Destruction of Jerusalem Foretold.

  ^b 12 And brother shall deliver up brother to death, and the father his child; and children shall rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. ^c and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.

  17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. [See Section 61.]

  18 And not a hair of your head shall perish. [The previous verses show that this promise is spiritual. The destruction of a saint's body would work no real injury to him.]

^b but he that endureth to the end [i. e., to his death], the same shall be saved. [See Section 61.]

  ^c 19 In your patience ye shall win your souls. [The Christian's battle is won by endurance and not by violence, and he that can patiently hold out unto the end can, by the grace of God, save his soul.]

  ^a 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come. [See the tenth verse of Mark's Gospel given above. Jerusalem, the seat of the old dispensation, was not removed until the new dispensation was sown throughout the then known world.]

  ^c 20 But when ye see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that her desolation is at hand.

  ^b 14 But

  ^a 15 When therefore ye see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet

[ Daniel 4:11 ], standing in the holy place ^b where he ought not [for comment, see end of the paragraph, page 626 below] (let him that readeth understand) [Matthew also gives a similar parenthesis. If the words in parentheses were spoken by our Lord, they would constitute an exhortation to understand the prophecy of Daniel, and would be unnecessary, since our Lord's application of the prophecy explains it. The words are, therefore, bidding their readers take heed to this part of the prophecy (which constituted the last sign, and, therefore, the final warning) that they might not share in the bitter fate impending over Jerusalem and Judæa if they chanced to be in either in the hour of judgment],

  ^b 14 But

  ^a 15 When therefore ye see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet

then let them that are in Judæa flee unto the mountains. ^c and let them that are in the midst of her [Jerusalem] depart out; and let not them that are in the country enter therein.

  ^b 15 and let him that is on the housetop not go down, nor enter in, ^a to take out the things that are in {^b to take anything out of} his house

[see Section 95]:

  ^b 15 and let him that is on the housetop not go down, nor enter in, ^a to take out the things that are in {^b to take anything out of} his house

  16 and let him that is in the field not return back to take his cloak.

  ^c 22 For

[this word introduces the reason for such hot haste] these are days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. [ Deuteronomy 28:49-57 ; Daniel 9:26 Daniel 9:27 ; Daniel 12:1 Daniel 12:11 ; Joel 2:2 .]

  ^c 22 For

  ^b 17 But woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days! [because their condition would impede their flight] ^c for there shall be great distress upon the land, and wrath unto this people. [The city of Jerusalem was divinely sentenced to punishment for her sins.]

  24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive into all the nations [According to Josephus, one million one hundred thousand perished during the siege, and ninety-seven thousand were taken captive. Of these latter, many were tortured and slain, being crucified, as he tell us, till "room was wanted for the crosses, and crosses wanted for the bodies"]: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. [By comparing this passage with Romans 11: ., we find that the times of the Gentiles signify that period wherein the church is made up of Gentiles to the almost exclusion of the Jews. The same chapter shows that this period is to be followed by one wherein the Jew and the Gentile unite together in proclaiming the gospel. This prophecy, therefore, declares that until this union of the Jew and the Gentile takes place, the but shall be trodden under foot--i. e., oppressed--by them. The history of Jerusalem, to this day, is a striking fulfillment of this prophecy.]

  ^b 18 And pray ye that it ^a your flight ^b be not in the winter. [Because the flight will be so precipitate that it would necessitate much exposure to the weather, sleeping under the open heaven, etc.] ^a neither on a sabbath [Jewish tradition limited travel on the Sabbath day to a distance of seven furlongs. The early training of many Christians led them to have scruples about breaking the Sabbath. It is possible that Jesus had these scruples in view, but by no means conclusive, for in fleeing they would need the support and friendship of their Jewish brethren, who would be apt, not only to hinder, but even in those troublous and turbulent days, to show violence to any who openly disregarded the Sabbath. For it must be remembered that the Jews, not being guided by the admonitions of Christ, would regard the sudden flight of the Christians as unnecessarily hasty]:

