Christ's words to the priests and rulers, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate" (Matt. 23:38), had struck terror to their hearts. They affected indifference, but the question kept rising in their minds as to the import of these words. An unseen danger seemed to threaten them. Could it be that the magnificent temple, which was the nation's glory, was soon to be a heap of ruins? The foreboding of evil was shared by the disciples, and they anxiously waited for some more definite statement from Jesus. As they passed with Him out of the temple, they called His attention to its strength and beauty. The stones of the temple were of the purest marble, of perfect whiteness, and some of them of almost fabulous size. A portion of the wall had withstood the siege by Nebuchadnezzar's army. In its perfect masonry it appeared like one solid stone dug entire from the quarry. How those mighty walls could be overthrown the disciples could not comprehend.
As Christ's attention was
attracted to the magnificence of the temple, what must have been
the unuttered thoughts of that Rejected One! The view before Him
was indeed beautiful, but He said with sadness, I see it all.
The buildings are indeed wonderful. You point to these walls as
apparently indestructible; but listen to My words: The day will
come when "there shall not be left one stone upon another,
that shall not be thrown down."
Christ's words had been spoken in the hearing of a large number of people; but when He was alone, Peter, John, James, and Andrew came to Him as He sat upon the Mount of Olives. "Tell us," they said, "when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?" Jesus did not answer His disciples by taking up separately the destruction of Jerusalem and the great day of His coming. He mingled the description of these two events. Had He opened to His disciples future events as He beheld them, they would have been unable to endure the sight. In mercy to them He blended the description of the two great crises, leaving the disciples to study out the meaning for themselves. When He referred to the destruction of Jerusalem, His prophetic words reached beyond that event to the final conflagration in that day when the Lord shall rise out of His place to punish the world for their iniquity, when the earth shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. This entire discourse was given, not for the disciples only, but for those who should live in the last scenes of this earth's history.
Turning to the disciples, Christ said, "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." Many false messiahs will appear, claiming to work miracles, and declaring that the time of the deliverance of the Jewish nation has come. These will mislead many. Christ's words were fulfilled. Between His death and the siege of Jerusalem many false messiahs appeared. But this warning was given also to those who live in this age of the world. The same deceptions practiced prior to the destruction of Jerusalem have been practiced through the ages, and will be practiced again.
"And ye shall hear
of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all
these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet."
Prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, men wrestled for the supremacy.
Emperors were murdered. Those supposed to be standing next the
throne were slain. There were wars and rumors of wars. "All
these things must come to pass," said Christ, "but the
end [of the Jewish nation as a nation] is not yet. For nation
shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there
shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers
places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." Christ said,
As the rabbis see these signs, they will declare them to be God's
judgments upon the nations for holding in bondage His chosen people.
They will declare that these signs are the token of the advent
of the Messiah. Be not deceived; they are the beginning of His
judgments. The people have looked to themselves. They have not
repented and been converted that I should heal them. The signs
that they represent as tokens of their release from bondage are
signs of their destruction.
"Then shall they deliver
you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated
of all nations for My name's sake. And then shall many be offended,
and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another."
All this the Christians suffered. Fathers and mothers betrayed
their children. Children betrayed their parents. Friends delivered
their friends up to the Sanhedrin. The persecutors wrought out
their purpose by killing Stephen, James, and other Christians.
Through His servants,
God gave the Jewish people a last opportunity to repent. He manifested
Himself through His witnesses in their arrest, in their trial,
and in their imprisonment. Yet their judges pronounced on them
the death sentence. They were men of whom the world was not worthy,
and by killing them the Jews crucified afresh the Son of God.
So it will be again. The authorities will make laws to restrict
religious liberty. They will assume the right that is God's alone.
They will think they can force the conscience, which God alone
should control. Even now they are making a beginning; this work
they will continue to carry forward till they reach a boundary
over which they cannot step. God will interpose in behalf of His
loyal, commandment-keeping people.
On every occasion when persecution takes place, those who witness it make decisions either for Christ or against Him. Those who manifest sympathy for the ones wrongly condemned show their attachment for Christ. Others are offended because the principles of truth cut directly across their practice. Many stumble and fall, apostatizing from the faith they once advocated. Those who apostatize in time of trial will, to secure their own safety, bear false witness, and betray their brethren. Christ has warned us of this, that we may not be surprised at the unnatural, cruel course of those who reject the light.
Christ gave His disciples a sign of the ruin to come on Jerusalem, and He told them how to escape: "When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled." This warning was given to be heeded forty years after, at the destruction of Jerusalem. The Christians obeyed the warning, and not a Christian perished in the fall of the city.
"Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter; neither on the Sabbath day," Christ said. He who made the Sabbath did not abolish it, nailing it to His cross. The Sabbath was not rendered null and void by His death. Forty years after His crucifixion it was still to be held sacred. For forty years the disciples were to pray that their flight might not be on the Sabbath day.
