The National tribune., 1896-05-21
SUBJECT: THE Duty TO BE READY FOR THE
COMING OF CHRIST

| 81. mathew arc ECpDEiS VI OuS VI tuO 'hiSS
| longest sermons or disconrses OF our savior.
! The other two are the Sermon on the Mount
| and the Address to the Twelve on the Thurs
day evening before his cruc,fxion. His re-
marks on Last Things have been cause of much
discussion, resulting in dearth of definite re-
suit. We find ourselves n polemc field.
Whichever way we decide on mooted questions
| suggested we shall fnd many eminent scholars
arrayed against u. We shall r~t, however on
this account, refuse to study. but the rather to
| try to reach certain useful conclusions.
| We would make great mistake IL we con
! fine ourselves to any one Of the three accounts
| given of our Saviors discourse. We should
| study all three-St. Matt, "a 80 30; ST. Marx,
ID: 81 81 St. Luke, 81 1888.
Time.
Christ uttered the paragraph which we study
on March 16, A. ID. 80. 1t was Oh Wednesday,
| two days before the crucifxion. That was the
week Of the Passover. 1t was 1867 years ago.
Where
The Discourse part Of which is our lesson,
was spoken on the west side OF the Mount of
| Olives probably not far from its summit (See
St. Matt, 24:3 That was grand elevation.
| The hight allowed sight down into the very
streets of the city of jerusalem. The mountain
| extends all aiOnH tue cast ssUC vi
mountain and city being separated by the VAL
| ley OF Jehosaphat, through which runs the
| brook kedron.
Speaker and Hearers
Our Savior delivered the discourse. He was
| the Teacher OF the Disciples. They asked him ::
| when shall these things be? and what shall
| be the sign of thy coming and the end OF the
! world?" These things" tSt. Matt. "a: 81 re-
| lated specially to the ruin of the temple. Com
| pare verse 3 with %: 3d. Christ was logical,
! and in reply kept himself close to the gues-
| tions asked. He had been speaking particu-
| larly of the destruction of the temple involved
| in the ruin OF the city of Jerusalem. There
was no ambiguity about the fact of the over
| throw. What was lacking in Christs language
was any intimstion as to the date of the rum.
! What the Disciples were concerned about was
| the time Of the destruction.
Time Corcred by the Lesson.
Immediately after" ST. Mt "a 90 We
may understand the time just succeeding the
destruction of heeity of Jerusalem. Doubtless
| there were great natural phenomena. Then, by
| sun, moon and stars We often mean the leading
| eminent men of Nation. In the siege and
| destruction of Jerusalem the prominent Jew
| ish rulers were stain, or disposed of by some
| summary aud cruel way.
Then" st. Niitt5 81 30. The Greek word
| for "then" indicates succession of events. Just
after the incidents mentioned in V. %, then,
or next shall appear the signs of V. 80. When
| will such next or successive events become
apparently There is great diversity of opinion.
| Some hold we are 10 understand the entire
| paragraph to relate to the destruction of Jeru-
salem exclusively Others think we must have
| In mind said destruction mainly, but with fore
| shadowings of the ruin of earth at the last day
of human history. xsiikeTs see in the language
| reference only to tA0M01d of time, the close Of
| human events the immediate preliminaries Of
| the Judgment Day. We must recall the fact
that Christ is answering the questions OF ST.
| Matt, "a 3" When shall these things be?
and what shall he the sigu Of thy coming, and
! of the end of the world?" The direct ques-
| ton relates to the destruction OF the Temple
| involved in the ruin of Jerusalem Many
! scholars believe that all Of Chapters 81 and %
/ OF ST. Matthew refer to that question. Others
! think that there is point where Christ terfni-
mates his answer to that particular inquiry,
aud gives full limitations as TO the end OF this
material world. The subject of the disaster
| awaiting the Jews ia the downfall OF their
Capital, Temple and religious system might
| suggest the close of earthly things. In their
| ignorance the Disciples might infer the de-
! siruction Of the Hebrew nationality and Church
would itself be feature in the ruin OF all
earthly things.
The expression, "the end of the world" st
/
| mutation Of mundane things. The word for
world" means in Greek, age or dispcnsati0n.
| We may understand thus: when shall the
| Jewish system Of religion be brought to a
close?" That practically took place synchro-
nnusy with tho overthrow OF Jerusalem aud
the downfall of the Temple.
The theory that Christ spoke all through
with a double meaning, uttering words appli-
cable to the destruction of Jerusalem and also
| to the Judgment Day. makes tumble of both
| chapters 81 aud % of st. Matthew. We would
| have confusion throughout. Even If the Dis
| cples. in excitement and ignorance of the ex-
act force Of their questions as ed. all in single
! breath. questions of great diversity of meaning,
yet Christ IN answering would analyZe the
| inquiries aud give logical replies.
The following hold to the view that the
paragraph relates wholly or at least primarily
| 10 the ruin Of the Jewish civil and religious
systems: Whitby, Newton, A. Clark, Watson,
Coke, Benson, Barnes Mcknight, Warbnrton
Burkitt Lightfout. Prof. Stuart, Bp Pearce,
| Dr. Tower. Bloomfield, Nesbitt. Grotius, Lowih.
Sykes, the Taylors, DIR. James Strong, Michaelis
| Scott, Prof. Robinson, and Samuel Lee.
The explanation will depend on which view
we adopt as TO time. Accepting the theory that
| the statements of tho lessons refer to the end
Of the jewish dispensation, we date the events
| in the year 20 A. d., about 40 years after
| Christ pr0phecied their occurrence, and not far
! from seven years aIter DTS. MdttnCh,
! Luke received the prophecy.
| 1t is plain that Christ did not propose to give
| to the Disciples very definite reply as TO ex-
| actness of time. ST. Matt, "a: "a. compare
| IL :2S,) makes d statement which might be q
! cew: This generation shall not pass away till
| all these things be fulfilled" Some define
generation +" to he race, aud teach the
| tuuance of the Hebrew race till the Judgment
Day. IL would DO more, natural to understand
the word much in, our sense of it; to wit, as in
dicating the time regnlf for as many to die
alive at any given time. We put the
time now at aboiit 90 years. Herodtns said
| that there three generations in a century
In Seder Diam, the Hebrews reckoned a genera
| ton at 20 years Aud Moses in Ps., 90: TO-
| gives il as lhree-score and 10 years. See st.
| Matt, %: 81 &c. The words Shall not pass I"
in st. Matt, "a: 81. imply that the greater part
shall pass off from life, but all will not. 1t is a
| fact that many who were alive when Christ
| spoke lived to see Jerusalem sack ed. and the
| Temple RACED TO the ground. st. John the
| Evangelist did not die till nearly 80 years after
the ruin of the Capital of Palestine. Rabbis
Simeon, Jochamah ben Zaccai, Zadoch, Ish-
maei outlived the interval between the
prophecy and its filfillment Josephus tells US
many of the signs which accompanied and i'm
mediately succeeded the overthrow OF Jerusa.
lem, and they tally wonderfully with those
announced beforehand by our Savior.
| The descriptions which we have OF the Judg-
ment Day-e. O., . Tb.. A: 10. l6; Cor, 10: %
arc SO similar to those employed by our