Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-05-03
THE COMMAND TIC WATCH.
LESSON v, SECOND QUARTER, IN
TERNATlONAL SERIES, MAY s.


Text of the Lesson. Mark Kilt, 24-37-Cow-
nit Verses 35-37-Golden Text, Mark
xiii, 33-Commentary by the Rey. ID. NJ.
Stearns.
Compiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly by per
mission of IL S. Hoffman, publisher, Phiadel
phia
This is a continuation of the sermon, the
beginning of which we had in last weeks les
SON. the Saviour is sitting upon the Mount
of Olives over against the temple, the dis
ciples are with Him, Jerusalem is before
them and little beneath them if they are on
the top of Olivet, and as He answers the
questions of the four ". iii, He sees in pro-
phetic vision all the future Of the nation of
Israel and their Holy City, and with special
reference to them He is speaking.
"a "In those days, after that tribulation.'
In vs. 10 He had spoken of it as an afiliction
or tribulation such as never had been before
nor ever will be again. Because of the very
great sufferings of the people, as recorded in
history at the time Jerusalem fell A. ID. 10,
there are many who think that that was the
great tribulation here referred to; but
scripture is a better expositor of scripture
than any history possibly can be- and however
great were the Affections of the people at that
time, our lesson today in the light OF prophecy
makes it very clear that the tribulation here
spoken of is yet future and will come in the
last week Of Daniels prophecy, the last seven
years of Israel's history ere the kingdom is
restored to her.
25. 1.-THE stars Of heaven shall fall, and the
powers that are in heaven shall be shaken"
This in addition to the darkening of the sun
| ~ IL,
In Luke xxi, 25, 26, the Spirit says there shall
be signs in the sun and in the moon, and upon
the earth distress of nations with perplexity.
Similar language is found in reference to
these very times in lisa xiii 9-13; xxxiv, Is;
Joel ii, so; iii, 2; and in each place it is in
connection with the punishment of the world
for iniquity, vengeance upon the enemies Of
! Gods people, and the redemption of Israel.
26 And then shall they see the Son of Man
coming in the clouds, with great power and
! glory" AS His subject is Israel and the Holy
City, this is His return in power and glory to
the Mount of Olives for the judgment of the
nations and the deliverance and conversion
of Israel as nation, that they may become
missionaries to the whole earth, bringing in
the millennial kingdom.
p. And then shall He send His angels,
and shall gather together His elect from the
four winds" a large ray of light falls upon
this from the words of Isa xi, IL, And He
shall set up an ensign for the nations and
shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and
gather together the dispersed of Judah from
the four corners of the earth"
2S. Now learn parable of the fig tree. -
Nature itself has many things to say to us if
we only had ears to ear, or time to stop and
listen; and our Saviour was always finding
trees, the birds, the flowers, the seasons, the
weather, the children, the farmers all had for
Him some likeness to spiritual things But
the fig tree, like the vine, was special sym
Dol Of Isreel, so used by the prophets Qsa V,
Z; Joel i, q; and the fig treo to which He
came expecting fruit, because it made great
professions, and which withered away at His
word CHAP. Xi, l2-2n, was a symbol of what
Israel then was and was about to be-
30. Verify say unto you, that this gen
GRAFTON shall not pass, till all these things be
done" While it is true that many who were
then living must have been living at the de
struction of Jerusalem, there is nothing in
this verse to limit it to that event YOU
dictionary will tell you that generation
signifies race or family, and no one need b;
told that the unbeleving Jewish race still
continues, among all nations and yet sep
arate, distinct, the miracle of the ages, await
ing the fulfllment of all these things.
81. Heaven and earth shall pass away
but My words shall not pass away" Some
thing similar is found in lsa. xl, s, in connec
ton with the restoration of Israel and thu
coming of the Lord, The grass wthereth
the flower fadeth, but the word of our Goo
shall stand forever" and the same is quoteC
in Pet. i, 25
DE- al, L.
man; no. not the angels which are in heaven
neither the Son, but the Father" There i
no authority in the Scriptures whereby w
may say that He will come in such a yea
or month or day; we only know that though
He tarry He will surely come, and we ma,
know when He is near. That the Son Should
not know seems strange indeed, but as Mari
is the only one who mentions this, and h
writes of Jesus specially as the servant o
God, that ma" give some light upon it. 1t /
somewhat on the line of His doing and speal;
ing only what the Father told Him, and ye
that is found in Johns gospel John xii A.
xiv l0)
10. Take ye heed, watch and pray; for Y
Know not when the time is" Luke says tina
we are to take heed lest we be filled with tn
pleasures Or cares of this life but that W
are to watch and pray always, SO as to es
cape the great trlbulatiou luke xxi 3L:6
The one thing to take heed to is the Word o
Cod, which is food for oul souls, girdle 70
our loins, a sword with which to defeat on
enemy and light upon our path The on
person to take heed to is Jesus only"
81. TO every man his work" The ''fa
journey" of this verse reminds us of the ia
country" Of Matt XIV, IA; Luke xix, Il, an
the parallels of the talents and pounds i
those chapters. 1t is all one story the king
dom is postponed because the king was re
jected He has gone back to heaven unit
this time Of restoration of the kingdom t
Israel, and meantime He is gathering out c
ell nations a company of tried and faithfr
followers, to whom lie gives work to do an
talents according to their several ability
commanding them to be faithful and to o,
cupy or do business (IIis business till Ii
comes 1t is a glance at this present dispensi
ton in which we now live.
81 Watch ye therefore, for ye know nc
when the Master of the House cometh
Matthew speaks of the days of Noah and tel
us that as it was then SO will it be at the con
ing Of the Son OF Man; indifference to etern;
things and peoples minds wholly taken u