Christ's Story of the Age-End (MATTHEW 24.) God had been laying bare the future to Daniel. As page after page of startling events unrolled, Daniel's heart was sobered and solemnized. He cries out to God (Dan. 12:8): "Oh my Lord, what shall be How fitting is this question for ourselves. Today the pages of the world's history are swiftly unrolling. They are red with blood. Kingdoms are rising and falling in a night. Thrones are tottering. Armies are battling in earth, sea and sky. The sons of men are being slaughtered by millions. Civilization is shot through with the barbarism and savagery of by-gone ages. The foundations of human government and society are reeling under earthquake blows. "Men's hearts are failing them for fear" of the things that are coming upon the earth. And with Daniel they are crying out "What shall be the end of these things?” There is only one answer. There is only one man who knows what the end will be. That man is the God-Man. Jesus Christ alone knows the future. We must come to Him if we would know. So, like them of old, let us sit at His feet and listen to * * * Christ's Story of the Age-End. You remember the story. His disciples had been showing Him the great temple. They had pointed out to Him its lofty pinnacles, its rich adornments, its massive stones. And then the Lord turns to them and quietly says: "There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." Doubtless they were amazed, and perplexed. I can fancy them saying one to another, "Tomorrow we will go up to the Mount of Olives with Him. There we will sit at His feet and hold sweet communion as is our wont. Let us ask Him then what He means by this strange remark." So when they had come to the Mount and the Master was seated, they say, "Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the age." Note that they asked of Him a double question. There is a line of cleavage between the first clause and the second. First, "When shall these things be?" And by "these things" they meant the downfall of Jerusalem, and the overthrow of the temple of which He had just spok |