Wednesday of the 29th week after Pentecost

Second, as to the prediction introduced from the occasion taken, there is added: These things which you see, the days will come in which there shall not be left stone upon stone that shall not be destroyed. This indeed was said generally and is true for the time of the final judgment, when all things shall be destroyed, according to that passage of Matthew twenty-four: "Heaven and earth shall pass away," etc.; and Revelation twenty-one: "The first heaven and the first earth passed away, and the sea is no more," as in the Psalm: "They shall perish, but you shall remain," etc. It is also true for the destruction of Jerusalem specifically, which was accomplished by Titus and Vespasian in the forty-second year after the Passion of the Lord; above, in the nineteenth chapter: "The days shall come upon you, and your enemies shall surround you with a rampart and cast you to the ground, and they shall not leave in you stone upon stone." Hence Gregory says that that Jerusalem with the temple was utterly overthrown, and a new one was afterwards rebuilt. The reason, moreover, why the Lord delayed for forty-two years was so that He might await them for repentance, as is said in Second Peter three: "He acts patiently on your account, not willing that any should perish." The reason, moreover, why He delayed no longer was on account of the obstinate faithlessness of the Jews, which despised the truth on account of the veil and the shadow. Hence the Gloss: "God took care to overthrow the city and the temple and all figurative things, lest anyone after the coming of Christ should have recourse to them." And for that time is understood that passage of Isaiah one: "What is the multitude of your victims to me? says the Lord. I am full." "Offer sacrifice no more in vain: incense is an abomination to me. New moons and Sabbaths and other festivals I will not endure." And therefore Galatians five: "Stand fast and do not be held again under the yoke of servitude. Behold, I Paul say to you," etc.

The Lord, as One who in a short time would undergo the Crucifixion, fittingly prophesies now concerning Jerusalem, so that we might have in this a strong proof that He is the true God. Therefore even when some were praising the buildings of the temple and the "offerings" (I think they were speaking of carved and sculpted works, such as palms and cherubim (1 Kings 6:32): this, perhaps, is what they called them), the Lord pays no attention to any of it, but foretells their destruction.

Then he said to them: Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines, and pestilences. It is established that these things occurred literally before the end of the desolation of the temple, that is, in the time of the Jewish sedition. However, kingdoms against kingdoms, and the pestilence of those whose word spreads like gangrene (2 Tim. 2), and the famine of hearing the word of God (Amos 8), and the disturbance of the entire earth, and separation from true faith, can also be understood in the heretics, who, fighting against each other, bring about the victory of the Church.

But the kingdom against kingdom, and the pestilence of those whose word creepeth as a cancer, and the famine of hearing the word of God, and the shaking of the whole earth, and the separation from the true faith, may be explained also in the heretics, who contending one with another bring victory to the Church.

Thirdly, as to the onset of pestilences, he subjoins: Then he said to them: Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. Gregory: "Behold, the disturbance of men"; and there shall be great earthquakes in various places, "behold, the visitation of wrath from above"; and pestilences, "behold, the inequality of bodies"; and famines, "behold, the barrenness of the earth"; and terrors from heaven, "behold, the inequality of the air"; and there shall be great signs, not only because they are many, but also because they are unusual.

Moreover, signs of this kind, great and many, preceded the destruction of Jerusalem, according to what Josephus narrates, who says that "a star resembling a sword hung over Jerusalem for a year, and that chariots and armed horsemen waged battle in the air for forty days, and that a heifer brought forth a lamb among the hands of those crowding in." And these great signs preceded the second destruction of Jerusalem, just as they had preceded its destruction carried out under Antiochus: Second Maccabees 5: "It happened that throughout the whole city of Jerusalem there were seen for forty days horsemen rushing through the air, wearing golden robes, and engagements taking place in close combat, and the movement of shields and the hurling of javelins and the splendor of golden arms and breastplates of every kind."

