It is an artifact of the prophetic scriptures in the Bible, that there is often an earlier and a later fulfillment of the same prophecy. We see this most visibly in the Messianic Prophecies of the scriptures. In an examination of the texts that describe the seventieth week of Daniel, written specifically for the nation of Israel and the Jews, the beginning of this final week of Daniel, will usher in The Fullness of the Gentiles, and the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, simultaneously.

Currently, we are living in The Times of the Gentiles, begun by the prophecies of Daniel chapters 2 and 7, where four Gentile kingdoms were predicted, existed, and were destroyed—exactly as Daniel recorded. The final kingdom will be one not made with human hands, but of the Messiah who will rule over the earth for a thousand years.

When The Fullness of the Gentiles is completed, Jesus will turn from gathering His church, take them to heaven, and then begin the seven-year Tribulation. This is a time distinct from all former periods of history, in that the Lord will turn to the Jews and the nation of Israel and bring them into faith in Jesus, the Messiah.

Tribulation: seven years; Great Tribulation: last 3 1/2 of the seven years

In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus described The Great Tribulation as days of “vengeance,” when there will be great distress and wrath from Jesus, the Lamb. As with many of the Messianic Prophecies of the Bible, there is often an earlier fulfillment, as well as a later fulfillment. The text of Luke 21:22-24 is one of these, in my opinion. Jesus is talking about the last three and one-half years of the Tribulation, but we find in the history of Israel that this prophecy also had an earlier fulfillment in 70 A.D.

Jesus speaking of the last 3 ½ years of The Great Tribulation: For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. (Where they have been for the last 2,000 years) And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. ~Luke 21:22-24

When will the “Times of the Gentiles” be fulfilled?

Jesus said in Luke 21:24: ‘Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.’ His parallel passage in Matthew 24:15–16 connects this with the ‘abomination of desolation’ at the end of the half-week in Daniel 9:27.

When John is told to measure the third Temple, built at the beginning of the Tribulation, he is told that the outer court has been given to the Gentiles, until the end of the 42 months; the last half of the Tribulation.

Revelation 11: 1: “Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. 2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.”

The Times of the Gentiles are not complete until the end of the seven-year Tribulation.

When will The Fulness of the Gentiles be fulfilled?

The Fullness of the Gentiles ends when the Rapture takes place. During this period of prophetic history, the Gentile world has been allowed to hear about Jesus and respond to His offer of salvation. When the Rapture occurs and a billion believers are taken from the earth, the time God has allotted to the Gentile world to hear about Jesus, turn from their sins, and place their trust in the salvation He offers, will come to an end.

God will turn again to the Jews during the final seven years of the Tribulation, and save those who will turn to Jesus as their Messiah. The Jews on earth at that time will have the two witnesses, Moses and Elijah; the 144,000 Jewish evangelists; and an angel flying over the surface of the earth, proclaiming the Gospel of Christ. When Jesus came to earth for the first time, in fulfillment of the 400 Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament, these prophets predicted that the Jews would reject Him. Jesus told the leaders of Israel that because they did not recognize the time of their visitation by the Messiah, their Temple would be destroyed and left a desolation.

There are three events that we are focussed on today:

1. The Times of the Gentiles
2. The Fulness of the Gentiles
3. The Time of Jacob’s Trouble

The Times of the Gentiles concern the nations of the world that are not comprised of Jews. The beginning of their time is described in Daniel chapters 2 and 7. This period of history will end when the 7-year Tribulation is over.

The Fullness of the Gentiles concerns Jesus’ church; people who turn from their sins and are “born again” by the Spirit of God, according to Jesus in John 3:3. When their time is completed, Jesus will come to the outer atmosphere of the earth, as described by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, and 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, and remove these persons from the earth—before The Time of Jacob’s Trouble, also called, The Seven Year Tribulation Period. The Tribulation is for the nations of Israel, not Jesus’ church, according to Daniel 9:24. The Tribulation is a time of Jesus’ wrath when He will institute 21 judgments upon the earth, according to Revelation chapters 6-18. The people who live during the time of the 21 judgments, call this time, “The wrath of the Lamb:

Revelation 6:15-17: “And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves 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 who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

Jesus’ church is not appointed to this wrath, so all of those who are a part of His church will be removed before the wrath begins:

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10: “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.”

Jesus promised His church that this time of testing that will come upon the whole world, these believers will be removed before it begins.

