Cyril of Jerusalem, Lecture 15, Part B

Cyril of Jerusalem

Lecture 15, Part B

https://www.swrktec.org/catechism

“I beheld till thrones were placed, and one that was ancient of days did sit, and then, I saw in a vision of the night, and behold one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven….” — Daniel 7:9-14

Summary: St. Cyril explores some of the mysteries of Antichrist, thought to be one among the kings of the Romans; as well as other aspects of Eschatology.  He returns in time to consider Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.  He ponders the Desolating Abomination; internecine war and corruption within the Church, which was already well-developed in his time; he fears the hatred among the brothers and sisters, as well as the fracturing that will come of it: we must always be on guard.  To counteract all the negativity concerning Antichrist he brings us back to glorious visions of the Second Advent, with the sign of the Cross.[i]

Preview:  12.  “But this aforesaid Antichrist is to come when the times of the Roman empire shall have been fulfilled, and the end of the world is now drawing near.  There shall rise up together ten kings of the Romans, reigning in different parts perhaps, but all about the same time; and after these an eleventh, the Antichrist….”  “For as the first kingdom which became renowned was that of the Assyrians, and the second, that of the Medes and Persians together, and after these, that of the Macedonians was the third, so the fourth kingdom now is that of the Romans.”[ii]  “His ten horns are ten kings that shall arise; and another king shall rise up after them, who shall surpass in wickedness all who were before him.”[iii]  14.  “Who is this?”  “Whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders.”[iv]  15.  Who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he seats himself in the temple of God.”[v]  “He means, the Temple of the Jews which has been destroyed.”[vi]  “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints.”[vii]  16.  “Then let them which be in Judea flee to the mountains.”[viii]  Whom we must resist: for, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ….”[ix]  “For then shall be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be.”[x]  “And he swore by Him that lives forever that it shall be for a time, and times, and half a time.”[xi]  17.  “Who then is the blessed man, that shall at that time devoutly witness for Christ?” … resisting Antichrist?  “And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book; and many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt; and they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and of the many righteous, as the stars for ever and ever.”[xii]  18.  “Guard yourself then, O man; you have the signs of Antichrist; and remember them not only yourself, but impart them also freely to all.”  “I fear the schisms of the Churches; I fear the mutual hatred of the brethren.  But enough on this subject; only God forbid that it should be fulfilled in our days; nevertheless, let us be on our guard.”  19.  “But let us wait and look for the Lord's coming upon the clouds from heaven. Then shall Angelic trumpets sound; the dead in Christ shall rise first.”[xiii]  20.  “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth….  Therefore remove anger from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh... and remember your Creator... or ever the evil days come.... or ever the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars be darkened.... and they that look out of the windows be darkened; or ever the silver cord be loosed; and the flower of gold be broken; and they shall rise up at the voice of the sparrow, yea, they shall look away from the height, and terrors shall be in the way.  Then shall they see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven; and they shall mourn tribe by tribe.  The almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall grow heavy, and the caper-berry shall be scattered abroad.”[xiv]  21.  “All foretell the coming of the Lord.”  “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God.”[xv]  “God shall manifestly come, even our God, and shall not keep silence; a fire shall burn before Him, and a fierce tempest round about Him….”[xvi]  “And the Father shall sit, having His garment white as snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool.”[xvii]  “And they shall see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.”[xviii]  22.  “But what is the sign of His coming?”  “The sign of the Cross shall be a terror to His foes; but joy to His friends who have believed in Him, or preached Him, or suffered for His sake.”  “He shall send forth His Angels with a great trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds.”[xix]  “Come, you blessed of My Father.”[xx]

---

[i] The key to rooting out any deceiver, deception, or flaw is not to focus on such flaws.  The only way to detect flaws is to focus intently on the genuine article, Christ.  When the original is thoroughly known: bad, flawed copies are immediately and readily detected; even those that have never occurred before.  New flaws are only discovered because they don’t look like the original.  We must know Christ and Him only; this is both the Father’s will, and the Spirit’s powerful gift: in knowing Christ, we fellowship with the Father and with the Spirit.  If we wish to see the Father, we must look to Christ.  If we would learn from the Spirit, we must see that He teaches Christ.  The Father does not resemble pseudo-Christs; the Spirit does not reveal quasi-Christs.

