Thomas Aquinas Commentary Matthew 24:23-41

"Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ, or, Here; believe [it] not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you beforehand. If therefore they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the wilderness; go not forth: Behold, he is in the inner chambers; believe [it] not. For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the coming of the Son of man. Wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh; even so ye also, when ye see all these things, know ye that he is nigh, [even] at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only. And as [were] the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man. For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the coming of the Son of man. Then shall two man be in the field; one is taken, and one is left: two women [shall be] grinding at the mill; one is taken, and one is left." — Matthew 24:23-41 (ASV)

After the Lord answered the disciples' question concerning the destruction of the city of Jerusalem, He begins here to answer them concerning His Second Coming. Now this Coming is a coming for judgment; therefore, it is divided. For firstly, He relates the signs and the manner of His Coming; and secondly, He discusses the judgment: The kingdom of heaven is like to ten virgins (Matthew 25:1). Concerning the first point, He does two things. Firstly, He foretells the signs preceding His Coming; and secondly, He speaks of Himself, where it is said: And they shall see the Son of man, etc.

Concerning the first point, He says two things: namely, that there will be two signs preceding Christ’s Coming. Firstly, there will be a sign concerning men and the elect; and secondly, there will be a sign concerning the elements, where it is said, And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, etc. Concerning the first sign, He does two things. Firstly, He premises a certain warning; and secondly, He gives the reason for this warning, where it is said: For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets.

He says, therefore: Then if any man shall say to you, Lo here is Christ, etc. It should be noted that the word Then does not indicate a determinate time but an indeterminate time, because this did not happen immediately after the destruction of Jerusalem but rather it is expected to occur at the end of the world.

Something similar is stated above in chapter 2, where it is said that the Lord dwelt in Nazareth, hence He is called a Nazarene, and the passage continues: Then cometh John the Baptist preaching in the desert of Judea (Matthew 3:1). It does not mean that he came then, because there were perhaps twenty years between the two events; hence, it is understood to mean an indeterminate time.

So it is here. For it will happen that many seducers will come and say that the Antichrist is God. Then if any man shall say to you, Lo here is Christ, or there: do not believe him.

Be not easily moved from your sense nor be terrified, neither by spirit nor by word nor by epistle, as sent from us, as if the day of the Lord were at hand (2 Thessalonians 2:2).

Then, when He says: For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, He is giving the reason for the warning. And firstly, He gives the reason of necessity; and secondly, He gives the reason of the falsity of doctrine, where it is said, For as lightning cometh out of the east, etc. Concerning the first point, He does three things. Firstly, He points out the seducers; secondly, He shows the vehemence of the seduction; and thirdly, He gives a warning.

He says, therefore, ‘You say that there will be some men who will say that they are Christ: but will there not be others? Indeed. For there shall arise false Christs, meaning those who say that they are Christ, and this happened before the destruction of Jerusalem; But you have heard that Antichrist cometh, wherefore there are become many Antichrists (1 John 2:18). And false prophets. For just as Christ had true prophets who foretold Him, so the Antichrist will have false prophets: and this is what is said in 1 John 4:1: Many false prophets are gone out into the world. But will these men perform miracles and effects? Hence, They shall shew great signs and wonders; Whose coming is according to the working of Satan (2 Thessalonians 2:9); And I saw from the mouth of the dragon and from the mouth of the beast and from the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs (Revelation 16:13).

But a question arises: Can demons perform miracles? It should be said that they cannot, if a miracle is to be taken in the strict sense. This is because what happens outside the order of a particular cause is not a miracle in the strict sense; only that which is outside the order of the whole of creation, and occurs by Divine power alone, is truly a miracle.

However, it is quite possible that a higher creature is not restricted to the order of a lower creature. Therefore, something may happen by a higher power that does not happen through the power of the elements. For example, among men, someone by skill does something that seems marvelous to others. So it is regarding demons, because they have a higher intelligence. For that reason, just as a skillful man does something that seems marvelous, so also demons do some things naturally which seem to us to be marvels.

But how will this happen? Avicenna’s opinion was that a corporeal nature obeys the command of the intellect; hence, a body is changed in consequence of its apprehension. Augustine, however, refutes this, because a body does not obey the command of any creature but only that of God.

For that reason, it should be said that in natural things there are determinate powers for procreating certain things, such as frogs and similar things; demons know these powers better than other creatures. Augustine proves this, saying that the fire which descended upon Job’s sheep was natural. For demons can raise up and gather bodies in order to perform such miracles. But those miracles which do not proceed from the power of any natural thing, they cannot perform, such as raising the dead.