This manifold and pestilential disturbance, although it has at times existed in part in the Church, as Gregory narrates, will nevertheless be fully present in the final tribulation, at whose approach there will be a disturbance of men and of the elements. For the disturbance of men will occur, according to that passage of Isaiah 19: "I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians, and a man will fight against his brother and a man against his friend and city against city and kingdom against kingdom"; and Zechariah 8: "I have let loose all men, each one against his neighbor." Nor will there be only a disturbance of men, but also of the elements. Whence Gregory says: "First the hearts of men and afterward the elements will be disturbed, so that, when the order of things is confounded, it may be shown from what source the tribulation comes." The elements will therefore be disturbed, according to that passage of Isaiah 24: "The floodgates from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth will be shaken. The earth will be utterly broken," etc. And Gregory says: "All things which we have received for the use of life, we have turned to guilt: the tranquility of human peace into complacency; the pilgrimage of the way we have loved in place of the dwelling of our homeland; the health of our bodies we have reduced to the service of vices; the abundance of plenty we have twisted not to the necessity of the flesh but to the perversity of pleasure; the serenity of the air we have compelled to serve us for the love of earthly delight. Justly, therefore, all things strike us, so that as many joys as we have had in the world, so many torments we may afterward feel." And this indeed rightly, because, Wisdom 11, "by what things a man sins, by these also is he tormented"; and again Wisdom 5: "The whole world will fight for him against the senseless"; and therefore Wisdom 16: "The creature, serving you its Maker, is enkindled unto torment against the unjust, and is made milder to do good for those who trust in you." Whence Gregory himself also says: "Because all things are to be consummated, before the consummation all things were disturbed; and we who have sinned in all things are struck in all things, so that what was said may be fulfilled: The whole world will fight for him against the senseless," Wisdom 5.

The final tribulation is preceded by many tribulations, and through the frequent evils that come before, the perpetual evils that will follow are indicated. And therefore after wars and seditions the end does not come immediately, because many evils must run before, so that they may be able to announce evil without end. But since so many signs of disturbance have been mentioned, we ought to touch briefly upon the consideration of each one, because it is necessary that we suffer some things from heaven, some from earth, some from the elements, some from men. For he says: "Nation will rise against nation"—behold the disturbance of men.

It follows, Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, &c. For it must needs be that we should suffer some things from heaven, some from earth, some from the elements, and some from men. Here then are signified the confusions of men.

The ruin of the world then is preceded by certain of the world's calamities, such as famine, pestilence, and persecution.

And there shall be terrors in the heavens, and great signs. And these same things being fulfilled, whoever has read the history of Josephus will find out. For indeed a star similar to a sword, as he states, hung over Jerusalem for a whole year, terrifying the anxious citizens with a dreadful portent. And likewise chariots and armed horsemen were seen running through the skies, and mimicking the manner of warriors for forty days. Moreover, when a heifer was brought to sacrifices, it gave birth to a lamb in the hands of those offering it. But what merit caused these things to happen is immediately added when it is said:

"There will be great earthquakes in various places"—behold the look of wrath from above; "there will be pestilences"—behold the disorder of bodies; "there will be famine"—behold the barrenness of the earth; "terrors from heaven and storms"—behold the disorder of the air. Because therefore all things are to be brought to an end, before the end all things are disturbed; and we who have sinned in all things are struck in all things, so that what is said may be fulfilled: "And the world will fight on his behalf against the senseless." For all things that we received for the use of life we have turned to the use of sin, but all things that we bent to the use of wickedness are turned against us for the use of vengeance. Indeed we turned the tranquility of human peace to the use of vain security; we loved the pilgrimage of earth as if it were our homeland's dwelling; we reduced the health of bodies to the use of vices; we twisted the abundance of plenty not to the necessity of the flesh but to the perversity of pleasure; we forced even the serene enticements of the air to serve our love of earthly delight. Rightly therefore it remains that all things strike us together, which all together served our vices in evil subjection, so that as many joys as we previously had unharmed in the world, so many torments from it we are afterward compelled to feel.

But it should be noted what is said: "Terrors from heaven and storms." Since winter storms usually come according to the order of the seasons, why are storms predicted here as a sign of destruction, unless because the Lord announces that storms will come that in no way keep the order of the seasons? For those that come in an orderly fashion are not a sign; but storms are a sign that confound even the appointed times of the seasons themselves. This we too have recently experienced, because we saw the entire summer season turned into winter rains.

