The Great Tribulation | TheLastDays
How many times do we Christians complain that the Lord doesn’t tell us enough about what’s coming up in our lives? It’s the unknown that scares us when He leads us beyond our comfort zone. A little extra information would sure help us trust Him better, or so we think. Unless you carry that thought into all the revelation, He has given us about the greatest time of trial of them all—the Great Tribulation. We know more about Jesus’ Second Coming, than Israel knew about His first coming. Yet, rather than feel prepared to go through it, many devoutly wish to be whisked away! This time of trial is worth a much closer look.
Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Matthew 24:9-13
All scripture citations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.
Chief Characteristics
Whole books are written about most of these crucial components. These characteristics are summaries of what is grounded in scripture, not fabricated through speculation.[1] Speculation is trying to “see” more than we are being shown. What we see by Biblical revelation is real enough, but a fuller view will only come as these still distant components draw nearer.
The chaotic season of the Birth Pangs is characterized by warfare, natural disasters and deception. At some point these “warning” events lead into what Jesus calls the beginning of “tribulation.” Just as the birth pains are early contractions which announce that the period of hard labor is about to begin, so the Birth Pangs are a warning to believers that the hard labor of the Tribulation is close at hand. Likewise, just as the early contractions continue into the hard labor, increasing in intensity and frequency, so too the calamities, deception and warfare upon the earth will continue during the Tribulation period (though the reign of the antichrist will bring peace for the final 3 ½ years). This terrible time cannot be avoided. Just as hard labor precedes the birth of a child, so this Tribulation necessarily precedes the coming of earth’s true King. Like labor for a pregnant woman, there will be no escaping it.
1. Causes of the Persecution
The primary reason it cannot be escaped is because it is world-wide. Always in the past, there were other countries that hunted and persecuted Christians and Jews could flee to for protection. Jesus said that won’t happen this time. Believers everywhere will be delivered up to tribulation, meaning they will be persecuted, punished and “put to death.” The persecution will be universal and impassioned: “you will be hated by all nations”—all races and ethnic groups. Why? For our allegiance, our loyalty, to Jesus—for His “name’s sake.”
Perhaps Christians will be blamed for the disasters—after all, our God will be the One inflicting them, though of course the calamities will only be coming as God’s response to their sinful ways. Still, when not wanting to repent, humanity always seeks a scapegoat, someone to blame. That will be us. Certainly, we will also be castigated for opposing all the ideas that the world will come up with for a way out of the mess. The false hopes of fallen humanity will be antithetical to Christian belief and ethics. We’ll know that the only way out will be through faithfulness to the Lord and His righteous ways. But they won’t want to hear it. The more we stick to our guns, so to speak, the more they’ll reach for theirs.
2. Phases of the Persecution
During this first phase of the Tribulation (the first 3 ½ years), persecution will likely be a mixture of “grassroots” attacks coming from the mounting hatred of unbelievers in general, combined with sporadic campaigns directed by the ruling elites, who will be pushing the envelope to see just how far public opinion will let them go. Hence, persecution will increase in frequency and intensity during the Tribulation, just as hard labor does in childbirth. These painful contractions will culminate with the cruelty and fury of the antichrist. The lawless one is the supreme embodiment of Satan’s own hatred for the true Church. He will reign for the final 3 ½ years. Under his leadership, persecution will be enforced to the full extent of the law. All systems—political, economic and spiritual—will be directed against believers, both Jews and Christians.
Surviving this will be all anyone can do. Only those who overcome their fears, their love of Self, and their hatred for sinners will survive this. Dying without denying the faith is, perhaps, the most noble way of surviving. Certainly, these brave hearts will gain the “martyr’s crown”—one of the highest of heaven’s accolades.[2] We must be ready for this and in a sense, accept it (because the Lord has): Many will die as martyrs. Others, God willing, will stay upright all the way through these fearsome trials, never giving in to fear, never living only for themselves and never growing cold in their prayers and love for the sinners who are raging around them. These will receive the “Overcomer’s Crown.”
Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. Revelation 3:10-11
3. Apostacy during the Persecution
Tragically, there are Christians today who will never receive these crowns. Jesus warns that many will fall away. This is often referred to as the “Great Apostacy” at the End of the Age, which means a denial of the faith. Either they will turn against God and fellow believers because of what they see happening on the earth, or they will lose courage in the face of opposition. Either way it will be a disaster for them. (May it not be any of us or our loved ones!) As unthinkable as it is, many believers will “betray” other believers to the persecuting mobs or governing authorities. Others will fall away by taking the mark of the beast. Be warned: There is no remedy for this! No amount of repentance later will be accepted, especially where the mark of the beast is concerned.
Jesus also warned that the “love of many will grow cold.” Cold love is what happens when offense and judgment seize hold of our hearts. We are commanded to always forgive every wrong “from the heart.”[3] We are to do this no matter what the offense has been, or how frequently it has happened.[4] Only in this way can God work in the situation the way that He desires. He must first have our obedience to Him. Many of us are not prepared to forgive others at the level that the Tribulation will require of us. Are you ready to be persecuted unfairly, to be wrongfully attacked and slandered, to be deprived of your rights and property, above all, to see your loved ones perish? No one is! And yet we will need to rise to the occasion, through leaning hard on Him, no matter what the times bring. A fully forgiving heart is our only protection against a cold heart. These will be times that only a great faith can help us survive, yet Jesus is the One who told us we could rejoice even during persecution. May He help us find that way.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:10-12
4. Why such Persecution?
There is only one reason why the coming persecution will happen. Satan and all who follow him (including fallen humanity) deeply hate God and all that God’s people represent. There are only two spiritual powers in the universe, only two sides that can be taken, and they are diametrically opposed. Fortunately for us, our God is infinitely more powerful! Nevertheless, He allows tribulation and persecution to happen because He allows free will all across the board. Then, He uses it to demonstrate to the fallen that they are utterly without justice and His ultimate judgement upon them is just. Ok, that’s them, but we bear the brunt of their wickedness.
True enough, we will suffer. No one in their right mind would choose such a time as this for themselves or their loved ones. Nevertheless, God will always use what we suffer in two redemptive ways. First, there are evidently some souls so lost that only our faithful witness and prayers under persecution can crack the hard shell of their rebellion and gain their repentance. Second, He uses the pain and pressure of every fiery trial to refine His Beloved. We, the Bride of Christ, are purified through even the worst of times and one day will agree with Paul (who knew more than his share of persecution).[5] Our God truly makes all things, even the worst of things, work together for good for the sake of those who love Him.[6]
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Pre-Figured in Scripture
Every crucial component of the Last Days has already “appeared” in the Biblical prophetic narrative in the past, somewhat like a dress rehearsal for the final drama. These foreshadows are called “types” because they precede their ultimate expression (the “antitype”).[7] As shadows of the future reality, however, they cast a revealing light of their own.
1. The Flood of Noah
Does the Lord allow His people to go through judgments? Noah would say yes. Judgments fell all around Noah and his family in the form of torrential rains which no one on earth could escape. Yet, the faithful remnant was preserved. How? By living for the Lord. That was the first thing they did right, and it proved to be the most important. Second, they built the ark, listening to and following all the Lord’s directions for how to do get it right. Being saved required faith and faithfulness. So, it will be for us. Our ark is the Lord Jesus Christ. Only those who abide in Him by faith can expect to pass safely through the waters of judgment coming upon the earth in the final days before His Return. Abiding means far more than a one-time conversion or even regular church attendance. It means putting Jesus first by listening to and following all He commands—and putting to death anything that doesn’t line up with His righteousness.[8]
By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. Hebrews 11:7
2. Slavery Under Pharaoh
For five hundred years the Children of Abraham lived side by side with the Egyptians. Then, a pharaoh arose “who knew not Joseph.” This pharaoh became a persecutor of the Jewish people to such a degree that they live as slaves in the very land that their ancestor Joseph was used by God to save. As the pharaoh turned against them, so did the people. As the antichrist turns against us, so will the people. Just as it took a miracle for the Lord to preserve and deliver them, so it will be for us. Slavery under pharaoh, the ten plagues of Egypt and the final Exodus and Red Sea deliverance are waiting to find their prophetic fulfillment in this generation.
Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. Exodus 6:6
3. Captivity in Babylon
One of the clearest foreshadows of the coming beast system is the empire of ancient Babylon, from time immemorial the avowed enemy of God and His people. Is it any wonder that so much revelation of the Last Days came to Daniel who lived as a captive in Babylon? He saw its religious and political systems first-hand. In a dual sense, he saw our future before we do, both as vision and as lived experience. What he saw was a ruthless, heartless arrogance on the part of its rulers and a servile and equally heartless population willing to go along with them. Daniel’s friends made no appeal to the dread king, only to the God of heaven. They are true heroes of the faith, showing us that it is better to be faithful, even if the desired deliverance doesn’t come, then to give way to the antichrist demands of Babylon, past or present.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Daniel 3:16-18
4. Persecution of the Early Church
Would Jesus let those He loves suffer persecution? We should remember that the first martyr was Stephen whose name means crown. He died within the opening chapters of the Book of Acts while his faith and his life were still young. Undoubtedly, Stephen’s faithfulness under persecution crowned him with honor for eternity. His steadfast love of the Lord also “crowned” the Early Church with great glory. His death inspired the faithful stance of the multitudes slain by Rome who followed him, making it Tertullian’s boast that “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”[9] The death of martyrs always led to a harvest of souls from the unbelieving world that put them to death. The soul that the Lord harvested from Stephen’s death was none other than one who held the coats of the men who stoned the first martyr. Later, that same Saul would become the apostle Paul.[10]
Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:58-60
5. The Persecution to Come
It is written that the glory of the latter house will exceed the glory of the former.[11] We usually take this to mean the miracles, or the presence of the Lord, or the outpouring of the Spirit. Undoubtedly, it does indicate those things, but is it possible it also alludes to the return of martyrdom (not that it every fully left)? No one can deny that stories of Christian saints who suffered torture and death brings great glory to God. Their faith in Him—proven to be of gold through fiery trials—shines as a blazing light down through the ages. Many have come to faith or kept the faith because of the soul-stirring witness of the martyrs. Their faith also won a resounding victory against the enemy. The dragon, then as now, is defeated by those who hold to the “word of their testimony” and show that they have “loved not their lives even unto death.”
And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Revelation 12:11
Revealed by Scripture
The Bible exposes the secret plans and deceptive operations of the dark kingdom, even as it unveils the glorious realities of what our God is doing. The truths of scripture are, therefore, our rock-solid building blocks for interpreting the times we are entering. Nevertheless, for biblical information to become true revelation both prayer and the Holy Spirit are needed.
1. The Tribulation Begins
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:9-14
The timeline Jesus gives us in Matthew 24 has the Birth Pangs growing into the Tribulation. The sign for this transition is the world-wide hatred for and persecution of Christians. Every nation (every ethnicity and race) will succumb to this low point of treachery against the Lord’s own people. This crisis of unparalleled danger for Christians will provoke many believers to betray their fellow Christians in a vain attempt to save their lives in this life, but losing it for the next, as even their love for God grows cold.
Nevertheless, there is real hope. Whether our lives end in this life by martyrdom or we manage to stay faithful through to the end of the Tribulation, the result is the same: eternal salvation is guaranteed for those who “endure to the end.” Not only that, but this daring faithfulness surely contributes—as it always has in the past—to the spread of the gospel. Despite the worst seven years of persecution that hell can devise, a Bridal company of End Times warriors proclaims the gospel “throughout the whole word.” Then, the end can come—once all who can be save are added to the final harvest.
