Part 3- Early Protestant Restorationism is not the same as Modern Dispensational Zionism

John Wesley and other earlier reformers have been cited by some to be clear examples of pre-Darby premillenial Zionism. It is asserted that they believed that the Jews would reign with Christ, restored to the physcial land in Israel. However, this is an assumption, based on a mistaken reading of restorationism through a Zionist lens.  Restorationism was/is the belief that Jews will convert to Christianity, either by means of a mass conversion at some point  in the future or slowly over time. The number that converts is going to be small or only a remnant only few in number.

Mistaking one doctrine for another is a common mistake that is easy to make. Another example is the claim that the Early Church Fathers were premillenialist  because several mention a thousand year reign of Christ. It is then assumed that this means they were expressing the same doctrines as modern premillenialist. However, ancient churches views of the millenium did not include a literal 1,000 year reign here on Earth before judgement, a rapture or a restoration of the Temple with a restoration of the Jews to the land. For more on the Church Fathers and interpolating modern Zionism and Dispensationalism into their works, see Historic PreMillenialism: The Early Church Fathers were Not Dispensational, Pre-Millenial Zionist.

Thus, due to a narrow reading of the ECF’s or in this case the writings of John Wesley, those who are not Zionist are accused of not holding to something that was taught by their forefathers. When the whole issue is those who read Zionism, premillenialism or any other related doctrine into their writings are actually seeing what they want to see, rather than what was actually stated.

Examples of this misrepresentation of Wesleyan restorationism comes from a post from 2016 on the Time of Israel website entitled, Founded by a Zionist, now Marxist Methodists savage Israel.  Israel Today ran a similar post in 2021 entitled, A Wicked World of Woke,  where each attempted to show that Wesley was Zionist, while accusing those in his tradition today are not:

Methodist founder John Wesley, who led a worldwide revival of Holy Spirit-inspired Christianity through his anointed preaching of the gospel, backed by the sublime hymns of his brother Charles, would surely have berated today’s Methodists as totally out of order for their unbiblical and ungracious statements of intent…..

In his notes on Romans, and with particular reference to Israel’s future restoration to their ancient land, Wesley wrote: “So many prophecies refer to this grand event that it is surprising any Christian can doubt of it. And these are greatly confirmed by the wonderful preservation of the Jews as a distinct people to this day.” Bear in mind that these words were written in the 18th century.

Yet, John Wesley never wrote that the Jews would be restored to the land , or on any other details that are part of Zionist Doctrine. Read what John Wesley actually said in the full quote below. The text left out by the Israel Today post is italicized:

The first part of this verse is treated of, ver. 13, &c.; the latter, How much more their fulness, (that is, their full conversion,) ver. 23, &c. So many prophecies refer to this grand event, that it is surprising any Christian can doubt of it. And these are greatly confirmed by the wonderful preservation of the Jews as a distinct people to this day. When it is accomplished, it will be so strong a demonstration, both of the Old and New Testament Revelation, as will doubtless convince many thousand Deists, in countries nominally Christian; of whom there will, of course, be increasing multitudes among merely nominal Christians. And this will be a means of swiftly propagating the gospel among Mahometans and Pagans; who would probably have received it long ago, had they conversed only with real Christians. – John Wesley, Notes on the Bible, Romans

Note that John Wesley never claimed that a restoration to the land would happen. He was speaking of a restoration in  coming to belief in Christ.  Notice the text reads that Christians, Pagans, and Muslims would be here on Earth to see the restoration or conversion. This is not the belief of most Zionist who hold to premillenialism and/or the Rapture and the rebuilding of the temple, among other modern false doctrines.

