Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven

 

 "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 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 may 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."    Jesus alludes to Daniel's prophecy of the abomination of desolation (Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11), which 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.  My study Bible says that the Lord's phrase when you see is an indication that many of the disciples would still be alive at that time.  The parenthetical words whoever reads, let him understand are understood to have been inserted by Matthew into Christ's address, as an encouragement to his early Christian flock who may have witnessed this event.

 

"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."  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.  A patristic spiritual interpretation views "the Sabbath" as a symbol of idleness with regard to virtue, and "winter" as indicating fruitlessness with regard to charity; in other words, the failure to practice Christ's teachings.  Therefore, the person who departs this life in such a 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.  For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together."  Once again, Jesus gives yet another warning against being deceived, following false christs and false prophets.  Moreover, He seals this admonition with a description of His return.  It will be unmistakable to the whole world.  If there is any question or doubt, my study Bible points out, that alone is evidence that He has not returned.  As Christ's return will shine from the east, so whenever possible Christians historically have worshiped facing eastward in symbolic hope and anticipation of Christ's second and glorious coming.  Luke's Gospel reports Christ's final words here as, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together" (Luke 17:37).   A traditional understanding of this statement indicates that the body refers to Christ, and the eagles to the angels and 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."  My study Bible says that in paristic tradition, the sun will not be destroyed, but rather darkened in relation to the glory of Christ.  In other words, the sun will appear to be dark by comparison when Christ returns in the fullness of His splendor.  We get a hint of this through the manifestation of the heavenly, brilliant light at the Transfiguration.

 

"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.  While at His first coming, Christ came in humility and morality; but at His second coming, He will be revealed in power and great glory.  Regarding Christ's teaching that they will gather together His elect, see 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, one of the clearest New Testament passages on the Second Coming of Christ.

 

 When we read about the destruction of Jerusalem that was to come within the lifetimes of those listening to Christ at the Siege of Jerusalem, we read accounts that are terrifying and frightening in the details that we have.  This is particularly true of the events which took place at the Temple and within it.  The details of bloodshed and warfare, the period of a war of attrition and the fury on both sides, in which countless numbers of innocent civilians died, is indeed horrifying.  The descriptions of the desolation that was left of what was once a beautiful city and magnificent temple tell us of the total destruction that resulted, and imply to us that Christ's words, though brief, tell a true story of devastation.  His warnings to flee proved prescient, as an account of the events of that time can attest to all who read it.  He steered His flock free of it, so that the Church was able to survive, as they fled to Pella before the outbreak of the Roman war.  In Luke's Gospel, Jesus laments over Jerusalem, saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes" (Luke 19:42).   In a note on this passage, my study Bible explains that the name Jerusalem means "foundation of peace."  It states that only faith in Christ brings true peace.  Jesus' admonition to avoid participation in useless and devastating warfare that could only come to one end proved to be wise for the early Church, and we today must continue to heed His words.  Certainly the early Church was filled with believers who were also soldiers, so this is not a call for abolishing the reasonable necessity for the protection of a state and its civilians.  Indeed, many of the early saints of the Church were soldiers, who were martyred because they refused to participate in worship of Caesar, even when they themselves were being lauded and rewarded for their valor and courage.  Instead, Christ calls us to understand what it is that truly makes for our peace.  The terror of the destruction of Jerusalem serves as an illustration of what happens when we combine relentless and unbridled passion together with violence.  As the descriptions go, even the most disciplined soldiers refused to obey orders in the heat of battle and resistance, and participated in ruthless destructive violence.  And this remains a warning to all of us.   Any examination of twentieth century history will show us that we are still susceptible to needless destructive violence and cruelty on a mass scale, especially when human emotions are stirred by skillful manipulators with totalitarian aims and unbridled desire for more power and conquest.  Let us consider today the things that make for our peace, and remember to always seek Christ's way first.  For this also is part of His teaching to us that as His followers, our priority is to endure in our faith, through all things, no matter how terrifying they might seem to be.  This is our lesson from the early Church, and it remains our all-too-human lesson today.  For He did not come to condemn the world, but to save it, and salvation remains His way.  For in Him we seek to avoid the useless end of violence that begets more violence and ends only in senseless death.  His promise to us is resurrection and life, and this remains our hope and light.  The sign of the Son of Man is the Cross, and it is at the Cross we remain, for it points the way where all things are reconciled and we make the choice for His truth.

