24. 4. THE FUTURE NOT INTO PRESENT: TRIBULATION

watchfulness, or light, or doctrinal views, is to destroy the whole foundation of Grace, and put human merit in its place. Membership in the body of Christ is based on life, not on light. It depends neither on wages nor works; but, on the "gift of God," not on the acquirement of knowledge; on the reception of God's grace, not on the reception of man's tradition.

Still less is there anything to warrant the belief that the Church of God must pass through the whole, or any part, of the Tribulation.

If we fail to rightly divide the Word of truth as to this we shall bring dishonour upon the free grace of God.

Indeed the Spirit of God seems to have taken special care to preserve us from such mistakes.

The Tribulation is everywhere either distinctly stated or specially indicated as being connected with Israel. The words are spoken "concerning Israel and concerning Judah" (Jer. xxx. 4). This fact, of itself, shows that it has no connection with the Church of God.

In Jer. xxx. 7 it is called "the time of Jacob's trouble." And why "Jacob?" Because that name carries us back to that night of Jacob's trouble in Gen. xxxii. 21-30, when, after many years of exile, he was about to return to his own land, and had reached its borders. There he heard of Esau's preparations to come and meet him at the head of 400 armed men. When he heard this, "Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed" (v. 7), and he cries to God in his distress, and pleads the "mercies" of God, and deliverance from the hand of Esau lest he come and smite. It was the crisis of Jacob's life; when, had "the mother with the children" been smitten, there would have been an end of the future nation of Israel, whose name was, for the first time, revealed on that eventful night.

Even so the coming Tribulation will be the time of "Jacob's trouble," the crisis of the coming nation. It will not arrive until Israel returns to the land. This is clear from Jer. xxx. 3, which proceeds to describe the "trembling" and "fear," and adds "Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it" (v. 7). The whole of this chapter should be carefully studied; and with it, Dan. xii. 1: "At that time (i.e., at the crisis of

Antichrist's power, see the end of ch. xi.) shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy (Daniel's) people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy (Daniel's) people shall be delivered."

It is positively certain that that time has not yet arrived; for, at the destruction of Jerusalem (which is supposed by some to be the Tribulation), instead of returning to their land the people were driven out of it; instead of being "gathered," they were "scattered"; instead of being "saved" and "delivered," they fled in their terror.

There are many Scriptures which speak of this time of trouble. Dan.vii.8; viii.9-12,23-26; xi.30-39. Rev.vi.-xix. all refer to those days; but it is in Matt. xxiv. that the Lord Himself gives us its outline, and connects it with the Apocalyptic scenes.

In verses 4-6 its beginnings in "that generation" are described; but this introduction is closed with the words "THE END (τέλος, telos) IS NOT YET." This is emphatic, and is repeated in Mark xiii. 7, and Luke xxi. 9. This is what is referred to in Matt. xxiv. 34, and Luke xxi. 32, where the word is γένηται (genētai), to begin to be, arise. That generation did actually see the beginning of those things which the Lord mentions in Matt. xxiv. 4-6.

Then, in verse 7 (Mark xiii. 8. Luke xxi. 10, 11), the Lord describes the opening scenes of the Great Tribulation itself, which correspond exactly with the opening of the seals in Rev. vi.

The 1st Seal (vv. 1, 2) will be a repetition of what took place in that past generation, viz., the coming of many false Messiahs.

The 2nd Seal: Wars (vv. 3, 4). "Nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom"

"BUT THE END IS NOT YET" (Matt. xxiv. 4-6).

1 The English "by and by" meant (in 1611) exactly what the Greek means here, immediately (viseas, eutheōs). (See below, Part II., Canon III., 2.)

2 This is not the word used in Luke xxi. 24 for "fulfilled," which is quite another word, viz., -λαρὰν (plērob), to fulfil, or fill full.