FURTHER INSTRUCTION TO THE APOSTLES.
PROPHECIES RELATING TO THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM AND THE LORD'S
FUTURE ADVENT.[1150]
In the course of His last walk from Jerusalem back to the beloved home
at Bethany, Jesus rested at a convenient spot on the Mount of Olives,
from which the great city and the magnificent temple were to be seen in
fullest splendor, illumined by the declining sun in the late afternoon
of that eventful April day. As He sat in thoughtful revery He was
approached by Peter and James, John and Andrew, of the Twelve, and to
them certainly, though probably to all the apostles, He gave
instruction, embodying further prophecy concerning the future of
Jerusalem, Israel, and the world at large. His fateful prediction--that
of the temple buildings not one stone would be left upon another--had
caused the apostles to marvel and fear; so they came privately
requesting explanation. "Tell us," said they, "when shall these things
be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the
world?" The compound character of the question indicates an
understanding of the fact that the destruction of which the Lord had
spoken was to be apart from and precedent to the signs that were to
immediately herald His glorious advent and the yet later ushering in of
the consummation commonly spoken of then and now as "the end of the
world." An assumption that the events would follow in close succession
is implied by the form in which the question was put.
The inquiry referred specifically to time--when were these things to be?
The reply dealt not with dates, but with events; and the spirit of the
subsequent discourse was that of warning against misapprehension, and
admonition to ceaseless vigilance. "Take heed that no man deceive you"
was the first and all-important caution; for within the lives of most of
those apostles, many blaspheming imposters would arise, each claiming to
be the Messiah. The return of Christ to earth as Lord and Judge was more
remote than any of the Twelve realized. Before that glorious event, many
wonderful and appalling developments would be witnessed, among the
earliest of which would be wars and rumors of wars, caused by nation
rising against nation and kingdom against kingdom, to the dread
accompaniment of famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in many places;
yet all these would be but the beginning of the sorrow or travail to
follow.
They, the apostles, were told to expect persecution, not only at the
hands of irresponsible individuals, but at the instance of the officials
such as they who were at that moment intent on taking the life of the
Lord Himself, and who would scourge them in the synagogs, deliver them
up to hostile tribunals, cite them before rulers and kings, and even put
some of them to death--all because of their testimony of the Christ. As
they had been promised before, so again were they assured, that when
they would stand before councils, magistrates, or kings, the words they
should speak would be given them in the hour of their trial, and
therefore they were told to take no premeditative thought as to what
they should say or how they should meet the issues confronting them;
"for," said the Master, "it is not ye that speak, but the Holy
Ghost."[1151] Even though they found themselves despized and hated of
men, and though they were to suffer ignominy, torture, and death, yet as
to their eternal welfare they were promised such security that by
comparison they would lose not so much as a hair of their heads. In
consoling encouragement the Lord bade them possess their souls in
patience.[1152] In face of all trials and even the direst persecution,
it was incumbent upon them to persevere in their ministry, for the
divine plan provided and required that the gospel of the kingdom be
preached amongst all nations. Their labors would be complicated and
opposed by the revolutionary propaganda of many false prophets, and
differences of creed would disrupt families, and engender such
bitterness that brothers would betray one another, and children would
rise against their parents, accusing them of heresies and delivering
them up to death. Even among those who had professed discipleship to
Christ many would be offended and hatred would abound; love for the
gospel would wax cold, and iniquity would be rampant among men; and only
those who would endure to the end of their lives could be saved.
From this circumstantial forecast of conditions then directly impending,
the Lord passed to other developments that would immediately precede the
destruction of Jerusalem and the total disruption of the Jewish nation.
"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by
Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place," said He, according to
Matthew's account, and virtually so also as stated by Mark, or "when ye
shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies" as Luke writes, "then know
that the desolation thereof is nigh." This was a specific sign that none
could misunderstand. Daniel the prophet had foreseen the desolation and
abominations thereof, which comprized the forcible cessation of temple
rites, and the desecration of Israel's shrine by pagan conquerors.[1153]
The realization of Daniel's prophetic vision was to be heralded by the
encompassing of Jerusalem by armies. Then all who would escape should
make haste; from Judea they should flee to the mountains; he who was on
the housetop would have no time to take his goods, but should hasten
down by the outer steps and flee; he who was in the field would better
leave without first returning to his house even for his clothes.
