Part 27 (1/2)

Then said he unto them,

Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. All these _are_ the beginning of sorrows. But take heed to yourselves: before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute _you_; for they shall deliver you up to councils: and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. And (they) shall kill you; and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And the gospel must first be published among all nations.

But when they shall lead _you_, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against _their_ parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. And _some_ of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all _men_ for my name's sake. But there shall not an hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your souls.

And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth let him understand:) and when ye shall see Jerusalem compa.s.sed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.

Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains: and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter _therein_, to take anything out of his house and let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: for then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world which G.o.d created unto this time, neither shall be.

And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. For there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here _is_ Christ; or, lo, _he is_ there; believe _him_ not: for false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders to seduce, if _it were_ possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.

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 s.h.i.+neth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

CHAPTER LX.

FEARFUL SIGNS AFTER THE GREAT TRIBULATION--PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS.

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring: men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. And when these things begin to come to pa.s.s, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

And he spake to them a parable;

Now learn a parable of the fig tree; behold the fig tree and all the trees: when his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye when ye see these things come to pa.s.s, know ye that the kingdom of G.o.d is nigh at hand, _even_ at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pa.s.s away, till all these things be fulfilled.

Heaven and earth shall pa.s.s away, but my words shall not pa.s.s away.

And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and _so_ that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pa.s.s, and to stand before the Son of man. But of that day and _that_ hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but my Father only. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.

But as the days of Noe _were_, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two _women shall be_ grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

_For the Son of man is_ as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the c.o.c.k-crowing, or in the morning: lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.

But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed _is_ that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite _his_ fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for _him_, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint _him_ his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnas.h.i.+ng of teeth.

Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.