Lecture 2 — Tribulation of the end times

^24:15^ When therefore you will see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place: he that reads let him understand. [n. 1925]

^24:16^ Then those who are in Judea, let them flee to the mountains; [n. 1926]

^24:17^ and he who is on the housetop, let him not come down to take anything out of his house; [n. 1929]

^24:18^ and he who is in the field, let him not go back to take his coat. [n. 1929]

^24:19^ And woe to those who are with child, and who give suck in those days. [n. 1931]

^24:20^ But pray that your flight may not be in the winter, or on the Sabbath. [n. 1932]

^24:21^ For there will be great tribulation then, such as has not been from the beginning of the world till now, neither will there be. [n. 1934]

^24:22^ And unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. [n. 1935]

1924. He already set out the destruction; in this part, he sets out that the consummation will come. And he sets out certain preambles:

first, he sets out a prophecy;

second, a warning, at then those who are in Judea, let them flee to the mountains;

third, the reason for the warning, at for there will be great tribulation then.

1925. He spoke thus: the consummation will come. When therefore you will see the ‘abomination of desolation.’ What is this thing he calls ‘the abomination’? It can be said that the Roman army is called the abomination, and they are called ‘the abomination of desolation’ because they were desolators of the earth. Or by abominations are understood idols: and it can be said of an idol in two ways. It is written that Pilate brought an eagle into the temple, which was the sign of the Romans, which the Jews called an ‘abomination’. So at the time when you see an idol set up in the holy place, then you will be able to know the fulfillment of the prophecy of Daniel about the destruction of Jerusalem. Or it can be said that Jerusalem was destroyed in two ways. First, by Titus and Vespasian, and at that time the temple was burned, and some were still left then. Afterwards, some still rebelled, and then Adrianus, who succeeded Trajan, destroyed it thoroughly, and made a law that no Jew of those remaining could live there, and called the city by his own name; likewise, he set up an idol in the holy place. Hence that idol, which Adrianus set up, can be called the ‘abomination’; so, when therefore you will see ‘the abomination of desolation’. Enough is said about this degradation in Lamentations (Lam 2).

He that reads let him understand. And why does he say this? Because many things are said in that prophecy of Daniel about Christ’s passion. For these words should be kept; hence it says there, Christ will be slain . . . and there will be in the temple ‘the abomination of desolation’: and the desolation will continue even to the consummation, and to the end (Dan 9:26–27). Hence, he that reads let him understand that such things have happened.

1926. Then those who are in Judea, let them flee to the mountains. He sets out a useful warning. And

first, he sets it out;

second, he excludes obstacles to flight.

For there are some avoidable obstacles, some unavoidable.

1927. He says, then those who are in Judea, let them flee to the mountains. Then, namely in the time of Vespasian. At that time a certain man named Agrippa ruled in the mountains, and this man was obedient to the Romans, and did not rebel against them. So while the other nations were having conflict, he and his nation were in peace. Hence by God’s providence the faithful who were in Judea were warned that they should withdraw and go to the kingdom of this man Agrippa, and so they did. Hence, then those who are in Judea, namely the faithful, let them flee to the mountains; O, O flee out of the land of the north (Zech 2:6).

1928. Then he removes obstacles to flight. And since some obstacles are avoidable, some not, he sets out first the avoidable dangers; second, the unavoidable, at and woe to those who are with child.

Those which are avoidable are worldly occupations: and of these, some happen in the city, some outside, so he sets out both. The second is at and he who is in the field, let him not go back to take his coat.

1929. He says therefore, and he who is on the housetop, let him not come down to take any thing out of his house, i.e., whoever lives in the city, even if he is at home, let him not turn back to take. Likewise, and he who is in the field, let him not go back home to take his coat, namely whatever things are necessary, because a man will give everything he has for his life. And why does he say this? Because when the feast of the Passover is at hand, many people come together into Jerusalem. Titus, knowing this, besieged the city while they were gathered together this way. Hence he wishes to say: this evil will happen so quickly that a man will not be able to take precautions for himself.

1930. Likewise, he sets out unavoidable obstacles. And because there were some obstacles unavoidable to human power and simply, and some which, although unavoidable, were yet avoidable by God’s power, therefore first he speaks of the first, and second of the second, at but pray that your flight.

1931. That which, when it is, can in no way be avoided is the burden of children. For although one may say to someone: save your life, he could say: how can I leave my child? So he explains this: and woe to those who are with child, and that give suck because such were unable to flee, since it should not have been said to them that they should obtain an abortion, nor to those nursing that they should kill the children; and thus what is said in Luke is fulfilled, blessed are . . . the paps that have not given suck (Luke 23:29).