In Wesley’s notes on Romans 9:25-26, we read directly from his own words that the Jews will not be restored to the land:

Verse 25
As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.Beloved — As a spouse. Who once was not beloved – Consequently, not unconditionally elected. This relates directly to the final restoration of the Jews. Hosea 2:23

Verse 26
And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. There shall they be called the sons of God — So that they need not leave their own country and come to Judea. Hosea 1:10

In the book Modern Premillennialism and the Christian Hope By Harris Franklin Rall, on premillenialism he rightly points out that Wesley never wrote of any doctrines that are tied to premillenialist ideals, which would include Zionism:

“Turning to Wesley’s sermons, the first notable fact is that Wesley nowhere discusses a single one of the distinctive ideals of premillenialism” p.245

Rall goes on to quote Wesley on the fact that his writings contain his views on doctrine and are made plain for all to read:

“I am not concious that there is any one point of doctrine of which I am accustomed to speak in public, which is not here laid before every Christian reader” – John Wesley

In similar attempts to sway support for Zionism,  sources such as Wikipedia or the Zionist Hall of Fame cite one hymn by Charles Wesley.  However, once again this hymn was on the restoration of the Jews to belief, not a restoration to the land.  The other writings of the Wesley’s, inparticular John Wesley,  are ignored otherwise.

Below we have included quotes from John Wesley’s Notes on the Bible to further show that he did not hold any Dispensational, premillenial or Zionist views of prophecy in the Bible. From his notes on the Bible, it is easy to see that he did not believe that there would be a restoration to the land , the rebuilding of the temple, or a rapture of Christians while the Jews reign on Earth with Christ for 1000 years. In fact, it is clear that he believed prophecies that are commonly used by Zionist, had already been fulfilled. This places his stance on the end times closer to what Amillenialist and Partial Preterist believe,  as opposed to other end times views. John Wesley’s eschatology is in line with that of the Early Church Fathers.

John Wesley’s Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament:

-Revelation 20:4

And reigned with Christ — Not on earth, but in heaven. The “reigning on earth” mentioned, Revelation 11:15, is quite different from this.

A thousand years — It must be observed, that two distinct thousand years are mentioned throughout this whole passage. Each is mentioned thrice; the thousand wherein Satan is bound, verses2,3, 7; Revelation 20:2; Revelation 3, 7, the thousand wherein the saints shall reign, verses4-6. Revelation 20:4-6 The former end before the end of the world; the latter reach to the general resurrection. So that the beginning and end of the former thousand is before the beginning and end of the latter. therefore as in the second verse, Revelation 20:2 at the first mention of the former; so in the fourth verse, Revelation 20:2 at the first mention of the latter, it is only said, a thousand years; in the other places, “the thousand,” verses3,5, 7, Revelation 20:3; Revelation 20:5; Revelation 20:7 that is, the thousand mentioned before. During the former, the promises concerning the flourishing state of the church, Revelation 10:7, shall be fulfilled; during the latter, while the saints reign with Christ in heaven, men on earth will be careless and secure. – Note there is no literal 1,000 year reign of Christians or Jews on Earth with Christ before the final Judgement. Any reign with Christ, in Wesley’s writings follow the view of the Early Church Fathers, that it would be AFTER the final Judgement and eternal. 

-Matthew 24:34
This generation of men now living shall not pass till all these things be done – The expression implies, that great part of that generation would be passed away, but not the whole. Just so it was. For the city and temple were destroyed thirty – nine or forty years after.” – Note this part of Matthew 24 has not happened in modern Zionist/Dispensational or premillenial doctrine. 

– Matthew 24:2
“This was most punctually fulfilled: for after the temple was burned, Titus, the Roman general, ordered the very foundations of it to be dug up; after which the ground on which it stood was ploghed by Turnus Rufus.” – According to Wesley and others, there was no remains of the Temple, not even the wailing wall, and it would not be rebuilt.

