Jesus gave prophecy concerning the future of Jerusalem, Israel, and the world at large. His prediction that of the temple buildings not one stone would be left upon another caused the apostles to marvel and fear. "Tell us," said they, "when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?"

The destruction of which the Lord had spoken was to be apart from and precedent to the signs that were to immediately herald His glorious advent. An assumption that the events would follow in close succession is implied by the form in which the question was put. The reply dealt not with dates, but with events; and the spirit of the subsequent discourse was that of warning against misapprehension, and admonition to ceaseless vigilance. "Take heed that no man deceive you" was the first and all-important caution; for within the lives of most of those apostles, many blaspheming imposters would arise, each claiming to be the Messiah. The return of Christ to earth as Lord and Judge was more remote than any of

Before that glorious event, many wonderful and appalling developments would be witnessed, among the earliest of which would be wars and rumors of wars, caused by nation rising against nation and kingdom against kingdom. They, the apostles, were told to expect persecution, not only at the hands of irresponsible individuals, but at the instance of officials such as they who were at that moment intent on taking the life of the Lord Himself. They would scourge them in the synagogs, deliver them up to hostile tribunals, cite them before rulers and kings, and even put some of them to death—all because of their testimony of the Christ.

As they had been promised before, so again were they assured, that when they would stand before councils, magistrates, or kings, the words they should speak would be given them in the hour of their trial. Even though they found themselves despized and hated of men, and though they were to suffer ignominy, torture, and death, yet as to their eternal welfare they were promised such security that by comparison they would lose not so much as a hair of their heads. In consoling encouragement the Lord bade them possess their souls in patience. In face of all trials and even the direst persecution, it was incumbent upon them to persevere in their ministry, for the divine plan provided and required that the gospel of

Their labors would be complicated and opposed by the revolutionary propaganda of many false prophets, and differences of creed would disrupt families, and engender such bitterness that brothers would betray one another, and children would rise against their parents. Even among those who had professed discipleship to Christ many would be offended and hatred would abound. Love for the gospel would wax cold, and iniquity would be rampant among men; and only those who would endure to the end of their lives could be saved. From this circumstantial forecast of conditions then directly impending, the Lord passed to other developments that would immediately precede the destruction of Jerusalem and the total disruption of the Jewish nation.

"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place," said He, according to Matthew's account. The realization of Daniel's prophetic vision was to be heralded by the encompassing of Jerusalem by armies. Then all who would escape should make haste; from Judea they should flee to the mountains. He who was on the housetop would have no time to take his goods, but should hasten down by the outer steps and flee. he who was in the field would better leave without first returning to his house even for his clothes.

Terrible, indeed, would that day be for women hampered by the conditions incident to approaching maternity, or the responsibility of caring for their suckling babes. All would do well to pray that their flight be not forced upon them in winter time; nor on the Sabbath, lest regard for the restrictions as to Sabbath-day travel. The tribulations of the time then foreshadowed would prove to be unprecedented in horror and would never be paralleled in all their awful details in Israel's history. But in mercy God had decreed that the dreadful period should be shortened for the sake of the elect believers, otherwise no flesh of Israel would be saved alive.

In every frightful detail was the Lord's prediction brought to pass, as history avouches. After the passing of those terrible times, and thence onward for a period of unspecified duration, Satan would deceive the world through false doctrines, spread by evil men masquerading as ministers of God. But against all such the Twelve were put on their guard, and through them and other teachers, whom they would call and ordain, would the world be warned.

Deceiving prophets, emissaries of the devil, would be active. The gathering of Israel in the last days was pictured as the flocking of eagles to the place where the body of the Church would be established. In the day of the Lord's advent in glory and vengeance, no man shall be in doubt. There shall be no chance of conflicting claims by contending sects. "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 chronological order of the predicted occurrences so far considered in this wonderful discourse on things to come, is clear. First there was to be a period of virulent persecution of the apostles and the Church of which they would be in charge. Then the destruction of Jerusalem, with all the horrors of merciless warfare was to follow.

