And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven

 

 "So when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not" (let the reader understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter 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.  For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.  And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.  Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the christ!' or 'Look, He is there!' do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible even the elect.  But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.

"But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.  Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.  And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven."

 

- Mark 13:14-27 

 

On Saturday we read that as Jesus went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!"  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you see these great buildings?  Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down."  Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked Him privately, "Tell us, when will these things be?  And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?"  And Jesus, answering them, began to say:  "Take heed that no one deceives you.  For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and will deceive many.  But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles.  These are the beginnings of sorrows.  But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues.  You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.  And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.  But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak.  But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.  Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved."

 

  "So when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not" (let the reader understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter 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.  For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.  And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.  Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the christ!' or 'Look, He is there!' do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible even the elect.  But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand."  The first half of this discourse on end times is given in Saturday's reading (above).  As we discussed in the commentary on Saturday, this end times prophecy is given by Jesus in reverse parallel or chiastic form (from the word for the Greek letter Χ which is "chi").  That is, the warnings to take heed come in the beginning and in the last warning.  The second warning is elaborated on in the second-to-last part, and the third warning is in the "middle" of the discourse and also elaborated upon third-from-last.  So, the warnings to take heed regarding false christs came both at the beginning, and here where He tells us that false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible even the elect.  The first several verses in today's reading seem to apply directly to the destruction of the temple itself at the Siege of Jerusalem, with the 'abomination of desolation' referring to Daniel's prophecy (Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11), fulfilled when the Roman general Titus entered the Most Holy Place and erected a statue of himself there, before having the temple destroyed.  This is an indication that among those to whom Christ spoke there would be witnesses of this event, and they are to "understand" about the prophecy and be encouraged despite their experience.  Then Christ speaks again of the tribulation as mentioned in Saturday's reading, elaborating that it is so severe that it is "such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.  And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days." 

 

 "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.  Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.  And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven."   After that tribulation, then Christ's return will occur.  According to patristic commentary, the sun will not be destroyed, but rather darkened in relation to the glory of Christ.  In other words, the sun will look dark by comparison when Christ returns in the fullness of His splendor, once again reminding us of the light revealed at the Transfiguration.  At His first coming, my study Bible comments, Christ came in humility and mortality.  But at His second coming, He will be revealed with great power and glory.  

Jesus says that after the intense tribulation, His return will commence.  He says that just prior to His return, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. It has the strange quality of apocalypse, or apocalyptic writing, particularly in that the events Jesus describes seem to image the very meaning of the Greek word ἀποκάλυψις/apokalysis.  This word literally means uncovering or unveiling.  The scenario He describes seems to be precisely that, with the sun and moon darkened, and the stars of heavens falling.  It's as if the entire cosmos falls like a blanket to reveal the "new" that Christ's return will bring.  To think of these images in such a way becomes more interesting, when one considers that the word "cosmos" (Greek κόσμος/kosmos) for the creation or universe, can also mean "adornment," and is the root for the Greek word for jewelry, and even cosmetics.  In this sense, the creation or "ordered existence" created by God in the beginning falls away, so that Christ may reveal the new creation, the new heavens and the new earth (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1).  This ties in with what we have read.  On Saturday, we were given Mark 13:8,  "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows."  The word that is translated as sorrows literally means "birth-pangs."   And these events of upheaval and conflict, the frightening specters of earthquakes and famines and all manner of disruption, even including the betrayals and tribulations, are a part of a process of the birth of something new, the new heaven and new earth.  When we see such things, we should remember, and we are meant indeed to remember what we must be about.  We should think about the struggle of something new being born, and how such experiences are signs that point to Christ's return, but especially how we are meant to be faithful amidst them, not to forget that these are included in His warnings.  Perhaps even when we personally go through difficulties, we can pause to consider that something old may be falling away in order to reveal something new, and we ourselves are feeling those birth pangs.  There is undoubtedly an ongoing process of repentance, or change, in living a prayerful life, with God presenting to use things we need to discard such as ways of thinking we must revisit, and behavior that need to conform to the new.  As such we are a microcosm of the events Jesus describes as a whole cosmic arc of the present age, and the beginning of the age to come.  Everything, we should be assured, is being revealed, and the process looks to us in this disarrayed, messy form of upheaval.  Let us consider most important and precious to us His words, teaching us what He wants and expects.  We're to take heed, and not to be fooled.  We are to remember who we are, that we are His.  We're to abide in His word, and endure to the end -- which is a new beginning at His return.

 

 

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who has built his house on the rock

"Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a  wise man who has built his house on the rock; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.  And great was its fall."

