2007 01 January

15-18. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken, of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains: let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
This portion of our Savior's words appears to relate solely to the destruction of Jerusalem. As soon as Christ's disciples saw "the abomination of desolation ", that is, the Roman ensigns, with their idolatrous emblems, "stand in the holy place", they knew that the time for them to escape had arrived; and they did "flee to the mountains." The Christians in Jerusalem and the surrounding towns and villages, in Judea availed themselves of the first opportunity for eluding the Roman armies, and fled to the mountain city of Pella, in Perea, where they were preserved from the general destruction which overthrew the Jews. There was no time to spare before the final investment of the guilty city; the man "on the house-top" could "not come down to take anything out of his house", and the man "in the field" could not "return back, to take his clothes." They must flee to the mountains in the greatest haste the moment that they saw "Jerusalem compassed with armies "(Luke 21:20).

19-21. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that; your flight 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.
It must have been a peculiarly trying time for the women who had to flee from their homes just when they needed quiet and rest. How thoughtful and tender was our pitiful Savior in thus sympathizing with suffering mothers in their hour of need! "Flight… in the winter" or "on the Sabbath day" would have been attended with special difficulties; so the disciples were exhorted to "pray" that some other time might be available. (Continued)

The Lord knew exactly when they would be able to escape, yet he bade them pray that their flight might not be in the winter, nor on the Sabbath-day. The wise men of the present day would have said that prayer was useless under such conditions; not so the great Teacher and Example of his praying people; he taught that such a season was the very time for special supplication. The reason for this injunction was thus stated by the Savior: "For there shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." Read the record written by Josephus of the destruction of Jerusalem, and see how truly our Lord's words were fulfilled. The Jews impiously said, concerning the death of Christ, "His blood be on us, and on our children." Never did any other people invoke such an awful curse upon themselves, and upon no other nation did such a judgment ever fall. We read of Jews crucified till there was no more wood for making crosses; of thousands of the people slaying one another in their fierce faction fights within the city; of so many of them being sold for slaves that they became a drug in the market, and all but valueless; and of the fearful carnage when the Romans at length entered the doomed capital; and the blood-curdling story exactly bears out the Savior's statement uttered nearly forty years before the terrible events occurred.

22. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
These were the words of the King as well as of the Prophet; and as such, they were both authentic and authoritative. Jesus spoke of what "should be" not only as the Seer who was able to gaze into the future, but as the Sovereign Disposer of all events. He knew what a fiery trial awaited the unbelieving nation, and that "except those days should, be shortened, there should no flesh be saved." If the horrors of the siege were to continue long, the whole race of the Jews would be destroyed. The King had the power to cut short the evil days, and he explained his reason for using that power: "For the elect's sake those days shall be shortened."

23-26. 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 show 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.
It is a grand thing to have such faith in Christ that, you have none to spare for impostors. It is important not to distribute your faith too widely. Those who believe a little of everything will, in the end, believe nothing of anything. If you exercise full faith in that which is sure and steadfast, "false Christs and false prophets" will not be able to make you their dupes. In one respect, the modern teachers of heresy are more successful than their Judean prototypes, for they do actually "deceive the very elect", even though they cannot "show great signs and wonders." One of the saddest signs of the times in which we live is the ease with which "the very elect" are deceived by the smooth-tongued "false Christs and false prophets" who abound in our midst. Yet our Savior expressly forewarned his followers against them: "Behold, I have told you before." Forewarned is forearmed. Let it be so in our case. Our Savior's expressive command may be fitly applied to the whole system of "modern thought" which is contrary to the inspired Word of God: "Believe it not."
27. 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.
When HE comes, we shall know who he is, and why he has come. There will be no longer any mystery or secret about "the coming of the Son of man" There will be no need to ask any questions then; no one will make a mistake about his appearing when it actually takes place. "Every eye shall see him." Christ's coming will be sudden, startling, universally visible, and terrifying to the ungodly: "as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west." His first coming to judgment at the destruction of Jerusalem had terrors about it that till then had never been realized on the earth; his last coming will be more dreadful still.

28. For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
Judaism had become a "carcass", dead and corrupt; fit prey for the vultures or carrion-kites of Rome. By-and-by, there will arrive another day, when there will be a dead church in a dead world, and "the eagles" of divine judgment "will be gathered: together" to tear in pieces those whom there shall be none to deliver. The birds of prey gather wherever dead bodies are to be found; and the judgments of Christ will be poured out when the body politic or religious becomes unbearably corrupt.
29, 30. 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 heavens 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.
Our Lord appears to have purposely mingled the prophecies concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and his own second coming, so that there should be nothing in his words to satisfy idle curiosity, but everything to keep his disciples always on the watch for his appearing. These verses must apply to the coming of the King at the last great day. There may have been a partial fulfillment of them in "the tribulation" that came upon his guilty capital; and the language of the Savior might have been taken, metaphorically, to set forth the wonders in "the heavens" and the woes on "the earth" in connection with that awful judgment; but we must regard Christ's words here as prophetic of the final manifestation of "the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." There will be no further need of "the sun and the moon and the star," when HE, who is brighter than the sun, shines forth in all the glory of his Father and of his holy angels. Christ's coming will be the source of untold joy to his friends; but it will bring unparalleled sorrow to his foes: "then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn." When Jesus comes, he will find the nations still unsaved, and horror will be their eternal portion.