[ii] Daniel 2 (gold, silver, brass, iron, corrupted iron, diamond); 7 (lion, bear, leopard, a beast with ten horns); 8 (ram, he-goat with four horns; which are interpreted in Scripture as Medo-Persia – the Achaemenid era, the Greeks under Alexander, the Greeks divided to the four winds, the emergence of the Seleucids.); with more details in Chapters 9-12.

[iii] Daniel 7:24

[iv] 2 Thessalonians 2:9

[v] The difficulty is in knowing which temple.  There was at least one instance of an idol being installed in Herod’s Temple, which is necessarily dated prior to 70, when it was destroyed by Titus.  There is the Temple of the Holy Spirit, the Church, which St. Cyril rejects as a possibility, out of hand: yet, several deceivers have presumed to take the earthly throne of the Church.  Sabbatai Zevi (circa 1666) fits the bill without any temple.  There is the possibility of constructing a new Jerusalem Temple, which is still in the possible future.  Now, in 2018 the picture looks considerably different than it did in St. Cyril’s day: it’s still quite confusing.  2 Thessalonians 2:4

[vi] Titus himself fits this mold; as also does the Dome of the Rock.

[vii] This could indicate a first century event.  Daniel 7:21

[viii] This could indicate the flight of the Jews to Masada (70), or the flight of Christians into the Araba to escape Titus at about the same time.  Matthew 24:16; Mark 13:14; Luke 21:21; Revelation 12:6, 17

[ix] Romans 8:35

[x] This, again seems to speak of a first century event.  Matthew 24:21

[xi] Daniel 12:7

[xii] Daniel 12:1-3

[xiii] 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

[xiv] Ecclesiastes 11:10; 12:1-7; Daniel 7:13; Zechariah 12:10-12; quoted in the New Testament as well.

[xv] 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

[xvi] Psalm 50:3-7

[xvii] Daniel 7:9

[xviii] Matthew 24:30

[xix] Matthew 24:31

[xx] Matthew 25:34

Cyril of Jerusalem, Lecture 15, Part A

Cyril of Jerusalem

Lecture 15, Part A

https://www.swrktec.org/catechism

“I beheld till thrones were placed, and one that was ancient of days did sit, and then, I saw in a vision of the night, and behold one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven….” — Daniel 7:9-14

Summary: St. Cyril now shifts his attention to the Second Advent or Second Coming of Christ; that it will be a time of judgement.  At the same time, he retains a binocular view of the First Advent for contrast.  He emphasizes how the Second Advent must impact Christian discipleship; especially since we must remain watchful: we do not know the time of His Coming.  St. Cyril explores details of false indications of Christ’s Coming, and ways to identify false Christs.  Principle of which is that Christ’s Coming will be heavenly and spectacular; whereas, all of the deceptions and deceivers are purely human in source.