Therefore, they do not do such things except by illusions, just as Simon the Magician made a head move. Hence, demons are unable to do those things that cannot happen by the power of nature; hence, they shall shew great signs, meaning signs that men will consider to be great.

But what will be the effect? Insomuch as to deceive (if possible) even the elect. Origen says that this statement is made by way of exaggeration, because every living man, if considered in regard to himself, can be deceived. Nevertheless, taking God’s election into consideration, the meaning is that it would be impossible for the elect to be seduced. For that reason, by hyperbole, He says that such will be the force that, unless they are preserved by Divine predestination, they would be seduced.

Alternatively, it can be said that they are not truly the elect, but are elect in appearance only: Which some rejecting have made shipwreck concerning the faith (1 Timothy 1:19); The Lord hath mingled in the midst thereof the spirit of giddiness: and they have caused Egypt to err (Isaiah 19:14). Behold I have told it to you, beforehand, because according to Gregory, darts that are foreseen do less harm; The Lord God doth nothing without revealing his secret (Amos 3:7).

Having asserted the necessity in general, He asserts the necessity more particularly: If therefore they shall say to you, Behold he is in the desert, etc. It should be noted that true teaching is done in public: That which you hear in secret, preach ye upon the housetops (Matthew 10:27). False teaching, however, always seeks dark corners: Wisdom preacheth abroad (Proverbs 1:20). Hence, the truth is light and seeks to be seen in the light; but if there is a perverse teaching, it seeks hidden places: Wisdom sits at the door (Proverbs 9:14). And the passage continues: Stolen waters are sweeter (Proverbs 9:17).

Hence, a desert is a hiding place because there are no people there, or because it is a remote place; hence: if therefore they shall say to you, Behold he is in the desert: go ye not out. And what does He mean to say? These unbelievers and heretics, when believers are in an association and a congregation where they cannot be deceived, strive to separate believers from the community, and then they deceive them. This is what He means to say: If therefore they shall say to you, Behold he is in the desert: go ye not out. Do not be separated from the fellowship and community.

Likewise: If therefore they shall say to you, Behold he is in the closets, because they always seek a secret place and do not dare to present their teaching in public; hence: I have spoken openly to the world (John 18:20). Believe it not, because "He that is hasty to give credit, is light of heart." According to Jerome, this can refer to the time before the destruction of Jerusalem, but it is better if it is referred to the end of the world. Likewise, it can be understood of the seduction occurring in the Church.

False Christs offer the teaching of a lie, and it is called one teaching because all their teachings are united into one: every lie has its prophets. Hence, they say: Here is Christ, or there; They have persisted to confirm what they have said (Ezekiel 13:6). Sometimes they want to confirm what they say by apocryphal scriptures, and other times by the hidden meanings of Scripture. When they confirm by apocryphal scriptures, they say that He is in the desert; when they confirm by the hidden meanings, they say that He is in the closets. Or, according to Augustine, true doctrine has two identifying characteristics: namely, the same doctrine is professed everywhere and it is professed publicly, and heresy fails to be professed in these ways. Hence, He says, Here is Christ, meaning in this world, and not in the other. Likewise, because their teaching is not public, therefore they say: In the closets; hence: Believe it not.

For as lightning cometh out of the east, etc. Here, He gives another reason: namely, that they say something false—that Christ will come secretly—but this is not true; on the contrary, He will come manifestly. And He offers two reasons. One concerns Christ’s manifestation, and the other concerns the gathering of the saints. He says: Believe it not, that He will not come manifestly: for as lightning cometh out of the east and appeareth even into the west: so shall also the coming of the Son of man be; God shall come manifestly (Psalms 49:3).

But will He come like lightning that is seen here now, and afterwards points to the East? For that reason, you should not understand that He will be manifested in this way in the East only, but in all directions. If we wish to speak of a mystery, the lightning is the coming of truth. Do not, therefore, seek secret teachings, because the truth is manifested throughout the whole world.

Alternatively, the East is the beginning, and the West is the end. Hence, the truth of doctrine always has consistency from the beginning to the end, for true doctrine accepts all Scripture. Some men do not accept the Old Testament; others do not accept the Prophets, and so they cannot be supported by the other Scriptures. But true doctrine, from the beginning of the early Church until the end time, will have the support of the whole of Scripture. Hence, it is said: Behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world (Matthew 28:20).

Wheresoever the body shall be, there shall the eagles also be gathered together. For someone might say: ‘These men say: Here is Christ, or there, and how will we know when He will come?’ He shows, however, that they do not need to inquire because His coming will be manifest, in that other men will be gathered together. It will be like what happens when a man often asks his master, who is keeping his plan of moving the camp secret, saying: ‘When will you move the camp?’ And he answers: ‘Will you not hear the trumpet? Why do you ask?’ So it is said here. You say that He will be here or there; I know that Where the body shall be, there shall the eagles also be gathered together.

