9 `And take ye heed to yourselves, for they shall deliver you up to sanhedrims, and to synagogues, ye shall be beaten, and before governors and kings ye shall be set for my sake, for a testimony to them;
And, take ye heed of men, for they will give you up to sanhedrims, and in their synagogues they will scourge you, and before governors and kings ye shall be brought for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the nations.
out of the synagogues they will put you; but an hour doth come, that every one who hath killed you, may think to offer service unto God;
and they seeking to kill him, a rumour came to the chief captain of the band that all Jerusalem hath been thrown into confusion, who, at once, having taken soldiers and centurions, ran down upon them, and they having seen the chief captain and the soldiers, did leave off beating Paul. Then the chief captain, having come nigh, took him, and commanded `him' to be bound with two chains, and was inquiring who he may be, and what it is he hath been doing, and some were crying out one thing, and some another, among the multitude, and not being able to know the certainty because of the tumult, he commanded him to be carried to the castle, and when he came upon the steps, it happened he was borne by the soldiers, because of the violence of the multitude, for the crowd of the people was following after, crying, `Away with him.' And Paul being about to be led into the castle, saith to the chief captain, `Is it permitted to me to say anything unto thee?' and he said, `Greek dost thou know? art not thou, then, the Egyptian who before these days made an uprising, and did lead into the desert the four thousand men of the assassins?' And Paul said, `I, indeed, am a man, a Jew, of Tarsus of Cilicia, of no mean city a citizen; and I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people.' And he having given him leave, Paul having stood upon the stairs, did beckon with the hand to the people, and there having been a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew dialect, saying:
and he having come unto us, and having taken up the girdle of Paul, having bound also his own hands and feet, said, `Thus saith the Holy Spirit, The man whose is this girdle -- so shall the Jews in Jerusalem bind, and they shall deliver `him' up to the hands of nations.'
and I said, Lord, they -- they know that I was imprisoning and was scourging in every synagogue those believing on thee; and when the blood of thy witness Stephen was being poured forth, I also was standing by and assenting to his death, and keeping the garments of those putting him to death;
And Paul having earnestly beheld the sanhedrim, said, `Men, brethren, I in all good conscience have lived to God unto this day;' and the chief priest Ananias commanded those standing by him to smite him on the mouth,
And after five days came down the chief priest Ananias, with the elders, and a certain orator -- Tertullus, and they made manifest to the governor `the things' against Paul; and he having been called, Tertullus began to accuse `him', saying, `Much peace enjoying through thee, and worthy deeds being done to this nation through thy forethought, always, also, and everywhere we receive it, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness; and that I may not be further tedious to thee, I pray thee to hear us concisely in thy gentleness; for having found this man a pestilence, and moving a dissension to all the Jews through the world -- a ringleader also of the sect of the Nazarenes -- who also the temple did try to profane, whom also we took, and according to our law did wish to judge, and Lysias the chief captain having come near, with much violence, out of our hands did take away, having commanded his accusers to come to thee, from whom thou mayest be able, thyself having examined, to know concerning all these things of which we accuse him;' and the Jews also agreed, professing these things to be so.
