As the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be

"Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those says will be shortened. Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, he is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

- Matthew 24:15-31

In our last reading, Jesus was warning His disciples of what is to come in Jerusalem. They are looking at the great temple, with its massive stones, and tremendous array of architectural wonders. Jesus warns them: "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down." Later, as they sat together on the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem, His disciples asked Jesus about the end of the age, the signs of His second coming, the destruction of the temple He predicted to them. He said, "Take heed that no one deceives you." Jesus warns them that there will be wars and rumors of wars, hardship and devastation. Further, they themselves will be persecuted, hated by all nations, "and then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. False prophets will deceive many people. "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."

"Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath." Jesus speaks here of the "abomination of desolation" as prophesied by Daniel. Daniel's prophesy was fulfilled during the siege of Jerusalem, in A.D. 70. The Roman General Titus, before ordering the temple burned, entered the Most Holy Place, and therefore defiled the temple. My study bible says, "Jesus quotes this prophecy so that the disciples might know these things will happen while most of them are still alive. Whoever reads, let him understand are code words from the author to early Christians about the known meaning of what is written."

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those says will be shortened. Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, he is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together." Here Jesus continues His warnings about the fall of Jerusalem and at the same time begins speaking about the end of the age and His return. It is impossible, in my mind, to separate the destruction of the temple from the initiation of the end of the age -- that is, the end that began with this period and will lead to Judgment, the time in which we live in expectation of His return. Jesus is warning them once more, as in Saturday's reading, not to be deceived by rumors and false christs and false prophets. His return, when it happens, will be swift and known by all.

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Jesus gives His disciples (and us) further understanding of what His return will be like. Nobody will miss this! The sign of the Son of Man is perhaps a Cross -- as my study bible puts it, "the memorial of His Passion." At least, this is what many have thought. My study bible notes, "His power and great glory will be brighter than the sun, which will be darkened. The Lord Jesus will come from heaven in the same way the Apostles saw Him ascend to heaven (Acts 1:11)."

Jesus' predictions of the destruction of the temple -- echoing the prophecy of Daniel -- are dire and strong. Because of this, the early church was able to escape the devastation of Jerusalem and heeded His warning. The destruction of the temple is inseparable from a discussion of the end of the age and His return. One thing is very clear from this reading: when He returns, it will be unmistakable. And again, He repeats from His previous warnings, that they are not to be deceived. False christs and false prophets will arise, false predictions of His appearance in various places. Again, as in Saturday's reading, the emphasis is on endurance and discernment. But here the statement is even more powerful, as it is given greater and decisive weight in His prediction about His return. Nobody will miss it. It will be "as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west." What does this knowledge do for us, today? How is it powerful to our own understanding that when this happens, it will be unmistakable? As we await His return, we have His words, and His promise. He will return. And we are not to be deceived. We must endure. There will be tribulations and persecutions, and for Christians in some parts of the world this continues to be true today. Our job is to endure even through hardship, not to be deceived, and to remain watchful as we await in hope for His coming in glory.