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Explanation for:
Matthew
24
:
31
And he shall send his angels with a trumpet, and a great voice: and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the farthest parts of the heavens to the utmost bounds of them.
10
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{"arr":[{"author-name":"Hippolytus of Rome","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88cd73e72481766a496e4_Hippolytus%20of%20Rome.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":2,"exegesis-text":"It is further stated concerning the Second Coming and the Final Judgment: at that time, the Son of Man will dispatch his angels to assemble his chosen ones from the four corners of the earth."},{"author-name":"John Chrysostom","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88ea76859f9f8e2ffd3ee_John%20Chrysostom.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Simultaneously, He will dispatch His angels with a resounding trumpet, and they will gather His chosen ones from the four corners of the earth, from the very ends of the heavens. Consider the anguish of those who will be left behind. Not only will they face their punishment, but they will also endure this torment. As Christ previously indicated that they will cry out, \\"Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord\\" (Matt. 23:39), He now reveals that they will also \\"weep.\\" Earlier, Christ had warned them about severe trials; however, to make them aware that after the tribulations of this life, future sorrows await them, He depicts them as weeping, alienated from the elect, and destined for Gehenna. This is meant to strengthen His disciples, illustrating the calamities they will be spared from and the blessings they will enjoy.\\n\\nBut why will Christ, through the angels, call the elect if His arrival is so apparent? To bestow upon them this honor. Paul states that they will be caught up in the clouds. He emphasizes this in his teaching on the resurrection: \\"Because the Lord Himself,\\" he states, “at the proclamation, at the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God, will descend from heaven” (1 Thess. 4:16). Thus, the angels will gather those who are resurrected, and the clouds will lift them up, all occurring in the briefest instant. The Lord won't summon them from above but will come with a trumpet's call. Why the trumpets and the voice? For excitement, joy, the announcement of solemn occurrences, and for the anguish of those forsaken. Alas for us on that dreadful day! We should be filled with joy upon hearing it, yet we mourn, lament, and grieve. Am I alone in feeling this way, while others rejoice? I am somewhat taken aback by this notion, shedding tears and sighing deeply. Yet it is not just this that troubles me but what follows concerning the virgins, the one who buried the talent he received, and the unfaithful servant. Hence, I weep thinking of what glory we may forfeit, what hope of blessings may elude us, and more importantly, completely and eternally, if we do not take even a little care. Even if the law were daunting and hard to follow, it remains necessary to fulfill it. While many who are careless claim various excuses—often futile, pointing to the weight of commandments, the immense effort required, the endless time involved, and the unbearable strain—they can no longer justify such neglect; this realization will particularly torment us, even more than Gehenna, when we lose heaven and indescribable blessings over a fleeting moment of inattention, neglecting a trivial effort. Truly, time is short, and effort is minimal; yet we remain lax and disheartened. \\n\\nIn this present life, one endures struggles, but in heaven awaits a crown. From humans come trials, but from God, honor is bestowed. For a couple of days we flee from hardship, but for eternity, there is reward; through the corruptible body we engage in conflict, while in the incorruptible lies glory. Additionally, we must consider that even if we may choose not to endure some afflictions for Christ, it is still imperative that we suffer them, though in a different manner. If you do not die for Christ, you will not have immortality; if you do not renounce worldly riches for Him, you cannot take them with you at death. He asks that you relinquish what you will inevitably give up due to mortality. He desires you to voluntarily do what you will inevitably have to. He requires one thing from you for His sake: that which naturally arises through necessity. Do you perceive how simple this task is? That which you must bear, He instructs you to bear for Him; add only this, and I am pleased with your submission! \\n\\nThe gold you intend to lend to another, give it to Me, with the assurance of greater profit and security; the body with which you would serve another, serve Me instead: your toils I will reward abundantly. In other circumstances, you prefer those who offer greater pay—both in lending, commerce, and military service; yet for Christ, who alone rewards exceedingly more than anyone else, there is reluctance to accept. Why such great strife? Why this animosity? Where then will you find forgiveness and refuge if you are unwilling to prioritize God over men for the very things you value among humans? Why tether your riches to the earth? Place them in My hands, He says. Do you not believe that the Lord of the earth is more trustworthy than the earth itself? The earth only returns what is entrusted to it, often failing even that; yet, the Lord also grants you a reward for guarding it, for He loves us deeply. Therefore, if you wish to lend, He is ready to receive; if you want to plant, He shall take it upon Himself; if you want to build, He beckons you, saying, \\"Build on My foundation.