27 Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all 28 uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of 29 hypocrisy and iniquity. Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the 30 sepulchres of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood 31 of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses

unto yourselves, that ye are the children of 32 them who killed the prophets. Fill ye up 33 then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell ?*

34

Wherefore behold, I send unto you proph ets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and 35 persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel, unto the blood of Zacharias, son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple 36 and the altar.† Verily I say unto you, all these

*In the original Gee Henna, the place of misery, so called from the valley of Hinnom, near Jerusalem, where the dead bodies of malefactors were burnt.

† See 2 Chron. xxiv. 20. It is supposed Jehoida was also called Barachiah.

37 things shall come upon this generation.*

1

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!† 38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39 For I say unto you, ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

1

CHAP. XXIV.

AND Jesus went out and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him, to shew him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

3

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end 4 of the world? And Jesus answered and said

unto them, Take heed that no mandeceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I

* And in truth the most awful judgments were inflicted upon the Jewish people within a few years from this period; Josephus, the Jewish historian, gives a most lively and affecting account of their sufferings.

The character of our Savior was ever compassionate and benevolent.

6 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. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in 8 divers places. All these are the beginning of 9 sorrows. Then 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.† 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall be

tray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall 12 deceive many. And because iniquity shall 13 abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But

he that shall endure unto the end, the same. 14 shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the 15 end come. When ye therefore shall see the

abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoso 16 readeth, let him understand.) Then let them who be in Judea flee into the mountains.

* There was at that time a general expectation among the Jews of the coming of Christ, and many persons appeared, pretending to be the Messiah.

Before the final triumph of Christianity, about the year 320, the followers of Christ were subjected to the most cruel persecutions.

§ See 3d verse-also xvi. 28. x. 23. "The end" here spoken of, seems to mean the end of the Jewish nation and polity; which took place soon after the gospel was preached by the apostles through the civilized world.

17 Let him who is on the house top not come

down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him who is in the field return 19 back to take his clothes. And wo unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck 20 in those days. But pray ye that your flight

be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath21 day. For then shall be great tribulation, such

as was not since the beginning of the world to 22 this time, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake, 23 those days shall be shortened. Then if any

man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or 24 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 25 elect. Behold, I have told you before. 26 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. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so also shall 28 be the coming of the Son of man. For whereever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall 30 be shaken.* And then shall appear the sign of

* This and the following verses refer to the divine judgments in the destruction of Jerusalem.

the Son of man in heaven; and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn, and they shall see the Son of man, coming in the clouds of 31 heaven, with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a truumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of 32 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 33 is nigh; so likewise ye, when ye shall see all

these things, know that it is near, even at the 34 doors. Verily I say unto you, this generation

shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.* 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

36

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father 37 only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall 38 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 Noah entered 39 into the ark, and knew not until the flood came

and took them all away; so shall also the 40 coming of the Son of man be. Then shall

two be in the field; the one shall be taken, 41 and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

42

Watch therefore: for ye know not what

* This shews that these predictions refer to the destruction of Jerusalem and of the Jewish religion.