Festus, therefore, having come into the province, after three days went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea, and the chief priest and the principal men of the Jews made manifest to him `the things' against Paul, and were calling on him, asking favour against him, that he may send for him to Jerusalem, making an ambush to put him to death in the way. Then, indeed, Festus answered that Paul is kept in Caesarea, and himself is about speedily to go on thither, `Therefore those able among you -- saith he -- having come down together, if there be anything in this man -- let them accuse him;' and having tarried among them more than ten days, having gone down to Caesarea, on the morrow having sat upon the tribunal, he commanded Paul to be brought; and he having come, there stood round about the Jews who have come down from Jerusalem -- many and weighty charges they are bringing against Paul, which they were not able to prove, he making defence -- `Neither in regard to the law of the Jews, nor in regard to the temple, nor in regard to Caesar -- did I commit any sin.' And Festus willing to lay on the Jews a favour, answering Paul, said, `Art thou willing, to Jerusalem having gone up, there concerning these things to be judged before me?' and Paul said, `At the tribunal of Caesar I am standing, where it behoveth me to be judged; to Jews I did no unrighteousness, as thou dost also very well know; for if indeed I am unrighteous, and anything worthy of death have done, I deprecate not to die; and if there is none of the things of which these accuse me, no one is able to make a favour of me to them; to Caesar I appeal!' then Festus, having communed with the council, answered, `To Caesar thou hast appealed; to Caesar thou shalt go.' And certain days having passed, Agrippa the king, and Bernice, came down to Caesarea saluting Festus, and as they were continuing there more days, Festus submitted to the king the things concerning Paul, saying, `There is a certain man, left by Felix, a prisoner, about whom, in my being at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews laid information, asking a decision against him, unto whom I answered, that it is not a custom of Romans to make a favour of any man to die, before that he who is accused may have the accusers face to face, and may receive place of defence in regard to the charge laid against `him'. `They, therefore, having come together -- I, making no delay, on the succeeding `day' having sat upon the tribunal, did command the man to be brought, concerning whom the accusers, having stood up, were bringing against `him' no accusation of the things I was thinking of, but certain questions concerning their own religion they had against him, and concerning a certain Jesus who was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive; and I, doubting in regard to the question concerning this, said, If he would wish to go on to Jerusalem, and there to be judged concerning these things -- but Paul having appealed to be kept to the hearing of Sebastus, I did command him to be kept till I might send him unto Caesar.' And Agrippa said unto Festus, `I was wishing also myself to hear the man;' and he said, `To-morrow thou shalt hear him;' on the morrow, therefore -- on the coming of Agrippa and Bernice with much display, and they having entered into the audience chamber, with the chief captains also, and the principal men of the city, and Festus having ordered -- Paul was brought forth. And Festus said, `King Agrippa, and all men who are present with us, ye see this one, about whom all the multitude of the Jews did deal with me, both in Jerusalem and here, crying out, He ought not to live any longer; and I, having found him to have done nothing worthy of death, and he also himself having appealed to Sebastus, I decided to send him, concerning whom I have no certain thing to write to `my' lord, wherefore I brought him forth before you, and specially before thee, king Agrippa, that the examination having been made, I may have something to write;
for I think that God did set forth us the apostles last -- as appointed to death, because a spectacle we became to the world, and messengers, and men; we `are' fools because of Christ, and ye wise in Christ; we `are' ailing, and ye strong; ye glorious, and we dishonoured; unto the present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and wander about, and labour, working with `our' own hands; being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer; being spoken evil of, we entreat; as filth of the world we did become -- of all things an offscouring -- till now.
ministrants of Christ are they? -- as beside myself I speak -- I more; in labours more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths many times; from Jews five times forty `stripes' save one I did receive; thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice was I shipwrecked, a night and a day in the deep I have passed; journeyings many times, perils of rivers, perils of robbers, perils from kindred, perils from nations, perils in city, perils in wilderness, perils in sea, perils among false brethren; in laboriousness and painfulness, in watchings many times, in hunger and thirst, in fastings many times, in cold and nakedness;
a token of the righteous judgment of God, for your being counted worthy of the reign of God, for which also ye suffer,
I, John, who also `am' your brother, and fellow-partner in the tribulation, and in the reign and endurance, of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, because of the word of God, and because of the testimony of Jesus Christ;
I have known thy works, and where thou dost dwell -- where the throne of the Adversary `is' -- and thou dost hold fast my name, and thou didst not deny my faith, even in the days in which Antipas `was' my faithful witness, who was put to death beside you, where the Adversary doth dwell.
And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony that they held, and they were crying with a great voice, saying, `Till when, O Master, the Holy and the True, dost Thou not judge and take vengeance of our blood from those dwelling upon the land?' and there was given to each one white robes, and it was said to them that they may rest themselves yet a little time, till may be fulfilled also their fellow-servants and their brethren, who are about to be killed -- even as they.
