ng from
their homes, the great suffering of that time came upon the unbelieving,
who had no shelter.

This prophecy given by our Saviour presents the picture of a
long-continued persecution of His own elect, and foretells the
shortening of the allotted time. God was to intervene in some special
way to save His people. And it was even so. The elect did suffer all
through the centuries of intolerance, until the rise of the Reformation
and the spreading abroad of God's Word broke the power of
ecclesiasticism, thus shortening the days of bitter tribulation.

The End Drawing Near

According to Daniel's further prophecy, the period of trial and
persecution was to reach "even to the time of the end." Dan. 11:35.
Naturally, then, we should look for the signs of the latter days to
begin to appear following these days of tribulation. And so we find the
next words of Christ's discourse introducing the topic of His second
coming. From now on the prophetic outline deals with events leading
down to the end of the age.

First the Saviour utters a warning against false ideas concerning His
second coming. That no theories of a secret coming or of a mystic coming
might deceive the unwary, He says in plain words:

"If any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it
not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall
show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they
shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore
if they shall say unto you, Behold, He is in the desert; go not forth:
behold, He is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the
lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so
shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matt. 24:23-27.

Today we see the need of this warning. Some of the most subtle
deceptions are found in the teaching that Christ has already come,
secretly, or that He comes in the chamber of death, or in the
spiritualistic seance. Against all these errors we are forewarned, as
well as against any agencies that may come showing marvelous signs and
wonders. The close of human probation, the coming of the day of God,
will be as a thief in the night; and Christ's coming itself will
overtake the unwatchful all unprepared. Nevertheless, when He comes,
"every eye shall see Him," and all the glory of heaven will burst upon a
quaking world.

Signs in the Heavens and the Earth

Now the Saviour's