MATTHEW 24:29-31; MARK 13:24-27; LUKE 21:25-28
Matthew 24:29. And immediately after the tribulation of those days.
Christ comes now to speak of the full manifestation of his kingdom, about
which he was at first interrogated by the disciples, and promises that,
after they have been tried by so many distressing events, the redemption
will arrive in due time. The principal object of his reply was, to confirm
his disciples in good hope, that they might not be dismayed on account
of the troubles and confusion that would arise. For this reason, he does
not speak of his coming in simple terms, but employs those modes of expression
which were common among the prophets, by which, the more attentively they
were considered, so much the more severe would be the contest of temptation
experienced by the reader, in consequence of the opposite character of
the event. For what could be more strange than to see the kingdom of Christ
not only despised, but oppressed by the cross, loaded with many reproaches,
and overwhelmed by every kind of tribulation, that kingdom which the prophets
had frequently described in such magnificent language? Might it not be
asked, where was that majesty which would darken the sun, and moon, and
stars, shake the whole frame of the world, and change the ordinary course
of nature? Our Lord now meets these temptations, declaring that, though
these predictions are not immediately fulfilled, they will at length be
fully justified by the event. The meaning therefore is, that the predictions
which had been formerly made about the miraculous shaking of heaven and
earth, ought not to be restricted to the commencement of redemption, because
the prophets had embraced the whole course of it, till it should arrive
at perfection.
Having now ascertained Christ’s intention, we shall have no difficulty
in perceiving the meaning of the words to be, that heaven will not be darkened
immediately, but after that the Church shall have passed through the whole
course of its tribulations. Not that the glory and majesty of the kingdom
of Christ will not appear till his last coming, but because till that time
is delayed the accomplishment of those things which began to take place
after his resurrection, and of which God gave to his people nothing more
than a taste, that he might lead them farther on in the path of hope and
patience. According to this argument, Christ keeps the minds of believers
in a state of suspense till the last day, that they may not imagine those
declarations which the prophets made, about the future restoration, to
have failed of their accomplishment, because they lie buried for a long
period under the thick darkness of tribulations.
The tribulation of those days is improperly interpreted by some commentators
to mean the destruction of Jerusalem; for, on the contrary, it is a general
recapitulation (ajnakefalai>wsiv) of all the evils of which Christ had
previously spoken. To encourage his followers to patience, he employs this
argument, that the tribulations will at length have a happy and joyful
result. As if he had said, “So long as the Church shall continue its pilgrimage
in the world, there will be dark and cloudy weather; but as soon as an
end shall have been put to those distresses, a day will arrive when the
majesty of the Church shall be illustriously displayed.” In what manner
the sun will be darkened we cannot now conjecture, but the event will show.
He does not indeed mean that the stars will actually fall, but according
to the apprehension of men; and accordingly Luke only predicts that there
will be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars. The meaning
therefore is, that there will be such a violent commotion of the firmament
of heaven, that the stars themselves will be supposed to fall. Luke also
adds that there will be a dreadful commotion of the sea, the sea and the
waves roaring, so that men will faint through fear and alarm. In a word,
all the creatures above and below will be, as it were, heralds to summon
men to that tribunal, which they will continue to treat with ungodly and
wanton contempt till the last day.
30. Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man. By this term
Christ points out more clearly the difference between the present condition
of his kingdom and its future glory; for it is a sort of admission that,
amidst the darkness of tribulations, the majesty of Christ will not fully
appear, and men will not perceive the redemption which he has brought.
The confused mixture of things which we now perceive does certainly, on
the one hand, darken our minds, and, on the other hand, bury the grace
of Christ, and make it almost vanish from our sight, so that the salvation
obtained by him, so far as relates to the perception of the flesh, is not
comprehended. And therefore he declares that he will appear openly at his
last coming and, surrounded by the heavenly power, which will be a sign
erected on an elevated spot, he will turn the eyes of the whole world upon
himself.
