Church Fathers Commentary Mark 13:21-27

"And then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ; or, Lo, there; believe [it] not: for there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show signs and wonders, that they may lead astray, if possible, the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have told you all things beforehand. But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send forth the angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven." — Mark 13:21-27 (ASV)

Theophylact of Ohrid: After the Lord had finished all that concerned Jerusalem, He now speaks of the coming of Antichrist, saying, “Then if any man shall say to you, Look, here is Christ, or, Look, he is there; believe him not.” But when He says, “then,” do not think that it means immediately after these things are fulfilled about Jerusalem. For example, when Matthew says after the birth of Christ, In those days came John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1), does he mean immediately after the birth of Christ? No, but he speaks indefinitely and without precision. So also here, “then” may be taken to mean not when Jerusalem is made desolate, but about the time of the coming of Antichrist.

It goes on: For false Christs and false prophets shall arise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

For many will take upon themselves the name of Christ, so as to seduce even the faithful.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For then Satan will be unchained and will work through Antichrist in all his power—wonderfully, indeed, but falsely. A doubt is often raised whether the Apostle said “signs and lying wonders” because he is to deceive the mortal senses with phantoms, so as to appear to do what he does not, or because those wonders themselves, even though true, are to turn people aside to lies. This would be because they will not believe that any power but a divine power could perform them, being ignorant of the power of Satan, especially when he has received such power as he never had before. But for whichever reason it is said, they will be deceived by those signs and wonders who deserve to be deceived. ¹

St. Gregory the Great: Why, however, is it said with a doubt, “if it were possible,” when the Lord knows beforehand what is to happen? One of two things is implied: that if they are elect, it is not possible; and if it is possible, they are not elect. This doubt, therefore, in our Lord's discourse expresses the trembling in the minds of the elect. And He calls them elect because He sees that they will persevere in faith and good works; for those who are chosen to remain firm are to be tempted to fall by the signs of the preachers of Antichrist. ²

The Venerable Bede: Some, however, refer this to the time of the Jewish captivity, where many, declaring themselves to be Christs, drew crowds of deluded people after them. But during the siege of the city, there was no Christian to whom the divine exhortation not to follow false teachers could apply. Therefore, it is better to understand it as referring to heretics who, coming to oppose the Church, pretended to be Christs. The first of these was Simon Magus, but the last one, greater than all the rest, is Antichrist.

It goes on: But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For He did not only foretell to His disciples the good things which He would give to His saints and faithful ones, but also the woes in which this world was to abound. This was so that we might look for our reward at the end of the world with more confidence, from experiencing the woes that were likewise announced to precede it. ³

Theophylact of Ohrid: But after the coming of Antichrist, the frame of the world will be altered and changed, for the stars will be obscured on account of the overwhelming brightness of Christ.

Therefore, 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.

The Venerable Bede: On the day of judgment, the stars will appear obscure, not because of any lessening of their own light, but because of the brightness of the true light—that is, of the most high Judge coming upon them. Although there is nothing to prevent it from being taken to mean that the sun and moon, with all the other heavenly bodies, will then for a time truly lose their light, just as we are told was the case with the sun at the time of our Lord's Passion.

But after the day of judgment, when there will be a new sky and a new earth, then what Isaiah says will happen: Moreover, the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold (Isaiah 30:26).

It continues: And the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Theophylact of Ohrid: That is, the angelic powers will be astonished, seeing that such great things are being done and that their fellow servants are being judged.

The Venerable Bede: What wonder is it that people should be troubled at this judgment, the sight of which makes the very angelic powers tremble? What will the stories of the house do when the pillars shake? What does the shrub of the wilderness undergo when the cedar of paradise is moved?

Pseudo-Jerome: Or else, the sun will be darkened by the coldness of their hearts, as in the winter time. And the moon will not give her light with serenity in this time of quarrel, and the stars of heaven will fail in their light when the seed of Abraham will all but disappear, for they are likened to it (Genesis 22:17).

The powers of heaven will be stirred up to the wrath of vengeance when they are sent by the Son of Man at His coming. Of His advent it is said, And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. He is the one who first came down in all lowliness, like rain upon Gideon's fleece.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For since it was said by the angels to the Apostles, He shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven (Acts 1:11), we rightly believe that He will come not only in the same body but also on a cloud, since He is to come as He went away, and a cloud received Him as He was going. ⁴

Theophylact of Ohrid: But they will see the Lord as the Son of Man—that is, in the body, for that which is seen is a body.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For the vision of the Son of Man is shown even to the wicked, but the vision of the form of God is shown to the pure in heart alone, for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8). Because the wicked cannot see the Son of God as He is in the form of God, equal to the Father—and yet both the just and the wicked must see Him as Judge of the living and the dead before whom they will be judged—it was necessary that the Son of Man should receive the power to judge. Concerning the execution of this power, the text immediately adds, And then shall He send His angels. ⁵

Theophylact of Ohrid: Observe that Christ sends the angels just as the Father does. Where, then, are those who say that He is not equal to the Father? For the angels go forth to gather together the faithful who are chosen, so that they may be carried into the air to meet Jesus Christ.

Therefore, it goes on: And gather together His elect from the four winds.

Pseudo-Jerome: Like corn winnowed from the threshing floor of the whole earth.

The Venerable Bede: By “the four winds,” He means the four parts of the world: the east, the west, the north, and the south. And lest anyone should think that the elect are to be gathered together only from the four edges of the world, and not from the midland regions as well as the borders, He has fittingly added, From the uttermost part of earth, to the uttermost part of heaven. This means from the extremities of the earth to its utmost bounds, where the circle of the heavens appears to those who look from afar to rest upon the boundaries of the earth.

Therefore, no one will be elect on that day who remains behind and does not meet the Lord in the air when He comes to judgment. The reprobate also will come to judgment, so that when it is finished they may be scattered abroad and perish from before the face of God.

1. de Civ. Dei, xx, 19
2. Hom in Ezech. i, 9
3. Epist., 78
4. Epist., cxcix, 11
5. de Trin., i, 13