Matthew Chapter 24
Verse 21 and 22 “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.”
When the trouble comes, it will be the greatest trouble to ever have befallen mankind. Imagine if you will all the various troubles which up to this time mankind have suffered, many of which are of his own making others due to natural occurrences disasters and etc., wars, revolutions, famines and plagues.
Some are of the opinion that the great tribulation refers specifically to the trouble which befell Jerusalem in (70 A.D.) when their city were laid siege by the Romans. This was indeed a very trying experience; it witnessed the starvation and deaths of most of the citizens of Jerusalem, in all including Romans soldiers it is estimated that over 1,000,000 lives were lost.
But this was not the greatest trouble to ever befall mankind.
Others claim it was the trouble which befell France during the French Revolution (1787-1799) in which over 1,400,000 died, this followed shortly by what was designated as the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) in which another 3,500,000–7,000,000 died worldwide.
But this was not the greatest trouble to ever befall mankind.
Perhaps you imagine it to have been during the Inquisitions (1231- 1826) in all it is estimated that nearly a 1,000,000+ people either through execution or withering away in prison perished.
Perhaps you imagine it to have taken place during the Mongol conquests in (1206–1368) which witnessed the deaths of over 30,000,000 people, or perhaps more recently WWII (1939-1945) which saw the deaths of near 85,000,000 worldwide, including 6,000,000 Jews in Nazi death camps.
But these too were not the greatest troubles to ever befall mankind.
The Great Famine of (1315-1317) in Europe killed over 7,500,000.
Four different famines took place in China between the year (1810-1849) in which over 45,000,000 people died.
The Plague of Justinian (541–542) a pandemic that afflicted the whole of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, especially its capital Constantinople, the Sasanian Empire, and port cities around the entire Mediterranean Sea was one of the deadliest plagues in history, the devastating pandemic resulted in the deaths of an estimated 25–50,000,000 people in two centuries of recurrence, equivalent to 13–26% of the world's population at the time of the first outbreak.
Through (1331–1353) Europe, Asia and North Africa suffered the Black Death which resulted in the death of upwards to 200,000,000; 30–60% of population, and between (1918–1920) an influenza pandemic broke out worldwide known as Spanish flu killing over 75,000,000 souls.
But sill none of these was the greatest troubles to ever befall mankind.
In 1815 the Volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora one of the most powerful in recorded history resulting in the deaths of 71,000+.
In 1931 floods in China killed between 1,000,000-4,000,000 people.
In 1556 the Shaanxi earthquake in China the deadliest earthquake in recorded history, killed approximately 830,000 people.
And in 1970 the Bhola cyclone that struck East Pakistan and India's West Bengal remains the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded and one of the deadliest natural disasters of all time killing at least 500,000 people.
Nor were any of these natural disasters the greatest troubles to ever befall mankind.
So what then was the most devastating trouble to ever befall mankind?
That’s right it was the flood, with estimates ranging between 1,000,000,000 to 40,000,000,000 lives lost.
Just as the troubles which befell Adam due to sin spread to all men so that every intent of his heart was on evil (this along with the interference of the fallen spirits in the affairs of men) led to the most violent time period in man’s history resulting in the flood in which only eight persons survived, so too the great tribulation is a “time”, or period of trouble having a beginning and an a climax viz. Armageddon, in which if not for divine interference no flesh would survive.
Of all the previous troubles that have befallen mankind the flood was the greatest and is therefore the best illustration of just how bad things will get.
Continued with next post.
Verse 21 and 22 “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.”
When the trouble comes, it will be the greatest trouble to ever have befallen mankind. Imagine if you will all the various troubles which up to this time mankind have suffered, many of which are of his own making others due to natural occurrences disasters and etc., wars, revolutions, famines and plagues.
Some are of the opinion that the great tribulation refers specifically to the trouble which befell Jerusalem in (70 A.D.) when their city were laid siege by the Romans. This was indeed a very trying experience; it witnessed the starvation and deaths of most of the citizens of Jerusalem, in all including Romans soldiers it is estimated that over 1,000,000 lives were lost.
But this was not the greatest trouble to ever befall mankind.
Others claim it was the trouble which befell France during the French Revolution (1787-1799) in which over 1,400,000 died, this followed shortly by what was designated as the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) in which another 3,500,000–7,000,000 died worldwide.
But this was not the greatest trouble to ever befall mankind.
Perhaps you imagine it to have been during the Inquisitions (1231- 1826) in all it is estimated that nearly a 1,000,000+ people either through execution or withering away in prison perished.
Perhaps you imagine it to have taken place during the Mongol conquests in (1206–1368) which witnessed the deaths of over 30,000,000 people, or perhaps more recently WWII (1939-1945) which saw the deaths of near 85,000,000 worldwide, including 6,000,000 Jews in Nazi death camps.
But these too were not the greatest troubles to ever befall mankind.
The Great Famine of (1315-1317) in Europe killed over 7,500,000.
Four different famines took place in China between the year (1810-1849) in which over 45,000,000 people died.
The Plague of Justinian (541–542) a pandemic that afflicted the whole of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, especially its capital Constantinople, the Sasanian Empire, and port cities around the entire Mediterranean Sea was one of the deadliest plagues in history, the devastating pandemic resulted in the deaths of an estimated 25–50,000,000 people in two centuries of recurrence, equivalent to 13–26% of the world's population at the time of the first outbreak.
Through (1331–1353) Europe, Asia and North Africa suffered the Black Death which resulted in the death of upwards to 200,000,000; 30–60% of population, and between (1918–1920) an influenza pandemic broke out worldwide known as Spanish flu killing over 75,000,000 souls.
But sill none of these was the greatest troubles to ever befall mankind.
In 1815 the Volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora one of the most powerful in recorded history resulting in the deaths of 71,000+.
In 1931 floods in China killed between 1,000,000-4,000,000 people.
In 1556 the Shaanxi earthquake in China the deadliest earthquake in recorded history, killed approximately 830,000 people.
And in 1970 the Bhola cyclone that struck East Pakistan and India's West Bengal remains the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded and one of the deadliest natural disasters of all time killing at least 500,000 people.
Nor were any of these natural disasters the greatest troubles to ever befall mankind.
So what then was the most devastating trouble to ever befall mankind?
That’s right it was the flood, with estimates ranging between 1,000,000,000 to 40,000,000,000 lives lost.
Just as the troubles which befell Adam due to sin spread to all men so that every intent of his heart was on evil (this along with the interference of the fallen spirits in the affairs of men) led to the most violent time period in man’s history resulting in the flood in which only eight persons survived, so too the great tribulation is a “time”, or period of trouble having a beginning and an a climax viz. Armageddon, in which if not for divine interference no flesh would survive.
Of all the previous troubles that have befallen mankind the flood was the greatest and is therefore the best illustration of just how bad things will get.
Continued with next post.