Perceiving that the greater part of men would despise his doctrine and
oppose his reign, he threatens also against all nations mourning and lamentation;
because it is proper, that by his presence he should crush and destroy
the rebels, who, while he was absent, despised his authority. He says this,
partly to bring the haughty and refractory to repentance, by striking them
with terror; and partly to confirm the minds of his followers amidst so
great obstinacy existing in the world. For it is no slight ground of offense
to see the ungodly living without concern, because they think that their
mockery of God will remain unpunished; and again, there is nothing to which
we are more prone than to be captivated by the allurements of the prosperity
which they enjoy, so as to lose the fear of God. That the joy by which
they are intoxicated may not excite the envy of believers, Christ declares
that it will at length be turned into mourning and gnashing of teeth.
He alludes, I think, to Zechariah 12:11-14, where God, informing them
that a striking display of his judgment will soon be made, declares that
there will be lamentation in every family, such as is not usually seen
at the funeral of a first-born son. There is no reason, therefore, why
any person should expect the conversion of the world, for at length—when
it will be too late, and will yield them no advantage—
they shall look on him whom they pierced,
(Zechariah 12:10.)
Next follows the explanation of that sin, that they shall see the Son
of man coming in the clouds, who at that time was living on earth in the
garb of a despised servant. And thus he warns them that the glory of his
kingdom will be heavenly, and not earthly, as the disciples had falsely
imagined.
And he shall send his angels. He describes the effect of his
power, that he will send his angels to gather his elect from the most distant
parts of the world; for by the extremity of heaven is meant the most distant
region. But Christ speaks hyperbolically, in order to show that the elect,
even though they were carried away from the earth and scattered in the
air, will again be gathered, so to be united in the enjoyment of eternal
life under Him as their head, and enjoy the expected inheritance; for Christ
intended to console his disciples, that they might not be altogether discouraged
by the lamentable dispersion of the Church. Whenever, therefore, we perceive
the Church scattered by the wiles of Satan, or torn in pieces by the cruelty
of the ungodly, or disturbed by false doctrines, or tossed about by storms,
let us learn to turn our eyes to this gathering of the elect. And if it
appear to us a thing difficult to be believed, let us call to remembrance
the power of the angels, which Christ holds out to us for the express purpose
of raising our views above human means. For, though the Church be now tormented
by the malice of men, or even broken by the violence of the billows, and
miserably torn in pieces, so as to have no stability in the world, yet
we ought always to cherish confident hope, because it will not be by human
means, but by heavenly power, which will be far superior to every obstacle,
that the Lord will gather his Church.
Luke 21:25. And when these things begin to take place. Luke expresses
more clearly the consolation by which Christ animates the minds of his
followers; for, though this sentence contains nothing different from the
words of Matthew, which we have just now explained, yet it shows better
for what purpose the angels will come, as we are told, to gather the elect.
For it was necessary to contrast the joy of the godly with the general
sorrow and distress of the world, and to point out the difference between
them and the reprobate, that they might not view with horror the coming
of Christ. We know that Scripture, when it speaks not only of the last
judgment, but of all the judgments which God executes every day, describes
them in a variety of ways, according as the discourse is addressed to believers
or to unbelievers.
To what purpose is the day of the Lord to you?
says the prophet Amos, (5:18.)
It is a day of darkness and gloominess, not of light; of sorrow, not
of joy; of destruction, not of salvation. On the other hand, Zechariah
(9:9) bids the daughter of Zion rejoice on account of the coming of her
King; and justly, for—as Isaiah (35:4) tells us—the same day which brings
wrath and vengeance to the reprobate brings good-will and redemption to
believers.
Christ therefore shows that, at his coming, the light of joy will arise
on his disciples, that they may rejoice in the approaching salvation, while
the wicked are overwhelmed with terror. Accordingly, Paul distinguishes
them by this mark, that they wait for the day or coming of the Lord, (1
Corinthians 1:7) for that which is their crown, and perfect happiness,
and solace, is delayed till that day, (2 Timothy 4:8.) It is therefore
called here (as in Romans 8:23) redemption; because we shall then obtain
truly and perfectly the consequences of the deliverance obtained through
Christ. Let our ears therefore be awake to the sound of the angel’s trumpet,
which will then sound, not only to strike the reprobate with the dread
of death, but to arouse the elect to a second life; that is, to call to
the enjoyment of life those whom the Lord now quickens by the voice of
his Gospel; for it is a sign of infidelity, to be afraid when the Son of
God comes in person for our salvation.