Terrible, indeed, would that day be for women hampered by the conditions
incident to approaching maternity, or the responsibility of caring for
their suckling babes. All would do well to pray that their flight be not
forced upon them in winter time; nor on the Sabbath, lest regard for the
restrictions as to Sabbath-day travel, or the usual closing of the city
gates on that day, should diminish the chances of escape. The
tribulations of the time then foreshadowed would prove to be
unprecedented in horror and would never be paralleled in all their awful
details in Israel's history; but in mercy God had decreed that the
dreadful period should be shortened for the sake of the elect believers,
otherwise no flesh of Israel would be saved alive. Multitudes were to
fall by the sword; other hosts were to be led away captive, and so be
scattered amongst all nations; and Jerusalem, the pride and boast of
degenerate Israel, should be "trodden down of the Gentiles, until the
times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." In every frightful detail was the
Lord's prediction brought to pass, as history avouches.[1154]
After the passing of those terrible times, and thence onward for a
period of unspecified duration, Satan would deceive the world through
false doctrines, spread by evil men masquerading as ministers of God,
who would continue to cry "Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there"; but
against all such the Twelve were put on their guard, and through them
and other teachers, whom they would call and ordain, would the world be
warned. Deceiving prophets, emissaries of the devil, would be active,
some alluring people into the deserts, and impelling them to hermit
lives of pernicious asceticism, others insisting that Christ could be
found in the secret chambers of monastic seclusion; and some of them
showing forth through the power of Satan, such signs and wonders as "to
seduce, if it were possible, even the elect"; but of all such scheming
of the prince of evil, the Lord admonished His own: "Believe it not";
and added, "take ye heed; behold I have foretold you all things."[1155]
In the day of the Lord's advent in glory and vengeance, no man shall be
in doubt; there shall be no chance of conflicting claims by contending
sects, "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."[1156] The
gathering of Israel in the last days was pictured as the flocking of
eagles to the place where the body of the Church would be
established.[1157]
The chronological order of the predicted occurrences so far considered
in this wonderful discourse on things to come, is clear; first there was
to be a period of virulent persecution of the apostles and the Church of
which they would be in charge; then the destruction of Jerusalem, with
all the horrors of merciless warfare was to follow; and this in turn was
to be succeeded by a long period of priestcraft and apostasy with bitter
sectarian dissension and cruel persecution of the righteous. The brief
reference to the non-localized, universal phenomena, by which His advent
is to be signalized, is a parenthetical demonstration of the false
claims as to where Christ would be found; later the Lord passed to
distinctive and unquestionable reference to the circumstances of His
then and yet future advent. Following the age of man-made creeds, and
unauthorized ministry characteristic of the great apostasy, marvelous
occurrences are to be manifested through the forces of nature, and the
sign of the Son of Man shall ultimately appear, one accompanying feature
of which shall be the completion of the gathering of the elect from all
parts of the earth to the places appointed.
The duty that Jesus enjoined upon the apostles as of first importance
throughout all the coming scenes of sorrow, suffering and turmoil, was
that of vigilance. They were to pray, watch, and work, diligently and
with unwavering faith. The lesson was illustrated by a masterly analogy,
which, under the broadest classification, may be called a parable.
Directing their attention to the fig tree and other trees which
flourished on the sunny slopes of Olivet, the Master said: "Behold the
fig tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth, ye see and know
of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when
ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is
nigh at hand." Of the fig tree in particular the Lord remarked: "When
his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer
is nigh." This sign of events near at hand was equally applicable to the
premonitory conditions which were to herald the fall of Jerusalem and
the termination of the Jewish autonomy, and to the developments by which
the Lord's second advent shall be immediately preceded.
The next declaration in the order of the evangelical record reads:
"Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these
things be fulfilled." This may be understood as applying to the
generation in which the portentous happenings before described would be
realized. So far as the predictions related to the overthrow of
Jerusalem, they were literally fulfilled within the natural lifetime of
several of the apostles and of multitudes of their contemporaries; such
of the Lord's prophecies as pertain to the heralding of His second
coming are to brought to pass within the duration of the generation of
some who witness the inauguration of their fulfilment. The certainty of
fulfilment was emphasized by the Lord in the profound affirmation:
"Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass
away."[1158]
All speculation concerning the time of the Lord's appearing, whether
based on assumption, deduction, or calculation of dates, was forestalled
by Christ's averment: "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no,
not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the
Father."[1159] That His advent in power and glory is to be sudden and
unexpected to the unobserving and sinful world, but in immediate
sequence to the signs which the vigilant and devout may read and
understand, was made plain by comparison with the prevailing social
conditions of Noah's time, when in spite of prophecy and warning the
people had continued in their feasting and merry-making, in marrying and
giving in marriage, until the very day of Noah's entrance 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."
In the last stages of the gathering of the elect, the ties of
companionship shall be quickly severed; of two men laboring in the
field, or of two women engaged side by side in household duties, the
faithful one shall be taken and the sinner left. "Watch therefore," was
the solemn behest, "for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." In
explication of this admonishment, the Lord condescended to compare the
suddenness and secrecy of His coming to the movements of a
night-prowling thief; and pointed out, that if a householder had certain
knowledge as to the time of a burglar's predetermined visit, he would
remain on vigilant watch; but because of uncertainty he may be found off
his guard, and the thief may enter and despoil the home.
