We’re going to look at 6 verses together this time. There are a lot of concepts here, but, amazingly, many of the authors I’ve looked at so far only choose one or two to delve into in depth. I’m also trying to cut out some of the repetition in ideas.

We’ll start with the convenient table from the John Calvin book, with, of course, the addition of the Hebrew versions:

MATTHEW 24:9-14	HEBREW MATTHEW1 24:9-14	HEBREW MATTHEW2 24:9-14	MARK 13:9-13	HEBREW MARK2 13:9-13	LUKE 21:12-19
9. Then will they deliver you up to be afflicted, and will kill you; and you will be hated by all nations on account of my name.	9. Then they will bind you over for tribulation and will kill you, and you will become a reproach to all the nations in my name.	9. And then they will trouble you, beating and killing you, and all will reject you on account of my name.	9. But take heed to yourselves; for they will deliver you up to councils and synagogues; you will be scourged and will be brought before rulers and kings on my account, for a testimony to them.	9. Then, guard yourselves, for they will lead you into [their] councils, and in the houses of their gatherings they will beat you. And they will stand before the kings and princes, to bear witness of me as a testimony for them.	12. But before all these things they will lay hands upon you, and will persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues and prisons, and dragging you before kings and rulers on account of my name.
10. And then will many be offended, and will deliver up one another, and will hate one another.	10. Then many will be perturbed, deal treacherously with each other, and be enraged among themselves.	10. And then many will be perplexed, and will be angry with one another,	10. And the gospel must first be preached among all nations.	10. For it is first necessary that the heavenly kingdom be preached to all the peoples.	13. But it will happen  to you for a testimony.
11. And many false prophets will arise, and will deceive many.	11. False prophets will arise and lead many astray.	(there is no 11)	11. And when they shall lead you away to deliver you up, do not think beforehand what you shall say, nor premeditate, but whatever shall be given to you at that hour, speak; for it is not you that speak, but the Holy Ghost.	11. And when they lead you away as captured ones, do not fear about what you yourselves will say — you must speak according as Ruach Ha-Qodesh (Holy Spirit) will direct you in that hour. You yourselves must not speak, but Ruach Ha-Qodesh will speak through you.	14. Settle it therefore in your hearts, that you must not premeditate your defense. 15. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all who oppose you will not be able to contradict or oppose.
12. And because iniquity will abound, the love of many will be cooled	12. When wickedness multiplies, the love of many will grow faint.	12. for the hatred will be excessive over the compassion and the mercifulness of many, and the love of many will become cold.	12. And the brother will de- liver up the brother to death, and the father the son; and the children will rise up against their parents and will cause them to be put to death.	12. And the one brother will deliver his brother to death, and the father the son. And the sons will rise up against their father, and against their mother, and oppress them to death,	16. And you will also be delivered up by parents, and brothers, and relatives, and friends; and some of you they will put to death.
13. But he who shall persevere to the end will be saved.	13. Whoever waits until the end will be saved.	13. But he who will continue until the end, and will stand, he will be saved.	13. And you will be hated by all men on account of my name. But he that still endures to the end will be saved.	13. and everyone be angry, but he who will continue until the end, he will be saved.	17.And you will be hated by all on account of my name. 18. And not a hair of your head will be lost.
14. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world for a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come.	14. And this gospel, that is, evungili, will be preached in all the earth for a witness concerning me to all the nations and then the end will come.	14. And then the good news will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all the peoples, and then will the end come.			19. In patience possess your souls.

Here we’ll start with the longish quote from Calvin, who does delve into most of the concepts:

“Then will they deliver you up to be afflicted. Christ now foretells to the disciples another kind of temptation, by which, in addition to ordinary afflictions, their faith must be tried; and that is, that they will be hated and detested by the whole world.” 

I really find this interesting: the idea that being “afflicted” is a kind of temptation — or at least leads to a type of temptation. In thinking about it, the temptation becomes more plain. When you are afflicted, either by people or by circumstances, you are tempted to respond in a number of dysfunctional ways. You are tempted to become bitter, you are tempted to hate, you are tempted to strike back, you are tempted to rage, you are tempted to withdraw from society, etc. I suspect that the biggest temptation being referred to here is the temptation to give in to the pressures being placed upon them to conform to society.

“It is painful and distressing enough in itself that the children of God should be afflicted in such a manner as not to be distinguished from the reprobate and the despisers of God, and should be subjected to the same punishments which those men endure on account of their crimes; and it appears to be still more unjust that they should be severely oppressed by grievous calamities from which the ungodly are exempted. But as wheat, after having been beaten by the flail along with the chaff, is pressed down and bruised by the millstone, so God not only afflicts his children in common with the ungodly, but subdues them by the cross even beyond others, so that we might be apt to think them more unhappy than the rest of mankind.” 