Revelation 3:10-11: “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 Behold, I am coming quickly!”

The Harpazo, the Rapture, will take place quickly, as Jesus described: “In a moment, the twinkling of an eye…”

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up  (Harpazo-Raptured) together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

The Time of Jacob’s Trouble (the Tribulation) will begin after Jesus’ church has been removed from the earth at the event 1 Thessalonians 4:17 calls, the Harpazo, as every believer is, “caught up to meet the Lord in the air.” Jacob’s trouble, from a term first described in the Old Testament, Jeremiah 30:7: Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it, and it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.”

The Time of Jacob’s Trouble, the Tribulation, will begin after Jesus removes every born-again believer. Then a world leader (the antichrist) will come onto the scene who will make peace for the Jews, and allow them to build their Temple again at the Temple Mount. At the midpoint of the seven-year Tribulation, a statue of the antichrist will be erected in the Holy of Holies in the new Temple, and the false prophet will command the world to worship this new world leader, the antichrist, also called, “the beast.” Jesus warned the Jews who will live in Israel at that time, that when they heard this event take place, they were to flee Jerusalem, to a place God had prepared for them to be sheltered and protected by God, during the last three and one-half years of the Tribulation, also called, the Great Tribulation.

God Will Help Israel Escape the Antichrist armies During the Great Tribulation

The question we must ask during this time when Israel has declared war on Hamas is: where does this place us in the timeline of Last Days events?

For a peace plan to be necessary—one that the antichrist will institute between Israel and “many nations,” according to the prophecy of Daniel 9:27—there must be a war. Is this current war with Hamas, that war?

Daniel 9:27: “Then he (the antichrist) shall confirm a covenant with many (nations) for one week; (7 years) but in the middle of the week (3 1/2 years) he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering (at the newly built temple). And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, (the abomination of desolation Jesus also described). Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”

This is the first time since Israel has been back in their own land again since 1948, that they have been so brutally attacked by an enemy, with over 1,400 Jews already killed and thousands wounded.

Since the Rapture or Harpazo, must happen before the wrath of the Tribulation begins, and the seven years will begin by a peace place, is this war with Israel and Hamas, the one that will necessitate a peace plan by a world leader, the antichrist? If so, then the Rapture is imminent.

We are privileged today that the beginning of this final event has already begun. In 1948 God brought the Jews back into their own land and they became a nation and people once again. In 1967 He made Jerusalem the capital of the Jewish nation.

Last Saturday after the Feast of Sukkot, He began the final events that will quickly lead to The Time of Jacob’s Trouble (the Tribulation), when the eyes of the Jews will be opened and they will see and believe that Jesus is their true Messiah.

“On Saturday, 7 October — a Jewish sabbath day, the end of the weeklong Jewish festival of Sukkot, and a day after the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War — Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups launched Operation al-Aqsa Flood, a coordinated assault consisting of land and air attacks into multiple border areas of Israel. At 6 a.m., an extensive air assault involving rockets was launched into the coastal towns of Ashdod and Ashkelon and as far north as Tel Aviv (approximately 70 kilometers north of Gaza). It is estimated that between 3-5,000 rockets were launched during that first day.”[1]

When Jesus arrived, He was not the sort of Messiah the Jews wanted or expected. The leaders of Israel were looking for a Messiah that would set them free from the oppression of the Romans, not a poor Carpenter from Nazareth, preaching love, repentance, and salvation. The prophets had predicted a conquering Messiah who would set up His righteous kingdom on earth and judge the nations, but this would happen during His second arrival to earth. On His first visit, the prophets said, the Messiah would come humbly as a servant to lay down His life for the sins of the world and bring salvation.

The Jews missed Jesus the first time because He did not meet their expectations; people miss Him today for the same reasons. Before Jesus came to earth, He knew that most of the world would never receive Him. Despite this knowledge, Jesus still died for the sins of the whole world, even those who would never believe.

When the Jews did not recognize their Messiah, their nation was destroyed in 70 A.D., and they were scattered over the face of the earth. God turned to the Gentile world and offered them salvation. For nearly 2,000 years the whole earth has heard about Jesus and had the opportunity to receive eternal life. Jesus has been gathering His church made up of all those who love Him and believe that His death paid for their sins. This is an offer of limited duration; and from the looks of things in the world today, this time of grace is nearly finished.