MATTHEW 24:32-36; MARK 13:28-32; LUKE 21:29-33
Matthew 24:32. Now learn a similitude from the fig-tree. I do
not suppose the meaning of this to be merely that, during the state of
confusion which has been mentioned, there will be as evident a sign that
the coming of Christ is nigh, as that by which we know with certainty that
the summer is at hand, when the trees begin to grow green; but, in my opinion,
Christ expresses something else. For as in winter the trees, contracted
by the severity of the cold, show greater vigor, but in spring lose their
toughness, and appear more feeble, and are even cleft asunder to open up
passage for fresh twigs, so the afflictions by which, according to the
perception of the flesh, the Church is softened, do not in any way impair
its vigor. As the inward sap diffused through the whole tree, after having
produced this softness, collects strength to throw itself out for renovating
what was dead, so the Lord draws from the corruption of the outward man
the perfect restoration of his people. The general instruction conveyed
is, that the weak and frail condition of the Church ought not to lead us
to conclude that it is dying, but rather to expect the immortal glory for
which the Lord prepares his people by the cross and by afflictions; for
what Paul maintains in reference to each of the members must be fulfilled
in the whole body, that
if the outward man is decayed the inward man is renewed day by day,
(2 Corinthians 4:16.)
What Matthew and Mark had stated more obscurely, know you that it is
nigh at the door, is more fully explained by Luke, know you that the kingdom
of God is at hand; and in this passage the kingdom of God is not represented—as
in many other passages—at its commencement, but at its perfection, and
that according to the views of those whom Christ was teaching. For they
did not view the kingdom of God in the Gospel as consisting in the peace
and joy of faith and in spiritual righteousness, (Romans 14:17,) but sought
that blessed rest and glory which is concealed under hope till the last
day.
34. This generation shall not pass away. Though Christ employs
a general expression, yet he does not extend the discourses to all the
miseries which would befall the Church, but merely informs them, that before
a single generation shall have been completed, they will learn by experience
the truth of what he has said. For within fifty years the city was destroyed
and the temple was razed, the whole country was reduced to a hideous desert,
and the obstinacy of the world rose up against God. Nay more, their rage
was inflamed to exterminate the doctrine of salvation, false teachers arose
to corrupt the pure gospel by their impostures, religion sustained amazing
shocks, and the whole company of the godly was miserably distressed. Now
though the same evils were perpetrated in uninterrupted succession for
many ages afterwards, yet what Christ said was true, that, before the close
of a single generation, believers would feel in reality, and by undoubted
experience, the truth of his prediction; for the apostles endured the same
things which we see in the present day. And yet it was not the design of
Christ to promise to his followers that their calamities would be terminated
within a short time, (for then he would have contradicted himself, having
previously warned them that the end was not yet;) but, in order to encourage
them to perseverance, he expressly foretold that those things related to
their own age. The meaning therefore is: “This prophecy does not relate
to evils that are distant, and which posterity will see after the lapse
of many centuries, but which are now hanging over you, and ready to fall
in one mass, so that there is no part of it which the present generation
will not experience.” So then, while our Lord heaps upon a, single generation
every kind of calamities, he does not by any means exempt future ages from
the same kind of sufferings, but only enjoins the disciples to be prepared
for enduring them all with firmness.
35. Heaven and earth shall pass away. In order to secure greater
confidence in his statements, he illustrates their certainty by this comparison,
that it is more firm and stable than the entire structure of the world.