 

 

Pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly

 

 "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. "

* * * 

"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

 

- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 

 

We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  On Saturday we read that Jesus taught:   "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'  But I tell you not to resist an evil person.  But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.  If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.  Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.  You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?  Do not even the tax collectors do so?  Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." 

 "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven."  As we begin chapter 6, and the next section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus will present to us what my study Bible says are the three most basic aspects of spiritual living:  charitable giving, prayer, and fasting.  These three disciples, it says, relate directly to God's righteousness.  

"Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward."  The original meaning of the word "hypocrite" was actor, as in the ancient plays in which every actor would wear a mask to indicate the character they were interpreting.  My study Bible comments that hypocrites are play-actors practicing piety for show, desiring to please human beings rather than God.  They wear masks of compassion, but internally they are heartless.  Their reward is applause from men, but nothing more.

"But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."  My study Bible says that God is not impressed with what others think of us, nor by what we think of ourselves.  God will reward good deeds when they are based on pure motives of the heart.  

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."  The hypocrites miss the spirit of prayer, which my study Bible says is an intimate, personal communion with God that leads to the vision of God's glory (1 Corinthians 2:9).  Hypocrisy effectively blocks out this communication and this vision.  True prayer, my study Bible says, is humble (go into your room) and personal (pray to your Father).  Note the deeply personal nature of the prayer Jesus recommends here; the emphasis is on the authenticity of internal life, not external show.

"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."  My study Bible comments that to keep a sad countenance to show off one's fasting (or to show off any other form of sacrifice that one does nominally for a "good" purpose) is mere external display.  Again, Jesus rejects this as hypocrisy.  Although fasting is not commonly well-understood today, especially in the West, it remains a tradition of the Church, and is also widely practiced elsewhere and among other religious traditions as well.  Fasting practices vary from place to place (thus, it is not about "rules"), but they generally focus on abstinence from animal foods or those derived from animals; a strict fast might include abstinence from eggs and dairy.  For the one who fasts, my study Bible says, the compassion of God outshines the physical discomfort.  There are hymns of the traditional fasting season in the Orthodox Church that call on the faithful to wash and anoint their faces (there is no Ash Wednesday in the Orthodox Church).  Fasting is for spiritual growth and the glory of God, not to be seen by others.  It is important to know that fasting is not simply abstinence from food, but consists of self-denial in all areas of life in order to escape control of the passions.  For example, a famous sermon by St. Chrysostom asks us, "What good is it if we abstain from eating birds and fish, but bite and devour our brothers?"

