In the margin Open a note to read an interpretation and the words it refers to.
Sign in to select words and contribute a note or connection.
Augustine on those who counted 400, 500 or 1,000 years interpretation
On: But of that day and hour knoweth no one
Linked by Rainbow Watch. Our link: Augustine quotes Acts 1:7 (“It is not for you to know the times”), not Matthew 24:36. Matthew 24:36 is the nearest existing reader on the unknown day and hour; no Acts 1 reader exists in the corpus.
Source quotation · Augustine, The City of God XVIII.53, first paragraph; Marcus Dods translation, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, first series II (1887), pp. 394–395. Truly Jesus Himself shall extinguish by His presence that last persecution which is to be made by Antichrist. For so it is written, that "He shall slay him with the breath of His mouth, and empty him with the brightness of His presence." It is customary to ask, When shall that be? But this is quite unreasonable. For had it been profitable for us to know this, by whom could it better have been told than by God Himself, the Master, when the disciples questioned Him? For they were not silent when with Him, but inquired of Him, saying, "Lord, wilt Thou at this time present the kingdom to Israel, or when?" But He said, "It is not for you to know the times, which the Father hath put in His own power." When they got that answer, they had not at all questioned Him about the hour, or day, or year, but about the time. In vain, then, do we attempt to compute definitely the years that may remain to this world, when we may hear from the mouth of the Truth that it is not for us to know this. Yet some have said that four hundred, some five hundred, others a thousand years, may be completed from the ascension of the Lord up to His final coming. But to point out how each of them supports his own opinion would take too long, and is not necessary; for indeed they use human conjectures, and bring forward nothing certain from the authority of the canonical Scriptures. But on this subject He puts aside the figures of the calculators, and orders silence, who says, "It is not for you to know the times, which the Father hath put in His own power."
The City of God · Augustine; Marcus Dods translation, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, first series II (1887), book XVIII, chapter 53, first paragraph, pp. 394–395. CCEL plain-text transcription retrieved 30 September 2026; footnote markers omitted. Collated with the Internet Archive text layer of the printed volume (selectlibraryofn02auguuoft): wording identical.
Source reuse and transcription Public-domain historical English edition. Modern site navigation and editorial additions excluded.
Community response to this revision: 0
Published revision history 2026-10-01T14:02:23+00:00
Truly Jesus Himself shall extinguish by His presence that last persecution which is to be made by Antichrist. For so it is written, that "He shall slay him with the breath of His mouth, and empty him with the brightness of His presence." It is customary to ask, When shall that be? But this is quite unreasonable. For had it been profitable for us to know this, by whom could it better have been told than by God Himself, the Master, when the disciples questioned Him? For they were not silent when with Him, but inquired of Him, saying, "Lord, wilt Thou at this time present the kingdom to Israel, or when?" But He said, "It is not for you to know the times, which the Father hath put in His own power." When they got that answer, they had not at all questioned Him about the hour, or day, or year, but about the time. In vain, then, do we attempt to compute definitely the years that may remain to this world, when we may hear from the mouth of the Truth that it is not for us to know this. Yet some have said that four hundred, some five hundred, others a thousand years, may be completed from the ascension of the Lord up to His final coming. But to point out how each of them supports his own opinion would take too long, and is not necessary; for indeed they use human conjectures, and bring forward nothing certain from the authority of the canonical Scriptures. But on this subject He puts aside the figures of the calculators, and orders silence, who says, "It is not for you to know the times, which the Father hath put in His own power."
