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)

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

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

7 Trumpet Judgments

  1. Trumpet One: Hail, fire, blood, one-third of trees, and all green grass burned
    Rev. 8: 7
  2. Second Trumpet: Great Mountain-like mass hits ocean
    Rev. 8: 8-9
  3. Trumpet Three: star called Wormwood crashes into fresh waters
    Rev. 8: 10-11
  4. Trumpet Four: Great darkness on Earth
    Rev. 8: 12
  5. Trumpet Five: Supernatural Locust Plague
    Rev. 9: 1-5
  6. Trumpet Six: Demons unbound from Euphrates
    Rev. 9: 15-21

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

7 Bowl Judgments

  1. Bowl One: Great sores befall rebels
    Rev. 16: 2
  2. Bowl Two: Seas turn bloody
    Rev. 16: 3
  3. Bowl Three: Fresh waters become blood
    Rev. 16: 4
  4. Bowl Four: Sun grows darker, yet hotter
    Rev. 16: 8-9
  5. Bowl Five: Pain because of darkness befalls rebels
    Rev. Rev. 16: 10-11
  6. Bowl Six: Demons released upon world
    Rev. 16: 12-14
  7. 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