Tuesday, December 30, 2008

SCRIPTURE COMMENTARY #444

And Jesus being come out of the temple, went away. And his disciples came to shew him the buildings of the temple. And he answering, said to them: "Do you see all these things? Amen I say to you, there shall not be left here a stone upon a stone that shall not be destroyed."
And when he was sitting on mount Olivet, the disciples came to him privately, saying: "Tell us when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the consummation of the world?" And Jesus answering, said to them: "Take heed that no man seduce you. For many will come in my name saying, 'I am Christ.' And they will seduce many. And you shall hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that ye be not troubled. For these things must come to pass: but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And there shall be pestilences and famines and earthquakes in places. Now all these are the beginnings of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted and shall put you to death: and you shall be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be scandalized and shall betray one another and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise and shall seduce many. And because iniquity hath abounded, the charity of many shall grow cold. But he that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved." (Matt. 24:1-13)

AMONG THE SIGNS which preceded the destruction of Jerusalem, the following are quoted. According to the Acts of the Apostles several false prophets appeared in Jerusalem; first Theudas, and after him an Egyptian. In the year 64, when Nero was emperor, a great persecution of the Christians broke out, in which, among many others, Sts. Peter and Paul suffered martyrdom. Throughout the Roman empire princes were murdered; and there raged civil wars, plagues, pestilences, and earthquakes which swallowed up whole towns. For an entire year a comet, in the form of a sword, was to be seen over Jerusalem. The great iron door of the Temple, which it took twenty men to move on its hinges, opened one night of itself. On the Feast of Pentecost the priests heard mysterious voices in the night, saying: "Let us depart."

[From 'A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture' by Bishop Knecht, D.D.]
(1899 Douay-Rheims Bible)

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