The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 434

the "here" and" there" of ver. 2S hltd not were referring primarily and chiefly to snfficientlv. denoted. He (Christ) ill in the J ernSAlem, it would be 0QBY to exph\in. dea2rt. If there WRB I\ partial fulfilment of "the carcase" to be the oorrupt oity, this ws.rning s.t the siege of J eruss.lem, when " the eagles " the ministers of God's ven- some impostors tried t.o pereultde the people geance, especially the Roman armiesbwhoee that Messiah WBB in the wilderness, pre- etnnda.rde bore the image of this ird of paring t.o ms.rch to their relief, it is to have prey. Or if it were s. mere general truth, its chief accomplishment just before the a.nd t.o be taken entirely in a spirilual eellee, final consumms.tiou. Go not forth. Be uot the gnome would imply that moral oor- deluded intc following any local deceiver. ruption calls for heavenly ohe.stieement. The definite place of appearance proves ite But neither of these interpretations would fs.lsity (see ver. 27). The seoret ohambers; satisfy the context, which speaks of Christ's in pemtraUbw (Yulgate). When Christ second advent. Heace many regard the comes the ~econd time, he will not oome as eenteuoe as altogether parallel to the pre- at Bethlehem, in 11ecret, in a corner. If any ceding verse, expressing in metaphor that pretender should be announced under snob which wa.e there set forth in more direot conditions, they were to put no belief iu terms, viz. tba.t all men shall assemble t.o him. These were simple tests which all the place where Christ shall summon them could apply. To limit the Lord's appearance to be j•tdged, a.e vultures oongregate round to p1uticular persons or to a particular a ce.rllalle, In this case the carcase ia place, was to incur fatal error. Christ, the eagles or vultures are the men Yer. 27.-Aa the lightning . . . ea.st . .. to be judged. This exposition has satisfied west. That is, shines from one end of heaven commentators of reputation, but it has it& to t.he other. St. Chrysostom•~ comment ex- weak pointe. One fails to see the propriety p la.ins the similitude: "How, then, shineth of describing men coming to the great the ligl. tning? It needs not one to talk of assize as vultures gathering t.o devour a it, it needs not a herald, bnt even to them dead body, or how in this case the body oan in chambers it shows itself in an instant of be Christ or the place of hie appea.ranoe. time throughout the whole world. So shall More probable is the interpretation which- that ooming be, showing itself at once regards the carcase ae anticbrietor the world- everywhere by reason of the shining forth power, and the ea.glee a& the saints and, of his glory." We are told, "every eye angels who shall attend Christ when he shall see him." His advent shall be sudden, comes in judgment (Rev. xix. 17, 18). universal, nnmistakable; in a moment he Others expound the clause entirely in e. shall be present, visible in all his power and myetioal sense. The carcase is Christ, or glory. From the language of this verse the body of Christ : the eagles are the probably bas been derived the orientation saints, or true Christians; these, whatever of churches, and the mode adopted of de- happens, will, with keen spiritual sight,. positing the bodies of deceased Cbristie.ne, always be able to discern Christ and his so that they may at the resurrection face body, and to ,flock thereto. He calls him- the Lord when he comes from the east. self .,.,-;;,JJ,a, because he eaves us by his death, Ver. 28.-For. The particle seems to be and feeds ne by hie body, in his Church, spurions, and is omitted by late editors. Word, and saoraments (see Wordsworth, in· Christ e.ppliee a proverbial saying in con- loc.). Such is the interpretation of many of firmation of the certainty and universality the Fathers, e.nd it has ma.ny analogies in, of hie appearance. He bad used the ea.me other plaoee of Scripture. Far be it from, under other oirCUilll!tancee (Luke xvii. UB to restrict the sphere of Divine prediction, 37) : and analogous expressions ara found or to assert that any legitimate reference- in Job xn:ix. 30 ; Hoe. viii 1 ; Ha.b. i. 8, which we may discover was not in the etc. Wheresoever the oe.roue (.,,,,.;;,JJ.a) ii, Lord's mind when he spe.ke the words. there will the ee.glea be gathered together. ,But it is more simple to regard the pro- Ee.glee ( <U'Tol) do not Ii ve on carrion, so verbial saying in itself, without looking for tbat here probably vnltures are meant. The abstruse or mystics.I meanings. As a carcase, Hebrew word neshflf", translated "eagle " fa.II where it wa.y, is immediately observed in our version, oft.en signifies" ihe vulture," by the vullurcs and attracts them, so as in Micah i. 16. This bird's keenness Christ's coming shall at once be discerned • of Bight is almost incredible; it will discern by all men and draw them into it. a prey at an enormone distance, and ite Ver. 29.