What is the Tribulation? How do we know the Tribulation will last seven years?

But the Lord will again directly deal with Israel in the near future. At a set time in God's timetable, after the rapture of the Church to heaven, the coming Roman prince will confirm (ratify) a covenant or treaty with the "many" of Israel for one week—for seven years! God's prophetic clock again starts with the signing of this treaty. This one "week" of years—Daniel's last week—is often called the Tribulation from 2 Thessalonians 1:6 (KJV, NKJV) and from the fact that the last half of this "week" is called the Great Tribulation in Matthew 24:21 and Revelation 7:14. Let's look at this in a little more detail.

Isaiah 28:15-18 calls Israel's treaty with the future Roman prince a treaty of death. It begins a series of great and deadly problems for Israel and for the whole world. Two-thirds of the population of Israel will be killed (Zech. 13:9). The Tribulation lasts exactly seven prophetic (360 day) years. It will have two parts, each exactly 3.5 years (1260 days) long. The first part will be a miserable time of political and economic unrest and natural disturbances such as famines, but the second half will make the first seem almost pleasant in comparison. God calls this second half the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:21-22).

After the rapture, at which point in time all believers will be taken out of this world. Then seven years of tribulation will occur (often divided into two halves of three-and-a-half years, especially in Revelation).

The Great Tribulation will last exactly 1260 days or 3.5 prophetic years which are 360 days long. It is the last half of Daniel's last week (Dan. 7:25; 9:27; 12:7; Rev. 11:2; 12:14; 13:5). It is called the time of Jacob's trouble because of its special effect on Israel, but it severely affects the whole world (Jer. 30:7; Rev. 3:10). Its widespread evil will be so bad that no time before or after will equal it (Matt. 24:21; Mark 13:19). The intense evil is the result of Satan being cast from heaven (where he now has access—Job 1:6-8; 2:1-2) to earth, and being full of wrath because he knows his time of freedom is short (Rev. 12:7-12). The two beasts are then energized directly by Satan (Rev. 13:4, 14-15) and begin their reign of terror. Unless those days were shortened—not allowed to run their natural course—no people would be left alive (Matt. 24:22). There will be extreme demon activity everywhere, causing great hardships.

THERE will be also, in connection with the sway of the antichrist, another event of transcendent importance. Notices of it are found scattered throughout the prophets, as well as parts of the New Testament scriptures. It is generally designated as the great tribulation; but if the subject is closely examined it will be seen that this is but one feature of this fearful time of trial through which those upon the earth at that period will have to pass. In fact there will be a time of unexampled trouble, both for the Jews and the Gentiles; and we propose in this paper to collect some of the information which Scripture affords upon this subject, as well as to show who are the saints that will have to pass through this burning fiery furnace.

Three things spoken of in the Revelation, are, in people's minds, often confused, viz: The hour of temptation in Rev. 3:10; Great tribulation for Thyatira, Rev. 2:22; THE Great Tribulation, Rev. 7:14; Rev. 13:13-17. Each of these is distinct. The third is last in point of time, and quite peculiar; that which will never have been in the world before, and never will be again (Matt. 24:21; Jer. 30:7 Dan. 12:1). It is, emphatically, "THE GREAT TRIBULATION." Pre-eminently it falls upon the Jews, and is "the time of Jacob's trouble" (Jer. 30) The centre of it will probably be in Jerusalem where the abomination of desolation will be (Matt. 24:14; Rev. 13:14-17), but that the Great Tribulation will be confined to that land or that people, is, if we go by Scripture, a mistake. The Lord Himself states that a certain tribulation is so great that there never will have been such before, and never can be such again. If after this, Scripture tells us (Rev. 7:9-14) that a certain company out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues came out of The Great Tribulation, or, as it is more emphatically expressed in the original, — "THE TRIBULATION, THE GREAT" — surely we must bow to Scripture, and own that they did come out of the Great Tribulation, and let fall the theory for which no Scripture has been shown, that the Great Tribulation is confined to the land of the Jews. As, however, these Gentiles came out of it, they must have been in it. Moreover, the whole tenor of prophecy coincides with these saved ones having part in the Great Tribulation; for that awful persecution is consequent upon men being required to acknowledge the Beast and worship his image. Now the sphere of the Beast's authority is not merely Israel and Palestine, but every tribe and people and tongue and nation (Rev. 13:7) and all who will not worship the image will be killed; and no one will he allowed either to buy or sell save he that has the mark of the Beast or the number of his name (Rev. 13:17). The gospel of the kingdom, too, is to be preached in the whole world (Matt. 24:14), and the fruit of that preaching is, we may suppose, this blessed, this countless multitude of saved souls. We see then this awful persecution marked off and standing by itself alone: it is the work of Satan, through his agent the Beast.