It follows, And great earthquakes shall be in divers places. This relates to the wrath from above.

(in Hom. 35.) Look at the vicissitudes of bodies. And famine. Observe the barrenness of the ground. And fearful sights and great signs there shall be from heaven. Behold the variableness of the climate, which must be ascribed to those storms which by no means regard the order of the seasons. For the things which come in fixed order are not signs. For every thing that we receive for the use of life we pervert to the service of sin, but all those things which we have bent to a wicked use, are turned to the instruments of our punishment.

(Hom. 11. in Acta.) For an earthquake is at one time a sign of wrath, as when our Lord was crucified the earth shook; but at another time it is a token of God's providence, as when the Apostles were praying, the place was moved where they were assembled. It follows, and pestilence.

As a consequence of wars, "famine and pestilence" will follow; pestilence from the corruption of the air by corpses, and famine from the failure to cultivate the fields. Some understood it such that famine, pestilence, and other calamities would occur not only at the end of the age, but also during the captivity of Jerusalem. For Josephus (Flavius) says that on account of the famine there were terrible calamities. And Luke too in the book of Acts (Acts 11:28) says that "there was a famine... under Caesar Claudius." There were also many terrors pointing to the captivity, as the same Josephus recounts. This, that is, "wars, tumults," and the rest, can certainly be understood generally as referring to the time of the end of the world and the captivity of Jerusalem.

For the Jews thought that the abomination of desolation took place when the Romans, in mockery of a Jewish observance, cast a pig's head into the temple.

Now mystically, the abomination of desolation is the coming of Antichrist, for with ill-omened sacrilege he pollutes the innermost recesses of the heart, sitting as it is literally in the temple, that he may claim to himself the throne of divine power. But according to the spiritual meaning, he is well brought in, because he desires to impress firmly on the affections the footstep of his unbelief, disputing from the Scriptures that he is Christ. Then shall come desolation, for very many falling away shall depart from the true religion. Then shall be the day of the Lord, since as His first coming was to redeem sin, so also His second shall be to subdue iniquity, lest more should be carried away by the error of unbelief. There is also another Antichrist, that is, the Devil, who is trying to besiege Jerusalem, i. e. the peaceful soul, with the hosts of his law. When then the Devil is in the midst of the temple, there is the desolation of abomination. But when upon any one in trouble the spiritual presence of Christ has shone, the unjust one is cast out, and righteousness begins her reign. There is also a third Antichrist, as Arius and Sabellius and all who with evil purpose lead us astray. But these are they who are with child, to whom woe is denounced, who enlarge the size of their flesh, and the step of whose inmost soul waxes slow, as those who are worn out in virtue, pregnant with vice. But neither do those with child escape condemnation, who though firm in the resolution of good acts, have not yet yielded any fruits of the work undertaken. These are those which conceive from fear of God, but do not all bring forth. For there are some which thrust forth the word abortive before their delivery. There are others too which have Christ in the womb, but have not yet formed Him. Therefore she who brings forth righteousness, brings forth Christ. Let us also hasten to nourish our children, lest the day of judgment or death find us as it were the parents of an imperfect offspring. And this you will do if you keep all the words of righteousness in your heart, and wait not the time of old age, but in your earliest years, without corruption of your body, quickly conceive wisdom, quickly nourish it. But at the end shall all Judæa be made subject to the nations which shall believe, by the mouth of the spiritual sword, which is the two-edged word. (Rev. 1:16; 19:15.)

Anyone can see that he refers to that city when Christ says, "When you shall see Jerusalem surrounded by an army, then know that its desolation is near." Anyone can see that these words refer to the last coming of the Lord when he says, "When you shall see these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of God is near." When he says, "Alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be." This passage is phrased in this way in Matthew and Mark so that it is uncertain whether it is to be understood of the destruction of the city or of the end of the world.… Luke has so arranged it that it seems to refer to the destruction of that city.

(ad Hesych. Ep. 199.) These words of our Lord, Luke has here related to show, that the abomination of desolation which was prophesied by Daniel, and of which Matthew and Mark had spoken, (Mat. 24, Mark 13.) was fulfilled at the siege of Jerusalem.

