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1 And as he went out of the Temple, one of his disciples saith vnto him, Master, see what maner of stones, and what buildings are here.
2 And Iesus answering, said vnto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone vpon an other, that shal not be throwen downe.
3 And as he sate vpon the mount of Oliues, ouer against the Temple, Peter, and Iames, and Iohn, and Andrew asked him priuately,
4 Tell vs, when shall these things be? And what shalbe the signe when all these things shalbe fulfilled?
5 And Iesus answering them, began to say, Take heed lest any man deceiue you.
6 For many shal come in my Name, saying, I am Christ: and shall deceiue many.
7 And when yee shall heare of warres, and rumors of warres, be yee not troubled: For such things must needs be, but the end shall not be yet.
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdome against kingdome: and there shalbe earthquakes in diuers places, and there shall be famines, and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrowes.
9 ¶ But take heed to your selues: for they shall deliuer you vp to councels, and in the Synagogues ye shall be beaten, and ye shalbe brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
10 And the Gospel must first be published among all nations.
11 But when they shall lead you, and deliuer you vp, take no thought before hand what ye shall speake, neither doe yee premeditate: but whatsoeuer shall bee giuen you in that houre, that speake yee: for it is not yee that speake, but the holy Ghost.
12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the sonne: and children shall rise vp against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.
13 And ye shall bee hated of all men for my Names sake: but hee that shall endure vnto the ende, the same shall be saued.
14 ¶ But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, standing where it ought not (let him that readeth vnderstand) then let them that be in Iudea, flee to the mountaines:
15 And let him that is on the house top, not goe downe into the house, neither enter therin, to take any thing out of his house.
16 And let him that is in the field, not turne backe againe for to take vp his garment.
17 But woe to them that are with child, and to them that giue suck in those dayes.
18 And pray ye that your flight bee not in the winter.
19 For in those dayes shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created, vnto this time, neither shall be.
20 And except that the Lord had shortened those dayes, no flesh should be saued: but for the elects sake whome he hath chosen, he hath shortned the daies.
21 And then, if any man shall say to you, Loe, here is Christ, or loe, hee is there: beleeue him not.
22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shewe signes and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, euen the elect.
23 But take ye heed: behold, I haue foretold you all things.
24 ¶ But in those dayes, after that tribulation, the Sunne shalbe darkned, and the Moone shall not giue her light.
25 And the Starres of heauen shall fall, and the powers that are in heauen shall be shaken.
26 And then shal they see the Sonne of man comming in the cloudes, with great power and glory.
27 And then shal he send his Angels, and shall gather together his elect from the foure winds, from the vttermost part of the earth, to the vttermost part of heauen.
28 Now learne a parable of the fig tree. When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaues, ye know that summer is neere:
29 So ye in like maner, when ye shal see these things come to passe, knowe that it is nigh, euen at the doores.
30 Uerely I say vnto you, that this generation shall not passe, till all these things be done.
31 Heauen and earth shal passe away: but my words shall not passe away.
32 ¶ But of that day and that houre knoweth no man, no not the Angels which are in heauen, neither the Son, but the Father.
33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
34 For the Sonne of man is as a man taking a farre iourney, who left his house, and gaue authority to his seruants, and to euery man his worke, and commanded the porter to watch:
35 Watch ye therefore (for ye knowe not when the master of the house commeth, at Euen, or at midnight, or at the cocke crowing, or in the morning.)
36 Lest comming suddenly, he finde you sleeping.
37 And what I say vnto you, I say vnto all, Watch.
The destruction of the temple foretold. (1-4) Christ's prophetic declaration. (5-13) Christ's prophecy. (14-23) His prophetic declarations. (24-27) Watchfulness urged. (28-37)1-4 See how little Christ values outward pomp, where there is not real purity of heart. He looks with pity upon the ruin of precious souls, and weeps over them, but we do not find him look with pity upon the ruin of a fine house. Let us then be reminded how needful it is for us to have a more lasting abode in heaven, and to be prepared for it by the influences of the Holy Spirit, sought in the earnest use of all the means of grace.
5-13 Our Lord Jesus, in reply to the disciples' question, does not so much satisfy their curiosity as direct their consciences. When many are deceived, we should thereby be awakened to look to ourselves. And the disciples of Christ, if it be not their own fault, may enjoy holy security and peace of mind, when all around is in disorder. But they must take heed that they are not drawn away from Christ and their duty to him, by the sufferings they will meet with for his sake. They shall be hated of all men: trouble enough! Yet the work they were called to should be carried on and prosper. Though they may be crushed and borne down, the gospel cannot be. The salvation promised is more than deliverance from evil, it is everlasting blessedness.
14-23 The Jews in rebelling against the Romans, and in persecuting the Christians, hastened their own ruin apace. Here we have a prediction of that ruin which came upon them within less than forty years after this. Such destruction and desolation, that the like cannot be found in any history. Promises of power to persevere, and cautions against falling away, well agree with each other. But the more we consider these things, the more we shall see abundant cause to flee without delay for refuge to Christ, and to renounce every earthly object, for the salvation of our souls.
24-27 The disciples had confounded the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world. This mistake Christ set right, and showed that the day of Christ's coming, and the day of judgment, shall be after that tribulation. Here he foretells the final dissolution of the present frame and fabric of the world. Also, the visible appearance of the Lord Jesus coming in the clouds, and the gathering together of all the elect to him.
28-37 We have the application of this prophetic sermon. As to the destruction of Jerusalem, expect it to come very shortly. As to the end of the world, do not inquire when it will come, for of that day and that hour knoweth no man. Christ, as God, could not be ignorant of anything; but the Divine wisdom which dwelt in our Saviour, communicated itself to his human soul according to the Divine pleasure. As to both, our duty is to watch and pray. Our Lord Jesus, when he ascended on high, left something for all his servants to do. We ought to be always upon our watch, in expectation of his return. This applies to Christ's coming to us at our death, as well as to the general judgment. We know not whether our Master will come in the days of youth, or middle age, or old age; but, as soon as we are born, we begin to die, and therefore we must expect death. Our great care must be, that, whenever our Lord comes, he may not find us secure, indulging in ease and sloth, mindless of our work and duty. He says to all, Watch, that you may be found in peace, without spot, and blameless.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.