5 And some were talking about the Temple, how it was made fair with beautiful stones and with offerings, but he said,
And Jesus went out of the Temple, and on the way his disciples came to him, pointing out the buildings of the Temple. But he, answering, said to them, See you not all these things? truly I say to you that here there will not be one stone resting on another, which will not be pulled down. And while he was seated on the Mountain of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, Make clear to us, when will these things be? and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world? And Jesus said to them in answer, Take care that you are not tricked. For people will come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and a number will be turned from the true way through them. And news will come to you of wars and talk of wars: do not be troubled, for these things have to be; but it is still not the end. For nation will be moved against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and men will be without food, and the earth will be shaking in different places; But all these things are the first of the troubles. Then they will be cruel to you, and will put you to death: and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. And numbers of people will be turned from the right way, and will give one another up and have hate for one another. And a number of false prophets will come, causing error. And because wrongdoing will be increased, the love of most people will become cold. But he who goes through to the end will get salvation. And this good news of the kingdom will be given through all the world for a witness to all nations; and then the end will come. When, then, you see in the holy place the unclean thing which makes destruction, of which word was given by Daniel the prophet (let this be clear to the reader), Then let those who are in Judaea go in flight to the mountains: Let not him who is on the house-top go down to take anything out of his house: And let not him who is in the field go back to get his coat. But it will be hard for women who are with child and for those with babies at the breast in those days. And say a prayer that your flight may not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. Because in those days there will be great sorrow, such as there has not been from the start of the world till now, or ever will be. And if those days had not been made short there would have been no salvation for any, but because of the saints those days will be made short. Then if any man says to you, See, here is the Christ, or, Here; do not put faith in him; For there will come up false Christs, and false prophets, who will do great signs and wonders; so that if possible even the saints might be tricked. See, I have made it clear to you before it comes about. If, then, they say to you, See, he is in the waste land; go not out: See, he is in the inner rooms; put no faith in it. Because as in a thunderstorm the bright light coming from the east is seen even in the west; so will be the coming of the Son of man. Wherever the dead body is, there will the eagles come together. But straight away, after the trouble of those days, the sun will be made dark and the moon will not give her light and the stars will come down from heaven and the powers of heaven will be moved: And then the sign of the Son of man will be seen in heaven: and then all the nations of the earth will have sorrow, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a great sound of a horn, and they will get his saints together from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now take an example from the fig-tree: when her branch has become soft and puts out its leaves, you are certain that the summer is near; Even so, when you see all these things, you may be certain that he is near, even at the doors. Truly I say to you, This generation will not come to an end till all these things are complete. Heaven and earth will come to an end, but my words will not come to an end. But of that day and hour no one has knowledge, not even the angels in heaven, or the Son, but the Father only. And as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of man. Because as in those days before the overflowing of the waters, they were feasting and taking wives and getting married, till the day when Noah went into the ark, And they had no care till the waters came and took them all away; so will be the coming of the Son of man. Then two men will be in the field; one is taken, and one let go; Two women will be crushing grain; one is taken, and one let go. Be watching, then! for you have no knowledge on what day your Lord will come. But be certain of this, that if the master of the house had had knowledge of the time when the thief was coming, he would have been watching, and would not have let his house be broken into. Be ready then; for at a time which you have no thought of the Son of man will come. Who is the true and wise servant, whom his lord has put over those in his house, to give them their food at the right time? A blessing on that servant, who will be doing so when his lord comes. Truly, I say to you, he will put him over all he has. But if that evil servant says in his heart, My lord is a long time in coming; And is cruel to the other servants, taking his pleasure with those who are overcome with wine; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he is not looking for him, and in an hour of which he has no knowledge, And will have him cut in two, and will give him a part in the fate of the false ones: there will be weeping and cries of sorrow.