Beatus: the sixth age ends in the Era 838 (800 CE) interpretation
On: But of that day and hour knoweth no one
Source quotation · Beatus of Liébana, Commentary on the Apocalypse, book IV, ch. VII (Flórez ed., Madrid 1770, p. 322); English translation by Rainbow Watch (2026) Colligitur omne tempus ab Adam usque ad Christum anni V.CCXXVII. Et ab adventu Domini nostri Jesu Christi usque in præsentem Eram, id est, DCCCXXII. sunt anni DCCLXXXIV. Computa ergo à primo homine Adam usque in præsentem Eram DCCCXXII. & invenies annos sub uno V.DCCCCLXXXVII. Supersunt ergo anni de sexto millenario XIV. Finiet quoque sexta ætas in Era DCCCXXXVIII. Residuum sæculi tempus humanæ investigationis incertum est. Omnem enim de hac re quæstionem Dominus noster Jesus Christus abstulit, dicens: Non est vestrum scire tempora vel momenta, quæ Pater posuit in sua potestate. Et alibi: De die autem illa & hora nemo scit, neque Angeli cælorum, nisi Pater solus. Et quia diem dixit, & horam; aliquando pro tempore dicuntur, aliquando verò simpliciter intelliguntur. Ut sciatis, in veritate sexto millesimo anno finiendus erit mundus. Utrum impleantur, an minuantur, soli Deo cognitum est.
New Rainbow Watch translation (2026):
The whole time from Adam to Christ adds up to 5,227 years. And from the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to the present Era, that is, 822, there are 784 years. Count, then, from the first man Adam to the present Era 822, and you will find 5,987 years in all. There remain, therefore, 14 years of the sixth millennium. The sixth age will also end in the Era 838. The remaining time of the world is uncertain to human inquiry. For our Lord Jesus Christ took away every question on this matter, saying: “It is not for you to know the times or the moments, which the Father has put in his own power.” And elsewhere: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not the angels of heaven, but the Father only.” And because he spoke of day and hour: sometimes these are said for a period of time, sometimes they are understood simply. Know that in truth the world is to end in the six-thousandth year. Whether the years are filled out or cut short is known to God alone.
In Apocalypsin commentaria · Beatus of Liébana, Commentary on the Apocalypse, book IV, chapter VII, in Enrique Flórez (ed.), Sancti Beati presbyteri hispani Liebanensis in Apocalypsin ac plurimas utriusque foederis paginas commentaria (Madrid: Joachin Ibarra, 1770), p. 322 (Biblioteca Digital de Castilla y León, image 374 of 641). Transcribed from the page image; the library’s OCR layer was used to locate the passage. Flórez’s accents (à, verò), ligatures (æ) and ampersands retained; italics of the scripture quotations not distinguished; line-end hyphenation joined; Flórez’s note marker “(1)” after V.CCXXVII omitted (it refers to his prologue, n. 66, on these figures); marginal references omitted. Followed in the note by a new AI-assisted English translation (Rainbow Watch, 2026), labelled as such.
Source reuse and transcription Eighth-century Latin text in a 1770 edition; public domain. The English translation in the note is new (Rainbow Watch, 2026). Historical printed text, public domain (published before 1929). The historical wording is reproduced.
Community response to this revision: 0
Published revision history 2026-10-05T15:53:51+00:00
Colligitur omne tempus ab Adam usque ad Christum anni V.CCXXVII. Et ab adventu Domini nostri Jesu Christi usque in præsentem Eram, id est, DCCCXXII. sunt anni DCCLXXXIV. Computa ergo à primo homine Adam usque in præsentem Eram DCCCXXII. & invenies annos sub uno V.DCCCCLXXXVII. Supersunt ergo anni de sexto millenario XIV. Finiet quoque sexta ætas in Era DCCCXXXVIII. Residuum sæculi tempus humanæ investigationis incertum est. Omnem enim de hac re quæstionem Dominus noster Jesus Christus abstulit, dicens: Non est vestrum scire tempora vel momenta, quæ Pater posuit in sua potestate. Et alibi: De die autem illa & hora nemo scit, neque Angeli cælorum, nisi Pater solus. Et quia diem dixit, & horam; aliquando pro tempore dicuntur, aliquando verò simpliciter intelliguntur. Ut sciatis, in veritate sexto millesimo anno finiendus erit mundus. Utrum impleantur, an minuantur, soli Deo cognitum est.
