Tribulation

The Tribulation is prophecied to be the most terrible time that human beings have endured, or will ever endure. It will be the last 7 years of human history, also known as "Daniel's seventieth week".

The Tribulation is based upon the prophet Daniel's prophecy of 490 years that will culminate with Christ's Second Advent (second coming). Israel (a remnant that believes in Messiah, Jesus Christ, )will then enter the Millennial Kingdom, and a 1000 year period of rest and plenty.

The 70 weeks are actually, in God's Prophetic Economy, based upon 490 years, divided by 7. Each of the 70 weeks contain 7 360 day Jewish calendar years. The last 7 years are a time of unprecedented Tribulation.

Dr. Thomas Ice writes the following: setting the Context

We know from the beginning of chapter 9 (verse 2) that Daniel had read about "the number of years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years." The two passages which Daniel surely studied were Jeremiah 25:11-12 and 29:10-14. Both texts clearly speak of Israel's Babylonian captivity as limited to a 70-year period. Both passages also blend into their texts, statements that look forward to a time of ultimate fulfillment and blessing for the nation of Israel. This is why Daniel appears to think that when the nation returns to their land, then ultimate blessing (the millennial kingdom) will coincide with their return.

Ice goes on to write that Daniel's error was pointed out to the prophet.

" Daniel appears to think that when the nation returns to their land, then ultimate blessing (the millennial kingdom) will coincide with their return. Daniel's errant thinking about the timing of God's plan for Israel occasioned the Lord's sending of Gabriel "to give you insight with understanding" (Dan. 9:22).

God was not yet ready to bring history to its destined final climax. Thus, He told Daniel that He was going to stretch out history by seventy times seven years(i.e., 490 years).

Study, and history proves to those who believe in these judgments as literal, and accept God's dealing dispensationally with Israel, in particular, and with mankind in general, that 69 of the prophetic weeks (483 years) have been fulfilled. The last week of 7 years will begin after the Rapture of the Church, with the confirming of the covenant by "the prince that shall come" (Dan. 9: 27).

Dr. Harold Wilmington gives the following overview of the Tribulation.

"There is coming the culmination of all the ravages of sin upon rebellious mankind. It will be the Great Tribulation. It will be the most horrific time ever endured by inhabitants of Planet Earth.

Jesus said of that time:

"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 except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." (Matt. 24: 21-22)

(A) Names by which this prophesied era of God's Judgment is called in Scripture:

No less than 12 titles for this blood-chilling period can be found in the Bible.

1. The Day of the Lord

This title used more than any other.

Example: Isa 2: 12; 13: 6, 9; Ezek. 13:5; Joel 1: 15; 2:1, 11, 31; Amos 5: 18-20;Obadiah 1: 15; Zeph. 1: 7, 14; Zech. 14: 1; Mal. 4:5; Acts 2: 20; 1 Thes. 5: 2; 2 Thes. 2: 2; 2 Pet. 3: 10

Distinction should be made between "the Day of the Lord," and "the Day of Christ".