Again likening the apostles to duly appointed stewards in a great
household,[1160] the Lord spoke of Himself as the householder, saying:
"The Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house,
and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and
commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when
the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the
cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you
sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." But if the
steward grow negligent because of his master's long absence, and give
himself up to feasting and unlicensed pleasure, or become autocratic and
unjust toward his fellow-servants, his lord shall come in an hour when
least expected, and shall consign that wicked servant to a place among
the hypocrites, where he shall weep bitter tears of remorse, and gnash
his teeth in impotent despair.[1161]
THE NEED OF WATCHFULNESS AND DILIGENCE ILLUSTRATED BY PARABLES.
To more indelibly impress upon the apostles, and, through their
subsequent ministry, upon the world, the absolute need of unceasing
watchfulness and unwavering diligence in preparation for the coming of
the Lord in judgment, Jesus depicted in parables the prospective
condition of mankind in the last times. The first of these illustrative
portrayals is the _Parable of the Ten Virgins_. The only report of it we
have is that given by Matthew,[1162] as follows:
"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which
took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of
them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their
lamps, and took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels
with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and
slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom
cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed
their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil;
for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest
there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell,
and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came;
and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door
was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord,
open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you
not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein
the Son of man cometh."
The story itself is based on oriental marriage customs, with which the
Lord's attentive listeners were familiar. It was and yet is common in
those lands, particularly in connection with marriage festivities among
the wealthy classes, for the bridegroom to go to the home of the bride,
accompanied by his friends in processional array, and later to conduct
the bride to her new home with a larger body of attendants composed of
groomsmen, bridesmaids, relatives and friends. As the bridal party
progressed, to the accompaniment of gladsome music, it was increased by
little groups who had gathered in waiting at convenient places along the
route, and particularly near the end of the course where organized
companies came forth to meet the advancing procession. Wedding
ceremonies were appointed for the evening and night hours; and the
necessary use of torches and lamps gave brilliancy and added beauty to
the scene.
In the parable ten maidens were waiting to welcome and join in with the
bridal company, the time of whose arrival was uncertain. Each had her
lamp attached to the end of a rod so as to be held aloft in the festal
march; but of the ten virgins five had wisely carried an extra supply of
oil, while the other five, probably counting on no great delay, or
assuming that they would be able to borrow from others, or perchance
having negligently given no thought at all to the matter, had no oil
except the one filling with which their lamps had been supplied at
starting. The bridegroom tarried, and the waiting maidens grew drowsy
and fell asleep. At midnight, the forerunners of the marriage party
loudly proclaimed the bridegroom's approach, and cried in haste: "Go ye
out to meet him." The ten maidens, no longer sleepy, but eagerly active,
set to work to trim their lamps; then the wise ones found use for the
oil in their flasks, while the thoughtless five bewailed their destitute
condition, for their lamps were empty and they had no oil for
replenishment. They appealed to their wiser sisters, asking a share of
their oil; but these declined; for, in a time of such exigency, to give
of their store would have been to render themselves unfit, inasmuch as
there was oil enough for their own lamps only. Instead of oil they could
impart only advice to their unfortunate sisters, whom they directed to
go to the nearest shop and buy for themselves. While the foolish virgins
were away in quest of oil, the wedding party passed into the house
wherein the feast was provided, and the door was shut against all tardy
comers. In time the unwise maidens, too late to participate in the
processional entry, called from without, pleading for admittance; but
the bridegroom refused their request, and disclaimed all
acquaintanceship with them, since they had not been numbered among his
attendants or those of the bride.
