Mark xiii. 2. And Jesus answering, said unto them, Seest thou these Jerusalem. great buildings?

of wars, &c. These may be seen in Josephus, (b. xviii. c. 9. War.
b. xi. c. 10.) especially as to the rumours of wars, when Caligula
ordered his statue to be set up in the temple of God, which the
Jews having refused, had every reason to expect a war with the
Romans; and were in such consternation on the occasion, that
they even neglected to till the ground: but their fears were
soon dissipated by the timely death of that emperor.

"Nation shall rise against nation." This portended greater
disturbances than those which took place under Caligula, in the
latter times of Claudius, and in the reign of Nero. It foretold
the dissensions, insurrections, and mutual slaughter of the Jews,
and those of other nations, who dwelt in the same cities to-
gether; as particularly at Cesarea, where the Jews and Syrians
contended about the right of the city, which ended in the total
expulsion of the Jews, above 20,000 of whom were slain. The
whole Jewish uation being exasperated at this, flew to arms,
and burnt and plundered the neighbouring cities and villages
of the Syrians, making an immense slaughter of the people.
The Syrians, in return, destroyed not a less number of the
Jews. At Scythopolis they murdered upwards of 13,000; at
Ascalon they killed 2500; at Ptolemais they slew 2000, and
made many prisoners. The Tyrians also put many Jews to
death, and imprisoned more: the people of Gadara did like-
wise, and all the other cities of Syria in proportion, as they
hated or feared the Jews. At Alexandria the Jews and Heathens
fought, and 50,000 of the former were slain. The people of
Damascus conspired against the Jews of that city, and assault-
ing them unarmed, killed 10,000 of them.

"Kingdom against kingdom." This portended the open wars of different tetrarchies and provinces against each other. That of Jews and Galileans against the Samaritans, for the murder of some Galileans going up to the feast of Jerusalem, while Cumanus was procurator. That of the whole nation of Jews against the Romans and Agrippa, and other allies of the Roman empire; which began when Gessius Florus was procurator; and that of the civil war in Italy, while Otho and Vitellius were contending for the empire. It is worthy of remark, that the Jews themselves say, "In the time of the Messiah, wars shall be stirred up in the world; nation shall rise against nation, and city against city." Sohar Kadash. Again, Rab. Eleasar, the son of Abina, said, "When ye see kingdom rising against kingdom, then expect the immediate appearance of the Messiah." Berashith Rabba, sect. 42.

"There shall be famines and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places." And we find a famine foretold by Agabus, (Acts xi. 28.) which is mentioned by Suetonius, Tacitus, and Eusebius, which came to pass in the days of Claudius Cesar; and was so severe at Jerusalem, that Jospephus says, (Ant. b. xx. c. 2.) many died for lack of food. Pestilences are the usual attendants of famines; as the scarcity and badness of provisions generally produce epidemic disorders. There were several earthquakes likewise in those times to which our Lord refers; particularly one at Crete, in the reign of Claudius; one at Smyrna, Miletus, Chios, and Samos. See Grotius; one at Rome, mentioned by Tacitus; and one at Laodicea, in the reign of Nero, in which the city was overthrown, as were likewise Hierapolis and Colosse. See Tacit. Annal. lib. xii. and lib. xiv. one; at Campania, mentioned by Seneca; and one at Rome, in the reign of Galba, mentioned by Suetonius, in the

Mat. xxiv.2. See ye not all these things?

Luke xxi. 6.

As for these things which ye behold,

life of that emperor. Add to all these a dreadful one in Judea,
mentioned by Josephus, (War, b. iv. c. 4.) accompanied by a
dreadful tempest, violent winds, vehement showers, and conti-
nual lightnings and thunders; which led many to believe that
these things portended some uncommon calamity.

