Mark 13 · The Lantern

And as he was departing from the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, observe these fine stones and fine structures.”

The temple was not overthrown all at once, but gradually as time went by. Similarly, every one who welcomes the Word of God into himself is something like a temple.

For, since the Lord had spoken much concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, His disciples wondered, that such numerous and beautiful buildings were to be destroyed; and this is the reason why they point out the beauty of the temple, and He answers not only that they were to be destroyed, but also that one stone should not be left upon another: wherefore it goes on: And Jesus a…

Here also the Lord enumerates to His disciples the destruction of the last time, that is of the temple, with the people, and its letter; of which one stone shall not be left upon another, that is, no testimony of the Prophets upon those, to whom the Jews perversely applied them, that is, on Ezra, Zerubbabel, and the Maccabees.

And in response, Jesus said to him: “Do you see all these great buildings? There shall not be left stone upon stone, which is not torn down.”

And as he sat at the Mount of Olives, opposite the temple, Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew questioned him privately.

There is no discrepancy in the Gospels as to facts of the end time, although one may supply details which another may pass over or describe differently. Rather, they supplement each other when compared, and thus give direction to the mind of the reader.

And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately. Tell us when these things will be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished? Because as some were praising the buildings of the temple, the Lord openly responded that all these would be destroyed.

Since the Lord spoke much about the desolation of Jerusalem, for example: "your house is left unto you desolate" (Matt. 23:38), the disciples marveled that such magnificent and beautiful buildings were to perish, and therefore they showed Him the striking splendor of the temple. But He foretold that, nevertheless, of all this not even one stone would be left upon another.

“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things will begin to be fulfilled?”

And Jesus, answering, began to say to them: “See to it that no one leads you astray.

For many will come in my name, saying, ‘For I am he,’ and they will lead many astray.

Christ is truth. Antichrist falsifies truth. Christ is wisdom. Antichrist deftly simulates wisdom. All genuine excellences have a correspondence with Christ. All pretended virtues correspond with Antichrist. For each variety of good which Christ embodies in himself to build up the faithful, the demonic will find a way of mimicking in appearance to deceive the faithful.

Even if such men were slain in confession of the Name, that stain is not even washed away by blood: the inexpiable and grave fault of discord is not even purged by suffering. He cannot be a martyr who is not in the Church; he cannot attain unto the kingdom who forsakes that which shall reign there. Christ gave us peace; He bade us be in agreement, and of one mind.

As to wars, when has the earth not been scourged by them at different periods and places? To pass over remote history, when the barbarians were everywhere invading Roman provinces in the reign of Gallienus, how many of our brothers who were then alive do we think could have believed that the end was near, since this happened long after the ascension of the Lord!

But when you will have heard of wars and rumors of wars, you should not be afraid. For these things must be, but the end is not so soon.

Our Lord and Redeemer announces beforehand the evils that precede the perishing world, so that the things to come may disturb us less because they have been foreknown. For missiles that are foreseen strike less forcefully; and we endure the evils of the world more tolerably if we are fortified against them by the shield of foreknowledge.

(ubi sup.) Now from the time of the Passion of our Lord there ceased not amongst the Jewish people, who chose the seditious robber and rejected Christ the Saviour, either external wars or civil discord; wherefore it goes on: And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled.

"You will hear," He says, "of wars"; these are the wars about which Josephus Flavius also recounts and which took place before the destruction of Jerusalem. The Jews at that time revolted and ceased paying tribute to the Romans, and the angered Romans went to war against them and made constant attacks.

For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom over kingdom, and there shall be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are but the beginning of the sorrows.

Just as bodies become sick before their death if they do not suffer violence from without, and in all cases the way of separation of soul from body comes through weakness, so it happens with the whole course of the world creation. When the creation begins to decay, having as it has both beginning and end, it must grow weak before its dissolution.

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be earthquakes in various places, and pestilences and famines. These are the beginnings of sorrows. In the Gospel of Luke, it is written: And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and pestilences and famines (Luke 21).

And it was not wars alone, but also other God-sent punishments — famine and earthquakes — which clearly showed the Jews that God Himself was waging war against them. Yet all this was only "the beginning of sorrows," that is, of the calamities that awaited them.

