The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 458

Prophet Jonah" was Jonah, so the" sign of the Son of man" is the Son of man. In the cloud, viz. of the Shechinah, Jesus went into heaven, and in the same cloud will he return (see Acts i. 9-11). (4) Sooner or later, a.II sinners will "mourn." Those who have not mourned in contrition will "wail" in despair (cf. ver. 30; Rev. i. 7). The cloud of the Presence was a pillar-support, viz. in union, of vapour and fire. As judgment came from that Presence in the water which destroyed the old world, so from the fire of the cloud will come forth those flames which will consume in the judgment to come.-J. A. M. Vera. 32-42.-The event and the time. Having unfolded to the disciples the manner and circumstances of the two great events respecting which they had inquired, our Lord now proceeds to speak more particularly of their certainty and of the time of their occurrence. I. THE EVENT OF THE JUDGMENT IS CERTAIN. 1. This is asserted under a ,imile. (Vera. 32-35.) (1) The fig tree was a symbol of the Jewish nation (cf. Joel i. 7; eh. xxii. 19). To the litera.l Israel these things were primarily spoken. They have rele- vance also to the spiritua.l Israel, viz. in a future fulfilment. The outside world give no heed to sacred signs. "None of the wicked shall understand" (see Dan. xii. 10). (2) The teaching is that as the budding of the fig tree, then probably visible before them (cf. eh. xxi. 19; Luke xxi. 29), was a sure presage of summer, so must the signs indicated in the preceding discourse be taken to pledge the near approach of the sequel, glorious to the righteous, disastrous to the wicked (cf. eh. xvi. 3; Luke xxi. 31; Rev. i. 1). (3) "The summer is nigh." When the trees of righteousness put forth the leaf of faithful promise, it is a happy presage of good times. But that which to the good is an enlivening light is to the wicked a scorching and consuming fire. 2. The assertion is repeated in the comment. (1) The generation that witnesses the signs will a.lso witness the sequel. This was literally so in regard to the destruction of Jerusalem (cf. eh. xvi. 28; xxiii. 36). There is a distinction between "these things," which refer to the events of the destruction of Jerusalem, and" that day" (ver. 36), which indicates the season of the fina.l judgment. Yet was the judgment upon Jerusalem a type of the judgment of the last day. (2) The "generation" destined to see the end of "all things" in the wider sense, is the Jewish race (see A. Clarke, Steir, and Alford). Therefore the preservation of that race amidst untoward circumstances pledges the certainty of the sequel. (3) It is easier for the heavens and the earth to pass away than for the word of Christ to fail (see Luke xvi. 17). The creation had a beginning, so may have an end; but Christ's truth is from eternity, and cannot but abide. 'fhe failure of the truth of God would be, in othe(words, the failure of his existence, which is a supposition snperlatively absurd. II. TnE TIME OF THAT EVENT 18 NOT WHOLLY UNCERTAIN. 1. It is particularly known to God alone. (1) To him it is known. It is therefore distinguished as " the day of the Lord." Christ, as God, therefore, knew it. "It is necessary to distinguish between the knowledge of Christ as a Divine Person and that which he possesses as tbe Prophet of his Ohurch. .A.s Divine he knows all things; but as a Prophet he receives his messages from the Father, and makes them known to us. In this sense he knew not the day of judgment; that is, it was no part of the revelation which God gave to him to make known to men" (A, Fuller). "To know" has the idiomatic sense of" make known" (cf. 1 Cor. ii 2; Aots i. 6, 7; 1 Tim. vi. 15), (2) As it was not given to the Bon to make it known, so neither was it given to the angels. They have great capacities for knowledge, and, dwelling at the fountain of light, have also great oppor- tUDities; but their prescience is limited, or at least it is not given to them to make it known. (3) The day on which Titus was to invest Jerusalem was not known to the disciples when our Lord advised them to pray that their flight might not be on the ,abbath. The hO'll,r or season was not known to them when he advised them to pray that it might not be in winter (ver, 20). So are we without knowledge of the day and season of the great event of which the judgment upon the Jews was but a figure. Wisdom withholds particular revelations of the future to encourage prayer. 2. Yet is ii generaUy made known to the wise. (1) Many ancient prophecies contain approximate antioipations of the time. Light upon this subject was progressively increl\Siog. Daniel gave intimation of the destruction of Jerusalem to the year in his period of four  4.64 'fHE GOSPEL AOOORDJNG TO ST. MATTHEW, [oH. Div, 1-51.