THE GREAT TRIBULATION

Jesus actually coined the word great tribulation.

Matthew 24
²¹   "For then there will be a ⁽²⁵⁾ great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.

The great tribulation was actually first spoken in Daniel chapter 9 verse 27.

This verse cover a time called Daniels 70^th week, we do not have time to explain this today but we will one day. We are going to concentrate on the last 7 years that contain the great tribulation.

Daniel 9
²⁷   "And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of ⁽¹⁾ abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a ⁽²⁾ complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate."

Notice that it is in the middle of the week that he causes the sacrifices and oblations to cease.

Oblations- means

1. religion offering of gift to deity: the offering of a gift or sacrifice to a deity

2. christianity Communion offering: the offering of bread and wine to God during the Christian service of Communion

3. Religious or charitable gift: something offered in a religious rite or as a charitable gift

And he places the abomination that makes desolate.

This is important because JESUS CHRIST said. It is at this time when the great tribulation will begin.

Matthew 24

¹⁵   "Therefore when you see the ⁽²⁰⁾ ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in ⁽²¹⁾ the holy place (⁽²²⁾ let the reader understand),
¹⁶   then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.
¹⁷   "Whoever is on ⁽²³⁾ the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house.
¹⁸   "Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.
¹⁹   "But ⁽²⁴⁾ woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!
²⁰   "But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath.
²¹   "For then there will be a ⁽²⁵⁾ great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.

Jesus tells us that the great tribulation happens at the time of the abomination of desolation. Daniel 9:27 tells us that this is in the middle of this 7 year period or week of years.

Now this may not be enough proof, so what I want to do is take you to some scriptures that specifically tell us that the great tribulation is going to last 31/2 yrs.

Daniel 7

25 25 25 25 'He will ⁽³⁹⁾ speak out against the ⁽⁴⁰⁾ Most High and ⁽⁴¹⁾ wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make ⁽⁴²⁾ alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a ⁽⁴³⁾ time, times, and half a time.

Time is 1 yr., times is 2yrs., ½ times is 1/2yr.

O.k. how do I know that times is three and ½ yrs.

Because the exact same prophesy is given in revelation chpt. # 13 verse 5

Revelation 13
⁵   There was given to him a mouth ⁽¹⁾ speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for ⁽²⁾ forty-two months was given to him.

Flip back one chapt. to Rev. 12:6

Revelation 12
⁶   Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for ⁽¹⁾ one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

This is 3 ½ yrs.

So we see here that the dragon makes war with a woman (who we can prove to be Israel) for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. Which equates to 3 ½ yrs.

So now we have satan making war with Israel for 1,260 days which happens to be 42 months which happens to be times, times, and ½ of times.

So every reference to the great tribulation defines it as a 31/2 yr. period.

So this goes along with what JESUS said in

Matthew 24

¹⁵   "Therefore when you see the ⁽²⁰⁾ ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in ⁽²¹⁾ the holy place (⁽²²⁾ let the reader understand), ¹⁶   then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.

Don’t flee before, but flee after you see the abomination of desolation.

¹⁷   "Whoever is on ⁽²³⁾ the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house.
¹⁸   "Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.

Here it is like he is making reference to lots wife when the angel told lot to leave Sodom, remember don’t look back.

¹⁹   "But ⁽²⁴⁾ woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!
²⁰   "But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath.

This here backs up what JESUS said about his second coming, remember

Matthew 24

³⁶   "But ⁽⁴⁷⁾ of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. ³⁷   "For the ⁽⁴⁸⁾ coming of the Son of Man will be ⁽⁴⁹⁾ just like the days of Noah. ³⁸   "For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, ⁽⁵⁰⁾ marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that ⁽⁵¹⁾ Noah entered the ark, ³⁹   and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the ⁽⁵²⁾ coming of the Son of Man be.

²¹   "For then there will be a ⁽²⁵⁾ great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.

Now this great tribulation is described in a lot of detail in rev 12. The bible teaches that there is going to be a war in heaven. Now some biblical scholars think that the war takes place, way back in the beginning before the creation of mankind. However that is obviously not true, we are going to look at some of this passage. If you have your bibles turn to rev 12 verse # 7 lets read.

Revelation 12

⁷   And there was war in heaven, ⁽¹⁹⁾ Michael and his angels waging war with the ⁽²⁰⁾ dragon. The dragon and ⁽²¹⁾ his angels waged war,
⁸   and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great ⁽²²⁾ dragon was thrown down, the ⁽²³⁾ serpent of old who is called the devil and ⁽²⁴⁾ Satan, who ⁽²⁵⁾ deceives the whole world; he was ⁽²⁶⁾ thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

This is very important the dragon is the devil and satan, because later on in chapter 13 we are going to find out that the world government is powered by satan. When we talk about world government, as of right now the only body that can come close is the United Nations as a form of world government. Close 2^nd the European union that is growing bigger and bigger every year.

The structure is in place for the implementation of world government, and the bible teaches that when that really comes to power, that the antichrist will get control of that system, and that’s when he will try to get all of us to conform to his religious philosophies and political philosophies. He will be so powerful that he will boycott any person economically that will not bow the knee to his particular teachings.

Now it says here that when satan has this war with Michael and his angels, Michaels the chief warrior angel in heaven, will defeat satan and his angels and cast them down to the earth. And that’s when a voice says woo to the inhibitors of the earth and of the sea for the devil has come down to you having great wrath because he knows that he has but a short time. Then it goes on to say that he persecutes the woman for a time, times, and half of time. So this war in heaven takes place three and half years before Armageddon.

Remember back in

Revelation 12

The dragon and ⁽²¹⁾ his angels waged war,
⁸   and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.

So here Satan and his angels are banished from heaven and sent down on the earth. Now remember up until this point satan has had access to heaven.

The bible says,

Revelation 12

¹⁰   Then I heard ⁽²⁷⁾ a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the ⁽²⁸⁾ salvation, and the power, and the ⁽²⁹⁾ kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the ⁽³⁰⁾ accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.

Now if the war in heaven had accrued before the beginning of the earth, satan could not accuse the brethren, there were no brethren.

Lets look at a scripture out of Job

Job 2
^{1 (1)} Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD. ²   The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it."

Satan still to this day has access to heaven, some times when your feeling down and you felt like you have done something but you really haven’t that is satan standing before GOD accusing you.

However three and half yrs. Before Armageddon the accuser of the brethren is going to be cast down and at about that same time is when the two witnesses start their ministry. Now I don’t know for sure if these two events are suppose to happen or work in conjunction together somehow, but this is also the same time that the antichrist stands in a rebuilt temple claiming to be GOD. Most prophecy teachers teach that when lucifer is cast down this is when he starts to look for a human to inhabit, posses whatever. He invades the life of the antichrist, the antichrist becomes demon possessed. This is when the antichrist turns from being a peace-making politician to a war hungry killer of the LORDS chosen. Because he knows that he has a short time. So this is the wrath of satan.

So the great tribulation is the wrath of satan and the vials are the wrath of god.