But when you shall see Jerusalem surrounded by an army, then know that her desolation is near. Thus far these things which were to be for forty years, with the end not yet coming; here the very end of the desolation, which was made by the Roman army, is explained by the Lord's words.

Hitherto our Lord had been speaking of those things which were to come to pass for forty years, the end not yet coming. He now describes the very end itself of the desolation, which was accomplished by the Roman army; as it is said, And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed, &c.

When you shall see surrounded by an army, etc. After he described what was to come in general, and also the persecutions of the Church itself, here he describes what is to come concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, by which is understood the tribulation that the Church is to suffer in the time of the Antichrist. This part has two parts. In the first of these he foretells the preceding war: and in the second, the subsequent destruction, at the passage: But woe to those who are pregnant and nursing, etc.

The preceding war, however, he describes with respect to three things, namely with respect to the danger of battle, the remedy of flight, and the judgment of divine vengeance.

First, with respect to the danger of battle, he says: When you shall see Jerusalem surrounded by an army, through the siege of the Romans, according to that passage of Ezekiel chapter four: "Son of man, take to yourself a brick, and you shall set it before you, and you shall draw upon it the city of Jerusalem, and you shall lay siege against it, and you shall build fortifications, and you shall cast up a mound, and you shall set camps against it, and you shall place battering rams round about."

Then know that its desolation has drawn near, through complete overthrow; Daniel chapter nine: "The people with the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and its end shall be devastation, and after the end of the war the appointed desolation," etc.

Spiritually, however, by the army surrounding Jerusalem is understood the insurrection of the wicked against ecclesiastical peace, brought about by the Antichrist and his ministers, according to that passage of Revelation chapter sixteen: "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 go forth in the manner of frogs. For they are spirits of demons working signs, and they go forth to the kings of the whole earth to gather them for battle on the great day of almighty God"; and Revelation chapter nineteen: "I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered to make war with him who sat upon the horse." But because the wicked will be incomparably more numerous, they are therefore said to surround. As a figure of this, 1 Kings chapter twenty-three: "Saul and his men were encircling David and his men in the manner of a crown, to capture them." Whence Job chapter nineteen: "His robbers came together and made their way by me and besieged my tabernacle round about."

To make his prediction even clearer and to mark more plainly the time of its capture, Jesus says, "When you have seen Jerusalem surrounded with armies, then know that its destruction is near." Afterwards, he again transfers his words from this subject to the time of the consummation. He says, "There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken." Since creation begins to be changed and brings unendurable terrors on the inhabitants of earth, there will be a certain fearful tribulation. There will also be souls departing to death. The unendurable fear of those things that are coming will be sufficient for the destruction of many.

By the desolation of Jerusalem, He means that it was never again to be set up, or its legal rites to be reestablished, so that no one should expect, after the coming siege and desolation, any restoration to take place, as there was in the time of the Persian king, Antiochus the Great, and Pompey.

Then, having shown what was to be the period of the destruction, even "when Jerusalem should begin to be compassed with armies," He described the signs of the end of all things: "portents in the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity-like the sea roaring-by reason of their expectation of the evils which are coming on the earth.

Now the Lord speaks most clearly about the captivity of Jerusalem. Therefore I think that the words "but before all these" (Lk. 21:12) should be understood thus: before the famine and pestilence, and the other calamities that will occur at the time of the end of the world, you, the apostles, will be driven out, and so forth. Then for Jerusalem too calamities will come. Since they thought that the buildings of the temple would be destroyed at the time of the end, the Lord says: no! For at the time of the end there will be false prophets, famine, and pestilence from the constant wars that will be kindled because love will grow cold. But you will be driven out before the time of the end, and Jerusalem will be taken captive, and these stones will be destroyed. "When you see the city of Jerusalem surrounded by Roman armies, then know that its desolation has drawn near."

(ad Hesych. Ep. 199.) And before this, Matthew and Mark said, And let him that is on the housetop not come down into his house; and Mark added, neither enter therein to take any thing out of his house; in place of which Luke subjoins, And let them which are in the midst of it depart out.

(ad Hesych. Ep. 199.) But where Matthew and Mark have written, Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes, Luke adds more clearly, And let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto, for these be the days of vengeance, that all the things which are written may be fulfilled.

Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. The ecclesiastical history narrates that all the Christians who were in Judea, warned by the Lord at the imminent destruction of Jerusalem, left the place, and until the desolation of Judea was fulfilled, lived in a certain city named Pella across the Jordan.

And those who are in the midst of it, let them depart. And those who are in the regions, let them not enter into it. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. It indeed seems to pertain to appropriate admonition, that those who are outside should not enter into it, but how will those who are in the midst depart from a city already surrounded by an army? Unless perhaps what was stated before, that is, then those who are in Judea should flee, does not pertain to the exact time of the siege, but to the time before the siege, when the Roman soldiers first began to spread through the boundaries of Galilee or Samaria, so that then everyone would hasten to flee while there was still time for flight. But these are the days of vengeance, namely seeking vengeance for the blood of the Lord.

(Ecc. Hist. lib. iii. c. 5.) The ecclesiastical history relates, that all the Christians who were in Judæa, when the destruction of Jerusalem was approaching, being warned of the Lord, departed from that place, and dwelt beyond the Jordan in a city called Pella, until the desolation of Judæa was ended.

But how, while the city was already compassed with an army, were they to depart out? except that the preceding word "then" is to be referred, not to the actual time of the siege, but the period just before, when first the armed soldiers began to disperse themselves through the parts of Galilee and Samaria.

Second, regarding the remedy of flight, he adds: Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, lest they be found; and let those who are in the midst of it depart, lest they be enclosed; and let those who are in the countryside not enter into it, lest they be captured there. For the army of the Romans first overthrew many cities throughout Judea before it came to Jerusalem. And nearly all the Jews had entered there, as Josephus says, on account of the feast and on account of security; therefore they were all seized by the just judgment of God, according to that passage in Jeremiah 12: "Gather them together like a flock for the slaughter and sanctify them for the day of killing." But the Christians were delivered through flight; hence the Gloss of Bede: "Ecclesiastical history relates that the Christians who were in Judea, when the destruction was imminent, were warned by an Angel and dwelt beyond the Jordan in the city of Pella until the desolation of Judea was fulfilled."

Spiritually, however, the remedy is here intimated which will be available to the weak in that violent persecution of the Antichrist, namely that of flight and concealment. For it is permitted for the imperfect to flee in order to avoid dangers; hence Zechariah 2: "O, O, O! Flee from the land of the north, says the Lord." Condescending to these, Christ hid himself from the Jews, according to that passage in John 7: "After these things Jesus walked in Galilee. For he did not wish to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him." It is also permitted for perfect men, when they see that it is more expedient for the salvation of the people that they flee; hence the Lord said to the disciples in Matthew 10: "But when they persecute you in one city, flee to another"; and concerning Paul it is said in Acts 9 that when "the Jews were guarding the gates of Damascus day and night in order to kill Paul, the disciples took him and let him down through the wall by night, lowering him in a basket." A figure of this preceded in David; 1 Kings 19: "But he went away and fled and was saved"; for he was let down by Michal through the window.

Now our Lord, foreseeing that there would be a famine in the city, warned His disciples in the siege that was coming, not to betake themselves to the city as a place of refuge, and under God's protection, but rather to depart from thence, and flee to the mountains.

"Let those who are in Judea," He says, "flee to the mountains"; let those in the surrounding areas not hope that the walls of the city will protect them, but even those who are inside the city, let them go out of it.

"But the woman fled into the wilderness, and there were given to her two great eagle's wings." The aid of the great eagle's wings-to wit, the gift of prophets-was given to that Catholic Church, whence in the last times a hundred and forty-four thousands of men should believe on the preaching of Elias; but, moreover, he here says that the rest of the people should be found alive on the coming of the Lord. And the Lord says in the Gospel: "Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; " that is, as many as should be gathered together in Judea, let them go to that place which they have ready, and let them be supported there for three years and six months from the presence of the devil.

And these are the days of vengeance, that is, the days exacting vengeance for our Lord's blood.

