The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 426

Buch question• were not to be asked openly Vere. t-41.-The first portion of the greal in the hearing of any who might have fol• prophecy. lowed him from the city. There WAI nothing more resented by the average Jew than o.ny Ver. •.--Je1111 anawered and BBld. The intimation of the destruction of the temple. sncoeeding prophecy ha.a muoh exeroised the It was one of the charges against Stephen minds of commentators from tile earliest that he had said that Jesus would destroy times unto the present. It is, indeed, {ull the temple (Acts vi H). When, therefore, of mysteries, dark sayings, profundities, some of the apostles wished for more definite which our minds cannot fathom. Many of inform& tion on this subject, they took care these are and must be inherent ln the to make their inquiry in private. Their ques- subject; but aome diffl.oulties have been tions were twofold-they desired to know created by the imperfeot views taken by the time of the events, and the signs which those who have applied themselves to ex- should precede Christ's ooming and the plain the Lord's utterances. It is seen by end of the world. When shall these things e.11 that we have here prediotions ooncem- be t " These things" refer to the destruc- ing the fate of J ernse.lem, ooncerning the tion of the temple, and the oonree of events parousia of Christ, e.nd concerning the lest; which, as they conceive, are dependent times; it is the attempt to e.ssign to these thereupon (comp. oh. xxili. 36). To their events separately certain definite portions minds, this catastrophe could only occur of the address the.t ha.a led to confusion and contemporaneously with the coming of Christ perplexity. Over-refinement e.nd over- in glory e.nd the end of the world. They wisdom he.ve marred the exposition of many 11e.w in it a great revolution which should critics. They he.ve limited to one event usher in the fin.e.l consumme.tion. But tDhen the.t which was spoken of more than that should tlili! come to pe.ss ?-in their own one; confining their view to one point, they de.y, or after me.ny ages? in the lifetime he.ve excluded other points which were of this generation, or at some far-distant equally in the mind of the Revealer, It has period? It we.snot mere wanton curiosity been usual to divide the prophecy in this to know the future which prompted the chapter into two sections, of which the first, question, but rather a reverent desire to extending to the t\"l"enty-ninth verse, is sup- prepare for these grea.& events, of the posed to relate to the fe.te of Jerusalem certainty of which they were now fully itself; the second, comprising the rest of the assured. So the next question shows no ohe.pter, to the pe.rousie. and the coming to doubt conoerning the facts, e.nd e.sks, not judgment. But snob definite partition will :he mode of the accomplishment, but only not stand investigation, e.nd can be main- what anticipatory warning and indication tained only by doing violence to language were to be given. Sign of thy coming ( rii• or ignoring more nature.I exple.ne.tions. ,;is ra.pouofas), and of the end of the world The prophecy announces e.ne.logous events, (truP.-,>..,ias .-oii rzl,';,11os). They look upon the description of whioh has more the.n one these two events e.s synchronous, or very e.pplice.tion, and often pa.sees. from one to closely connected. The word parousia, another with nothing to closely mark the wLicb in classical Greek means "presence," transition. The combine.Hon of facts thus or "e.1Tive.l," is used in the New Testament woven together cannot be coarsely un~ specially for tile second advent of Christ to .ravelled. '.!.'he same words, the same ex- set up his eterna.l kingdom in full power pressions, are used to denote the arrive.I or e.nd glory (1100 in this cha.pter vers. 27, 37, ful1i.lment of distinct ocourrenoes. To limit 39; e.nd comp. 1 Cor. xv. 23; 1 These. iL these to one event only is to set bounds to 19; iiL 13, etc.). Referring to the ea.me the Omniscien I. So it seems to be not only event, we find in some plJl.ces the term most expedient, but most reverent, to look "epiphany" used (see 1 Tim. vL 14; 2 Tim. on our Lord's eeche.tolog:ice.l e.ddreas as one fr. I), aud in otllers "revelation "(,broK<U.v,/,LS, whole, of which the several parts a.re in full l Car. L 7; 2 These. L 7); but the three harmony and sequence (if we were only e.ble expressions denote simply the open estab- to understand them), .and to acknowledge lisllment of Messie.h's kingdom, indefinitely that insu pere.ble diffioulties in the iuterpre- as to time and manner. The phrase tre.ns- tation do exist and a.re meant to exist. The 1".ted "the end of tlie:world "mee.ne literally Lord l,ad to prepare his followers for the tl,,e conaummaUon of the age ( cf. eh. xiii. 39 ; overthrow of their city, e.nd the dangers to Ifob. iL 26); consummalicmu l!BlCuli (Vul- life e.ntl faith which would accompany that ge.te) ; i.e. the close of this present aion, in judgment. He desired e.lso to raise in thel!l contradistinction from the future aion, or the e. constant expectation of his advent, so ~hat world 1o come. Thie is "the le.st time," Cbrieiie.ns then and thenceforward might "tl,e last de.ye," spoken of elsewhere (see ever live in hope and watch for a greu.t future. I Pet. i. 5; 1 John ii. 18 ; and comp. Isa Herein will be found the key to the pcr- il. 2; Micali iv. 1). plexiti ea of the address ; not the.t even this OR, xxtv.1-61.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO BT. MA'!"l'HEW. i31