| THE GREAT TRIBULATION |
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| The meaning of the Great Tribulation is explained by the prophecy of the 144,000 in Revelation Chapter 7. There we find two groups of the elect: the 144,000 who are sealed by the spirit of God (Rev 7:3) and the great multitude that no one could count (Rev 7:9) who come out of the Great Tribulation (Rev 7:14). It began when the abomination of desolation was set up, when the spirit of God was taken from the Church. The saints were accused “day and night” (Rev 12:10) by Satan, because they no longer had the seal of the holy spirit. There was no visible sign of God’s approval. But John told us that “they overcame by the blood of the lamb and the word of his testimony” (Rev 12:11). Jesus said, “when you see standing in the holy place, the one who sets up the abomination of desolation.” The Bishop of Rome desolated the Church in 193 AD, when he exalted himself as high as Christ (Dan 8:11). Jesus described the ending of the tribulation when He said, “straight from the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall.” This is the fourth trumpet of Rev 8:12. This is when the kingdom of heaven is cleansed, after 2,300 days (as years) according to Dan 8:14. Daniel said, “even until the end there will be war and desolations are determined” (Dan 9:26). These desolations describe the saints who are unable to receive the spirit of God, the spirit of truth, because of the corruption of the kingdom of heaven. Once all the lawlessness has been removed from the kingdom of heaven, all the saints will be sealed by the spirit of God. The Great Tribulation was one “such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will” (Matt 24:21). It is the great torment of the saints that came from the Antichrist, who became “exceedingly great” (Dan 8:9). This tribulation was prophesied to last for 2,300 years in Dan 8:14. The spiritual attack began when “the place of his sanctuary was cast to the ground” (Dan 8:11). An army was given over to Satan to oppose the daily sacrifice, and “fling truth to the ground” (Dan 8:12). The spirit of truth no longer sanctified the Church, and the evidence of the power of the Church to remit sins through baptism was taken away. The saints lost the seal of holy spirit, the seal of their inheritance (Eph 4:30; John 6:27). So Satan accused them “day and night,” (Rev 12:10). The penances, indulgences, and so on, that the Church claimed would remove sins, were useless. Dan 12:7 described this as the “shattering of the power of the holy people.” But the saints overcame Satan’s accusations “by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, and did not love their lives to the death” (Rev 12:11). The Reformation brought the correction, “salvation is by faith.” But the saints still lacked “the seal” which could only come through receiving the holy spirit. Satan’s tribulation of the saints did not end until “the stone that struck the statue grew into a great mountain” (Dan 2:35); and the Sanctified Church was re-established. Asides from the Great Tribulation, the Bible does not prophecy any further tribulation of the saints. There will be a tribulation against the people of this world, called “the Day of the Lord,” which is the Battle of Armageddon, and the flaming fire of God’s judgment. Regarding this Day, Paul wrote, “it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation, those who trouble you” (2 Thess 1:6). The saints will not suffer any further persecution, but “those who do not know God, and do not obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ” (2 Thess 1:8) will suffer God’s tribulation. |
| 15 When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand) |
| Matt 24:15 when you see – the Greek word that has been translated as “see” really means “when you understand” – this is the meaning of the phrase “let the reader understand.” We have no record of history that tells us that anyone understood the appearance of the Antichrist in his day. It is only today that we can “see.” This helps us understand Paul’s message in 2 Thess 2:3, “[The Day of the Lord] will not come unless . . . the man of lawlessness is revealed.” After the saints understand these things, then Christ will return. |
| 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take out things that are in his house.18 Let him who is in the field not return back to take his cloak |
| Matt 24:16 those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains – Judea represents the kingdom of heaven. In the last days, those in the kingdom will realize that the kingdom was desolated by the Antichrist. Then they will flee to the mountains, to the Mountain of the Lord’s house, described in Isa 2:2. Luke’s Gospel does not refer to the revelation of the abomination of desolation, but only to the surrounding of Jerusalem by Satan’s armies. So there, we must ascribe another meaning to “flee to the mountains.” The saints must “fly to the wilderness” as described in Revelation Chapter 12. Matt 24:17 let him who is on the housetop – the same words are used in Luke 17:31 to describe what we must do when “the Son of Man is revealed” (Luke 17:30). This cannot refer to His return on the clouds, because when Christ returns, we will meet Him in the air. The revelation of “the Son of Man” in Luke Chapter 17 can only be describing the end time revelation of “The Body of Christ,” as the “Rider on the White Horse” who appears, that is the “Mountain of the Lord’s House” to which we must flee, when we see the abomination of desolation. Of course, the general message is that we must act quickly for the sake of our salvation, once we see the abomination of desolation. Why is there such an urgency? If we do not act, we may be judged along with those who are lawless, those who resist the truth. |