Note that in Hebrew the word Anathe is found, which means a corpse; therefore, He wished to signify Christ’s Passion, because then Christ will come showing the signs of His Passion. He speaks by way of a similitude: Where the body shall be, etc.

We shall meet Christ in the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4:16). But some men are eagles, others are vultures and ravens. He does not say vultures or ravens but eagles, by which the saints are signified. They shall take wings as eagles, they shall fly and not faint (Isaiah 40:31). So, as Jerome says, wherever Christ’s Passion is remembered, holy men should gather for a continual remembrance of His Passion. Call to mind the former days, wherein, being illuminated, you endured a great fight of afflictions (Hebrews 10:32).

And because these things will not only be manifested by tribulations, therefore He says: And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, etc. He discusses the signs taken from other things that are above us; and secondly, He discusses the effect. The second part is where it is said, And then shall all tribes of the earth mourn.

Now in these things above us that He shows, there is a threefold order: heavenly bodies, angels, and Christ. He set him above all principality and power, etc. (Ephesians 1:21). Therefore, regarding the first, He says: And immediately after the tribulation of those days, namely, when the Antichrist will come. Immediately, because it is not long afterwards, for the Antichrist was a danger for many; and this is opposed to those who assert the fable of the thousand years. The sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light. And what is the meaning? This saying has a literal and a mystical meaning. In its reference to His final Coming, it has a literal meaning; and in its reference to the other, it has a mystical meaning.

But it seems that one can object to what He says—that the sun will be darkened—because it is said, And 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). Therefore, to understand this, you should distinguish three times: the time before His Coming, the time at His Coming, and the time after His Coming.

Before Christ’s Coming, astronomical phenomena of this kind will occur, about which it is said here, and in Joel 2:31 it is said: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood: before the great and dreadful day of the Lord doth come. At Christ’s Coming, the sun and moon will not be changed regarding their substance but by comparison, for the brightness of Christ and the saints will be so great that the brightness of the heavenly bodies will not be apparent: And the moon shall blush, and the sun shall be ashamed (Isaiah 24:23). But after Judgment Day, the brightness of the moon and the stars will be increased. And then what is said in Isaiah 30:26 will be true: namely, that the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days.

But what is said—namely, that the stars will fall from the sky—seems false, because one star is larger than the whole earth. Rabanus solves this objection by the passage of Mark 13:25, that the stars of heaven shall be falling down in light, meaning they will be diminished in their light. But what will be able to cause this diminishing of light?

The light from a luminary is diminished by two things: either in itself or due to something interposed. For example, if clouds are interposed, or when the moon is eclipsed, its light is diminished. Therefore, Origen says that the passage can be understood in two ways. Firstly, it can be interpreted that what is interposed will be the fire that will precede Christ and consume all things up to the middle of that atmosphere (that is to say, as high as the waters of the flood rose), and much smoke will come from the fire so that the luminaries of the sky will be darkened.

Or it can be said, as certain men held, that these heavenly bodies are corruptible; and just as the elements will be changed, so these will also be changed. A quotation from Revelation refers to these three things: The sun became black as sackcloth of hair: and the whole moon became as blood. And the stars from heaven fell upon the earth (Revelation 6:13).

The stars shall fall from heaven. The stars will be seen to fall from the sky when they are deprived of their light. Therefore, there will be a change in the heavenly bodies. Likewise, there will be a change in the angels; hence, He says: And the powers of heaven shall be moved, meaning the virtues that serve God.

Augustine says that all corporeal bodies are ruled by the spirit of life; hence, they are said to be moved in effect because, at the Lord’s Coming, the movement of the heavens will cease. Therefore, those bodies are said to be moved when those things that pertain to their function are changed into a different state. Alternatively, the angels will be moved, not by a movement of fear, but of admiration, because they will admire Christ’s power.

Or they will be moved by a movement of joy upon the glorification of the saints. From this can be interpreted what is said in Job 26:11: namely, that The pillars of heaven tremble, and dread at his movement.

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven. Here, the sign of the Son of man, who is above the angels, is mentioned. This sign of the Son means the sign of Christ’s victory; for when the whole world is renewed, it will be indicated that He obtained victory over all through His Passion, which does not now appear. Or the sign of the Cross will appear, so as to show that all this glory is through His Passion.

Likewise, it is signified that He acquired all judicial power through His Passion. If he will spread out clouds as his tent, etc. (Job 36:29). And the citation continues: For by these he judgeth people (Job 36:31). Similarly, the sign of the Cross will appear to confound the wicked who did not want to follow Christ. Moreover, the sign of the Cross will be brighter than the sun.

