Matt. CHAPTER XXX. Prophecy of the Destruction of Jesusalem, and the coming of the Son of Man. AND as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, xxiv. the disciples came unto him privately, saying; "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?" Mk. xiii, 4. Matt. -8. And Jesus answered and said unto them; ***** "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying; I am Christ;' and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars, and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled; for all these things must come to pass; but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. But take heed to yourselves; for xiii 9 they shall deliver you up to councils, and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten, and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings, for Matt my sake, for a testimony against them. And -12. then shall many be offended; and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But *" when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, Mk. Mk. -13. 20. xxiv.16 take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate; but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye; for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. Now, the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men, for my name's sake. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this Matt. gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all xxiv. the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. And when ye shall xxi. see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then Matt. let them which be in Judea flee into the moun--41. tains; let him which is on the house top not come down to take any thing out of his house; neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! But pray ye, that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath-day. For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Then 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 shew great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. 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 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. "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 heav ens shall be shaken. 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 a trumpet; and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. "Now learn a parable of the fig-tree; when his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh. So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away. "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as 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. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken and the other left." "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life; 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. 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." L xxi. "But know this, that if the good man of the Matt house had known in what watch the thief-4 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. For the Son of man is as a man Mk. taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every xxiv.43 xiii. 34. xxiv. man his work, and commanded the porter to Matt. watch. Who then is a faithful and wise ser45-51. vant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season ? 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 shall say in his heart; 'My lord delayeth his coming;' and shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall 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 xiii. the hypocrites; there shall be weeping and MK. gnashing of teeth. Watch ye therefore; for 35-37. ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, or in the morning; lest coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you, I say unto all; Watch." Matt. xxv. 1 -46. CHAPTER XXX I. Parable of the Ten Virgins - The Talents - Coming of the Son of Man - Judas offers to betray Jesus. "THEN shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And |