`Because of this, lo, I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes, and of them ye will kill and crucify, and of them ye will scourge in your synagogues, and will pursue from city to city; that on you may come all the righteous blood being poured out on the earth from the blood of Abel the righteous, unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the sanctuary and the altar: verily I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation. `Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that art killing the prophets, and stoning those sent unto thee, how often did I will to gather thy children together, as a hen doth gather her own chickens under the wings, and ye did not will.
and having brought them to the magistrates, they said, `These men do exceedingly trouble our city, being Jews; and they proclaim customs that are not lawful for us to receive nor to do, being Romans.' And the multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates having torn their garments from them, were commanding to beat `them' with rods, many blows also having laid upon them, they cast them to prison, having given charge to the jailor to keep them safely, who such a charge having received, did put them to the inner prison, and their feet made fast in the stocks.
And about that time, Herod the king put forth his hands, to do evil to certain of those of the assembly, and he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword, and having seen that it is pleasing to the Jews, he added to lay hold of Peter also -- and they were the days of the unleavened food --
And Ananias answered, `Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how many evils he did to Thy saints in Jerusalem, and here he hath authority from the chief priests, to bind all those calling on Thy name.'
And Saul, yet breathing of threatening and slaughter to the disciples of the Lord, having gone to the chief priest, did ask from him letters to Damascus, unto the synagogues, that if he may find any being of the way, both men and women, he may bring them bound to Jerusalem.
then they suborned men, saying -- `We have heard him speaking evil sayings in regard to Moses and God.' They did stir up also the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and having come upon `him', they caught him, and brought `him' to the sanhedrim; they set up also false witnesses, saying, `This one doth not cease to speak evil sayings against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him saying, That this Jesus the Nazarean shall overthrow this place, and shall change the customs that Moses delivered to us;' and gazing at him, all those sitting in the sanhedrim saw his face as it were the face of a messenger.
And having risen, the chief priest, and all those with him -- being the sect of the Sadducees -- were filled with zeal, and laid their hands upon the apostles, and did put them in a public prison; and a messenger of the Lord through the night opened the doors of the prison, having also brought them forth, he said, `Go on, and standing, speak in the temple to the people all the sayings of this life;' and having heard, they did enter at the dawn into the temple, and were teaching. And the chief priest having come, and those with him, they called together the sanhedrim and all the senate of the sons of Israel, and they sent to the prison to have them brought, and the officers having come, did not find them in the prison, and having turned back, they told, saying -- `The prison indeed we found shut in all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors, and having opened -- within we found no one.' And as the priest, and the magistrate of the temple, and the chief priests, heard these words, they were doubting concerning them to what this would come; and coming near, a certain one told them, saying -- `Lo, the men whom ye did put in the prison are in the temple standing and teaching the people;' then the magistrate having gone away with officers, brought them without violence, for they were fearing the people, lest they should be stoned; and having brought them, they set `them' in the sanhedrim, and the chief priest questioned them, saying, `Did not we strictly command you not to teach in this name? and lo, ye have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and ye intend to bring upon us the blood of this man.' And Peter and the apostles answering, said, `To obey God it behoveth, rather than men; and the God of our fathers did raise up Jesus, whom ye slew, having hanged upon a tree; this one God, a Prince and a Saviour, hath exalted with His right hand, to give reformation to Israel, and forgiveness of sins; and we are His witnesses of these sayings, and the Holy Spirit also, whom God gave to those obeying him.' And they having heard, were cut `to the heart', and were taking counsel to slay them, but a certain one, having risen up in the sanhedrim -- a Pharisee, by name Gamaliel, a teacher of law honoured by all the people -- commanded to put the apostles forth a little, and said unto them, `Men, Israelites, take heed to yourselves about these men, what ye are about to do, for before these days rose up Theudas, saying, that himself was some one, to whom a number of men did join themselves, as it were four hundred, who was slain, and all, as many as were obeying him, were scattered, and came to nought. `After this one rose up, Judas the Galilean, in the days of the enrollment, and drew away much people after him, and that one perished, and all, as many as were obeying him, were scattered; and now I say to you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone, because if this counsel or this work may be of men, it will be overthrown, and if it be of God, ye are not able to overthrow it, lest perhaps also ye be found fighting against God.' And to him they agreed, and having called near the apostles, having beaten `them', they commanded `them' not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go;
