there will be the evident manifestation of the leaves upon the Jewish tree. Their summer will be nigh, when the fruit will be ripe and Israel shall come to her own again. THE SURE WORD. "But My words shall not pass away." It is well to note that the Lord Jesus here séís His seal to the great doctrine of His Coming again, by this declara- tion concerning His word. He declares that His words are mightier than His works for all of His works shall pass away, 2 Pet. 3:10, but His words shall endure forever, 1 Pet. 1:25. They are incorruptible, 1 Pet. -1:23. The heavens and the earth are kept by His Word, 2 Pet. 3:7. So with this never failing mighty Word of God every teacher can go to the class and teach with authority and not as the Scribes, Matt. 7:29. We have a more sure word of prophecy whereunto we do well to take heed, 2 Pet. 1:19. THE SOCIAL CONDITION. "As it was in the days of Noah." The day and hour of the Lord's Com- ing is not known. We must always distinguish the Lord's Coming for His Saints and His coming with His saints.. if we forget that we are looking at the Coming of the Son of Man in its Jew- ish aspect, we shall be sure to err in interpretation. The Lord comes for His Saints and meets them in the air, ,1 Thess. 4:16-17. The Lord comes with His Saints to judge the nations and to establish His personal and temporal reign upon the eartn, Rev. 1:7. He comes for His own and eatcnes them up, both those WHO sleep and those who are awake. All that are in Christ, dead and living. They are His own. They have be- lieved on Him and have His eternal life, Jno. 6:47. They shall never perish, •Ino. 10:28, 29. They shall never be separated from God, Rom. 8:38, 39.
the fig tree which is a symbol of Israel, Joel 1:7. The Coming of the Lord is here seen in its relation to Israel. If this can be born in mind it will help to simplify the interpretation. Signs are for Israel. The sign shall be in heaven. As there was a sign of the star to the wise men at His first coming, so there will be a sign before He shall come to the earth. Some have thought that the sign will be the ap- pearance of Christ Himself, Matt. 26: 64. Others have thought it would be a star, others a great light and still others that it will be the sign of the cross which is the emblem of both the trial and triumph of Christ, 'l'he sign will undoubtedly be different from the Son Himself. THE TIME. Immediately afteT the tribulation spoken of in the 29th verse. This trib- ulation can not be the destruction of Jerusalem as some teach. In Luke 21: 20-24 the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus is prophesied and the scattering of the Jews among all nations is fore- told and thus to continue until the time of the Gentile is fulfilled. Not only the Jews, but the tribes of the earth shall moan. The times of the Gentiles began with the captivity of Judah, 2 ChTon. 36:1-21. Since which time Jerusalem has been under the lordship of Gentiles. THE JEWISH RACE. The generation- shall not pass away until all these things shall be fulfilled. The primary meaning of the word gen- eration is race, family, stock. The Jew- ish race must be perpetuated; their scattering is a part of the plan of God, but so also is their gathering, and tliey will be in their own land again when the Sign appears and not only so, but
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