shall come what is called in the third verse, the end of the world; that is, the Jewish world, the Jewish state and government. * 2 Tim. i. 15. iv. 10. + Tac. Ann. 1. 15. 2 Tim. iv. 16. Heb. x. 25. And accordingly St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Colossians, speaks of the Gospel "being come unto all the world, and preached to every creature under heaven."* And we learn from the most authentic writers, and the most ancient records, that the Gospel was preached within thirty years after the death of Christ, in Idumea, Syria, and Mesopotamia; in Media and Parthia, and many parts of Asia Minor; in Egypt, Mauretania, Ethiopia, and other regions of Africa; in Greece and Italy; as far north as Scythia, and as far westward as Spain, and in this very island which we inhabit; where there is great reason to believe Christianity was planted in the days of the apostles, and before the destruction of Jerusalem. And this, it is said, was to be "for a testimony against them;" that is, against the Jews; for a testimony that the offer of salvation was made to them in every part of the world where they were dispersed; and that, by their obstinate rejection of it, they had merited the signal punishment which soon after overtook them. Our Lord then goes on to still more alarming and more evident indications of the near approach of danger to the Jewish nation. "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet,† stand in the holy place (let him that readeth understand;) then let them that be in Judea flee into the mountain." The meaning of this passage is clearly and fully explained by the parallel place in St. Luke: "when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.' "" The abomination of desolation, therefore, denotes the Roman army which besieged Jerusalem, and which Daniel also, in the place alluded to, calls the abomination which makes desolate. The Roman army is here called an abomination, because upon their standards were depicted the images of their emperor and their tutelary gods, whom they worshipped: and it is well known that idols were held by the Jews in the utmost abhorrence; and the very name they gave them was the expression here made use of, an abomination. The word desolation is added for an obvious reason, because this mighty army brought ruin and desolation upon Jerusalem. This city, and the mountain on which it stood, and a circuit of several furlongs around it, were accounted holy ground; and as the Roman standards were planted in the most conspicuous places near the fortifications of the city, they are here said to stand in the holy place, or, as St. Mark expresses it, + Chap. ix. 27. *Col. i. 6. 23. Y |