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The Great Tribulation

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The Great Tribulation

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The Great Tribulation

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The Great Tribulation, or Time of Jacobs Trouble is a detailed set of prophesied events that will take place immediately before the return of Christ. It serves as a warning to those who are not taking their calling seriously… and a source of understanding and reassurance for those who are to be caught up in these end-time events.

Transcript

The Great Tribulation, or Time of Jacobs Trouble is a detailed set of prophesied events that will take place immediately before the Feast of Trumpets and the return of Christ. It serves as a warning to those who are perhaps not taking their calling seriously… a source of understanding and reassurance for those who are caught up in these end-time events.

The Tribulation: A Time of God’s Protection

First let’s start with something very positive and important…. God can and will protect His people. He does this in different ways depending on the situation:

  1. By a warning to flee in the face of imminent danger
  2. By causing powerful people to show them favor
  3. By supernatural intervention in events

Matthew 24:15-16 Jesus spoke of this future time and used the phrase Great Tribulation or Time of Great Distress to link His words to prophecies that had been delivered about 500 years earlier, specifically mentioning the prophet Daniel.

Matthew 24: 21-22 He will supernaturally intervene for the sake of the elect. He will save them and protect them.  

Note: the so called rapture theory is inconsistent with the scriptures. For those of you who are not familiar with the rapture theory… it’s a wishful teaching that Jesus will whisk away all the good people to heaven before this time of tribulation.  But the scriptures show that God’s people will be on earth during that terrible time… and one of the reasons Jesus intervenes is so these elect will not be wiped out and killed.

Revelation 12:13-14 further prophecy about God protecting His church, He takes them to a place of protection ON EARTH… a wilderness. Verses 15 -16 again contrary to the rapture theory scripture depicts this happening ON EARTH.

Verse 17 Identifies the woman as the Church – those who keep His commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus. We also learn that a portion of the Church is not hidden in the wilderness and subject to Satan’s warfare. God will also allow some members of His Church to be persecuted and killed… see also Revelation 6:11. There is a reason for that…

Revelation 3:10-12 some are protected because of their perseverance and overcoming [sin] are what set these folks apart from the hour of trial. Revelation 3:15-21 some need to be refined and tested with fire.

Why Does Jesus Talk About The Great Tribulation?

The disciples ask Jesus to tell them about the signs leading up to His return He tells them about false teaching, wars, famines and plagues. These are basically the first 4 of the 7 seals. We know these and the four horsemen. After these comes the 5th seal … the persecution of the church… Matthew 24:9 

Many have suffered over the centuries because of false teaching, war, famine, plague, and persecution. However, verse 21 shows these growing in intensity until we come to this very unique period in human history… there has never been anything like it in the past… and there will never be anything like it afterwards. It will be a singular, unique, one-time event… the Great Tribulation.

Verse 29-30 this time of Great Tribulation comes immediately before Christ’s return!

A Time of Trouble For Israel

In addition to persecution and a Satanic war against the church of God it will be a time of great distress for the modern day descendants of Israel.

Luke 21:20-24 this is a parallel account of what Jesus says in Matthew 24. It specifically refers to Jerusalem. The events signaling the beginning of the tribulation take place in the nation state now called Israel.

Daniel 12:1 here is part of the prophecy Jesus referred to. It is specifically identified by the key phrase time of great distress or tribulation. The prophecy also says “your people” to Daniel… meaning Israel.

To The Jew First… Then The Nations

All nations, people, and cultures deserve to have the justice of God dished out to them for all their crimes, injustice, oppression and perversion… so why single out Israel?

The answer involves understanding a biblical principle: to Israel first and then to all other nations. We see this principle with a positive spin way back in the original promise to Abraham found in Genesis 12… “through you and your descendants all nations will be blessed”. Paul applied this same formula in Romans 1:16, 2:9-10, 10:25-32.

Just as Israel is first to be offered the good things of God… So, Israel will be the first to be punished… and after the time of Great Distress and the time of the rule of Christ on earth Israel will be the first to be restored. In the 1,000 year rule of Jesus Christ Israel will be established as the model nation through whom the ways of God will be taught by word and example [which was the good purpose Israel was established for in the first place] Zechariah 8:3,23.

