Our Heavenly Friend, and His last Coming + + + When the Lord Jesus entered Jerusalem so that He gives His life a price for His fellowship to us, the disciples noticed the uprising of all the Jewish rulers against Him; the entire atmosphere looked ominous. Therefore the Lord Jesus raised His disciples eyes to His last coming, and mentioned to them the signs for His coming, and how bitter and difficult this would be. He wished them to know that all of the dark forces and the adversary’s resistance will never be able to stop the divine fellowship of God with mankind. It is as if the Lord of glory’s words in this chapter, pacify every soul that feels itself belittled due to all the hardships that befall the world, particularly to the believers. For the Lord knows all the historical events which He controls as signs for His coming. Therefore, let us hear from the Lord’s mouth about the wrestling of darkness against the light, and the false prophets and the antichrist against His kingdom. All of this gives us hope, that God has made us know ahead of time of it all, and that He will surely fulfil His divine plan, so He gathers His friends to His kingdom to share Him His eternal glory. We have previously spoken elaborately these signs in our interpretation of St. Matthew24, St. Mark 13; therefore I shall be brief at this point, for no repetition. 1- The Widow’s two copper coins 1- 4 2- A Question Concerning the Temple Building structure. 5- 7 3- The false christs 8 4- The News of War 9- 10 5- Earthquakes, famines and Pestilence 11 6- The Persecution of the Believers 12- 19 7- The Harvest in Jerusalem 20- 24 8- Signs in the Sun 25- 26 9- The Coming of the Son of Man 27- 28 10- The Parable of the fig-tree and summertime 29- 33 11- A Call to being Watchful 34- 36 12- Sleeping at Night in the Mount of Olives 37- 38 + + + 1- The Widow’s Two Copper Coins: Some may be amazed at the evangelist when he mentions to us the story of the Lord of glory, Jesus, when He accepted the two small copper coins of the widow more than all what the rich had to offer as oblations, before mentioning a most important and serious topic which is that of the Lord’s words about His final coming. In other words, how could the story of this widow be as an introduction to this godly and strategic discussion about the signs of the end times? What link is there between the two? Before we answer this, let us read what the evangelist St. Luke said (Luke21: 14) “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two small copper coins. So He said, ‘Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all. For all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she, out 9f her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had’.” I think this story the most appropriate introduction for the Lord of glory’s discussion about the signs of His coming. He has told us of the signs not that we may know the times and prophecy about them, and be calculating them, but rather that our hearts be kindled amidst this hard life we live in, and be concerned about His coming. Let our constant chanting in all of our worship, conduct and feelings, and our day dreaming be live with the words “O come, Lord Jesus.” We are awaiting His coning in us before His coming on the clouds in the last day. As for the widow’s story, we find the Lord awaiting also our acceptance of Him, for He says, ‘And He looked up and saw the rich.... and He saw also a certain poor widow! He constantly looks upon us, whether we are rich or poor, men or women, shepherds or sheep. He looks upon us not to judge us or criticize us, but He is rather looking to see if there is anyone poor amongst us who could find rest in Him. Is there any heart that has responded to His love? We may say He initiates His love and His eagerness to us, before asking us of awaiting His coming. It is He who looks and awaits one single simple heart that accepts Him to sleep there the night. He did not look for the donations whatever value they were of; He rather looked at the rich, and also at the poor widow. He was concerned about the heart not about the donation, asking for the sp9iritual inward fruit, not the materialistic donation that is visible! We have previously mentioned many of the fathers’ s sayings about this widow when interpreting (St. Mark.12: 41-44). Therefore I think enough be said regarding the following remarks: Firstly: As the Lord was warning His disciples of following the scribes’ example, because they were eating up the widows’ homes (Luke20: 47), He began to praise the widow for her heart’s generosity in this way, some of the religious leaders could be deprived of the heavenly kingdom due to their greed, whereas the star of the poor and the widows would shine in the kingdom because of their hearts’ being opened in love and generosity when being charitable. It is not a matter of how much they have offered, but rather concerning their inward spiritual fruitfulness. For this