-Immedie.tely (,i,6/,.,s 3i, but movements being watched by others, all immediately) after the tribulation of those eager to secure food, a carcase is very days. The particle must not be disregarded, quickly surrounded by a multitude of these as it implies a co.ution with respect to the rapacious birds, flocking from all quarters. pe.roueie.. The Lord proceeds t.o announce What our Lord meant by this proverb has some details of the fine.I advent. Taking occaaioned great disputation, If Christ the tribulation to be the single fe.ot of the en. xx1v. 1-51,] THE GOSPEL ACCOilDING TO ST. MATTHEW, 439 --------~------------------------ ruin of Jornse.lem, with ite accompanying Jad.,' vi. 5.3,4). Darkened ... notgivelight. horrors, some have explained the Lord's Thie is in e.coorde.nce with Hebrew para.1- word "immediately e.ftor" by the fore- leliem. The next cle.nee is constructed in shortening process of prophecy, which me.kes the so.me way. J'e.ll from heaven. The Lord the distant future seem close to the obtruding may be speaking of the e.ppe.rent effect of present, or by the considere.tion the.t in these con vnlaions of nature, in accordance God's view time does not exist: " One de.y with popular ideas, e.s we talk of the eun is with the Lord as a thousand yee.ra, e.nd e. rising and setting; or ha may thus term thousand yee.rs os one day " (2 Pet. iii. 8). the obscuration or extinction of the light of But the troth is, the tribnlation (ver. 21) the stars. The powera of the hee.ven■ mean only bege.n with the fe.ll of J ernae.lem; the.t probably the heavenly bodies independent we.a its first e.nd partie.1 fulfilment; e.nd, as of the solar system, called elsewhere " the St. Luke implies (xxi. 23, 24), it he.a been boat of heaven" (Dent. iv. 19, etc.); or the going on ever since, e.nd is not yet finished. phrase may signify (though the pe.re.lle\iam The ·punishment of the Jews is still pro- would not be so perfect) the forces and le.we ceeding, J eruee.lem is still trodden down which control these bodies. An interruption by the Gentiles, wre.th still lies upon the in the action of theae powers would occasion people, they e.re still dispersed over the the most e.wfnl catastrophes (see Hag. iii. world, e.nd he.ve been e.nd o.re more or Ieee 6, which makes e. similar announcement). persecuted in me.ny countries. This state We must notice the spiritual application of of things is to continue " till the times of this prediction, as it he.a obtained e. wide the Gentiles be fulfilled; " it is, then, acceptance. The words are sometimes taken "immediately after" this the.t the signs in e. bad sense. The sun is Sa.tan, or Lucifer, announced by the Lord shall be seen. He who fell as lightning from heaven (Lnke x_ is, as we so.id e.bove (see on ver. 4), pur- 18); "the powers of the heavens" a.re the posely indefinite, that the Church may learn hosts of the prince of the power of the air, to we.it and watch for the return of the " the spiritual wickednesaes in high places;" Saviour and Judge. This state of expecta.- the stare are all that exalt themselves, who tation is to be its norme.1 condition. It had shall be consumed and vanish e.t the bright- its effect on the primitive Chnrch before ,he ness of the cross. But more generally the Jewish catastrophe. St. Peter (Acts iii. luminaries are explained in e. good sense. 19-21) tells of the times of refreshing, when The sun is Christ or hie truth, which she.II Jesus shall come, a.a possibly close e.t hand ; be obscured in the Inst days; the moon is St. Paul more than once speaks in the ea.me the Church, darkened by heresy and un- strain (1 Cor. i. 7 ; Phil. L 6, eto. ), though belief, and borrowing no light from its sun; he we.rna hie converts not to omit ordinary the ate.re are they who once were foremost duties in immediate expectation of the end in the fe.ith, but now shall fall from their (2 These. ii. 2); St. James (v. 9) tolls of the stee.dfe.stnesa, or be une.ble to diffuse light, Judge standing before the door. And since owing to the gross darkness and mistiness then often ha.a this belief cropped up e.t of those evil de.ye. various stages of the world's history, showing Ver. 30.-And then ; i.e. after &he great that Christ's we.ming he.s sllllk deep into physical changes mentioned in the last Christian hearts, and· produced the temper verse. The sign of the Son of man. This of mind which he purposed to raise. She.11 ho.a been differently interpreted (1) as the the sun be darkened, etc. There is no valid a.ppee.re.noe of Chr~at himself in ~e clonth reason why the physical phenomena men- of hee.ven (oh. xxvi. 6-l:; Dan. vu. 13, 14), tioned in this ...erse are not to be taken when the glory e.nd majesty of his e.dvent literally, even if we see also in them e. will prove that he is Saviour and Judge. spiritual significe.nce. U is cnly ree.aone.ble But this explanation seems to confuse the to expect that the end of this world should sign and that which it represents, the token be e.ccompe.nied by stupendous changes in of Messiah and Messiah himself who cometh the roe.Im of ne.tnre. The sun we.a miracu- e.fterwe.rd. And the definite article, "the lously darkened when Jesns hung on the sign," seems to imply something already cross. Who.t wonder if similar oe.tastrophea well known to denote him, whereas his signal hie coming to judgment? The appearance could not be known beforehand. e.postle's words point to e. literal fulfilment (2) A ste.r, which shall hera.ld his second (2 Pet. iii. 10, 12). Our Lord's prediotion coming, as e. star announced his birth. This, echoes announcements often found in the which is Olehansen'a suggestion, is entirely Old Testament, which are not always to be arbitrary, and he.a nothing to support it., considered metaphorical (see Isa. xiii. 10 ; ospecially e.s the meaning of the star would Ezek. xxxii. 7; Joel ii. 80, 81 ; iii. 15, 16; not be directly intelligible to e.11 mon. (3) Amoe viii. 9). Anticipations of some of Meyer ond De Wette suppose e. bright light, these terrible latter-day signs ooourred at or e. kind of Shochinah. This, which doubt- Jeruee.lem, according ,to Josephus (' Bell. less will be manifested, was indeed a tokou  HO 'l'HE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [on. XXIV, 1-51.