Third, regarding the judgment of divine vengeance, he adds: Because these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. Now the Lord decreed to destroy Jerusalem in vengeance for the blood of Jesus Christ and of his Prophets; hence Matthew 23: "That upon you may come all the just blood that has been shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the just even to the blood of Zechariah. Amen I say to you: All these things shall come upon this generation." For so great a crime ought in no way to remain unavenged; therefore Lamentations 2: "The Lord has done what he purposed; he has fulfilled his word which he commanded from the days of old. He has destroyed and has not spared, and he has made the enemy rejoice over you and has exalted the horn of your adversaries."

Spiritually, however, through these things is understood the vengeance of divine indignation on account of the sins of ecclesiastical persons, both secular and religious, according to that passage of Micah 3: "Her princes judged for bribes, and her priests taught for hire, and her prophets divined for money." "Therefore Zion shall be plowed as a field," etc. And especially on account of the sins of prelates: Isaiah 1: "How has the faithful city become a harlot, full of judgment! Justice dwelt in her, but now murderers"; "your princes are faithless, companions of thieves. All love bribes, they pursue rewards." "Therefore says the Lord God of hosts: Ah! I will be comforted over my enemies and will be avenged of my foes." Therefore Isaiah 34: "The day of the Lord's vengeance, the year of retributions of the judgment of Zion"; and 2 Thessalonians 2: "God will send them the operation of error, that they may believe a lie, that all may be judged who did not believe the truth but consented to iniquity." And then in the final tribulation all things will be consummated, according to that passage of Revelation 10: "In the days of the voice of the seventh Angel, when he shall begin to sound the trumpet, the mystery of God shall be consummated, which he spoke through his servants the Prophets"; and chapter 15: "The temple of God was filled with smoke from the majesty of God, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven Angels were consummated."

For these will be days of vengeance, so that what is written may be fulfilled, especially in the book of the prophet Daniel (Dan. 9:26-27).

Woe to those pregnant women, because they are heavy in body; they are too slow to escape danger. Woe to those for whom the yet unfelt pangs of future birth, by which every body is shaken, are the signs of future judgment, the beginnings of sorrows.

(ad Hesych. Ep. 199.) Then Luke follows in words similar to those of the other two; But woe to them that are with child, and them that give suck in those days; and thus has made plain what might otherwise have been doubtful, namely, that what was said of the abomination of desolation belonged not to the end of the world, but the taking of Jerusalem.

Woe to those who are pregnant and those nursing in those days. Woe, in the presence of captivity, to those who are pregnant and those nursing, or suckling, as some interpret. For their wombs or hands burdened with the load of their children significantly hinder the necessity of flight. Read even the history of the Kings, where the wife of Jonathan, avoiding the evil of captivity with a hasty flight, received her son, who slipped from her bosom, permanently lame.

For there will be great distress upon the earth, and wrath upon this people. This distress and wrath have adhered as an inseparable companion to that people scattered among all nations up to this day, yet it is not believed to adhere perpetually. For after the Lord showed the order of the same distress or wrath, saying:

He says then, Woe to them that nurse, or give suck, as some interpret it, whose womb or arms now heavy with the burden of children, cause no slight obstacle to the speed of flight.

But woe to those who are with child and to those who are nursing, etc. After he described the preceding war, he here describes secondly the subsequent destruction; concerning the description of which three things are indicated, namely the oppression of the city about to be occupied, the destruction of the oppressed city, and the desolation of the destroyed city.

First, therefore, with respect to the oppression of the city about to be occupied, he says: But woe to those who are with child and to those who are nursing in those days! The Gloss says: "Whose wombs or hands, weighed down by the burden of children, will impede the necessity of flight": because for such persons flight will not be able to avail, according to that passage of 1 Thessalonians 5: "Sudden destruction shall come upon them, as the pain upon her who is with child, and they shall not escape." — But the reason for this is the vehement oppression of the city; therefore he adds: For there shall be great distress upon the land and wrath upon this people, according to that passage of Isaiah 29: "Woe to Ariel! Woe to Ariel! the city which David conquered. And I will lay siege to Ariel, and it shall be sorrowful and mourning. And I will surround you as a sphere round about, and I will cast up a rampart against you and set up siege works for your blockade."