reason St. Paul writes to the Philippians (Phil.4: 17) “Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.” + It is the intention that makes the charity valuable or valueless. St. Ambrosios + The concern is not about how much she has given, but in how much she left for herself. For He has not given anyone more than her, for she has not left anything for herself. St. Ambrosios + This widow was rich; for she has put the two coins in the treasury; Christ said about her this poor widow has put more than anyone else in the treasury; for God asks for the faith and not for the money. St. Ambrosios + The widow was found to be in need of the means, but she was rich in her deed. What was offered was distributed to the widows and the orphans, and what befitted her was to take only, but she rather gave instead. The martyr Kaprianos Secondly: Who are those rich people who put their charity in the treasury other than the Jews who were puffed up regarding their self-righteousness as the law-keepers. But as for the poor widow, she is the church of the New Testament, whose members mostly came form the Gentiles who lived as though they were widows who had no knowledge of God that He was as a Groom to them. These were poor, and have not been handed the law nor did they know the promises and the covenant, neither were there any saintly prophets among them. They have offered the two coins, which are the faith that works in love. Their faith spring from the Lord Jesus and blended with the practical love. They were like two coins acceptable unto the Lord as pleasing fragrance. We have mentioned previously that the number 2 refers to love; for the two coins are nothing other than the gift of love that our Lord Jesus accepts joyfully, love for God and for the close ones. 2- A Question Concerning the Temple Building Structure: The Lord of glory was going towards a cross offering us a deeper concept of the divine fellowship with God. It is the encounter of man’s inward being with God within himself. This is why the Lord asked His disciples to flee from the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, and asking for the prestigious front seats, and pretending to be devoted to prayers, despite the fact that they had a heart that devours the widows’ homes (Luke20: 45-47). He asks for the heart to be a dwelling place for Him; thus He finds this widow putting the two coins much better than many rich people who throw their charity in the treasury. But the disciples did not understand till this point what the Lord of glory meant, and so some of them spoke with Him about the splendor of the temple building structure (Matt.24: 1; Mark13: 1). In our study of St. Mark’s gospel (Mark13: 1) we mentioned that the temple was being renewed, and that they began this word about twenty years before Christ’s coming. This great remodeling, in the eyes of many Jews, was a major sign of God’s pleasure concerning them. Even some of the disciples were stunned at the beauty of this structure. They assumed that the Lord Jesus, because He rules that He would establish His authority center in this temple. The evangelist says, (Luke21: 5-7) “Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said ‘These things which you see- the days will come in which, not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down’. So they asked Him saying, ‘Teacher, but when will these things be? And what signs will there be when these things are about to take place?’” At this point, we notice the following: Firstly: The huge structures and the masterpieces attracted all the people’s attention; but as for the Lord of glory, He asks worshipers to worship Him by the Spirit and the Truth. He rather asks for those living in the temple, those ones who in the Lord’s eyes, represent the greatness and beauty of the temple, if they only become a dwelling place for Him with their hearts, and their lives be changed to a kindled throne of love. Secondly: Because the Savior was approaching the cross, it was necessary for Him to declare the destruction of the temple so that the blood sacrifice may cease, since its mission has been fulfilled and perfected through Christ’s sacrifice that is so incomparable and unique. Thirdly: St. Cyril the great thinks His disciples were unable to comprehend His words. they thought He was speaking of the end of the world; this is why they asked Him (Matt.24: 3) “Tell us when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” It was as though they linked the destruction of the temple with the Lord’s final coming and the end of ages. This might have been because no Jew ever imagined that the Jerusalem temple would ever be destroyed. They rather thought it was increasing in special power and adornment particularly by the expected coming of the Messaiah to reign though it, and that the temple would stay till the end of times. 