Yet another temptation is alluded to here: the temptation to throw up your hands with the protest of “It’s not fair!”.  It also occurs to me that there is an implication here that somehow we should not be expected to suffer the same afflictions as the ungodly. As Calvin goes on to say, “God not only afflicts his children in common with the ungodly, but subdues them by the cross even beyond others”. In other words, Calvin is saying that not only does God not keep His children from suffering the normal slings and arrows of life, He also piles it on them higher and deeper for our benefit; and Calvin is so right. 

“But Christ treats here strictly of the afflictions which the disciples had to endure on account of the gospel. For, though what Paul stays is true, that those whom God hath elected are likewise appointed by him to bear the cross, that they may be conformed to the image of his Son, (Romans 8:29) yet he does not distinguish all by this special Mark of enduring persecution from the enemies of the gospel. It is of this species of the cross that Christ now speaks, when it becomes necessary that believers should incur the hatred, meet the reproaches, and provoke the fury, of the ungodly for the testimony of the gospel. For he intended to warn his disciples that the doctrine of the gospel, of which they were to be witnesses and messengers, would never be pleasant or agreeable to the world, as he had formerly explained to them. He foretells not only that they will have to contend with a few enemies, but that, wherever they come, all nations will oppose them.”

For those whom He knew before, he also predestined to be made like to the image of his Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.     
(Roman 8:29; GNV)

“But it was monstrous and incredible, and was fitted to astonish and shake even the strongest minds, that the name of the Son of God should be so infamous and hateful, that all who professed it would be everywhere disliked. Accordingly, the words of Mark are, take heed to yourselves [Mark 13:9]. By this expression he points out the end and use of the warning, which is, that they ought to be prepared for endurance, lest, through want of caution, they might be overwhelmed by temptation. The same Mark adds, that this will be for a testimony to kings and rulers, when the disciples of Christ shall be brought before their tribunal. Luke expresses it a little differently, this will happen to you for a testimony [Luke 21:13], but the sense is quite the same; for Christ means that his gospel will be so much the more fully attested, when they have defended it at the risk of their lives.”

I have to agree that the saints who endured horrible deaths are far more compelling than those who died at home in their beds. It’s the kind of thing that you hate to have to agree with.

“If the apostles had only given their attention to preaching the gospel, and had not stood so firmly in defending it against the furious attacks of enemies, the confirmation of it would not have been so complete. But when they did not hesitate to expose their lives, and were not driven from their purpose by any terrors of death, their unshaken constancy made it manifest, how firmly they were convinced of the goodness of their cause. It was therefore an authentic seal of the gospel, when the apostles advanced without terror to the tribunals of kings, and there made an open profession of the name of Christ. Accordingly, Peter calls himself a witness of the sufferings of Christ, (1 Peter 5:1) whose badges he wore; and Paul boasts that he was placed for the defense of the gospel, (Philippians 1:17.) This is eminently worthy of attention, that those on whom God bestows so great an honor as to make them defenders of his truth, may not through base treachery fall from the faith.

The Elders which are among you, I beseech which am also an Elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed.     (1 Peter 5:1; GNV)
But the others of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the Gospel.   
(Philippians 1:17; GNV)

“Then will many be offended. He now enumerates the temptations which will arise from bad examples. Now this is an exceedingly violent temptation, and difficult to overcome; for Christ is to many a stone of offense, (1 Peter 2:8) on which some dash themselves, or by meeting which some are thrown back, and others fall away. In this expression Christ appears to me to include many kinds of troubles; for not only do they that had entered into the right course fall away, but many are exasperated against Christ; others, forgetful of moderation and justice, break out into rage; others grow profane, and lose every feeling of piety; and others, amidst the confusion which prevails, take upon themselves a liberty to commit crimes.”

And a stone to stumble at, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, unto the which thing they were even ordained.    
(1 Peter 2:8; GNV)

and, ‘A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE’; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this they were also appointed.   
(1 Peter2:8; NASB)

Wow. The list of temptations here is what we see today. I think we saw a lot of “exasperation” earlier, but now the rage, confusion, forgetfulness of “moderation and justice”, and taking the “liberty to commit crimes” are far more prevalent. I know that there have been others in the past who followed these temptations, but they were the exception rather than the rule. And I know that those today who react this way will claim that it’s Trump or Alex Jones, etc, that they are raging against, but is it really? Many of those that they rail against would not be immediately recognized as “Christian”, yet most of them are standing up for Judeo-Christian morality and ethics in one way or another. So is it really the personalities that are being vilified, or is it what they stand for? Is it not Christ, the Author of what they stand for, that is being hated and reviled?