The Bridegroom is the Lord Jesus; the marriage feast symbolizes His
coming in glory, to receive unto Himself the Church on earth as His
bride.[1163] The virgins typify those who profess a belief in Christ,
and who, therefore, confidently expect to be included among the blessed
participants at the feast. The lighted lamp, which each of the maidens
carried, is the outward profession of Christian belief and practise; and
in the oil reserves of the wiser ones we may see the spiritual strength
and abundance which diligence and devotion in God's service alone can
insure. The lack of sufficient oil on the part of the unwise virgins is
analogous to the dearth of soil in the stony field, wherein the seed
readily sprouted but soon withered away.[1164] The Bridegroom's coming
was sudden; yet the waiting virgins were not held blamable for their
surprize at the abrupt announcement, but the unwise five suffered the
natural results of their unpreparedness. The refusal of the wise virgins
to give of their oil at such a critical time must not be regarded as
uncharitable; the circumstance typifies the fact that in the day of
judgment every soul must answer for himself; there is no way by which
the righteousness of one can be credited to another's account; the
doctrine of supererogation is wholly false.[1165] The Bridegroom's
condemnatory disclaimer, "I know you not," was equivalent to a
declaration that the imploring but neglectful ones, who had been found
unready and unprepared, did not know Him.[1166]
The application of the parable and its wealth of splendid suggestion are
summarized in a masterly manner by the Lord's impressive adjuration:
"Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the
Son of man cometh." The fulfilment of the predictions enshrined in this
precious parable is yet future, but near. In 1831 the Lord Jesus Christ
revealed anew the indications by which the imminence of His glorious
advent may be perceived. Through the mouth of His prophet Joseph Smith
He thus spake: "And at that day, when I shall come in my glory, shall
the parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten virgins: for
they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy
Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived; verily I say unto
you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide
the day, and the earth shall be given unto them for an inheritance; and
they shall multiply and wax strong, and their children shall grow up
without sin unto salvation, for the Lord shall be in their midst, and
his glory shall be upon them, and he will be their King and their
Lawgiver."[1167]
Still discoursing in solemn earnestness to the apostles as the evening
shadows gathered about the Mount of Olives, the Lord delivered the last
of His recorded parables. We call it the _Parable of the Entrusted
Talents_.[1168]
"For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country,
who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto
one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every
man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the
same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had
received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one
went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. After a long
time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so
he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents,
saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have
gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done,
thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few
things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy
of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord,
thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other
talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and
faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make
thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then
he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee
that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and
gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and
hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord
answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou
knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not
strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers,
and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take
therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten
talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have
abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that
which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness:
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Some of the resemblances between this parable and that of the
Pounds[1169] appear on even a casual reading; significant differences
are discovered by comparison and study. The earlier parable was spoken
to a mixed multitude in the course of our Lord's last journey from
Jericho to Jerusalem; the later one was given in privacy to the most
intimate of His disciples in the closing hours of the last day of His
public preaching. The two should be studied together. In the story of
the Pounds, an equal amount of capital is given to each of the servants,
and men's diverse ability to use and apply, with commensurate results in
reward or penalty, is demonstrated; in that of the Entrusted Talents,
the servants receive different amounts, "every man according to his
several ability"; and equal diligence, though shown in one instance by
great gain and in the other by small but proportionate increase, is
equally rewarded. Unfaithfulness and negligence are condemned and
punished in both.
In the parable now under consideration, the master is presented as
delivering his wealth into the hands of his own servants, literally,
bondservants;[1170] they, as well as the possessions held by them in
trust were his. Those servants had no rights of actual ownership, nor
title of permanent proprietorship in the treasure committed to their
care; all they had, the time and opportunity to use their talents, and
they themselves, belonged to their lord. We cannot fail to perceive even
in the early incidents of the story that the Master of the servants was
the Lord Jesus; the servants, therefore, were the disciples and more
particularly the apostles, who, while of equal authority through
ordination in the Holy Priesthood, as specifically illustrated by the
earlier parable of the Pounds, were of varied ability, of diverse
personality, and unequal generally in nature and in such accomplishments
as would be called into service throughout their ministry. The Lord was
about to depart; He would return only "after a long time"; the
significance of this latter circumstance is in line with that expressed
through the parable of the Ten Virgins in the statement that the
Bridegroom tarried.
At the time of reckoning, the servants who had done well, the one with
his five talents, the other with his two, reported gladly, conscious as
they were of having at least striven to do their best. The unfaithful
servant prefaced his report with a grumbling excuse, which involved the
imputation of unrighteousness in the Master. The honest, diligent,
faithful servants saw and reverenced in their Lord the perfection of the
good qualities which they possessed in measured degree; the lazy and
unprofitable serf, afflicted by distorted vision, professed to see in
the Master his own base defects. The story in this particular, as in the
other features relating to human acts and tendencies, is psychologically
true; in a peculiar sense men are prone to conceive of the attributes of
God as comprizing in augmented degree the dominant traits of their own
nature.
Both the servant who had been entrusted with five talents and he who had
received but two were equally commended, and, as far as we are told,
were equally recompensed. The talents bestowed upon each were the gift
of his Lord, who knew well whether that servant was capable of using to
better advantage one, two, or five. Let no one conclude that good work
of relatively small scope is less necessary or acceptable than like
service of wider range. Many a man who has succeeded well in business
with small capital would have failed in the administration of vast sums;
so also in spiritual achievements "there are diversities of gifts, but
the same Spirit."[1171] Of the man endowed with many talents greater
returns were expected; of the one-talented man relatively little was
required, yet in that little he failed.[1172] At the least he could have
delivered the money to the bank, through which it would have been kept
in circulation to the benefit of the community, and would have earned
interest meanwhile. Likewise, in the spiritual application, a man
possessed of any good gift, such as musical ability, eloquence, skill in
handicraft, or the like, ought to use that gift to the full, that he or
others may be profited thereby: but should he be too neglectful to
exercize his powers in independent service, he may assist others to
profitable effort, by encouragement if by nothing more.