Preview:  1.  “We preach not one advent only of Christ, but a second also, far more glorious than the former.  For the former gave a view of His patience; but the latter brings with it the crown of a divine kingdom.  For all things, for the most part, are twofold in our Lord Jesus Christ: a twofold generation; one, of God, before the ages; and one, of a Virgin, at the close of the ages: His descents twofold; one, the unobserved, like rain on a fleece; and a second His open coming, which is to be.  In His former advent, He was wrapped in swaddling clothes in the manger; in His second, He covers Himself with light as with a garment.  In His first coming, He endured the Cross, despising shame[i]; in His second, He comes attended by a host of Angels, receiving glory.”  “Blessed is He that comes in the Name of the Lord.”[ii]  “Then, He came because of a divine dispensation, teaching men with persuasion; but this time they will of necessity have Him for their King, even though they wish it not.”[iii]  2.  “Concerning these two comings … And the Lord whom you seek shall suddenly come to His temple … And the Messenger of the covenant whom you delight in.  Behold, He comes, says the Lord Almighty.  But who shall abide the day of His coming?  Or who shall stand when He appears?  Because He comes in like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ herb; and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier.”[iv]  “And I will draw near to you in judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulteresses, and against those who swear falsely in My Name.”[v]  “If any man builds on the foundation gold, and silver, and precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed in fire.”[vi]  “The grace of God has appeared which brings salvation unto all men, instructing us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, and godly, and righteously in this present world; looking for the blessed hope, and appearing of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.”[vii]  3.  “Our Lord Jesus Christ, then, comes from heaven; and He comes with glory at the end of this world, in the last day.”  “And the heaven shall be rolled together as a scroll; and all the stars shall fall, as leaves from a vine, and as leaves fall from a fig-tree.”[viii]  “The sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven.”[ix]  “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands; they shall perish, but You remain.”[x]  “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood.”[xi]  “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.”[xii]  “So we look for a resurrection … of the heavens also.”  4.  Yet, “It is not for you to know times or seasons, which the Father has put in His own power.”[xiii]  “Watch, for in such an hour as you expect not the Son of Man comes.”[xiv]  Which we must know to prevent being deceived by Antichrist: for, Satan [appears as] an Angel of light.[xv]  Beware, “make yourself safe.”  5.  “Take heed that no man mislead you: for many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ, and shall mislead many.”[xvi]  6.  “And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars.”[xvii]  “Watch therefore, He says; for you know not at what hour your Lord does come.”[xviii]  7.  “But we seek our own sign of His coming; we Churchmen seek a sign proper to the Church.  And the Savior says, And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.[xix]  If you hear that bishops advance against bishops, and clergy against clergy, and laity against laity even unto blood, be not troubled; for it has been written before.  Heed not the things now happening, but the things which are written; and even though I who teach you perish, you shall not also perish with me; nay, even a hearer may become better than his teacher, and he who came last may be first, since even those about the eleventh hour the Master receives.  If among Apostles there was found treason, do you wonder that hatred of brethren is found among bishops?  But the sign concerns not only rulers, but the people also; for He says, And because iniquity shall abound, the love of the many shall wax cold.”[xx]  8.  “You have this sign also: And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come.”[xxi]  9.  “And what comes to pass after this?  He says next, When therefore you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, standing in the Holy Place, let him that reads understand. And again, Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ, or, Lo, there; believe it not.”[xxii]  “For that day shall not come, except there came first the falling away, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.  Do you not remember that when I was yet with you, I told you these things?  And now you know that which restrains, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season.  For the mystery of iniquity does already work, only there is one that restrains now, until he be taken out of the way.  And then shall the lawless one be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming.  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that are perishing.”[xxiii]  10.  “The true Christ, the Only-begotten Son of God, comes no more from the earth.”  “If they say, Lo, here is the Christ, Lo, there, believe it not.”[xxiv]  “As the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be;[xxv] and again, And they shall see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds with power and great glory, and He shall send forth His Angels with a great trumpet….”[xxvi]  11.  For a man will arise, “who shall seize for himself the power of the Roman empire, and shall falsely style himself Christ; by this name of Christ deceiving the Jews, who are looking for the Anointed, and seducing those of the Gentiles by his magical illusions.”[xxvii]

---

[i] Hebrews 12:2

[ii] Psalms 118:26; Matthew 23:39; Luke 19:38

[iii] Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:10-11

[iv] St. Cyril applies the first phrase to the first coming, because, “Behold, I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me…” which refers to John the Baptist; St. Cyril applies the rest of verse one and following two verses to the second coming.  Malachi 3:1-3

[v] Malachi 3:5

[vi] 1 Corinthians 3:12-17

[vii] Titus 2:11-14

[viii] Isaiah 34:1-14, especially verse 4

[ix] Matthew 24:27-31, especially verse 29

[x] Psalms 102:26

[xi] Joel 2:31

[xii] Matthew 24:35

[xiii] Acts 1:7

[xiv] Matthew 24:44; Luke 12:40

[xv] 2 Corinthians 11:14

[xvi] Matthew 24:4-5; Luke 21:8

[xvii] St. Cyril indicates that these are signs of deception, not signs of Christ’s coming: for they occur all the time, throughout history: human business and violence as usual.  Matthew 24:6; Mark 13:7; Luke 21:9-10

[xviii] Matthew 24:42; 25:13

[xix] Matthew 24:10

[xx] Matthew 24:12

[xxi] Matthew 24:14

[xxii] Matthew 24:15, 23; Mark 13:21; Luke 17:23

[xxiii] 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10

[xxiv] Matthew 24:23

[xxv] Matthew 24:27

[xxvi] Matthew 24:30-31; Mark 13:26-27; Luke 21:27-30

[xxvii] For example: Honorius Ⅱ (1010-1072), Sabbatai Zevi (1626-1676), Adolph Hitler (1889-1945); there are hundreds, even thousands of power-mad deceivers to illustrate the point.  All such abuses of power are wrong.  Is there a single most exemplary evil person?  Who knows?  We will not likely have the necessary wisdom to identify him, until his destructive path is in full bloom.