Friday, January 5th
January 5
MATTHEW 24:3-31
THE KING ANSWERS DIFFICULT QUESTIONS
Christ's coming will be the source of untold joy to his friends; but it will bring unparalleled sorrow to his foes: "then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn." When Jesus comes, he will find the nations still unsaved, and horror will be their eternal portion.
31. 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,
Our Lord's first concern, when he comes again, will be the security of "his elect." He has gone to prepare a place for them; and when the place is
ready, and the time for their glorification has come, "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."
"East and west, and south and north,
Speeds each glorious angel forth,
Gathering in with glittering wing
Zion's saints to Zion's King."
What a contrast between the gathering together of the eagles to devour the rotting carcass and the gathering together of Christ's elect at the great trumpet-summons of his holy angels! May every reader of these lines be in the latter company! Such will look forward with joy to the time of the King's appearing.

MATTHEW 24:32-41
THE KING SPEAKS OF THE TIME OF HIS COMING
32-33. 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 are fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away but my words shall not pass away.
Our Lord here evidently returns to often made use of its illuminated the subject of the destruction of Jerusalem, and in these words gives his apostles warning concerning the signs of the times. He had recently used the barren fig tree as an object-lesson; he now bids his disciples "learn a parable of the fig tree" and all the trees (Luke 21:31). (Continued)

God's great book of nature is full of illustrations for those who have eyes to perceive them; and the Lord Jesus, the great Creator, often made use of its illuminated pages in conveying instruction to the minds of his hearers. On this occasion, he used a simple simile from the parable of the fig-tree: "When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh." They could not mistake so plain a token of the near return of summer; and Jesus would have them read quite as quickly the signs that were to herald the coming judgment on Jerusalem: "So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors." The Revised Version has the words, "Know ye that he is nigh," the Son of man, the King. His own nation rejected him when he came in mercy; so his next coming would be a time of terrible judgment and retribution to his guilty capital. Oh, that Jews and Gentiles today were wise enough to learn the lesson of that fiery trial, and to seek his face, that wrath they cannot bear! The King left his followers in no doubt as to when these things should happen: "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled." It was just about the ordinary limit of a generation when the Roman armies compassed Jerusalem, whose measure of iniquity was then full, and overflowed in misery, agony, distress, and bloodshed such as the world never saw before or since. Jesus was a true Prophet; everything that he foretold was literally fulfilled. He confirmed what he had already said and what he was about to say, by a solemn affirmation: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." "The Word of the Lord endures for ever," and though that Lord appeared in fashion as a man, and was shortly to be crucified as a malefactor, his words would endure when heaven and earth would have fulfilled the purpose for which he had created them, and passed away. Christ's promises of pardon are as sure of fulfillment as his prophecies of punishment; no word of his shall ever "pass away."

36. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of
heaven, but my Father only.
There is a manifest change in our Lord's words here, which clearly indicates that they refer to his last great coming to judgment: "But of that day and hour knoweth no man." Some would be prophets have wrested this verse from its evident meaning by saying, "Though we do not know the day and the hour of Christ's coming, we may know the year, the month, and even the week." If this method of "renting the words of Jesus is not blasphemous, it is certainly foolish, and betrays disloyalty to the King. He added that, not only does no man know of that day and hour, but it is hidden from angelic beings also: "No, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." We need not therefore be troubled by idle prophecies of hair-brained fanatics, even if they claim to interpret the Scriptures; for what the angels do not know has not been revealed to them. Even Christ, in his human nature, so voluntarily limited his own capacities that he knew not the time of his Second Advent (Mark 13:32). It is enough for us to know that he will surely come; our great concern should be to be ready for his appearing whenever he shall return.

37-39. 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.
Though the King did not reveal the time of "the coming of the Son of man", he declared plainly that history would repeat itself, and that "that day" would be "as the days of Noe were." When he comes, he will find many unprepared, even as the antediluvians were when "the flood came, and took them all away." Yet in both cases, sinners will have had ample warning Noah was "a preacher of righteousness" to the men of his day; "and this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the entire world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come "(v. 14).
(Continued)

Christ's coming, like the flood, will be sudden, unexpected, universal in its effects, and terrible to the ungodly, although they will be utterly unconcerned: "eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day." That which is lawful and right, under other circumstances, becomes a positive evil when it takes the place of preparation for the coming of the Son of man. Woe unto those whose eating and drinking do not include the bread and the water of life; and who marry or are given in marriage, but not to the heavenly Bridegroom!

"Day of judgment, day of wonders!
Hark, the trumpet's awful sound,
Louder than a thousand thunders,
Shakes the vast creation round!
How the summons
Will the sinner's heart confound!"

