Matthew 24:23-31
23. If any one shall then say to you. He again repeats what he
had said about impostors, and not without reason; for there was great danger
arising from this temptation, that wretched men, while their affairs were
in a troubled and desperate condition, would be deceived by false pretenses,
would seek phantoms instead of Christ, and would embrace the delusions
of Satan, as if they were assistance from God. As the Jews, when they were
so severely oppressed on account of having despised redemption, needed,
at least, violent remedies to restrain them from treachery, Satan cunningly
held out to them new hopes, which would withdraw them still farther from
God. And certainly, when we are left without direction in adversity, nothing
is more pernicious than to be deceived, under the disguise of the name
of God, by falsehoods which not only shut against us the door of repentance,
but increase the darkness of infidelity, and at length overwhelm us with
despair, and drive us to madness. The repetition of the statement, therefore,
was far from being superfluous, when the danger was so great; and especially
when Christ warns them that false prophets will come prepared with no ordinary
instruments of deception, with signs and wonders fitted to confound weak
minds. For since it is by miracles that God attests the presence of his
power, and since they are therefore seals of the true doctrine, we need
not wonder if impostors gain credit by them. By this kind of delusion God
revenges the ingratitude of men, that they who rejected the truth may believe
a lie, and that they who shut their eyes against the light which was offered
to them may be plunged deeper and deeper in darkness. He exercises, at
the same time, the constancy of his followers, which comes to shine with
greater brightness, when they give way to no kind of impostures.
Again, since our Lord declares that antichrists and false prophets would
be armed with miracles, there is no reason why the Papists should talk
so haughtily on this ground, or why we should be terrified by their boasting.
In support of their superstitions they plead miracles,—those very miracles
which, the Son of God predicted, would corrupt the faith of many, and which,
therefore, wise men ought not to hold in such estimation as to be sufficient
of themselves to prove either one or another kind of doctrine. If it be
objected, that such reasoning would overthrow and set aside the miracles
by which both the Law and the Gospel were ratified, I reply, that the Spirit
engraved on them an undoubted mark, which removed from believers all doubt
and fear of being mistaken. For when God displayed his power for the purpose
of confirming his people, he did not act in so confused a manner as not
to manifest the true and infallible distinction. Besides, the manner in
which miracles seal doctrine is such, that the doctrine itself mutually
shines before them, and dispels all the clouds by which Satan darkens the
minds of the simple. In short, if we wish to guard against impostures,
let us preserve the connection between miracles and doctrine unbroken.
24. So that even the elect (if it were possible) will be led into
error. This was added for the purpose of exciting alarm, that believers
may be more careful to be on their guard; for when such unbounded freedom
of action is allowed to false prophets, and when they are permitted to
exert such powers of deceiving, those who are careless and inattentive
would easily be entangled by their snares. Christ therefore exhorts and
arouses his disciples to keep watch, and at the same time reminds them
that there is no reason for being troubled at the strangeness of the sight,
if they see many persons on every hand led away into error. While he excites
them to solicitude, that Satan may not overtake them in a state of sloth,
he gives them abundant ground of confidence on which they may calmly rely,
when he promises that they will be safe under the defense and protection
of God against all the snares of Satan. And thus, however frail and slippery
the condition of the godly may be, yet here is a firm footing on which
they may stand; for it is not possible for them to fall away from salvation,
to whom the Son of God is a faithful guardian. For they have not sufficient
energy to resist the attacks of Satan, unless in consequence of their being
the sheep of Christ, which none can pluck out of his hand, (John 10:28.)
It must therefore be observed, that the permanency of our salvation
does not depend on us, but on the secret election of God; for though our
salvation is kept through faith, as Peter tells us, (1 Peter 1:5,) yet
we ought to ascend higher, and assure ourselves that we are in safety,
because the Father hath given us to the Son, and the Son himself declares,
that none who have been given to him shall perish (John 17:12.).
25. Lo, I have foretold it to you. Mark expresses our Lord’s
meaning more fully. But take heed: lo, I have foretold you all things.