New Rainbow Watch translation (2026):
The whole time from Adam to Christ adds up to 5,227 years. And from the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to the present Era, that is, 822, there are 784 years. Count, then, from the first man Adam to the present Era 822, and you will find 5,987 years in all. There remain, therefore, 14 years of the sixth millennium. The sixth age will also end in the Era 838. The remaining time of the world is uncertain to human inquiry. For our Lord Jesus Christ took away every question on this matter, saying: “It is not for you to know the times or the moments, which the Father has put in his own power.” And elsewhere: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not the angels of heaven, but the Father only.” And because he spoke of day and hour: sometimes these are said for a period of time, sometimes they are understood simply. Know that in truth the world is to end in the six-thousandth year. Whether the years are filled out or cut short is known to God alone.
Chuck Smith in 1981: the fig-tree generation, 1988, and the rapture by May fourteenth interpretation
On: Now from the fig tree learn her parable
Source quotation · Chuck Smith, Verse by Verse Study on Hosea 5–9 (C2000), teaching of 1981 in the 1979–82 series; Blue Letter Bible transcript. Short excerpt of one passage. Now here the nation of Israel is liken unto a fig tree. This also is true in Joel, chapter 1, verse 7, and in Jeremiah 23 I believe it is, or twenty-six... twenty-four, in between them. "Your fathers were as the first ripe fig trees at her first time." I do believe that Jesus, in Matthew 24 , here is a reference to Israel as a fig tree as in Joel and as in Jeremiah. Now you say, "But if Israel is the fig tree and it began to bud forth in 1948 and the generation that saw it bud forth wasn't to pass until all of things be fulfilled, how come they were getting up close to the end of that generation, 1988, forty years, and we the church are still here if we're gonna be gone seven years before?" A lot of suppositions in that. Number one, the supposition is that the rebirth of the nation in May of '48 constitutes the beginning of that generation. Second, supposition of the generation is exactly forty years. And the third supposition, of course, is that the church will be taken away seven years before the second coming of Jesus Christ. But don't write it off yet. We still have a ways to go until May fourteenth and that the Lord didn't come in the year 1981 doesn't yet totally wipe out that whole premise. If He hasn't come by May fourteenth, then those who hold to that can go back to their calculations and begin to work again. I personally cannot see how this earth can continue much longer.
Verse by Verse Study on Hosea 5-9 (C2000) · Chuck Smith, “Verse by Verse Study on Hosea 5-9 (C2000),” transcript of the 1979–82 audio teaching at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, Blue Letter Bible, https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/smith_chuck/c2000_Hsa/Hsa_005.cfm (audio listed as “Hosea 5-9 (1979-82 Audio)” at https://www.blueletterbible.org/audio_video/smith_chuck/5000/hsa/verse-by-verse-study.cfm). One passage, from “Now here the nation” through “continue much longer.”. Transcript wording kept, including its bracketed insertions and spoken grammar; whitespace normalized.
Source reuse and transcription Transcript “Used with permission by The Word for Today. Redistribution without express permission from The Word for Today is prohibited.” Short quotation of one passage of a teaching transcript, reproduced for historical identification and comment.
Community response to this revision: 0
Published revision history 2026-10-21T14:09:01+00:00
Now here the nation of Israel is liken unto a fig tree. This also is true in Joel, chapter 1, verse 7, and in Jeremiah 23 I believe it is, or twenty-six... twenty-four, in between them. "Your fathers were as the first ripe fig trees at her first time." I do believe that Jesus, in Matthew 24 , here is a reference to Israel as a fig tree as in Joel and as in Jeremiah. Now you say, "But if Israel is the fig tree and it began to bud forth in 1948 and the generation that saw it bud forth wasn't to pass until all of things be fulfilled, how come they were getting up close to the end of that generation, 1988, forty years, and we the church are still here if we're gonna be gone seven years before?" A lot of suppositions in that. Number one, the supposition is that the rebirth of the nation in May of '48 constitutes the beginning of that generation. Second, supposition of the generation is exactly forty years. And the third supposition, of course, is that the church will be taken away seven years before the second coming of Jesus Christ. But don't write it off yet. We still have a ways to go until May fourteenth and that the Lord didn't come in the year 1981 doesn't yet totally wipe out that whole premise. If He hasn't come by May fourteenth, then those who hold to that can go back to their calculations and begin to work again. I personally cannot see how this earth can continue much longer.