40, 41. 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.
The division between the godly and the ungodly, at the coming of Christ, will be very precise. Companions in labor will be separated for ever in "that day": Then shall two be in the field;" ploughing, sowing, reaping, or resting; "the one shall be taken, and the other left." The believing laborer shall be taken by the angels to join the hosts of the redeemed, while his unbelieving fellow-workman shall be left to the judgment that will swiftly be poured out upon him. "Two women shall be grinding at the mill;" they may be fellow-servants in a rich man's mansion, or they may be mother and daughter or two sisters in a poor man's home; but however closely they may have been attached to one another, if one is saved by grace, and the other is still under the sentence of condemnation, "the one shall be taken, and the other left." This separation will be eternal; there is no hint of any future reunion.

Christ's coming to the world will be like that of the thief, when it is not suspected or expected, and therefore when due preparations for his reception have not been made; but his true followers will not let "that day "overtake them "as a thief "(1 Thessalonians 5:4). 'They ought ever to be looking for his appearing. Our Lord's injunction to his disciples ought to have even greater weight with us who live so much nearer to the time of his Second Advent than it had with those to whom he addressed his warning words, "Therefore be ye also ready." We ought to be as watchful as if we knew that Christ would come tonight; because, although we do not know when he will come, we do know that he may come at any moment. Oh, to be ready for his appearing, watching and waiting for him as servants whose Lord has been long away from them, and who may return at any hour! This will not make us neglect our daily calling; on the contrary, we shall be all the more diligent in attending to our earthly duties because our hearts are at rest about our heavenly treasures.

45, 46. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, 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.
The apostles were "stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Corinthians 4:1), and "good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10). One great qualification for a steward was that he should be found "faithful" both to "his lord" and to all in the "household" over whom he was "made ruler." It was needful also that he should be "wise" in his dealings with his fellow-servants; for, notwithstanding the honor put upon him, he was still a "servant", who must give to his lord an account of his stewardship. These words describe the service of a minister, preaching the truth with all his heart, and seeking "to give meat in due season" to all over whom the Holy Ghost hath made him an overseer.

Or they picture a teacher, endeavoring to feed the minds of the young with sound doctrine; or they portray any servant of Christ, whatever his calling may be, doing the work that his Master has appointed him, just as he would wish to do it if he knew that his Lord was coming at that moment to examine it: "Blessed is that whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.." Such a servant of Christ is blessed; he is a happy man to be found by his Lord "so doing." May our Master find us thus occupied when he cometh!
47. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
His lord had formerly made him "ruler over his household", the steward who had charge of all the household servants. His faithful and prudent conduct in that office won for him promotion to a higher post, so that his lord resolved to "make him ruler over all his goods." Thus is it among the servants of King Jesus, there are rewards for faithful service not of debt, but of grace; not according to the rule of the Law, but according to the discipline of the house of God, and the higher rule of Love. It should be noted that faithfulness in one form of service is rewarded by further service and increased responsibility. The servant, whose pound gained ten pounds, received authority over ten cities (Luke 19:17).
48-51. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to 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 the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
This man was a "servant ", so that we have here a warning, not to the outside world, but to those who are inside the Church of Christ, and who profess to be servants of God. This is also specially a warning to ministers of the Word, those who are made rulers over God's household. This man, though a servant, was an "evil servant"; a hypocrite, one who had intruded into an office which he had no right to occupy. (Continued)

His thoughts and words were evil: "If that evil servant shall say in his heart, my lord delayeth his coming." His conduct towards those put under him was evil: "and shall begin to smite his fellow-servant." His own life was evil: "and to eat and drink with the drunken." His evildoing would be suddenly cut short by his master's appearance: "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." Immediate and terrible punishment would be meted out to him: "And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites:" he was one of them, he pretended to be a servant of God when all the while he was a slave of Satan, serving self and sin; let him go to his own company. He was really cut in two before, outwardly he was a follower of Christ, inwardly he served his own lusts; to "cut him asunder" will only be a righteous perpetuation of his own double-faced character. Will that be the end of him? No; "there shall be weeping and: gnashing of teeth." What a "portion" for one who was numbered amongst God's servants! As we read of it, let us, in deep humility, remember the solemn injunction of the apostle, "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."

Our Lord was still seated, with his disciples, upon the Mount of Olives (see chapter 24:3). The instructive parable that follows was spoken by him in continuation of the discourse we have been considering. It is evidently intended to set forth, under a familiar figure, the need of preparation for the King's glorious appearing when he comes to claim his bride. To those of us who will not be alive at Christ's Second Advent, the midnight cry, "Go ye out to meet him," will sound forth at the hour of death.

1. 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.
According to Oriental custom, the bridegroom is represented as having gone to the house of his bride's father, whence he would conduct his spouse to her future home. The parable opens at the point where some of his professed friends are waiting to join the procession, and go in with him to the marriage-feast. Thus is the nominal Church of Christ waiting for the coming of the Lord. There did not seem to be much difference in the eternal appearance of the "ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom." They were all virgins, they all took their lamps, and they all went forth to meet the bridegroom. They all made a profession of attachment to him, which led them to separate themselves from their other companions and acquaintances that they might go forth to meet him on his wedding-night. There was, however, a vital and essential difference between them: "Five of them were wise, and five were foolish." Let us hope that we are not to gather from our Lord's words that one half of the professing Church is composed of those whom he calls "foolish." Yet our Savior would not have spoken of so great a proportion if there were not really a very large admixture of foolish professors with the wise possessors of the grace of God.