Who can doubt in the spirit of the Lord's teaching, that had the man
been able to report the doubling of his single talent, he would have
been as cordially commended and as richly recompensed as were his more
highly endowed and faithful fellows? It is notable that to the charge of
unrighteousness made by the unfaithful servant, the Lord deigns no
refutation; the spirit of the reply was the same as that expressed in
the earlier parable: "Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou
wicked servant."[1173] The unworthy man sought to excuse himself by the
despicable but all too common subterfuge of presumptuously charging
culpability in another, and in this instance, that other was his Lord.
Talents are not given to be buried, and then to be dug up and offered
back unimproved, reeking with the smell of earth and dulled by the
corrosion of disuse. The unused talent was justly taken from him who had
counted it as of so little worth, and was given to one, who, although
possessing much, would use the additional gift to his own profit, to the
betterment of his fellows, and to the glory of his Lord.
THE INEVITABLE JUDGMENT.[1174]
The Lord had uttered His last parable. In words of plainness, though
suffused with the beauty of effective simile, He impressed upon the
listening disciples the certainty of judgment by which the world shall
be visited in the day of His appearing. Then shall the wheat be
segregated from the tares,[1175] and the sheep divided from the goats.
"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels
with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him
shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from
another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall
set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left." Unto those
on His right hand the King shall give commendation and blessing,
bestowing a rich recompense for their good works, as attested by the
hungry they had fed, the thirsty to whom they had given drink, the
stranger they had lodged, the naked they had clothed, the sick to whom
they had ministered, the prisoners they had visited and encouraged, all
of which mercies are accredited to them as having been rendered to their
Lord in person. The blessed company, overwhelmed by the plenitude of the
King's bounty, of which they regard themselves as undeserving, will fain
disclaim the merit attributed to them; "And the King shall answer and
say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto
one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
Unto them who wait on the left in terrified expectancy, the King shall
recount their several deficiencies, in that they had given Him neither
food nor drink, shelter nor clothing despite His need; neither had they
visited Him though ill, nor ministered unto His wants when He lay in a
prison cell. In the desperation of anguish these shall ask when and
where they had had such opportunity of comforting Him, and He shall
answer, "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the
least of these, ye did it not to me." The righteous shall be welcomed
with "Come ye blessed of my Father"; the wicked shall hear the awful
sentence, "Depart from me ye cursed." Eternal life is the inestimable
reward; everlasting punishment the unfathomable doom.[1176]
Viewing as one discourse the two parables and the teaching that directly
followed, we find in it such unity of subject and thoroughness of
treatment as to give to the whole both beauty and worth beyond the sum
of these qualities exhibited in the several parts. Vigilant waiting in
the Lord's cause, and the dangers of unreadiness are exemplified in the
story of the virgins; diligence in work and the calamitous results of
sloth are prominent features of the tale of the talents. These two
phases of service are of reciprocal and complementary import; it is as
necessary at times to wait as at others to work. The lapse of a long
period, as while the Bridegroom tarried, and as during the Master's
absence in "a far country,"[1177] is made plain throughout as
intervening between the Lord's departure and His return in glory. The
absolute certainty of the Christ coming to execute judgment upon the
earth, in the which every soul shall receive according to his deserts,
is the sublime summary of this unparalleled discourse.
ANOTHER SPECIFIC PREDICTION OF THE LORD'S DEATH.
Following the instructions to the apostles at the resting place on
Olivet, and probably in the course of the continued walk toward Bethany
that evening, Jesus reminded the Twelve of the awful fate awaiting Him,
and specified the time of His betrayal and the manner of His death. "Ye
know," He said, "that after two days is the feast of the passover, and
the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified."[1178]
NOTES TO CHAPTER 32.
1. Early Fulfilment of the Lord's Prophecies.--As to the literal
fulfilment of the Lord's predictions relating to the times immediately
following His ascension and down to the destruction of Jerusalem, the
student must be referred to scriptural and other history. Only a brief
summary of the most notable events can be attempted here.
On the matter of wars and rumors or threats of wars, see Josephus,
Antiquities xviii, ch. 9, and Wars, ii, ch. 10. The latter reference is
to the account of the decree issued by Caligula that his statue be set
up and duly reverenced in the temple, in consequence of which the Jews
protested so strenuously that war was declared against them, but was
averted by the death of the emperor. Concerning the death of Caligula,
Josephus remarks that it "happened most happily for our nation in
particular, which would have almost utterly perished, if he had not been
suddenly slain." Other threats of war against the Jews were severally
made by the emperors Claudius and Nero.