Community of Christ on the unknown hour and the work of peace interpretation
On: But of that day and hour knoweth no one
Editorial paraphrase of the source · Community of Christ, Our Beliefs, End Time and The Reign of God; one complete sentence quoted, remainder paraphrased “We do not know the day or hour of Christ’s coming but know only that God is faithful.”
Community of Christ anticipates a future in which love, justice, mercy and peace embrace creation. Jesus’ life expresses that promise; his followers are to pray for its completion and embody it now. Zion means building communities centered on Christ in homes, congregations, neighborhoods, cities and the wider world.
Its End Time statement places creation’s future with Christ rather than oppressive powers. Believers continue serving God and pursuing peace, trusting their work has value. Hope in God, Christ and the Spirit accompanies prayer for God’s reign on earth. These adjoining Basic Beliefs join future expectation with present communal responsibility; they supply no return date.
Our Beliefs · Community of Christ official website, Basic Beliefs: The Reign of God and End Time; inspected 11 September 2026.
Source reuse and transcription One 18-word sentence quoted for comparative commentary, plus original paraphrase.
Community response to this revision: 0
Published revision history 2026-09-11T05:43:37+00:00
“We do not know the day or hour of Christ’s coming but know only that God is faithful.”
Community of Christ connects expectation of Christ’s coming with service, pursuit of peace and trust in God. Its adjoining account of God’s reign understands Zion as a commitment to communities shaped by Christ, extending through families, congregations, neighborhoods and the wider world. These are the church’s current Basic Beliefs; they do not specify a date for Christ’s return.
2026-09-11T06:11:24+00:00
“We do not know the day or hour of Christ’s coming but know only that God is faithful.”
Community of Christ anticipates a future in which love, justice, mercy and peace embrace creation. Jesus’ life expresses that promise; his followers are to pray for its completion and embody it now. Zion means building communities centered on Christ in homes, congregations, neighborhoods, cities and the wider world.
Its End Time statement places creation’s future with Christ rather than oppressive powers. Believers continue serving God and pursuing peace, trusting their work has value. Hope in God, Christ and the Spirit accompanies prayer for God’s reign on earth. These adjoining Basic Beliefs join future expectation with present communal responsibility; they supply no return date.
Hal Lindsey in 1980: “We are the generation He was talking about” interpretation
On: when her branch is now become tender
Source quotation · Hal Lindsey, The 1980’s: Countdown to Armageddon (Bantam, 1981; © 1980), pp. 12, 162–163 and 170; short excerpt. As Moses predicted, the Jewish nation was destroyed. And after nearly 2,000 years of wandering through exile, the Jews returned to Palestine and formed the nation of Israel on May 14, 1948. On that day, the prophetic countdown began!
[…]
These skeptics have asked me, “Why do you think that all the various prophecies will come to pass during this generation?”
The answer is simple. The prophets told us that the rebirth of Israel—no other event—would be the sign that the countdown had begun. Since that rebirth, the rest of the prophecies have begun to be fulfilled quite rapidly. For this reason I am convinced that we are now in the unique time so clearly and precisely forecast by the Hebrew prophets.
[…]
Then Jesus told us the point of the parable: “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (Matthew 24:34 NASB).
But what generation was Jesus talking about? In the context of His words on the signs, He could only have meant the generation that would see all the prophetic predictions come together. The generation that witnesses that coming-together will not pass away until all things predicted come to pass.
WE ARE THE GENERATION HE WAS TALKING ABOUT!
[…]
All these signs, and many more which are just as visible, point to the fact that this generation is the one that will see the end of the present world and the return of Jesus Christ.
Jesus went on to say, “No one knows the day or the hour” of His return. But he tells us how to “recognize” the generation during which He would come. We won’t know the exact day or hour, He said, but we can know the general time.