But what will be the effect? Then shall all tribes of the earth mourn, seeing Christ’s so great power that they had despised, His so great wisdom that they did not obey, and the so great brightness of the saints. Hence, they will say what is written in Wisdom 5:3-5: These are they, whom we had sometime in derision, and for a parable of reproach. We fools esteemed their life madness, and their end without honour. Behold, how they are numbered among the children of God, and their lot is among the saints.

Likewise, they despised the tribes of heaven, meaning those who bore the image of heaven. To whom then have you likened God? or what image will you make for him? (Isaiah 40:18). They will pass judgment upon themselves to suffer such things: Every eye shall see him: and they also that pierced him. And all the ends of the earth shall bewail themselves because of him (Revelation 1:7). And: They shall look upon me, whom they have pierced: and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for an only son, and they shall grieve over him, as the manner is to grieve for the death of the firstborn (Zechariah 12:10).

This is the literal exposition. But this passage, when referred to Christ’s Second Coming, can also be expounded mystically. Origen says: "By the sun the devil is signified, by the moon the Antichrist is signified." Concerning these things it is said: If I beheld the sun when it shined and the moon going in brightness: And my heart in secret hath rejoiced (Job 31:26–27).

If I saw, meaning if I approved, the sun, meaning those things that seemed to have brightness and sanctity, and those who seemed to have power, then they will appear as they really are; He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts (1 Corinthians 4:5). Therefore, all doctrine and all brightness will then appear, because the image of Christ will appear in all who bore His image. Alternatively, by the sun, the Church is signified; hence, the Church, on account of its tribulations, will not seem to shine.

And why does He say, After the tribulation? Origen responds: "Both after and during."

Likewise, The stars shall fall from heaven, meaning those who, after the tribulation, seemed to shine. The powers of heaven, meaning the saints, shall be moved.

And they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, etc. Previously, the Lord had foretold what things were to come before that Coming; now He foretells the Coming itself. Concerning this, He does three things. Firstly, He mentions His Coming; secondly, He mentions the certitude of His Coming; and thirdly, He mentions the uncertainty of its hour and day. The second part is where it is said: From the fig tree learn a parable; and the third part is where it is said: But of that day and hour no one knoweth. Concerning the first point, He does two things.

Firstly, He mentions His Coming, or the appearance of the Son of man; secondly, He mentions the gathering of the saints to Him, where it is said: And he shall send his angels, etc.

And note that when He makes mention of His Coming, He relates two things: namely, that His Coming will be manifest, and that the saints will be gathered together. Therefore, He said: For as lightning… so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. And this is said regarding His manifestation. Likewise, He said: Where the body shall be, there shall the eagles also be gathered together. And He wishes to explain these two things further. And how will He come? They shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven.

And who will see Him? All men, for He will come to judge. For He has a human and a divine nature. In His divine nature He will not be seen except by the clean of heart, etc., according to what was said above: Blessed are the clean of heart: they shall see God (Matthew 5:8). But in His human nature, the wicked will also see Him: All flesh shall see the salvation of God (Luke 3:6).

Therefore, they shall see the Son of man, because the Son of man and the Son of God are the same Person; but they will not see Him as the Son of God, but as the Son of man: He hath given him power to do judgment, because he is the Son of man (John 5:27).

But a question can arise: will both the good and the wicked see Him in His glorified appearance? And I answer that they will. The reason is given in Isaiah 26:10, where the Lord, discussing this with the prophet, says: He shall not see the glory of the Lord. And the prophet replies: Lord, let thy hand be exalted, and let them not see. To which the Lord responds: Let the envious people see, and be confounded (Isaiah 26:11). Therefore, the good will see Him for their joy, but the wicked for their torture and sadness. For when someone fears to be punished, the greater the judge’s power against him appears to be, the more that person is afflicted; so, inasmuch as Christ will appear more glorious, so much more will the wicked be grieved.

And this is indicated when it is said, Coming in the clouds of heaven. And this corresponds to what He had said above: that as lightning… so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. In lightning there are two things: brilliance and terror.

The brilliance signifies a certain pleasantness, the terror comes from the sound, and the clouds are made for refreshment: And it will be as a cloud of dew in the day of harvest (Isaiah 18:4), which then is something pleasant. Likewise, a cloud has darkness, and when it is dense it is terrible on account of the lightning and the rains which come from the clouds; and this is suitable for the terror of the wicked: Clouds and darkness are round about him (Psalms 96:2). Similarly, it is suitable that He would come in the clouds to denote Christ’s divinity, because God’s majesty appeared in a cloud (Exodus 16:10); therefore, it is said: The Lord said that he would dwell in a cloud (1 Kings 8:12). For that reason, He will come in the clouds.

