Manj^ place at the end of Matt, xxiv, 28 the transi- tion to the final judgment; but it is difficult to extend the intimations of consecutiveness that follow ("[But] i.umediatel}' after," "But in those daj's") over such a chasm. It is true, the description ensuing in verses 29-31 is unusuall}' allegorical for a prose discourse, but this is explained hj^ the fact that it is evident]}' bor- rowed almost wholly from familiar poetic predictions of similar events. Many of these particulars, more- over, may refer, partiallj' at least, in a literal sense, to the concurrent natural phenomena intimated in Luke xxi, 11 ; and in their utmost stretch of meaning they also hint at the collapse of nature in the general judg- ment. The objection of anachronism in this applica- tion of the "tribulation" of verse 29 as a subsequent event, is obviated by considering that this term here refers to the incipient stages of the "tribulation" of verse 21, where the previous context shows that the distress of the Jirst siege and preliminary campaign are specially intended ; Luke (verse 24) there gives the personal incidents of the catastrophe itself as succeed- ing, with an allusion to the long desolation of the land that should follow ; so that Clirist here resumes the thread of jirophctic histor}- (which had been somewhat interru))ted by the caution against the impostors who were so rife in the brief interim of the suspension of actual liostilities) by returning to the naiUmal conse- quences of the second and decisive onset of the Ro- mans. The assignment of these events contained in the ensuing verses, as to take place '■^ after the tribula- tion'" (presumed to be that of the acme of the Jewish struggle), is tlie strongest argument of tliose who ap- ply this whole following passage to the final judgment. Hut they overlook the equally explicit limit '■'imme- diatel'i after," and, moreover, fail to discriminate the precise date indicated by "that tribulation." This latter is made (in verse 21 of Matthew) ^simultaneous with the flight of the Christians, which could not have been practicable in the extremitj' of the siege, but is
directed (in verse 15) to be made on the approach of the besiegers. The consummation intimated here, therefore, refers to the close of the siege (i. e. the sack itself), and the preceding rigors are those oi'its progress. It ought, moreover, to be considered that the fall of the capital was but the precursor of the extinction of the Jewish nationality (here typified by celestial prodi- gies) ; the utter subjugation of the country at large of course following that event. Another interpretation is, that the following passage refers to a second over- throw (the final extermination of the Jewish metropo- lis under the emperor Adrian in a subsequent war), as distinguished from the first under Titus ; this is in- genious, but would hardlj' justify the strong language here employed, and would, moreover, require the limit "immediately" to be extended half a century farther, when the living " generation" must have entireh' pass- ed away. Nor at this later event could the "redemp- tion" of the Christians properly be said to "draw nigh" (verse 28 of Luke), the Jews having then long ceased to have any considerable power to persecute ; compare the deliverance prophetically celebrated in Kev. xi, especially verses 8, 13.
(2.) In the highly-wrought description of Matt, xxir, 29; Luke xxi, 25, 2G (which constitutes the transition- point or intermediate part of our Saviour's discourse), the political convulsions during the acme of the Jew- ish struggle with the Eomans are compared with a contest among the elements, in which the sun, moon, stars, earth, and waves join in one horrible war to ag- gravate human misery and desperation (comp. Judg. V, 20) ; the individual terms are therefore to be under- stood as merely heightening the general idea. To those Avho suppose the final judgment referred to in the expressions of this and the following verses, it may here be remarked that these sj'mbolical phenomena of nature are all said to take place " immediately after [Mark, 'in'] .... those days," while the subsequent "coming" is made simultaneous by the word "then" used l)y all the evangelists ; and all these events are speciallj' noted as signals of a "deliverance" (Luke, verse 28), evidentlj' the same with that of the Chris- tians from Jerusalem's ruin and power to oppress be- fore alluded to; the whole being limited W all the evangelists in distinct terms to the present generation. In order to understand man}' of the phrases of this representation (as especially those of verses 30, 31), the induction (so to speak) of a style of language usual- ly appropriated to the second catastrophe (as intimated at the close of paragraph 1 above), must be borne in mind.
The first element of this "tribulation" (that afirect- ing the celestial luminaries, a statement common to all the evangelists here) is cited from Isa. xiii, 10, a pas- sage spoken Avith reference to the fall of Babylon ; comp. Joel iii, 15, and many similar passages, in which the prophets represent great national disasters by celes- tial phenomena of an astounding character. All the following cpiotations, as the}- appear in the evangelists, are cited by our Saviour with considerable latitude and irregularity of order, as his object was merel}' to afl^ord brief specimens of this style; but the general resem- blance to the original pictures is too strong to be mis- taken. See Isa.xxxiv, 4; xiii, 13; Ezek. xxxii, 7, and especially Joel ii, 30, a prediction expressly quoted by the apostle Peter (Acts ii, 19) as referring to the de- struction of Jerusalem.