But see to yourselves. For they will hand you over to councils, and in the synagogues you will be beaten, and you shall stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony for them.

But because all these things come not from the injustice of the one striking but from the merit of the world that suffers, the deeds of wicked men are set forth first when it is said: "But before all these things they will lay their hands upon you and persecute you, and deliver you to synagogues, leading you before kings and governors for my name's sake.

But watch yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before kings and governors for my sake, for a testimony to them.

Fitly also did He premise a recital of those things which concerned the Apostles, that in their own tribulations they might find some consolation in the community of troubles and sufferings. There follows: And ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. He says kings and rulers, as, for instance, Agrippa, Nero, and Herod.

And the Gospel must first be preached to all nations.

It is evident that the gospel of the kingdom has not yet been preached in all the world. It is not reported to have been preached among all the Ethiopians, especially among those beyond the river, nor among the Serae, nor in the East.

And the Gospel of God must first be preached to all nations. This is confirmed by Ecclesiastical histories, in which it is reported that all the apostles, long before the destruction of the province of Judea, were dispersed throughout the entire world to preach the Gospel, except James son of Zebedee, and James the brother of the Lord, who were the first in Judea to shed their…

Then, that they might not think that their preaching should be impeded by troubles and dangers, He adds: And the Gospel must first be published among all nations.

And when they have seized you and handed you over, do not consider in advance what to say. But whatever will be given you in that hour, say that. For you will not be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

But upon hearing so many terrors, the hearts of the weak could be disturbed, and therefore consolation is added when it is immediately subjoined: "Settle it therefore in your hearts not to premeditate how you will answer.

Indeed, before the decisive war of the Romans against the Jews began, what did the apostles not suffer from them, being delivered up to courts and led before kings: Herod, Agrippa, and Nero? But you, He says, "do not worry beforehand what you will" answer: at that very hour the Holy Spirit will give you what you must say.

(non occ.) Another anxiety might also arise in the breasts of the disciples. Lest therefore after hearing that they were to be brought before kings and rulers, they should fear that their want of science and eloquence should render them unable to answer, our Lord consoles them by saying, But when they shall lead you and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall s…

Then brother will betray brother to death, and the father, a son; and children will rise up against their parents and will bring about their death.

"But you will be betrayed by parents and brothers, and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death." Evils inflicted by strangers cause lesser pain. But those torments rage more fiercely within us which we suffer from those in whose minds we had confidence, because along with bodily harm, the evils of lost love torment us.

Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all because of my name. But, etc. We have often seen this happen in persecutions, and there is no loyal affection among those who have different faiths.

He also foretells to them a worse evil, that they should suffer persecution from their relations. Wherefore there follows: Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death; and ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.

And you will be hated by all for the sake of my name. But whoever will have persevered unto the end, the same will be saved.

Then, when you have seen the abomination of desolation, standing where it ought not to be, let the reader understand: then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

The Lord also says, "When ye shall see the abomination of desolation stand in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him understand), then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains, and let him which is on the housetop not come down to take his clothes; neither let him which is in the field return back to take anything out of his house.

(ubi sup.) When we are challenged to understand what is said, we may conclude that it is mystical. But it may either be said simply of Antichrist, or of the statue of Cæsar, which Pilate put into the temple, or of the equestrian statue of Adrian, which for a long time stood in the holy of holies itself.

For our flight is to the mountains, that he who has mounted to the heights of virtue may not go down to the depths of sin.

And let whoever is on the rooftop not descend to the house, nor enter so as to take anything from the house.

(ubi sup.) Then let him who is on the house-top, that is, whose mind rises above carnal deeds, and who lives spiritually, as it were in the free air, not come down to the base acts of his former conversation, nor seek again those things which he had left, the desires of the world or the flesh. For our house either means this world, or that in which we live, our own flesh.

And whoever is on the housetop, let him not return to his house for anything: he should be glad even if he escapes naked. And whoever already stands on the height, let him not come down from it. For when any passionate thought arises in us, then we must through confession hasten to the height of virtue and not descend from that height.

It goes on, And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house; for it is a desirable thing to be saved even naked from such a destruction.

