But if this man finds such defects of the world in the higher realms, so that the conversation of this man is in heaven; then the physical and visible temple is destroyed, the physical Law, the physical Passover, and the visible Passover, physical unleavened bread, and visible unleavened bread, I dare to say, Christ is temporal, as he was to Paul before he believed; because in him to whom the world fails, Christ is eternal. To this man belongs the spiritual temple, the spiritual Law, and also the spiritual Passover; for Christ is sacrificed once. Here we feast on unleavened bread, not from earthly grain, but from the grain of justice. Therefore it is the presence of wisdom, the presence of virtue and justice, the presence of redemption; for Christ indeed once died for the sins of the people, but he redeems the sins of the people daily.
(Vers. 9.)
(Verse 9.) But when you hear of battles and reports of battles.
9. The Lord, being asked when the destruction of the temple would happen, and what would be the sign of his coming, teaches about the signs but does not think it is necessary to disclose the timing. However, Matthew added a third question (Matt. XXIV, 3), so that the disciples would inquire about both the times of the temple's destruction and the sign of his coming, and the end of the age. Luke considered it enough to know about the end of the age if it was spoken about the coming of the Lord.
10. But we are witnesses of heavenly words more than anyone else, whom the end of the world found. For what great battles and what opinions of battles we have experienced! The Chunni rose up against the Alans, the Alans against the Goths, the Goths against the Taifali and the Sarmatians. We too, exiles in Illyricum, have made a homeland for ourselves in the exile of the Goths, and there is no end yet. The famine and plague of all, equally of cattle and men, of other livestock; so that even those of us who did not endure war, the pestilence has made us equal to those who were defeated! Therefore, because we are in the decline of the age, certain afflictions of the world precede. The affliction of the world is hunger, the affliction of the world is pestilence, the affliction of the world is persecution.
However, there are also other wars that a Christian man endures, as well as conflicts of various desires and struggles of studies, and much more serious domestic enemies than foreigners. Now greed stimulates, now lust ignites, now fear frightens, now anger agitates, now ambition moves, now they try to terrify with spiritual wickedness, which are in heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). Therefore, he is pressed as if by certain battles, and he is shaken by certain earthquakes of the moving and wavering affections of the soul.
12. But the stronger one says: If camps rise up against me, my heart will not fear; if battle arises against me, in this I will hope (Ps. 26:3). He stands in the battle line, bearing his chest against the enemy, even if someone like Goliath rises up, fierce and lofty (1 Sam. 17:4); while others fear, he will rise up humble like David, casting aside the weapons of the earthly king, taking up the lighter weapons of faith, and hurling the triple-pointed spear of pure confession, he wounds the audacity of the persecutor, scorns threats, disregards powers, and becomes worthy for Christ to speak through. Elsewhere Christ speaks, elsewhere the Father, elsewhere the Spirit speaks of the Father. These things are not conflicting, but they are consistent. What one speaks, the three speak; for there is one voice of the Trinity. To this victor, who has slain his Goliath with his own sword, while he suffers death for Christ, the Allophyles are put to flight, and young women come to meet him, even those who are like eagles, saying: Saul has slain his thousands, but David his ten thousands (1 Samuel 18:7). This is evidence that the victors of the world are preferred to the princes of the age. Finally, to dead kings, the martyrs succeed with the honor of the eternal kingdom of heavenly grace; and those become supplicants, these are patrons.
13. There is also another sword of Goliath (1 Samuel 21:9), another weapon of the devil, namely the speech of heretics, which a man skilled in singing takes up in order to conquer the adversary, hearing his wars, not enduring, nor moved by any wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:14), not knowing the hunger for the word (Amos 8:11), and being satisfied with the abundance of heavenly Scripture, who does not hesitate to provoke the heretic who echoes empty voices. Then let the weak one wait, so as not to cause disadvantage to the others in unequal encounter. Let David come, to whom Christ may open his mouth for speaking of mysteries. Let that Nazarene come, whose hair does not fall, having nothing superfluous that can fall, or nothing to lose from his higher virtues, whole in sobriety, strong in peace, who keeps all his senses and words until the end.
14. The Gospel shall be proclaimed, so that the world may be destroyed. Just as the preaching of the Gospel went forth into the entire world (Matthew 24:14), to which the Goths and Armenians have now also believed, and therefore we see the end of the world: so also the Gospel is preached by a spiritual man, when he executes all the progress of wisdom and all virtues, with a singing mind and spirit, destroying the final death; for then the end will be, when Christ delivers the kingdom to God the Father, and when this man will be subject to Him who subjected all things to Himself, so that God may be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:25). And the Gospel will be preached in all cities, that is, the cities of Judea; For God is known in Judea (Ps. 75:1). For then the cities of Judea are built, when the foundations of virtues are laid.
(Vers. 20.)
(Verse 20) When you see Jerusalem surrounded by an army.
15. Truly, Jerusalem was besieged by an army, and conquered by a Roman leader. Hence the Jews believed that the abomination of desolation was then done, because the Romans, mocking the Jewish rite of observance, threw a pig's head into the temple. Which I would not say even in madness. For the abomination of desolation is the accursed arrival of the Antichrist; because it contaminates the innermost parts of minds with sacrilegious and unfortunate practices: sitting next to history in the temple, in order to claim for himself the divine throne of power alone. But the spiritual interpretation is beautifully supported, because by discussing from the Scriptures that he is Christ, he desires to confirm the trace of his own unfaithfulness in the emotions of each individual.