And as they are speaking unto the people, there came to them the priests, and the magistrate of the temple, and the Sadducees -- being grieved because of their teaching the people, and preaching in Jesus the rising again out of the dead -- and they laid hands upon them, and did put them in custody unto the morrow, for it was evening already; and many of those hearing the word did believe, and the number of the men became, as it were, five thousand. And it came to pass upon the morrow, there were gathered together of them the rulers, and elders, and scribes, to Jerusalem, and Annas the chief priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the chief priest, and having set them in the midst, they were inquiring, `In what power, or in what name did ye do this?' Then Peter, having been filled with the Holy Spirit, said unto them: `Rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, if we to-day are examined concerning the good deed to the ailing man, by whom he hath been saved, be it known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye did crucify, whom God did raise out of the dead, in him hath this one stood by before you whole. `This is the stone that was set at nought by you -- the builders, that became head of a corner; and there is not salvation in any other, for there is no other name under the heaven that hath been given among men, in which it behoveth us to be saved.' And beholding the openness of Peter and John, and having perceived that they are men unlettered and plebeian, they were wondering -- they were taking knowledge also of them that with Jesus they had been -- and seeing the man standing with them who hath been healed, they had nothing to say against `it', and having commanded them to go away out of the sanhedrim, they took counsel with one another, saying, `What shall we do to these men? because that, indeed, a notable sign hath been done through them, to all those dwelling in Jerusalem `is' manifest, and we are not able to deny `it'; but that it may spread no further toward the people, let us strictly threaten them no more to speak in this name to any man.' And having called them, they charged them not to speak at all, nor to teach, in the name of Jesus, and Peter and John answering unto them said, `Whether it is righteous before God to hearken to you rather than to God, judge ye; for we cannot but speak what we did see and hear.' And they having further threatened `them', let them go, finding nothing how they may punish them, because of the people, because all were glorifying God for that which hath been done,
`And ye shall be delivered up also by parents, and brothers, and kindred, and friends, and they shall put of you to death; and ye shall be hated by all because of my name -- and a hair out of your head shall not perish;
and as many as may not receive you, going forth from that city, even the dust from your feet shake off, for a testimony against them.'
and saith to him, `See thou mayest say nothing to any one, but go away, thyself shew to the priest, and bring near for thy cleansing the things Moses directed, for a testimony to them.'
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Mark 13
Commentary on Mark 13 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 13
Mr 13:1-37. Christ's Prophecy of the Destruction of Jerusalem, and Warnings Suggested by It to Prepare for His Second Coming. ( = Mt 24:1-51; Lu 21:5-36).
Jesus had uttered all His mind against the Jewish ecclesiastics, exposing their character with withering plainness, and denouncing, in language of awful severity, the judgments of God against them for that unfaithfulness to their trust which was bringing ruin upon the nation. He had closed this His last public discourse (Mt 23:1-39) by a passionate lamentation over Jerusalem, and a solemn farewell to the temple. "And," says Matthew (Mt 24:1), "Jesus went out and departed from the temple"—never more to re-enter its precincts, or open His mouth in public teaching. With this act ended His public ministry. As He withdrew, says Olshausen, the gracious presence of God left the sanctuary; and the temple, with all its service, and the whole theocratic constitution, was given over to destruction. What immediately followed is, as usual, most minutely and graphically described by our Evangelist.
1. And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him—The other Evangelists are less definite. "As some spake," says Luke (Lu 21:5); "His disciples came to Him," says Matthew (Mt 24:2). Doubtless it was the speech of one, the mouthpiece, likely, of others.