Following the age of man-made creeds, and unauthorized ministry characteristic of the great apostasy, marvelous occurrences are to be manifested through the forces of nature. The sign of the Son of Man shall ultimately appear, one accompanying feature of which shall be the completion of the gathering of the elect from all parts of the earth to the places appointed. The duty that Jesus enjoined upon the apostles as of first importance throughout all the coming scenes of sorrow, suffering and turmoil, was that of vigilance. They were to pray, watch, and work, diligently and with unwavering faith. The lesson was illustrated by a masterly analogy, which, under the broadest classification, may be called a parable.

So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand," said the Lord. The next declaration in the order of the evangelical record reads: "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled" This may be understood as applying to the generation in which the portentous happenings before described would be realized.

So far as the predictions related to the overthrow of Jerusalem, they were literally fulfilled within the natural lifetime of several of the apostles and of multitudes of their contemporaries. The certainty of fulfilment was emphasized by the Lord in the profound affirmation: "Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." All speculation concerning the time of the Lord's appearing, whether based on assumption, deduction, or calculation of dates, was forestalled by Christ's averment: "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father."

That His advent in power and glory is to be sudden and unexpected to the unobserving and sinful world, but in immediate sequence to the signs which the vigilant and devout may read and understand, was made plain by comparison with the prevailing social conditions of Noah's time. In spite of prophecy and warning the people had continued in their feasting and merry-making, in marrying and giving in marriage, "And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away," so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

In explication of this admonishment, the Lord condescended to compare the suddenness and secrecy of His coming to the movements of a night-prowling thief. If a householder had certain knowledge as to the time of a burglar's predetermined visit, he would remain on vigilant watch. But because of uncertainty he may be found off his guard, and the thief may enter and despoil the home.

Jesus depicted in parables the prospective condition of mankind in the last times. The first of these illustrative portrayals is the Parable of the Ten Virgins. The need of unceasing watchfulness and unwavering diligence in preparation for the coming of the Lord in judgment.

The only report of it we have is that given by Matthew, as follows. "Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom" "Five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps"

But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." The story itself is based on oriental marriage customs, with which the Lord's attentive listeners were familiar. It was and yet is common in those lands, particularly in connection with marriage festivities among the wealthy classes, for the bridegroom to go to the home of the bride, accompanied by his friends in processional array, and later to conduct the bride to her new home. As the bridal party progressed, to the accompaniment of gladsome music, it was increased by little groups who had gathered in waiting at convenient places along the

In the parable ten maidens were waiting to welcome and join in with the bridal company. Each had her lamp attached to the end of a rod so as to be held aloft in the festal march. Of the ten virgins five had wisely carried an extra supply of oil, while the other five had no oil except the one filling with which their lamps had been supplied at starting. The bridegroom tarried, and the waiting maidens grew drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, the forerunners of the marriage party loudly proclaimed the bridegrooms approach, and cried in haste: "Go ye out to meet him."

The ten maidens, no longer sleepy, but eagerly active, set to work to trim their lamps. The wise ones found use for the oil in their flasks, while the thoughtless five bewailed their destitute condition. While the foolish virgins were away in quest of oil, the wedding party passed into the house wherein the feast was provided, and the door was shut against all tardy comers.

In time the unwise maidens, too late to participate in the processional entry, called from without, pleading for admittance. But the bridegroom refused their request, and disclaimed all acquaintanceship with them, since they had not been numbered among his attendants or those of the bride. The lighted lamp, which each of the maidens carried, is the outward profession of Christian belief and practise. In the oil reserves of the wiser ones we may see the spiritual strength and abundance which diligence and devotion in God's service alone can insure. The marriage feast symbolizes His coming in glory, to receive unto Himself the Church on earth as His bride.

The lack of sufficient oil on the part of the unwise virgins is analogous to the dearth of soil in the stony field, wherein the seed readily sprouted but soon withered away. The refusal of the wise virgins to give of their oil at such a critical time must not be regarded as uncharitable; the circumstance typifies the fact that in the day of judgment every soul must answer for himself. There is no way by which the righteousness of one can be credited to another's account; the doctrine of supererogation is wholly false.