| 19 But woe to those who are with child and to nursing mothers in those days! 20 Pray that your flight will not be in the winter, nor on a Sabbath, |
| Matt 24:19 woe to those who are pregnant – Jesus describes his anxiety for the spiritual children of the Bride of Christ, the Elect Lady. Rev 12:17 tells us that “the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children.” |
| 21 for then will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever will be. |
| Matt 24:21 then there will be a great tribulation – this is the spiritual tribulation of the saints by the Antichrist, who cast the true Church to the ground; taking away the assurance of salvation that comes by receiving the holy spirit. An army was given over to Satan to oppose the daily sacrifice. After the place of God’s sanctuary was cast down, there was no evidence of the holy spirit and no assurance that Christ’s blood could wash away sins in baptism. See Dan 8:10-12 and John 20:21-23. such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will – this is the tribulation of the Antichrist against the saints. This tribulation will continue for 2,300 years as we read in Dan 8:14. |
| 22 Except those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved. But for the elect’s sake, those days will be shortened. |
| Matt 24:22 no flesh would be saved – by the true Gospel. Of course, many, many, people died through the Inquisition and the Reformation. But more significantly, until the truth is restored, the true Gospel of Jesus Christ cannot not bring salvation to the elect. For the sake of the elect, the days were cut short. |
| 23 Then if any man will tell you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or, ‘There,’ don’t believe it. 24 For there will arise false Christs, and false prophets, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 Behold, I have told you beforehand. 26 If therefore they tell you, ‘Behold, he is in the wilderness!’ don’t go out; ‘Behold, he is in the inner chambers,’ don’t believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes forth from the east, and is seen even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together. |
| Matt 24:24 false Christs and false prophets – the literal meaning of “false Christs” is false anointed ones. Many will claim to be anointed by the holy spirit, and perform great signs and wonders in support of their false teachings. Matt 24:26 He is in the wilderness … He is in the inner room – in that last days, all of the elect will be in the Sanctified Church. They will be “sealed by the holy spirit.” They will receive the holy spirit as evidenced by the tongue emitting sound, and will pray in the Church. They will no longer be worshipping God “in the wilderness” as described in Rev 12:5. But the opponents will claim that Christ is still “in the wilderness.” They will say that you should only pray in your inner room, as Jesus told us in Matt 6:6. Matt 24:27 as the lighting comes from the east and shines to the west – there are two events that are described as the coming of the Son of Man. The first is the appearance of the Rider on the White Horse, the end time Body of Christ that strikes down the Gentiles, and the second is Christ’s return on the clouds. It seem unlikely that anyone would be confused about the coming of the Son of Man on the clouds, so Jesus must be taking about the coming of the Son of Man as “the Rider on the White Horse.” The appearance of Christ in the clouds is described in verse 30. |
| 29 But immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give her light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken |
| Matt 24:29 immediately after the tribulation of those days– literally “straight from the tribulation of those days.” Jesus tells us that we will go directly from the Great Tribulation to the seven trumpets described below. The outpouring of the holy spirit, “fire from the altar” in Rev 8:5; brings the assurance of salvation to the elect, and ends Satan’s tribulation. the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall – in the 4th trumpet we find: “a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck…” (Rev 8:12); and the stars falling are in the 3rd and 5th trumpets (Rev 8:10, Rev 9:1). In summary, Jesus prophesied two events that must precede His return: 1. The Great Tribulation from Satan, and 2. The Seven Trumpets from God the powers of the heavens will be shaken – from Hag 2:6, the kingdom of the beast will be shaken, but the kingdom of heaven is unshakeable as Paul says in Heb 12:26-28 |
| 30 and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 He will send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. |
| Matt 24:30 the tribes of the earth will mourn -from Zech 12:10; Rev 1:7. Matt 24:31 coming in the clouds – from Dan 7:13. shall gather His elect – from Isa 34:16. |
| 32 “Now from the fig tree learn her parable. When its branch has now become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that the summer is near. |
| Matt 24:32 when the branch has become tender and puts forth its leaves – the BRANCH refers to Christ throughout Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zechariah. Some explain the putting forth of the leaves as the end time harvest. The end time “fig tree” as Israel is described in Joel 1:7. This is the end of the Engagement Year in Song 7:12. In either case, we have arrived at the same time-period, introduced in verse 14: “this gospel…shall be preached in the whole world…and then the end will come. |