"Day of Christ" is a reference to the Millennium

1 Cor. 1: 8; 5:5 15
2 Cor. 1: 14
Phil. 1: 6, 10; 2: 16

2. The Indignation
Isa. 26: 20; 34: 2

3. Day of God's Vengeance
Isa. 34: 8; 63: 1-6

4. The Time of Jacob's Trouble
Jer. 30: 7

5. The Overspreading of Abominations
Dan. 9: 27

6. The Time of Trouble such as never was
Dan. 12: 1 Matt. 24: 21

7. The Seventieth Week
Dan. 9: 24-27

8. The Time of The End
Dan. 12: 9

9. The great day of His Wrath
Rev. 6: 17

10. The hour of His Judgment
Rev. 14: 7

11. The end of this world
Matt. 13: 40, 49

12. The Tribulation
Matt. 24: 21, 29

(B) The severity of the Tribulation

1. Unbelievably bloody wars
Matt. 24: 6-7; Rev. 6: 2-4; 14: 20

2. Drunkenness
Matt. 24: 38; Lk 17: 27

3. Illicit Sex
Matt. 24: 38; Lk 17: 27; Rev. 9: 21

4. Gross Materialism
Lk 17: 28; Rev. 18: 12-14

5. Rise of false messiahs and prophets
Matt. 24: 5, 11,24

6. Horrible persecution of believers
Matt. 24: 9-10; Rev 16: 6; 17: 6

7. Men to hide in caves
Isa 2: 19-21; Rev. 6: 15-17

8. The pangs and sorrows of death to seize men similar to the pains of women in labor
Isa 13: 8; Jer 30: 6

9. Terrible world-wide famines
Rev. 6: 5-6, 8

10. Humans to be slaughtered by predatory wild beasts
Rev. 6: 8

11. Disastrous earthquakes
Rev. 6: 12; 11: 13; 16: 18

12. Fearful heavenly signs and disturbances
Lk 21: 25; Rev. 6: 12-14; 8: 12

13. Universal tidal waves and ocean disasters
Lk 21: 25; Rev. 8: 8-9; 16: 3

14. Sun, stars, and Moon to be darkened
Isa 13: 10; Joel 2:33; 3: 15

15. The Moon to be turned into blood
Joel 2: 31; Rev. 6: 12

16. The heavens to be rolled together like a scroll
Isa 34: 4; Joel 2: 10; Rev. 6: 14

17. Massive hailstones comprised of fire and blood to fall upon the earth
Rev. 8: 7; 16: 21

18. Huge meteorites to fall upon the earth
Rev. 8: 8-11

19. Stars of the heavens to fall upon the earth
Rev. 6: 13

20. Both salt waters and fresh waters to become polluted
Rev. 8: 8-11; 11: 6; 16: 3-4

21. Universal disaster of land ecology
Rev. 8: 7

22. Events to steadily go from bad to worse
Amos 5: 19

23. A time of thick darkness and utter depression
Joel 2: 2

24. No period in history to compare to it
Jer. 30: 7; Dan. 12: 1; Matt. 24: 21-22

25. A time of famine of the Word of God Itself
Amos 8: 11-12

26. A time of absolutely no escape from God's fierce Judgment
Amos 9: 2-3

27. World-wide drug usage
Rev. 9: 21

28. Universal idolatry and devil worship
Rev. 9: 20; 13: 11-17

29. Murderous demonic invasions
Rev. 9: 3-20

30. Subterranean eruptions
Rev. 9: 1-2

31. Scorching solar heat
Rev. 16: 8-9

32. Terrifying periods of total darkness
Rev. 16: 10

33. Unchecked city-wide fires
Rev. 18: 8, 18

34. A plague of cancerous sores
Rev. 16: 2

35. The total destruction of the earth's religious, political, and economic systems
Rev. chapters 17 and 18

36. A universal dictatorial rule by the Antichrist
Rev. chapter 13

37. An all-out, no holds barred attempt to destroy Israel
Rev. 12: 1-17

38. Survivors of this period to be more rare than gold
Isa 13: 12

39. Men's blood to be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung
Zeph. 1: 17

40. The slain to remain unburied, and the mountains to be covered with blood
Isa 34: 3; 66: 24

41. The earth to be moved out of its orbit
Isa 13: 13

42. The earth to be turned upside down
Isa 24: 1, 19

43. The earth to reel to and fro like a drunkard
Isa 24: 20

44. The most frightful plague in all history
Zech. 14: 12

45. Human river of blood to flow
Rev. 14: 20

46. Scavenger birds to eat the rotted flesh of entire armies of men
Matt. 24: 28; Rev. 19: 17-19."

There are 21 specific Tribulation Judgments scheduled to fall upon rebellious earthdwellers:

7 Seals Judgments

1) Seal One: Rider on white horse " Rev. 6:2

2) Seal Two: Rider on red horse " Rev. 6: 4

3) Seal Three: Rider on black horse - Rev. 6: 5

4)Seal Four: Riders on pale horse " Rev. 6: 8

5) Seal Five: Slain Tribulation Saints " Rev. 6: 9-11

6)Seal Six: Great earthquake/Sun darkens/Moon becomes red as blood " Rev. 6: 12-14

7) Seal Seven: Heaven silent " Rev. 8: 1-2

Trumpet Judgments

8) Trumpet One: Hail, fire, blood, one-third of trees, and all green grass burned - Rev. 8: 7

9) Second Trumpet: Great Mountain-like mass hits ocean " Rev. 8: 8-9

10) Trumpet Three: star called Wormwood crashes into fresh waters " Rev. 8: 10-11

11) Trumpet Four: Great darkness on Earth " Rev. 8: 12

12) Trumpet Five: Supernatural Locust Plague " Rev. 9: 1-5

13) Trumpet Six: Demons unbound from Euphrates " Rev. 9: 15-21

Heaven again pauses as two witnesses " 144,000 Jewish men sealed for service, plus other things winding up human history. Rev. Chapters 10 " 15.

14) Trumpet Seven: All of the wind up of Chapter 10 through Chapter 15 is begun in Rev. 10: 7 Bowl Judgments

15) Bowl One: Great sores befall rebels " Rev. 16: 2

16) Bowl Two: Seas turn bloody " Rev. 16: 3

17) Bowl Three: Fresh waters become blood " Rev. 16: 4

18) Bowl Four: Sun grows darker, yet hotter " Rev. 16: 8-9

19) Bowl Five: Pain because of darkness befalls rebels " Rev. Rev. 16: 10-11

20) Bowl Six: Demons released upon world " Rev. 16: 12-14

21) Bowl Seven:Greatest earthquake flattens every city / 100 pound hailstones " Rev. 16: 18-20

Dr. Thomas Ice, Daniel's Seventieth Week, Part 1
Dr. Harold Wilmington, Prophecy 101
Terry James, Tribulation Judgments on Rebellious Earthdwellers