The application of the parable and its wealth of splendid suggestion are summarized in the masterly manner by the Lord's impressive adjuration. The fulfilment of the predictions enshrined in this precious parable is yet future, but near. In 1831 the Lord Jesus Christ revealed anew the indications by which the imminence of His glorious advent may be perceived.

The Lord delivered the last of His recorded parables to the apostles on the Mount of Olives. We call it the Parable of the Entrusted Talents. The ten virgins will multiply and wax strong, and their children shall grow up without sin unto salvation, for the Lord shall be in their midst, and his glory shall be upon them, and he will be their King and their Lawgiver.

"For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods," says the Bible. "He that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents"

He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things. Then he which had received the one talent came and told his lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thee hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed. And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.

Some of the resemblances between this parable and that of the Pounds appear on even a casual reading. Significant differences are discovered by comparison and study. The earlier parable was spoken to a mixed multitude in the course of our Lord's last journey from Jericho to Jerusalem. The later one was given in privacy to the most intimate of His disciples in the closing hours of the last day of His public preaching. The two should be studied together.

In the story of the Pounds, an equal amount of capital is given to each of the servants, and men's diverse ability to use and apply, with commensurate results in reward or penalty, is demonstrated. In that of the Entrusted Talents, the servants receive different amounts, "every man according to his several ability"; and equal diligence, though shown in one instance by great gain and in the other by small but proportionate increase, is equally rewarded. Unfaithfulness and negligence are condemned and punished in both. In the parable now under consideration, the master is presented as delivering his wealth into the hands of his own servants, literally, bondservants. Those servants had no rights of actual ownership,

We cannot fail to perceive even in the early incidents of the story that the Master of the servants was the Lord Jesus. The Lord was about to depart; He would return only "after a long time"; the significance of this latter circumstance is in line with that expressed through the parable of the Ten Virgins in the statement that the Bridegroom tarried. At the time of reckoning, the servants who had done well, the one with his five talents, the other with his two, reported gladly, conscious as they were of having at least striven to do their best.

The unfaithful servant prefaced his report with a grumbling excuse, which involved the imputation of unrighteousness in the Master. The story in this particular, as in the other features relating to human acts and tendencies, is psychologically true. In a peculiar sense men are prone to conceive of the attributes of God as comprizing in augmented degree the dominant traits of their own nature. Both the servant who had been entrusted with five talents and he who had received but two were equally commended, and, as far as we are told, were equally recompensed. The talents bestowed upon each were the gift of his Lord, who knew well whether that servant was capable of using to better advantage one, two, or five.

Let no one conclude that good work of relatively small scope is less necessary or acceptable than like service of wider range. Many a man who has succeeded well in business with small capital would have failed in the administration of vast sums. So also in spiritual achievements "there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit"

A man possessed of any good gift, such as musical ability, eloquence, skill in handicraft, or the like, ought to use that gift to the full, that he or others may be profited thereby. But should he be too neglectful to exercize his powers in independent service, he may assist others to profitable effort, by encouragement if by nothing more. Who can doubt in the spirit of the Lord's teaching, that had the man been able to report the doubling of his single talent, he would have been as cordially commended and as richly recompensed as were his more highly endowed and faithful fellows? It is notable that to the charge of unrighteousness made by the unfaithful servant, the

The unworthy man sought to excuse himself by the despicable but all too common subterfuge of presumptuously charging culpability in another. Talents are not given to be buried, and then to be dug up and offered back unimproved, reeking with the smell of earth and dulled by the corrosion of disuse. The unused talent was justly taken from him who had counted it as of so little worth, and was given to one, who, although possessing much, would use the additional gift to his own profit, to the betterment of his fellows, and to the glory of his Lord. The Lord had uttered His last parable.