– Matthew 24:5
“And, indeed, never did so many imposters appear in the world as a few years before the destruction of Jerusalem, undoubtedly because that was the time wherein the Jews in general expected the Messiah.” – Again, this is an end time prophecy in Zionism, however Wesley wrote that it already happened

– Matthew 24:14
“This Gospel shall he preached in all the world—Not universally: this is not done yet: but in general through the several parts of the world, and not only in Judea. And this was done by St. Paul and the other apostles, before Jerusalem was destroyed. And then shall the end come—Of the city and temple. Josephus’s History of the Jewish War is the best commentary on this chapter. It is a wonderful instance of God’s providence, that he, an eyewitness, and one who lived and died a Jew, should, especially in so extraordinary a manner, be preserved, to transmit to us a collection of important facts, which so exactly illustrate this glorious prophecy, in almost every circumstance. Mark 13:10.” – Already happened, but Zionist hold that it is future.

– Matthew 24:15
“When ye shall see the abomination of desolation – Daniel’s term is, ‘The abomination that maketh desolate’ (xi. 31); that is, the standards of the desolating legions, on which they bear the abominable images of their idols. Standing in the holy place – Not only the temple, and the mountain on which it stood, but the whole city of Jerusalem, and several furlongs of land round about it, were accounted holy; particularly the mountain on which our Lord now sat, and on which the Romans afterward planted their ensigns.” – Fulfilled, but again Zionist believe this to be in the future.

– Luke 21:31-32
” The kingdom of God is nigh-The destruction of the Jewish city, temple, and religion, to make way for the advancement of my kingdom. 32. Till all things be effected-All that has been spoken of the destruction of Jerusalem, to which the question, Lu 21:7,relates: and which is treated of from Lu 21:8-24.

– Deuteronomy 28:49
“But in the following he foretells their last destruction by the Romans. And the present deplorable state of the Jewish nation, so exactly answers this prediction, that it is an incontestable proof of the truth of the prophecy, and consequently of the divine authority of the scriptures. And this destruction more dreadful than the former shews, that their sin in rejecting Christ, was more provoking to God than idolatry itself, and left them more under the power of Satan. For their captivity in Babylon cured them effectually of idolatry in seventy years. But under this last destruction, they continue above sixteen hundred years incurably averse to the Lord Jesus.” (in loc.) – Note no mention of a restoration to the land in the end times. 

-Genesis 17:
Verse 7
And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
And I will establish my covenant — Not to be altered or revoked; not with thee only, then it would die with thee but with thy seed after thee; and it is not only thy seed after the flesh, but thy spiritual seed. It is everlasting in the evangelical meaning of it. The covenant of grace is everlasting; it is from everlasting in the counsels of it, and to everlasting in the consequences of it; and the external administration of it is transmitted, with the seal of it, to the seed of believers, and the internal administration of it by the Spirit to Christ’s seed in every age. This is a covenant of exceeding great and precious promises. Here are two which indeed are all-sufficient, that God would be their God. All the privileges of the covenant, all its joys, and all its hopes, are summed up in this. A man needs desire no more than this to make him happy. What God is himself, that he will be to his people: wisdom to guide and counsel them, power to protect and support them, goodness to supply and comfort them; what faithful worshippers can expect from the God they serve, believers shall find in God as theirs. This is enough, yet not all.

Verse 8
And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
And I will give thee Canaan for an everlasting possession — God had before promised this land to Abraham and his seed, Genesis 15:18. But here, it is promised for an everlasting possession, as a type of heaven, that everlasting rest which remains for the people of God. This is that better country to which Abraham had an eye, and the grant of which was that which answered the vast extent of that promise, that God would be to them a God; so that if God had not designed this, he would have been ashamed to be called their God, Hebrews 11:16. As the land of Canaan was secured to the seed of Abraham, according to the flesh; so heaven is secured to all his spiritual seed for a possession truly everlasting. The offer of this eternal life is made in the word, and confirmed by the sacraments, to all that are under the external administration of the covenant, and the earnest of it is given to all believers.