Then the desolation will approach, because many who have strayed from the true religion will fall into error. Then will come the day of the Lord, which the Apostle clearly explained, saying (II Thess. II et seq.), that we should not be afraid as if the day of the Lord is imminent; let no one deceive us in any way: because unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he sits in the temple of God, showing himself as if he were God.
Therefore, he will sit in the temple, and in the inner temple of the Jews who deny Christ: in a temple not inviolable, but susceptible to corruption, which either the downfall of infidelity will involve, or the force of anger will overthrow, or the fire of desires will consume. And then the day of the Lord will come, and the days will be shortened for the sake of the chosen ones (Matthew 24:22): because just as the first coming of the Lord was for the redemption of sins, so the second is for the reprimand of offenses, lest more people should be led astray by the error of infidelity.
18. Then pseudo-prophets, then famine. Recall to me the times of Elijah, and you will find then prophets of confusion, then Jezebel, then famine, then the dryness of the earth. By what reason? Because iniquity had abounded, charity had grown cold (Matt. XXIV, 12). In short, the just man is in the desert, the unjust man is in the kingdom.
19. Another Antichrist is the author of this, the devil indeed, who seeks to besiege my Jerusalem, my soul, certainly the soul of God, the peaceful soul, with the army of his legion. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world, of these dark powers (Ephesians 6:12). Then there is a departure when the soul departs from itself: and again when it considers the Lord, it trembles and is troubled. Then when Antichrist holds sway over the hearts of men, injustice exults, iniquity reigns. Then faith is rare, so much so that the Lord himself, as if doubting, will ask: 'When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?' (Luke 18:8), either in our own land or throughout the world. Similarly, elsewhere it is written: 'The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God' (Psalm 14:2). Not because God doubts, but because faith will be so rare among men that it will, according to human opinion, appear to be in doubt.
Therefore, when the devil is in the midst of the temple, there is the desolation of abomination, according to the prophet Daniel (Dan. IX, 27): but when the spiritual presence of Christ shines upon everyone who labors for Him, the wicked is removed from their midst, and begins the reign of justice which empties the minds of the faithful of all dominion.
21. There is also a third Antichrist, either Arius or Sabellius; indeed, all who deceive us with their corrupt interpretation are Antichrists. And therefore, let him who reads understand (Matt. XXIV, 15): whoever understands, will not be deceived, so as to believe falsehoods instead of truths, just like the Jews who denied the true Christ; hence it follows that those who are false will believe him to be true: similarly, the Arians will not deny that Christ is the Antichrist.
(Vers. 23.)
(Verse 23) Woe to those who are pregnant and nursing infants in those days!
22. Therefore, is conception criminal? But the rewards of marriage are children. And how did the Lord bless Sarah, and she gave birth? How did Hannah pray, and she conceived? How did Rachel receive blessed children? Did the prophets make mistakes, since the Lord cannot err? But the Lord also spoke in the prophets, and therefore they could not err. So, who will be able to reconcile the discord of letters?
23. But because there is war there, let us turn to the spirit of peace; For Pax has said: A woman, when she gives birth, has sorrow because her hour has come; but when she has delivered the child, she remembers the sorrow no more. You have again what follows: And now, indeed, you have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice (John 16:21-22); that he might show that the perfect should rejoice, the weak should tremble, as if still uncertain and fearful. But even here in what was said before: They ate and drank, they married and led wives (Luke 17: 27), namely binding themselves to this life and binding themselves with secular anxieties. These, therefore, are the pregnant ones to whom woe is said, who stretch the field of their own flesh and in whom the steps of the innermost souls grow sluggish, exhausted of virtues and fertile in vices.
24. But not all of them who are pregnant with condemnation are able to give birth yet to the processes undertaken in good deeds. For there are also those who conceive of the fear of God, who say: 'We have conceived and given birth because of your fear' (Isaiah 26:18). But not everyone gives birth, not everyone is perfect, not everyone can say: 'We have given birth to the spirit of salvation on earth.' Not everyone is like Mary, who conceives Christ from the Holy Spirit and gives birth to the Word. For there are those who exclude the Word as an abortion before giving birth: there are those who have Christ in the womb, but have not yet formed him, of whom it is said: My little children, whom I am in labor with again, until Christ is formed in you (Galatians 4:19). Therefore, those who are still in the womb, give birth as if imperfect: but those already more perfect, to whom it is said: I have begotten you through the Gospel (1 Corinthians 4:15).
25. Many fathers through the Gospel, and many mothers who give birth to Christ. So who, then, will show me the parents of Christ? He himself showed, saying: Who is my mother or who are my brothers? . . . Whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother (Matth. XII, 48 and 50). Do the will of the Father, so that you may be the mother of Christ. Many conceived Christ, but did not give birth. Therefore, she who gives birth to justice, gives birth to Christ; she who gives birth to wisdom, gives birth to Christ; she who gives birth to the Word, gives birth to Christ.
26. There is also she who gave birth to injustice, and brought forth iniquity. Woe to these pregnant women who are burdened in body and are too lazy to escape danger! Woe to those in whom the future birth, in which the entire body is shaken, is accompanied by pain. These are the signs of the beginning of the pains of judgment (Matthew 24:8).