“And many false prophets will arise. This warning differs from the former, in which Christ foretold that many would come in his name. For there he spoke only of impostors, who, shortly after the commencement of the Gospel, gave out that they were the Christ; but now he threatens that in all ages false teachers will arise, to corrupt sound doctrine, as Peter tells us (2Peter 2:1) that the Church will be no less exposed to this evil under the Gospel than it anciently was under the Law.” 

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you: which privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that hath brought them, and bring upon themselves swift damnation.   
(2 Peter 2:1; GNV)

As I pointed out in an earlier post, the imposters never really stopped, and, have grown more numerous over time. Some of these imposters claim to be Christ, some claim to be prophets, some just claim special knowledge.

“There is therefore no reason why error, and certain impostures of the devil and corruptions of piety, should strike pious minds with dismay; since no man is properly founded on Christ, who has not learned that we must stand firm against such attacks; for this is the undoubted trial of our faith, when it is in no degree shaken by the false doctrines which arise, or does he only say that false prophets will come, but likewise that they will be so crafty as to deceive and draw away sects after them. No ordinary caution is necessary here; for the multitude of those who are going astray is like a violent tempest, which compels us to leave the course, if we are not firmly fixed on God…

“Because iniquity will abound. How far and wide this evil extends every person ought to know, but there are very few who observe it. For in consequence of the superior clearness with which the light of the gospel discovers the malice of men, even good and properly regulated minds grow cool, and almost lose the desire to exercise benevolence. Each of them reasons thus with himself, that the duties which they perform to one person, or to another, are thrown away, because experience and daily practice show that almost all are ungrateful, or treacherous, or wicked. This is unquestionably a weighty and dangerous temptation; for what could be more unreasonable than to approve of a doctrine, by which the desire of doing good, and the rigor of charity, appear to be diminished?” 

This is, perhaps, the greatest of temptation for us Christians today. I know that I fall to this one. I don’t care about “ungrateful” very much;  but “treacherous” and “wicked” are hard to over-look. It’s certainly difficult to pour charity over those who are actively ungrateful; but it’s far beyond difficult to be generous with those who are treacherous and wicked…those who are declaring you to be evil while practicing evil themselves.

“And yet when the gospel makes its appearance, charity, which ought to kindle the hearts of all men with its warmth, rather grows cool. But we must observe the source of this evil, which Christ points out, namely, that many lose courage, because through their weakness they are unable to stem the flood of iniquity which flows on every hand. Christ requires from his followers, on the other hand, such courage as to persist in striving against it; as Paul also enjoins us not to be weary of performing deeds of kindness and beneficence, (2 Thessalonians 3:13.) Although, then, the charity of many, overwhelmed by the mass of iniquities, should give way, Christ warns believers that they must surmount this obstacle, lest, overcome by bad examples, they apostatize. And therefore he repeats the statement, that no man can be saved, unless he strive lawfully, (2 Timothy 2:5) so as to persevere to the end.”

And ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. 
(2 Thessalonians 3:13; GNV)

But as for you, brothers and sisters, do not grow weary of doing good.
(2 Thessalonians 3:13; NASB)

Wow again!  Calvin is giving us the extremely difficult, narrow path here that needs to be followed. To summarize: we must persist in doing good and being charitable; we must strive to follow God’s laws; and we must persevere to the end.

“And the gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world. Our Lord, having delivered a discourse which gave no small occasion for sorrow, seasonably adds this consolation, to raise up minds that were cast down, or to uphold those which were falling. Whatever may be the contrivances of Satan, and how numerous soever may be the multitudes which he carries away, yet the gospel will maintain its ground till it be spread through the whole world. This might indeed appear to be incredible; but it was the duty of the apostles, relying on this testimony of their Master, to cherish hope against hope, and, in the meantime, to strive vigorously to discharge their office. As to the objection brought by some, that to this day not even the slightest report concerning Christ has reached the Antipodes [the antipodes of any place on the earth is the point which is diametrically opposite to it] and other very distant nations, this difficulty may be speedily resolved; for Christ does not absolutely refer to every portion of the world, and does not fix a particular time, but only affirms that the gospel—which, all would have thought, was immediately to be banished from Judea, its native habitation would be spread to the farthest bounds of the world before the day of his last coming.”

