The collapse of hope

But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21: 20-28)

The prophecy of Jerusalem’s fall is a foreshadowing of the end of the world. It also foreshadows the end of the earthly life that all men must eventually face. For those who do not put God first in their lives, there can only be despair because of the inevitable collapse of the hope in things they have placed their faith. On the contrary, whoever puts God's Will before his own, will not live with anguish, but with hope at the time of his own death and the end of the world.