– Isaiah 66:6
“6. A voice — The expression of a prophetical extasy, as if he said, I hear a sad and affrighting noise; it comes not from the city only, but from the temple, wherein these formalists have so much gloried. There is a noise of soldiers slaying, and of the poor people shrieking or crying out. Of the Lord — A voice of the Lord, not in thunder, but that rendereth recompence to his enemies. Thus he seems to express the destruction of the Jews by the Roman armies, as a thing at that time doing.” (p. 1972)

– Matthew 10:23
“Till the Son of man be come – To destroy their temple and nation.”

– Matthew 16:28
“For the Son of man shall come – For there is no way to escape the righteous judgment of God. And, as an emblem of this, there are some here who shall live to see the Messiah coming to set up his mediatorial kingdom with great power and glory, by the destruction of the temple, city, and polity of the Jews.”

– Matthew 22:7
“7. The king sending forth his troops — The Roman armies employed of God for that purpose. Destroyed those murderers — Primarily the Jews.”

– Luke 19:23
43. Thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee around — All this was exactly performed by Titus, the Roman general.

– Luke 21:31
“The kingdom of God is nigh-The destruction of the Jewish city, temple, and religion, to make way for the advancement of my kingdom.” – No mention of a restoration of the Temple or practice in the furture is mentioned

– Luke 21:32
“Till all things be effected-All that has been spoken of the destruction of Jerusalem, to which the question, Lu 21:7, relates: and which is treated of from Lu 21:8-24. Take heed, lest at any time your hearts be overloaded with gluttony and drunkenness-And was there need to warn the apostles themselves against such sins as these? Then surely there is reason to warn even strong Christians against the very grossest sins. Neither are we wise, if we think ourselves out of the reach of any sin: and so that day-Of judgment or of death, come upon you, even you that are not of this world-Unawares. Mt 24:42; Mr 13:33; Lu 12:35.” – Again, Wesley’s explanation of many prophecies used in Zionism – premillenial, Dispensational or not – do not line up with modern views since in his view the prophecies had already happened. 

– Nero, the Beast
“The apostle was delivered out of the mouth of the lion, that is, of Nero” (2 Timothy 4:14)

– Hebrews 8:13
“ready to vanish away – As it did quickly after, when the temple was destroyed.” – No restoration of the Temple mentioned in Wesley’s Notes.

-Acts 1:6

When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

Dost thou at this time — at the time thou now speakest of? not many days hence? restore the kingdom to Israel? – They still seemed to dream of an outward, temporal kingdom, in which the Jews should have dominion over all nations. It seems they came in a body, having before concerted the design, to ask when this kingdom would come. – No mention of a restoration of a Nation in the End Times in Wesley’s Notes

– Revelation 1:1
“The things which must shortly come to pass – The things contained in this prophecy did begin to be accomplished shortly after it was given; and the whole might be said to come to pass shortly, in the same sense as St. Peter says, ‘The end of all things is at hand’; and our Lord Himself, ‘Behold, I come quickly.”

Conclusion

Prophecies that Dispensationalist and Zionist cite as being future in fulfillment, were fulfilled in 70 A.D according to John Wesley’s Notes on the Bible.  It is apparent he believed in only a limited restoration of some Jews to belief in Christ,  but not a literal return to Nationhood and the land , as shown by his notes on the book of Romans (for more on this read Wesley Notes on Isaiah 11 and other OT prophecies used by Zionist). We have attached Wesley’s full notes on Matthew below for anyone wishes to read futher.

Wesley’s Explanatory Notes on Matthew 24 in full:
1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

24:1 Mark 13:1; Luke 21:5.

2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

24:2 There shall not he left one stone upon another – This was most punctually fulfilled; for after the temple was burnt, Titus, the Roman general, ordered the very foundations of it to be dug up; after which the ground on which it stood was ploughed up by Turnus Rufus.