Jesus definitely did not fix a particular time frame, but He did imply “every portion of the world”…

“And then will the end come. This is improperly restricted by some to the destruction of the temple, and the abolition of the service of the Law; for it ought to be understood as referring to the end and renovation of the world. Those two things having been blended by the disciples, as if the temple could not be overthrown without the destruction of the whole world, Christ, in replying to the whole question which had been put to him, reminded them that a long and melancholy succession of calamities was at hand, and that they must not hasten to seize the prize, before they had passed through many contests and dangers. In this manner, therefore, we ought to explain this latter clause: “The end of the world will not come before I have tried my Church, for a long period, by severe and painful temptations,” for it is contrasted with the false imagination which the apostles had formed in their minds. Hence, too, we ought to learn that no particular time is here fixed, as if the last day were to follow in immediate succession those events which were just now foretold; for the believers long ago experienced the fulfillment of those predictions which we have now examined, and yet Christ did not immediately appear. But Christ had no other design than to restrain the apostles, who were disposed to fly with excessive eagerness to the possession of the heavenly glory, and to show them the necessity of patience; as if he had said, that redemption was not so close at hand as they had imagined it to be, but that they must pass through long windings.”         [from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE VOL 3, by John Calvin, 1555] 

Well, I agree that it was the end of the world (at least as we know it) that was being foretold here. Knowing that the writing of the time looked at things differently than we do today, I still would not be sure that the disciples necessarily assumed that the end of the Temple would coincide with the end of the world. I definitely do not agree with: “the believers long ago experienced the fulfillment of those predictions which we have now examined, and yet Christ did not immediately appear”; there may have been some kind of partial fulfillment, but certainly not a complete fulfillment of Jesus’ words: and thus, Christ did not appear, and has not yet appeared.

“Verse 9. And shall kill you] Besides the butcheries at Jerusalem, that slaughter-home of the Saints…Nero was the first Roman persecutor, says Tertullian, who therefore called him the dedicator of the condemnation of Christians: He is said to have made such a bloody decree as this…Whoso confesses himself a Christian, let him be put to death without any more ado, as a convicted enemy of mankind.”

As if the persecution of Nero was the worst and the last of the persecution of Christians. The author was unable to look ahead and see persecution coming from a distance despite the prophecy.

“Verse 10. And then shall many be offended] As not willing to suffer. How many revolted for fear in the Primitive times, were abjured here in Q. Mary’s reign, fell to Popery in the Palatinate and other places in Germany since the troubles there, as fast as leaves fall in Autumn? Somewhat men will do for Christ, but suffer nothing.”

I find the author’s reference to Queen Mary’s reign falling to “Popery in the Palatinate”somewhat confusing.  This was written in 1657, one hundred years after Mary’s reign in England which, as we’ve seen, was a bloody persecutory affair. The author seems to be talking about how there was fear in “the Primitive times”, and then more fear one hundred years ago with Queen Mary, and now (in the author’s time) problems leading to “Popery” in Germany (the “Palatinate” being a province in Germany). 

In 1657 the reign of Emperor Ferdinand III was coming to an end (reign:1637–1657). His beloved wife, the Empress Maria Anna of Spain died in 1646 in child birth at the age of 39. She was daughter of King Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria. She was a devout Catholic who had refused to marry the Prince of Wales in England because he was not Catholic (he was Charles, who later, with his wife, Maria Antoinette [let them eat cake], were beheaded during the English Civil War). 

Ferdinand III was apparently willing to work with the Protestant princes of Germany, but he fought against Protestants in the Thirty Years’ War and also failed to protect the German princes from the Swedish army. He was decidedly Catholic. It was, after all, a Catholic Empire, despite the Reformation that had sprung up in the middle of it. 

The “troubles” referred to are most likely the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) as well as the all the other wars related to it: the Eighty Years War (1566-1648), the War of the Mantuan Succession (1628-1631), the Franco-Spanish War (1635-1659), the Torstenson War (1643-1645), the Dutch-Portuguese War (1598-1663), and the Portuguese Restoration War (1640-1668). These were wars of Catholic vs Protestant, over territory, over succession, and over trade. The Reformation seems to have been the main spark. Countries involved were Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Austria, Transylvania, England, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany, and probably more. It’s said that one province of Germany was depopulated by 50% during these wars; 8 million people were estimated to have been killed in the Thirty Years’ War alone. You can imagine that a lot of people thought about the phrase “wars and rumors of wars” pretty frequently during this time. (For a synopsis, albeit very complex, of Ferdinand III’s positions and some of the political stands of those around him, go to encyclopedia.com/people/history/spanish-and-portuguese-history-biographies/ferdinand-iii-holy-roman-empire )

