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LESSON X.—SABBATH, DECEMBER 9, 1899

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA · Nov 22, 1899

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 25, No. 47.

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LESSON X.—SABBATH, DECEMBER 9, 1899.

By Editor

SIGNS OF CHRIST'S SECOND COMING.

Mount of Olives, A.D. 31. Lesson Scripture, Matt. 24:21-51, R.V.
21 "For then shall be great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall 22 be. And except those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved; but for the elect's sake those days 23 shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ, or, Here; believe it not. For there shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so as to lead astray, if possible, even the 25 elect. Behold, I have told you beforehand. If therefore they 26 shall say unto you, Behold, He is in the wilderness; go not forth; Behold, He is in the inner chambers; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen 28 even unto the west; so shall be the coming of the Son of man. Wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
29 "But immediately, after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, 30 and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken; and then shall appear the sign of the 30 Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the 31 clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send forth His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 "Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know 33 that the summer is nigh; even so ye also, when ye see all these 34 things, know ye that He is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I 35 say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all 36 these things be accomplished. Heaven and earth shall pass 36 away, but My words shall not pass away. But of that day 37 and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, 38 neither the Son, but the Father only. And as were the days of 39 Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man. For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that 40 Noah entered into the ark, and they knew not until the flood 40 came, and took them all away; so shall be the coming of the 41 Son of man. Then shall two men be in the field; one is taken, 42 and one is left; two women shall be grinding at the mill; one 43 is taken, and one is left. Watch therefore; for ye know not on 43 what day your Lord cometh. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his 44 house to be broken through. Therefore be ye also ready; for 45 in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath set 46 over his household, to give them their food in due season? 47 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall 48 find so doing. Verily I say unto you, that he will set him over 48 all that he hath. But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, 49 My lord tarrieth; and shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, 50 and shall eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that 51 servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites; there shall be the weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Note.—The texts inclosed in marks of parentheses, while not essential to the lesson study, will be found to throw much light upon the lesson, and are suggested for those who wish to study further.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

  1. Having foretold the overthrow of the temple, what did Jesus say would come next in order? Matt. 24:21. (Dan. 9:26, 27; 7:25.)
  2. How did the Lord say a remnant of His people would be saved from destruction under the persecution foretold? Verse 22. Note 1.
  3. What warning did He give against false christs and false prophets? Verses 23-26. (2 Thess. 2:9-12.)
  4. How may we know that these local demonstrations are not the second coming of the Lord? Verse 27.
  5. What events were to begin to take place immediately after the cessation of persecution? Verse 29. (Luke 21:25, 26.)
  6. Tell when each of these events took place, and under what circumstances. (Joel 2:30, 31; Rev. 6:12, 13.)
  7. What was to be the next sign in the heavens? What was to accompany it? Verse 30. (Joel 3:14-16.)
  8. What will then take place? Verse 31. (1 Thess. 4:16, 17.)
  9. What parable does the Saviour give to illustrate the subject? Relate the parable. Verse 32.
  10. How near is the Lord's coming when the signs have been shown in the sun, moon, and stars? Verse 33. (Luke 21:28-31.)
  11. What interest will that generation have in the Lord's coming, who witness the signs already noticed? Verses 34, 35. (Luke 21:34-36.)
  12. Will any one know beforehand the exact time when probation will close? Verse 36. Note 2. (Mark 13:32.)
  13. In what condition will the world be just prior to Christ's second coming? Verses 37-39. (Luke 17:26-30; 2 Tim. 3:1-7.)
  14. What is the duty of the faithful? Why? Verses 42-47. (1 Thess. 5:6-8.)
  15. If, on the other hand, some think that the Lord's coming is being delayed, what is sure to follow in their cases? Verses 48-51.
Side Lights.—"Desire of Ages," chapter 69.

NOTES.

1. Except those days.—These days of persecution were predicted to be 1,260 years in duration. Dan. 7:25. But, as foretold in the text, these days were shortened, lest all of God's people should be destroyed. In the providence of God various causes operated to stop the general persecution of God's people prior to the close of the 1,260 years, which began in 538 A.D. and ended in 1798. The enlightenment of Europe through the powerful influence of the Reformation resulted in a public sentiment which would not allow such persecutions as had been prevalent, and edicts of toleration were issued by ruling monarchs of Europe about 1775-76. Since the latter date there has been no general persecution. The student should note the exactness of the prophecy. In Matthew the record says, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light." In Mark it says, "In those days, after that tribulation." The darkening of the sun and moon, May 18, 1780, occurred "immediately after the tribulation of those days," and these events came "in those days after that tribulation." Any darkening of the sun and moon occurring on any date not included between 1776 and 1798 could not be the signs foretold by our Saviour.
2. No man knoweth.—"No man maketh known," is the sense of the text. Several translations render the textin this way. We have a parallel in 1 Cor. 2:2, where Paul says, "I determined not to know," that is, I determined not to make known. The day and hour of Christ's coming will not be made known by man, angels, nor by the Son, but by the Father only. And certainly no man can make known the time till it is made known by the Father. As He has not revealed the time in the Scriptures, we know it has not yet been revealed.