Likewise, it is suitable for showing His humanity; because, as it is stated: While they looked on, he was raised up: and a cloud received him out of their sight, and they heard angels saying: As you have seen him going into heaven, so he shall come (Acts 1:9–11). Therefore, in order that it be shown that He is the same who was taken up on a cloud, He will appear on a cloud.

It is also suitable for indicating His glorification. For when He was transfigured, a bright cloud appeared, and then there was one cloud, because He appeared to only three men; but at the end of the world there will be many, because He will appear to many men: Behold, he cometh in the clouds, and every eye shall see him (Revelation 1:7). And what will these clouds be? They shall be certain gleams of light coming from Christ’s body and the bodies of the saints. Origen says that there will be angels taking Him up, not merely figuratively, but truly ministering to Him.

For at His first Coming, He came as a humble man: Behold thy king cometh to thee, meek (Zechariah 9:9). But afterwards, He shall come in the clouds of heaven with much power and majesty. For at His first Coming, there were two things: He had weakness and disgrace. He had weakness, since the Apostle said: He was crucified through weakness (2 Corinthians 13:4). He had disgrace, according to what is written: So shall his visage be inglorious among men, and his form among the sons of men (Isaiah 52:14).

Corresponding to these two things, He says two things. Corresponding to weakness, He mentions His power; therefore, concerning this, it is said, All power is given to me in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18); and this power is given to Him by His generation from the Father, insofar as He is the Son of God. But He merited it insofar as He is man; and this is shown when all the angels and all the elements minister to Him.

Likewise, opposed to disgrace, He says that He will come in majesty, as the Judge of the living and the dead.

Then He will come, and he shall send his angels with a trumpet and a great voice. Here, He discusses the gathering of the saints, and He relates three things. Firstly, He speaks of the ministers; secondly, He speaks of those gathered together; and thirdly, He speaks of from where they are gathered together.

The ministers are the angels, as it is stated: His angels: you that execute his word (Psalms 102:20). Now He says: With a trumpet and a great voice.

In the Resurrection a threefold power will operate:

1. The divine power will operate.
2. The power of Christ’s humanity will operate, for His Resurrection is the cause of our resurrection, as the Apostle says: And as in Adam we all die, so also in Christ we all shall be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22).
3. Angelic power will operate for a certain preparation, namely, the gathering of the dust of the bodies of men.

And He mentions these three things. He mentions the angelic power when He says, He shall send his angels; He mentions the power of God when He says, With a trumpet; and He mentions the power of His humanity by this which He says, And a great voice. Concerning this voice, it is written: All who shall hear the voice of the Son of God, shall live (John 5:25). And it will be appropriate that that voice be great, because He will give to his voice the voice of power (Psalms 67:34).

The divinity is well signified by the trumpet because the sound of a trumpet is greater than the human voice: And they heard a great voice from heaven, saying to them: Come up hither (Revelation 11:12). And a little further, it is written: And the seventh angel sounded the trumpet: and there were great voices in heaven (Revelation 11:15).

And observe that a trumpet is sufficiently fitting for Him, because the Lord commanded Moses that two trumpets be made; and they were sounding the trumpets for an assembly, for feasts, for fighting, and for moving the camp. So it will be at the Judgment, because then there will be an assembly, meaning a reuniting of all the saints: The wicked shall not rise again in judgment: nor sinners in the council of the just (Psalms 1:5).

Likewise, there will be an everlasting solemnity. Similarly, there will be a fight against the wicked, as it is written: And even Juda shall fight against Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:14). Again, there will then be a movement of camps, because the saints will be translated to the life of the saints: And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day (Zechariah 2:11).

Likewise, some men are now gathered together but not all; but then all will be gathered: All nations shall be gathered together before him (Matthew 25:32). Only the elect will be gathered together at that place, for only they will be gathered together in order to reign with Him: Gather ye together his saints to him (Psalms 49:5). Therefore, He says: And they shall gather together his elect.

But from where shall they be gathered together? From the four winds, from the farthest parts of the heavens to the utmost bounds of them. The winds of the sky are distinguished by the four parts of the world. From the East comes forth the Subsolanus; from the West comes the Favonius; from the North comes the Boreas; from the South comes the Auster. And by these all the others are contained; therefore: From the four winds of heaven, meaning from all parts of the world.

