Studies in Matthew 24—Lesson 9

Revelation, pp. 205-280). Revelation 6:9-11 refers

Lesson 9— THE GREAT TRIBULATION to a group of martyrs of the past and a group of
martyrs of the future who are crying out for justice.
A. There is a sequence of events in
Matthew 24:15-21: Revelation 6:9-11 and the martyrs of the past:
“The mangled forms of millions of martyrs cried to God
✓ The abomination of desolation (the national for vengeance upon that apostate power.” [Ellen G.
Sunday Law) that divides the world into two White, The Great Controversy, p. 59]
groups.
Revelation 6:9-11 and the martyrs of the future:
✓ The flight from the large cities preparatory to
“The cries of the faithful, persecuted ones ascend to
leaving the smaller ones.
heaven. And as the blood of Abel cried from the
✓ The close of probation—everyone has taken ground, there are voices also crying to God from
sides. martyrs' graves, from the sepulchers of the sea, from
✓ The great tribulation ‘such as has not been since mountain caverns, from convent vaults: "How long, O
the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge
ever shall be.' our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" [Ellen G.
White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 451]
In order to understand the ‘great tribulation’, we
must first understand that there is only one Daniel 11 portrays a similar scenario. The king of
tribulation composed of two stages with a pause the north persecuted God’s people in the past
or respite in between. When a person watches a (verses 30-39) and will persecute them in the future
movie on a DVD player and presses the pause (verses 40-45). Regarding these two stages, Ellen
button, the movie stops. When the person presses White wrote:
the play button again, the movie picks up where it
left off. This illustrates the two stages of the great “We have no time to lose. Troublous times are
tribulation. The first phase of the great tribulation is before us. The world is stirred with the spirit of war.
past and was the worst when it comes to length and Soon the scenes of trouble spoken of in the prophecies
the second when it comes to intensity. will take place. The prophecy in the eleventh of Daniel
has nearly reached its complete fulfillment. Much of
Which are the two stages of the great the history that has taken place in fulfillment of this
tribulation? prophecy will be repeated. In the thirtieth verse, a
power is spoken of that "shall be grieved, and return,
The first was the period of papal supremacy
and have indignation against the holy covenant: so
during the 1260 years from 538 to 1798 AD. God
shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence
shortened that period with the Protestant
with them that forsake the holy covenant." [Verses
Reformation. The second will be a short period of
31-36, quoted.] Scenes similar to those described
severe persecution after the close of probation and
in these words will take place.” [Ellen G. White,
God will cut it short by the second coming of Christ.
Manuscript Releases, vol. 13, p. 394]
B. One Tribulation with a Pause in Between Both stages of tribulation are the worst in history.
What is the biblical evidence for this scenario? The
The first is so because of its length and the second,
answer is that the book of Revelation portrays two
because of its intensity.
stages of papal supremacy with a pause in
between. The beast of Revelation 13:1-10 Toward the conclusion of the first period, there
oppressed the people of God for 42 months, after were signs in the heavens (Revelation 6:12, 13)
which the deadly wound would be healed and the announcing that God was about to pronounce a
whole world would wonder after the beast judgment in favor of the martyrs (see the parallel in
(Revelation 13:3). Daniel 7).

