←
Explanation for:
Matthew
24
:
8
Now all these are the beginnings of sorrows.
8
more explanations
& daily audio-books
spoken by
– enjoy in Theosis App –
Start your
Bible-journey
with explanations
& daily audio-books
only 4$* per month
{"arr":[{"author-name":"Jerome of Stridon","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88dcd3432c6dd41375498_Jerome%20of%20Stridon.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"The New Synodal Russian Translation states: For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be plagues, pestilences, and earthquakes in places; and all these things are the beginning of sorrows. I firmly believe that this prophecy will indeed manifest literally as described. Nevertheless, I perceive that the strife among kingdoms, the devastation brought by those whose teachings spread like gangrene, as noted in 2 Timothy 2:17, along with the intense longing or famine for the hearing of God’s Word, widespread turmoil, and a turning away from genuine faith, all pertain more to heretical groups that clash against one another, thus ultimately leading to the triumph of the Church. The phrase, All these things are the beginning of the tribulation, can be better understood as the birth pains, suggesting that the arrival of the Antichrist may be contemplated in terms of his inception rather than his definitive arrival."},{"author-name":"Theophylact of Bulgaria","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8989296bafed9104677d7_Theophylact%20of%20Bulgaria.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":11,"exegesis-text":"The Lord addresses the conflicts faced by the Romans near Jerusalem. He states, \\"Not only will there be war, but also famine and pestilence,\\" indicating that God's anger will be directed towards the Jewish people. While wars can often be attributed to human actions, famine and pestilence are divine consequences. To reassure the disciples, and to prevent them from believing that their proclamation of the gospel would herald the end of the world, the Lord adds, \\"Be not dismayed... it is not yet the end,\\" clarifying that the total conclusion of all things will not occur simultaneously with Jerusalem's ruin. \\"Nation shall rise upon nation, and kingdom upon kingdom\\"; this signifies \\"the beginning of the diseases,\\" referring to the afflictions that will befall the Jews. Just as a woman experiences pain before giving birth, this present age will usher in the next one only after suffering and conflict."},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"YET IT SIGNALS THE DAWN OF TRIBULATIONS. St. Chrysostom remarks, \\"The Lord foretells all this to affirm that He will rise against the Jewish people, waging war through plagues, pestilence, and earthquakes; He Himself will orchestrate wars, and these events will not transpire by mere chance, but according to divine wrath. Thus, He indicates that they will not occur suddenly or upon mere happenstance, but will be accompanied by clear signs.\\" All of this transpired precisely as foretold. Prior to Jerusalem's destruction, there was disorder and conflict in every direction. After rebelling against the Romans, the Jews turned on each other, their blood spilled in civil strife before the external assaults began. In Rome, following Nero's demise, three emperors were succeeded in a mere eighteen months, with each transition inciting violent upheavals among the military and the populace. News of these disturbances reached Judea, leading the inhabitants of Jerusalem to ponder, \\"There is bloodshed everywhere; surely the end has arrived!\\" In the Book of Acts of the Apostles, we learn that the prophet Agabus predicted a famine in Judea, which, according to Josephus Flavius, became so dire in Jerusalem that many perished from it. From 41 to 45 A.D., seven to ten years post the Lord's ascension, there were four famines across Rome, Greece, and Palestine, alongside devastating plagues chronicled by contemporary historians like Josephus and Tacitus. Destructive earthquakes wreaked havoc in Laodicea, Hierapolis, and Colossae, impacting Smyrna, Chios, Miletus, and Samos as well. Amidst these afflictions, the Lord manifested remarkable signs of His justice over Jerusalem: for an entire year, a comet resembling a sword was visible above it; the temple was illuminated by light at night; a lamb was born from a cow intended for sacrifice during the Feast of Unleavened Bread; the massive east gates of the temple, usually requiring twenty men to move, opened of their own accord at midnight; chariots and armies appeared in the skies; and on Pentecost, as the priests entered the temple, an extraordinary sound resonated, followed by a distinct voice proclaiming, \\"Let us depart from here!\\" Thus, the words of the Lord were fulfilled with perfect precision: there shall be great earthquakes, plagues, pestilences, distressing sights, and great signs from heaven (Luke 21:11). The Lord equates all these calamities and ominous signs to the intense pains of childbirth. In foretelling these events, He counsels His disciples, \\"Do not fear these tribulations; they are unavoidable according to God's decree. Moreover, you yourselves will encounter significant peril: take heart! Before these widespread catastrophes commence, you will have the opportunity to endure various trials. Despite your innocence, the animosity of all nations, including the hostility of both Jews and Gentiles, will be directed toward you."},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The onset of afflictions: the commencement of the tribulations that will be realized for the Jewish people through the devastation of Jerusalem and the temple, though these trials are still ahead. These sufferings are likened in intensity and sensitivity to the pains of childbirth."},{"author-name":"Gladkow B.I.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88bf0ceef8c96e09a6521_Gladkow%20B.I..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The apostles believed that the anticipated reign of the Messiah would commence following the destruction of Jerusalem, expecting that Jesus Christ would return and establish His magnificent kingdom concurrently with the end of days. They assumed these events would occur imminently, while they were still living. It was necessary to caution them against such assumptions. Thus, Jesus, before addressing their inquiries directly, warned them: “Beware lest someone deceive you with false assurances about my coming and the coming end of the world. Many will come under my name and say, ‘I am the Christ’; and many will be misled” (Luke 21:8). He implored them not to be deceived, as there would be turmoil among nations, conflicts, and violent wars; one nation would rise against another and one kingdom against another; famine, pestilence, and earthquakes would follow, intensifying the troubles. Signs would appear in the heavens, and many observers would declare that the end of the world was approaching. Yet, He urged them to remain steadfast against such claims.