3. Them that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
They may have thought that, if they had lamps that were similar to those carried by others, it would be sufficient. Perhaps they judged that the secret store of oil, being unseen, was unnecessary. They were willing to carry a lamp in one hand; but to devote the other hand to the care of an oil-flask was more than they were willing to do. It is the want of the oil of grace that is the fatal flaw in many a professor's lamp. Many have a name to live, but have not the life of God within their souls. They make a profession of attachment to Christ, but they have not the inward supply of the Spirit of grace to keep it up.

4. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
They had oil in their lamps, and oil with their lamps. Lamps are of no use without oil; yet the oil needs the lamp, or it will not be used. Grace should reveal its presence, faith in Christ should be avowed; but it is worse than useless to make a profession of love to Christ, unless there is a secret store of grace by which the external part of religion may be maintained even before the all searching eye of the King himself. Unless the Spirit of God is in us, indeed, and of a truth, we may for a while make a fair show in the flesh, but the end will be the blackness of darkness for ever.

5. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
How sadly true it is that, in the history of Christ's Church, genuine saints and mere professors have often "slumbered and slept" side by side! Those who have the oil of grace are not always wide awake to serve their Master, and watch for his appearing. In the case of even true believers, the delay in Christ's coming causes disappointment, weariness, and lethargy; and his Church falls fast asleep, when she ought to be watching for her Lord. As for the "foolish," whether self-deceived or hypocrites, there being no true life of God in the soul, after a while their apparent earnestness disappears, and Satan drugs them into a fatal slumber.

6. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
That midnight cry, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh," startled all the sleepers. It should be well if we all I thought more of the great truth of our Lord's Second Advent. The oftener it is preached, in due proportion with other revealed doctrines, the more likely will it be to arouse both slumbering possessors and sleeping professors of love to Christ. As the midnight of this present evil age approaches, there is increasing need for all to be bidden to listen for the clarion cry, "Go ye out to meet him."

Monday, January 15th

January 15
MATTHEW 25:1-13
THE KING AND HIS MARRIAGE PROCESSION

7. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
The suddenness of the alarm made them all start to their feet, and begin to examine and trim their lamps. They could not go to meet the bridegroom without carrying a light; that was an essential part of their preparation for joining the King's marriage procession. Those virgins who had "oil in their vessels with their lamps" soon finished their trimming, and were ready to start; but those who had "lamps" but "no oil" were unable to perform the necessary trimming. It is a pity that any should have to be trimming their lamps when they come to die, or when the sign of the Son of man appears in the heaven; but if that work is attempted without the Spirit or the grace of God, it will be an eternal failure.

8. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
They now began to value what they had aforetime despised; they had been so foolish as to think that oil was unnecessary, now they saw that it was the one thing needful. Hence their request to their wiser companions: "Give us of your oil." They gave a dreadful reason for their request: "for our lamps are gone out," or, going out; the dry wick flickered a while, and then died out in darkness, like the snuff of a candle. Those are terrible words, "our lamps are gone out." It is worse to have a lamp that has gone out than never to have had a lamp at all. "Our lamps are gone out." The foolish virgins seemed to say, We thought everything was ready for tonight, we even gloried in our lamps, we promised ourselves a bright future, we thought all was well for our share in the marriage-supper; but our lamps are gone out, and we have no oil with which to supply them. May no reader of this page ever have to utter this bitter lament! Those who are putting of their repentance till their dying hour are like these foolish virgins; their folly has reached its utmost height. When the death-sweat lies cold on the brow, the neglected oil of grace will be valued. Then will come the despairing cry "Send for a minister to pray for me, get in some Christian people to see what they can do for me."

Tuesday, January 16th

January 16
MATTHEW 25:1-13
THE KING AND HIS MARRIAGE PROCESSION

9. 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,
No believer has more grace than he needs: "the wise" virgins had no oil to give away. They gave the best advice they could under the circumstances, although it was of no avail: "Go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves." There is a proper place where the oil can be bought at the right time: we are bidden to "buy the truth," grace is sold in God's market1on gospel terms, "without money, and without price;" but when the midnight cry is heard, the day of grace has closed, and buying and selling are over for ever.
10. 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.
Undoubtedly, there is death-bed repentance; but it is to be feared that, in the great majority of cases, people who wake up so late to a true conviction of their condition will find that, while they go to buy the long despised grace, "the bridegroom" will come. The poor head may be so distracted with pain that the mind may not be able to catch the idea of what faith in Christ is; mental capacity may wholly fail in that dread hour. The risk is so great that none but the fatally foolish will postpone till then the preparation for the King's coming. "They that were ready went in with him to the marriage:" their readiness consisted in having lighted lamps, or flaming torches; our preparation for death or Christ's coming, is the possession of grace in the heart. "And the door was shut:" when that door is once shut, it will never be opened. There are some who dote and dream about an opening of that door, after death, for those who have died impenitent; but there is nothing in the Scriptures to warrant such an expectation. Any "larger hope" than that revealed in the Word of God, is a delusion and a snare.

