|
Isaac Newton | Protestant History | 3 Interpretations | Daniel | Revelation | Armageddon | Audio Links | Site Index |
| Home ¬ Previous Page ¬ John Wesley | ||||||||
On Matthew 24 ; The Significance of A.D. 70 "Josephus' History of the Jewish War is the best commentary on this chapter. It is a wonderful instance of God's providence, that he, an eyewitness, and one who lived and died a Jew, should, especially in so extraordinary a manner, be preserved, to transmit to us a collection of important facts, which so exactly illustrate this glorious prophecy, in almost every circumstance." (Matt. Intro)
On Deuteronomy 28:49 "But in the following he foretells their last destruction by the Romans. And the present deplorable state of the Jewish nation, so exactly answers this prediction, that it is an incontestable proof of the truth of the prophecy, and consequently of the divine authority of the scriptures.
And this destruction more dreadful than the former shows, that their sin in rejecting Christ, was more provoking to God than idolatry itself, and left them more under the power of Satan. For their captivity in Babylon cured them effectually of idolatry in seventy years. But under this last destruction, they continue above sixteen hundred years incurably averse to the Lord Jesus." (in loc.)
On Isaiah 66:6 " A voice — The expression of a prophetical extasy, as if he said, I hear a sad and affrighting noise; it comes not from the city only, but from the temple, wherein these formalists have so much gloried.
There is a noise of soldiers slaying, and of the poor people shrieking or crying out. Of the Lord — A voice of the Lord, not in thunder, but that rendereth recompence to his enemies. Thus he seems to express the destruction of the Jews by the Roman armies, as a thing at that time doing." (p. 1972)
On Matthew 10:23 "Till the Son of man be come - To destroy their temple and nation."
On Matthew 16:28 "For the Son of man shall come - For there is no way to escape the righteous judgment of God. And, as an emblem of this, there are some here who shall live to see the Messiah coming to set up his mediatorial kingdom with great power and glory, by the destruction of the temple, city, and polity of the Jews."
On Matthew 22:7 The king sending forth his troops ; The Roman armies employed of God for that purpose. Destroyed those murderers &; Primarily the Jews."
On Matthew 24:2 " This was most punctually fulfilled: for after the temple was burned, Titus, the Roman general, ordered the very foundations of it to be dug up; after which the ground on which it stood was ploghed by Turnus Rufus."
On Matthew 24:5 "And, indeed, never did so many imposters appear in the world as a few years before the destruction of Jerusalem, undoubtedly because that was the time wherein the Jews in general expected the Messiah."
OnMatthew 24:15 "When ye shall see the abomination of desolation - Daniel's term is, 'The abomination that maketh desolate' (xi. 31); that is, the standards of the desolating legions, on which they bear the abominable images of their idols.
Standing in the holy place - Not only the temple, and the mountain on which it stood, but the whole city of Jerusalem, and several furlongs of land round about it, were accounted holy; particularly the mountain on which our Lord now sat, and on which the Romans afterward planted their ensigns."
OnMatthew 24:34 "This generation of men now living shall not pass till all these things be done - The expression implies that great part of that generation would be passed away, but not the whole. Just so it was; for the city and temple were destroyed thirty-nine or forty years after."
On Matthew 27:25 "25. His blood be on us and on our children — As this imprecation was dread. fully answered in the ruin so quickly brought on the Jewish nation, and the calamities which have ever since pursued that wretched people, so it was peculiarly fulfilled by Titus the Roman general, on the Jews whom he took during the siege of Jerusalem.
So many, after having been scourged in a terrible manner, were crucified all round the city, that in a while there was not room near the wall for the crosses to stand by each other. Probably this befell some of those who now joined in this cry, as it certainly did many of their children: the very finger of God thus pointing out their crime in crucifying his Son."
On Luke 19:23 43. Thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee around — All this was exactly performed by Titus, the Roman general.
On Luke 21:31 "The kingdom of God is nigh-The destruction of the Jewish city, temple, and religion, to make way for the advancement of my kingdom."
On Luke 21:32 "Till all things be effected-All that has been spoken of the destruction of Jerusalem, to which the question, Lu 21:7, relates: and which is treated of from Lu 21:8-24. Take heed, lest at any time your hearts be overloaded with gluttony and drunkenness-And was there need to warn the apostles themselves against such sins as these?
Then surely there is reason to warn even strong Christians against the very grossest sins. Neither are we wise, if we think ourselves out of the reach of any sin: and so that day-Of judgment or of death, come upon you, even you that are not of this world-Unawares. Mt 24:42; Mk 13:33; Lu 12:35."