We can see the same two periods of papal Toward the conclusion of the second period, there
persecution in the fifth and sixth seals of the book of will be global signs in the heavens announcing the
Revelation (for a complete study of the fifth and coming of Jesus to avenge the blood that the papacy
sixth seals read my study notes, ‘The Seven Seals of
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 Studies in Matthew 24—Lesson 9
shed in both stages of dominion (Revelation 6:14- • World divided into two groups by the seal of
17; Matthew 24:29, 30). God and the mark of the beast—the abomination of
desolation (Matthew 24:15); Revelation 14:14-19).
Both stages have a relationship with the Sabbath.
During the 1260 years the papacy thought it could • The close of probation—those who flee and
change the Sabbath to Sunday (Daniel 7:25). In the those who stay (Matthew 24:16-20; Revelation 15:5-
endtime the false prophet will impose the papacy’s 8).
change in the law (the mark of the beast) by • The great tribulation (Matthew 24:21;
enforcing Sunday observance (Revelation 13:11- Revelation 16-18).
18).
• The second coming (Matthew 24:29, 30;
Ellen White wrote about the two periods of Revelation 19:11-19).
tribulation:
Matthew 24:21 as past:
C. Sequence of Events in the Synoptic
“Then shall be great tribulation,’ He said, ‘such as was
Gospels
not since the beginning of the world to this time, no,
nor ever shall be. And except those days should be • Social turmoil, wars, epidemics, famine,
shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the earthquakes—the beginning of sorrows (verse 8).
elect's sake those days shall be shortened [Matthew • God’s people blamed for the convulsions in society
24:21, 22].’ For more than a thousand years, such and the natural world (verse 9).
persecution as the world had never before known • Many of those who appeared to be genuine
was to come upon Christ's followers. Millions upon believers will apostatize—the shaking (verse 10).
millions of His faithful witnesses were to be slain. Relatives and friends turn on each other (Mark
Had not God's hand been stretched out to preserve 13:12)
His people, all would have perished. ‘But for the elect's
sake,’ He said, ‘those days shall be shortened.’” Ellen • Help of the Holy Spirit when taken before councils
G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 631 and kings to witness—the latter rain (Mark 13:11).
• False prophets rise, lawlessness increases and the
Matthew 24:21 as future:
love of many grows cold (verses 11, 12).
“We are to realize that the judgments of God are
about to fall upon the earth, and we should most • Whoever endures until the end will be saved (verse
earnestly present before the people the warning that 13).
the Lord has commissioned us to give: ‘For then shall • Preaching the gospel to the world—the three
be great tribulation, such as was not since the angels’ message to every nation, kindred, tongue
beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall and people (verse 14).
be [Matthew 24:21].’” Review and Herald, November
• The abomination of desolation separates humanity
22, 1892
into two groups— those who give heed to the sign
and those who ignore it (verse 15).
D. Sequence in Matthew 24 and • The abomination of desolation is the equivalent of
Revelation the mark of the beast. Both have to do with the
sun—the object and the day.
Ellen White compared the ruin of Jerusalem with
the ruin of the world:
• The lost stay in Jerusalem and the saved flee—the
flight from the large cities preparatory to leaving
“The whole world will be involved in ruin more the smaller ones (verses 16-20).
terrible than that which came upon Jerusalem of • Not one of God’s people perish during the time of
old.” [Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 614] trouble
• Preaching the gospel to all the world—the • The sun and moon darken and the stars fall from
three angels’ message (Matthew 24:14; Revelation heaven—the darkness of the fifth plague (Matthew
14:6-12). 24:29; Revelation 16:10). At this point God delivers
His people from the death decree (Daniel 12:1).

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 Studies in Matthew 24—Lesson 9

• The sign of the Son of Man seen in heaven (Matthew mountains—still plead for divine protection, while
24:30) in every quarter companies of armed men, urged on
by hosts of evil angels, are preparing for the work of
• The second coming. Jesus sends His angels to
death.” [Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p.
gather His people from the four winds (Matthew
635]
24:30; see 1Thessalonians 4:15-17)
G. Tribulation Shortened
E. Daniel 11 follows the same sequence Matthew 24:22 explains that God will shorten the
• At the end, we have the loud cry through the time of trouble:
power of the latter rain (tidings from the north “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would
and the east (from spiritual Jerusalem). At this be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be
point, the king of the north is in Egypt, Ethiopia shortened.”
and Libya). The Protestant Reformation cut short the first
• The tidings enrage the wicked (troubles the king stage of persecution and the voice of God will put
of the north, he goes out to destroy many). an end to the second (Revelation 16:17). If God did
not intervene to deliver His people in the time of
• The abomination of desolation set up (the tents
trouble, not one of them would remain. The death
of his palace between the seas and the glorious
holy mountain) decree would uproot every one of them.