The passage continues: From the farthest parts of the heavens to the utmost bounds of them. These words can be explained in two ways. Origen says that the meaning is as follows: They shall be gathered. Someone could say that this would be only a gathering of the living and not of the dead, an opinion He eliminates by making known that the dead shall also be gathered together. Therefore, He says: From the farthest parts of the heavens, etc. You know that the saints ascend into the heavens, and some heavens are lower, others are higher, because according to the measure of their merits will be the measure of their reward. Therefore, this is what Augustine says: namely, that from the four winds, He says this on account of the bodies; and, to the utmost bounds of the heavens, He says this on account of their souls.

Remigius says the following, and it is in the Gloss: I will gather together, etc. Someone might suppose that the gathering would be only from the utmost bounds of the earth; but what will happen at the middle of the earth? Therefore, He says: to the utmost bounds of them. And He wishes to say that not only will there be a gathering from the utmost bounds of the earth, but also from heaven, meaning from the middle of the universe.

And from the fig tree learn a parable. Here He teaches about the certainty of His Coming. He had said great things, unbelievable for some men; now, He confirms these things in three ways. Firstly, He confirms by a comparison; secondly, He does this by an assertion; and thirdly, He does this by a reason.

The second part is where it is said, I say to you that this generation shall not pass till all these things be done; and the third part is where it is said, Heaven and earth shall pass: but my words shall not pass.

He says, therefore: From the fig tree learn a parable. Chrysostom says: ‘When God wishes to show something, He always uses a natural comparison.’ Trees in the winter have life, nevertheless, in a hidden way; therefore, they do not then produce leaves, nor do they produce fruit. But in the beginning of spring they sprout, and their life appears.

So also the saints do not appear, as it is stated: You are dead: and your life is hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3); but then the life of the saints will appear, namely, the life of those who will not be seduced at the time of the Antichrist. The summer comes, meaning the eternal retribution: Going they went and wept, casting their seeds; and the passage continues: But coming they shall come with joyfulness, carrying their sheaves (Psalms 125:6-7). Therefore, He says: From the fig tree learn a parable. By the fig tree, the synagogue is signified, concerning which it is stated: A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard (Luke 13:6).

When the branch of it is now tender and the leaves come forth, you know that summer is near. And this can be explained as follows: The tender branch is the Antichrist, whose power lasts for a short time, and, as it were, many leaves adhere to him, and then His power will be shown.

Or it can be explained as being something good. By the branch, the power and strength of the saints is signified. When the Church begins to come to an end, Christ’s and the saints’ power, which will sustain it, shall appear: The fig tree hath put forth her green figs (Song of Solomon 2:13). So you also, when you shall see all these things; that is to say, when you see the preceding signs occur, know you that He is near, even at the doors. A thing is said to be near when it is at the doors: Behold the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which by fraud has been kept back by you, crieth: and the cry of them hath entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth (James 5:4).

Observe that Augustine stresses the fact that He says, All, when He says: When you shall see all these things. Above, He had said that the Lord is near; but what is this? Is not the Lord always near? For that reason, he says: “If we wish, we may say that nothing of what is said here pertains to the end of the world, but instead to Christ’s coming through the Church; therefore, what was said, They shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds, means in His preachers, with much power, for the Lord gives the word to the evangelizers with much power; and then He shall come with majesty, for they give Him veneration.” Nevertheless, according to the explanation of others, we may refer this passage to the end of the world, and say otherwise.

According to what Augustine explains, He is referring to something near; therefore, what is said: They shall see, etc., refers to all that was said above, namely, regarding the signs, lightning, and earthquakes.

Therefore, He has shown the certainty of His coming by a comparison, and now He shows it by an assertion, namely, with an oath, saying: Amen I say to you, meaning that it is infallibly true, that this generation shall not pass till all these things be done. Origen says: “It is as though what you will hear were near.” For someone might suppose that this was said concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, because many had remained until that time; therefore, this generation shall not pass, meaning the men now living, till all these things be done.

But it would be an exaggeration to maintain that everything said refers to the destruction of Jerusalem. For that reason, it ought to be affirmed otherwise: namely, that all the faithful are one generation, This is the generation of them that seek the Lord (Psalms 23:6); and He had previously said, The earth is the Lord’s (Psalms 23:1). Therefore, He wants to say: This generation shall not pass, meaning the faith of the Church will not cease until the end of the world, against those who were saying that it would last until a certain time. Because the Lord refuted this assertion, saying, Behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world (Matthew 28:20).

And then He states the reason why His coming is certain: Heaven and earth shall pass: but my words shall not pass. It is as if He would say: ‘It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for My words to pass away’; But my word endureth for ever (Isaiah 40:8). Therefore, His word is the cause of heaven, and the cause is always stronger than its effect; therefore. And it is not said that heaven and earth would pass, meaning that they would cease to exist, but instead it is meant that they shall pass into a different state of existence: I saw a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1).