When the Rapture described by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4, and 1 Corinthians 15, takes place, the Time of the Gentiles will come to an end, and the time of Jacob’s trouble will begin. Israel will continue in her blindness until the number of Jesus’ church is full, then the Lord will turn again to the Jews and save many during the seven-year Tribulation: For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.” ~Romans 11:25-27

Russia Coming From The North: The Tribulation Begins

The 144,000, who are sent by the Lord to bring the Gospel of Christ to the world, complete their task. As we continue verse by verse through Revelation 7, we see that a great multitude of believers have appeared in heaven, proclaiming salvation from the Lord:

Revelation 7:9-10

“After these things AFTER THE 144,000 ARE SEALED, I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

This will be the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy from Matthew Chapter 24: And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. ~Matthew 24:14

There will not be a great revival before the Tribulation begins; in fact, the world will reject Jesus in the years leading up to the final seven years. Jesus gave us a hint of this when He said: “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”~Luke 18:8

The New Testament is clear that there will be a great falling away (apostasia) of many millions just before the Tribulation (2 Thess. 2:3). This is a fact that we are seeing now all over the world. I have never seen so many young people who are in opposition to Jesus and the Bible as is currently taking place. Every week I have conversations with people from many different nations, who say that they once believed in Jesus but have abandoned Him now: Let no one deceive you by any means; for “The Day of the Lord” (the 7-year Tribulation)  will not come unless the falling away (Greek “Apostasia”) comes first. ~2 Thessalonians 2:3

Not until the last three and one-half years of the Great Tribulation will the 144,000 be sent to every corner of earth to bring the Gospel, and millions will be saved. This group is described by John as a great multitude who wear the white robes of the saved and have palm branches in their hands, proclaiming the salvation they have received because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

In the book of Leviticus, on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the people are commanded to take palm branches and wave them in the air as they rejoice before the Lord: Remember that this seven-day festival to the Lord—the Feast of Tabernacles—begins on the fifteenth day of the appointed month after you have harvested all the produce of the land. The first day and the eighth day of the festival will be days of complete rest. On the first day gather branches from magnificent trees—palm fronds, boughs from leafy trees, and willows that grow by the streams. Then celebrate with joy before the Lord your God for seven days. ~Leviticus 23:39-40

Palm branches were also used to acknowledge a great king, as they were spread out onto the road as the king entered the city. We see in all four of the Gospels that when Jesus came into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, Palm Branches were spread on the road before Jesus and waved at Him as He rode into Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday in 32 A.D.

Palm Sunday was the beginning of the Jewish Feast of Passover when the lamb was brought for inspection before he was offered on Passover. Jesus was called by John the Baptist, the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. It was Jesus’ intention to fulfill the true meaning of Passover and the Lamb, for it was He that this Feast typified when God first instructed Moses to institute its observance for the Jews coming out of Egypt.

On the Sunday before Passover, the lamb was brought before the priests for inspection of defects. Jesus was presenting Himself before the leaders of Israel to be inspected for the defect of sin. If Jesus had even one sin attached to His name, He could not die for the sins of the world. Only a spotless lamb could die for sins. Jesus was described by those who knew Him well, as sinless, without spot or blemish: For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. ~1 Peter 1:18-19

On the exact day the lamb was to be offered for the sins of the people, Jesus was offered for the sins of the world. This was no coincidence. Jesus intentionally made certain that every part of His life, death, and resurrection fulfilled every prophecy for the Messiah. This included the offering of His life as the Lamb of God, exactly as Moses had prescribed in Exodus 12 and Leviticus 23.

Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday also in fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9, which states that when the Messiah comes to Jerusalem, He will be riding on the foal of a donkey, coming humbly. Jesus came in submission to the Father as a Servant, laying down His life for us. Philippians 2 describes how Jesus, as God, set aside some of His rights as God and took the body of a man, so that He could offer it for every person to take away their sins: Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey’s colt. ~Zechariah 9:9

Daniel Chapter 9 Predicts The Exact Day Jesus Arrived As Messiah

Matthew confirms that this prophecy from Zechariah was written for Jesus and He fulfilled it exactly as the prophet had written it: This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said,  “Tell the people of Jerusalem, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey’s colt.’” ~Matthew 21:4-5

Mark also confirms this day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey, by adding the detail that this took place on the day David had written Psalms 118 for: Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest heaven!” ~Mark 11:9-10

David wrote Psalms 118:22-26 for the one day in the history of the world when the Messiah would arrive at Jerusalem and be acknowledged as the Messiah: The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’S doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I pray, O LORD; O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!