I don’t agree that to be “offended” means “not willing to suffer”, though I suppose being offended could ultimately lead to that response. The Greek word is skandalizo, and the meanings are: to put a stumbling block or impediment in the way so that another may trip and fall; a metaphor for “offend”; to entice to sin; to cause distrust in one who should be trusted; to cause to fall away; to be offended by something in a person of authority; to cause someone to judge another unjustly; because this stumbling or falling leads to annoyance, it can also mean to cause someone displeasure in a thing, or to make indignant. (from blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4624/nasb20/tr/0-1/ and THAYER’S GREEK-ENGLISH LEXICON OF THE NEW TESTAMENT)

“To cause distrust in one who should be trusted” could certainly lead to someone being “not willing to suffer.” But there is so much more to this word; so much that we are seeing in full bloom today. Masses of people who are being enticed to sin, who are caused to distrust anyone who thinks differently than they do, who are falling away from God and everything previously considered “normal”, who are offended by those in authority, who judge unjustly, who are highly indignant.

“Verse 11. And shall deceive many]  Witness the Eastern and Western Antichrists, those deceitful workers, that have drawn millions of souls into hell, by their grand impostures. The world went wondering after those two beasts, which as the Panther, hid their horrid heads, that they may take men with their flesh-pleasing superstitions: And (as the serpent Scytale) when they cannot otherwise overtake the flying passenger, they so bewitch him with their beauty and bravery, that he hath no power to pass away.”

This paragraph is so caught up in the things of the author’s time that it is not easily understandable. From previous reading, I have to conclude that the “Eastern and Western Antichrists” were the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire (Western) and the Byzantine Empire (Eastern). The world did, indeed, go wandering (if not “wondering”) after these two.  My best guess on the “Panther” would be Alexander the Great, but I could be totally off base.

The “serpent Scytale” is interesting. First of all, a scytale was a method of sending a coded message used by the ancient Greeks. A strip of leather or papyrus was inscribed with a series of seemingly random letters, but when the receiver of the message wrapped the strip around a standardized cylinder, the message became readable. What the cylinder did was to show every 5th, or 6th, or whatever letter and that would be the message (obviously you could just count the letters out too if you knew the skip interval). This idea of skip intervals is the basis for the recently popular “Bible Code”, which I’m sure we will mention again in a future post.

But Scytale is also a serpent: a mythical, medieval beast. Also known as Scitalis (in Latin), Satalus, Scytalus, or Sytula. You can see from the picture that it looked like a dragon. At bestiary.ca/beasts/beast271.htm (where the picture came from) it says that “the scitalis is a serpent with such marvelous markings on its back that its appearance stuns the viewer, slowing the person down so that they are caught. It’s heat is so great that it sheds its skin even in the winter.” 

At abookofcreatures.com it says that this mythical creature is “one of many venomous snakes born from the blood of Medusa in the Libyan desert…looks like it has two heads. Its tail is rounded, flatter, and thicker than the rest of its body…slithers in only one direction…has scales, markings, or spots on its back that shimmer and gleam in the colors of the rainbow. Its body generates a lot of heat.”  This creature is apparently now part of some of the fantasy games that people play.

Both Medusa and Scytale bewitch their prey, so “the flying passenger” sounds like someone who has gone along with Scytale, flying on his back, bewitched and unable to “pass away”.

Verse 12…The love of many shall wax cold] Conversation with cold ones will cast a damp, and make one cold, as our Savior here intimates: there is no small danger of defection, if not of infection by such; they are notable quench-coals…There is a compulsive power in company to do as they do, Gal. 2.14…It behoves us therefore to beware, upon whom the ends of the world are come, least we suffer a decay, lest leaving our first love, and led away with the error of the wicked, we fall from our former steadfastness. The world…has been once destroyed with water for the heat of lust, and shall be again with fire for the coldness of love…”        [from COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPELS & ACTS, by John Trapp, 1657]   

But when I saw, that they went not the right way to the truth of the Gospel, I said unto Peter before all men, If thou being a Jew, livest as the Gentiles, and not like the Jews, why constraints thou the Gentiles to do like the Jews?    
(Galatians 2:14; GNV)

Great term: “quench-coals”! And a great warning about looking at who is around you and influencing you as the world ends, lest you look too much like those ungodly ones around you. A very interesting last line too: there is so much immorality today, but Trapp is right, it’s not the heat of lust that’s the issue right now, but rather the coldness of love that is the problem.  

We’ve run over today, so we’ll break it off here and pick it up next time.