Take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand

 

"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 the earth to the farthest part of heaven."

 

- Mark 13:14–27 

 

On Saturday we read that, as Jesus went out of the temple in Jerusalem, 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."  The abomination of desolation was a prophecy of Daniel (Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11), fulfilled in the Siege of Jerusalem (AD 70), when the Roman general Titus entered the Most holy Place and had a statue of himself erected in the temple before having the temple destroyed.  My study Bible says that the Lord's phrase when you see indicates that many of the disciples would still be living at that time.  The phrase let the reader understand is an encouragement to the early Christians who may have witnessed this event.  

 

"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."  My study Bible comments that the severity of winter weather or respect for the Sabbath would prevent many faithful from fleeing quickly in a time of desperation.  Jesus' sympathy for nursing mothers is reinforced in Luke 23:29, when He blesses the barren in preparation for the time He describes.  My study Bible quotes commentary on that verse from St. John Chrysostom:  "Mothers are held by the tie of feeling for their children, but cannot save them.  How can one escape the bonds of nature?  How can she who nurses ever overlook the one she has borne?"

 

 "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."   My study Bible points out that, here in St. Mark's Gospel, the account of the end times is given in a reverse or mirrored parallel form, often called chiastic (from the word "chi" meaning X in Greek).  That is, the topics He mentions in the first half of the passage are repeated and amplified in reverse order in the second half.  Taking the beginning of this discourse from Saturday's reading (see above), we begin to see the parallels.  He began (in Saturday's reading) with a warning to take heed about false christs, which is repeated here and amplified.  The second warning was about wars which He then described in detail just above these verses in today's reading, and includes the abomination of desolation.  The second-to-last warning is about tribulation here, which amplifies His warnings in Saturday's reading of being delivered up to councils, and betrayed and delivered up by family members.  Today's reading gives us the second half of that X shaped prophecy, the center of which was that "the gospel must first be preached to all the nations" in Saturday's reading (see above), which my study Bible calls the heart of the apostolic ministry and the mission of the Church.

 

"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."   My study Bible says that, according to patristic commentary, the sun will not be destroyed, but will be darkened in relation to the glory of Christ.  In other words, it will appear to be dark by comparison to the fullness of Christ's splendor.  Note that when Christ says that the powers in the heavens will be shaken, this can't be separated from the spiritual powers in the heavens, and the things described here are in response to that transition and glory in spiritual battle, the victory of Christ described in the next verses.  

 

"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 the earth to the farthest part of heaven."   Note that at Christ's first coming, He came in humility and mortality, (as signified through His entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey's colt; see this reading).  But at Christ's return, His second coming, He will be revealed with great power and glory.  My study Bible refers us to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 on the gathering of the elect, from the farthest part of the earth to the farthest part of heaven.  

 

What is the farthest part of heaven?   This seems to affirm that the elect include those on earth, but also those of the great cloud of witnesses, who stand in the resurrection.  This vast and incomprehensible number of souls is impossible for us to calculate, and I daresay, to even imagine.  In fact, much of what Christ has to say in this end times prophecy is to us, unimaginable.  That would include even those terrifying events of the Siege of Jerusalem, documented for us in history books, so vividly told here in Christ's forewarnings to the people.  These warnings -- such as to pray that their flight may not be in winter, or of the woe to those who are pregnant and those who are nursing babies in those days -- carry with them the terror of such a calamitous and disastrous time.  They don't soften the sense of desperation and fear; quite the opposite.  Christ does not seek to minimize the dangers and harm that may exist for us in this world, particularly as His followers.  But He does warn us about them, and about the things we will be called upon to face for His name's sake -- and He also gives us His solemn promise and assurance of His return, and the gathering together of His elect from the four winds, and from the farthest part of the earth to the farthest part of heaven.  Let's consider once again the depth and breadth of what these words mean, and the unimaginable number of souls gathered in Christ's power and glory and His return.  "From the four winds" indicates all the directions of the earth, not a single soul overlooked from anywhere in the world.  That even the powers in the heavens will be shaken should give us a sense of the shattering of our present reality in exchange for another one at the end of the age, and in the fullness of the coming of His Kingdom.  None of these things can be glossed over or de-emphasized, for all of it is important to us, and none of it is sugar-coated for us.  It all comes as part of the package of our faith in Christ.  Often we get the impression that there has been so much progress in terms of medical science, or technology, or a host of other modern developments, that we have great control over our lives and our world.  But Christ tells us something quite different, which perhaps we discover in our own lives through time and experience, that despite all of these innovations and modern wealth and productivity, we still have unforeseen circumstances to deal with.  We remain with wars and rumors of wars (perhaps more destructive, violent, and frightening than ever); we remain with natural disasters we can't seem to fully control or explain; and we certainly remain with evil in our world and political machinations and hardships of all kinds.  While we have news reported and available to us with 24-hour availability, it does seemingly little to reassure us that all things are stable and cared for; quite the opposite, in fact.  But with Christ, we have something more.  We have His reassurance that not a hair on our heads goes uncounted by God (Matthew 10:30), not a sparrow drops to the earth apart from God's knowledge and will (Matthew 10:29), and that God knows the things we have need of (Matthew 6:31-33).  Let us first seek the will of God, to know God in prayer and communion and to build up our faith, to find the things that Christ has for us to do in the world.  For ultimately we are dependent upon God, from whom every good and perfect gift comes -- and who gives us warnings about our world and knows the dangers and fears we live with; for He has been with us as one of us, and offers us the Kingdom and our discipleship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Father, "into Your hand I commit My spirit"