2. The Abomination of Desolation
“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. Matthew 24:15-28
This is the dreaded mid-point of the seven-year Tribulation. Jesus’ prophecy exactly corresponds to the vision given centuries earlier to Daniel, as well as to the one shared decades later with John on the Isle of Patmos. At this fateful juncture in history, the enemy manages to place his ideal “son of man”—the one scripture calls the “son of perdition” and “man of lawlessness”—on the throne in Jerusalem. This is when the slang phrase proves all-too true: “all hell breaks loose” on the earth.
God’s hand of restraint and grace is removed. With absolutely nothing to hold him back except human intransigence and incompetence, the antichrist will move to annihilate all true followers of God and Jesus. Both Jews and Christians will know his fury and his utter lack of remorse. Jesus gives detailed descriptions of the need to flee and hide during this time of “great tribulation,” indicating that these 3 ½ years will be far worse than the 3 ½ years of tribulation which preceded them. Indeed, it will be a persecution and time of peril so great that unless it is cut short “no human being” could survive it—not even the unsaved who serve the beast and his dark system.
These desperate days will launch a flood of wild hopes, by which false saviors (“messiahs”) will abound. These imposters will be empowered by the evil one to perform such supernatural signs that “even the very elect” could be led astray—“if it were possible.” Here is a clear promise that those who seek the Lord will be helped by Him to stick close to His side. Nevertheless, many will be saying that Jesus Himself is secretly appearing here and there. Don’t believe it! Jesus states emphatically that when He comes everyone will know at once, just as we all see lightning at the same time when it flashes across the sky. At this point that moment is indeed close at hand.
3. The Tribulation Ends
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Matthew 24:29-30
Once the seven years of the Tribulation are completed, Jesus will return. We will, perhaps, know exactly what day to expect based upon the moment the antichrist ascends his throne in Jerusalem. From that moment there is a 3 ½ year countdown which is well-established in scripture. Even so, the exact number of days may be unclear at the edges and our current interpretations may have to be revised as more revelation is released. Whatever the case, no one will miss this moment when it arrives. Darkness will descend upon the earth like house lights dimming in a crowded theater. The central figure in this human drama is about to take the world stage and it isn’t the enemy’s false “son of man.” The Father’s true Son and the earth’s true “Son of Man” will appear at last!
Other Scriptures to Study
1. Mark: The Tribulation Begins
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Mark 13:8-13 ESV
2. Mark: The Abomination of Desolation
“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that it may not happen in winter. For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand. Mark 13:14-24
3. Mark: The Tribulation Ends
“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. Mark 13:24-26
4. Revelation: The Great Tribulation Martyrs
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:9-17
Next Crucial Component
The False Prophet Just as the antichrist is a counterfeit messiah, so the false prophet is a pseudo John the Baptist. His nefarious role will be in preparing the world to receive the lawless one as a man of peace and the answer to the world’s problems. This he will accomplish by creating a one world religion, something that for centuries has seemed utterly impossible. Nevertheless, there are already signs that this merging of the world’s religions is in the making. Even Christians and Jews will be taken in by this deception, so it’s worth understanding in advance all that we can know of the false prophet’s ways.
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Endnotes
[1] Cambridge Dictionary defines speculation as “the act of guessing possible answers to a question without having enough information to be certain.” It derives from the Latin word “speculari” which means “to look at, view, observe” and originally indicated “close observation and intelligent contemplation.” By the late 1500s it gained the disparaging sense it carries today of “mere conjecture.” See etymonline.com.
[2] Also known as the “crown of life”: Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. Revelation 2:10
[3] And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” Matthew 18:33-35
[4] And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” Mark 11:25 ESV
[5] Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Revelation 7:13-14
[6] And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
[7] Adam is the type; Jesus, the “second Adam” is the antitype: Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. Romans 5:14
[8] But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Romans 13:14
[9] Tertullian was an early church father who live in Carthage, North Africa from 155 – 240 AD.
[10] And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’ Acts 22:19-20
[11] The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.’” Haggai 2:9