The tribulation comes next (vv. 21, 22). “In the world ye have tribulation” applies to the Christian in principle, but no specific tribulation is ever held out for him. He should expect it always. All who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. The tribulation beyond parallel even for the Jews is during the last three-and-a-half years from the setting up of the abomination of desolation in the sanctuary. It is a judicial dealing of God through their enemies because of their bold apostasy. It has nothing to do with the Christian except that merely professing Christian fully share it. The Gentiles as such play their part in it; so we read in Revelation 7 of “the great tribulation” out of which comes a crowd of faithful ones who washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. The Jews and the Gentiles in that latter day will be thus visited in their respective measures, when the Christians are no longer here but in heaven with Christ. Those days are cut short for the elect's sake: otherwise no flesh would be saved. Here the Lord speaks of Jewish disciples preserved on earth for His kingdom, not of Christians who endure suffering and then reign with Him when changed at His coming, which is not even supposed in this question.

Having been permitted to see, through John, the victorious and worshipping Gentile throng, their character and blessing are now unfolded. "And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of [the] great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (vv. 13, 14.) Remark, first, how every family in heaven is interested in the activities of God and the Lamb both in grace and government, and also how closely the glorified in heaven is bound up with the redeemed on earth. It is only in our minds that heaven and earth are so widely sundered. The angels, as we have seen, delight in beholding this Gentile throng; and now one of the elders steps forth (otherwise we would not have known that they were in the scene), and, as commissioned, explains to John who this multitude are. First, then, they have come out of the great tribulation. It is not only, as in our translation, great, but emphatically the great tribulation, the time referred to, as already indicated, in Rev. 3:10. It is not the same thing as "Jacob's trouble," though undoubtedly connected with, if not springing out of it; and it will occur during the three years and a half of antichrist's fearful sway, sustained as he will be by the head of the western empire, the first beast of Revelation 13. It is to this same period our blessed Lord refers when He says, "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." (Matt. 24:21.) He speaks of the' Jewish trouble, while "the great tribulation" has reference to the oppression and persecution through which the Gentiles will have to pass. In the contemplation of this fearful event, it is no small consolation to find that God will use the unexampled sorrows of that day, if on the one hand for the chastisement of the haughty peoples of the earth, on the other hand for the blessing of this vast throng of souls. They will come out of this terrible tribulation, and, moreover, they will have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. It is most interesting to note that in all dispensations every family of the saved will alike have to trace all their blessing back to the efficacy of the blood of the Lamb.*

At the time of the end the abomination of desolation, spoken of in Daniel 12:11, is to be found in the holy place, and Jerusalem is in question, as verse 16 shows. Evidently there again will be a temple with its holy place at the time of the end, to be desecrated by this supremely abominable idolatry. At this time will be fulfilled the prophecy of Matt. 12:43-45: the evil spirit of idolatry will enter into the people with seven-fold force, and the mass of them will accept this abomination standing in the holy place — most probably "the image of the beast," spoken of in Revelation 13:14-15. Because of this crowning iniquity desolation will fall upon them in the government of God. Now the setting up of this abomination is to be the signal to the godly that the predicted great tribulation is begun, and that their safety lies in flight from Jerusalem and Judaea, where the furnace of affliction will be at its hottest. The Lord was speaking to His disciples, who at that moment were just godly Israelites surrounding their Messiah on earth, though presently they were to be built into the foundation of the church that was to be. Hence at that moment they represented, not the church, but the godly remnant of Israel, still carefully observing the law of the sabbath (verse 20), and many of them located in Judaea. Instant flight was to be their course. This agrees with what is set forth symbolically in Revelation 12:6.

The great tribulation is wholly unprecedented and never to be equalled, let alone surpassed. This the Lord states in verse 21; and the reason of it is, that as the book of Revelation shows, it will be a time of infliction of wrath from heaven — the outpouring of the vials of judgment. It will not be merely a case of men afflicting men, or a nation scourging other nations, as we see so strikingly today, but of God scourging the nations as He settles His accounts with them. Wrath from God is "revealed from heaven" (Rom. 1:18), though not yet executed, and as far as the nations are concerned it will fall at this time. Nations as such are only found in this world; they do not exist beyond the grave, though the men composing them do.

304 Such will be the moral state of things during the great tribulation which is to come on the earth. Two passages in the prophets (Jer. 30:7, and Dan. 12:1), as well as two passages in the gospel (Matt. 24:21 and Mark 13:19), tell us of this great tribulation. There we remark that it will fall more especially on the Jews, although it may happen that the Gentiles also shall suffer from it. It is to the sorrows of this crisis that the sufferings of that remnant refer, which we find on the scene in the Psalms. The tribulation will take place during the latter half of the last week mentioned in the book of Daniel (chap. 9), and will last until the Lord's appearing.

To return. The tribulation will be an unparalleled one. Satan will just then have been cast out of heaven (never more to return), and will be full of fury, knowing that he has but a short time (Rev. 12:7-13). All opposition to his schemes he will endeavour to stamp out by means of his principal tools, the Roman Beast and the man of sin. Still, God holds the reins. The enemy cannot exceed His limits. He has fixed the moment when the sorrow shall cease, and all the rage of Satan cannot prolong it one hour. What comfort this is for the saints of God! "Except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened" (verse 22). For three years and a half the tribulation will rage. The period is variously described in Scripture, leaving no real doubt in the mind. In Rev. 11:3, Rev. 12:6, we read of "one thousand, two hundred and threescore days;" in Rev. 11:2, of "forty-two months;" and in Dan. 7:25, of "a time, and times and the dividing of time." Dan. 9:27 also confirms this.