Master—Teacher.
see what manner of stones and what buildings are here—wondering probably, how so massive a pile could be overthrown, as seemed implied in our Lord's last words regarding it. Josephus, who gives a minute account of the wonderful structure, speaks of stones forty cubits long [Wars of the Jews, 5.5.1.] and says the pillars supporting the porches were twenty-five cubits high, all of one stone, and that of the whitest marble [Wars of the Jews, 5.5.2]. Six days' battering at the walls, during the siege, made no impression upon them [Wars of the Jews, 6.4.1]. Some of the under-building, yet remaining, and other works, are probably as old as the first temple.
2. And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings?—"Ye call My attention to these things? I have seen them. Ye point to their massive and durable appearance: now listen to their fate."
there shall not be left—"left here" (Mt 24:2).
one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down—Titus ordered the whole city and temple to be demolished [Josephus, Wars of the Jews, 7.1.1]; Eleazar wished they had all died before seeing that holy city destroyed by enemies' hands, and before the temple was so profanely dug up [Wars of the Jews, 7.8.7].
3. And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, over against the temple—On their way from Jerusalem to Bethany they would cross Mount Olivet; on its summit He seats Himself, over against the temple, having the city all spread out under His eye. How graphically is this set before us by our Evangelist!
Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately—The other Evangelists tell us merely that "the disciples" did so. But Mark not only says that it was four of them, but names them; and they were the first quarternion of the Twelve.
4. Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?—"and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?" They no doubt looked upon the date of all these things as one and the same, and their notions of the things themselves were as confused as of the times of them. Our Lord takes His own way of meeting their questions.
Prophecies of the Destruction of Jerusalem (Mr 13:5-31).
5. And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:
6. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ—(see Mt 24:5)—"and the time draweth nigh" (Lu 21:8); that is, the time of the kingdom in its full splendor.
and shall deceive many—"Go ye not therefore after them" (Lu 21:8). The reference here seems not to be to pretended Messiahs, deceiving those who rejected the claims of Jesus, of whom indeed there were plenty—for our Lord is addressing His own genuine disciples—but to persons pretending to be Jesus Himself, returned in glory to take possession of His kingdom. This gives peculiar force to the words, "Go ye not therefore after them."
7. And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled—(See on Mr 13:13, and compare Isa 8:11-14).
for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet—In Luke (Lu 21:9), "the end is not by and by," or "immediately." Worse must come before all is over.
8. These are the beginnings of sorrows—"of travail-pangs," to which heavy calamities are compared. (See Jer 4:31, &c.). The annals of Tacitus tell us how the Roman world was convulsed, before the destruction of Jerusalem, by rival claimants of the imperial purple.
9. But take heed to yourselves: for—"before all these things" (Lu 21:12); that is, before these public calamities come.
they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten—These refer to ecclesiastical proceedings against them.
and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings—before civil tribunals next.
for my sake, for a testimony against them—rather "unto them"—to give you an opportunity of bearing testimony to Me before them. In the Acts of the Apostles we have the best commentary on this announcement. (Compare Mt 10:17, 18).
10. And the gospel must first be published among all nations—"for a witness, and then shall the end come" (Mt 24:14). God never sends judgment without previous warning; and there can be no doubt that the Jews, already dispersed over most known countries, had nearly all heard the Gospel "as a witness," before the end of the Jewish state. The same principle was repeated and will repeat itself to "the end."
11. But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand—"Be not anxious beforehand."
what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate—"Be not filled with apprehension, in the prospect of such public appearances for Me, lest ye should bring discredit upon My name, nor think it necessary to prepare beforehand what ye are to say."
but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost—(See on Mt 10:19, 20.)
13. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake—Matthew (Mt 24:12) adds this important intimation: "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many"—"of the many," or "of the most," that is, of the generality of professed disciples—"shall wax cold." Sad illustrations of the effect of abounding iniquity in cooling the love even of faithful disciples we have in the Epistle of James, written about the period here referred to, and too frequently ever since.
but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved—See on Mt 10:21, 22; and compare Heb 10:38, 39, which is a manifest allusion to these words of Christ; also Re 2:10. Luke (Lu 21:18) adds these reassuring words: "But there shall not an hair of your heads perish." Our Lord had just said (Lu 21:16) that they should be put to death; showing that this precious promise is far above immunity from mere bodily harm, and furnishing a key to the right interpretation of Ps 91:1-18 and such like.
14. But when ye shall see—"Jerusalem compassed by armies"—by encamped armies; in other words, when ye shall see it besieged, and
the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not—that is, as explained in Matthew (Mt 24:15), "standing in the holy place."
(let him that readeth understand)—readeth that prophecy. That "the abomination of desolation" here alluded to was intended to point to the Roman ensigns, as the symbols of an idolatrous, and so unclean pagan power, may be gathered by comparing what Luke says in the corresponding verse (Lu 21:20); and commentators are agreed on it. It is worthy of notice, as confirming this interpretation, that in 1 Maccabees 1:54—which, though aprocryphal Scripture, is authentic history—the expression of Daniel (Da 11:31; 12:11) is applied to the idolatrous profanation of the Jewish altar by Antiochus Epiphanes.
then let them that be in Judea flee to the mountains—The ecclesiastical historian, Eusebius, early in the fourth century, tells us that the Christians fled to Pella, at the northern extremity of Perea, being "prophetically directed"—perhaps by some prophetic intimation more explicit than this, which would be their chart—and that thus they escaped the predicted calamities by which the nation was overwhelmed.
15. And let him that is on the housetop not get down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house—that is, let him take the outside flight of steps from the roof to the ground; a graphic way of denoting the extreme urgency of the case, and the danger of being tempted, by the desire to save his property, to delay till escape should become impossible.
16. And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.
17. But woe to them—or, "alas for them."
that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days—in consequence of the aggravated suffering which those conditions would involve.
18. And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter—making escape perilous, or tempting you to delay your flight. Matthew (Mt 24:20) adds, "neither on the sabbath day," when, from fear of a breach of its sacred rest, they might be induced to remain.
19. For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be—Such language is not unusual in the Old Testament with reference to tremendous calamities. But it is matter of literal fact that there was crowded into the period of the Jewish war an amount and complication of suffering perhaps unparalleled; as the narrative of Josephus, examined closely and arranged under different heads, would show.
20. And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh—that is, no human life.
should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days—But for this merciful "shortening," brought about by a remarkable concurrence of causes, the whole nation would have perished, in which there yet remained a remnant to be afterwards gathered out. This portion of the prophecy closes, in Luke, with the following vivid and important glance at the subsequent fortunes of the chosen people: "And they shall fall by the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Lu 21:24). The language as well as the idea of this remarkable statement is taken from Da 8:10, 13. What, then, is its import here? It implies, first, that a time is coming when Jerusalem shall cease to be "trodden down of the Gentiles"; which it was then by pagan, and since and till now is by Mohammedan unbelievers: and next, it implies that the period when this treading down of Jerusalem by the Gentiles is to cease will be when "the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" or "completed." But what does this mean? We may gather the meaning of it from Ro 11:1-36 in which the divine purposes and procedure towards the chosen people from first to last are treated in detail. In Ro 11:25 these words of our Lord are thus reproduced: "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." See the exposition of that verse, from which it will appear that "till the fulness of the Gentiles be come in"—or, in our Lord's phraseology, "till the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled"—does not mean "till the general conversion of the world to Christ," but "till the Gentiles have had their full time of that place in the Church which the Jews had before them." After that period of Gentilism, as before of Judaism, "Jerusalem" and Israel, no longer "trodden down by the Gentiles," but "grafted into their own olive tree," shall constitute, with the believing Gentiles, one Church of God, and fill the whole earth. What a bright vista does this open up!
21. And then, if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo he is there; believe him not—So Lu 17:23.
22. For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders. No one can read Josephus' account of what took place before the destruction of Jerusalem without seeing how strikingly this was fulfilled.
to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect—implying that this, though all but done, will prove impossible. What a precious assurance! (Compare 2Th 2:9-12).
