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prophecy
What Is The Great Tribulation?
Many Christians avoid the topic of the Great Tribulation either because they don’t understand it, or because they think they won’t be here for it. Their thinking is that if they aren’t going to have to endure it, there’s no reason to concern themselves with it. FIRST, you CAN understand it, and God described it in His Word, so He wants you to understand it. SECOND, the Church WILL be here for it. (I’ll just leave this right here for an upcoming post.)
WHAT IS IT?
The Tribulation is a time period which will lead up to the Battle of Armageddon, and the return of Jesus Christ to gather His Saints/Elect/Church. It will be a time of severe persecution of the Jewish people, and yes, even the Church. To get an idea of the scope of persecution, research the Holocaust, and know that Jesus said it would be worse.
“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:21)
WHAT IS ITS PURPOSE?
In Daniel chapter 9, the prophet is given revelation concerning 70 weeks of years (a 490 year period whereby God determined to accomplish some things. He tells us what those things are in verse 24:
“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.“ (Daniel 9:24)
- To finish the transgression
- To make an end of sins
- To make reconciliation for iniquity
- To bring in everlasting righteousness
- To seal up the vision and prophecy
- To anoint the most Holy
One week of the seventy has yet to be fulfilled. That is a week of years, or a seven year period. The Church is waiting for this seven year period to begin. It is during this last seven years that the above things will be accomplished. This time period is going to wrap everything up that needs to be completed before Jesus is anointed King of kings and Lord of lords, and sets up His earthly 1,000 year millennial kingdom.
HOW LONG WILL IT LAST?
If asked, most people would say that the Great Tribulation will last for seven years. This, however, is not backed by scripture. While there will be a seven year period of time that leads up to the Battle of Armageddon and the return of Jesus to gather His Church, the Tribulation will only be during the second half of the “week of years,” or the final 3 and 1/2 years.
It is in the middle of the week (of years) that the antichrist will cause the daily sacrifices to stop, and will commit the abomination of desolation by standing in the newly built Jewish Temple, and claiming to be God. (their long-awaited Messiah) This incident is what will trigger the Great Tribulation. Up until this point there will have been pseudo peace for the first 3 and 1/2 years.
“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.“ (Daniel 9:27)
“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.“ (Matthew 24: 15-21)
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
As we have seen, the Tribulation begins in the middle of the final seven years. We can verify the length of the Tribulation by comparing the variations of wording to describe the last half of the week.
Time, and Times, and Half a Time
“And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.” (Revelation 12:14)
Time is one year. Times is two years, and half a time is half a year. We see the same description of a 3 and 1/2 year Tribulation period. *NOTE* The woman in this scripture is the collective Jewish West Bank settlers who are mentioned as “them which be in Judaea” above in Matthew 24:15-21.
42 Months
”But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.“ (Revelation 11:2)
“And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.“ (Revelation 13:5)
1,260 Days
“And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.” (Revelation 11:3)
IN CONCLUSION
Whether the Tribulation is described as Time, and Times, and Half a Time, or Forty-Two Months, or 1,260 days, it is obvious that it is referring to a three and one-half year period of time. As we also saw, this period of time begins in the middle of the week when the antichrist steps into the newly built Jewish Temple, declaring himself to be God, or their Messiah.
At this point, the seven year Jewish/Muslim peace agreement that was instituted by the world government, will be broken, and terrible persecution will break out upon the Jewish people.
This three and one-half year Tribulation period is just ahead. If you are reading this, there is every reason to believe that you will live to see it. Still, you might be thinking that you’re not Jewish, so why should you be concerned? I will cover this question in detail in an upcoming post, but I’ll leave you with this one scripture:
“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.“ (Revelation 12:17)
After the antichrist, possessed by satan, sends his initial onslaught against the Jewish people, in his rage, he will then send tribulation out into the rest of the world to persecute Christians in whatever nations he can. It remains to be seen how much authority he will have over the United States of America. (And that is for a future post;) One thing is for certain. It is time to trust God, more than we ever have before.
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I welcome you to leave comments. When talking about endtime prophecy and events, there is a lot to unpack, and I realize we won’t all agree. Don’t let that hinder you from leaving feedback.
Warm Regards,
-Pat
THE BEAR AND THE LEOPARD (Daniel 7, Part 2)
Endtime prophecy is filled with IMAGERY and SYMBOLISM. This can frighten people, or cause them to feel like endtime prophecy cannot be understood. God doesn’t want you to be frightened. He wants you to be informed. It is His will that we understand His Word as it applies to the time we are living in.