  21 for then {^b those days} ^a shall be great tribulation, ^b such as there hath not been the like from the beginning of the creation {^a the world} ^b which God created until now, and never, {^a no, nor ever} shall be. [These words spoken before the event are strikingly verified by the statements of Josephus written after it. "No other city," says he, "ever suffered miseries, nor did any age, from the beginning of the world, ever breed a generation more fruitful in wickedness that this was." And again: "If the miseries of all mankind from the creation were compared with those which the Jews then suffered, they would appear inferior." The promise that there shall be no days like it of course excludes the terrors and miseries of the judgment day, since it belongs to celestial rather than terrestrial history. Having now the whole paragraph before us, we are ready to discuss the phrase "abomination of desolation" mentioned in Matt. xxiv. 15 (p. 624). Taking it in connection with the entire paragraph, we can readily see, 1. That it was a sign practically simultaneous with the compassing of Jerusalem by the Roman army. 2. That immediate flight, even if the day of its appearing should chance to be the Sabbath--a flight so sudden that a man must not stop to enter his house or get his coat. Now, some translate the phrase "abomination of desolation" (or abomination that causeth desolation, for it may be so translated) as referring to the crimes of the zealots, a faction in Jerusalem, who took possession of the temple and profaned its sanctuary by using it as a fort, thus making themselves an abomination in the eyes of the Jews by polluting God's house and entering where they had no right to enter. But a long interval intervened between this evil deed of theirs and the coming of the Romans, during any day of which a Christian might have taken his departure after the most leisurely manner. Others take the phrase as referring to the entrance of the triumphant Roman army upon the temple courts; but as this was one of the last scenes of the prolonged siege, it could not properly be coupled with the encompassing Roman army. Meyer, aware of this difficulty, takes the position that there were two flights prescribed by Jesus, one from Jerusalem at the time when the Romans appeared, and the other from Judæa at the time when the temple fell. But the language used by Luke ( Luke 21:20 Luke 21:21 ) forbids us to make the flight from Judæa subsequent to the flight from Jerusalem, for both flights were to begin when the Romans appeared. Again it should be noted that the phrase "the holy place" is apt to mislead, especially when coupled with Mark's "where it ought not." The words when seen in English cause us to think of some person or thing polluting the sanctuary of the temple by standing in its holy place. But it is evident that the words do not refer to the temple at all. When the New Testament speaks of the holy place in the temple it styles it en too hagioo (in the holy), while the words here are en topoo hagioo (in a place holy). Moreover, after a careful perusal of the LXX. we are persuaded that they used the two terms to distinguish between the holy place in the sanctuary and other holy places, a distinction which the Revised Version recognizes ( Leviticus 6:16 Leviticus 6:26 Leviticus 6:27 , etc.). the holy place, it is evident that another is meant at Psalms 24:3 ; but in this place the Septuagint gives us en topoo hagioo. We, therefore, conclude that in this place Matthew uses the term "holy place" to designate the holy territory round about the Holy City, and that the combined expression of Matthew and Mark signifies the investiture of the city by the Roman armies and is equivalent to the plainer statement made by Luke. The Roman armies were fittingly called the abomination of desolation, because, being heathen armies, they were an abomination to the Jews, and because they brought desolation upon the country. The sight of them, therefore, became the appointed sign for Christians to quit the city.]

  22 And except those days had been shortened,

  ^b 20 And except the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would have been saved

[since the Lord is speaking to the Jews, this means that if God had not shortened the siege and restrained the Romans, they would have exterminated the Jewish race]; but for the elect's sake, whom he chose, he shortened the days. ^a those days shall be shortened. [since the term "elect" in verses 24 and 31 evidently means Christians, it doubtless means that here, though it may mean that God spared a remnant of the Jewish people because he had covenanted with the patriarchs that they should be his chosen people, for the Jews are also God's elect ( Romans 11:28 Romans 11:29 ). Moreover, it should be noted that there were few, if any, Christians remaining in the city, and that those who were spared were spared as Jews without discrimination.]

  ^b 20 And except the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would have been saved

  ^b 21 And then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ; ^a or, Here; ^b or, Lo, there; believe it not:

  22 for there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show ^a great signs and wonders; so as to {^b that they may} lead astray, if possible, ^a even the elect.

[For accounts of these lying prophets who appeared before and during the siege, see Josephus, Wars iv., v., vi. Christ warns his followers: 1. Not to be deceived by spurious Christs. 2. Not to believe that he himself has again appeared. This latter warning is further enforced by what follows.]

  22 for there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show ^a great signs and wonders; so as to {^b that they may} lead astray, if possible, ^a even the elect.

ye heed: behold, I have told you all things beforehand.

  ^a 26 If therefore they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the wilderness; go not forth: Behold, he is in the inner chambers; believe it not.

  27 For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the coming of the Son of man.

[The coming of Christ would be an event needing no herald; every man would see it for himself. See Section 95.]

  ^a 26 If therefore they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the wilderness; go not forth: Behold, he is in the inner chambers; believe it not.

  27 For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the coming of the Son of man.

  28 Wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. [See Section 95.]