THE TRIBULATION (PART 1)

Revelation 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Please become saved!  Revelation 20:15 says if your name is not found in the book of life you will be cast into the lake of fire.  If you become saved by accepting Christ’s death on the cross for your sins you won’t have your name blotted out of the book of life when you die.

Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Tribulation: When will it begin?

Daniel 9:27 says the seven year tribulation will begin the moment the antichrist’s organization confirms a covenant with “many”.

Daniel 9:27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’[h] In the middle of the ‘seven’[i] he will put an end to sacrifice and offering.

See more below…

What will this covenant be?

Why does there have to be a tribulation?

Tribulation: When will it begin?

The tribulation is a 7 year period of time when God releases his judgment on the earth.  Revelation 6:17 calls the tribulation the “great day of his wrath”.

The one thing to remember is there will come a time when God will no longer be merciful to people and he will shut up the opportunity to be saved forever.  We are told this in the Bible in the book of Revelation.

The tribulation will last for seven years and will begin the moment the antichrist’s organization confirms a covenant with “many”.  Daniel 9:27 tells us this same person that confirms the covenant will also break the covenant mid way through the tribulation.

Important:  the antichrist may confuse everyone with changing the time zone.  KEEP TRACK OF THE DAYS THAT GO BY FROM THE SIGNING OF THE COVENANT INSTEAD OF USING ANY NEW CALENDAR. 

Daniel 9:27a  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:

Daniel 9:27b  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.

What will this covenant be?  There are a few speculations:

  • The covenant may seal a deal with the Jews, Muslims and other religions on how to share Jerusalem and the temple mount and it may give the Jews permissions to begin sacrifice.
  • The entire temple does not have to be finished before sacrifices can be started.  (See Ezra 3:1-6) 
  • It may be that the antichrist organization will fund this peace endeavor.
  • I think the covenant may start with the Fundamental Agreement.
  • It’s possible the covenant will be about Religious Tolerance for all religions.

It will be seven years from the signing of the covenant to the appearing of Christ.  It’s possible the seven years will be based on Jewish years of 360 days per year. 

If you are saved and you survive the tribulation you will enter into the 1000 year Millennium.  Keep track of how many days, go by from the signing of the covenant so you will know when Christ will return – seven years later.

Why does there have to be a tribulation?        

Daniel tells us in Daniel 9:24 that God determined 70 weeks of years for payment from the Jews for sinning.  The Jews also rejected Christ as their savior when he came to earth as a baby and then later died on the cross. 

They are still looking for the Christ to come as a majestic kingly priest to deliver them from their sins.  Daniel’s prophesy from God tells us that because of their sin and their rejection of Christ, the Jewish people will have to go through certain events in order to pay for the sins of their people. 

Daniel 9:24
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.

Because the Jews rejected Christ, salvation came to the Gentile nations.  The payment clock for the Jews stopped at the 69th week of payment.  This is because for the last 2000 years salvation has been made available to the Gentiles. 

The Gentiles have had the last 2000 years to realize their need for Christ.  This is the reason for the time span between the 69th and 70th week.

Romans 11:25
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Romans 11:11
I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

In Daniel 9:24 it says seventy weeks are required of the Jews as payment for their sins.  Seventy sevens.  According to the original Hebrew the text here in Daniel translates to 70 weeks of years or 490 years of payment the Jews would have to repay.

Daniel 9:2
In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

Let’s go back to Daniel 9:24.  The verse says the 70 – 7’s or 490 years were required in order to accomplish the following things:

  1. Finish the transgression
  2. Make an end of sins
  3. Make reconciliation for iniquity
  4. Bring in everlasting righteousness
  5. Seal up the vision and prophecy
  6. Anoint the most Holy

Take a look at Daniel 9:25-26 to see the events that were to happen during the 490 years.  According to history most of the events have already happened.  Daniel 9:25 & 26 tells us the timeline on what to expect during the 490 years.   

Daniel 9:25
Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

Daniel 9:26
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

Events that have already taken place in history are as follows:

The commandment went forth to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, just as predicted.

The city, street, and wall were rebuilt in troublous times.

Jesus Christ, the Messiah the Prince, did come as a baby.

After the sixty-ninth week, He was crucified, cut off out of the land of the living, but rose from the dead and ascended up to be with the Father.

Then the fulfillment of the feast at Pentecost, signified the beginning of the church age.

Within a generation, 70 A.D., the temple was destroyed and the city by the Romans.

All happened exactly as prophesied in Daniel for 69 of the 70 weeks of years.

But there is one week of years (1×7 or 7 years) left for the Jewish nation to fulfill for payment of their sins.  Also, items listed in Daniel 9:24 haven’t happened yet.

We know that everlasting righteousness is not in place on this earth.  The vision and prophecy hasn’t been sealed up.  And the most Holy hasn’t been anointed yet.  These events will be fulfilled during and right after the tribulation.

The payment for sins is now directed at all people, not only the Jews.  During the church age God opened up salvation to all who believe, not just his chosen people the Jews.

Those folks that have NOT accepted Christ as payment for their sins will be on the earth during the tribulation.  Those saved in Christ at the time of the Rapture will be removed before the tribulation begins.

 

Let’s take a look at that phrase in Daniel 9:24, “and to seal up the vision and prophecy”.

If you go to Revelation you will notice in Chapter 5:1 there is a book that is in the right hand of him that sat on the throne.  This book is written within and on the backside, and sealed with seven seals.

These seven seals hold judgment that will be released on the earth during the seven year tribulation.

There may be one seal for each of the years.

When these seals are finished then everlasting righteousness will be brought in and the Most Holy will be anointed.

“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.”

TRIBULATION PART 2