[…]
Here’s what these two prophecies mean: First, there is a time coming, and I believe absolutely that time will be during this generation, when suddenly and without warning, every true believer in Jesus will disappear from the Earth.
The 1980’s: Countdown to Armageddon · Hal Lindsey, The 1980’s: Countdown to Armageddon (New York: Bantam Books, Bantam edition, March 1981; copyright 1980 by The Aorist Corporation, Inc.), ISBN 0-553-01303-3, Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 80-70283. Pp. 12, 162–163 and 170. Internet Archive lending item 1980scountdownto00lind; transcribed from page images supplied by the user from their own loan on 6 October 2026, in which the reader’s search hits for “1948” and “generation” are highlighted. Italics (“this”) and small capitals rendered plain; line-end hyphenation joined; […] marks omissions.
Source reuse and transcription © 1980 The Aorist Corporation, Inc. Short quotation (about 300 words of a book of about 190 pages) of the author’s generation reckoning, reproduced for historical identification and comment.
Community response to this revision: 0
Published revision history 2026-10-21T14:09:01+00:00
As Moses predicted, the Jewish nation was destroyed. And after nearly 2,000 years of wandering through exile, the Jews returned to Palestine and formed the nation of Israel on May 14, 1948. On that day, the prophetic countdown began!
[…]
These skeptics have asked me, “Why do you think that all the various prophecies will come to pass during this generation?”
The answer is simple. The prophets told us that the rebirth of Israel—no other event—would be the sign that the countdown had begun. Since that rebirth, the rest of the prophecies have begun to be fulfilled quite rapidly. For this reason I am convinced that we are now in the unique time so clearly and precisely forecast by the Hebrew prophets.
[…]
Then Jesus told us the point of the parable: “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (Matthew 24:34 NASB).
But what generation was Jesus talking about? In the context of His words on the signs, He could only have meant the generation that would see all the prophetic predictions come together. The generation that witnesses that coming-together will not pass away until all things predicted come to pass.
WE ARE THE GENERATION HE WAS TALKING ABOUT!
[…]
All these signs, and many more which are just as visible, point to the fact that this generation is the one that will see the end of the present world and the return of Jesus Christ.
Jesus went on to say, “No one knows the day or the hour” of His return. But he tells us how to “recognize” the generation during which He would come. We won’t know the exact day or hour, He said, but we can know the general time.
[…]
Here’s what these two prophecies mean: First, there is a time coming, and I believe absolutely that time will be during this generation, when suddenly and without warning, every true believer in Jesus will disappear from the Earth.
Hal Lindsey: within forty years or so of 1948 interpretation
On: This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished
Source quotation · Hal Lindsey with C. C. Carlson, The Late Great Planet Earth (Zondervan, © 1970; eighty-first printing, 1980), chapter “Israel, O Israel,” pp. 53–54; short excerpt of three paragraphs. But the most important sign in Matthew has to be the restoration of the Jews to the land in the rebirth of Israel. Even the figure of speech “fig tree” has been a historic symbol of national Israel. When the Jewish people, after nearly 2,000 years of exile, under relentless persecution, became a nation again on 14 May 1948 the “fig tree” put forth its first leaves.
Jesus said that this would indicate that He was “at the door,” ready to return. Then He said, “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (Matthew 24:34 NASB).
What generation? Obviously, in context, the generation that would see the signs — chief among them the rebirth of Israel. A generation in the Bible is something like forty years. If this is a correct deduction, then within forty years or so of 1948, all these things could take place. Many scholars who have studied Bible prophecy all their lives believe that this is so.
The Late Great Planet Earth · Hal Lindsey with C. C. Carlson, The Late Great Planet Earth (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, © 1970), eighty-first printing, November 1980, ISBN 0-310-27771-X; chapter “Israel, O Israel,” pp. 53–54, from “But the most important sign in Matthew” (p. 53, section “Perfect Parable”) through “believe that this is so.” (p. 54). Internet Archive item TheLateGreatPlanetEarthByHalLindsey, leaves 52–53, transcribed from the page images; copyright page leaf 4. Italics (“this generation”) rendered plain; line-end hyphenation joined; spaced dash as printed; whitespace normalized.