But according to the mystical understanding, by those who are with child are understood sinful souls, who conceive through the concupiscence of sin and give birth through perverse action. Whence Augustine, On the Words of the Lord: "When someone desires another's property, his soul seems as it were to have conceived; and if he is able to obtain that thing through some wickedness, he is known as it were to kiss and nurture the child that has been born." Whence James 1: "Concupiscence, when it has conceived, brings forth sin; and sin, when it is consummated, begets death." And for such there will be woe in that tribulation; whence Wisdom 4: "All children born of the wicked are witnesses of wickedness against their parents in their examination."

But by those who are with child can be understood souls who have a good intention but do not arrive at the birth of its effect; whence Isaiah 37: "The children have come to the birth, and there was no strength for bringing forth." And for these there will be woe in that tribulation, because, just as the blossom of the vine is quickly damaged by the cold, so a good intention is annihilated in persecution; whence Job 15: "Its cluster shall be damaged like a vine in its first flower," and this through bad examples. On account of which, Amos 1: "For three crimes of the children of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn him back, because he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead to enlarge his border." For these there will be woe on account of negligence, just as for the others woe on account of concupiscence. And thus will be fulfilled that word of Isaiah 28: "The word of the Lord shall be to them: Command, command again, command, command again; wait, wait again, wait, wait again; a little there, a little there—that they may go and fall backward and be broken and snared and taken."

(adv. oppug. mon. vit.) He next assigns the cause of what he had just now said, For there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. For the miseries that took hold of them were such as, in the words of Josephus, no calamity can henceforth compare to them.

For why should we be eager to bear children, whom, when we have them, we desire to send before us (to glory) (in respect, I mean, of the distresses that are now imminent); desirous as we are ourselves, too, to be taken out of this most wicked world, and received into the Lord's presence, which was the desire even of an apostle? To the servant of God, forsooth, offspring is necessary! For of our own salvation we are secure enough, so that we have leisure for children! Burdens must be sought by us for ourselves which are avoided even by the majority of the Gentiles, who are compelled by laws, who are decimated by abortions; burdens which, finally, are to us most of all unsuitable, as being perilous to faith! For why did the Lord foretell a "woe to them that are with child, and them that give suck," except because He testifies that in that day of disencumbrance the encumbrances of children will be an inconvenience? It is to marriage, of course, that those encumbrances appertain; but that ("woe") will not pertain to widows.

A third saying let them add, "Let us eat, and drink, and marry, for to-morrow we shall die; " not reflecting that the "woe" (denounced) "on such as are with child, and are giving suck," will fall far more heavily and bitterly in the "universal shaking" of the entire world than it did in the devastation of one fraction of Judaea.

"Woe to those who are pregnant" (in those days), for because of the heaviness of their womb they cannot flee, "and to those who are nursing," for because of their great love for their children they can neither leave them unattended nor take them along. Some say that the Lord is here alluding to the slaughter of children, about which Josephus relates and Jeremiah prophesies (Jer. 11:22).

But some say that the Lord hereby signified the devouring of children, which Josephus also relates.

The signs given in the Gospel and in prophecy and fulfilled in us show the coming of the Lord.… We know that the coming is near by the fact that we see the fulfillment of certain signs of that coming that have been accomplished.… The signs that Christ told them to look for are listed in the Gospel of Saint Luke: "Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the times of the nations are fulfilled." This has happened and no one doubts that it has happened.… It is plain that there is no country or place in our time that is not harassed or humbled according to the words "for fear and expectation of what will come on the whole world." All the signs that the gospel describes in the earlier verses have mostly been accomplished.

And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles. Immediately following the prophecy which sings: In wrath remember mercy, he appended and said:

Until the times of the nations are fulfilled. For those times of the nations are indeed those which the Apostle mentions, saying: Because blindness in part has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved (Rom. XI). When they have obtained the promised salvation, and they shall return to their fatherland and rejoice in the possession and inhabitation of their former metropolis, perhaps it is not hoped in vain, because it is said that they shall not be oppressed forever, but until the times of the nations are fulfilled. What, however, follows after the times of the nations are fulfilled, and so all Israel is saved, the Lord manifestly explains in order. For according to Matthew, the disciples asked this, not only inquiring about the time of the destruction of the temple, but also the sign of his coming and the end of the age.