From the destruction of
Jerusalem, Christ passed on rapidly to the greater event, the
last link in the chain of this earth's history,--the coming of
the Son of God in majesty and glory. Between these two events,
there lay open to Christ's view long centuries of darkness, centuries
for His church marked with blood and tears and agony. Upon these
scenes His disciples could not then endure to look, and Jesus
passed them by with a brief mention. "Then shall be great
tribulation," He said, "such as was not since the beginning
of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those
days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but
for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." For
more than a thousand years such persecution as the world had never
before known was to come upon Christ's followers. Millions upon
millions of His faithful witnesses were to be slain. Had not God's
hand been stretched out to preserve His people, all would have
perished. "But for the elect's sake," He said, "those
days shall be shortened."
Now, in unmistakable language,
our Lord speaks of His second coming, and He gives warning of
dangers to precede His advent to the world. "If any man shall
say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For
there shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall
show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible,
they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before.
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." As one of the signs of Jerusalem's destruction, Christ
had said, "Many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive
many." False prophets did rise, deceiving the people, and
leading great numbers into the desert. Magicians and sorcerers,
claiming miraculous power, drew the people after them into the
mountain solitudes. But this prophecy was spoken also for the
last days. This sign is given as a sign of the second advent.
Even now false christs and false prophets are showing signs and
wonders to seduce His disciples. Do we not hear the cry, "Behold,
He is in the desert"? Have not thousands gone forth into
the desert, hoping to find Christ? And from thousands of gatherings
where men profess to hold communion with departed spirits is not
the call now heard, "Behold, He is in the secret chambers"?
This is the very claim that spiritism puts forth. But what says
Christ? "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."
The Saviour gives signs
of His coming, and more than this, He fixes the time when the
first of these signs shall appear: "Immediately after the
tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon
shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven,
and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 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
coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And
He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and
they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from
one end of heaven to the other."
At the close of the great papal persecution, Christ declared, the sun should be darkened, and the moon should not give her light. Next, the stars should fall from heaven. And He says, "Learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that He is near, even at the doors." Matt. 24:32, 33, margin.
Christ has given signs of His coming. He declares that we may know when He is near, even at the doors. He says of those who see these signs, "This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." These signs have appeared. Now we know of a surety that the Lord's coming is at hand. "Heaven and earth shall pass away," He says, "but My words shall not pass away."
Christ is coming with clouds and with great glory. A multitude of shining angels will attend Him. He will come to raise the dead, and to change the living saints from glory to glory. He will come to honor those who have loved Him, and kept His commandments, and to take them to Himself. He has not forgotten them nor His promise. There will be a relinking of the family chain. When we look upon our dead, we may think of the morning when the trump of God shall sound, when "the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." 1 Cor. 15:52. A little longer, and we shall see the King in His beauty. A little longer, and He will wipe all tears from our eyes. A little longer, and He will present us "faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy." Jude 24. Wherefore, when He gave the signs of His coming He said, "When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."
But the day and the hour of His coming Christ has not revealed. He stated plainly to His disciples that He Himself could not make known the day or the hour of His second appearing. Had He been at liberty to reveal this, why need He have exhorted them to maintain an attitude of constant expectancy? There are those who claim to know the very day and hour of our Lord's appearing. Very earnest are they in mapping out the future. But the Lord has warned them off the ground they occupy. The exact time of the second coming of the Son of man is God's mystery.
Christ continues, pointing out the condition of the world at His coming: "As the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the Flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the Flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Christ does not here bring to view a temporal millennium, a thousand years in which all are to prepare for eternity. He tells us that as it was in Noah's day, so will it be when the Son of man comes again.
How was it in Noah's day? "God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Gen. 6:5. The inhabitants of the antediluvian world turned from Jehovah, refusing to do His holy will. They followed their own unholy imagination and perverted ideas. It was because of their wickedness that they were destroyed; and today the world is following the same way. It presents no flattering signs of millennial glory. The transgressors of God's law are filling the earth with wickedness. Their betting, their horse racing, their gambling, their dissipation, their lustful practices, their untamable passions, are fast filling the world with violence.
In the prophecy of Jerusalem's
destruction Christ said, "Because iniquity shall abound,
the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto
the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom
shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations;
and then shall the end come." This prophecy will again be
fulfilled. The abounding iniquity of that day finds its counterpart
in this generation. So with the prediction in regard to the preaching
of the gospel. Before the fall of Jerusalem, Paul, writing by
the Holy Spirit, declared that the gospel was preached to "every
creature which is under heaven." Col. 1:23. So now, before
the coming of the Son of man, the everlasting gospel is to be
preached "to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people."
Rev. 14:6, 14. God "hath appointed a day, in the which He
will judge the world." Acts 17:31. Christ tells us when that
day shall be ushered in. He does not say that all the world will
be converted, but that "this gospel of the kingdom shall
be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and
then shall the end come." By giving the gospel to the world
it is in our power to hasten our Lord's return. We are not only
to look for but to hasten the coming of the day of God. 2 Peter
3:12, margin. Had
the church of Christ done her
appointed work as the Lord ordained, the whole world would before
this have been warned, and the Lord Jesus would have come to our
earth in power and great glory.