By these words we are taught that they who are dismayed by the stumbling-blocks
which Christ predicted are altogether inexcusable; for since the will of
God ought to be our rule, it is sufficient that we have received timely
warning that such is his pleasure. Again, as he declares that
he is faithful, and will not suffer us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear,
(1 Corinthians 10:13,) we shall never be in want of strength to resist, provided that our weakness
be not nourished by indifference.
26. Lo, he is in the desert. Luke connects this discourse with
another reply of Christ; for, having been interrogated by the Pharisees
about the coming of the kingdom of God, he replied, that it would not come
with observation; and then follows in Luke’s narrative that, turning to
his disciples, he informed them that the days would come when they would
no longer see a day of the Son of man. By these words he intended to charge
them
to walk in the light before the darkness of the night overtook them, (John 12:35;) for this ought to have been a very powerful excitement to endeavor to
make progress, so long as they enjoyed the presence of Christ, when they
1earned that very serious disturbances were at hand. Whether or not Christ
admonished his disciples twice on this subject is uncertain; but I think
it. probable that Luke, while he was speaking of the coming of the kingdom
of God introduced sentences taken from a different occasion, which he frequently
does, as we have seen in other instances.
But as this passage has been, through ignorance, tortured in various
ways, that the reader may ascertain the true meaning, he must attend to
the contrast between a state of concealment and that extension of the kingdom
of Christ far and wide, and which would be sudden and unexpected, as the
lightning dashes from the east to the west. For we know that the false
Christs—in accordance with the gross and foolish hope of that nation—drew
along with them as large bodies of men as they could collect into the recesses
of the desert, or into caverns, or other places of retirement, in order
to throw off the yoke of the Roman government by force and by arms. The
meaning therefore is, that every one who collects his forces into a secret
place, in order to regain the freedom of the nation by arms, falsely pretends
to be the Christ; for the Redeemer is sent to diffuse his grace suddenly
and unexpectedly through every quarter of the world. But these two things
are quite contrary, to shut up redemption within some corner, and to spread
it through the whole world. The disciples were thus reminded that they
must no longer seek a Redeemer within the small enclosure of Judea, because
he will suddenly extend the limits of his kingdom to the uttermost ends
of the world. And, indeed, this astonishing rapidity, with which the gospel
flew through every part of the world, was a manifest testimony of divine
power. For it could not be the result of human industry, that the light
of the gospel, as soon as it appear, darted from one side of the world
to the opposite side like lightning; and therefore it is not without reason
that Christ introduces this circumstance for demonstrating and magnifying
his heavenly glory. Besides, by holding out this vast extent of his kingdom,
he intended to show that the desolation of Judea would not hinder him from
reigning.
28. Wheresoever the carcass is. The meaning is, that by whatever
methods Satan endeavors to scatter the children of God in various directions,
still in Christ himself is the sacred bond of union, by which they must
be kept united. For whence comes the dispersion, but that many depart from
Christ, in whom alone our strength lies? Here then is a method laid down
for promoting a holy union, that the separations produced by errors may
not tear in pieces the body of the Church; and that method is, when we
remain united to Christ. This ought to be carefully observed; for Christ
does not restrict us either to the primacy of the Roman See, or to any
other foolery, but employs this method alone for binding his Church together,
that all in every quarter should look to him as the only head. Hence it
follows, that those who are united to him by pure faith are beyond the
risk of schism. Let the adherents of Rome now go, and exclaim that all
are schismatics who do not allow themselves to be separated from Christ,
that they may transfer their allegiance to a robber.
There also will the eagles be gathered together. When the Papists interpret
the word carcass to denote the company of those who profess the same faith,
and allegorically explain the eagles to represent acute and sagacious men,
it is excessively absurd, for Christ had manifestly no other design than
to call to himself, and to retain in union to him, the children of God,
wherever they were scattered. Nor does Christ simply employ the word body,
but (ptw~ma) carcass; and he ascribes nothing to eagles but what we might
apply to crows or vultures, according to the nature of the country which
we inhabit. I attach as little value to the ingenuity of other commentators,
who say that the death of Christ had a sweet savor, to draw the elect to
God; for, in my opinion, Christ intended to argue from the less to the
greater, that if birds have so great sagacity as to flock in great numbers
from distant places to a single carcass, it would be disgraceful in believers
not to assemble to the Author of life, from whom alone they derive their
actual nourishment.
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.