Which indeed the Apostle makes mention of when he says, Blindness in part is happened to Israel, and so all Israel shall be saved. (Rom. 11:25.) Which when it shall have gained the promised salvation, hopes not rashly to return to the land of its fathers.

Secondly, as regards the destruction of the oppressed city, there is added: And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive into all nations. We see this fulfilled literally in the Jews, of whom Josephus narrates a wondrous slaughter, and we see a wondrous dispersion of the living; and thus was verified in them that word of Deuteronomy 32: "Outside the sword shall lay them waste, and within, terror—the young man together with the virgin, the suckling with the aged man"; and that word of Lamentations 1: "Outside the sword slays, and at home death is the same"; and likewise that word of Lamentations 2: "He bent his bow like an enemy, he made firm his right hand like a foe, and he slew all that was beautiful to behold in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion."

According to the mystical sense, by this slaughter is understood that most great carnage which will occur in the final tribulation, concerning which Isaiah twenty-two says: "A day of slaughter and of trampling and of weeping to the Lord God of hosts in the valley of vision." And concerning this Daniel eleven says: "And the learned among the people shall instruct many; and they shall fall by the sword and by flame and by captivity and by plunder for many days." "And some of the learned shall fall, that they may be refined and chosen and made white," etc. Whence it is said in Ezekiel nine: "Pass through the midst of the city and strike; let not your eye spare, nor have pity; slay the old man, the young man and the virgin, the little child and women, unto utter destruction. And begin from my sanctuary," etc. And therefore Job nineteen says: "Flee from the face of the sword," etc.

Third, as regards the desolation of the destroyed city, he adds: And Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the nations. Lamentations one: "The enemy has stretched out his hand upon all her desirable things, for she has seen the nations enter her sanctuary, concerning whom you had commanded that they should not enter your assembly." And Lamentations two: "The Lord has cast down and has not spared." "He has cast down all her walls, he has destroyed her strongholds, and has filled in the daughter of Judah the humiliated man and the humiliated woman." And in the Psalm it is said: "O God, the nations have come into your inheritance," etc. — And since the wrath of the Lord is not without mercy, therefore he adds: Until the times of the nations be fulfilled. The Gloss says: "That is, until the fullness of the nations shall have entered, and so all Israel should be saved, as it is written: There shall come out of Zion he who shall deliver and turn away ungodliness from Jacob." And therefore it is said in Lamentations three: "For the Lord will not cast off forever; for if he has cast off, he will also have mercy according to the multitude of his mercies."

According to the mystical sense, by the times of the nations is understood that time in which the son of perdition will trample the Church. Revelation eleven: "The court which is outside the temple, do not measure, for it has been given to the nations, and they shall tread the holy city for forty-two months." But this time shall be shortened on account of the merit of the elect; whence Matthew twenty-four says: "There shall be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall be. And unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the sake of the elect they shall be shortened." Whence also Daniel nine says: "Seventy weeks are shortened upon your people and upon your holy city, that transgression may be finished, and sin may reach its end, and iniquity may be blotted out, and everlasting justice may be brought in."

For so in truth it was, that when the Romans came and were taking the city, many multitudes of the Jewish people perished in the mouth of the sword; as it follows, And they shall fall by the edge of the sword. But still more were cut off by famine. And these things happened at first indeed under Titus and Vespasian, but after them in the time of Hadrian the Roman general, when the land of their birth was forbidden to the Jews. Hence it follows, And they shall be led away captive into all nations. For the Jews filled the whole land, reaching even to the ends of the earth, and when their land was inhabited by strangers, they alone could not enter it; as it follows, And Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

For after He had declared that "Jerusalem was to be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles should be fulfilled," -meaning, of course, those which were to be chosen of God, and gathered in with the remnant of Israel-He then goes on to proclaim, against this world and dispensation (even as Joel had done, and Daniel, and all the prophets with one consent ), that "there should be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars, distress of nations with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring, men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth.

"And Jerusalem," He says, "shall be trodden down by the Gentiles." Up to this point the discourse was about the captivity; then about the end.