(8) Also I say unto you.—Again we note another like variation between St. Matthew’s “before My Father which is in Heaven,” and St. Luke’s “before the angels of God.”

Luke 12:8-9. Also I say unto you — It will be necessary, however, in order that you may keep your minds unshaken, that you should often look forward unto the final judgment, at which I will own you as my servants, if, by your constant and cheerful obedience to my commands, you now acknowledge me as your Master. For whosoever shall confess me before men — Shall freely and openly acknowledge himself to be my disciple, and shall conduct himself as such, to whatever dangers and persecutions he may thereby expose himself; him shall the Son of man also confess — Shall declare to belong to him; before the angels of God — When they come to attend on his final triumph. But he that — To avoid reproach and suffering; denieth me before men — And is ashamed or afraid of maintaining so good a cause; shall be denied and disowned by me before the angels of God — When they appear in radiant forms around me, and wait in solemn silence the important event of that awful day. Nothing can be more majestic than the view which Christ here gives of himself, and of the issue of the final judgment. To be renounced by him is spoken of as a circumstance which will expose a man to the contempt of the whole angelic world, and leave him no remaining shelter or hope.

12:1-12 A firm belief of the doctrine of God's universal providence, and the extent of it, would satisfy us when in peril, and encourage us to trust God in the way of duty. Providence takes notice of the meanest creatures, even of the sparrows, and therefore of the smallest interests of the disciples of Christ. Those who confess Christ now, shall be owned by him in the great day, before the angels of God. To deter us from denying Christ, and deserting his truths and ways, we are here assured that those who deny Christ, though they may thus save life itself, and though they may gain a kingdom by it, will be great losers at last; for Christ will not know them, will not own them, nor show them favour. But let no trembling, penitent backslider doubt of obtaining forgiveness. This is far different from the determined enmity that is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which shall never be forgiven, because it will never be repented of.Shall be proclaimed upon the housetops - See the notes at Matthew 10:27. The custom of making proclamation from the tops or roofs of houses still prevails in the East. Dr. Thomson ("The Land and the Book," vol. i. p. 51, 52) says: "At the present day, local governors in country districts cause their commands thus to be published. Their proclamations are generally made in the evening, after the people have returned from their labors in the field. The public crier ascends the highest roof at hand, and lifts up his voice in a long-drawn call upon all faithful subjects to give ear and obey. He then proceeds to announce, in a set form, the will of their master, and demand obedience thereto." 8, 9. confess … deny—The point lies in doing it "before men," because one has to do it "despising the shame." But when done, the Lord holds Himself bound to repay it in kind by confessing such "before the angels of God." For the rest, see on [1647]Lu 9:26.Ver. 8,9. See Poole on "Matthew 10:32", See Poole on "Matthew 10:33". Here is a fourth and fifth argument, drawn from the rewards and punishments of such as shall confess or deny Christ before men. Confession here signifies, the owning and adhering to the truths and ways of God in a time of opposition: the reward promised is, Christ’s owning those that do it at the day of judgment; before the Father, saith Matthew;

before the angels, saith Luke. Christ hath no need of our owning him, his truth and ways; we may by it be profitable to ourselves, but not to him: we shall have need in the day of judgment of Christ’s owning us. By the denial of Christ, is meant our apostasy from the truths or ways of God, the denial of his truths, ways, or interest in this world: it implies a persecuting of them, but signifieth something much less, a denial by words, or a forsaking and not adhering to them. The punishment will be Christ’s denial of us in the day of judgment. What that signifieth Matthew tells us, Matthew 7:23, I will profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, I know you not, ye that work iniquity. And, he shall say to them on his left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting, fire, prepared for the devil and his angels, Matthew 25:41. This must be understood not of such as deny him, as Peter did, in an hour of great temptation, and then go out and weep bitterly, and again return unto him, but of such as persist in such denials, and return not to confess him.

Also I say unto you, &c. The same as in Matthew 10:32

whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the son of man also confess before the angels of God; only instead of I, he here calls himself "the son of man"; and instead of "before my Father which is in heaven", here it is, "before the angels of God"; who will accompany Christ when he comes to judgment, and will be present, when he shall acknowledge his true followers as the blessed of his Father, the chosen of God, his redeemed and sanctified ones; and reject others before his Father, and the whole universe of rational beings: it is said in the Targum on Sol 1:15.

"when the children of Israel do the will of their king, he by his word (the Logos) praises them in the family of the holy angels.''

This Christ, the eternal word, will do at the great day.

{3} Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:

(3) Great is the reward of a constant confession: and horrible is the punishment for denying Christ; yea, it will be impossible to call the punishment back again, if on purpose, both with mouth and heart we blaspheme a known truth.