As we continue our study of Daniel 7, let’s remember that the “beasts” in Daniel’s dream were not actually living creatures, but were SYMBOLS depicting nations, along with their leaders. Many times, if we continue to read, scripture actually explains itself. We find the interpretation of the beasts in the following verses:
“I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.” (Daniel 7:16-17)
“Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.” (Daniel 7:23)
RELEVANT SYMBOLS
When God chose animals to symbolize endtime nations and their kings in prophecy, He chose symbols that would be recognizable and relevant to the people living in the endtime. Knowing this, it makes perfect sense that He would choose the animals that He did.
THE LION WITH EAGLE’S WINGS
The first beast that Daniel saw was a lion with eagle’s wings. In my previous post, IS AMERICA IN YOUR BIBLE? Daniel 7, Part 1: http://www.patvick.com/america-in-your-bible-daniel-7-part-1/, we identified this beast as GREAT BRITAIN and the wings that were plucked as the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Both of these animals are recognized as the national symbols for these two nations.
“And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.” (Daniel 7:3-4)
THE BEAR
It is also well known that the bear is often associated with the nation of RUSSIA. In many political images, you will see Russia depicted as and spoken of as the Russian Bear.
I cannot say specifically what the three ribs in the bear’s mouth represent, although they are most likely territories that Russia has taken control of by force. When we read or watch the news on any given day, it is clear that Russia has a ravenous appetite for territory and control, and has shown itself willing to go to great lengths of military force to acquire more and more.
“And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.” (Daniel 7:5)
THE LEOPARD
In modern times, the leopard has been associated with the nation of GERMANY. The Leopard Tank was designed by Germany, and is the main battle tank of the nation’s military. The leopard in Daniel 7 has four heads. These four heads symbolize the three previous times Germany has risen to power, or what we know as the 1st, 2nd and 3rd “Reichs,” as well as the fourth, which the nation is now experiencing.
“After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.” (Daniel 7:6)
HOW IS THIS INFORMATION RELEVANT?
You might be wondering why knowing what nations are represented by these animals is important in the grand scheme of things? How does it affect your every day life?
The United States Of America is only 243 years old. It is only in these last 243 years of 6,000 years of human history that this prophecy could even come to pass. This means we are living, at this moment, in the endtime. With Great Britain, the U.S., Russia, and Germany very prominent on the world scene, endtime prophecy isn’t for some time in the future. It is for our lives today.
THE DREADFUL BEAST
We will cover the fourth beast of Daniel’s dream in an upcoming post. Please check back soon, and God bless you as you study His Word.
-Pat
POWERFUL TONGUES & INTERPRETATION
Seven Days And Counting…
Here we are, seven days from the election that will forever change our American story. It reminds me of Noah’s story. He worked steadily for over one hundred years, following specific instructions from God, to build a boat for the saving of whosoever would get on board. Whether or not anyone believed Noah’s crazy sounding preaching didn’t change the fact that a flood was coming, and nothing would ever be the same again. To believe or not only affected whether that individual or family would be saved from the sure and soon coming deluge.
Even though God is a God of judgement, He is also a God of mercy. This doesn’t mean He will not judge our sin. It means that He will continue to give opportunity to turn away from sin and to Him up to the end. This was the case for Noah’s generation. God gave Noah a seven day final warning:
“For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.” (Genesis 7:4)
Noah and his family had seven days to finalize last minute preparations before the divinely appointed day when the rain would begin.
“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.” (Genesis 7:11)
Scripture doesn’t give us any indication that it began with a sprinkle and splatter of warning raindrops. God’s Word was the warning.
“In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;” (Genesis 7:13)
“And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in.” (Genesis 7:16)
After the seven days of warning, on the same day that Noah’s family entered into the ark, the Lord shut the massive door, and the windows of heaven were opened and rain began to fall in torrents. There was no more opportunity for mercy after God shut the door. After a hundred years of hearing the preached Word, and seven days of final warning, only Noah and his family were on board when the door was shut and the rain began to fall.
So, here we are seven days from the election that will forever change our American story. No matter which candidate wins, it will cause a shift in the spiritual realm. I believe when this election takes place, a spiritual door will be shut by God Himself.
Am I saying you won’t have another chance to get right with God after the election? No. That’s not for me to know. I’m saying that God, in His mercy, is tugging at your heart right now, and it’s high time to get in the ark of safety. Seven days and counting…
“And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man…” (Genesis 6:3)
As always, feel free to leave a comment, share to social media, and email me at pat@patvick.com.
Warm Regards,
-Pat