Advice for the End

Τῆς τελευταίας ἀνάγκης τὰ σημεῖα, ἄπερ ὁ Κύριος πρὸς εἴδησιν ἡμῶν ἀπεκάλυψε, σαφηνισθῆναι σοι ἀξιώσας διὰ τοῦ γράμματος, ταχέως τὴν τούτων μάνθανε δύναμιν. 'Οἱ ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ φευγέτωσαν εἰς τὰ ὅρη,' οἱ ἐν τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ ἐρηρεισμένοι (τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ Ἰουδαία ἑρμηνεύεταἰ)· ἐπὶ τὴν ὑψηλὴν καταφυγὴν ἀφοράτωσαν, ὑπὸ τὴς οἰκείας ὁμολογίας φρουρούμενιοι. 'Ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ δώματος, μὴ καταβάτω ἄραὶ τι ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας αὐτοῦ.' Ὁ τῆς παρούσης περιφρονήσας οἰκίας, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἐνταῦθα καταπατήσας σκηνὴν, καὶ ὑψηλὸς τῷ βίῳ γενόμενος, καὶ τὰ ἔνοικα πἀθη ἀποπεμψάμανος, μηδὲν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐπισπάσθω, μὴ ὅρεξιν πλοὐτου, ἄπερ ἀφ' ὕψους ἐστὶ κατάβασις. 'Ὁ ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ, μὴ ἐπιστρεψάτω ἆραι τὸ ἱμάτιον αὐτοῦ.' Ὁ τὸν παλαιὸν ἀπεκδυσάμενος ἄνθρωπον, καὶ τοῖς σαρκίνοις ἀποταξάμενος, τὸν νέον φορείτω, ὅς αὐτὸν εἰς ἐπιγνωσιν Θεοῦ ἀνεκαίνισε, καὶ τῆς ἱλύος ἐκάθηρεν. Ἐν τούτοις γὰρ ἔξει τὸ πρὸς ἐκείνην τὴν μεγάλην κάκωσιν ἀνεπίβουλον. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή ΣΙ', Χριστοδορῳ

The signs of the necessary end times, which the Lord revealed to our knowledge, I shall explain to you through words, as far as I am able to grasp it. 'Those who are in Judea, flee to the mountains' 1 That is, those who are firm in piety (for this is what Judea means) should look to flight to the heights, guarded by the house of confession. 'And he who is on on the roof, should not descend into the house to get anything.' 2 That is, he who has contempt for the house of present things and treads down every trash here, he who has attained life's height, and is rid of common passions, with nothing dragging him down, unmoved by riches, a thing far below the heights. 'And he who is in the field, let him not turn to take up his outer garment.' 3 That is, he who has stripped off the old man, ridding himself of corporeal matters, taking on the new, the man renewed in the knowledge of God, from filth cleansed. Because of these things he is untroubled by the great calamity. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 210, to Christodorus 1 Mt 24.16   2 Mt 24.17   3 Mt 24.18