In today's reading, Jesus focuses on three aspects of the practice of faith:  charitable giving, prayer, and fasting.  These are three traditional aspects of disciplines of faith.  There is one thing which His comments have in common on each of these subjects, and that is the very personal nature of our devotion to God.  It is this emphasis on the personal and intimate that draws away a tendency to practice hypocrisy, and instead gives us a focus on a true intimate relatedness to God.  He emphasizes with each theme that our "good deeds" must be done in secret, and that God sees in secret.  This word translated as secret is κρυπτός/kryptos, meaning "hidden," or "concealed," something that is veiled to others.  St. Peter uses this same word (κρυπτός/kryptos) when he writes of "the hidden person of the heart" (see 1 Peter 3:3-4) in his own teaching with emphasis on what is internal, and rejection of external show.  Each time Jesus focuses on a religious practice, He speaks of "your Father who sees in secret."  For His teachings here on both prayer and fasting, He adds that our "Father who sees in secret" is also our "Father who is in the secret place."   All of this points not simply to the importance of eliminating hypocrisy in our practices for the good, for serving God, but also indicates the mystical or hidden nature of faith, and the "hidden person of the heart," as St. Peter's puts it, who must seek out God in secret, and whom God seeks out in secret.  When Jesus says to go into your room, the text has a special word for a special room.  It indicated an inner room in a house where one's treasure and valuables might be stored; in modern Greek speech, this word (ταμεῖόν/tameion) is now used for "cash register."  It makes us think twice about Jesus' saying just a few verses further along in the Sermon on the Mount, that "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21).  This emphasis on the hiddenness of the heart, on the Father who is also in the secret place, and who sees in secret, teaches us about the faith of Christ, in which God is worshiped in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24) -- and not for the show of others, or an external mask we wear for applause.  In today's world, social media has permeated seemingly every aspect of our lives; there is an extraordinary amount of emphasis on what mask we wear -- what our "selfies" and other things we post on social media tell others about our lives.  Even what is nominally true is only a partial picture, and therefore the emphasis again is on a mask, a role we are playing, and what kind of feedback or applause we seek for this.  Certainly the designers of social apps have always understood this (see this article, for example).  But ironically, we have also seen the negative outcome of the drive for attention:  motivated by loneliness, a need for a connection with others, or the desire to make a particular impression, social media use instead manages to reinforce negative images of the self compared to others (especially in young woman), depression, and a sense of isolation.  Christ's emphasis on meeting God in the secret place, on God as the One who sees in secret, and our own interior lives hidden from others, is a way to bypass such a ruthless cycle of destructive patterns of behavior.  What we find in that interior place that does not rely on the feedback of others is not only a sense of love and care in the encounter with God in faith, but also a letting go of the things we think we have to be or to have.  All of these practices, of prayer, almsgiving, and fasting, tend to emphasize the bedrock of who we are internally, and lead us to start to understand our real needs, and especially the things we can let go when we find that security in God.  Do we need every fancy food?  Can we live without some amount of wealth that can help others?  Does our prayer life really take us away from something more important?  Moreover, they enforce for us that we can find great discipline, and are capable of the strength to make even difficult choices.  Let us get down to what is real, and find our faith in what truly matters.  Let us value what we're offered in all of these practices that can help us so much, and which remain an antidote to the ills and delusions of the world. 

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

 

 "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 all 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 

 

On Saturday we read that 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."   My study Bible remarks that Daniel's prophecy of the abomination of desolation (Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11) 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.  The Lord's phrase when you see indicates that many of the disciples would still be alive at that time.  The words whoever reads, let him understand, my study Bible says, are commonly understood to be inserted by Matthew into Christ's speech as an encouragement to his early Christian flock who may have witnessed this event.  His warnings that begin here an emphasize an urgent need to flee, and to do so with all haste, even without possessions.

 

"But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!"  Jesus gives a clear sign of the calamity and horror to come.  In Luke's Gospel, Christ gives a blessing to the barren women as an acknowledgement of the overwhelming pain a mother endures seeing her children suffer, and whom they cannot save (see Luke 23:29).  My study Bible cites the commentary of 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?"

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 Christ's and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.  See, I have told you all beforehand."  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.  In patristic tradition there is also a spiritual interpretation, which sees the Sabbath as symbolizing idleness with regard to virtue, and winter as indicating fruitlessness with regard to charity.  Therefore, the person who departs life in that kind of spiritual state will suffer judgment.  

 

"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."  My study Bible asks the question, in what manner will Christ come back?   Here Jesus makes it very clear that this event will be unmistakable to the whole world.  If there is any question or doubt, then that alone is evidence that He has not returned.  As Christ's return will shine from the east, whenever possible since the earliest times of the Church, Christians worship facing eastward in symbolic hope and anticipation of His second and glorious coming.  