"That there shall be fearful sights and great signs from
heaven," (chap. xxi. 11.) Josephus, in his preface to the
Jewish war mentions that a star hung over the city like a
sword; and a comet continued a whole year.
The people
being assembled at the feast of unleavened bread, at the ninth
hour of the night, a great light shone about the altar and the
temple, and this continued for half an hour. The eastern gate
of the temple, which was of solid brass, and could hardly be
shut by twenty men, and was fastened by strong bars and bolts,
was seen at the sixth hour of the night to open of its own ac-
cord! Before sunsetting there was seen, over all the country,
chariots and armies fighting in the clouds, and besieging cities.
At the feast of Pentecost, when the priests were going into the
inner temple by night, to attend their service, they heard first
a motion and noise, and then a voice as of a multitude, saying,
"Let us depart hence." What Josephus reckons one of the
most terrible signs of all was; that one Jesus, a country fellow,
four years before the war began, and when the city was in
peace and plenty, came to the feast of tabernacles, and ran crying
up and down the streets, day and night: "A voice from the East,
a voice from the West! a voice from the four winds! a voice
against Jerusalem and the temple! a voice against the bride-
groom and the bride! and a voice against all the people!"
Though the magistrates endeavoured, by stripes and tortures,
to interrogate him, they could obtain no answer but the mourn-
ful cry of, "Woe, woe to Jerusalem!" and this he continued
to do for several years together, going about the walls, and
crying with a loud voice," Woe, woe to the city, and to the
people, and to the temple !" and, as he added, "Woe, woe to
myself," a stone from some sling or engine struck him dead on
the spot!

These were indeed fearful signs and wonders; and there is
not a more credible historian than the one who relates them,
who appeals to the testimony of those who saw and heard them.
But an additional evidence is given to his relation by the Ro-
man historian Tacitus, who presents us with a summary ac-
count of the same occurrences; and as "the testimonies of
Josephus and Tacitus confirm the predictions of Christ, so the
predictions of Christ confirm the wonders recorded by these his-
torians (c)." But these were only the beginnings of sorrows,
(Matt. xxiv. 8.) and from the calamities of the nation in general,
Christ passes to those of the Christians in particular, (xxiv. 9.
Mark xiii. 9, 11. Luke xxi. 13, 14. 15.) We need look no fur-
ther than the Acts of the Apostles for a melancholy proof of the
truth of their predictions. But although the followers of
Christ's religion were persecuted beyond measure, it is a re-
markable fact, and a signal act of Divine Providence, that none
of the Christians perished in the destruction of Jerusalem. So
literally was that assertion fulfilled, "There shall not an hair
of your head perish." And, notwithstanding the persecutions
and calamities of the Christians, it was prophesied, "This Gos-
pel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a
witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come." And
accordingly we find, from the writers of the history of the

Jerusalem.

Mat. xxiv.2. Verily I say unto you,

Church, that before the destruction of Jerusalem the Gospel
was not only preached in the Lesser Asia, and Greece, and
Italy, but as far northward as Scythia, as far southward as
Ethiopia, as far eastward as Parthia and India, and as far west-
ward as Spain and Britain. Agreeably to this, Eusebius (d)
informs us, that the Apostles preached the Gospel in all the
world, and some of them (probably either St. Simon or St.
Paul,) passed beyond the ocean to the Britannic Isles. Theo-
doret likewise affirms, that the Apostles had induced every
nation and kind of men to embrace the Gospel, among whom
he reckons particularly the Britons; and St. Paul himself de-
clares, the Gospel" is come into all the world, and preached
to every creature under heaven;" and (in Rom. x. 18.) be ele-
gantly applies to the lights of the Church these words of the
Psalmist, "Their sound went into all the earth, and their
words unto the ends of the world." And all this was fulfilled
to convince every nation of the crying sin of the Jews, in cru-
cifying the Lord of glory, and of the justice of God's judg-
ment upon them. And then came the end, the time of the de-
struction of Jerusalem, and of the Jewish polity, when the
abomination of desolation stood in the holy place. The verses
(15 and 16 of Matt. xxiv.) are explained by the parallel pas-
sage in Luke xxi. 20, 21. The Roman army, is the desolation of
abomination spoken of by Daniel the prophet, chap. ix. and xi.
and it is so called, from its ensigns and images, which were abomi-
nations to the Jews; and Josephus informs (e) us, that after the
city was taken the Romans brought these ensigns into the temple,
placed them over against the eastern gate, and there sacrificed
to them.

"Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains."
This counsel was remembered, and wisely followed by the Chris-
tians afterwards. And we find it accordingly most providen-
tially ordered, that Jerusalem should be encompassed with ar-
mies, and yet that the Christians should have favourable oppor-
tunities of making their escape. Josephus (sect. iv. p. 1102.
edit. Hudson) tells us that Cestius Gallus, in the 12th year of
Nero, if " he had been inclined to break through the walls of
the city by force, he instantly would have taken it, and put an
end to the war;" but, contrary to the expectation of all, and
without any just cause, he departed. Vespasian was deputed
in his place, as governor of Syria, and to carry on the wars
against the Jews; and when he had subdued all the country,
and was preparing to besiege Jerusalem, the death of Nero, and
soon afterwards that of Galba, compelled him, from the dis-
turbances and civil wars that ensued in his own country, to
defer for some time his plan of operations against Jerusalem.
These apparently incidental delays enabled the Christians to
provide for their safety; and Eusebius and Epiphanius inform
us, that all who believed in Christ left Jerusalem, and fled to
Perca, and other places beyond the river Jordan. Josephus also
remarks, after the retreat of Cestius Gallus, "Many of the il-
lustrious Jews departed from the city, as from a sinking ship."
After this period, when Vespasian was confirmed in the empire,
Titus surrounded the city with a wall, thirty-nine furlongs in
dimensions, strengthened with thirteen forts, so that, Josephus
says, "with all means of escaping, all hope of safety was cut
off from the Jews." So marvellously did our blessed Saviour
ensure, by his prophecy, deliverance to those who believed
on him, and had faith in his promises: and so always
The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of tempta-

Jerusalem.

Luke xxi.6. the days will come, in the which

tions," 2 Pet. ii. 9. The houses of the Jews, as well as those
of the Greeks and Romans, were flat upon the top, forming
continued terraces from one end of the city to the other, which
generally terminated at the gates. Our Saviour makes use of
the expressions in Mark xiii. 15. and Matt. xxiv. 18. to signify
that the departure of the Christians must be as sudden and
hasty as Lot's from the destruction of Sodom.

"For then shall be great tribulation." No history can furnish
us with a parallel to the calamities and miseries of the Jews:
Rapine, Murder, Famine, and Pestilence within; Fire and
sword, and all the horrors of war without. Our Lord wept at the
foresight of these calamities; and it is almost impossible for any
humane person to read the relation of them in Josephus, with-
out weeping also. St. Luke, chap. xxi. 22. calls these the days
of vengeance, that all things which were written might be ful-
filled. These were the days in which all the calamities predicted
by Moses, Joel, Daniel, and other prophets, as well as those
foretold by our Saviour, met in one common centre, and were
fulfilled in the most terrible manner on that generation. These
were the days of vengeance in another sense, as if God's judg-
ments had certain periods and revolutions; for it is remark-
able, that the temple was burnt by the Romans on the same
month, and on the same day of the month, on which it had been
burned by the Babylonians. See Josephus, War, b. vi. c. 4.
Josephus computes the number of those who perished in the
siege at eleven hundred thousand, besides those who were slain
in other places, War, b. vi. c. 9.; and if the Romans had gone
on destroying in this manner, the whole nation of the Jews
would in a short time have been entirely extirpated: but, for
the sake of the elect, (the Jews,) that they might not be en-
tirely destroyed, and, for the Christians particularly, the days
were shortened.

Josephus relates, that the Jews themselves first set fire to the porticos of the temple, and then the Romans; when one of the soldiers, neither waiting for the word of command, nor fearing to perpetuate such an action, but hurried on by a divine impulse, threw a burning brand in at the golden window, and thereby set fire to the buildings of the temple itself. But Titus was still for preserving the holy place, but the anger and hatred of his soldiers against the Jews overcame their reverence for their general; a soldier in the dark set fire to the doors, and thus, as Josephus says, "the temple was burnt, contrary to the will of Cesar." The Romans burnt the extremest parts of the city, and dug up the foundations of the walls, reserving only three towers, and a part of the wall, as a memorial of their own valour, and for the better encampment of the soldiers. Afterwards, we read in the Jewish Talmud, and in Maimonides, that Terentius Rufus, who was left to command the army, did with a ploughshare tear up the foundation of the temple; thereby signally fulfilling the prophecy of Micah iii. 12. Eusebius too, affirms, that it was ploughed up by the Romans, and that he saw it lying in ruins. So literally were our Saviour's words accomplished in the ruin, and desolation of the city and of the temple. Josephus further asserts, that there was no part of Judea which did not partake of the calamities of the capital city. The Romans pursued, and took, and slew the Jews every where, fulfilling again that prediction, Wheresoever the carcase is (the Jewish nation, morally and judicially dead,) there will the eagles (the Romans, whose cnsign was an eagle) be gathered together.