3- The False christs: When the Lord Jesus wanted to proclaim the destruction of the temple, and more so about His last coming, He first presented a warning of the false christs, saying (Luke21: 8) “Take heed, that you may not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying ‘I am He’ and ‘the time has drawn near’. Therefore do not go after them.” It is as though the Lord Jesus is warning His believers across the generations not to be worried about the times, but rather to be concerned about the watchful spiritual thinking, because the adversary is very eager to mislead you. As Pope Athanasious the apostolic says “Satan is deceiving, and he acquires for himself a name that is loved by everyone. He is like someone who steals, children that are not his own. He seizes the chance of their parents’ absence, and so he attracts the children’s attention and draws them to himself by offering them things they long for. This happens in every heresy spoken of by the deceiving adversary ‘I am the Christ and I am the right one’.” There appeared false christs even in the apostles’ days and before their time as well, such as Simon the magician who (Acts8: 9, 10) “previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, ‘This man is the great power of God.’” Also Taurus, who spoke of himself as being important, and many people followed him, around four hundred (Acts5: 36). There was also Judas of Galilee in the days of the census, when he drew many people after him (Acts5: 37). 4- The News of War: (Luke21: 9,10) “But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified, for those things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately. Then He said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom’.” Prior to the end of the world, there will be a chain of wars, till nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and the world will be changed to an incessant bulk of wars. God has allowed this to happen so that man will be aware that the material world is not immortal; rather, that the world is going in the way of destruction day by day. But the end will not come immediately, for there are occurrences and signs that have to be fulfilled before His coming. The Lord has informed us of these things ahead of time, so that their impact would be less severe, and so that the believers would not lose their inward peace, since they are in expectation of these occurrences. The Lord’s declaration of these wars may have been for the believers’ sake lest they doubt; the angels have proclaimed the day of the Lord’s coming ‘Peace on earth’, whereas the wars are increasing day by day. He has come for the peace of our inward earth, that He comes in us and makes our hearts, or our earth, a heavenly kingdom filled with overwhelming peace amidst the commotions of the outer world. 5- Earthquake, Famines and Pestilences: (Luke21: 11) “And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs form heaven.” Because humanity will be divided against itself, and one nation will rise against another, and one kingdom against the other, thus earth and heaven will declare their wrath on mankind. The earth will cry out against humanity through the great earthquakes, just as in the day the Lord of glory was crucified (Matt.27: 51). The earth will also stop giving forth its harvest, and so there will be famines and nature will be disturbed, thus fatal pestilences will increase. Heaven, too, will declare its wrath by mans of the awesome fears. God has created the world for man’s sake so he be blessed with peace and joy in the Lord. When man rises against his own race, and loses his goal, the visible world is provoked against him also. This is not only to declare the earth’s wrath against man, but also to restrain him as much as possible. In other words, the earthquakes, the famines and the pestilences and great fears that fall from heaven, even though they are drastically fearful, yet this is the language that threatens humanity from being too violent against itself. This divine declaration, or this warning from the Lord applies to three categories: in the first one, this concerns the end of the entire world, for this will occur literally. The second category is on the level of the destruction of the Jewish temple, and the devastation of Jerusalem. Yousefios, the Jewish historian described what befell Jerusalem before its destruction, particularly the famine that hit the people. They eventually had to eat the seeds in the animal remains. This also applies to a personal level: for with man, a nation will rise against another one, and one kingdom against the other. This means that when man loses his inward peace and his unity with the Holy Spirit, his thoughts and his hearts, and even his own body gets disturbed. It is as though earthquakes have befallen him so his whole being is pulled down. In him there will be famines; for he will find no satisfaction from the world or its honors and pleasures. He will be deprived of God’s Word, the Bread that falls from heaven as the mystery for the believers’ satisfaction. Pestilences of all kinds will befall him and fatal spiritual diseases will inflict his soul. There will be overwhelming fears from heaven, and his soul will be changed to a bulk of fears which should have been an appropriate heaven for him. This means man’s worries and confusion will not be from the outside, but rather from within his soul. In this way, when man loses his partnership with the Father, in His Son by means of the Holy Spirit, then man loses all peace for the body, the soul and the spirit. He becomes himself a pretext for his own personal destruction. 