And let whoever may be in the field not return to take his garment.

But woe to those who are pregnant or nursing in those days.

There are some who say outright that marriage is fornication and teach that it was introduced by the devil. They proudly say that they are imitating the Lord who neither married nor had any possession in this world, boasting that they understand the gospel better than anyone else.

Woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days. Woe to the present captivity for those pregnant and nursing women, whose heavy burdens of the womb or hands of their children greatly impede the necessity of flight.

It goes on: But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days. (non occ.) Again, after having mentioned this double impediment to flight, which might arise either from the desire of taking away property, or from having children to carry, He touches upon the third obstacle, namely, that coming from the season; saying, And pray ye that your flight be n…

Truly, pray that these things may not happen in winter.

For those days shall have such tribulations as have not been since the beginning of the creation that God founded, even until now, and shall not be.

And unless the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would be saved. But, for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened the days.

And then, if anyone will have said to you: ‘Behold, here is the Christ. Behold, in that place.’ Do not believe it.

For false Christs and false prophets will rise up, and they will present signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if it were possible, even the elect.

Therefore, you must take heed. Behold, I have foretold all to you.

But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give her splendor.

And just as when the moon is in opposition to the sun, it disappears through the regular flow of the menstrual cycle or through the alignment of the earth, so too the holy Church, when the vices of the flesh oppose the heavenly light, cannot receive the divine radiance of Christ's rays. For in persecutions, the love of this life often excludes the light of God alone.

But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will darken, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars of the sky will fall.

But the tribulation shall be great, and the days short, for the sake of the elect, lest the evil of this time should change their understanding. Or else, the sun shall be darkened, at the coldness of their hearts, as in the winter time.

And the stars of heaven will be falling down, and the powers that are in heaven will be moved.

If you examine this whole passage of Scripture from the inquiry of the disciples down to the parable of the fig tree, you will find that it makes sense at every point in connection with the coming of the Son of Man. He will bring both sorrow and joy. The Son of Man is coming in the midst of both calamities and promises, both the grief of nations and the longing of the saints.

We say these things, dearly beloved brethren, so that your minds may be awakened to the pursuit of caution, lest they grow sluggish through security, lest they become feeble through ignorance, but that fear may always stir them and solicitude strengthen them in good work.

But after the coming of Antichrist, the frame of the world shall be altered and changed, for the stars shall be obscured on account of the abundance of the brightness of Christ. Wherefore it goes on: But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light; and the stars of heaven shall fall.

And then they shall see the Son of man arriving on the clouds, with great power and glory.

This could be taken in two ways: one, that he will come in the church as in a cloud, as he continues to come now according to his word: "Hereafter you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of the power of God, and coming in the clouds of heaven." He comes with great power and majesty because his greater power and majesty will appear in the saints to whom he will gi…

"And then they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and majesty." As if it were openly said: They shall see in power and majesty Him whom, placed in humility, they refused to hear, so that they may then feel His power all the more strictly, inasmuch as now they do not bow the neck of their heart to His patience.

But they shall see the Lord as the Son of Man, that is, in the body, for that which is seen is body.

And then he will send his Angels, and gather together his elect, from the four winds, from the limits of the earth, to the limits of heaven.

That he will gather his elect from the four winds means from the whole world. For Adam himself, as I have shown, signifies in Greek the whole world, with the four letters (A, D, A, M). As the Greeks think of these matters, the four quarters of the world have these initial letters, Anatole (east), Dysis (west), Arktos (north), and Mesembria (south).

Observe that Christ sends the Angels as well as the Father; where then are they who say that He is not equal to the Father? For the Angels go forth to gather together the faithful, who are chosen, that they may be carried into the air to meet Jesus Christ. Wherefore it goes on: And gather together his elect from the four winds.

As corn winnowed from the threshing-floor of the whole earth.

Now from the fig tree discern a parable. When its branch becomes tender and the foliage has been formed, you know that summer is very near.

As the sproutings of small trees afford a sign of the approach of summer time, so do the great conflicts of the world point toward the kingdom by preceding it. Both sign and thing signified belong to the same One who orders all.

(ubi sup.) Under the example of a tree the Lord gave a pattern of the end, saying, Now learn a parable of the fig tree, when her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near. So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.