Wednesday, January 17th

January 17
MATTHEW 25:1-13
THE KING AND HIS MARRIAGE PROCESSION

11, 12. 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.
"The other virgins" were not "ready" when the bridegroom came; and
there is no hint in the parable that they were any more ready when they came and clamored at his closed door, "Lord, lord, open to us." We came to meet thee, we carried lamps, we were with the other virgins; Lord, Lord, open to us! "His answer tolled the knell of any vain hope of admission that they might have cherished: "Verily, I say unto you, I know you not." "If any man loves God, the same is known of him." (1 Corinthians 8:3, R.V.) The Good Shepherd says, "I know mine own, and mine own know me." (John 10:14, R.V.) Those whom Jesus Christ knows in this sense, he loves; and they love him because he has first loved them. The foolish virgins had professed to be the bridegroom's friends, yet they were proved to be not even his acquaintances. May none of us ever hear from the blessed lips of the heavenly Bridegroom that terrible death-sentence, "I know you not"!

13. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Our Lord again enjoins upon his followers the duty of watchfulness, as in chapter 24:42; and repeats, in a slightly-altered form, the reason previously given: "For ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." It is idle to say that we may find out the year, if not the day and hour, of Christ's coming. The time of the end is hidden, and shall not be known until suddenly, he shall appear "in the clouds of heaven in power and great glory." It should be our one great concern to be sure that we shall be ready to meet him whenever he may come.

Thursday, January 18th

January 18
MATTHEW 25:14-30
THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS

14, 15. For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling 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 straight way took his journey.
Our Savior had been speaking of himself as the heavenly Bridegroom; now he compares himself to "a man traveling into a far country." The word "traveling" suggests that our Lord has only gone away for a season and that he will return when his purpose in going into the "far country" is accomplished. When he went back from earth to heaven, it was a long journey; but he did not leave his servants without needful supplies during his absence. He "called his own servants", his bondservants, his household servants; "and delivered unto them his goods." The servants were his, and the goods also were his; his slaves could not claim as their own either their persons or their possessions; all belonged to their lord, and were to be used for him. He did not entrust to all the same quantity of goods: "Unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability." He was the judge of the ability of each of his servants, and he made no mistake in his allotment of the talents to them. We may rest assured, if we are the Lord's servants, that he has bestowed upon us as many talents as we can rightly use, and quite as many as we shall be able to account for when he returns. The all-important matter for us is to be faithful to the trust committed to us. "And straightway took his journey: "our Lord knew all that was to happen before he left the earth, - his passion, crucifixion, and resurrection; but he calmly talked of it as a man might speak of his preparations for traveling into a foreign country. He has gone, and his servants are left behind to make the best use they can of his ascension-gifts while he is absent. This parable, like that of the ten virgins, has to do with real and nominal Christians, with all who are or who profess to be the servants of Christ. The "talents" are anything and everything that our Lord has given to us for use here as his stewards.

Friday, January 19th

January 19
MATTHEW 25:14-30
THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS

16-18. 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.
It is very significant that our Savior said that "he that had received one" talent "went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money." Many who have "five talents" or "two" have not "traded with the same," and so gained "other five" or "other two"; but Jesus knew that it was the servant with one talent who was most exposed to the temptation to do nothing because he could only do little. There is peril connected with the possession of five talents, or two; but the man who has only one talent is in equal if not greater danger. Let us all remember that, as it is a sin to hide one talent in the earth, it is a greater sin to hide two or five talents. It was "his lord's money" that the slothful servant hid. It would have been wrong to bury what belonged to himself; but he was doubly blameworthy in hiding that which had been entrusted to him by his lord, instead of trading with it so as to increase it. Are any of us thus sinning against our Savior?

19. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
There is a reckoning-day coming, even though "a long time "may elapse before "the lord of those servants cometh." Jesus is coming back from the far country whither he has gone; his own word is, "Behold, I come quickly." We must not leave this great fact out of our reckoning; and as his stewards, we must be prepared at any moment for him to come and reckon with us as to the talents with which he has endowed each of his servants.

Saturday, January 20th

January 20
MATTHEW 25:14-30
THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS

20, 21. 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.
Have all of us, who "received five talents" from our Lord, "gained beside them five talents more"? Have we double the grace we had at first? Twice the tact with which we began our service for God? Twofold adaptation to the work he has given us to do? It was so with this servant; and therefore, his lord commended and rewarded him. There was no proportion between his service and its reward: "You been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things." He who is faithful to his Lord shall have greater opportunities of proving his loyalty and devotion in a higher sphere; and in addition, he shall share the bliss of his Lord's return: "Enter thou into the joy of thy lord." This is not the servant's portion, but the Master's portion shared with his faithful servants. This will be the consummation of all heavenly delights; not so much that we shall have a joy of our own as that we shall enter into the joy of our Lord.
22, 23. He also that had received two talent, 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.
This servant's commendation and reward are exactly the same as those given to his more highly privileged brother; as if our Savior would teach us that it is not the number of our talents, but the use we make of them, that is the essential matter. He does not expect as much from the man with two talents as from the one to whom he has given five; what he does expect is that they should both be faithful over the few things he has committed to their care. It was so with the two servants mentioned in the parable. The first and second had doubled the capital received from his lord, even as the first had done with his larger amount of trust-money; therefore they were equally praised and blessed.