 

 Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.  Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.  And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hand I commit My spirit.'" Having said this, He breathed His last.  

 

So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, "Certainly this was a righteous Man!"  And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done,  beat their breasts and returned.  But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. 

 

Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man.  He had not consented to their decision and deed.  He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God.  This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before.  That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near.  And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid.  Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils.  And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.  

 

- Luke 23:44–56

 

On Saturday, we read that there were also two others, criminals, who were led with Jesus to be put to death.  And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.  Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."  And they divided His garments and cast lots.  And the people stood looking on.  But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."  The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself."  And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us."   But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?  And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."  Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."  And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

 

  Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.  Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. The sixth hour is noon, and the ninth hour corresponds to approximately 3:00 in the afternoon.  We see that the very rhythm of creation is disturbed in this murder of its Creator.  Regarding the veil of the temple, my study Bible comments that the veil that separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple was a symbol of the separation between God and human beings.  Christ's death, it says, opens the way into the presence of God for all people, giving people access to that which is most holy of all:  God Himself.  In many Orthodox churches, there is a curtain between the altar and the nave which is drawn open during liturgical services in order to emphasize that communion with God, which was at one time sealed off from humanity, is now available to all who approach in faith. 

 

 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hand I commit My spirit.'"  Having said this, He breathed His last.  My study Bible comments that Jesus does not have His life taken from Him, but will voluntarily commit it to the Father.  His was the first human soul not to be taken to Hades.  Instead, Jesus gives His soul freely to the hands of God.  So, therefore, He frees all of humanity from the grip of death.  Jesus' death is a reconciliation of humankind to God, not through satisfaction of a need for blood-justice as some might teach, but by causing all aspects of our corrupt human nature to be transformed -- for whatever divinity touches is healed.  My study Bible says that Christ accepts human nature in order to sanctify human nature.  Christ accepts our weakness in order to make us strong; He takes on our sin in order to free us from sin; He suffers in order to transfigure suffering; and He enters death in order to destroy it (1 Corinthians 15:20-28).  Jesus is quoting from Psalm 31:5; He is likely praying as the entire psalm is the story of the Crucifixion.  

 

 So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, "Certainly this was a righteous Man!"  And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done,  beat their breasts and returned.  But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.  My study Bible cites St. Cyril of Alexandria, who reflects on the conversion of the centurion as follows:  "Observe that no sooner had Christ endured the Passion on the Cross for our sakes than He began to win many unto knowledge of the truth."

 

 Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man.  He had not consented to their decision and deed.  He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God.  This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before.  If the apostles had buried Christ, my study Bible states, doubters could claim His body was simply hidden away.  Joseph of Arimathea, being both a council member and also a good and just man refutes any possibility of deception by the apostles.  Moreover, the spiritual significance of this tomb where no one had ever lain before is that Christ died a death unlike any person had ever died.  That is, a death without corruption, a death which leads to victory over the grave itself.  

 

 That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near.  And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid.  Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils.  And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.  Christ's rest in the tomb, my study Bible notes, fulfills the image of His birth in a cave (Luke 2:7) and reveals the ultimate purpose of Christ's coming into the world.  The faith of the women, my study Bible adds, while stronger than that of the disciples who are now in hiding, was still imperfect in that they prepared for the corruption of Christ's body.  Moreover, as God rested from His work of creation on the original Sabbath (Genesis 2:1-3), so now Christ rests from the work of the new creation on the Sabbath.  So, therefore, Christ gives the Sabbath its ultimate meaning, and He fulfills the Law even in death.  At Matins of Holy Saturday, the Orthodox hymn declares, "This is the most blessed Sabbath on which Christ sleeps in order to rise on the third day."