Psalm 118 was likely the final song that Jesus sang during the Last Supper. It was the Psalm that was recited during His entrance into Jerusalem on the 10th day of Nisan, four days before He became the Passover Lamb on the 14th. There is a great probability that this 118th Psalm will be sung at Jesus’ second appearance on earth, at the end of the seven-year Tribulation. Many Bible scholars believe that by the way in which this Psalm was constructed, it was composed specifically for the laying of the foundation stone of the Temple.

Psalms 118 verses 17-18 describe a personal statement by the Messiah, Although I shall be severely chastened, as in Jesus’ suffering and crucifixion for the world’s sin, He states that He shall live again. It is well established in many of the Old Testament prophecies that concern the Messiah, that He will be killed and then rise again on the third day. The Old Testament predicts eleven times that the Messiah will be raised from the dead. Psalm 2:7-8, Psalm 16:9-11, Psalm 22:22, Psalm 30:3, Psalm 40:2-5, Psalm 49:15, Psalm 117:17-18, Isaiah 26:17-20, Isaiah 53:10, Isaiah 53:3, Jeremiah 30:9. You can see these and all 400 of the Messianic Prophecies in my book, The Prophecies of the Messiah.

Luke also records the day when Jesus came into Jerusalem riding on the foal of a donkey, and also recites David’s words of prophecy for the Messiah in Psalms 118: When Jesus reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen. “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!” But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!” He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” ~Luke 19:37-40

John adds the fourth and final testimony of this day by adding the detail that when Jesus came into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and fulfilled the prophecies written for the Messiah from Zechariah and David, the disciples and Apostles didn’t realize at the time that Jesus was fulfilling these prophecies. It would not be until after Jesus had risen from the dead that these men understood what and why it had happened on that precise day: The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said: “Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem. Look, your King is coming, riding on a donkey’s colt.” His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him. ~John 12:12-16

The Two Witnesses: Moses and Elijah

When Jesus came to the Jordan River, John the Baptist was confirmed by Jesus as the earlier fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy: And if you are willing to receive it, John is Elijah who is to come. ~Matthew 11:14

Notice that Jesus said John the Baptist is the fulfillment of Malachi 4:5, Elijah who is to come (future).

The intent of Malachi’s prophecy of Elijah is the text in Revelation 11:3-5. At the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation, Moses and Elijah will come to Israel and witness to the Jews, from the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah), that Jesus is the fulfillment of all that these scriptures predicted. The result will be that all Israel will be saved: For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved. ~Romans 11:25-26

When Jesus returns the second time, at the end of the seven-year Tribulation, Elijah will already have come: “And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth (Elijah’s Power in 1 Kings 18) and devours their enemies. ~Revelation 11:3-5

Earlier And Later Fulfillment Is Crucial To Our Understanding

The reason I am placing such a strong emphasis on this principle of earlier and later fulfillment of the same prophecy is because it is absolutely essential to our understanding of every prophecy found in the Bible. Often God shows us a prequel to a major prophetic event many years before it takes place.

Why Will There Be a Tribulation?

The Bible defines two purposes for the Tribulation: first, the salvation of the Jews; second, judgment for the world. The seven years is the seventieth week of Daniel Chapter 9:25-27 prophecy, which applies only to Israel and the Jews: Seventy weeks (490 years) are determined for your people and for your holy city. ~Daniel 9:24

The Tribulation is not for the church; it is for “your people,” the Jews—the angel told Daniel. The Tribulation, the seventieth week of Daniel, is a time determined by God for the salvation of the Jews.

The primary purpose of the seven-year Tribulation is for Israel to believe in Jesus as their true Messiah. Paul wrote that during the Tribulation, “all Israel will be saved.”

“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved.” ~Romans 11:25-26

The Old Testament predicted the rejection of the Messiah by the Jews. Isaiah wrote that when He arrives, Israel will despise and reject Him, hiding their faces from Him. They will not honor or respect the Messiah when He arrives.

“Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?… He is despised and rejected by men…And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.” ~Isaiah 53:1-3

The term “the arm of the Lord” is a Jewish idiom for Messiah. In the case of Isaiah’s prophecy, the Jews did not believe the report that salvation had arrived in the Messiah, Jesus.13

Zechariah predicted that the Jews would crucify their Messiah, and when they see Him coming to earth again and realize what they have done, they will mourn and grieve for Him as for an only son who has died.