\\" \\n\\nWhy do you engage with poor, begging men? Turn instead to God, who promises to reward even the smallest acts with great returns. Yet we refuse to hear this, rushing toward quarrels, strife, and various conflicts. Is it not just that the Lord withdraws and disciplines us when He is freely offering all things, and we resist Him? This is clear to all. Whether you want adornment, He says, adorn yourself with My beauty; or to arm yourself, take My weapons; or to clothe yourself, wear My garments; or to eat, taste My food; or to walk, follow My path; or to inherit, receive My inheritance; or to enter the homeland, enter the city of which I am the Architect and Builder; or to construct a home, build it in My villages. I demand no reward from you for what I provide, yet I will also reward you for desiring to partake of all My blessings. \\n\\nWhat can surpass such generosity? I am the Father, the Brother, the Bridegroom, the Home, the Food, the Garment, the Root, the Foundation, everything you long for: you shall lack nothing. I will also serve you—for I came to serve, not to be served (Matthew 20:28). I am friend, member, head, brother, sister, and mother—all in one; only you must be My friend. For you I am in need, for you I am a beggar, for you I am nailed to the cross, for you I dwell in the grave, for you I intercede with the Father in heaven, for you I have come to earth as a messenger from the Father. You are everything to Me: brother, co-heir, and friend. What more do you seek? Why turn away from the One who loves you? What do you strive for in the world? Why invest in a broken vessel? That is what laboring for this life equates to. What do you cultivate in fire? What do you strike into the air? What do you run after in vain? Every trade has a purpose; everyone understands this. Show me, then, the purpose of worldly concerns. But you cannot reveal it: \\"Vanity of vanities is all vanity\\" (Ecclesiastes 1:2). \\n\\nLet us visit the tombs: show me the father, show me the wife. Where is the one adorned in golden robes, who rode in a chariot, commanded armies, wore a king's girdle, had heralds announcing his will, executed some, and released others at will? I see nothing but bones, worms, and cobwebs. All is earth, all is illusion; all is a dream and a shadow, empty tales and images, or better said, less than mere images: for the images we see in a painting are absent here; we see no image at all.\\n\\nOh, if this were the end of all suffering! Nonetheless, honor, pleasure, fame are mere shadows, mere words; and what arises from them is no longer ephemeral but will endure forever with us and be known to all—embezzlement, greed, fornication, adultery, and countless such transgressions, whether expressed in actions or words, are not written on canvases nor in dust but recorded in heaven. With what eyes shall we approach Christ? If a man cannot face his father when guilty, how shall we gaze upon Him who is infinitely more compassionate than our earthly fathers? How can we withstand His presence? \\n\\nWe will stand before the judgment of Christ, and all will be tested rigorously. Yet, if anyone doubts the reality of future judgment, let them observe what transpires here—those ensnared in prisons, mines, in dismal places, the demon-possessed, the insane, those afflicted with untreatable illnesses, those enduring perpetual poverty, the hungry, and those suffering from extreme trials, and the captives. They would not be suffering now if others who sinned in the same ways had not faced their own punishment and torment. But if some have been completely unscathed here, this should signal to you that something awaits them beyond this life. The God of all would not punish some while sparing others—those who may have committed the same or even greater transgressions—unless He intends to subject them to future punishment. \\n\\nIn light of these reflections and evidence, let us humble ourselves, and let those who reject judgment reconsider and reform, so that we, having lived this life worthy of the kingdom of heaven, may receive eternal blessings through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."},{"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 apostle mentions this trumpet in 1 Corinthians 15:52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16, and the Book of Revelation discusses it in Revelation 8:7-13. In the Old Testament, there is a directive to create trumpets made of gold, silver, and brass to proclaim the profound truths of doctrine."},{"author-name":"Apollinarius of Laodicea","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":4,"exegesis-text":"The Son of Man revealed His divinity when He proclaimed that He would dispatch His angels, for angels are instruments of God, and it is His prerogative to send them forth. The phrase \\"from the edge of heaven to the edge of them\\" indicates a unity between the realms of earth and heaven. Hence, we are called to trust in Christ and not to be misled into believing that the earth is merely a trivial aspect of the vastness of heaven, which is filled with boundless glory."},{"author-name":"Euthymios Zigabenos","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":11,"exegesis-text":"He will dispatch them prior to the emergence of the Cross. In this instance, he departs from the chronological narrative to convey what is destined to occur. The four winds symbolize the four corners of the globe: east, west, north, and south. Each region emanates its own distinctive wind, collectively representing these four quarters. The phrase from the end of the heavens to the end of them provides clarification for the earlier reference to the four winds. Mark states, from the end of the earth to the end of heaven, illustrating that the boundaries of heaven and earth are equivalent. It is essential to observe that the dead will be raised at the sound of a trumpet; those who awaken will be gathered by angels, and those who are gathered will be taken up in clouds. As Paul noted, ‘At the Lord's meeting in the air’ (1 Thess. 4:17). Furthermore, Christ indicated that angels will also collect sinners, as he explained in a parable found in the thirteenth chapter (v. 41): The Son of man shall send his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all temptation, and them that work iniquity. There, you will discover the clarification."