"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory," says the Bible. "Unto those on His right hand the King shall give commendation and blessing, bestowing a rich recompense for their good works"

The blessed company, overwhelmed by the plenitude of the King's bounty, will fain disclaim the merit attributed to them. Unto them who wait on the left in terrified expectancy, the King shall recount their several deficiencies, in that they had given Him neither food nor drink, shelter nor clothing despite His need. The righteous shall be welcomed with "Come ye blessed of my Father"; the wicked shall hear the awful sentence, "Depart from me ye cursed"

Eternal life is the inestimable reward; everlasting punishment the unfathomable doom. Viewing as one discourse the two parables and the teaching that directly followed, we find in it such unity of subject and thoroughness of treatment as to give to the whole both beauty and worth. Vigilant waiting in the Lord's cause, and the dangers of unreadiness are exemplified in the story of the virgins. diligence in work and the calamitous results of sloth are prominent features of the tale of the talents. These two phases of service are of reciprocal and complementary import. It is as necessary at times to wait as at others to work. The lapse of a long period, as while the Bridegroom tar

The absolute certainty of the Christ coming to execute judgment is the sublime summary of this unparalleled discourse. Jesus specified the time of His betrayal and the manner of His death. "Ye know," He said, "that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified."

On the matter of wars and rumors or threats of wars, see Josephus, Antiquities xviii, ch. 9. The latter reference is to the account of the decree issued by Caligula that his statue be set up and duly reverenced in the temple. The Jews protested so strenuously that war was declared against them, but was averted by the death of the emperor. Other threats of war against the Jews were severally made by the emperors Claudius and Nero. Nation rose against nation, as for example, in the assault of Greeks and Syrians upon the Jews. 50,000 Jews were slain at Selucia on the Tigris, and 20,000 at Cæsarea, 13,

Famine and its attendant pestilence prevailed during the reign of Claudius, (41-54 A.D.) and such had been specifically predicted by inspiration, through Agabus (Acts 11:28). The famine was very severe in Palestine (Josephus, Antiquities, xx, ch. 2). Earthquakes were of alarming frequency and of unusual severity, between the death of Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem, particularly in Syria, Macedonia, Campania, and Achia. The portent of "fearful sights and great signs" from heaven, as recorded by Luke was realized in the phenomenal events chronicled by Josephus (Preface to "Wars").

Dr. Adam Clarke, in his commentary on passages in Matt 24, says: "We need go no farther than the Acts of the Apostles for the completion of these particulars" Some were delivered to councils, as Peter and John (Acts 4:5). Some were brought before rulers and kings, as Paul before Gallio (18:12); before Felix (ch. 24); before Festus and Agrippa ( ch. 25). Some had utterance and wisdom which their adversaries were not able to resist; so Stephen (6:10), and Paul who made even Felix himself tremble (24:25).

But if we look beyond the book of the Acts of the Apostles, to the bloody persecutions under Nero, we shall find these predictions still more amply fulfilled. In these, numberless Christians fell, besides those two champions of the faith, Peter and Paul. And it was, as says Tertullian, a war against the very name of Christ; for he who was called Christian had committed crime enough in bearing the name to be put to death. So true were our Savior's words that they should be hated of all men for His Name's sake.

Dummelow's Commentary applies here the record by Josephus concerning "a body of wicked men" The preaching of the gospel of the kingdom "in all the world" was no less truly an essential characteristic of the apostolic period than it is of the current or last dispensation. That the love of many did wax cold, both before and after the destruction of Jerusalem, is attested by the facts of the world-wide apostasy, which was the result of corruption within and persecution from without the Church.

The rapid spread of the gospel and the phenomenal growth of the Church under the direction of the apostles of old, is recorded as one of the marvels of history. Paul, writing about thirty years after Christ's ascension, affirms that the gospel had already been carried to every nation. The "abomination of desolation" cited by the Lord from the prophecy by Daniel was strictly fulfilled in the investment of Jerusalem by the Roman army (compare Luke 21:20, 21). To the Jews the ensigns and images of the Romans were a disgusting abomination.

The warning to all to flee from Jerusalem and Judea to the mountains when the armies would begin to surround the city was so generally heeded by members of the Church. According to the early Church writers not one Christian perished in the awful siege. The first siege by Gallus was unexpectedly raised, and then, before the armies of Vespasian arrived at the walls, all Jews who had faith in the warning given by Christ to the apostles, and by these to the people, fled beyond Jordan. As to the unprecedented horrors of the siege, which culminated in the utter destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, see Josephus, Wars vi, chaps. 3 and 4. That historian estimates the number slain in Jerusalem alone as 1

Many tens of thousands were taken captive, to be afterward sold into slavery, or to be slain by wild beasts, or in gladiatorial combat in the arena for the amusement of Roman spectators. In the course of the siege, a wall was constructed about the entire city, thus fulfilling the Lord's prediction (Luke 19:43), "thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee" In September A.D. 70 the city fell into the hands of the Romans; and its destruction was afterward made so thorough that its site was plowed up. Jerusalem was "trodden down of the Gentiles", and ever since has been under Gentile dominion.

