The Great Tribulation and the End of this Age

15  When therefore you shall see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place: he that readeth let him understand.

[Dn:9:27:

27  And he shall confirm the covenant with many, in one week: and in the half of the week the victim and the sacrifice shall fail: and there shall be in the temple the abomination of desolation: and the desolation shall continue even to the consummation, and to the end. (DRV)]

16  Then they that are in Judea, let them flee to the mountains:

[Means to utterly flee from any involvement with those things contrary to the Gospel.]

17  And he that is on the housetop, let him not come down to take any thing out of his house:

18  And he that is in the field, let him not go back to take his coat.

19  And woe to them that are with child and that give suck in those days.

20  But pray that your flight be not in the winter or on the sabbath.

21  For there shall be then great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, neither shall be.

22  And unless those days had been shortened, no flesh should be saved: but for the sakeof the elect those days shall be shortened.

[This refers to the short duration, by God’s Sovereign command, of the persecution.]

23  Then if any man shall say to you, Lo here is Christ, or there: do not believe him.

24  For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall shew great signs and wonders, insomuch as to deceive (if possible) even the elect.

25  Behold I have told it to you, beforehand.

26  If therefore they shall say to you, Behold he is in the desert: go ye not out. Behold he is in the closets: believe it not.

[From v. 27 on down is the Second Coming of Our Only Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and the general resurrection of all men and the final judgement by Jesus Christ Himself.]

27  For as lightning cometh out of the east and appeareth even into the west: so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

28  Wheresoever the body shall be, there shall the eagles also be gathered together.

29  And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of heaven shall be moved.

30  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven. And then shall all tribes of the earth mourn: and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with much power and majesty.

31  And he shall send his angels with a trumpet and a great voice: and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the farthest parts of the heavens to the utmost bounds of them.

32 ¶ And from the fig tree learn a parable: When the branch thereof is now tender and the leaves come forth, you know that summer is nigh.

33  So you also, when you shall see all these things, know ye that it is nigh, even at the doors.

34  Amen I say to you that this generation shall not pass till all these things be done.

35  Heaven and earth shall pass: but my words shall not pass.

36  But of that day and hour no one knoweth: no, not the angels of heaven, but the Father alone.

37  And as in the days of Noe, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

38  For, as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, even till that day in which Noe entered into the ark:

39  And they knew not till the flood came and took them all away: so also shall the coming of the Son of man be.

40  Then two shall be in the field. One shall be taken and one shall be left.

41  Two women shall be grinding at the mill. One shall be taken and one shall be left.

[vs. 40 and 41 According to the Church Fathers and Doctors this refers to the binding of the cockle to be burnt with eternal fire. The cockle are the damned and the ones who do the binding are God’s angels. This does not refer to any “secret rapture”. There is no “secret rapture”. The so-called “secret rapture” is heretical docetic denial of the resurrection.]

42  Watch ye therefore, because you know not what hour your Lord will come.

43  But this know ye, that, if the goodman of the house knew at what hour the thief would come, he would certainly watch and would not suffer his house to be broken open.

44  Wherefore be you also ready, because at what hour you know not the Son of man will come.

45  Who, thinkest thou, is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath appointed over his family, to give them meat in season?

46  Blessed is that servant, whom when his lord shall come he shall find so doing.

47  Amen I say to you: he shall place him over all his goods.

48  But if that evil servant shall say in his heart: My lord is long a coming:

49  And shall begin to strike his fellow servants and shall eat and drink with drunkards:

50  The lord of that servant shall come in a day that he hopeth not and at an hour that he knoweth not:

51  And shall separate him and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

(DRV)