23. But take ye heed; behold, I have foretold you all things—He had just told them that the seduction of the elect would prove impossible; but since this would be all but accomplished, He bids them be on their guard, as the proper means of averting that catastrophe. In Matthew (Mt 24:26-28) we have some additional particulars: "Wherefore, if they shall say unto you, Behold, He is in the desert; go not forth: behold, He is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." See on Lu 17:23, 24. "For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together." See on Lu 17:37.
24. But in those days, after that tribulation—"Immediately after the tribulation of those days" (Mt 24:29).
the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light.
25. And the stars of heaven shall fall—"and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth" (Lu 21:25, 26).
and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken—Though the grandeur of this language carries the mind over the head of all periods but that of Christ's Second Coming, nearly every expression will be found used of the Lord's coming in terrible national judgments: as of Babylon (Isa 13:9-13); of Idumea (Isa 34:1, 2, 4, 8-10); of Egypt (Eze 32:7, 8); compare also Ps 18:7-15; Isa 24:1, 17-19; Joe 2:10, 11, &c. We cannot therefore consider the mere strength of this language a proof that it refers exclusively or primarily to the precursors of the final day, though of course in "that day" it will have its most awful fulfilment.
26. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory—In Mt 24:30, this is given most fully: "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man," &c. That this language finds its highest interpretation in the Second Personal Coming of Christ, is most certain. But the question is, whether that be the primary sense of it as it stands here? Now if the reader will turn to Da 7:13, 14, and connect with it the preceding verses, he will find, we think, the true key to our Lord's meaning here. There the powers that oppressed the Church—symbolized by rapacious wild beasts—are summoned to the bar of the Great God, who as the Ancient of days seats Himself, with His assessors, on a burning Throne: thousand thousands ministering to Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand standing before Him. "The judgment is set, and the books are opened." Who that is guided by the mere words would doubt that this is a description of the Final Judgment? And yet nothing is clearer than that it is not, but a description of a vast temporal judgment, upon organized bodies of men, for their incurable hostility to the kingdom of God upon earth. Well, after the doom of these has been pronounced and executed, and room thus prepared for the unobstructed development of the kingdom of God over the earth, what follows? "I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like THE Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they [the angelic attendants] brought Him near before Him." For what purpose? To receive investiture in the kingdom, which, as Messiah, of right belonged to Him. Accordingly, it is added, "And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." Comparing this with our Lord's words, He seems to us, by "the Son of man [on which phrase, see on Joh 1:51] coming in the clouds with great power and glory," to mean, that when judicial vengeance shall once have been executed upon Jerusalem, and the ground thus cleared for the unobstructed establishment of His own kingdom, His true regal claims and rights would be visibly and gloriously asserted and manifested. See on Lu 9:28 (with its parallels in Mt 17:1; Mr 9:2), in which nearly the same language is employed, and where it can hardly be understood of anything else than the full and free establishment of the kingdom of Christ on the destruction of Jerusalem. But what is that "sign of the Son of man in heaven?" Interpreters are not agreed. But as before Christ came to destroy Jerusalem some appalling portents were seen in the air, so before His Personal appearing it is likely that something analogous will be witnessed, though of what nature it would be vain to conjecture.