“They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for me as for a firstborn son who has died. The sorrow and mourning in Jerusalem on that day will be like the great mourning. “~Zechariah 12:10-11

Jesus scolded the Jews for not recognizing the time of their visitation by the Messiah. He told the leaders of Israel that because they rejected Him, their house (the Temple) would be left to them desolate.

“See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” ~Luke 13:35

“Now as Jesus drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” ~Luke 19:41-44

Because the Jews did not recognize or accept their Messiah when He came, Jesus pronounced judgment upon the nation. The city of Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Roman general, Titus.

“Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” ~Matthew 24:2

The Roman soldiers so completely decimated the Temple in 70 A.D., that there was “not one stone left upon another,” just as Jesus had said would happen when He predicted this event in 32 A.D.

The salvation of the Jews will take place in the last half of the Great Tribulation. This is the primary purpose of the Tribulation period: to save all Israel. When the Rapture happens, the Time of the Gentiles will be over, and the time of Israel’s salvation will begin.

A secondary function of the Tribulation is to demonstrate the evil of satan and those who worship him and destroy both in the Lake of Fire. God will permit satan to reign over the earth as a self-claimed god for seven years. His reign will manifest the true hearts of those who hate God, and they will worship and serve the beast.

The Tribulation was never intended for Jesus’ church. When Paul wrote his first letter to the Thessalonian church, he specifically told them that this time of wrath is not for those who love Jesus, because God has reserved us for salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10). The idea that we must be purified by tribulation—from the text of Acts 14:22, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God”—is describing the tribulations (troubles/trials) that come from the world, not the Tribulation that comes from Jesus called “the wrath of the Lamb.”

There Is A Stunning Difference Between Tribulation From The World And Tribulation From God

Jesus said that in this world we will have tribulation, but He has overcome the world (John 16:33). Jesus did not say that in this world the believer will have to endure the Tribulation that comes from God. The last three and one-half years of the Great Tribulation describe the wrath of God being poured out on earth. Nearly every person who decides to trust in Jesus at that time will be beheaded by the beast (Revelation 20:4). These believers are people who did not believe in Jesus before the Rapture, but decide to trust in Him after the Tribulation begins. When millions of Christians disappear from the earth at the Rapture, the world will know that Jesus’ promise to return for His church and Paul’s description of this event in 1 Thessalonians 4 are true. A great number will turn to Christ during the Tribulation, but it will be at a great cost—the loss of their lives.

The idea that Christians must go through the Tribulation to be purified of sin and be ready for the return of Jesus is impeached by the New Testament. Paul wrote that we are complete in Christ Jesus. Paul wrote extensively that all of our righteousness comes from Jesus, and those who trust in Him have no record of sin accounted to them.

“For in Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” ~Colossians 2:9-10

“And such were some of you (once sinners). But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” ~1 Corinthians 6:11

Jesus said that those who trust in Him are “clean,” and there is no need for any further purification:

Jesus comes to wash the feet of the disciples. Peter protests: “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!” Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.” ~John 13:8-11

The moment any person trusts in Jesus for their salvation, after repenting from their sins they are clean, holy, sanctified, and fully ready for heaven. If Christians must go through the Tribulation to be purified of sin and ready for heaven, this is a works doctrine that places salvation in the hands of the worker, not in Christ. Salvation is a free gift. We cannot earn it by being more pure or more worthy. When we trust in Jesus for our salvation, we are fully ready for heaven at that moment.

As we begin chapter six in the book of Revelation, the first three and one-half years of the Tribulation are set into motion by the first seal that is opened by Jesus: Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. ~Revelation 6:1-2

The peace is short; after three and one-half years, when Jesus opens the second seal, the Great Tribulation begins: When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. ~Revelation 6:3-4

We saw Jesus take this scroll from the Father, in chapter five. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus described these final three and one-half years as a period on earth unlike any that has taken place before For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved. ~Matthew 24:21-22

The Tribulation Period is divided into two sections: the first three and one-half years is called the Tribulation; the second three and one-half years is called the Great Tribulation. It is the second three and one-half years that chapter six of Revelation is primarily describing. During this time, two-thirds of the people who live on earth will die by twenty-one judgments from God. This Great Tribulation begins when Jesus opens the first of seven seals in the Title Deed to Earth. It will continue until chapter 18 of Revelation is concluded.

