The Tribulation
In this document we want to define the time of the Tribulation as related to the Bible. Many people will add their opinion to what the scripture reveals about this time. This document will not address anything out side of scripture or try to match the current events to a key point in the Bible.
The seventieth week of Daniel:
A covenant is confirmed by the Antichrist with many, including Israel. This signals the start of the Tribulation, which is the seventieth week of Daniel.
Daniel 9:27 And he (the anti-christ) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (seven years): and in the midst of the week (3 1/2 years) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease (he will stop the sacrifice in the new temple which will be built in Jerusalem, the third temple ), and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
The
abominations of desolation is mentioned in more detail in
2Thessalonians 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself
above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as
God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
The Judgments of God:
Revelation 6:1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
|
The Seven Seals |
||
| 1 | Revelation 6:2 |
And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
|
|
2 |
Revelation 6:3 |
And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. (4) And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
|
| 3 | Revelation 6:5 |
And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third
beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse;
and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
(6) And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. |
| 4 | Revelation 6:7 |
And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of
the fourth beast say, Come and see. (8) And I
looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on
him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was
given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill
with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the
beasts of the earth.? |
| 5 | Revelation 6:9 |
And when he had opened the fifth seal,
I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for
the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: (10)
And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord,
holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on
them that dwell on the earth? (11) And white
robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said
unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season,
until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that
should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. |
| 6 | Revelation 6:12 |
And I beheld when he had opened the
sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the
sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became
as blood; (13) And the stars of heaven fell
unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely
figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. (14)
And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled
together; and every mountain and island were moved out of
their places. (15) And the kings of the earth,
and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains,
and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man,
hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the
mountains; (16) And said to the mountains and
rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that
sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: (17)
For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be
able to stand? |
|
7 |
Revelation 8:1 | And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. |
Revelation 8:2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
|
The Seven Trumpets |
||
| 1 | Revelation 8:7 |
The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
|
|
2 |
Revelation 8:8-9 |
And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; (9) And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
|
| 3 | Revelation 8:10-11 |
And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star
from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the
third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
(11) And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the
third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died
of the waters, because they were made bitter. |
| 4 | Revelation 8:12 |
And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun
was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third
part of the stars; so as the third part of them was
darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and
the night likewise.
|
| 5 |
Revelation 9:1-3
The first Woe |
And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from
heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the
bottomless pit. (2) And he opened the bottomless pit; and
there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great
furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of
the smoke of the pit. (3) And there came out of the smoke
locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as
the scorpions of the earth have power.
|
| 6 |
Revelation 9:13-16 The second Woe |
And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the
four horns of the golden altar which is before God, (14)
Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the
four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
(15) And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared
for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay
the third part of men. (16) And the number of the army of
the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard
the number of them.
|
|
7 |
Revelation 8:7 The third Woe |
And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever. (16) And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshiped God, |
Revelation 16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
|
The Seven vials (plagues) |
||
| 1 | Revelation 16:2 |
And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshiped his image.
|
|
2 |
Revelation 16:3 |
And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.
|
| 3 | Revelation 16:4 |
And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and
fountains of waters; and they became blood. (5)
And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous,
O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast
judged thus. (6) For they have shed the blood
of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to
drink; for they are worthy. (7) And I heard
another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty,
true and righteous are thy judgments. |
| 4 | Revelation 16:8 |
And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and
power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. (9)
And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the
name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they
repented not to give him glory. |
| 5 | Revelation 16:10 |
And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the
beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed
their tongues for pain, (11) And blasphemed
the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores,
and repented not of their deeds. |
| 6 | Revelation 16:12 |
And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river
Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way
of the kings of the east might be prepared. (13)
And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the
mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and
out of the mouth of the false prophet. (14)
For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which
go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world,
to gather them to the battle of that great day of God
Almighty. (15) Behold, I come as a thief.
Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest
he walk naked, and they see his shame. (16)
And he gathered them together into a place called in the
Hebrew tongue Armageddon. |
|
7 |
Revelation 16:17 |
And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and
there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from
the throne, saying, It is done. |
The second half of the Tribulation:
The second half of the tribulation
starts when the abomination of desolation takes place.
Daniel 12:11 And from the time
that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination
that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred
and ninety days (3 1/2 years).
Also in the second half the mark of the Antichrist is required or you cannot buy or sell; the worship of the image of the Antichrist is required or the penalty is death.
Revelation 13:17 And that no man
might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the
beast, or the number of his name.
Revelation 13:15 And he had
power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of
the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not
worship the image of the beast should be killed.
Lets take a closer look at the anti-christ and when he will come on the scene.
| 2Thessalonians 2:3 | Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; |
Here Jesus is
warning us that the anti-christ also called the son of
perdition, will be very convincing. We are instructed that
we need to be on guard the are be not deceived. This is
done by testing everything by the word of God
1Thessalonians 5:21
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
|
| 2Thessalonians 2:4 |
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called
God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the
temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
|
Here we find the that anti-christ will sit in the third temple and declare himself god. Not just any god but the God of the Christian Bible. This is another sign of who the anti-christ will be. |
| 2Thessalonians 2:5 | Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? |
Jesus is
reminding his disciples as well as us today that he has
revealed these things to us starting back in the Old
Testament.
|
| 2Thessalonians 2:6 | And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. |
To try to
figure out when the anti-christ will be is fruitless. The
anti-christ will only be revealed after the rapture of the
body of Christ. See
2Thessalonians 2:8
for more details
|
| 2Thessalonians 2:7 | For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. |
Although Satan
is already working behind the scenes in this world, he is
working in the background. At this time the true believers
in Christ through Jesus Christ, are holding back the full
reign of his power here on earth. However when we are taken
out of the way he will unleash his fury. Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. Of course we know the out come of satan's wrath will be short lived by the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
|
| 2Thessalonians 2:8 | And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: | |
| 2Thessalonians 2:9 | Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, |
Here we are
given more detail of how we might be deceived by this man
who receives his power from satan himself. He will perform
sign and wonders in the sight of men. He will try to
perform some of the same signs that Jesus did while he
walked this earth as a man. However, the power of these
works will not be from God but from satan.
We already have a movement call the signs and wonders movement. This group of people are paving the way for the anti-christ as we speak . as stated in 2Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work:
|
| 2Thessalonians 2:10 |
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that
perish; because they received not the love of the truth,
that they might be saved.
|
Here we find that some people will not turn from this man but will remain loyal to the anti-christ. Because of their willingness to deny the truth, God will give them the desire of their heart by sending them a strong delusion so they would believe a lie. |
| 2Thessalonians 2:11 |
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that
they should believe a lie:
|
|
| 2Thessalonians 2:12 | That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. | This passage explains the out come of them that defy the living God. All have a chance to know that true God Jesus Christ. |
Revelation 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
** Note all references are taken from the King James Version.