\\n\\nAs we examine what history reveals regarding the fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy, we note that the Jews, regarding themselves as subjects of God alone, harbored deep resentment toward the Romans and seized every opportunity to oppose their oppressive rule. The Roman procurators further fueled this animosity through their cruelty and avarice. The Jews faced especially dire circumstances during Florus' governance. Seeking relief, they appealed to the Roman emperor to remove him, but when rebuffed, they revolted, killing all the Roman soldiers tasked with maintaining order in Jerusalem and seizing control. Other cities soon joined the insurrection, spreading the rebellion throughout Palestine. To quell the dissent, troops were dispatched, ultimately entering Galilee under the command of Vespasian. This marked the beginning of the Jewish War, vividly chronicled by the Jewish historian Josephus Flavius, who was a participant in these events. \\n\\nRecalling Jesus' warning, “Beware lest anyone deceive you, for many will come under my name” (Matthew 24:4), the Apostles remained resolute against false prophets and false Christs that proliferated during this tumultuous period. Josephus Flavius described how Palestine was inundated with deceivers and sorcerers who lured people into the wilderness, performing tricks as if by divine might. Among these charlatans were Dositheus the Samaritan, who proclaimed himself as the Christ, Simon the Magus, another Samaritan who claimed to be the son of God, as well as Theudas, Menander, the Egyptian, and others. The Jews, having rejected Christ, eagerly anticipated a conquering Messiah and readily flocked to meet any impostor. This wave of deception preceded the destruction of Jerusalem, which was necessary before the prophesied events unfolded, and so it came to pass."},{"author-name":"Paul Matwejewski","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8969f5be0d592d5a10576_Paul%20Matwejewski.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"In the presence of the God-man, both near and far events are revealed in a singular, majestic vision, where many of the events surrounding the city's and the temple's ruin serve as symbols of the ominous occurrences that will mark the end of times. The Lord, addressing His disciples, emphasized the signs that would herald the unfolding of divine judgment. \\"Watch ye, lest any man deceive you: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and the time is at hand: and many shall deceive you; for ye shall not go out in their footsteps.\\" When unrest and turmoil arise, He advised them not to be troubled or fearful, for such occurrences must precede the ultimate events, but they are not yet at hand. Nations will rise against nations, and there will be famines and upheavals in various places, accompanied by significant signs from heaven. All of this is just the beginning of sorrows—the onset of tribulations that will lead to the eventual destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. The fulfillment of the Lord's words is evident through the credible accounts of those who lived during that time. From the moment of the Lord's crucifixion until the prophesied destruction of the city and the temple, Judea and the Roman Empire were engulfed in turmoil and conflict. A Roman historian recorded this period as \\"abundant with calamities, cruel battles, disturbances, and troubling even amidst peace.\\" Amidst this atmosphere of anticipation for extraordinary events, numerous false messiahs emerged among the Jewish population, deceiving the easily led. Natural disasters compounded these troubles: earthquakes devastated prosperous cities in Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Achaia; a severe famine struck Rome, Greece, and Jerusalem; and a widespread pestilence afflicted large regions in the east and Italy. The historian from Rome also noted extraordinary signs in the heavens—fearful thunders and other ominous portents of divine judgment—triggered by the escalating wickedness of people. A historian of Judea documented many remarkable premonitions before Jerusalem's fall, including a comet resembling a sword hanging over the city for an entire year, a glowing light in the temple during the night, the inexplicable opening of the temple's bronze gates without human effort, visions of chariots and armies in the clouds, and, on the day of Pentecost, a noise and a voice saying, \\"Let us depart from this place\\" as priests entered the temple. When contemplating these calamities and signs that foreshadowed Jerusalem's destruction, the God-Man perceived both imminent and distant events as representations of even more profound tribulations that will occur before the world's end."},{"author-name":"Bogolepow D.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The period spanning from Augustus’s reign to the fall of Jerusalem was marked by significant unrest within the Roman Empire. In Rome, there was a swift turnover of emperors. In cities where Jews and Gentiles coexisted, tensions often escalated into violent confrontations, leading to tragic losses of life. Famine also occurred, as indicated in the book of Acts (11:28). Additionally, natural disasters such as earthquakes caused substantial devastation; for example, during Nero’s rule, entire cities in Campania and Asia Minor were lost to such calamities. Jerusalem itself witnessed ominous occurrences and extraordinary signs in the heavens. The historian Josephus recorded that a comet resembling a sword lingered over Jerusalem for an entire year preceding its downfall, that phantom cavalry were sighted in the clouds, and that an unusual light illuminated the temple at night around the altar, among other alarming phenomena."},{"author-name":"Alexander Gorsky","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8884037c1e1c51e1332e2_Alexander%20Gorsky.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"This warning (Matt. 23:37-39) weighed heavily on the hearts of the disciples, who believed it would come to pass but felt compassion for Jerusalem, struggling to reconcile it with their understanding of the Messiah's reign. After departing from the temple, as the Lord heard His disciples marveling at its grandeur, especially visible from the Mount of Olives, He disclosed that all this magnificence would be utterly destroyed. Curious for further insight, the disciples questioned Him, in solitude on the Mount of Olives, about when this catastrophic event would transpire. Those who had not yet witnessed the inauguration of the Messiah's kingdom, as they longed for and anticipated, failed to recognize the signs indicating the end of the current age, which, according to Jewish beliefs, was to be wholly transformed with the arrival of the Messiah's kingdom. Thus, they collectively inquired about the signs that would reveal the moment His kingdom would be established and the culmination of the age would occur."}]}
Support this project and get full access for only 4$/month
Commentarie text can’t be scrolled on PC at the moment. Please use your phone. We’re working on a fix.