"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 teaching which is cited by my study Bible, the sun will not be destroyed, but darkened in relation to the glory of Christ.  In other words, it says, the sun will appear to be dark by comparison when Christ returns in the fullness of His 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, my study Bible says, is the Cross, which will be revealed as the standard for Christ's impending judgment.  At His first coming, Christ came in humility and mortality.  But at His second, He will be revealed in power and in great glory, reflecting the truth of His divine nature as shared with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

 

It seems to me that when Jesus says that the sun will be darkened, the moon won't give its light, the stars will fall, and that the powers of the heavens will be shaken, He's indicating something like a tremendous dimensional change taking place.  Of course, we can't really know fully what He's talking about and what He's describing, but whatever it is, it will be a time when even "the powers of the heavens will be shaken," that is, a time when all that we know and all the things we relate to within our world and perception of the universe will be shaken and put aside.  What He seems to describe is an entirely new life, even a new nature of life, and no going back to the old.  My study Bible refers us to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, noting that it is one of the clearest New Testament passages on the Second Coming of Christ.  In the Didache (the earliest teaching document of the Church, written in the first century), it notes, there are three signs listed that will mark the return of Christ:  (1) "the sign spread out in the heavens" -- Christ and His hosts; (2) "the sign of the trumpet"; and (3) "the resurrection of the dead."  In this passage of 1 Thessalonians, as written by St. Paul, there he clearly notes that those who are alive in the earth will mingle together with those who have fallen asleep in Christ.  This is another indication of the suspension of the normal realities that govern our cosmos, our world and universe, for not only will those who have died live, but it is an indication that time no longer applies.  So this is one more sign that at the coming of Christ, the reality we know will disappear, and a different life begins.  All of that suggests the unmistakable quality and signs of that time; that this event will not be hidden from anyone, but, as my study Bible says, will be clearly evident.  The second thing it seems to teach us is that it is a radical ending and new beginning, where even the laws of physics we know will no longer apply. That's quite powerful to ponder, nearly impossible to realize in any but the briefest sense.  But it does seem to teach us that there will be an end to things, and that even as we live today in the world we understand the finitude of life as we know it.  I don't think the Scriptures nor Christ Himself nor St. Paul, among others, would leave us with this sense that there is an end to the things we know, except in preparation for it, and in preparation for Christ's return.  Thus it becomes very important that we consider these things not simply as staggering events to come -- and, in the case of the Siege of Jerusalem, as one of the terrible and terrifying events of history -- but that we understand our lives are temporary. Even the world itself, the creation that God proclaimed to be "very good" (Genesis 1:31), will eventually shift in its very nature, and that there will be a kind of transformation and merging of life into a different life, in which all will be gathered together.  I feel that this is something we can count on, a deliberately given promise, and one that gives a sharp focus not on some far away future, but in effect on our very lives today.  For what it does is highlight that this life is temporary, that there are things that we are to be about, that there is an eventual and certain outcome in which Christ returns and we will be understood in terms of our own contribution, our life of faith, our place within His kingdom.  It should give us pause to consider that our lives are precious, our moments limited, our time especially valuable for its briefness and emphasis on how we live while we are here.  Make every moment count, give it the value it deserves, and make it rich with the blessings God offers to those who seek to live His life that He offers.   Our treasure in heaven is what we build while we live in this world.

 

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 light 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

In our recent readings, Jesus has been in Jerusalem.  It is the final week of His human life, known to us as Holy Week.  He has cleansed the temple, and disputed with the leadership as well.  On Saturday, we read that 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) . . .."  My study bible tells us that Daniel's prophecy of the abomination of desolation (Daniel 9:21-27, 11:31, 12:11) 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.    The fact that Jesus uses the phrase when you see indicates that many of the disciples would still be alive at that time.   The words whoever reads, let him understand are commonly understood to be inserted by Matthew into Christ's address as an encouragement to his early Christian flock, who may have witnessed this event. 

". . . 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 light may not be in winter or on the Sabbath."   Either the severity of the winter weather or respect for the Sabbath would prevent many faithful from fleeing quickly in a time of desperation.  One patristic spiritual interpretation sees the Sabbath as symbolizing idleness with regard to virtue, my study bible says, and winter as indicating fruitlessness with regard to charity.  Therefore, the person who departs this life in such a spiritual state will suffer judgment. 

