Mark 13:12

The brother shall betray ... - The brother shall give up in a treacherous manner his brother to be put to death, on account of his attachment to Jesus. Through fear, or from the hope of reward and from the hatred of the gospel, he will overcome all the natural ties of brotherhood. and give up his own kindred to be burnt or crucified. Perhaps nothing could more clearly show the dreadful evil of those times, as well as the natural opposition of the heart to the religion of Christ.

In reading the prophecies of the Bible concerning Christ's Church, we shall generally find judgment and mercy blended together. They are seldom all bitter without any sweet — seldom all darkness without any light. The Lord knows our weakness, and readiness to faint, and has taken care to mingle consolations with threatenings — kind words with hard words, like warp and woof in a garment. We may mark this throughout the book of Revelation. We may see it all through the prophecy we are now considering. We may note it in the few verses which we have just read.

In reading the prophecies of the Bible concerning Christ's Church, we shall generally find judgment and mercy blended together. They are seldom all bitter without any sweet — seldom all darkness without any light. The Lord knows our weakness, and readiness to faint, and has taken care to mingle consolations with threatenings — kind words with hard words, like warp and woof in a garment. We may mark this throughout the book of Revelation. We may see it all through the prophecy we are now considering. We may note it in the few verses which we have just read. Let us observe, in the first place, what troubles our Lord bids His people expect between the time of His first and second comings . Trouble, no doubt, is the portion of all men, since the day that Adam fell. It came in with the thorns and thistles. "Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upwards." (Job 5:7) But there are special troubles to which believers in Jesus Christ are liable and of these our Lord gives them plain warning. They must expect trouble from the world . They must not look for the help of "rulers and kings." They will find their ways and their doctrines bring them no favor in high places. On the contrary, they will often be imprisoned, beaten, and brought before judgment seats as malefactors, for no other reason than their adherence to the Gospel of Christ. They must expect trouble from their own families . "Brother shall betray brother to death, and the father the son." Their own flesh and blood will often forget to love them, from hatred to their religion. They will find sometimes that the enmity of the carnal mind against God, is stronger than even the ties of family and blood. We shall do well to lay these things to heart, and to "count the cost" of being a Christian. We must think it no strange thing if our religion brings with it some bitter things.