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simultaneously affected, will be on a much greater scale than ever before. The

persecutions heretofore, though vastly severe, were yet within a limited geographical
radius, but this last ―great tribulation‖ will be in every land where Christians reside,
and the dragon-empowered one rules ―over all kindreds and tongues and nation,‖
There is no hint in scripture as to the duration of this awful time, but it can be

reasonably deduced to be about co-extensive with the reign of the Beast, who will
make war on the saints and on the ―holy people‖ — the then godly remnant of Israel.
Furthermore, the complete abandonment of moral law in the world will lead to its
inevitable recompense of suffering and confusion to ―all flesh.‖ The reign of

Antichrist which will start out auspiciously, will quickly deteriorate, and even before
the outpouring of divine wrath from heaven, God will sovereignly ―recompense
tribulation to them that have tribulated‖ His own. ―To the end, wars and desolations
are determined.‖ As previously pointed out, defiance of God and His laws always

brings penalties in great human suffering.
It well be ―Immediately after the tribulation of those days‖ that there will be
heavenly visitations, the supernatural outpourings — ―The sun shall be darkened and
the moon will not give her light …‖ Matt. 24:29. ―And the fifth angel poured out his

bowl upon the throne of the Beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they
gnawed their tongues for pain.‖ Rev.16:10.
These are the terrible days of the beginning of Jehovah‘s wrath, when the beast and
his followers will be in the crucible, but ―the elect‖ whose days of tribulation have

been shortened by the oncoming of these judgments, will be supernaturally protected
and shielded from them as Israel was kept from the plagues that were poured out upon
the people of Egypt. The Lord permitted His people then to suffer awful persecution
under the lash of the taskmasters, but when the Lord Himself commenced His

judgments ―not one of the cattle of Israel died,‖ and ―they had light in their dwellings‖
while Egypt was covered with a pall of darkness. Isaiah, foreseeing this fearful time,
speaks of Jehovah‘s care for His own: ―Come, my people, enter thou into thy
chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment,

until the indignation be over-past. For, behold the Lord cometh out of His place to
punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her
blood, and shall no more cover her slain.‖ Isa.26:20-21.(Cf. also Isa. 13:6-11).
And Zephaniah says: ―Seek ye the Lord all ye meek of the earth (note: not only the

elect of Israel but ‗all ye meek OF THE EARTH‘) which have wrought His judgment;
seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord‘s
anger.‖ Zeph. 2:3.
These passages obviously teach the hiding and protection of God‘s own, whether

the sealed remnant of Israel or the saints who are still ―living and surviving.‖ No

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