3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

24:3 As he sat on the mount of Olives – Whence they had a full view of the temple. When shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? – The disciples inquire confusedly, concerning the time of the destruction of the temple; concerning the signs of Christ’s coming, and of the end of the world, as if they imagined these two were the same thing. Our Lord answers distinctly concerning, The destruction of the temple and city, with the signs preceding, ver. 4, and c, 15, and c. Mt 24:4,15. His own coming, and the end of the world, with the signs thereof, ver. 29 – 31. Mt 24:29 – 31. The time of the destruction of the temple, ver. 32, and c. Mt 24:32. The time of the end of the world, ver. 36. Mt 24:36.

4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

24:4 Take heed that no man deceive you – The caution is more particularly designed for the succeeding Christians, whom the apostles then represented. The first sign of my coming is, the rise of false prophets. But it is highly probable, many of these things refer to more important events, which are yet to come.

5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

24:5 Many shall come in my name – First, false Christs, next, false prophets, Mt 24:11. At length, both together, Mt 24:24. And indeed never did so many impostors appear in the world as a few years before the destruction of Jerusalem; undoubtedly because that was the time wherein the Jews in general expected the Messiah.

6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

24:6 Wars – Near: Rumours of wars – At a distance. All these things must come to pass – As a foundation for lasting tranquillity. But the end – concerning which ye inquire, is not yet – So far from it, that this is but the beginning sorrows.

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to affliction – As if ye were the cause of all these evils. And ye shall he hated of all nations – Even of those who tolerate all other sects and parties; but in no nation will the children of the devil tolerate the children of God. Matt 10:17.

10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

24:10 Then shall many he offended – So as utterly to make shipwreck of faith and a pure conscience. But hold ye fast faith, Mt 24:11. in spite of false prophets: love, even when iniquity and offences abound, Mt 24:12. And hope, unto the end, Mt 24:13. He that does so, shall be snatched out of the burning. The love of many will wax cold – The generality of those who love God will (like the Church at Ephesus, Rev 2:4,) leave their first love.

11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

24:13 Matt 10:22; Mark 13:13; Luke 21:17.

14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

24:14 This Gospel shall he preached in all the world – Not universally: this is not done yet: but in general through the several parts of the world, and not only in Judea And this was done by St. Paul and the other apostles, before Jerusalem was destroyed. And then shall the end come – Of the city and temple. Josephus’s History of the Jewish War is the best commentary on this chapter . it is a wonderful instance of God’s providence, that he, an eye witness, and one who lived and died a Jew, should, especially in so extraordinary a manner, be preserved, to transmit to us a collection of important facts, which so exactly illustrate this glorious prophecy, in almost every circumstance. Mark 13:10.

15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

24:15 When ye see the abomination of desolation – Daniel’s term is, The abomination that maketh desolate, Dan 11:31; that is, the standards of the desolating legions, on which they bear the abominable images of their idols: Standing in the holy place – Not only the temple and the mountain on which it stood, but the whole city of Jerusalem, and several furlongs of land round about it, were accounted holy; particularly the mount on which our Lord now sat, and on which the Romans afterward planted their ensigns. He that readeth let him understand – Whoever reads that prophecy of Daniel, let him deeply consider it. Mark 13:14; Luke 21:20; Dan 9:27.

16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

24:16 Then let them who are in Judea flee to the mountains – So the Christians did, and were preserved. It is remarkable that after the Romans under Cestus Gallus made their first advances toward Jerusalem, they suddenly withdrew again, in a most unexpected and indeed impolitic manner. This the Christians took as a signal to retire, which they did, some to Pella, and others to Mount Libanus.

17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

24:17 Let not him that is on the house top come down to take any thing out of his house – It may be remembered that their stairs used to be on the outside of their houses.

18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

24:19 Wo to them that are with child, and to them that give suck – Because they cannot so readily make their escape.