But this form of expression is explained by commentators in a variety of
ways. Some refer it as the passing away of heaven and earth at the last
day, by which their frail constitution will be brought to an end; while
others explain it to mean, that sooner shall the entire structure of the
world perish than the prophecy which we have just heard shall fail to be
accomplished. But as there can be no doubt that Christ expressly intended
to raise the minds of his followers above the contemplation of the world,
I think that he refers to the continual changes which we see in the world,
and affirms, that we ought not to judge of his sayings by the changeful
character of the world, which resembles the billows of the sea; for we
know how easily our minds are carried away by the affairs of the world,
when it is undergoing incessant change. For this reason, Christ enjoins
his disciples not to allow their attention to be occupied by the world,
but to look down, from what may be called the lofty watch-tower of divine
providence, on all that he foretold would happen. Yet from this passage
we draw a useful doctrine, that our salvation, because it is founded on
the promises of Christ, does not fluctuate according to the various agitations
of the world, but remains unshaken, provided only that our faith rises
above heaven and earth, and ascends to Christ himself.
36. But of that day and hour. By this sentence, Christ intended
to hold the minds of believers in suspense that they might not, by a false
imagination, fix any time for the final redemption. We know how fickle
our minds are, and how much we are tickled by a vain curiosity to know
more than is proper. Christ likewise perceived that the disciples were
pushing forward with excessive haste to enjoy a triumph. He therefore wishes
the day of his coming to be the object of such expectation and desire,
that none shall dare to inquire when it will happen. In short, he wishes
his disciples so to walk in the light of faith, that while they are uncertain
as to the time, they may patiently wait for the revelation of him. We ought
therefore to be on our guard, lest our anxiety about the time be carried
farther than the Lord allows; for the chief part of our wisdom lies in
confining ourselves soberly within the limits of God’s word. That men may
not feel uneasy at not knowing that day, Christ represents angels as their
associates in this matter; for it would be a proof of excessive pride and
wicked covetousness, to desire that we who creep on the earth should know
more than is permitted to the angels in heaven.
Mark adds, nor the Son himself. And surely that man must be singularly
mad, who would hesitate to submit to the ignorance which even the Son of
God himself did not hesitate to endure on our account. But many persons,
thinking that this was unworthy of Christ, have endeavored to mitigate
the harshness of this opinion by a contrivance of their own; and perhaps
they were driven to employ a subterfuge by the malice of the Arians, who
attempted to prove from it that Christ is not the true and only God. So
then, according to those men, Christ did not know the last day, because
he did not choose to reveal it to men. But since it is manifest that the
same kind of ignorance is ascribed to Christ as is ascribed to the angels,
we must endeavor to find some other meaning which is more suitable. Before
stating it, however, I shall briefly dispose of the objections of those
who think that it is an insult offered to the Son of God, if it be said
that any kind of ignorance can properly apply to him.
As to the first objection, that nothing is unknown to God, the answer
is easy. For we know that in Christ the two natures were united into one
person in such a manner that each retained its own properties; and more
especially the Divine nature was in a state of repose, and did not at all
exert itself, whenever it was necessary that the human nature should act
separately, according to what was peculiar to itself, in discharging the
office of Mediator. There would be no impropriety, therefor in saying that
Christ, who knew all things, (John 21:17) was ignorant of something in
respect of his perception as a man; for otherwise he could not have been
liable to grief and anxiety, and could not have been like us, (Hebrews
2:17.) Again, the objection urged by some—that ignorance cannot apply to
Christ, because it is the punishment of sin—is beyond measure ridiculous.
For, first, it is prodigious folly to assert that the ignorance which is
ascribed to angels proceeds from sin; but they discover themselves to be
equally foolish on another ground, by not perceiving that Christ clothed
himself with our flesh, for the purpose of enduring the punishment due
to our sins. And if Christ, as man, did not know the last day, that does
not any more derogate from his Divine nature than to have been mortal.
I have no doubt that he refers to the office appointed to him by the
Father as in a former instance, when he said that it did not belong to
him to place this or that person at his right or left hand, (Matthew 20:23;
Mark 5:40.) For (as I explained under that passage) he did not absolutely
say that this was not in his power, but the meaning was, that he had not
been sent by the Father with this commission, so long as he lived among
mortals. So now I understand that, so far as he had come down to us to
be Mediator, until he had fully discharged his office that information
was not given to him which he received after his resurrection; for then
he expressly declared that power over all things had been given to him,
(Matthew 28:18.)
