Signs of the End and the Endless Kingdom
“…will give praise to You” (Psalm 76:10).
95. That the sun and the moon will be darkened. Joel says, “I will show wonders in the heaven above and on the earth below, blood and fire and vapor of smoke; and the sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes; and it will be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Joel 2:30-32). And again he says, “The day of the Lord is at hand, for near is a day of darkness and gloom, a day of cloud and mist” (Joel 2:1-2). And the Preacher says, “Rejoice, young man, in your youth, and put away anger from your heart, and remember Him who created you, before the days of your evil come, before the sun and the moon and the stars are darkened, and those who look out through the windows grow dim” (Ecclesiastes 11:9-10; 12:1-3).
96. That the heavens will be rolled up. Isaiah says, “And the heaven will be rolled up like a scroll, and all the stars will fall like leaves from a vine, and as leaves fall from a fig tree” (Isaiah 34:4). And David says in the 102nd Psalm, “In the beginning You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands; they will perish, but You will remain; and they will all grow old like a garment, and like a cloak You will roll them up, and they will be changed” (Psalm 102:25-26). And again Isaiah says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35; compare Isaiah 51:6).
97. That the Antichrist will come before the coming of Christ. Daniel says, “After them another king will arise, who will surpass in evils all who were before him; and he will speak words against the Most High” (Daniel 7:24-25).
98. That he will kill many. Daniel says, “I was watching, and that horn was making war with the saints” (Daniel 7:21).
99. That then there will be a time of tribulation. Daniel says, “Then there will be a time of tribulation, such tribulation as there had not been among men until then” (Daniel 12:1).
100. That Christ will come after him, and how He will come. Zechariah says, “They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds, and the tribes will mourn, tribe by tribe” (Matthew 24:30; compare Zechariah 12:10-12). And David says in the 50th Psalm, “Our God, and He will not keep silent; fire will blaze before Him, and around Him a mighty storm” (Psalm 50:3).
101. That the sign of Christ will be plain to see. Isaiah says, “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear; and when He has gathered them, He will not judge by appearance, nor will He convict by hearsay” (Matthew 24:30; Isaiah 11:3).
102. That the kingdom will have no end. Daniel says, “His kingdom will not be destroyed, and it will not be left to another people” (Daniel 7:14; 2:44). And David says in the 45th Psalm, “Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever” (Psalm 45:6). And again the same says in the 102nd, “But You are the same, and Your years will not fail” (Psalm 102:27).
Greek
ἐξομολογήσεταί σοι. 95.t ε ὅτι ὁ ἥλιος καὶ ἡ σελήνη σκοτισθήσονται– 95.1 Ιωηλ λέγει· ∆ώσω τέρατα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἄνω καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ κάτω, αἷμα καὶ πῦρ καὶ ἀτμίδα καπνοῦ· καὶ ὁ ἥλιος μεταστραφήσεται εἰς σκότος καὶ ἡ σελήνη εἰς αἷμα πρὶν ἢ ἐλθεῖν τὴν ἡμέραν Κυρίου τὴν μεγάλην καὶ ἐπιφανῆ· καὶ ἔσται πᾶς ὃς ἂν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου σωθήσεται. 95.2 Καὶ πάλιν λέγει· Πάρεστιν ἡ ἡμέρα Κυρίου, ὅτι ἐγγὺς ἡμέρα σκότους καὶ γνόφου, ἡμέρα νεφέλης καὶ ὁμίχλης. 95.3 Καὶ ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστὴς λέγει· Εὐφραίνου, νεανίσκε, ἐκ νεότητός σου, καὶ ἀπόστησον θυμὸν ἀπὸ καρδίας σου, καὶ μνήσθητι τοῦ κτίσαντός σε, ἕως οὗ μὴ ἔλθωσιν αἱ ἡμέραι τῆς κακίας σου, ἕως οὗ μὴ σκοτασθῇ ὁ ἥλιος καὶ ἡ σελήνη καὶ οἱ ἀστέρες, καὶ σκοτάσουσιν αἱ βλέπουσαι ἐν ταῖς ὀπαῖς. 96.t ὅτι οἱ οὐρανοὶ εἰλίσονται– 96.1 Ησαϊας λέγει· Καὶ εἰλισθήσεται ὡς βιβλίον ὁ οὐρανός, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἄστρα πεσεῖται ὡς φύλλα ἐξ ἀμπέλου καὶ ὡς πίπτει φύλλα ἀπὸ συκῆς. 96.2 Καὶ ὁ ∆αυιδ ἐν τῷ ρα ψαλμῷ λέγει· Κατ' ἀρχὰς σύ, Κύριε, τὴν γῆν ἐθεμελίωσας, καὶ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν σού εἰσιν οἱ οὐρανοί· αὐτοὶ ἀπολοῦνται, σὺ δὲ διαμενεῖς, καὶ πάντες ὡς ἱμάτιον παλαιωθήσονται, καὶ ὡσεὶ περιβόλαιον ἐλίξεις αὐτούς, καὶ ἀλλαγή σονται. 96.3 Καὶ πάλιν Ησαϊας λέγει· Ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ παρελεύσεται, οἱ δὲ λόγοι μου οὐ μὴ παρέλθωσιν. 97.t ζ ὅτι πρὸ τῆς Χριστοῦ παρουσίας ἥξει ὁ Ἀντίχριστος– 97.1 ∆ανιηλ λέγει· Ὀπίσω τούτων ἀναστήσεται βασιλεὺς ἕτερος, ὃς ὑπεροίσει κακοῖς πάντας τοὺς ἔμπροσθεν· καὶ λόγους πρὸ τὸν ὕψιστον λαλήσει. η ὅτι φονεύσει πολλούς– 98.1 ∆ανιηλ λέγει· Ἐθεώρουν καὶ τὸ κέρας ἐκεῖνο ἐποίει πόλεμον μετὰ τῶν ἁγίων. 99.t θ ὅτι τότε καιρὸς θλίψεως– 99.1 ∆ανιηλ λέγει· Ἔσται τότε καιρὸς θλίψεως, θλῖψις οἵα οὐ γέγονεν τότε ἐν ἀνθρώποις. 100.t ρ ὅτι μετ' αὐτὸν καὶ πὼς ὁ Χριστός– 100.1 Ζαχαριας λέγει· Ὄψονται τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενον ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν· καὶ κόψονται φυλαὶ κατὰ φυλάς. 100.2 Καὶ ∆αυιδ ἐν τῷ μθ ψαλμῷ λέγει· Ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ οὐ παρασιωπήσεται· πῦρ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ καυθήσεται καὶ κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ καταιγὶς σφόδρα. 101.t ρα ὅτι τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ Χριστοῦ φανερὸν ἔσται– 101.1 Ησαϊας λέγει· Τότε φανήσεται τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, καὶ συναγάγων οὐ κατὰ τὴν δόξαν κρινεῖ οὐδὲ κατὰ τὴν λαλιὰν ἐλέγξει. 102.t ρβ ὅτι τῆς βασιλείας οὐκ ἕξει πέρας– 102.1 ∆ανιηλ λέγει· Ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ οὐ διαφθαρήσεται, καὶ λαῷ ἑτέρῳ οὐχ ὑπολειφθήσεται. 102.2 Καὶ ∆αυιδ ἐν τῷ μδ ψαλμῷ λέγει· Ὁ θρόνος σου, ὁ Θεός, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. 102.3 Καὶ πάλιν ὁ αὐτὸς ἐν τῷ ρα λέγει· Σὺ δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς εἶ, καὶ τὰ ἔτη σου οὐκ ἐκλείψουσιν.