"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."    Jesus describes the manner in which He will return.  This is an event that will be unmistakable to the entire world.  If there is any question or doubt at all,  that in itself is evidence that He has not returned.  Christ says His return will shine from the east.   For ancient Christians, and even today in Orthodox Churches, the faithful whenever possible worship facing eastward in symbolic hope and anticipation of His second and glorious coming. 

"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."   According to patristic interpretation, the sun will not be destroyed, but rather darkened in relation to the glory of Christ.  In other words, the sun will appear to be dark by comparison to Christ who returns in the fullness of His splendor. 

 Jesus continues to address His followers, prophesying what is to come.  This is anything but what we would call a rosy picture.  There will be tribulation, wars, false christs, all kinds of disasters (both man-made and natural), and fears abounding, betrayals, and love grown cold.  Through all of this we are told that "he who endures to the end shall be saved" (see yesterday's reading, above).    We are told that great signs will happen, the darkening of the sun -- or perhaps it will simply seem dark by comparison to Christ's glory -- and signs in the heavens.  Its very powers will be shaken.  This is a picture of a tremendous change, a kind of transition that involves the whole of the universe.  Then the Son of Man will return with power and great glory, His elect gathered together.  There is no way we can imagine any of this.  But what we can marvel at is the promise that is here.  There is nothing that is flattering to us, nothing cajoling, nothing that tells us that we have a great material benefit nor a promise of bounty we don't have now.  Instead, we're challenged to be strong in our faith, to withstand tremendous difficulties and challenges.  We are used to advertising, to being coerced into believing something, being given easy promises.   But Jesus does none of that.  Instead, He invites us into something worth fighting for, a struggle in which He is the leader, for which He will go to the Cross,  and in which we may participate with Him.  We are taught the value of service and endurance, something quite different from the popular picture of what appeals in sales, an easy life with even easier access to wealth.  So how are we to step into this challenge?  How are modern minds to think about it?  Perhaps what we have to conclude is the tremendous faith that Christ Himself places in His followers to truly follow where He leads.  He calls on us to meet life with great courage, with faith, with endurance, and with the strength that comes from grace -- to meet the joy and peace that come unexpectedly and through His divine power.  This is the promise we're given, and we go forward understanding the power we are capable of sharing in, the struggle we're equipped to be a part of, the mystery into which He initiates us with His astounding words. 

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

In Saturday's reading, Jesus had finished His finial public sermon (see readings from Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday).   He then 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) . . .   The "abomination of desolation" is from the vision of the prophet Daniel (see Daniel 9:20-27).  In AD 70, during the Roman Siege of Jerusalem, the Roman general Titus entered the Most Holy Place of the temple.  My study bible tells us that he had a statue of himself erected within the temple (intentions were to rededicate the magnificent temple to the Roman pantheon); but before the end of the siege the temple would be completely destroyed, mostly by fire.   Jesus' words "when you see" indicate that many of those disciples with Him would be alive at that time.  My study bible adds that the assertion "(whoever reads, let him understand)" was inserted by Matthew into Christ's speech in order to give encouragement to the early Christians who may have witnessed this horrific event.

 . . . "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."   These words give us a sense of the catastrophe that was the siege and destruction of Jerusalem (including the temple) by the Romans.  According to some accounts over a million Jews were killed, and nearly 100,000 made slaves.  Jesus' warning to the early church leaves no doubt of the necessity for immediate flight.  At the time of the siege there were many factions of zealots engaged in struggle against the Roman army, but also against one another.  Pilgrims had been allowed into the city for Passover, but not allowed out, so demand for food and water were used against the population by the Romans laying siege.  Time after time, varied attempted negotiations failed.  Ultimately the destruction was extraordinary.