6- The Persecution of the Believers: (Luke21: 12-19) “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My names sake. But not a hair of your head shall be lost. By your patience possess your souls.” The Lord Jesus may have wished to discern between what befalls humanity as far as natural troubles and hardships, or due to its diversion, and between the hardship that would befall believers for no other reason than their faith in the Lord Jesus. The adversary does not stop resisting in every possible way, using those who have religious qualities, such as the Jewish assemblies, and also the earthly authorities; even the relatives according to the body such as the parents, the brothers and the close ones. In all of this, God sees this resistance as against Himself. It is He who gives the word and the wisdom to His believers. He is responsible for every hair on their head. But the believers should not be passive, for He says (Luke21: 19) “By your patience possess your souls.” Briefly speaking, we notice the following in the excerpt above: Firstly: The broad line in this divine promise of God, is that God Himself is the subject of resisting the adversary. This is why it is He who makes the resistance, in His godly and befitting way. Pope Gregory the great says, “It is as if the Lord is telling His disciples ‘Do not fear, go to the battle, it is I who will fight; you will utter and it is I who will speak’.” St. Kaprianos also says, “His Job is that we overcome. At this point we can see the great confidence the believers have, and the terrible mistake the unbelievers commit when they do not trust in Him who has promised the triumph for those who believe in Him, and are not afraid of His threats of eternal punishment to those who deny Him.” Secondly: If the adversary uses every means, particularly the violent physical means against the believers, then the believers accept from their Christ a mouth and wisdom so the resistant ones feel the weakness before the persecuted. Thirdly: God allows the believers to go through hardships. But as a Father He declares His concern about them; and not one hair will be destroyed. As St. Augustine says, “Be sure, my brethren, the enemies have no power over the believers, unless as much as is useful to them in their being tested and tempted.” He also adds, “When the Lord Jesus urged His martyrs to be patient, He promised them to make their bodies obtain absolute perfection in the future without any loss at all. I do not say losing a member of his body, but not losing one single hair.” Fourthly: Pope Gregory the great remarks on the Lord’s words, ‘By your patience possess your souls’ in this way, “To possess the soul is by the virtue of patience; because patience is the basis of every righteousness, and its protector. Patience means to endure peacefully all evil that befalls us from others, without having any ill feeling towards those who drop it on us.” 7- The Besieging of Jerusalem: (Luke21: 20-24) “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” The Lord Jesus speaks very clearly of what would befall Jerusalem around forty years after, on the hands of Titus the Roman. The Lord’s words were like a warning to the believers who were in Jerusalem so they remember the Lord’s words, and thus they would flee from Jerusalem, and would not fall under the siege. As I said, the Jewish historian Youssefios offered an elaborate description of what happened in this siege. We notice the following in this excerpt: Firstly: St. Augustine says these words of the Lord as narrated by the evangelist St. Luke shows that the abomination of destruction that Daniel prophesied about, has been fulfilled by the siege of Jerusalem. Secondly: (Luke21: 22) “For these are the days of vengeance” The Lord has allowed them to crucify Him without any resistance on His part. But His blood that has been offered as a redemption to the world, and as salvation to the believers, has become the cause of their judgment. What happened in the siege of Jerusalem was a warning to the Jews, so they be aware of what their sinful hands have committed. This may make them return to God in repentance, and accept the Messaiah the Savior. Thirdly: (Luke21: 23) “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!” Some think these words are a prophecy to what the historian Youssefious narrated, that the chaste women cooked