Sunday, January 21st

January 21
MATTHEW 25:14-30
THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS

24, 25.. 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 hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
At the day of reckoning, the unfaithful as well as the faithful have to give account of their stewardship. This man's words were self-contradictory, and his excuse was self-condemnatory. He said that he know that his lord was a hard man, reaping where he had not sown, and gathering where he had not strawed, yet he confessed that the talent he brought back had been given to him by this master whom he represented as severe and unreasonable. He also admitted that it was his lord's money that he had hidden in the earth: "thy talent." It was entrusted to him, and yet even the servant owned that it did not belong to him: "Lo, there thou hast that is thine." "I have not made any addition to thy talent. I have brought it back, lo, there it is." He seemed to speak as though this was all that could be rightly expected of him; yet he was evidently not satisfied with himself, for he said, "I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth." See how fear may become the mother of presumption. Faith in God begets holy fear; but servile fear is the parent of doubt.
26, 27. 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.
"His" took the "wicked and slothful servant" on his own ground, and condemned him out of his own mouth. The master did not mean to admit that he was such a one as he had been called by the "malicious and lazy slave", as the original might be literally rendered; but supposing the servant's words had been true, what ought he to have done? If he was afraid to trade with his lord's talent on his own responsibility, he might have taken it to the bankers, who would have kept it secure and added interest to it while it was deposited with them. If we cannot trade directly and personally on our Lord's account, His talent must not be buried in the earth; but must be invested to bring the best return at his coming.

Monday, January 22nd

January 22
MATTHEW 25:14-30
THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS

28-30. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it to 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.
The servant who had gained five talents to his lord's five was allowed to keep them all, for his master spoke of "him which has ten talents." The unused talent of the slothful servant was also given to him, for he who uses well that which is entrusted to him shall receive more. He who has faith shall have more faith. He who has a taste for divine things shall develop a greater appetite for them He who has some understanding of the mysteries of the kingdom shall understand them more fully: "For unto every one that hath shall be given and he shall have abundance." To lose the talent that had remained idle was only a small part of the doom of "the unprofitable servant." His lord ordered him to be "cast into outer darkness ", and his punishment is indicated by that oft-repeated refrain of our Savior's revelation of the horrors that await lost souls: "there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." If we give any description of the world to come which is at all terrible, we are supposed to have borrowed it from Dante or Milton; but the most awful and harrowing descriptions of hell that ever fell from human lips do not exceed the language of the loving Christ himself. He is the true lover of men who faithfully warns them concerning the eternal woe that awaits the impenitent; while he who paints the miseries of hell as though they were but trifling is seeking to murder men's souls under the pretense of friendship.

Tuesday, January 23rd

January 23
MATTHEW 25:31-46
THE ROYAL AND UNIVERSAL JUDGE

Here we have the King's own description of the Day of Judgment; and in the solemn silence of our spirits we may well put off our shoes from our feet as we draw nigh to this holy ground.

31. 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:
Our Savior had a wonderful series of contrasts passing before his eye as he uttered this sublime prophecy. Within three days he was to be crucified; yet he spoke of the time "When the Son of man shall come in his glory." He had with him a little company of disciples, one of whom would betray him, another would deny him, and all would forsake him; yet by faith he saw the heavenly retinue that would attend him at his coming: "and all the holy angels with him." Wearied and worn with his labors, and saddened because of the hardness of men's hearts and the impending doom of Jerusalem, he sat on the slope of the Mount of Olives; but his thoughts were projected across the ages as he told his hearers of the glorious throne he would occupy in the day when he should return as the Royal and Universal Judge of mankind: "Then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory." The great white throne shall be set on high, all pure and lustrous, bright and clear as a polished mirror, in which every man shall see himself and his sins reflected; and on that throne shall sit "the Son of man." Behind the Kingly Judge, "all the holy angels" shall be ranged, rank on rank, an innumerable and glorious body-guard, to grace the court of their enthroned Lord on the day of the last great assize; and, at his bidding, to remove from his presence all whom he shall condemn.

Wednesday, January 24th

January 24
MATTHEW 25:31-46
THE ROYAL AND UNIVERSAL JUDGE

32, 33. 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.
In the last great day of the Lord, all nations that have ever existed on the face of the globe shall be gathered before the judgment-seat of Christ. The earth, which is now becoming more and more one vast graveyard or channel-house, shall yield up her dead; and the sea itself, transformed into a solid pavement, shall bear upon its bosom the millions who lie hidden in its gloomy caverns. All mankind will be assembled before their Judge: "and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall fail because of him." At first they will be gathered together in one heterogeneous mass; but the myriad multitude will speedily be divided into two companies: "and he shall separate them one from another." The King will be the divider in that dread day. How he will separate them, no one can tell, except that it will be "as a shepherd
divideth his sheep from the goats." Not one goat will be left among the sheep, nor one sheep with the goats. The division will be very close and personal: "one from another." They will not be separated into nations, nor even into families; but each individual will be allotted his or her proper place among the sheep or among the goats. "And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left." There will be only two companies, one on the right hand of the Judge, and the other on his left. The Lord Jesus Christ "shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing "; and all who will be summoned before his dread tribunal will be either alive from the dead, or still dead in trespasses and sins. There will be no middle company in that day, as in God's sight there is no third class even now. All our names are either in the Lamb's Book of Life or in the Judge's Book of Death. Some have taught that the judgment here foretold is that of the professing Church, and not of the whole world. There may be some ground for their belief; yet it seems impossible to apply the full meaning of our Savior's majestic words to any scene except the general judgment of the whole human race.