Nation rose against nation, as for example, in the assault of Greeks and
Syrians upon the Jews, in the course of which 50,000 Jews were slain at
Selucia on the Tigris, and 20,000 at Cæsarea, 13,000 at Scythopolis, and
2,500 at Ascalon. Famine and its attendant pestilence prevailed during
the reign of Claudius, (41-54 A.D.) and such had been specifically
predicted by inspiration, through Agabus (Acts 11:28). The famine was
very severe in Palestine (Josephus, Antiquities, xx, ch. 2). Earthquakes
were of alarming frequency and of unusual severity, between the death of
Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem, particularly in Syria,
Macedonia, Campania, and Achia. See Tacitus, _Annals_, books xii and
xiv; and for account of violent seismic disturbances at Rome, see
Suetonius in his _Life of Galba_. Josephus (Wars iv, ch. 4) records a
particularly severe earthquake that disrupted parts of Judea, and was
accompanied by "amazing concussions and bellowings of the earth--a
manifest indication that some destruction was coming upon men." The
portent of "fearful sights and great signs" from heaven, as recorded by
Luke was realized in the phenomenal events chronicled by Josephus
(Preface to "Wars").
Of the persecution that befell the apostles and others, and of their
arraignment before rulers, Dr. Adam Clarke, in his commentary on
passages in Matt 24, says: "We need go no farther than the Acts of the
Apostles for the completion of these particulars. Some were delivered to
councils, as Peter and John (Acts 4:5). Some were brought before rulers
and kings, as Paul before Gallio (18:12); before Felix (ch. 24); before
Festus and Agrippa (ch. 25). Some had utterance and wisdom which their
adversaries were not able to resist; so Stephen (6:10), and Paul who
made even Felix himself tremble (24:25). Some were imprisoned, as Peter
and John (4:3). Some were beaten, as Paul and Silas (16:23). Some were
put to death, as Stephen (7:59); and James the brother of John (12:2).
But if we look beyond the book of the Acts of the Apostles, to the
bloody persecutions under Nero, we shall find these predictions still
more amply fulfilled; in these, numberless Christians fell, besides
those two champions of the faith, Peter and Paul. And it was, as says
Tertullian, a war against the very name of Christ; for he who was called
Christian had committed crime enough in bearing the name to be put to
death. So true were our Savior's words that they should be hated of all
men for His Name's sake."
Among the false prophets, and men who claimed to be the duly accredited
ministers of Christ, were Simon Magus who drew many people after him
(Acts 8:9, 13, 18-24; see also _The Great Apostasy_, 7:1, 2), Menander,
Dositheus, and Theudas, and the false apostles referred to by Paul (2
Cor. 11:13) and others, such as Hymeneus and Philetus (2 Tim. 2:17, 18).
Dummelow's _Commentary_ applies here the record by Josephus concerning
"a body of wicked men, who deceived and deluded the people under
pretense of divine inspiration, who prevailed with the multitude to act
like madmen, and went before them into the wilderness, pretending that
God would there show them the signals of victory." Compare 2 Peter 2:1;
1 John 2:18; 4:1. That the love of many did wax cold, both before and
after the destruction of Jerusalem, is attested by the facts of the
world-wide apostasy, which was the result of corruption within and
persecution from without the Church (see _The Great Apostasy_, chaps.
3-9).
The preaching of the gospel of the kingdom "in all the world" was no
less truly an essential characteristic of the apostolic period than it
is of the current or last dispensation. The rapid spread of the gospel
and the phenomenal growth of the Church under the direction of the
apostles of old, is recorded as one of the marvels of history (_Great
Apostasy_, 1:21, and citation of Eusebius). Paul, writing about thirty
years after Christ's ascension, affirms that the gospel had already been
carried to every nation, and "preached to every creature under heaven"
(Col. 1:23, compare verse 6).
The "abomination of desolation" cited by the Lord from the prophecy by
Daniel was strictly fulfilled in the investment of Jerusalem by the
Roman army (compare Luke 21:20, 21). To the Jews the ensigns and images
of the Romans were a disgusting abomination. Josephus (Wars vi, ch. 6)
states that the Roman ensigns were set up inside the temple and that the
soldiery offered sacrifices before them.
The warning to all to flee from Jerusalem and Judea to the mountains
when the armies would begin to surround the city was so generally heeded
by members of the Church, that according to the early Church writers not
one Christian perished in the awful siege (see Eusebius, _Eccles.
Hist._, book iii, ch. 5). The first siege by Gallus was unexpectedly
raised, and then, before the armies of Vespasian arrived at the walls,
all Jews who had faith in the warning given by Christ to the apostles,
and by these to the people, fled beyond Jordan, and congregated mostly
at Pella (compare Josephus, Wars ii, ch. 19).