1932. Likewise there are other obstacles where a man can only find a remedy through God. For a certain time is unsuitable either by nature, or by law: by nature, as is winter time, because then a man is prevented from fleeing by the harshness of the season; likewise on account of law, as if it happens on the Sabbath, because God commanded that they should not travel further than a thousand paces. And because this is not in our power, but God’s, therefore, pray that your flight may not be in the winter, or on the sabbath, because at such times one can only turn to God. Hence come, and let us return to the Lord: for he has taken us, and he will heal us (Hos 6:1–2). Pray that your flight may not be in the winter, because it naturally impedes flight owing to the hazard of the road, or on the sabbath, because it impedes flight according to God’s law.

Likewise note that he says, the sabbath, in which he indicates that they were fatefully killed on a feast day.

1933. Where did the necessity of fleeing come from? From the greatness of the afflictions. So

first, he sets out the affliction and the greatness of the affliction;

second, he sets out the cause, at and unless those days had been shortened.

1934. For there will be great tribulation then, such as has not been from the beginning of the world. And this can be judged well enough by anyone who reads the history of Josephus, for many died by famine. Likewise, there were riots in the city, such that they were killing one another: hence when Titus, who was most meek, wished to spare them, they did not want it. Likewise there were robbers among them who killed many. And a certain woman ate her own child. So there was such an affliction as had never been seen. And Luke says this: there will be great distress . . . and they will fall by the edge of the sword (Luke 21:23).

But will it not be greater in the time of the antichrist? Yes, but it will not be among the Jews. And Chrysostom asks what sin brought it about, because not even the punishment of the Sodomites was so great, so there would not have been a heavier punishment unless there had been a heaver sin.

1935. And since they could say that these things happened to them because of the sins of the Christians, he says that they did not; hence, and unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would be saved. Augustine says that some have explained it this way, that the days were made shorter at that time just as they were made longer in the time of Josue. But the Psalm contradicts this: by your ordinance the day goes on (Ps 118:91). So it can be said in two ways. First, that the days of the affliction were shortened first of all in number. Hence if that time had lasted, all would have been killed, for no one would have remained. And why? Because the Romans ruled the whole world, and the Jews were already scattered over the whole world, so if that time had lasted, they would have been killed everywhere on the earth.

Or, the days are called shortened when the evils are shortened. And why are they shortened? For the sake of the elect, not that God’s word would perish. For many were converted from that people, and they prayed for the people that a seed might be left; except the Lord of hosts had left us seed, we had been as Sodom (Isa 1:9).

1936. Then Chrysostom sets out two considerations as to why this is said, for some disciples were there, and likewise John was alive afterwards. So he says that John does not mention this in his gospel because he wrote after it happened, so he would have said things that had already happened; but Matthew and Luke, who wrote beforehand, mention it, because at that time it was yet to happen. So he says that the miracle became manifest when the Romans fought the Jews, and almost the whole Jewish nation suffered the destruction, the miracle being that so few Jews were able to go through the whole world to convert almost the whole world, and this was the marvelous strength of Christ.

1937. Hilary explains that these words are referred to the end of the world. When therefore you will see the ‘abomination’, this names the antichrist. That you be not easily moved from your sense, nor be terrified, neither by spirit, nor by word . . . as if the day of the Lord were at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means (2 Thess 2:2–3).

Then those who are in Judea, let them flee to the mountains; for the Jews will die away, so they will flee the land of the Jews and be converted to the mountains of Christianity. And he who is on the housetop, let him not come down to take any thing out of his house. He wishes to say that the perfect should not be moved from their perfection. So he touches on the contemplative life, which is signified by the roof; hence such men should not withdraw from their contemplation. Likewise, he who is in the field touches on the active life. Such men should not turn back to their original life, but should endure in their intention.

1938. And what do the pregnant women signify? Men heavy with sins. Those who nurse are imperfect men. So he wishes to say: woe to men burdened with sins, and not firmly based.

According to Augustine, the pregnant ones are those who think to act badly; those nursing are those who have already completed the act.

And what does he call winter and the sabbath? The winter signifies sorrow, and the Sabbath, joy. So lest it happen in winter through absorbing sorrow, or on the Sabbath through joy lifting up the soul. Or the Sabbath signifies the leisure of good works, and the winter the cooling action of charity. And unless those days had been shortened, for they will last a very little while, and if they lasted, no flesh would be saved, i.e., no carnal man.

1939. Likewise, they can be referred to the coming of Christ through the Church; and thus Origen says that, just as the word of the gospel was made known by his coming, so false teaching will be spread abroad by the coming of the antichrist. And just as Christ had his prophets, so also the antichrist. Then those who are in Judea, let them flee to the mountains of perfect righteousness. Those are called pregnant who are still looking over the word of salvation; those are called nursing who have already done something. **Pray therefore **that they not be impeded by sloth and torpor. For there will be great tribulation then, for Christian teaching will be perverted by false teaching. And unless those days had been shortened, namely by the instruction of teaching, through the addition of true teaching, no flesh would be saved, i.e., all would be converted to false teaching.