their children due to their severs hunger. Fourthly: What does the Lord mean by saying (Luke21: 24) “And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” If Jerusalem is the head quarters of the Jews, then Israel will remain trampled by ingratitude and disbelief until the Gentile church is complete. In the end of ages, Israel will decline its Zionist fanaticism, and will accept the faith in Jesus Christ whom they had crucified. As St. Paul the apostle says (Rom.11: 25, 26) “that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. and so all Israel will be saved.” Fifthly: What does the spiritual siege of Jerusalem mean? There is no doubt that Jerusalem is the headquarters for the Jewish worship. It contains the temple and its branches, and what it comprises as the constant rituals particularly the blood sacrifices. The city used to stand for the Jewish existence in its national traditions, its worship, its culture... etc. Thus we can say that we cannot be blessed with Jerusalem above, proclaimed in our hearts, unless our old Jerusalem in us is besieged. There is no way by which we could be blessed with the constructive grace of the Spirit, and yet be enclosed around the fatal Jewish literacy. There is no encounter between the heavenly church existence, together with the existence of a narrow Jewish concept. Therefore let us flee from Judea to the mountains, that is, from the Jewish literacy to the high mountains of the gospel, well founded in the Spirit. “Those in the midst let them flee outside: “If the literacy takes hold of us and prisons us, we ask to flee from it, so as to live freely in the Spirit, and go outside. “Those in the cities let them not enter” which means, if the Spirit has delivered us, and let us go to the cities of the gospel so as to live in His Spirit, then let us not be eager to go back to literacy. Woe to those who are pregnant and those who nurse babies”, for they will not be able to those ones who have no mature spiritual fruits as their children, to be released from the narrow and tight literacy. Woe to those who are of weak souls, that have not been fruitful yet, for they are as though they are pregnant, or their fruits are weak, similar to the nursing women; for it is for them to be blessed with the true freedom in the Lord. 8- Signs in the Sun: (Luke21: 25, 26) “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring. Men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” There is no doubt this will literally take place before the last coming of the Lord Jesus; for there will be signs in the sun, the moon and the stars. These things are expected by the astronomers themselves. What is meant by the sun, the moon, the stars, the earth and the sea? Firstly: By the signs that will be manifested before Christ’s coming, the Lord may have meant the manifestation of the anti-Christ; it is he who will play a serious role in the world at the end of times. If the sun stands for the Lord Jesus, then there will be a sign to show the choking of the faith in Christ, as if the sun is hidden in people’s lives. The Lord has declared this in bitterness; that if he could, he would mislead even the elect. He also asked “Will the Son of Man find the faith when He comes?” The moon refers to the church that takes its light from the Lord Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness. It will also carry a sign that specifically pertains to it; for it will go through severe hardship and will become a fugitive in the wilderness, chased by the anti-Christ wherever it is found. The stars refer to the believers with all their spiritual gifts and positions. It is unfortunate that many will fall, even those who possess gifts and positions. They will deny their Christ, and there will be a bitter move of deserting the Lord. The earth that is full of catastrophies, refers to the corruption of the body, that is, the earth. Corruption will prevail, and defilement will be common, and people will change to beastly and physical attitudes, quite damaging to the spiritual work. The sea and its waves refer to the nations and the kingdoms. Hardships will prevail not on an individual level only, but also on the scale of nations. Secondly: We can also say that because man rejects the Lord’s work in him, these signs will thus appear in him. Man will lose his enlightenment by the Sun of Righteousness, that is, by the faith in the Lord Jesus. His moon will be darkened, that is, man will not practice his true membership in the church, as the body of Christ that enlightens man. his stars will fall, since his talents are damaged, and his potentials are weakened, and his gifts are transformed to destroying him instead of building him up and glorifying him. His earth will become, in all its kingdoms, in confusion and tragedies. This means, man will ruin his body instead of sanctifying it. His sensations will be bewildered and will be the mystery behind his disturbance. His sea will