- Matthew 7:22-27

 We have been reading through the Sermon on the Mount, which began with the Beatitudes, at the start of chapter 5.  (See all subsequent readings for the full Sermon.)   We are now in chapter 7, and today's reading is the final one in the Sermon on the Mount.  On Saturday, we read that Jesus taught, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.  Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.  You will know them by their fruits.  Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?  Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Therefore by their fruits you will know them.  Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven."

 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'"   Jesus has added an apocalyptic note to the Sermon on the Mount, and speaks of the day of Judgment.  He indicates His own identity in the power of Judgment revealed here:  that it is He who will judge.  Even those who show great spiritual gifts will not necessarily be those who enter into His Kingdom:  prophesying and casting out demons -- even performing wonders -- does not preclude the possibility of "practicing lawlessness."  His emphasis in His teachings is on another kind of practice altogether.

"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a  wise man who has built his house on the rock; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.  And great was its fall."  These sayings of Mine are the teachings contained in the Sermon on the Mount.  He has taught us about living the life of the Kingdom in the midst of the world, a kind of union that is typified in the words He taught in giving the Lord's Prayer as part of the Sermon:  we pray to Our Father in heaven, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."   Once again, these words allude to Judgment.  He is the rock, His words are the solid building on the strong foundation.  In a sense, He's warning us all about the difficulties that will come in life, the struggles we encounter.  He's not saying there will be none!  Great was its fall indicates He's still speaking of Judgment.

The Sermon on the Mount is a masterpiece, and has always been considered so.  Throughout our readings, we have encountered teachings found elsewhere in the Gospels.  We know that Jesus taught many of the same things under different circumstances and in various contexts.  But this Sermon is a great picture of living the life of the Kingdom even as we live in this world.    With the Beatitudes, right from the beginning, we're given a picture of the blessedness of this life, the "happiness" that lives in us even as we dwell in the world and also carry the Kingdom with us.   And right at the beginning, in the following reading, Jesus tells us that we (His followers who will hear these sayings of Mine, and do them) are the light of the world.  They are those who will let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.    The Lord's Prayer, praying as He teaches us to Our Father in heaven, is a picture of living the life of the Kingdom in this world, and praying for its fullness.  His speaking of Judgment -- present with us even as we live our lives in the here and the now -- gives us an apocalyptic flavor in the Sermon, even in the midst of the present time.  An Orthodox priest writes in a blog post of the true nature and meaning of "apocalyptic"  (see Living the Apocalypse, by Fr. Stephen Freeman).  In the Greek, "apocalypse" comes from a word that means to reveal things that are hidden, to uncover.  And this is a hint of our lives as followers of Christ and recipients of the Spirit, those who pray to Our Father for our "supersubstantial" bread of the Kingdom, for the eternal day of the life of the Kingdom and the daily life we live in the world.  We are held and contained in this place, and we carry it with us:  the light shines in us, and we are the light, He declares.  He who is the light of the world calls us the light of the world in this Sermon, and teaches us how to be that light, how to glorify our Father in heaven.  In the practices of the ancient Church that remain with us in various forms and denominations, we can see this understanding reflected.  For example, in the Churches of the "Eastern world" we see splendid robes for the celebration of the Eucharist, indicating the beauty of heaven here in our presence.  We consider that we are co-celebrating with the angels in heaven even as we worship.  We sing, "Heaven and earth are full of Your glory," reflecting the song of the Seraphim given to us by Isaiah the Prophet, and in the Revelation (Apocalypse) of John (Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4:8).  Byzantium, with its beautiful architecture and splendid mosaics of the saints, the Lord, and the angels, gave us a picture of the beauty of heaven as it has been revealed (another term for "apocalypse") to us even here in this world -- even the great cloud of witnesses by which we are "surrounded" in the words of St. Paul.  An ancient Easter practice remains in which the light of the Paschal candle is brought home to light a candle before icons.  Nothing is separated; our lives are meant to intersect, just as the Incarnation intersected heaven and earth, the eternal and the temporal.  In this final teaching in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, He tells us exactly how we live such a life:  we hear "these sayings of Mine," and do them.  At the Last Supper, He teaches, "If you love Me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15).  This Sermon is the great collection of His commandments we have, given in one public teaching.  Let us re-read, and take them all into consideration.  It is a picture of a blessed life, a prescription for the life of the Kingdom of heaven lived and borne into this world.  In Colossians 3:3, St. Paul teaches that our "life is hidden with Christ in God."  Jesus repeatedly tells us that there is nothing covered or hidden that will not be revealed, nothing secret that will not come to light.  This is the life into which we are baptized, and which we live.  He's also taught us that we must practice discernment.  We would do well to remember that saints are not necessarily those who live "perfect" lives, as seems to be so often thought.  Saints are those who, perfect or imperfect, bear witness to the Kingdom in the world, who have such faith in that life that everything else may be worth giving up for it -- a kind of redemption that changes the reality of the world.  Jesus' Incarnation shows us the way; He is the first of all.