After He had given the signs of His coming, Christ said, "When ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand." "Take ye heed, watch and pray." God has always given men warning of coming judgments. Those who had faith in His message for their time, and who acted out their faith, in obedience to His commandments, escaped the judgments that fell upon the disobedient and unbelieving. The word came to Noah, "Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before Me." Noah obeyed and was saved. The message came to Lot, "Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city." Gen. 7:1; 19:14. Lot placed himself under the guardianship of the heavenly messengers, and was saved. So Christ's disciples were given warning of the destruction of Jerusalem. Those who watched for the sign of the coming ruin, and fled from the city, escaped the destruction. So now we are given warning of Christ's second coming and of the destruction to fall upon the world. Those who heed the warning will be saved.
Because we know not the exact time of His coming, we are commanded to watch. "Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when He cometh shall find watching." Luke 12:37. Those who watch for the Lord's coming are not waiting in idle expectancy. The expectation of Christ's coming is to make men fear the Lord, and fear His judgments upon transgression. It is to awaken them to the great sin of rejecting His offers of mercy. Those who are watching for the Lord are purifying their souls by obedience to the truth. With vigilant watching they combine earnest working. Because they know that the Lord is at the door, their zeal is quickened to co-operate with the divine intelligences in working for the salvation of souls. These are the faithful and wise servants who give to the Lord's household "their portion of meat in due season." Luke 12:42. They are declaring the truth that is now specially applicable. As Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Moses each declared the truth for his time, so will Christ's servants now give the special warning for their generation.
But Christ brings to view
another class: "If that evil servant shall say in his heart,
My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow
servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that
servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him."
The evil servant says in his heart, "My lord delayeth his coming." He does not say that Christ will not come. He does not scoff at the idea of His second coming. But in his heart and by his actions and words he declares that the Lord's coming is delayed. He banishes from the minds of others the conviction that the Lord is coming quickly. His influence leads men to presumptuous, careless delay. They are confirmed in their worldliness and stupor. Earthly passions, corrupt thoughts, take possession of the mind. The evil servant eats and drinks with the drunken, unites with the world in pleasure seeking. He smites his fellow servants, accusing and condemning those who are faithful to their Master. He mingles with the world. Like grows with like in transgression. It is a fearful assimilation. With the world he is taken in the snare. "The lord of that servant shall come . . . in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites."
"If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." Rev. 3:3. The advent of Christ will surprise the false teachers. They are saying, "Peace and safety." Like the priests and teachers before the fall of Jerusalem, they look for the church to enjoy earthly prosperity and glory. The signs of the times they interpret as foreshadowing this. But what saith the word of Inspiration? "Sudden destruction cometh upon them." 1 Thess. 5:3. Upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth, upon all who make this world their home, the day of God will come as a snare. It comes to them as a prowling thief.
The world, full of rioting,
full of godless pleasure, is asleep, asleep in carnal security.
Men are putting afar off the coming of the Lord. They laugh at
warnings. The proud boast is made, "All things continue as
they were from the beginning." "Tomorrow shall be as
this day, and much more abundant." 2 Peter 3:4; Isa. 56:12.
We will go deeper into pleasure loving. But Christ says, "Behold,
I come as a thief." Rev. 16:15. At the very time when the
world is asking in scorn, "Where is the promise of His coming?"
the signs are fulfilling. While they cry, "Peace and safety,"
sudden destruction is coming. When the scorner, the rejecter of
truth, has become presumptuous; when the routine of work in the
various money-making lines is carried on without regard to principle;
when the student is eagerly seeking knowledge of everything but
his Bible, Christ comes as a thief.
Everything in the world is in agitation. The signs of the times are ominous. Coming events cast their shadows before. The Spirit of God is withdrawing from the earth, and calamity follows calamity by sea and by land. There are tempests, earthquakes, fires, floods, murders of every grade. Who can read the future? Where is security? There is assurance in nothing that is human or earthly. Rapidly are men ranging themselves under the banner they have chosen. Restlessly are they waiting and watching the movements of their leaders. There are those who are waiting and watching and working for our Lord's appearing. Another class are falling into line under the generalship of the first great apostate. Few believe with heart and soul that we have a hell to shun and a heaven to win.
The crisis is stealing gradually upon us. The sun shines in the heavens, passing over its usual round, and the heavens still declare the glory of God. Men are still eating and drinking, planting and building, marrying, and giving in marriage. Merchants are still buying and selling. Men are jostling one against another, contending for the highest place. Pleasure lovers are still crowding to theaters, horse races, gambling hells. The highest excitement prevails, yet probation's hour is fast closing, and every case is about to be eternally decided. Satan sees that his time is short. He has set all his agencies at work that men may be deceived, deluded, occupied and entranced, until the day of probation shall be ended, and the door of mercy be forever shut.
Solemnly there come to us down through the centuries the warning words of our Lord from the Mount of Olives: "Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares." "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."