Source reuse and transcription © 1970 Zondervan Publishing House. Short quotation (about 170 words of a book of roughly 190 pages) of the dated reasoning and its stated qualification, reproduced for historical identification and comment.
Community response to this revision: 0
Published revision history 2026-10-05T15:53:51+00:00
But the most important sign in Matthew has to be the restoration of the Jews to the land in the rebirth of Israel. Even the figure of speech “fig tree” has been a historic symbol of national Israel. When the Jewish people, after nearly 2,000 years of exile, under relentless persecution, became a nation again on 14 May 1948 the “fig tree” put forth its first leaves.
Jesus said that this would indicate that He was “at the door,” ready to return. Then He said, “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (Matthew 24:34 NASB).
What generation? Obviously, in context, the generation that would see the signs — chief among them the rebirth of Israel. A generation in the Bible is something like forty years. If this is a correct deduction, then within forty years or so of 1948, all these things could take place. Many scholars who have studied Bible prophecy all their lives believe that this is so.
Maxwell sees some signs still ahead interpretation
On: the summer is nigh
Source quotation · Neal A. Maxwell Source quotation
there are some signs—but certainly not all—suggesting that “summer is nigh”
For I Will Lead You Along · Official Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints online conference text
Source reuse and transcription Modern copyrighted source; brief quotation of no more than 25 words. No reusable license established. Separate explanation is original editorial paraphrase.
Community response to this revision: 0
Published revision history 2026-09-09T16:47:28+00:00
Source quotation
there are some signs—but certainly not all—suggesting that “summer is nigh”
Taylor: as in Noah’s day, and Enoch’s Zion will descend interpretation
On: as were the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man
Source quotation · John Taylor, as reported by John Irvine, 14 December 1884; Journal of Discourses 26, pp. 37–38, two paragraphs from “Now, how is it pertaining” through “nor destruction within thy borders."” Now, how is it pertaining to the last days? As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man. As it was in the days of Lot, so shall it also be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man. In what respect? In the days of Noah did they have the Gospel preached unto them? Yes. Did the people generally reject it? Yes. Did the people gather gather together and build up a Zion? Yes. How is it in these days? The Lord has revealed his Gospel to us as he did to them. He has sent forth the words of life, and is sending them to the nations of the earth. Hundreds of Elders are going today, and taking their lives in their hands, and some of them have to sacrifice their lives! And others, in this land of liberty, because they will be virtuous and keep the commands of God, are today weltering in prison. Woe! to those who have a hand in these things. I tell you and I tell them, as a servant of God, in the name of God, that he will be after them and they shall suffer worse than that which they inflict upon innocent, pure and virtuous men. Now, I bear testimony to this, and you will know it when it comes to pass. Woe! to them that fight against Zion, for God will fight against them—hypocrites! who are wallowing in filthiness, corruption, adultery, fornication and deception, in the name of virtue are seeking to destroy a virtuous people, and those who dare honor and obey the commandments of God.
Then, in regard to the work in which we are engaged. Will it go on? I tell you it will. Will Zion be built up? I tell you it will. Will the Zion that Enoch built up, descend? It most assuredly will, and this that we are building up will ascend, and the two will meet and the peoples thereof will fall on each other's necks, and embrace each other. So says the word of God to us. Will we go on with our work? With the help of the Lord we will. He has told us to do a work, and we will try to carry it out—we of the First Presidency, we of the Twelve, we of the Seventies, we of the Elders, we of the High Priests, we of the Presidents of Stakes, we of the Bishops, and we of the Holy Priesthood in all its various forms. By the help of the Lord, we will try, first, to purify ourselves, to purify our households, to get rid of covetousness, deception and fraud of every kind, to act honorably before God and before all men, and to love not the world, nor the things that are in the world; for if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Anything that we may have or possess comes from God; and if we are exalted, if we possess the good things of the world—which I tell you in the name of Israel's God we shall, in spite of all men and all their influences, for the people of Zion will be the richest of all people. This is in accordance with the Scriptures. The Scripture tells us: "For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in the land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders."
