20 T
HE THREE MESSAGES,
taken from those
the Jud te, } fF ncies whi
period, Sent sits. And it ig ich show when
e time of the respecting this
shall run to end, that it is ga
Re and fro ’ 1t 1S said, M.
subject whi » and knowle ; an
incunsed was b edge (on the ver
nother imc
found in what oar argument on this point ;
signs of his g r Lord has said relat; point ig
understand econd advent, The ch ative to the
e fulfillm Ing was at hand p
: OY
ent of certaj :
these should be soon ron od tokens. Uni}
look for the immediate oA ont oped authorized to
en the signs whit on of the Lord. But
wh
to a ;
comin his church igh
ese si
appear. Consequently, theo were to begin to
could not be deli hy
: telivered =
mediately after the bri
3 é sun be darkened
er light, and the gt
“But in thos
e days, af "
moon shall not give shall be darkenod, ter y that
ve her li
caven shall fal, hi pet, and the stars of
: hoe” Shall be shaken” Mark 15 hat are in
“ re can be no mistak hop 25. We
Pures our Lord refers +, 1 nce that in ¢
of Dani fo bulatios
of L aniel the prophet. ph the papal tribulation
n 1e si i
g Were to commence «4, hy of his second
ose days,” byt
TIME WHEN GIVEN. 21
“after that tribulation.” In other words, the
1260 prophetic days would not be quite over, but
their tribulation would be ended, when the sun
should be darkened. The sun was darkened in
1780, and the tribulation of those days was then
past, but the days did not expire till 1798. Thus
we have the signs of our Lord's immediate advent
just opening upon us, 8s We COLO down to the
time of the end, the period when the vision should
be unsealed, and many run to and fro with the
word of warning to a perishing world.
The parable recorded in Matt. 22: 1-14 and
Luke 14 : 16-24, furnishes an important testimony
on this subject. Matthew gives a particular ac-
count of the first part of this parable, but merely
states in a word the final calls to the guests.
Luke, on the contrary, omits the first part of the
parable, but gives its concluding features with
peculiar distinctness. We think the identity of
the parables in Matt. 22 and Luke 14 will be
seen by every one who will compare those scrip-
tures. It is evident that Matthew, by the calls to
dinner, represents the calls which were made to
the Jews at the first advent. It is to be observed
that the general work of inviting the guests had
preceded these calls; for these area special an-
nouncement to those that had been bicden, that
the dinner is ready. These we understand to re-
fer to the work of John the Baptist and others at
the time of the first advent. And we understand
that the destruction of the city and people in the
parable refers to the destruction of Jerusalem and
the rejection of the Jews.
The call to the dinner proving of no effect, the
king turns to another people. We understand
this as we do the text in which our Lord tells the