 

 We should note something a little subtle about the passages in today's reading.  Even though the unthinkable has happened, even though the world and all aspects of creation seem out of whack, upside down, there is a particular rhythm or cycle to what is happening.  It is more or less "upside down" that there was darkness all over the earth from noon until 3:00 P.M.  We're even told that then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple -- established to protect the people from the powerful holiness of God -- was torn in two.  Perhaps these words describe an eclipse, but ancient people knew what eclipses were, and there is clear evidence that astronomical knowledge was developed enough to know their cause.  Nonetheless, these events tell us about the creation that responds to what has just happened, and perhaps even more importantly, what is taking place.  For the powers of heaven are shaken.  Christ the Lord has died His human death and will ascend now to assume all power in heaven and on earth.  In the psalms we read, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.  Their sound has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world (Psalm 19:1-4).  When Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and His disciples shouted out in His Triumphal Entry, Jesus said to the offended religious leaders, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out" (Luke 19:40).   In the perspective of Scripture, all of creation forms a kind of icon of the Creator and the reality of the divine life, its purposes, its meanings.  Creation, in this sense, is alive with meanings and messages if we but could understand and hear.  So, as Jesus prophesied of the end times, there are signs in the sun on this occasion; moreover the very veil of the temple has been torn in two, symbolizing the opening of heaven to human beings through Christ's death on the Cross.  And then the rhythm of Creation is taking place.  Jesus dies on the day of Preparation, which we know as Good Friday.  And then the Sabbath comes, and He rests, even as His faithful followers, the women from Galilee, also oversee His resting place, the tomb, and then withdraw so they themselves abide by the Sabbath rule.  What we find, remarkably it seems, is the pattern and path of duty midst all of this upheaval.  Even the pattern of the Preparation and the Sabbath are asserted through the faith of Christ's followers.  Joseph of Arimathea, taking tremendous courage, goes to Pilate and asks for the body of Jesus.  Through his faith and generosity he wrapped Christ's body in linen, and donated an unused new tomb, hewn out of the rock, an expensive gift and honor indeed, unheard of for One who is crucified on a cross in the Roman system of punishments, and for One so ignominiously treated by His own nation and its religious leaders.  As my study Bible noted, Christ goes even as He was born as an infant, in a cave, and wrapped in swaddling.  And although the apostles are in hiding, the women observe the tomb, and prepare what is necessary for His burial:  the spices and fragrant oils.  Then as faithful duty in the rhythm of creation, and their humility before God, they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.  These powerful events teach us so much about faith, humility, and duty in the face of the unthinkable and shocking in our lives.  We still have a duty, a job to do.  We still honor God, and do what we know according to the commandments we know.  For Christ teaches us what we are to be about, and how we serve Him under all circumstances.  Let us remember our road, our truth, our life.  Jesus says, as His last words, "Father, 'into Your hand I commit My spirit,'" quoting from Psalm 31.  Ultimately we follow His lead, and commit all things to God's hand, for that is where we belong, too, regardless of what happens in the world around us. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 "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 days 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 

 

Yesterday we read that, after His disputes with the religious leaders during what we know as Holy Week, Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to 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."  Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be?  And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"   And Jesus answered and said to them, "Take heed that no one deceives you.  For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.  And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.  See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.  all these are the beginning of sorrows.  Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake.  And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.  Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.  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."  Here Jesus warns the disciples about events that would come to happen in Jerusalem.  He cites the prophecy of Daniel regarding the abomination of desolation (Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11).  According to my study Bible, this prophecy was fulfilled in AD 70, when the Roman General Titus entered the Most Holy Place and had a statue of himself erected in the temple, before having the temple destroyed.  Christ's phrase used here, "when you see," is an indication that many of the disciples would still be living at that time.  Matthew inserts the words, "whoever reads, let him understand" as a way to encourage those early Christians who may have witnessed the catastrophic event.  

"But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!"   This woe is given to warn women who are pregnant or nursing of the terrible pain in seeing their children suffering under such desperate circumstances as will be engendered by the Siege of Jerusalem.  My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom's commentary on the similar passage in Luke 23:29:  "Mothers are held by the tie of feeling for their children, but cannot save them.  How can one escape the bonds of nature?  How can she who nurses ever overlook the one she has borne?"