And when he was going out of the Temple, one of his disciples said to him, Master, see, what stones and what buildings! And Jesus said to him, Do you see these great buildings? there is not one stone here resting on another which will not be overturned. And while he was seated on the Mountain of Olives opposite the Temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew said to him privately, Say when these things will be, and what will be the sign when these things are all about to be done. And Jesus said to them, Take care that you are not tricked by anyone. People will come in my name, saying, I am he; and a number will be turned from the true way. And when you have news of wars and talk of wars, do not be troubled; these things have to be, but it is still not the end. Nation will go to war with nation, and kingdom with kingdom: there will be earth-shocks in different places; there will be times when there is no food; these things are the first of the troubles. But take care: for they will give you up to the Sanhedrins; and in Synagogues you will be whipped; and you will be taken before rulers and kings because of me, for a sign to them. And the good news has first to be given to all the nations. And when you are taken and given up to be judged, do not be troubled about what to say: but whatever is given to you in that hour, say: because it is not you who say it, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will give up brother to death, and the father his child; and children will go against their fathers and mothers, and put them to death. And you will be hated by all men, because of my name; but he who goes through to the end will have salvation. But when you see the unclean thing which makes destruction, in the place where it has no right to be (let this be clear to the reader), then let those who are in Judaea go quickly to the mountains: And let him who is on the house-top not go down, or go in, to take anything out of his house: And let not him who is in the field go back to take his coat. And it will be hard for women who are with child and for her who has a baby at the breast in those days. And say a prayer that it may not be in the winter. For in those days there will be sorrow, such as there has not been from the time when God made the world till now, and will not ever be again. And if the Lord had not made the time short, no flesh would have been kept from destruction; but because of the saints he has made the time short. And then if any man says to you, See, here is Christ; or, See, there; have no faith in it: Because there will be false Christs and false prophets, and they will give signs and wonders in the hope of turning even the saints from the true way. But take care; see, I have made all things clear to you before the time. But in those days, after that time of trouble, the sun will be made dark and the moon will not give her light, And the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers which are in the heavens will be moved. And then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels, and will get together his saints from the four winds, from the farthest part of the earth to the farthest part of heaven. Take an example from the fig-tree: when its branches become soft and put out their leaves, you see that the summer is near; Even so, when you see these things taking place, you may be certain that he is near, even at the doors. Truly, I say to you, This generation will not come to an end till all these things are complete. Heaven and earth will come to an end, but my words will not come to an end. But of that day or that hour no one has knowledge, not even the angels in heaven, or the Son, but the Father. Take care, keep watch with prayer: for you are not certain when the time will be. It is as when a man who is in another country for a time, having gone away from his house, and given authority to his servants and to everyone his work, gives the porter an order to keep watch. So you are to keep watch: because you are not certain when the master of the house is coming, in the evening, or in the middle of the night, or at the cock's cry, or in the morning; For fear that, coming suddenly, he sees you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all, Keep watch.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Luke 21
Commentary on Luke 21 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 21
Lu 21:1-4. The Widow's Two Mites.
1. looked up—He had "sat down over against the treasury" (Mr 12:41), probably to rest, for He had continued long standing as he taught in the temple court (Mr 11:27), and "looking up He saw"—as in Zaccheus' case, not quite casually.
the rich, &c.—"the people," says Mr 12:41 "cast money into the treasury, and many rich east in much"; that is, into chests deposited in one of the courts of the temple to receive the offerings of the people towards its maintenance (2Ki 12:9; Joh 8:20).
2. two mites—"which make a farthing" (Mr 12:42), the smallest Jewish coin. "She might have kept one" [Bengel].
3. And he said—"to His disciples," whom He "called to Him" (Mr 12:43), to teach from it a great future lesson.
more than … all—in proportion to her means, which is God's standard (2Co 8:12).
4. of their abundance—their superfluity; what they had to spare," or beyond what they needed.
of her penury—or "want" (Mr 12:44)—her deficiency, of what was less than her own wants required, "all the living she had." Mark (Mr 12:44) still more emphatically, "all that she had—her whole subsistence." Note: (1) As temple offerings are needed still for the service of Christ at home and abroad, so "looking down" now, as then "up," Me "sees" who "cast in," and how much. (2) Christ's standard of commendable offering is not our superfluity, but our deficiency—not what will never be missed, but what costs us some real sacrifice, and just in proportion to the relative amount of that sacrifice. (See 2Co 8:1-3.)
Lu 21:5-38. Christ's Prophecy of the Destruction of Jerusalem and Warnings to Prepare for His Second Coming, Suggested by It—His Days and Nights during His Last Week.
5-7. (See on Mt 24:1-3.)
8. the time—of the Kingdom, in its full glory.
go … not … after them—"I come not so very soon" (2Th 2:1, 2) [Stier].
9-11. not terrified—(See Lu 21:19; Isa 8:11-14).
end not by and by—or immediately, not yet (Mt 24:6; Mr 13:7): that is, "Worse must come before all is over."
10. Nation, &c.—Matthew and Mark (Mt 24:8; Mr 13:8) add, "All these are the beginning of sorrows," or travail pangs, to which heavy calamities are compared (Jer 4:31, &c.).
12. brought before, &c.—The book of Acts verifies all this.
13. for a testimony—an opportunity of bearing testimony.