According to Origen, the good are signified by heaven and the wicked are signified by the earth: Hear, O ye heavens, and give ear, O earth (Isaiah 1:2). Both will pass, the good into eternal life and the wicked into eternal fire. And when it is said that the word of God shall not pass, it is not said that it will not pass as to the substance of the word, but as to whose it is. Therefore, this word of God, as Origen says, has the characteristic, unlike other words, that it will never pass away.

The words of Moses, however, and of others passed away. Therefore, the words are signs of the present-day Church; but the words of Christ foretell the state of eternal life. Therefore, Moses’ words passed away, meaning that what Moses promised passed away; but what Christ promised will not pass away, because He promised the glory to come, which will not pass away. Likewise, Christ’s word, as to its pertaining to earthly and temporal things, passes away.

But of that day and hour no one knows. Now, in this section, He tells of the uncertainty of the time of His Coming. And about this, He does two things. Firstly, He relates the uncertainty of the time; secondly, He exhorts by way of a comparison; and thirdly, He makes known the coming event.

The second part is where it is said: As in the days of Noah, etc.; the third part is where it is said: Then two shall be in the field.

He says that they shall see the Son of man. ‘You are speaking vaguely about the time of Your coming; tell us exactly about the time if it is true.’ But of that day and hour no one knows: no, not the angels of heaven.

What He says about the angels of heaven is clear and does not have any significant uncertainty, because in them there is innate knowledge, and this knowledge extends only to those things which occur according to the course of nature; but the Judgment will occur only according to God’s will.

Likewise, there is another knowledge of glory, and by it they only know what things God wants to reveal, and this time of His Coming He has kept to Himself: Behold, the Lord shall come, and who shall be able to know his coming? (Malachi 3:1–2). The day of the Lord shall so come as a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2).

But here there is a question, according to Jerome, because He says in Mark 13:26: Not even the Son of man; from which words Arius seemed to confirm his heresy, because if the Father knows what the Son does not know then He is greater than Him. For that reason, it can be said that the Son knows and that Judgment Day is determined by some reason, and whatever is determined by God the Father is also determined by His eternal Son; therefore, it is impossible that the Word would not know the time of the Judgment.

But why is it said that He does not know? Augustine and Jerome say that it is a customary manner of speaking, that a man says he does not know when he does not make it known; just as it is said: Now I know that thou fearest God (Genesis 22:12), meaning, ‘Now I have made you know.’ Therefore, the Son is said not to know because He does not make it known.

Origen states in another sense that Christ and the Church are like head and body, because just as the head and body are like one person, so Christ and the Church also. But Christ sometimes takes the form of the Church, as in the passage: O God my God, look upon me (Psalms 21:2); therefore, when it is said that Christ does not know, it is understood that the Church does not know. Therefore the Lord said: It is not for you to know the time or moments (Acts 1:7).

Note that Augustine says that He wanted to show that the coming of His Judgment cannot be known exactly from certain signs, because He does not fix any particular time. The proof says that it cannot be known, because just as it is in the ages of men, so it is in the ages of the world. Therefore, as the final age of man does not have a definite limit, but sometimes is extended beyond some other age, so also it ought to be said concerning the final age of the world, that it does not have a definite limit and could last longer than all the other ages.

For, as in the times of Noah, so also shall the coming of the Son of man be. Above, the Lord related the uncertainty of the hour of His coming; now, however, He employs a comparison. And firstly, He puts it forward; and secondly, He explains it, where it is said, For, as in the days before the flood, etc. Now, He makes a fitting comparison, because while speaking about the end of the world, He stopped at the end of the world.

Therefore, He put forward another comparison. For it is read that there is a twofold consummation of the world. One was by water: And spared not the original world, but preserved Noah, the eighth person, the preacher of justice, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly (2 Peter 2:5). Therefore, it is said well enough, because the first consummation was to cut off carnal sins; therefore, it is said: The sons of God seeing the daughters of men, that they were fair, took to themselves wives of all which they chose (Genesis 6:2). Therefore, against the burning of this concupiscence ought to be a consummation by water.

At the end of the world, however, there will be sin because charity shall grow cold, as it was said above; thus, fire will fittingly be the punishment. Therefore, He says: As in the times of Noah, namely, that the end was uncertain, as it is stated: The end of all flesh is come before me (Genesis 6:13). Therefore, as they who adhered to Noah were saved, so, at the Coming of the Son of man, those who will adhere to Christ, the Son of man, will be saved.

Secondly, He explains this comparison as to the uncertainty of the time of His Coming: For, as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, etc. In these words, it seems He mentions two things: one is, namely, the despair of His future coming and its cause.