As to the unprecedented horrors of the siege, which culminated in the
utter destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, see Josephus, Wars vi,
chaps. 3 and 4. That historian estimates the number slain in Jerusalem
alone as 1,100,000 and in other cities and rural parts a third as many
more. For details see Josephus, Wars ii, chaps. 18, 20; iii, 2, 7, 8, 9;
iv, 1, 2, 7, 8, 9; vii, 6, 9, 11. Many tens of thousands were taken
captive, to be afterward sold into slavery, or to be slain by wild
beasts, or in gladiatorial combat in the arena for the amusement of
Roman spectators.
In the course of the siege, a wall was constructed about the entire
city, thus fulfilling the Lord's prediction (Luke 19:43), "thine enemies
shall cast a trench about thee," in which, by the admittedly better
translation, "bank" or "palisade" should appear instead of "trench". In
September A.D. 70 the city fell into the hands of the Romans; and its
destruction was afterward made so thorough that its site was plowed up.
Jerusalem was "trodden down of the Gentiles", and ever since has been
under Gentile dominion, and so shall continue to be "until the times of
the Gentiles be fulfilled." (Luke 21:24.)
2. In the Deserts and in Secret Chambers.--The 24th chapter of Matthew,
and its parallel scriptures in Mark 13 and Luke 21, may be the more
easily understood if we bear in mind that the Lord therein speaks of two
distinct events, each a consummation of long ages of preparation, and
the first a prototype of the second. Many of the specific predictions
are applicable both to the time preceding or at the destruction of
Jerusalem, and to developments of succeeding time down to the second
coming of Christ. The passage in Matt. 24:26 may be given this two-fold
application. Josephus tells of men leading others away into the desert,
saying under pretended inspiration that there should they find God; and
the same historian mentions a false prophet who led many into the secret
chambers of the temple during the Roman assault, promising them that
there would the Lord give them deliverance. Men, women, and children
followed this fanatical leader, and were caught in the holocaust of
destruction, so that 6,000 of them perished in the flames (Josephus,
Wars vi, ch. 5). Concerning an application of the Lord's precepts to
later times and conditions, the author has elsewhere written (_The Great
Apostasy_, 7:22-25): One of the heresies of early origin and rapid
growth in the Church was the doctrine of antagonism between body and
spirit, whereby the former was regarded as an incubus and a curse. From
what has been said this will be recognized as one of the perversions
derived from the alliance of Gnosticism with Christianity. A result of
this grafting in of heathen doctrines was an abundant growth of hermit
practises, by which men sought to weaken, torture, and subdue their
bodies, that their spirits or "souls" might gain greater freedom. Many
who adopted this unnatural view of human existence retired to the
solitude of the desert, and there spent their time in practises of stern
self-denial and in acts of frenzied self-torture. Others shut themselves
up as voluntary prisoners, seeking glory in privation and self-imposed
penance. It was this unnatural view of life that gave rise to the
several orders of recluses, hermits, and monks.
Think you not that the Savior had such practises in mind, when, warning
the disciples of the false claims to sanctity that would characterize
the times then soon to follow, He said: "Wherefore if they shall say
unto you. Behold he [Christ] is in the desert, go not forth: behold, he
is in the secret chambers, believe it not"?
3. The Time of Christ's Advent Not Known.--The Lord's statement that the
time of His advent in glory was unknown to man, and that the angels knew
it not, "neither the Son", but that it was known to the Father only,
appears plain and unambiguous notwithstanding many and conflicting
commentaries thereon. Jesus repeatedly affirmed that His mission was to
do the will of the Father; and it is evident that the Father's will was
revealed to Him from time to time. While in the flesh He laid no claim
to omniscience; though whatever He willed to know He learned through the
medium of communication with the Father. Christ had not asked to know
what the Father had not intimated His readiness to reveal, which, in
this instance, was the day and hour of the Son's appointed return to
earth as a glorified, resurrected Being. We need not hesitate to believe
that at the time Jesus delivered to the apostles the discourse under
consideration, He was uninformed on the matter; for He so states. In the
last interview between Christ and the apostles immediately before His
ascension (Acts 1:6, 7) they asked "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore
again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to
know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own
power." Nor has the date of the Messianic consummation been since
revealed to any man; though even now, the fig tree is rapidly putting
forth its leaves, and he who hath eyes to see and a heart to understand
knows that the summer of the Lord's purpose is near at hand.