 

 "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 days will be shortened."  My study Bible comments that the severity of winter weather or respect for the Sabbath would prevent many faithful from fleeing quickly in a time of desperation.  There is also a spiritual interpretation found in Patristic commentary given, in which the Sabbath is seen as symbolizing idleness regarding virtue -- and winter as fruitlessness with regard to charity.  So, therefore, the person who departs worldly life in this spiritual state will suffer judgment.  

"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."  My study Bible asks, in what manner will Christ return?  Here, Jesus states quite clearly that this event will be unmistakable to the whole world.  If there is any question or doubt, my study Bible notes, then that alone is evidence that He has not returned.  Since He states that His return will shine from the east, in the Orthodox Church Christ is worshiped facing eastward whenever possible, in symbolic hope and anticipation of His second and glorious coming.  

 

"For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together."  My study Bible comments on the similar passage in Luke's Gospel ("Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together" - Luke 17:37) that the body (carcass) refers to Christ, while the eagles are a reference to the angels and the saints.  

"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."  According to Patristic commentary, the sun will not be destroyed, but rather darkened in relation to the glory of Christ.  So, my study Bible explains, the sun will appear to be dark by comparison when Christ returns in the fullness of His true splendor.   

 

 "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."  The sign of the Son of Man is the Cross, my study Bible explains, which will be revealed as the standard for Christ's impending judgment.  At His first coming, He came in humility and mortality.  But the second coming is entirely different, when He will be revealed in power and great glory.  Christ fully shares in the divinity of the Father, and this will be part of the tremendous revelation at that time.   Commenting on Christ's teaching, "they will gather," my study Bible refers us to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.  

It's remarkable to consider that at Christ's return His glory will outshine every source of natural light we know, even our sun and the stars.  It tells us something as a kind of portent of the much greater life that awaits us in the kingdom of God, at the end of this present era.  We cannot truly separate these "end time" events from either the judgment Christ has taught will come, or from the great wedding feast of Christ the Bridegroom and His Bride, the Church.  For all of these events will come together, marking the end of our present age, and the beginning of a new age we cannot predict.  What we can know is that -- like the Incarnate Christ -- this new age will be marked by the union of Christ and His people, a world transfigured through the beauty of God, held strikingly in our understanding of a glory that outshines the sun and stars.  It tells us -- despite the dire predictions and upheavals we read about the end times -- about the ultimate fulfillment of Christ's mission in our world at His Incarnation.  We are all going somewhere, and it's important to know where we are headed.  The great upheavals and tribulation that Christ prophesies -- even the ferocious and uncontrolled destruction of Jerusalem that was to come so soon after Jesus left this world in the flesh -- are all a part of the journey toward that final fulfillment of His mission and ministry.  For those things which are both seen and unseen and oppose Christ will also have their way, and also work into this journey of salvation and redemption of the world.  We can't have one without the other.  We cannot have Christ and His mission and ministry in the world without His exposure of the things that oppose Him, the spirit of the Antichrist (1 John 4:3).    In his podcasts, Father Stephen De Young has often spoken about the Cross as not simply that which happened at one time as a historical event, but rather that which always reveals the truth of all things; that is, things as they truly are.  And as the sign of the Son of Man, we can know that the Cross -- in fulfillment of its true purpose and meaning -- is always revealing all things that are true.  This holds whether or not something is revealed to be true and beautiful and good, or false and evil or in error.  Thus we have side-by-side great beauty, tremendous glory and promise, and also at the same time the resultant horrors and violence of a world that rejects Christ.   So, in some sense, Jesus sends us all out on a mission as His followers, for we are the ones who make a difference in this struggle and engagement for the life of the world.  We are the ones who choose to become temples of God in this world, or not; we are the ones who need to be engaged in worship and prayer to continue to bring His love and hope and glory into the world, or to neglect this privilege to serve the highest good.  We are the ones who may deepen our communion with God and our brothers and sisters in faith, both those who live in this world and who live to Christ (Matthew 22:32); or we may choose simply to neglect and ignore this great cloud of witnesses in which we may participate and gather.  It is the time of our lives that is tinged with this deepened and heightened meaning and potential, or sadly made of little worth or fruitful value in the spiritual sight of God (see the parable of the Talents).  For these are not far away events being prophesied, nor are they far away events foretold and passed in history centuries ago, but this challenge of the Cross always lives, and it is within us and with us always.  It will continue to play itself out in our world and our history, but do we have the spiritual eyes and ears to understand, and to deepen the power of our faith in this world?