27. And then shall he send his angels—"with a great sound of a trumpet" (Mt 24:31).
and shall gather together his elect, &c.—As the tribes of Israel were anciently gathered together by sound of trumpet (Ex 19:13, 16, 19; Le 23:24; Ps 81:3-5), so any mighty gathering of God's people, by divine command, is represented as collected by sound of trumpet (Isa 27:13; compare Re 11:15); and the ministry of angels, employed in all the great operations of Providence, is here held forth as the agency by which the present assembling of the elect is to be accomplished. Lightfoot thus explains it: "When Jerusalem shall be reduced to ashes, and that wicked nation cut off and rejected, then shall the Son of man send His ministers with the trumpet of the Gospel, and they shall gather His elect of the several nations, from the four corners of heaven: so that God shall not want a Church, although that ancient people of His be rejected and cast off: but that ancient Jewish Church being destroyed, a new Church shall be called out of the Gentiles." But though something like this appears to be the primary sense of the verse, in relation to the destruction of Jerusalem, no one can fail to see that the language swells beyond any gathering of a human family into a Church upon earth, and forces the thoughts onward to that gathering of the Church "at the last trump," to meet the Lord in the air, which is to wind up the present scene. Still, this is not, in our judgment, the direct subject of the prediction; for Mr 13:28 limits the whole prediction to the generation then existing.
28. Now learn a parable of the fig tree—"Now from the fig tree learn the parable," or the high lesson which this teaches.
When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves—"its leaves."
29. So ye, in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass—rather, "coming to pass."
know that it—"the kingdom of God" (Lu 21:31).
is nigh, even at the doors—that is, the full manifestation of it; for till then it admitted of no full development. In Luke (Lu 21:28) the following words precede these: "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh"—their redemption, in the first instance certainly, from Jewish oppression (1Th 2:14-16; Lu 11:52): but in the highest sense of these words, redemption from all the oppressions and miseries of the present state at the second appearing of the Lord Jesus.
30. Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass fill all these things be done—or "fulfilled" (Mt 24:34; Lu 21:32). Whether we take this to mean that the whole would be fulfilled within the limits of the generation then current, or, according to a usual way of speaking, that the generation then existing would not pass away without seeing a begun fulfilment of this prediction, the facts entirely correspond. For either the whole was fulfilled in the destruction accomplished by Titus, as many think; or, if we stretch it out, according to others, till the thorough dispersion of the Jews a little later, under Adrian, every requirement of our Lord's words seems to be met.
31. Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away—the strongest possible expression of the divine authority by which He spake; not as Moses or Paul might have said of their own inspiration, for such language would be unsuitable in any merely human mouth.
Warnings to Prepare for the Coming of Christ Suggested by the Foregoing Prophecy (Mr 13:32-37).
It will be observed that, in the foregoing prophecy, as our Lord approaches the crisis of the day of vengeance on Jerusalem and redemption for the Church—at which stage the analogy between that and the day of final vengeance and redemption waxes more striking—His language rises and swells beyond all temporal and partial vengeance, beyond all earthly deliverances and enlargements, and ushers us resistlessly into the scenes of the final day. Accordingly, in these six concluding verses it is manifest that preparation for "THAT DAY" is what our Lord designs to inculcate.
32. But of that day and that hour—that is, the precise time.
knoweth no man—literally, no one.
no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father—This very remarkable statement regarding "the Son" is peculiar to Mark. Whether it means that the Son was not at that time in possession of the knowledge referred to, or simply that it was not among the things which He had received to communicate—has been matter of much controversy even among the firmest believers in the proper Divinity of Christ. In the latter sense it was taken by some of the most eminent of the ancient Fathers, and by Luther, Melancthon, and most of the older Lutherans; and it is so taken by Bengel, Lange, Webster and Wilkinson, Chrysostom and others understood it to mean that as man our Lord was ignorant of this. It is taken literally by Calvin, Grotius, De Wette, Meyer, Fritzsche, Stier, Alford, and Alexander.
33. Take ye heed, watch and pray; for ye know not when the time is.
34. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, &c.—The idea thus far is similar to that in the opening part of the parable of the talents (Mt 25:14, 15).
and commanded the porter—the gatekeeper.
to watch—pointing to the official duty of the ministers of religion to give warning of approaching danger to the people.
35. Watch ye therefore; for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, or in the morning—an allusion to the four Roman watches of the night.
36. Lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping—See on Lu 12:35-40; Lu 12:42-46.
37. And what I say unto you—this discourse, it will be remembered, was delivered in private.
I say unto all, Watch—anticipating and requiring the diffusion of His teaching by them among all His disciples, and its perpetuation through all time.