18. not a hair … perish—He had just said (Lu 21:16) they should be put to death; showing that this precious promise is far above immunity from mere bodily harm, and furnishing a key to the right interpretation of the ninety-first Psalm, and such like. Matthew adds the following (Mt 24:12): "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many," the many or, the most—the generality of professed disciples—"shall wax cold." But he that endureth to the end shall be saved. Sad illustrations of the effect of abounding iniquity in cooling the love of faithful disciples we have in the Epistle of James, written about this period referred to, and too frequently ever since (Heb 10:38, 39; Re 2:10). "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness, and then shall the end come" (Mt 24:14). God never sends judgment without previous warning; and there can be no doubt that the Jews, already dispersed over most known countries, had nearly all heard the Gospel "as a witness," before the end of the Jewish state. The same principle was repeated and will repeat itself to the end.
20, 21. by armies—encamped armies, that is, besieged: "the abomination of desolation" (meaning the Roman ensigns, as the symbols of an idolatrous, pagan, unclean power) "spoken of by Daniel the prophet" (Da 9:27) "standing where it ought not" (Mr 13:14). "Whoso readeth [that prophecy] let him understand" (Mt 24:15).
Then … flee, &c.—Eusebius says the Christians fled to Pella, at the north extremity of Perea, being "prophetically directed"; perhaps by some prophetic intimation still more explicit than this, which still would be their chart.
23. woe unto—"alas for."
with child, &c.—from the greater suffering it would involve; as also "flight in winter, and on the sabbath," which they were to "pray" against (Mt 24:20), the one as more trying to the body, the other to the soul. "For then shall be tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world, nor ever shall be"—language not unusual in the Old Testament for tremendous calamities, though of this it may perhaps be literally said, "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved, but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened" (Mt 24:21, 22). But for this merciful "shortening," brought about by a remarkable concurrence of causes, the whole nation would have perished, in which there yet remained a remnant to be afterwards gathered out. Here in Matthew and Mark (Mt 24:24; Mr 13:22) are some particulars about "false Christs," who should, "if possible"—a precious clause—"deceive the very elect." (Compare 2Th 2:9-11; Re 13:13.)
24. Jerusalem … trodden down … until, &c.—Implying (1) that one day Jerusalem shall cease to be "trodden down by the Gentiles" (Re 11:2), as then by pagan so now by Mohammedan unbelievers; (2) that this shall be at the "completion" of "the times of the Gentiles," which from Ro 11:25 (taken from this) we conclude to mean till the Gentiles have had their full time of that place in the Church which the Jews in their time had before them—after which, the Jews being again "grafted into their own olive tree," one Church of Jew and Gentile together shall fill the earth (Ro 11:1-36). What a vista this opens up!
25-28. signs, &c.—Though the grandeur of this language carries the mind over the head of all periods but that of Christ's second coming, nearly every expression will be found used of the Lord's coming in terrible national judgments, as of Babylon, &c.; and from Lu 21:28, 32, it seems undeniable that its immediate reference was to the destruction of Jerusalem, though its ultimate reference beyond doubt is to Christ's final coming.
28. redemption—from the oppression of ecclesiastical despotism and legal bondage by the total subversion of the Jewish state and the firm establishment of the evangelical kingdom (Lu 21:31). But the words are of far wider and more precious import. Matthew (Mt 24:30) says, "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven," evidently something distinct from Himself, mentioned immediately after. What this was intended to mean, interpreters are not agreed. But as before Christ came to destroy Jerusalem, some appalling portents were seen in the air, so before His personal appearing it is likely that something analogous will be witnessed, though of what nature it is vain to conjecture.
32. This generation—not "this nation," as some interpret it, which, though admissible in itself, seems very unnatural here. It is rather as in Lu 9:27.
34-37. surfeiting, and drunkenness—All animal excesses, quenching spirituality.
cares of this life—(See on Mr 4:7; Mr 4:19).
36. Watch … pray, &c.—the two great duties which in prospect of trial are constantly enjoined. These warnings, suggested by the need of preparedness for the tremendous calamities approaching, and the total wreck of the existing state of things, are the general improvement of the whole discourse, carrying the mind forward to Judgment and Vengeance of another kind and on a grander and more awful scale—not ecclesiastical or political but personal, not temporal but eternal—when all safety and blessedness will be found to lie in being able to "STAND BEFORE THE Son of Man" in the glory of His personal appearing.
37, 38. in the daytime—of this His last week.
abode in the mount—that is, at Bethany (Mt 21:17).