be rough with the high waves, that is, man will lose his peace, and he will live in worry, that is continuously tempestuous as the waves of the sea that know no serenity. Thirdly: The last coming of the Son of Man will take us to a new heavenly life, that has been described by John the beloved, saying (Rev.21: 1) “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.” Let the present material heaven, and also the earth, be destroyed. Let the seas end, and let the stars fall with no return, for we are awaiting the new heaven that has its sun as the Lord of glory, Jesus. It’s moon is the Jerusalem church above, our mother, and its stars are the saints. Let us be blessed with an earth that is not of material contents, that sprouts up thistles and thorns. Rather, it is a new life where (Rev.21: 4) “There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Let the sea be wiped out, for there will be no more any disturbance! Fourthly: (Luke15: 7) “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” For who could express the sorrow of heaven when it finds the souls collapsing because of the anti-Christ? This is why the Lord of glory says (Luke21: 26) “for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” St. John Chrysostom says “The powers of the heavens will be shaken, when they will see numberless people fall under condemnation.” Fifthly: St. Augustine says, “The powers of the heavens will be shaken because when the wicked ones provoke persecution, some of the strong believers are terrified.” 9- The Coming of the Son of Man: (Luke21: 27,28) “Then they will se the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” + The believers and the non-believers will see Him. He and His cross will be more brilliant than the sun, and will be noticed by everyone. Father Theophlactius + The words ‘coming in a cloud’ is understood in two ways: that He is coming in His church as if in a cloud (Heb.12: 1), for He does not cease to come in it up till now. But afterwards, His coming will be fulfilled in greater power and splendor, for He will be manifested to His saints in power, to grant them a greater virtue, so they overcome by Him the terribly fearful persecution. He will also come in His body, that by which He ascended. St. Augustine Though the entire events are sorrowful indeed, yet the manifestation of the Son of Man will bring back to the church its joy, its splendor, and its glory on the level of partnership with her Groom in His joy and His glory. Our encounter with the Son of Man will make us forget all the bitter events that have gone before. Rather, this will become the cause of our reward and our glory by the Lord. This is why He says ‘Be cautions, which means ‘be firm’. Stand up as spiritual man with no slothfulness or negligence. ‘Lift up your heads’, that is, lift up your minds towards the heavenlies, and await His coming, because your salvation of the eternal level is drawing near. The Lord of glory will come to save us not only on the level of the soul’s salvation, but also for the resurrection of the body, and thus man will be absolutely glorified! 10- The Parable of the Fig-tee and summertime: (Luke21: 29-33) “Then He spoke to them a parable, ‘Look at the fig-tree, and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no ,means pass away.” The Lord assured us by a wise comparison that we have to trample over the love of the world and scorn it, saying ‘Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they are already budding (brought forth fruit) you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near.” It is as if He is saying “Just as with the fruit of the tree it is realised that summer is drawing near, likewise is it with the collapse of the world, it is known that God’s kingdom has drawn near. “Here it is clear that our fruit is the fall of the world from our hearts.” It is good that He compares God’s kingdom to the summer when the cloud of our grief passes away, and the days of life are brightened up by the Sun’s light, so eternal and shining. Pope Gregory the great The Lord of glory has assured us (Luke21: 31) “Know that the kingdom of God is near.” The hardships come, but they are for a short time. As for the kingdom this is eternal. + The kingdom of heaven, dear brethren, is drawing near. It is the reward of life and the joy of the eternal salvation, and the constantly blessed, and possessing the lost paradise. These matters are coming with the crossing over of the world. The heavens are coming to replace the earth, the big matters are replacing the world, and the eternal issues are replacing the temporal ones. The martyr Kaprianos What does He mean by the words “Assuredly I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away. Till all things take place.” What the Lord has said, has been fulfilled in the disciples’ generation concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple- a thing that was unthought of. This is why the Lord confirmed it