Thursday, January 25th

January 25
MATTHEW 25:31-46
THE ROYAL AND UNIVERSAL JUDGE

34. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Turning first to the chosen company on his right hand, the "great multitude, which no man could number," the King will say to them, "Come." They had accepted his previous invitation, "Come unto me; "now he gives them another and a more glorious "Come," which was, however, included in the former one; for when he said, "I will give you rest," heaven itself was promised to them. The King calls his loved ones by a choice name: "ye blessed of my Father." We shall not know what bliss that title implies until we hear it from our Savior's lips; and even then we shall only begin to understand what we shall continue to enjoy throughout eternity. All true believers are joint-heirs with Jesus Christ, so the King will next say to them, "Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." The "inheritance, incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away," is the inalienable right of all who are made kings and priests unto God; and that which has been prepared for them from the foundation of the world must be possessed by them when the world itself has answered the end of its creation, and has been burned up.
35, 36. For I was an hungered and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
The King dwells with great delight upon the details of his servants' kindnesses to himself. Are we, then, after all, to be saved by our works? By no means. Yet are our works the evidences of our being saved. If our actions are such as Christ will commend at the Day of Judgment, they prove that we are saved by grace, and that the Holy Spirit has wrought effectually in us, and through us. The services mentioned by the King were all rendered to himself: "I was a hungered, and ye gave me meat, I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger and ye took me in: naked and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me."

Friday, January 26th

January 26
MATTHEW 25:31-46
THE ROYAL AND UNIVERSAL JUDGE

37-39. then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee a hungered and fed thee? Or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
They will bashfully disclaim the praise pronounced by the King. They had no idea that there was anything meritorious in what they had done; they never dreamed of being rewarded for it. When the saints stand before the judgment seat, the bare thought of there being any excellence in what they have done will be new to them, for they have formed a very lowly estimate of their own performances. They fed the hungry, clothed the naked, visited the sick, for Christ's sake, because it was the sweetest thing in the world to do anything for Jesus. They did it because they delighted to do it, because they could not help doing it, because their new nature impelled them to it.
40. 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.
Christ has much more to do with his brethren's sorrow than we sometimes think. Are they hungry? He puts it, "I was an hungered." Do they thirst? He says, "I was thirsty." The sympathy of Christ is continuous, and all down the ages he will perpetually incarnate himself in the suffering bodies of his tried and afflicted people. Hence the opportunity of doing him service so long as we are here.
41. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.
Every word in the King's sentence upon those on his left hand will strike terror into their hearts. "Depart from me:" to be banished from Christ's presence, is hell. "Ye cursed:" they could not plead that they had either kept the Law or obeyed the Gospel; they were indeed doubly cursed. They were bidden to depart "into ever lasting fire, prepared: for the devil and his angels." They had joined the devil in refusing allegiance to the Lord; so it was but right that, imitating his rebellion, they should share his
punishment.

Saturday, January 27th

January 27
MATTHEW 25:31-46
THE ROYAL AND UNIVERSAL JUDGE

42, 43. For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Two little words, "no" and "not" explain the difference between their conduct and that of the righteous. To those on his right hand, the King will say, "I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat," but to those on his left hand, he will say, "Ye gave me no meat." This omission on their part was no small matter; it was fatal, and it was visited with the eternal death-sentence, "Depart from me." Men may think lightly now of their want of love to Christ, and their neglect to care for his poor brethren, but their conduct will appear in another light in the blaze of the last great day. Yet, even then, some will try to justify themselves.

44. Then shall they also answer him, saying Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee
What a deceiver is sin! How presumptuous, that even in the presence of the Omniscient Judge, it denies its own real character; and makes its votaries pretend to have attained to the divine standard of holiness!

45. Then shall he answer them, saying Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of thee, ye did it not to me.
Our Lord does not mean to teach that men will be condemned because they have not been charitable to the poor and needy, or that they will be saved if they are generous and openhanded. That would indeed be salvation by works, to be boasted of to all eternity. He does mean that only those who produce such fruit as this prove that "the root of the matter" is in them; by ministering to his poor brethren, out of love to him, they show that they are the subjects of that distinguishing grace which makes them differ from others. All our future depends upon our relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sunday, January 28th

January 28
MATTHEW 25:31-46
THE ROYAL AND UNIVERSAL JUDGE

46. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
"Everlasting" and "eternal "are different translations of the same Greek word. The "punishment "is of the same duration as the "life." The one is no more temporary or terminable than the other. In heaven "the righteous" will be for ever anticipating future bliss while enjoying present perfect happiness; and in hell, the unrighteous will be ever looking forward to the wrath to come while enduring what our Savior here describes as "everlasting punishment in everlasting fire" (v. 41). Between heaven and hell there is a great gulf fixed, an awful abyss that cannot be crossed, so that the separation between the sheep and the goats will be eternal and unalterable. God grant that none of us may be on the wrong side of that great gulf!