4. The False Doctrine of Supererogation.--Among the pernicious fallacies
promulgated as authorized dogmas by the apostate church during the long
period of spiritual darkness following the close of the apostolic
ministry, was the awful enormity known as the doctrine of
supererogation. As stated by Mosheim (_Eccl. Hist._ Cent. xii, part ii,
ch. 3:4) the dreadful doctrine was formulated in the thirteenth century
as follows: "That there actually existed an immense treasure of _merit_,
composed of the pious deeds and virtuous actions which the saints had
performed _beyond what was necessary for their own salvation_, and which
were therefore applicable to the benefit of others; that the guardian
and dispenser of this precious treasure was the Roman pontiff, and that
of consequence he was empowered to assign to such as he thought proper a
portion of this inexhaustible source of merit, suitable to their
respective guilt, and sufficient to deliver them from the punishment due
to their crimes." Concerning the fallacy of this doctrine the author has
written (_The Great Apostasy_, 9:15), in this wise: "This doctrine of
supererogation is as unreasonable as it is unscriptural and untrue.
Man's individual responsibility for his acts is as surely a fact as is
his agency to act for himself. He will be saved through the merits and
by the atoning sacrifice of our Redeemer and Lord; and his claim upon
the salvation provided is strictly dependent on his compliance with the
principles and ordinances of the gospel as established by Jesus Christ.
Remission of sins and the eventual salvation of the human soul are
provided for; but these gifts of God are not to be purchased with money.
Compare the awful fallacies of supererogation and the blasphemous
practise of assuming to remit the sins of one man in consideration of
the merits of another, with the declaration of the one and only Savior
of mankind: 'But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall
speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment.'" If
conclusions as to doctrine may be drawn from our Lord's parables, the
parable of the Ten Virgins affords refutation of the Satanic suggestion
that one man's sin may be neutralized by another's righteousness. We
know no supererogation but that of the Lord Jesus Christ, through whose
merits salvation is placed within the reach of all men.
5. "This Generation."--Consult any reliable unabridged dictionary of the
English language for evidence of the fact that the term "generation," as
connoting a period of time, has many meanings, among which are "race,
kind, class." The term is not confined to a body of people living at one
time. Fausett's _Bible Cyclopedia, Critical and Expository_, after
citing many meanings attached to the word, says: "In Matthew 24:34 'this
generation shall not pass (viz. the Jewish race, of which the generation
in Christ's days was a sample in character; compare Christ's address to
the "generation," 23:35, 36, in proof that "generation" means at times
the whole Jewish race) till all these things be fulfilled'--a prophecy
that the Jews shall be a distinct people still when He shall come
again."
FOOTNOTES:
[1150] Matt. 24:3-51; Mark 13:3-37: Luke 21:5-35. Compare P. of G.P.,
Joseph Smith, 1.
[1151] Mark 13:11; compare Matt. 10:19, 20; Luke 12:11, 12; 21:14, 15.
[1152] Luke 21:19; compare Doc. and Cov. 101:38.
[1153] Dan. 9:27.
[1154] Note 1, end of chapter.
[1155] Note 2, end of chapter.
[1156] Matt. 24:27; compare Luke 17:22-24.
[1157] The "body," as that of the Church, is rendered "carcase" in both
authorized and revised versions. For the application of the figure--of
eagles gathering about a carcase--to the assembling of scattered Israel,
see P. of G.P., Joseph Smith, 1:27, where we read: "so likewise shall
mine elect be gathered from the four quarters of the earth." Among Bible
scholars, a favorite interpretation of the passage, "For wheresoever the
carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together," is that Christ
was likening unto eagles (revised version "vultures") the angels that
shall come with Him to execute judgment upon mankind, and unto a carcase
the corruption of sin. See Matt. 24:28; compare Luke 17:37.
[1158] Matt. 24:35; compare 5:18; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33; compare 16:17;
see also Heb. 1:10, 11; 2 Peter 3:7-10; Rev. 21:1. Note 5, end of
chapter.
[1159] This is Mark's version; in the parallel passage Matt. 24:36, the
words "neither the Son" are not found in the King James text, but do
appear in the revised version. See Note 3, end of chapter.
[1160] Page 441.
[1161] Matt. 24:45-51; Mark 13:34-37; Luke 21:34-36, compare 12:35-48.
[1162] Matt. 25:1-13.
[1163] Compare Rev. 21:2, 9; 22:17; see also Matt. 9:15; John 3:29.
[1164] See Parable of the Sower, Matt. 13:5, 6, 20, 21; page 282 herein.
[1165] Note 4, end of chapter.
[1166] Compare John 10:14.
[1167] Doc. and Cov. 45:56-59; see also 63:53, 54.
[1168] Matt. 25:14-30.
[1169] Luke 19:12-27; see also page 508 herein.
[1170] Margin, revised version.
[1171] 1 Cor. 12:4; study the entire chapter.
[1172] Luke 12:48.
[1173] Luke 19:22; compare Matt. 12:37.
[1174] Matt. 25:31-46.
[1175] Matt. 13:24-30; page 286 herein.
[1176] Page 286.
[1177] The revised version reads "another country" instead of "a far
country," in Matt. 25:14.
[1178] Matt. 26:2.