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thy coming, and the end of the world, at the first view naturally lead our thoughts to the coming of Christ at the day of judgment, and the final dissolution of this earthly globe. But a due attention to the parallel passages in St. Mark and St. Luke, and a critical examination into the real import of those two phrases in various. parts of Scripture, will soon convince a careful inquirer, that by the coming of Christ is here meant, not his coming to judge the world at the last day, but his coming to execute judgment upon Jerusalem*; and that by the end of the world is to be understood not the final consummation of all things here below, but the end of that age, the end of the Jewish state and polity, the subversion of their city, temple, and government.

The

See Mark, xiii. 4. Luke, xxi. 7. Matt. xxiv. 4, 5; xvi. 28. John, xxi. 22.

The word av (here translated the world) frequently means nothing more than an age, a certain definite period of time. See Matt. xxiv. 6. 14. Mark, xiii. 7. Luke, xxi. 9. compared with ver. 20 Hebrews, ix. 26.

The real questions therefore here put to our Lord by the disciples were these two: 1st. At what time the destruction of Jerusalem was to take place; "Tell us

when shall these things be?"

2dly. What the signs were that were to precede it; "What shall be the sign of thy coming?"

Our Lord in his answer begins first with the signs, of which he treats from the 4th to the 31st verse inclusive.

The first of these signs is specified in the 5th verse, 66 many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many."

This part of the prophecy began soon to be fulfilled; for we learn from the ancient writers, and particularly from Josephus, that not long after our Lord's ascension, several impostors appeared, some pretending to be the Messiah, and others to foretel future events. The first were those whom our Lord here says should come in his name, and were therefore false Christs. The others are alluded to in the eleventh

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verse, under the name of false prophets:

66

Many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many." Of the first sort were, as Origen informs us*, one Dositheus, who said that he was the Christ foretold by Moses; and Simon Magus, who said he appeared among the Jews as the Son of God; besides several others alluded to by Josephus.

The same historian tells us, that there were many false prophets, particularly an Egyptian, who collected together above thirty thousand Jews, whom he had deceived; and Theudas, a magician, who said he was a prophet, and deceived many; and a multitude of others, who deluded the people, even to the last, with a promise of help from God. And in the reign of Nero, when Felix was procurator of Judæa, such a number of these impostors made their appearance, that many of them were seized and put to death every day §.

*Origen: Adv. Cels. 1. 1. & 6.

De Bell. Jud. 1. i. p. 705.

The

Jos. Antiq. 1. xx. c. 6. and c. 4. s. 1. Ed. Huds.

§ lb. c. 7. s. 5. p. 892.

The next signs pointed out by our Lord are these that follow: "Ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet: for nation shall rise against nation, and king. dom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places: all these are the beginning of sorrows."

That there were in reality great disturbances and commotions in those times, that there were not only rumours of wars, but wars actually existing, and continued dissensions, insurrections, and massacres among the Jews, and other nations who dwelt in the same cities with them, is so fully attested by all the historians of that period, but more particularly by Josephus, that to produce all the dreadful events of that kind which he enumerates, would be to transcribe a great part of his history. It is equally certain, from the testimony of the same author, as well as from Eusebius, and several profane historians, that there

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were famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. It is added in the parallel place by St. Luke*, " that fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven." And accordingly Josephus, in the preface to his history of the Jewish war, and in the history itself, enumerates a great variety of astonishing signs and prodigies, which he says preceded the calamities that impended over the Jews, and which he expressly affirms, in perfect conformity to our Saviour's prediction, were signs manifestly intended to forebode their approaching destruction. And these accounts are confirmed by the Roman historian Tacitus, who says that many prodigies happened at that time; armies appeared to be engaging in the sky, arms were seen glittering in the air, the temple was illuminated with flames issuing from the clouds, the doors of the temple suddenly burst open, and a voice more than human

was

* Luke, xxi. 11.

+ Jos. Prooem. sect. 11. p.957. De Bell. Jud. l. vi. c. 5. s. 3. p. 1281-2. & l. vii. c. 30.

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