20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

24:20 Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter – They did so; and their flight was in the spring. Neither on the Sabbath – Being on many accounts inconvenient; beside that many would have scrupled to travel far on that day. For the Jews thought it unlawful to walk above two thousand paces (two miles) on the Sabbath day.

21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

24:21 Then shall be great tribulation – Have not many things spoken in the chapter , as well as in Mark 13:14 and c., Luke 21:21 and c. a farther and much more extensive meaning than has been yet fulfilled?

22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

24:22 And unless those days were shortened – By the taking of Jerusalem sooner than could be expected: No flesh would be saved – The whole nation would be destroyed. But for the elect’s sake – That is, for the sake of the Christians.

23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24:23 Mark 13:21; Luke 17:23.

24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

24:24 They would deceive, if possible, the very elect – But it is not possible that God should suffer the body of Christians to be thus deceived.

25 Behold, I have told you before.

26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

24:27 For as the lightning goeth forth – For the next coming of Christ will he as quick as lightning; so that there will not be time for any such previous warning.

28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

24:28 For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles he gathered together – Our Lord gives this, as a farther reason, why they should not hearken to any pretended deliverer. As if he had said, Expect not any deliverer of the Jewish nation; for it is devoted to destruction. It is already before God a dead carcass, which the Roman eagles will soon devour. Luke 17:37.

29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days – Here our Lord begins to speak of his last coming. But he speaks not so much in the language of man as of God, with whom a thousand years are as one day, one moment. Many of the primitive Christians not observing this, thought he would come immediately, in the common sense of the word: a mistake which St. Paul labours to remove, in his Second Epistle to the Thessalonians. The powers of the heavens – Probably the influences of the heavenly bodies. Mark 13:24; Luke 21:25.

30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

24:30 Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven – It seems a little before he himself descends. The sun, moon, and stars being extinguished, (probably not those of our system only,) the sign of the Son of man (perhaps the cross) will appear in the glory of the Lord.

31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

24:31 They shall gather together his elect – That is, all that have endured to the end in the faith which worketh by love.

32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

24:32 Learn a parable – Our Lord having spoke of the signs preceding the two grand events, concerning which the apostles had inquired, begins here to speak of the time of them. And to the question proposed, Mt 24:3, concerning the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, he answers Mt 24:34. concerning the time of the end of the world, he answers Mt 24:36. Mark 13:28; Luke 21:29.

33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

24:34 This generation of men now living shall not pass till all these things be done – The expression implies, that great part of that generation would be passed away, but not the whole. Just so it was. For the city and temple were destroyed thirty – nine or forty years after.

35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

24:36 But of that day – The day of judgment; Knoweth no man – Not while our Lord was on earth. Yet it might be afterward revealed to St. John consistently with this.

37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

24:37 Luke 17:26.

38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

24:40 One is taken – Into God’s immediate protection: and one is left – To share the common calamities. Our Lord speaks as having the whole transaction present before his eyes.

41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

24:41 Two women shall be grinding – Which was then a common employment of women.

42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

24:42 Ye know not what hour your Lord cometh – Either to require your soul of you, or to avenge himself of this nation. Mark 13:33; Luke 12:35; 21:34.

43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

44 therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

24:45 Who then is the faithful and wise servant – Which of you aspires after this character? Wise – Every moment retaining the clearest conviction, that all he now has is only intrusted to him as a steward: Faithful – Thinking, speaking, and acting continually, in a manner suitable to that conviction.

46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;

24:48 But if that evil servant – Now evil, having put away faith and a good conscience.

49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

24:51 And allot him his portion with the hypocrites – The worst of sinners, as upright and sincere as he was once. If ministers are the persons here primarily intended, there is a peculiar propriety in the expression. For no hypocrisy can be baser, than to call ourselves ministers of Christ, while we are the slaves of avarice, ambition, or sensuality. Wherever such are found, may God reform them by his grace, or disarm them of that power and influence, which they continually abuse to his dishonour, and to their own aggravated damnation!