• The time of trouble follows (Daniel 12:1) It is important to realize that the ‘elect’ will go
through the tribulation; God will not take them to
• God delivers His people when the king of the heaven in a pre-tribulation rapture. When Jesus
north comes to his end with none to help him comes, he will send His angels to gather his elect
(Daniel 12:1) from the four winds. If they already went to heaven
• The resurrection at the coming of Jesus (Daniel before the tribulation, why would He come to gather
12:2). them? Clearly, Jesus will come for His elect at the
end of the great tribulation, which means that they
• Thus Daniel 11:44-12:1 follows the same
went through it.
sequence as Matthew 24:14ff in the identical
order. Satan will use false teachers to persuade Christians
that they will not go through the tribulation
F. The Flight in Matthew 24 because he knows that believers will need a special
Matthew 24:21 quality of faith in order to stand. Now is the time to
“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not develop this faith because when the tribulation
been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, begins it will be too late.
nor ever shall be.”
The word ‘then’ at the beginning of verse 21 Let me illustrate what I mean. Would a person
indicates that when God’s people flee they will prepare for a hurricane in Accra if the
experience the most intense time of trouble in weathercasters predicted that it was going to hit
history. Sekondi? If, as futurists believe, all of the events of
Revelation 4-22 occur after the rapture, why
In volume 5 of Testimonies for the Church, p. 451 would Christians even bother to study these
Ellen White explained that the national Sunday chapters?
law—the abomination of desolation—is the sign for
God’s people to flee after which they will be plunged Who are the elect?
into the time of trouble.
Romans 8:33-37, explains that they are those who
During the first stage of the tribulation, God’s people have accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord (see also
fled to the Piedmont and during the second stage, 1Peter 2:9; Colossians 3:12) Revelation 17:14 refers
they will flee to the desolate places of the earth. to these as the ‘chosen’.
Regarding this, Ellen White wrote:
The parable of the persistent widow applies to the
“The people of God--some in prison cells, some hidden tribulation period. In this parable, the judge
in solitary retreats in the forests and the represents God, the widow represents the elect, and
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 Studies in Matthew 24—Lesson 9
the adversary symbolizes the devil. The plea of the claims to have changed the Sabbath to Sunday, and
widow for the judge to avenge her over her commands all to hallow the day which he has blessed.
adversary symbolizes the elect who cry out day and He declares that those who persist in keeping holy the
night for God to deliver them from the hand of their seventh day are blaspheming his name by refusing
enemies (Luke 18:1-8). We know that this parable to listen to his angels sent to them with light and
applies directly to those will go through the final truth. This is the strong, almost overmastering
time trouble because of the context. Immediately delusion.” Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p.
before and after the parable are references to the 624
second coming.

In The Great Controversy, p. 631 (the chapter on the “But the people of God will not be misled. The
time of trouble) Ellen White universalized the teachings of this false christ are not in accordance
meaning of the tribulation and alluded to Matthew with the Scriptures. He pronounces his blessing upon
24. She referred to the shortening of the tribulation the worshipers of the beast and his image, the very
for the sake of the elect and to the flight of God’s class upon whom the Bible declares that God's
people from the cities. unmingled wrath shall be poured out.
Furthermore, Satan is not permitted to counterfeit
“Yet for the elect's sake the time of trouble will be the manner of Christ's advent. The Savior has
shortened. . . The heavenly sentinels, faithful to their warned His people against deception upon this point,
trust, continue their watch. Though a general and has clearly foretold the manner of His second
decree has fixed the time when commandment coming…….This coming there is no possibility of
keepers may be put to death, their enemies will counterfeiting. It will be universally known—
anticipate the decree in some cases, and before the witnessed by the whole world.” Ellen G. White, The
time specified, will endeavor to take their lives. Great Controversy, p. 625
However, none can pass the mighty guardians
stationed about every faithful soul. Some are assailed God’s people will not trust their ears, their eyes,
in their flight from the cities and villages; but the their feelings, their emotions their impressions or
swords raised against them break and fall powerless the testimony of others. The faithful will detect the
as a straw. Others are defended by angels in the form counterfeit in two ways:
of men of war.” Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy,
p. 631 • The manner of Satan’s coming is not in harmony
with Scripture. Matthew 24:30 tells us that Jesus
Matthew 24:25 will send His angels to gather His elect from the four
“Behold, I have told you beforehand.” winds. 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 tells us that the
Jesus explained all these things to His followers to faithful will be caught up in the clouds to meet the
keep them from being deceived. This shows that the Lord in the air and 2 Thessalonians 2:1 states that
central purpose of Jesus’ sermon in Matthew 24 was at the Parousia we will be gathered to Him, not He
to keep His own people from deception. to us. John 14:1-3 explains that Jesus will take His
people to His Father’s house in heaven.

Ellen White described vividly Satan’s counterfeit:

“As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, • The content of his teachings is contrary to
Satan himself will personate Christ. The church has Scripture. Satan will persuade the world that the
long professed to look to the Savior's advent as the desecration of Sunday is causing the global
consummation of her hopes. Now the great deceiver problems.
will make it appear that Christ has come. In
different parts of the earth, Satan will manifest
Matthew 24:28
himself among men as a majestic being of dazzling
“For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be
brightness, resembling the description of the Son of
gathered together.”
God given by John in the Revelation. Revelation 1:13-
One cannot help but remember that the eagles of
15……In gentle, compassionate tones he presents
Rome brought desolation to Jerusalem and the
some of the same gracious, heavenly truths which the
eagle of the United States will do likewise to the
Savior uttered; he heals the diseases of the people,
nation and the world. !!!
and then, in his assumed character of Christ, he
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