John Taylor on the days of Noah and Enoch’s city · Journal of Discourses, vol. 26 (Liverpool: Daniel H. Wells, 1886), discourse by John Taylor delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday evening, 14 December 1884, reported by John Irvine, beginning p. 30. Selected unit pp. 37–38. JournalofDiscourses.com transcription retrieved 30 September 2026, collated word by word against the Internet Archive JoDV26 OCR text layer, with page images inspected where the witnesses differed; wording and spelling follow the print, punctuation and capitalization follow the electronic witness. HTML markup removed and whitespace normalized. No passages omitted within selected units. Print readings restored: “Did the people gather together and build” → “Did the people gather gather together and build”; “I will bring sliver” → “I will bring silver”.
Source reuse and transcription Nineteenth-century historical source text, public domain. Print witness: https://archive.org/details/JoDV26/page/n37/mode/2up.
Community response to this revision: 0
Published revision history 2026-10-01T14:02:23+00:00
Now, how is it pertaining to the last days? As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man. As it was in the days of Lot, so shall it also be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man. In what respect? In the days of Noah did they have the Gospel preached unto them? Yes. Did the people generally reject it? Yes. Did the people gather gather together and build up a Zion? Yes. How is it in these days? The Lord has revealed his Gospel to us as he did to them. He has sent forth the words of life, and is sending them to the nations of the earth. Hundreds of Elders are going today, and taking their lives in their hands, and some of them have to sacrifice their lives! And others, in this land of liberty, because they will be virtuous and keep the commands of God, are today weltering in prison. Woe! to those who have a hand in these things. I tell you and I tell them, as a servant of God, in the name of God, that he will be after them and they shall suffer worse than that which they inflict upon innocent, pure and virtuous men. Now, I bear testimony to this, and you will know it when it comes to pass. Woe! to them that fight against Zion, for God will fight against them—hypocrites! who are wallowing in filthiness, corruption, adultery, fornication and deception, in the name of virtue are seeking to destroy a virtuous people, and those who dare honor and obey the commandments of God.
Then, in regard to the work in which we are engaged. Will it go on? I tell you it will. Will Zion be built up? I tell you it will. Will the Zion that Enoch built up, descend? It most assuredly will, and this that we are building up will ascend, and the two will meet and the peoples thereof will fall on each other's necks, and embrace each other. So says the word of God to us. Will we go on with our work? With the help of the Lord we will. He has told us to do a work, and we will try to carry it out—we of the First Presidency, we of the Twelve, we of the Seventies, we of the Elders, we of the High Priests, we of the Presidents of Stakes, we of the Bishops, and we of the Holy Priesthood in all its various forms. By the help of the Lord, we will try, first, to purify ourselves, to purify our households, to get rid of covetousness, deception and fraud of every kind, to act honorably before God and before all men, and to love not the world, nor the things that are in the world; for if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Anything that we may have or possess comes from God; and if we are exalted, if we possess the good things of the world—which I tell you in the name of Israel's God we shall, in spite of all men and all their influences, for the people of Zion will be the richest of all people. This is in accordance with the Scriptures. The Scripture tells us: "For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in the land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders."
