PARAPHRASE.

et [when these things be.] For nation shall rise gainst nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and here shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes n divers places, [" and fearful sights, and great signs, hall there be from heaven,"-Luke,-after these goodly stones are cast down, before the world shall end.] All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Then ["before all these,"-Luke,]-shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you; and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. ["And it shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle it therefore, in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay or resist."-Luke,] And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many. And because, [as time continues], iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure to the end [of his probation, and fall asleep in the hope of a glorious resurrection, or be looking for and loving my appearing when I shall come,] the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom, [that it is then soon to become the Lord's,] shall be preached in all the world for a witness [of my coming] unto all nations; and then shall the end [of the world] come.

When ye therefore shall see [Jerusalem compassed with armies,"-Luke,]-the abomination spoken of by Daniel the prophet, [ix. 27; which shall render the city desolate till the consummation,] stand in the holy place [" where it ought not,"-Mark,]-whoso readeth [the prophecy of Daniel] let him understand [its fulfilment, that the desolation thereof is nigh.' Luke.] Then let them [who understand] which be in Judea, flee into the mountains; let him which is on the house-top not come down to take anything out of his house; [for there will be need of haste; neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And wo unto them that are with child, and

PARAPHRASE.

to them that give suck in those days, [for they will be less able to escape the approaching calamity.] But pray ye that your flight be not in winter, [on account of its inclemency,] neither on the Sabbath day, [lest you defile it;] for then [during the overspreading of the abominations which shall desolate Jerusalem till the consummation, Dan. ix. 27,] shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. ["For these be the days of vengeance that all things which are written may be fulfilled." "And Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles," (the seven times or 2520 years, of Levit. xxvi., from the time of the commencement of the reign of the Gentiles over them, B. C. 677,) "be fulfilled."-Luke.] And except those days [of tribulation, under pagan and papal persecutions, by which millions will suffer martyrdom] should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved, [for the elect would be all driven from the earth by the fury of the oppressor,] but for the elect's sake, ["whom he hath chosen, Mark, and a remnant of whom are to be continued on the earth till the Lord come,] those days shall be shortened; [the elect will cease to be martyred before the seven times or 2520 years of the Gentile rule shall end.] Then, [during those days of tribulation,] if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there, believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders: insomuch that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before, [in the commencement of this conversation.] Wherefore, if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert! go not forth; behold, he is in the secret chambers believe it not. For [the second coming of Christ will be in no such partial, local, secret, or invisible manner; but] 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. For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together,

[so wherever man may be, all will know of the coming of Christ.]

Immediately after the tribulation of those days, ["in those days after that tribulation,"-Mark,-during the seven times, after the church has come out of the wilderness,] shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, ["even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind,"-Rev. vi. 13,] and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken; [" and there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity; the sea and waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth,"-Luke;] and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven. And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of the trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds [raising those that are asleep, and changing those that are alive] from one end of heaven to the other, ["from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven."-Mark. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption (from the fall) draweth nigh."—Luke.]

Now learn a parable of the fig-tree, [" and all the trees "-Luke.] When his branch is yet tender and putteth forth leaves, ye know ["ye see and know of your own selves,”—Luke,] that summer is nigh, ["is now nigh at hand."-Luke.] So, likewise ye, [" in like manner,"-Mark,] when ye shall see all these things, KNOW that it ["the kingdom of God is nigh at hand,"-Luke,]-is near even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, this generation, [that shall see the darkening of the sun and moon, and the fall of the stars, with the other signs of my appearing], shall not pass away till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and

For as

earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But, [although, when ye see the signs of my coming ye are commanded to know it is at the very doors, as summer is when the trees shoot forth, yet], of that day and hour [now] knoweth no man, no, not even the angels of heaven, ["neither the Son,”—Mark -till the Father reveal it, (Rev. i. 1,)] but my Father only. ["Take ye heed, watch and pray; for ye know not when the time is."-Mark. "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and so that day come upon you unawares; for as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth."-Luke.] But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. ["Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things, that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. Luke. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work; and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore, for ye know not when the master cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, or in the morning; lest coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you, I say unto all, watch"-Mark.] Then shall two be in the field, [about their ordinary business, when, suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye,] the one shall be taken, [caught up to meet his Lord in the air,] and the other left, [to perish with the ungodly.] Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch, therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have

watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore, be ye also ready for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh.

Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? [to tell them "what of the night,' to prepare the household for the Master's coming, and give them the first token of his approach, that they may know when their redemption draweth nigh.] Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant, [who desires not the appearing of the Lord], shall say in his heart, my Lord delayeth his coming, and shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, [who are looking for the Lord, and warning the world to prepare for his coming,] and to eat and drink with the drunken, [assuring them that the end is not yet, and that there is no prospect of the Master's return; and uniting with the ungodly and profane, in ridiculing the warning of his approach, denying the evidences, despising the glorious hope, scoffing at the work, mocking the messengers, and inquiring where is the promise of his coming?] The Lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites, [who professed to be zealous in the cause of the Lord, but hated his coming; who turned away their ears from the truth, and turned unto fables, and had the form of godliness but denied the power thereof.] There [in the destruction of the ungodly] shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Then [when the faithful servants are giving the household the necessary meat in due season, and the evil servants are smiting them, eating and drinking with the drunken, and denying the coming of the Lord,] shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, [the sure word of God,] and went forth to meet the Bridegroom, [in ex