The Persecution of The Church of God
  1. Revelation 13:5-7 makes war with the saints and overcomes them. For that 42 month long period [aka 3.5 years] the beast is in control… no restraints
  2. Daniel 7:23-25 persecutes the saints

The time of Great Tribulation will affect the modern day descendants of Israel and the Church of God.

Who Will Do the Persecuting & How Long Will it Last?

We actually just read the answer to both questions in the preceding two scriptures.

The persecutor is referred to as the ‘beast’.

God’s punishment of Israel also follows a pattern… He allows foreign nations to gain military supremacy over them, subjugate and humiliate them. Think of the book of Judges, Saul’s wars with the Philistines, the Assyrians, the Babylonians… and this great and powerful entity of the future known only as… the beast.

The “beast” is the last in a long line of powerful human kingdoms that dominate the earth. There is more we can say about the beast but let’s leave that for another time.

We also know from scriptures we read earlier that Satan instigates the Great Tribulation Rev 12:12-13. Why is he so angry?

  1. Because his time is almost up
  2. Hates the church, the Israel of God, the spirit begotten people of God
  3. Has hates the descendants of Israel, has hated ever since God chose them to be His holy people

So the answer to our question who will do the persecuting is two part: the beast & Satan working together.

How Long Will The Great Tribulation Last?

Answer: 3.5 years… Note: a biblical year is 360 days made up of 12 months each 30 days long. That can be said in several different ways… 1,260 days, 42 months, 3.5 years [times = years, Babylonian type word only found in Daniel]

Daniel 12:7 after discussing this time of distress to come upon Daniel’s people a voice asks… how long will this time of Great Distress & Tribulation last? Answer: 3:5 years

Revelation 12:14 in the context of Satan’s angry persecution of the Church, and God’s protection of the church there is a definite period of time marked out a time, times, and half a time. See verse 6 where it reads: 1,260 days.

Revelation 13:5 the beast was given authority [to blaspheme, persecute, conquer] for 42 months

Daniel 7:23-25 the beast shall conquer, blaspheme, and persecute the entire earth for a time, times, and half a time.

 

The time of Great Tribulation is both time when the Church of God is persecuted, overcome, and chased into a wilderness hiding place out of Satan’s reach and it’s the time when all authority and power are gathered together in the Beast [Satan’s agent of persecution].

What Signals the Beginning of the Tribulation?

Daniel 12:11 the tribulation begins 30 days after the daily sacrifice is abolished and an abomination is established in its place. The Jews have not made a daily sacrifice since 70 A.D… when the temple and Jerusalem were destroyed. So in order for this prophecy to be fulfilled daily sacrifice must be re-established. The idea that Jews would once again sacrifice in Jerusalem was laughable until 1948 when Israel once again became a nation… followed in 1967 when the Jews captured Jerusalem.

Now a daily sacrifice is a possibility… this is why prophecy watchers are keeping an eye on events related to the temple mount in Jerusalem.

Does The Word of God Cease To Be Proclaimed?

During that same 3.5 year period when the Beast is all powerful and the church is on the run… God’s plans for 2 witnesses to preach in a very powerful way, Revelation 11:2-3. After the 1260 days they are executed.

There are 3 momentous events happening during this 3.5 year period called the Great Tribulation: the rise of the final world dominating government [the beast], the persecution of the people of God, the final preaching of the word of God accompanied by signs, wonders etc.

Knowing This Stuff… Is There Anything You Can or Should Do?

Jesus gives you the answer to that question… Matthew 24:42 He says be watchful of the signs of the times, but mostly be watchful of yourself at all times. After Jesus finishes His delivery of the prophecy He follows up with 3 parables [Matthew chapter 25]. All three are warnings to watch our spiritual condition because we do not know when our time is up, or when the end of the age comes:

  1. a warning about your spiritual condition [ten virgins]. Are you following the lead of the Holy Spirit?
  2. an exhortation and a warning about the works you do unto reward  the talents]
  3. a warning about mercy, compassion, and how you treat one another [sheep & goats]

Luke 21:34-36 Luke boils it down here. Watching the news is not the answer. Do what it takes to be considered worthy.

What Follows The Tribulation?

The 6th seal is opened and signs in the sun moon and stars announce the immanent arrival of Jesus Christ. He brings with Him the wrath of God to be dished out upon the nations, cultures, governments, philosophies, and deceptive religions for all their evil, perversions and disobedience.

He also brings with Him the gift of eternal life for those who are His AND great reward… personalized for each and every one of them according to their works.