The poor and servants are not overlooked interpretation
On: two women shall be grinding at the mill
Source quotation · Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture XV, §§ 23; Edwin Hamilton Gifford’s revised translation (1894) 23. But some one present will say, “I am a poor man,” or again, “I shall perhaps be found at that time sick in bed;” or, “I am but a woman, and I shall be taken at the mill: shall we then be despised?” Be of good courage, O man; the Judge is no respecter of persons; He will not judge according to a man’s appearance, nor reprove according to his speech. He honours not the learned before the simple, nor the rich before the needy. Though thou be in the field, the Angels shall take thee; think not that He will take the landowners, and leave thee the husbandman. Though thou be a slave, though thou be poor, be not any whit distressed; He who took the form of a servant despises not servants. Though thou be lying sick in bed, yet it is written, Then shall two be in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Though thou be of compulsion put to grind, whether thou be man or woman; though thou be in fetters, and sit beside the mill, yet He who by His might bringeth out them that are bound, will not overlook thee. He who brought forth Joseph out of slavery and prison to a kingdom, shall redeem thee also from thy afflictions into the kingdom of heaven. Only be of good cheer, only work, only strive earnestly; for nothing shall be lost. Every prayer of thine, every Psalm thou singest is recorded; every alms-deed, every fast is recorded; every marriage duly observed is recorded; continence kept for God’s sake is recorded; but the first crowns in the records are those of virginity and purity; and thou shalt shine as an Angel. But as thou hast gladly listened to the good things, so listen again without shrinking to the contrary. Every covetous deed of thine is recorded; thine every act of fornication is recorded, thine every false oath is recorded, every blasphemy, and sorcery, and theft, and murder. All these things are henceforth to be recorded, if thou do the same now after having been baptized; for thy former deeds are blotted out.
Catechetical Lectures · Edwin Hamilton Gifford’s revised English translation, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, volume VII (1894), edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace; CCEL transcription. The Cyril volume’s original division title identifies Gifford, and his preface dated 26 May 1893 explains his revision of R. W. Church’s 1838 translation. Lecture XV, complete sections 1–33 across two research packets, divided at section boundaries. Main prose verified against the hosted text. Footnote callouts, publisher/editor notes, page numbers and HTML formatting removed; whitespace normalized. Section numbers, wording and punctuation retained, including apparent transcription readings. Continuation sections 1–2 and 20–33 retain complete main prose. In section 2 the extraction join “saiththe” is separated as “saith the”; section 27 restores “Galatia” from original printed page 113, NPNF II.7, corroborated by the original scan at Internet Archive niceneandpostnic07unknuoft/page/n192.jpg. Other continuation prose is checked against CCEL, without claiming whole-lecture print collation.
Source reuse and transcription Public-domain historical English translation: 1894 NPNF edition, Gifford revision of Church’s 1838 translation. The division title and signed 1893 preface identify the translation. No modern New Advent wording is substituted; selected text is CCEL’s historical transcription.
Community response to this revision: 0
Published revision history 2026-09-11T02:50:38+00:00
23. But some one present will say, “I am a poor man,” or again, “I shall perhaps be found at that time sick in bed;” or, “I am but a woman, and I shall be taken at the mill: shall we then be despised?” Be of good courage, O man; the Judge is no respecter of persons; He will not judge according to a man’s appearance, nor reprove according to his speech. He honours not the learned before the simple, nor the rich before the needy. Though thou be in the field, the Angels shall take thee; think not that He will take the landowners, and leave thee the husbandman. Though thou be a slave, though thou be poor, be not any whit distressed; He who took the form of a servant despises not servants. Though thou be lying sick in bed, yet it is written, Then shall two be in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Though thou be of compulsion put to grind, whether thou be man or woman; though thou be in fetters, and sit beside the mill, yet He who by His might bringeth out them that are bound, will not overlook thee. He who brought forth Joseph out of slavery and prison to a kingdom, shall redeem thee also from thy afflictions into the kingdom of heaven. Only be of good cheer, only work, only strive earnestly; for nothing shall be lost. Every prayer of thine, every Psalm thou singest is recorded; every alms-deed, every fast is recorded; every marriage duly observed is recorded; continence kept for God’s sake is recorded; but the first crowns in the records are those of virginity and purity; and thou shalt shine as an Angel. But as thou hast gladly listened to the good things, so listen again without shrinking to the contrary. Every covetous deed of thine is recorded; thine every act of fornication is recorded, thine every false oath is recorded, every blasphemy, and sorcery, and theft, and murder. All these things are henceforth to be recorded, if thou do the same now after having been baptized; for thy former deeds are blotted out.