Understanding the Great Tribulation

Understanding the Great Tribulation

Tribulation is a part of our life.  Who do you know that doesn’t have trials and tribulations?

Tribulation means to experience great suffering or distress.  This is what many of us go through in our travel throughout life.  However, there is a time coming when the world will suffer through what the Bible speaks of as “The Great Tribulation”.  

           The ‘Tribulation’ was what was prophesied in the book of Daniel in the Old Testament.  “In the third year of the reign of Cyrus, king of Persia, Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) had another vision. It concerned events certain to happen in the future: times of great tribulation—wars and sorrows, and this time he understood what the vision meant.”  Daniel 10:1 (TLB)

           It means that in the future there will be a period of 7 years that are divided in half: 3 ½ years and 3 ½ years.  The first 3 ½ years will be troublesome as the anti-Christ shows himself to be a great man who sets up a 7 year treaty with Israel and the Arab countries surrounding it.  This man will be mesmerizing in all that he does.  He has the power to do miracles and people will be totally taken in by him.  A new temple will be built in Jerusalem and the Jews will once again turn to sacrificing animals for God’s forgiveness of sin.

          At the end of the first 3 ½ years, the Anti-Christ will reveal who he really is and set up his own image in the Temple and claim to be God.  During this time he will set up what the Bible calls, “The mark of the beast” by demanding everyone have a mark of some kind on their forehead or on their hand.  A person can’t buy or sell anything including food, medicine or fuel without showing they have that mark which is referred to as ‘666’.  However, the Bible tells us that anyone receiving the mark will not enter the kingdom of God, but will be doomed to eternity in the Lake of Fire with the Devil and his demons.

           This is all part of the Tribulation, but the “Great Tribulation” has not yet come.  Somewhere in the last 3 ½ years we will see the most terrible things we can imagine take place on the earth.  For a clear picture of what those things will be, let’s go to Matthew 24:4-51 in the New Testament and read what Jesus said about it.  

The disciples asked Jesus how they would know when these would happen and Jesus began to explain that there would be many wars and nations of the world coming against one another.  He also said there would be famines, disease and earthquakes, but this wasn’t the worse.  There was more to come; if you were a Believer, you would be persecuted and killed for standing up for the name of Jesus.  False prophets would come and many would be deceived and even the Christian’s heart for God will grow cold.  If you hold strong in God, you will be saved.  The Jews will be forced to leave Israel and hide in the mountains.  All of this is just the beginning and now comes the “Great Tribulation”.

            Suddenly, the sun will be darkened; the moon will no longer be a light in the sky and stars
            will begin to fall from the heavens.  At this time everyone will see Jesus coming down from                heaven in power and glory.  A trumpet will sound and the angels will begin to gather all  the 
            believers from the entire world. When will that be?  Jesus said that only God the Father know
            that day and hour.  He warns us in verse 42 to be watching and ready.

It appears the Great Tribulation, which is also referred to as ‘The Wrath of God’ takes place during the latter part of the last 3 ½ years of this 7-year period.  Look at this scripture in Revelation 3:10 (TLB) “Because you have patiently obeyed me despite the persecution, therefore I will protect you from the time of Great Tribulation and temptation, which will come upon the world to test everyone alive.”

Now let’s go back to Daniel 12:1-4 
           "At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase." 

            We can read almost the same thing in I Thessalonians 4:16-18 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

 

 

Next week, we will continue the End Times series with “The Second Coming of Jesus Christ”.