by saying “Assuredly I say to you.” Also, all what the Lord said has been fulfilled in the generation of His church, for we know that history, regarding the salvation, is divided into several generations: (One) The first generation is from Adam to Noah where there is the renewal and the flood. (Two) The second generation is from Noah to Moses where he received the written covenant. (Three)The third generation is from Moses to David where there begun the age of the kings and the prophets. (Four) The fourth generation is from Moses to the Babylonian bondage. (Five) The fifth generation is from Moses to the coming of the Lord Jesus. (Six) The last generation is the sixth one; form the coming of Christ in the flech till His second and last coming. This is the church generation, the new covenant that is current with all what the Lord Jesus has spoken of in this chapter. 11- A Call to Being Watchful: (Luke21: 34-36) “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day Come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all those things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” With these concluding words, the Lord Jesus reveals to us the purpose of showing the signs for His coming. He does not wish us to know the times, and be busy counting them; rather, to be watchful with our hearts, expecting in the serious life we lead, His coming to reign eternally. +Each animal is given motives granted to it from God so as to keep its race. This is why the Lord Jesus gave us this warning so that what the animal practices by nature, we practice it with our minds and our wisdom. Then we will escape sin, just as the animals run away from the food, and ask for righteousness as useful weeds. The Lord asks us to be watchful, that is, to discern what is fatal and what is healthy and wholesome. There are two ways to be careful of ourselves: the first one is by means of our physical eyes, and the other is by means of the soul functions. Since the physical eye cannot achieve the goal, therefore He is speaking here of the soul functions. Be watchful and cautions, that is, look around you from all sides, with a watchful eye to guard yourselves. Around you there is wealth, arts, and all life pleasures. You have to be careful about yourselves in a special way. St. Basilious the great + The soul leaves the base and materialistic matters and is released towards the invisible and heavenly ones. Father Isaac What is the purpose of this spiritual watchfulness and awareness in the Lord’s coming encounter? This wakefulness changes the ‘day of the Lord’ from an ambush in which falls all those sitting on the face of the earth, to a day of salvation and standing before the Son of Man. in other words, the day of the Lord, to those who are unwatchful, who are just sitting on the face of all the earth, that is, as physical ones of dust, this day will be an ambush to them. But to those who are wakeful, those who are not tied to the love of the earth, but are rather released as if with the Spirit’s wings in the heavens, the day of the Lord will not entrap them for their perdition but they will be blessed by the salvation, on the level of both the body and the soul together. They will be blessed by standing before the Son of Man as God’s angels. Father Theophlactius says, “This is the glory of the angels, to stand before the Son of Man, our God, and constantly see His face.” 12- He Sleeps the Night in the Mount of Olives: (Luke21: 37, 38) “And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at nigh鑌㢜ꔒ礰侤㜘ꔒ嵦ᱏ ∗ł猻꼃噼嘸줈䘽켔餣ꀘ㧶 鈁砺쮈⭳ܪ⊉ 쁆夫Ⳝᢒ죫䲃椰㴒䲫 讎ꦟ孈 妍綳ꙹ啮 ۺ㍘䑱汬 Ⱨ氖呲 틗굙 賉?㢋쟭 꿣ᢆ㳋 ઢ捜䠀햦 狺蛠秝쪵鄧ᏻ 适㙌㠔굁 隼僧궑쏈鴄纓统픂䦥 썛Ხቢ↟蠧鹻罯쮩㍵琳묝㡠햓 孰醴쯷 袼촬ꇃ焽 ꫶䥍 跘鯩 豻⤗䔦뜳 轅ꔒꔒ놭樔氊丩嚘䂮瘼岯镗 Ő癀珺猂錤浵⍤ 뮤ꕕ켏 鐡煓?ꔒ ꔒꔒꔒꔒȰ ꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒ ꔒꔒꔒꔒ ꔒꔒ ꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒᾘỳ ꔒ ꔒꔒɛ ꔒꔒꔒ ꔒ ꔒꔒꔒꔒ ꔒꔒꔒ ꔒ ꔒꔒꔒ ꔒꔒ ꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒ ᶐꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒ ꔒꔒꔒꔒ̫㹂ᨤ㚒鳜⫌쒧짷Ⳳ꼸蝢♤麠 actually was wakeful and watchful. This is not only to be an example for us, but also to sanctify our wakefulness with His own, and by sanctifying our deeds by His own! By daytime, He taught in the temple, and at nighttime He goes to be awake on the mount of Olives; He sanctified the suffering and active life! 珺猂錤浵⍤ 뮤ꕕ켏 鐡煓?ꔒ ꔒꔒꔒꔒȰꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒ ꔒꔒꔒꔒ ꔒꔒ ꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒ ꔒꔒꔒᾘỳ ꔒ ꔒꔒɛ ꔒꔒꔒ ꔒ ꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒ ꔒ ꔒꔒꔒ ꔒꔒ ꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒꔒ ᶐꔒ ꔒꔒꔒꔒ ꔒꔒꔒꔒ̫㹂ᨤ㚒鳜⫌쒧짷Ⳳ꼸蝢♤麠 actually was wakeful and watchful. This is not only to be an example for us, but also to sanctify our wakefulness with His own, and by sanctifying our deeds by His own! By daytime, He taught in the temple, and at nighttime He goes to be awake on the mount of Olives; He sanctified the suffering and active life!
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