Or else, the leaves which come forth are words now spoken, the summer at hand is the day of Judgment, in which every tree shall show what it had within it, deadness for burning, or greenness to be planted with the tree of life. There follows: Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till these things be done.

So also, when you will have seen these things happen, know that it is very near, even at the doors.

(Epist. 119, 11) All that is said by the three Evangelists concerning the Advent of our Lord, if diligently compared together and examined, will perchance be found to belong to His daily coming in His body, that is, the Church, except those places where that last coming is so promised, as if it were approaching; for instance in the last part of the discourse according to Matthe…

"So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near." As if He openly said: Just as the approaching summer is known from the fruit of trees, so from the ruin of the world it is recognized that the kingdom of God is near. By these words it is certainly shown that the fruit of the world is ruin. For it grows in order to fall.

As if He had said, As when the fig tree puts forth its leaves, summer follows at once, so also after the woes of Antichrist, at once, without an interval, shall be the coming of Christ, who will be to the just as summer after winter, but to sinners, winter after summer.

Amen I say to you, that this lineage shall not pass away, until all these things have happened.

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away.

Although heaven and earth, and the things that are in them, may pass away, yet his divine speech regarding each individual thing, whether viewed as parts of a whole or species of a genus, shall by no means pass away. The utterances of God the Word, who was in the beginning with God, will not come to nothing.

And this I know, not as being a prophet, but as already seeing the beginning of this very evil. For some from among the Gentiles have rejected my legal preaching, attaching themselves to certain lawless and trifling preaching of the man who is my enemy.

For the immoveable elements shall first fail, before the words of Christ fail; wherefore it is added, Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

But concerning that day or hour, no one knows, neither the Angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

The gnostics presumptuously assume acquaintance with the unspeakable mysteries of God. Remember that even the Lord, the very Son of God, allowed that the Father alone knows the very day and hour of judgment.… If then the Son was not ashamed to ascribe the knowledge of that day to the Father only, but declared what was true regarding the matter, neither let us be ashamed to rese…

No one should arrogate to oneself the knowledge of that time by any computation of years. For if that day is to come after seven thousand years, everyone could learn its advent simply by adding up years. What comes then of the Son's even "not knowing" this? This is said with this meaning, that his hearers do not learn this from the Son, not that he by himself does not know it.

The Lord wishing to prevent His disciples from asking about that day and hour, says, But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

Take heed, be vigilant, and pray. For you do not know when the time may be.

As, therefore, when the wild olive has been engrafted, if it remain in its former condition, viz., a wild olive, it is "cut off, and cast into the fire;" but if it takes kindly to the graft, and is changed into the good olive-tree, it becomes a fruit-bearing olive, planted, as it were, in a king's paradise: so likewise men, if they do truly progress by faith towards better thin…

A person does not go wrong when he knows that he does not know something, but only when he thinks he knows something which he does not know.

But He teaches us two things, watching and prayer; for many of us watch, but watch only to pass the night in wickedness; He now follows this up with a parable, saying, For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave his servants power over every work, and commanded the porter to watch.

It is like a man who, setting out on a sojourn, left behind his house, and gave his servants authority over every work, and instructed the doorkeeper to stand watch.

Therefore, be vigilant, for you do not know when the lord of the house may arrive: in the evening, or in the middle of the night, or at first light, or in the morning.

Be watchful for your life. "Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning, and ye like unto men who wait for their Lord, when He will come, at even, or in the morning, or at cock-crowing, or at midnight. For at what hour they think not, the Lord will come; and if they open to Him, blessed are those servants, because they were found watching.

Therefore, keep watch; for you do not know when the Lord will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at the cock's crow, or in the morning. Lest, when he comes suddenly, he finds you sleeping.

For we must needs watch with our souls before the death of the body. For he who sleeps applies not his mind to real bodies, but to phantoms, and when he awakes, he possesses not what he had seen; so also are those, whom the love of this world seizes upon in this life; they quit after this life what they dreamed was real.

Otherwise, when he will have arrived unexpectedly, he may find you sleeping.

But what I say to you, I say to all: Be vigilant.”

Mark13