},{"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":"He will dispatch angels to bring together the living saints and those who have been resurrected to meet Him in the heavens. He will exalt them by calling them forth through the angels. This aligns with the teachings of the Apostle Paul, who affirmed that \\"we shall be raptured in the clouds\\"; those gathered by angels will subsequently be taken up in the clouds. Thus, the sound of the trumpet adds to the awe of this event."},{"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":"He will dispatch His angels, and their throngs will soar at His command from one end of the cosmos to the other, accompanied by a resounding trumpet that echoes with the might of God, like the very trumpet of God itself. At the sound of this trumpet, the dead will rise. The angels of the Most High will gather His CHOSEN ONES—those true believers called into the Kingdom of Christ, along with all who engage in wickedness—from the four corners of the earth, from the east and the west, the north and the south, from the farthest reaches of the heavens to their outer limits, encompassing all realms and all lands. They will assemble the faithful for everlasting glory, while the sinners will be led to eternal torment. Following this, the culmination of the world will arrive, ushering in the splendid Kingdom of God. St. Chrysostom poses a thought: “Why will Christ call the elect through His angels if He is coming so plainly?” He responds, “To bestow honor upon them as well.” St. Paul affirms that they will be caught up in the clouds, stating that the Lord Himself, at the announcement, at the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God, will descend from on high (1 Thess. 4:16). Thus, the angels will collect the resurrected, while the clouds will elevate the chosen, all of which will transpire swiftly and in the blink of an eye. What purpose serve the trumpets and the voice? They herald excitement and joy while also marking the unfolding of dreadful events and the anguish of those left behind. Oh, the lamentable reality of that fearful day! We ought to rejoice at its sound, yet instead, we grieve and mourn. “Am I the only one feeling this anguish while you rejoice?” cries St. Chrysostom. “A sense of dread overwhelms me at such talk, and I weep deeply and sigh from my innermost being. I weep, contemplating what we may lose in glory, the hope of blessings, and even more, eternally, if we do not labor even a little.”"},{"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":"“With a mighty trumpet blast”: it is not that every angel will sound a trumpet, but rather there will be a singular final trumpet (1 Cor. 15:52), the trumpet of God (1 Thess. 4:16). At the blast of this trumpet, angels will be dispatched by the Messiah. This trumpet will also herald the resurrection of the dead (1 Cor. 1 Thess. in the following places). The Jewish people traditionally summoned their assemblies with trumpets (Lev. 25:9, Num. 10:2, Judg. 3:27). The Savior employs this well-known practice among the Jews to signify a divine act, prompting the angels to gather the elect at Christ’s second coming. - “The elect”: genuine believers chosen to inherit Christ’s kingdom. The angels will also assemble those who engage in wrongdoing (cf. Matt. 13:41). The former will be gathered for everlasting glory, while the latter will face eternal condemnation. - “From the four winds”: from the east, west, north, and south. The Jewish tradition often referred to these four directions as the four winds (Ezekiel 37:9, Isaiah 43:5-6). - “From one end of heaven to the other,” encompassing the entire earth, from every visible point on the globe (cf. Deut. 4:32, Ps. 18:1-7)."},{"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":"When Jesus spoke of His return, He employed terms and imagery that the apostles would grasp, drawn from Jewish life. Moses, while guiding the Israelites into the Promised Land, convened assemblies and instructed them to sound silver trumpets to signal their journey (see Num. 10:1-10); this practice became a tradition among the Jews in later generations. The phrase from the four winds was commonly used among the Jews to denote the four corners of the earth—east, west, north, and south. Additionally, the expression from the edge of the heavens to the edge of them, found in the Old Testament, referred to the entirety of the earth, the whole inhabited globe (see Deuteronomy 4:32). Consequently, when Jesus declares that He will send His angels with a loud trumpet, these words should not be taken literally. Just as the return of Jesus Christ will be immediate and visible to everyone, so too will the angels dispatched by Him swiftly gather individuals from every part of the globe. This rapid and collective resurrection, as if all respond at once to the call of Christ proclaimed by the angels, resembles the customary Jewish assembly call, heralded by a resounding trumpet that echoes simultaneously to all who are invited. The Evangelist Matthew conveys Jesus's words about gathering only the chosen ones, those destined for the Kingdom of Heaven; however, as Matthew later states that all nations will be assembled (Matthew 25:32), it follows that both the elect and the non-elect, those deserving of the Kingdom of Heaven and those lacking merit, will ultimately be called."},{"author-name":"Paul Matwejewski","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8969f5be0d592d5a10576_Paul%20Matwejewski.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The final trumpet (1 Cor. 15:52) from God (1 Thess. 4:16) will herald the ultimate judgment for humanity, symbolizing a unique expression of God's all-powerful nature, akin to the Jewish tradition of summoning people to assemble with trumpet calls (Lev. 25:9; Num. 10:2; Judg. 3:27). On this day, not only the chosen will be gathered, but, as the Lord previously announced, all deceivers and evildoers (Matt. 13:41) will also come forth. At the resurrection of the dead, all who are in their graves will respond to the call of the Son of God; those who have committed righteous deeds will rise to partake in the resurrection unto life, while those who have done wrong will experience the resurrection unto judgment (John 5:28, 29)."}]}
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