Now the cause why a man does not hope for His future Coming is that he is occupied with the cares of the flesh, for he walks according to his concupiscences: You have feasted upon earth: and in riotousness you have nourished your hearts (James 5:5). For that reason, they will be occupied with wantonness, which has two parts, namely, in rioting and drunkenness, and in chambering and impurities (Romans 13:13).

Regarding the first part, He says: Eating and drinking: it is not that eating and drinking is a sin, but to fix them as one’s end is a sin. As to the second part, He says: Marrying and giving in marriage, etc. And the passage continues, And they knew not till the flood came and took them all away, namely, those who did not adhere to Noah, who was a figure of Christ. So also shall the coming of the Son of man be.

But it is written: Men withering away for fear (Luke 21:26). And above, in this chapter, it is stated that the sun shall be darkened (Matthew 24:29). How, then, will men be secure such that they eat and have an easy life?

The answer is twofold. Jerome says that it is true that around the time of the Antichrist there will be many tribulations, and this will be to test the elect. Afterwards, they will be restored to tranquility, and in that tranquility, the wicked occupy themselves with joy. Therefore, Luke speaks regarding the state of tribulation, but Matthew speaks regarding the time immediately preceding the coming of God.

Likewise, it may be said otherwise, that some men are good while others are wicked. And the Church will universally suffer tribulation and the good will be punished by the wicked; therefore, it is said above: You shall be hated by all men for my name’s sake (Matthew 10:22). Therefore, they who will suffer will be the good; but those who will put into effect the tribulations of this kind will be the wicked.

Therefore, what is said here, Eating and drinking, etc., is understood in regard to the wicked; that, however, which is stated in Luke is said in regard to the good. Or it is as follows: Since it frequently happens that the good are corrected by tribulation but the wicked are not, therefore, the wicked shall wither but the good shall not.

Then two shall be in the field. One shall be taken and one shall be left. In this part, He relates the outcome of this uncertainty of the time of His coming. And what will it be? Because it happens that of men put into one type of work, one will be taken up and the other left behind. And this can be explained, according to Chrysostom, that He merely wishes to say that in every condition of man and in every type of work some will be reprobate and others will be elect: those who are good will be taken, and those who are wicked shall be left. How? As it was said above (Matthew 13), the angels will come and take the elect, more precisely, to Christ.

Likewise, some men live delicately; on the other hand, others perform their duties. Likewise, there are certain occupations that pertain to men and others that pertain to women; the work of men is properly in the fields. Then, therefore, two shall be in one (understood literally) field, meaning two laboring men: One shall be taken, as the elect, and one shall be left, as the reprobate.

Likewise, two women shall be grinding at the mill. One shall be taken and one shall be left. This is an occupation of women. It used to be customary that women would grind, and He speaks according to the custom of the region where there was no water. Now one grinds with horses or with men, but then it was an occupation of women: Take a millstone and grind meal (Isaiah 47:2).

Therefore, when it is said that there will be two women grinding, the meaning is that there will be two women performing their duties. And then, One shall be taken, is explained as before. Likewise, There shall be two men in one bed. The one shall be taken and the other shall be left. Chrysostom says that the rich do not labor but instead they rest; therefore, they are designated by those who lie in bed; and of these two, one shall be taken and one shall be left.

It can also be explained allegorically, and this is Hilary’s explanation. By the field, the world is signified, as it was said above. By the two men, the faithful and the infidels are signified. Of these, one is taken, namely, the faithful; and the other is left, namely, the infidels.

Likewise, the Old Law is signified by the millstone, which is heavy and burdensome: This is a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear, etc. (Acts 15:10). And among those who receive the Old Law, some receive Christ, others do not. All those are said to grind at the mill who receive the Old Law; and those are indeed taken who receive the Old Law with the New; but those who do not are left.

Likewise, they who receive Christ are like those lying in bed, because by the bed the remembrance of the Passion is signified, and of such men some are taken and others are left: for some conform themselves to the Passion by good works but others do not.

It can be otherwise explained, such that it refers to the three states of the faithful; for there are three kinds of men: some are contemplative, others are prelates, and others are active. No state is secure; indeed, some may be damned in any state. The state of contemplation is signified by the bed. Concerning this it is said in Song of Solomon 1:15: Our bed is flourishing; and, nevertheless, some in this state are damned.

The state of active men is signified by the millstone, because it is burdensome and they are anxious: Martha, Martha, thou art careful and art troubled about many things (Luke 10:41). For they are involved in worldly affairs, and, for that reason, among them some are damned. By the field into which men go out to labor, the prelates are signified: Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field (Song of Solomon 7:11). And among them, some are taken and others are left behind.