OUR LORD'S PROPHECY,

MATTHEW XXIV.

PART II.

VERSE 29.

THE SECOND CRISIS OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION.

IN

In my last Lecture, I brought down the prophecy of our Lord to the end of the 28th verse of this chapter; and I trust that two important points were then clearly demonstrated: viz. 1st, That the application of the whole of that portion is primarily to the desolation of Jerusalem, and the subversion of the Jewish polity; and, 2dly, That there appears, from a comparison of Matthew and Luke with each other, and of both with Daniel (to whom our Lord refers us,) conclusive evidence, that the Great Tribulation is not to be limited to the punishment inflicted on the Jewish nation in the time of Titus, but that the days of vengeance extend throughout the times of the Gentiles," or period of Gentile domination over Israel, (which I then showed to be the meaning of this phrase in Scripture ;) and that the end of the war, or consummation of the indignation, is to be with another crisis of tribulation, of a still more

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afflictive character than the former. That which especially concerns us in it is, that this crisis of the Great Tribulation falls more immediately upon the Gentiles; and is the consequence indeed of the breaking up of the moral and social principles among us: though the Jews will be to a certain extent involved in it. But let us turn to the prophecy.

At the 29th verse of this chapter of Matthew, our Lord adds: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken." To which Luke makes an important addition, viz. "that upon the earth there is to be distress of nations with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring, men's heart's failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth."

Those expositors, who consider all that is said of the advent of Christ in this chapter but a figure, allege of this verse, (which indeed is figurative,) that it is a further description of the destruction of the Jewish polity; and that it is veiled in symbols, for the purpose of preventing its being understood by the unbelieving Jews. Bishop Horsley has sufficiently exposed the absurdity of supposing, that our Lord would first explicitly declare the overthrow of the Jews (as he does in Luke more particularly;) and then, after he has let out the

secret, endeavour to wrap it up in symbols. But besides this, such expositors do not carefully regard the terms used by our Lord in this very place: for he expressly distinguishes the events, which are here described, from the first crisis of tribulation, by declaring, that these things are to occur "immediately after the tribulation of those days." This indeed would intimate, that the whole period of tribulation, including the times of the Gentiles, is expiring, when these signs take place: which is made quite clear from Mark's Gospel, who says, "In those days, after the tribulation"-i. e. within the days of vengeance, but at the close or end of them.

Passing then to the interpretation of these signs, the question presents itself, Are we to understand them literally or figuratively? I intimated in my last, that there are instances in which we must resort to the figurative interpretation; and likewise that there are some figurative or tropical expressions in the prophets of such frequent occurrence, that the meaning of them must have been as familiar to the Jewish mind, as if they had been literally expressed. Both these observations apply to the signs before us. I will not insist upon the impossibility of some of these signs occurring in their literal sense, because it might with some truth be objected, that the things which are impossible with men are

a See his Sermons on this Prophecy.

possible with God; who can, if he pleases, literally fulfil them, spite of all the seeming difficulties derived from our modern philosophy and science. But I shall bring before you examples of the like prophetical announcements respecting empires and times, which have long since gone by, and in regard to which we are quite sure that there was no literal fulfilment.

In Isaiah xiii. 9-13, is the following oracle (or burden, as it is called) concerning Babylon — "Behold the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate, and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof, shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine." And a little farther on, "Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of Hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger." Now the 17th verse declares, that this relates to the conquest of Babylon by the Medes.

Turn next to Ezekiel xxxii. 7, 8, concerning Egypt: "And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark: I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light: all the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord God." Now