The 24th chapter of Matthew, and its parallel scriptures in Mark 13 and Luke 21, may be the more easily understood if we bear in mind that the Lord therein speaks of two distinct events, each a consummation of long ages of preparation, and the first a prototype of the second. Many of the specific predictions are applicable both to the time preceding or at the destruction of Jerusalem, and to developments of succeeding time down to the second coming of Christ. Josephus tells of men leading others away into the desert, saying under pretended inspiration that there should they find God. The same historian mentions a false prophet who led many into the secret chambers of the temple during the Roman assault, promising them that there would the Lord give them deliver

Men, women, and children followed this fanatical leader, and were caught in the holocaust of destruction, so that 6,000 of them perished in the flames (Josephus, Wars vi, ch. 5). Concerning an application of the Lord's precepts to later times and conditions, the author has elsewhere written ( The Great Apostasy , 7:22-25): One of the heresies of early origin and rapid growth in the Church was the doctrine of antagonism between body and spirit, whereby the former was regarded as an incubus and a curse. A result of this grafting in of heathen doctrines was an abundant growth of hermit practises, by which men sought to weaken, torture

Many who adopted this unnatural view of human existence retired to the solitude of the desert, and there spent their time in practises of stern self-denial and in acts of frenzied self-torture. Others shut themselves up as voluntary prisoners, seeking glory in privation and self-imposed penance. Think you not that the Savior had such practises in mind, when, warning the disciples of the false claims to sanctity that would characterize the times then soon to follow?

The Lord's statement that the time of His advent in glory was unknown to man, and that the angels knew it not, "neither the Son", but that it was known to the Father only, appears plain and unambiguous notwithstanding many and conflicting commentaries thereon. Jesus repeatedly affirmed that His mission was to do the will of the Father; and it is evident that the Father's will was revealed to Him from time to time. While in the flesh He laid no claim to omniscience; though whatever He willed to know He learned through the medium of communication with the Father. Christ had not asked to know what the Father had not intimated His readiness to reveal, which, in this instance, was the day and

In the last interview between Christ and the apostles immediately before His ascension (Acts 1:6, 7) they asked "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" And he said, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. Nor has the date of the Messianic consummation been since revealed to any man.

The doctrine of supererogation is as unreasonable as it is unscriptural and untrue. Man's individual responsibility for his acts is as surely a fact as is his agency to act for himself. The author has written ( The Great Apostasy , 9:15) about the fallacy of this doctrine.

He will be saved through the merits and by the atoning sacrifice of our Redeemer and Lord. Remission of sins and the eventual salvation of the human soul are provided for; but these gifts of God are not to be purchased with money. Compare the awful fallacies of supererogation and the blasphemous practise of assuming to remit the sins of one man in consideration of the merits of another. The parable of the Ten Virgins affords refutation of the Satanic suggestion that one man's sin may be neutralized by another's righteousness.

The term "generation," as connoting a period of time, has many meanings, among which are "race, kind, class" The term is not confined to a body of people living at one time. We know no supererogation but that of the Lord Jesus Christ, through whose merits salvation is placed within the reach of all men.

The "body," as that of the Church, is rendered "carcase" in both authorized and revised versions. Among Bible scholars, a favorite interpretation of the passage, "For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together," is that Christ was likening unto eagles (revised version "vultures") the angels that shall come with Him to execute judgment upon mankind. See also Heb. 1:10, 11; 2 Peter 3:7-10; Rev. 21:1.

Note 5 , end of chapter. This is Mark's version. In the parallel passage Matt. 24:36, the words "neither the Son" are not found in the King James text, but do appear in the revised version. The revised version reads "another country" instead of "a far country," in Matt. 25:14. Matt. 26:2.