Jerusalem also, according to the prediction of our Lord, was to be trodden down by the Gentiles. Accordingly it has never

Jerusalem

Mat.xxiv.2. there shall not be left here one stone upon another that Jerusalem. shall not be thrown down.

Mark xiii.3.

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple,

Mat.xxiv.3. the disciples,

Mark xiii.3. Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew,

Mat. xxiv.3. came unto him privately,

Mark xiii. 3. asked him privately,

Luke xxi. 7.

And they asked him, saying, Master, but

Mat. xxiv.3. Tell us when shall these things be? and what shall be
the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Mark xiii.4. when all these things shall be fulfilled?

since been in the possession of the Jews. It was first in sub-
jection to the Saracens, afterwards to the Romans, then to the
Franks, after to the Mamalukes, and now to the Turks. Thus
has the prophecy of Christ been most literally and terribly ful-
filled, on a people who are still preserved, as continued monu-
ments of the truth of our Lord's prediction, and of the truth of
the Christian religion (ƒ).

We have hitherto considered this passage as relating to the
destruction of Jerusalem only, which was its primary applica-
tion; but, like every other prophecy, it had its literal and typi-
cal signification. Our Saviour loses sight, as it were, of his
former subject, in the contemplation of the end of the world,
and the general judgment. "It appears," says Bishop Newton,
"next to impossible, that any man should duly consider these
prophecies, and their exact completion, and, if he is a believer,
not be confirmed in his faith, or if he is an infidel, not be con-
verted." As soon as the Gospel is preached to every creature
now under heaven, and the fulness of the Gentiles be accom-
plished, then shall the Son of Man come in the clouds of heaven,
to take vengeance on his enemies; and with great power and
glory bring deliverance, as in the days of the destruction of Je-
rusalem, to those who believe in Him, and trust in his pro-
mises for salvation and mercy (g).

(a) Dr. P. Smith's Scripture Testimony, vol. ii. p. 205, &c. &c. (b) Discipuli communi Judeorum occupati errore arbitrabantur, Messiam præsentem Gentium victorem extiturum, atque triumphorum suorum celebritate universum, qua patet, orbem esse, impleturum; porro ex ejus victoriis profundissimam pacem regni ejns esse extituram, in qua felicissima futura esset eorum, qui in partes regni ejus venirent, apostolorum et discipulorum conditio; tam denique unam veram religionem, sublato omni dissensu, idololatria et falsâ prophetiâ submotâ, orbem terrarum esse occupaturum. Hanc vero Taperíav illustratura esse signa quædam luculenta, vel extraordinarios quosdam eventus, quibus adesse jam eum ad regnum ejusmodi capessendum constet, recepta tum fuit, et hodie ad huc est Judæorum opinio, &c.-Rosenmuller Scholia, in Matt. vol. i. p. 469-70. Rosenmuller refers in this last sentence to the custom said to be observed among the Jews of opening their windows in a thunder storm, in expectation of their Messiah. (c) Jortin. (d) Demonst. Evang. lib. iií. cap. 5. sect. 112. edit. Paris, 1628. and Theodor. serm. ix. tom. iv. p. 610. edit. Paris, 1642. ap Jortin. (e) Antiq. lib. xviii. cap. 6. sect. 3. ed. Hudson. (f) Bishop Newton on the Prophecies. For a further comparison of this great prophecy, and its primary fulfilment, see Archbishop Newcome's Life of Christ, who endeavours to explain away many of the prodigies related by Josephus.Jortin's Ecclesiastical History.-Mr. Gisborne's work lately published. -Bishop Horsley's Sermons, on the application of the Prophecy to the end of the world. The various Commentators; and Dr. Adam Clarke's notes to the chapters in St. Matthew.-Dr. Hales on the four Hypotheses of the various Interpreters of these Prophecies. Analysis, vol. ii. part 2. p. 1270.