The beginning of the seven years is described by the book of Daniel as the seventieth week of Daniel. Chapter nine of Daniel describes seventy weeks of years (490); the first sixty-nine (483), fulfilled at the arrival of the Messiah on earth. Jesus completed this prophecy on the day He rode into Jerusalem on April 6, 32 A.D. There remains just one seven-year period of time (one week) in Daniel’s seventy weeks.

Chapter six of Revelation begins the last seven years of Daniel’s prophecy. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 describes the event that will trigger the start of the seven years: the Rapture of Jesus’ church. Revelation chapters four and five detail events taking place in heaven during the first three and one-half years of the Tribulation on earth. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 describes the next event: the revealing of the antichrist that will take place immediately after Jesus removes His church from the earth. Jesus describes the entire term of the seven years in Matthew Chapter 24. The revealing of the antichrist is triggered by the opening of the first seal for the Title Deed of the earth, which we saw in Jesus’ hand in Revelation Chapter 5.

At the midpoint of the seven-year Tribulation, the antichrist will enter the Temple that has been rebuilt at Jerusalem and go into the Holy of Holies. The false prophet will erect a statue of the antichrist there, and he will command the world to worship the antichrist as God. Both Daniel and Jesus describe this event as the abomination of desolation.

From this brief description, the student of Revelation can see that it is important to have a good working knowledge of the entire Bible. The culmination of all that the Bible describes is found in the twenty-two chapters of Revelation. By the time you finish this treatise on Revelation, which describes these events, your knowledge of the entire Bible will be greatly enhanced.

One of the first principles a person learns when they begin a study of the prophecies of the Bible is their stunning accuracy. It was this artifact of scripture that first propelled me into a serious study of the Bible in 1975. Since that time I have never ceased to be amazed at the new things I learn every time I study the Hebrew and Greek scriptures. The precision at which the Lord fulfilled the 400 Messianic Prophecies of the Messiah is beyond the realm of chance. In just eight of these prophecies, predictions about Messiah for which He would have no ability to control, the odds of one man in all of history could fulfill just these eight prophecies is 1 in 10^17. This is the number of seconds that have passed during the 13.799 billion-year history of the universe.

It is important to remember that what John is writing in the text of Revelation are not predictions. John was transported by Jesus into the future, where he actually saw these things take place. John is simply recording what he saw. All of prophecy is not God predicting the future, but Him allowing us to see what He has seen: things that have already taken place from His perspective, living outside of time in the domain of eternity.

You and I are living during the most exciting period of history, the days in which the events described by the book of Revelation are likely to take place. As I write these words today, a global pandemic of the Coronavirus has swept the world. Over ten million people have already contracted this dreaded disease. Lawlessness has filled the streets of America, with people burning down businesses, looting stores, defying legal authority, and rejecting the rule of government to control violence and crime. These are the days in which the Bible has written—days of evil and violence that are like the days of Noah when people did what was right in their own eyes, and every thought and intent of their hearts was towards evil continually. Jesus said that when we see these days return, look up, because the day of His return is near (Luke 21:25-27).

• Prelude To Armageddon: Israel Declares War On Hamas
• The Seven Year Tribulation Begins With Peace
• Prelude To Armageddon: Israel Declares War On Hamas
• The Rapture: Jesus, Coming For His Church
• The Mystery Of Salvation: Who Will Be Saved; Who Will Be Lost?
• The Rapture, the Tribulation, Heaven, Rewards, and God’s Final Judgment

See The Detailed Commentary On The Book Of Revelation

NOTES:

[1] Fact Sheet: Israel and Palestine Conflict (9 October 2023), source: https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/fact-sheet-israel-and-palestine-conflict-9-october-2023#:~:text=On%20Saturday%2C%207%20October%20%E2%80%94%20a,into%20multiple%20border%20areas%20of

Categories: All Israel will be saved, Building the Third Temple, Eschatology: A Study In The Last Days, How Salvation Occurs, Introduction of the antichrist, Israel and Iran, Israel in the Last Days, Jesus is the Messiah, Robert Clifton Robinson, The Battle of Armageddon, The beginning of judgement, The Book of Revelation Commentary, The Rapture of the Church, The Rapture: Jesus Coming For His Church, The Seven Year Tribulation, The Wrath of God, Thousand Year Kingdom, We must repent, What happens after death?

Tags: All Israel will be saved, Antichrist revealed, Israel flees to Petra, Pre Tribulation Rapture, The Rapture, The Tribulation, Times of the Gentiles