MATTHEW 26:1-5
THE KING PROPHESYING: HIS ENEMIES PLOTTING
1. AND it came to pass, when JESUS had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, Ye know that after two days is the fears of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified
Our Lord, having finished all these sayings about the destruction of Jerusalem, his own Second Advent, and the great Day of Judgment, brought back the thoughts of his disciples to his own death. He had often foretold what the end of his life would be; he now states definitely when it would be: "Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover." In a sense that they probably did not fully comprehend, the passover, the one great passover, was about to be observed. After two days, the Paschal Lamb of God, "Christ our passover", would be slain. His betrayal was so certain and so near, that it might be spoken of as already accomplished: "the Son of man, is betrayed to be crucified." The time for Christ to be delivered up into the hands of sinners had almost arrived; and when once his enemies had him in their power, they would never rest until he was crucified.

Monday, January 29th

January 29
MATTHEW 26:1-5
THE KING PROPHESYING: HIS ENEMIES PLOTTING

3-5. They assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.
While Jesus was prophesying, his enemies were plotting. Thus was fulfilled Psalm 2:2, "The rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against his anointed." Their aim was that they might kill him; but they consulted how they might take Jesus by subtilty. They decided not to arrest him "during the feast" yet the evil deed was to be postponed, not from any religious regard for the passover, but "lest there be an uproar among the people." Their plan was contrary to Christ's prophecy; but the event proved that he was right and they were wrong, for he was crucified at the time he foretold.

MATTHEW 26:6-13
THE KING ANOINTED FOR HIS BURIAL

6, 7. Now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, there came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, he sat at meat.
We do not know who Simon the leper was, nor whether this woman was Mary, the sister of Lazarus, though I believe she was the one who came to Jesus, having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. The beauty of this woman's act consisted in this, that it was all for Christ. All who wore in the house could perceive and enjoy the perfume of the precious ointment; but the anointing was for Jesus only.

Tuesday, January 30th

January 30
MATTHEW 26:6-13
THE KING ANOINTED FOR HIS BURIAL

8, 9. But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation saying, To what
purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much,
and given to the poor.
When you do the best you can do, from the purest motives, and your Lord accepts your service, do not expect that your brethren will approve all your actions. If you do, you will be greatly disappointed. There was never a more beautiful proof of love to Christ than this anointing at Bethany; yet
the disciples found fault with it: they had indignation, saying, "To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor." According to John's account, it was Judas who asked, "Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? "The same evangelist gives the reason for the traitor's question, "This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein." The complaint having been started by Judas, others of the disciples joined in it. If this devoted and enthusiastic woman had waited for the advice of these prudent people, she would neither have sold the ointment, nor poured it out. She did well to take counsel with her own loving heart, and then to pour the precious nard upon that dear head which was so soon to be crowned with thorns. She thus showed that there was, at least, one heart in the world that thought nothing was too good for her Lord! and that the best of the best ought to be given to him.
10. When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman she hath wrought a good work upon me.
She kind been very happy in the act; probably it was the happiest hour in all her life when she gave this costly gift to the Lord she loved so well. But a cloud passed over her bright face as the whispered complaints reached her ear. Jesus perceived that the murmuring of the disciples troubled the woman, so he rebuked them, and commended her: "Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me." She did something we cannot do, for Christ is not now here in person, to be anointed by those who love him as this woman did. We can perform good works upon others for his sake; and he will accept them as though they were done unto him

Wednesday, January 31st

January 31
MATTHEW 26:6-13
THE KING ANOINTED FOR HIS BURIAL

11. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.
Our Lord always cared for the poor; he was himself poor, he was the poor people's Preacher, he fed the hungry poor, and healed the sick poor. He would always have his people show their love to him by caring for the poor; but he had reached the one occasion in his life when it was seemly that something should be done specially for himself, and this woman, by the intuition of love, did that very thing. Oh, that we might all love Christ as intensely as she did!
12, 13. For in that she hath poured this ointment my body, she did it for
My burial. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be
preached in the whole world, there shall also, this that this woman hath
done, be told for a memorial of her.
She probably did not know all that her action meant when she anointed her Lord for his burial. The consequences of the simplest action done for Christ may be much greater than we think. Go thou, my sister, and do what God bids thee; and it shall be seen that thou hast done far more than thou knowest. Obey the holy impulse within thy spirit, my brother; and thou mayest do ten thousand I times more than thou hast ever I imagined to be possible. This woman's outburst of affection, this simple-hearted act of love to Christ himself, is one of those things which are to live as long as the gospel lives. The aroma of this loving deed is to abide as long as the world itself endures.
MATTHEW 26:14-16
THE BETRAYER'S BARGAIN
14-16. Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief
priests, and said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him
unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And
from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.
What a contrast to the incident we have just been considering! The anointing of Jesus is to be the theme of admiration wherever the gospel is preached; but his betrayal by Judas will be a subject for execration to all eternity. It was one of the twelve, who went unto the chief priests, to bargain for the price of his Lord s betrayal. (Continued)

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