"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."   The "times of the end" and the time of the destruction of the temple are mixed in Jesus' statements to us.  If we are truly to understand Scripture, Jesus' Incarnation inaugurated the time of the end, which is the entire age in which we live now --  and which will culminate in Christ's return.  Jesus warns His listeners at the time, and we ourselves, about "false christs."    Overall the message is stressed that at the true time of His return, it will be apparent and immediate, unmistakable and known to the whole world.  My study bible says, "If there is any question or doubt, that alone is evidence that He has not returned."  Many of His early followers expected His imminent return, as evidenced through various Epistles.  His return will be "as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west."  Many churches construct the altar on the east side of the church, so that parishioners worship facing east - symbolically awaiting in hope and anticipation of His second coming. 

"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."   Church Fathers write that the darkening of the sun is simply the sun's brightness in comparison with the extraordinary brilliance of the appearance of Christ in the fullness of splendor, or great glory.  My study bible says that the sign of the Son of Man is the Cross, revealed as the standard for the impending judgment of Christ.  His initial appearance to us was in humility and mortality, as incarnate human being.  His second coming, here described, is entirely the opposite.  In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, St. Paul writes of the signs of the Second Coming.  In the first century document called the Didache ("Teaching"), said to be the teachings of the apostles, there are three signs listed:  "the sign spread out in the heavens" which is Christ and His hosts, the "sign of the trumpet" which we read here, and "the resurrection of the dead,"

It's important that we understand, I think, the tie between the destruction of the temple and the "time of the end" that was initiated with the Incarnation.  These things are not really as separate from themselves as discussion or thinking about them seem to imply.  Events have a kind of rhythm and also a meaning to them; they're part of something greater, an unfolding history or even a journey.  The "anointing" of the world with the Holy Spirit has a great deal to do with this too, and is inseparable from the Incarnation as well as these events, as we are in a time -- an age, as Jesus calls it -- in which the Spirit tests out everything.  Judgment would not be possible without this.  The age we're in culminates when this work is done, when the gospel has gone everywhere -- a time we're not to know until it happens.  All of this is part of a whole, and we see through vivid signs which act as symbols of the stunning reality of change and of God's work, intervening in the "time" of man.  Time seems to us like many moments strung together.  We have time to repent, to think, to revisit our own behaviors, assumptions, mistakes, and to change ourselves.  We're on a journey toward something which has to do with this fulfillment of time, but not in the way that we usually think about.  The journey itself is meant to be a process, and time as we experience it is part of that process, part of what makes it possible and facilitates growth in the Spirit and in the work of the Spirit.  A journey of life through time is one of connected moments, but each moment gives an opportunity for something more.  The Kingdom intervenes in our lives; it's present to us.  It is an eternal kingdom which intervenes in worldly time:  when we pray, when we worship in liturgical practices, when we understand that living saints also intercede even as we ask for prayers, when we understand the work of the Spirit which is eternal and yet intersects our lives.  All of this teaches us about the Incarnation, in which the eternal God becomes mortal human, the Kingdom breaking into our world and present to us, to remain with us and within us, as He has said explicitly in conjunction with a similar statement made in today's reading:  "When He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:20-21 NKJV).  The times of the world, as the times of our own individual lives, are really about a greater process going on than what we see in front of us, a bigger story.  The "end times" are not times to think about as a set of timetables, or even catastrophic events.  Rather, what should concern us is the focus Christ gives us, on the eternity that is ever-present to us in the Kingdom, within us waiting for our own attention and our willingness to live as part of it while we live our lives in the world.  His word is present to us, present in the Scripture and also in the work of the Spirit.  If we see things the way that Scripture does, we may come to understand events in our lives as "signs" which teach us something about what kind of attention we're paying, where we need help or work, where our blind spots are, and maybe most importantly of all, where we need to make a change for the next time the same issue or challenge comes around.  Through all of it, we need God's help and we remember what we are supposed to be all about, as He's taught us.  Sometimes all we need is a warning to know where it's time to refocus.  The Kingdom is always at hand, and in that eternal present the moment is always right now.