Great Tribulation

The Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the entities that bring false peace, War, famine, pestilence, and death.
(Woodcut by Albrecht Dürer)

The Tribulation (or "Great Tribulation") is an event referred to in the New Testament of the Bible at Matthew 24:21 ("For then shall be great tribulation..." - King James Version) and other passages.

In the futurism view of Christian eschatology, the Tribulation is a relatively short period of time where believers will experience worldwide persecution and be purified and strengthened by it. This view was introduced to the modern church by John Nelson Darby, the father of dispensationalism, became widely accepted through the notes in the Scofield Reference Bible of 1909, and was recently popularized through the novel Left Behind series.

In the Christian preterist view the Tribulation took place in the past when Roman legions destroyed Jerusalem and its temple in 70 CE, and it affected the Jewish people rather than all mankind. This is a view that is growing in influence among certain scholars and theologians.

In the Christian historicist view also, the Tribulation came upon the Jewish people, beginning in 70 CE. An historicist approach was taken by Martin Luther and John Calvin, and prevailed among Protestants from the Reformation until the rise of dispensationalism. Some modern historicists see the Tribulation as continuing upon the Jews through the centuries, perhaps culminating in the Holocaust, and ending with the restoration of the state of Israel or the return of Jerusalem to Jewish control.

The Dispensationalist or Futurist View

While it is considered a period of immense suffering and sacrifice, greater than anything before in history, believers are promised strong faith and powers to help them endure and prevail. Persecution is attributed to the believers rebelling against the Antichrist and his regime.

The Tribulation is generally thought to occur before the Second Coming of Jesus and the end of the world. Some Christians believe that it will last seven years in all, usually divided into two periods of 3.5 years each. Others believe it is for only a 3.5-year period. The time period for these beliefs is based on the phrases found several places in the book of Daniel, "time, times, and half a time," interpreted as "a year, two years, and half a year," and the book of Revelation, "a thousand two hundred and threescore days" and "forty and two months" (the prophetic month averaging 30 days, hence 1260/30 = 42 months or 3.5 years).

Tribulation events

Among Christians who hold a futurist view of the Tribulation, there are differing views about what will happen to Christians during the Tribulation:

• Pretribulationists believe that all Christians then alive will be taken bodily up to Heaven (called the rapture) before the Tribulation begins. Those who become Christians after the rapture will live through (or perish during) the Tribulation. After the Tribulation, Christ will return.
• Midtribulationists believe that the rapture of the faithful will occur halfway through the Tribulation, after it begins, but before the worst part of it occurs.
• Posttribulationists believe that Christians will not be taken up into Heaven until Christ returns at the end of the Tribulation. "Immediately after the tribulation ... then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man [Jesus] ... and he shall gather his elect" (Mat.24:29-31). In pretribulationism and midtribulationism, the rapture and the Second Coming (or Greek, paraousia) of Christ are separate events; while in posttribulationism the two events are identical or simultaneous.

Some—including many Roman Catholic theologians—do not believe in a "time of trouble" period as usually described by tribulationists, but rather that there will be a near utopic period led by the Antichrist. Others, unable to form an opinion or simply desiring to remain non-divisive, describe themselves as pantribulationists believing that everything will "pan out in the end."

Judgments

Here is a list of judgments mentioned in the book of Revelation, some of which (usually attributed to the seven trumpets) occur during the Tribulation period:

Seven Seal Judgments

• The White Horse of the Apocalypse comes promising false peace (This represents the Antichrist's rise to power through diplomacy).
• The Red Horse comes in the form of World War causing bloodshed. (The Antichrist's true colors are revealed, as he triggers another world war while at the same time promising peace; this would presumably be WWIII).
• The Black Horse comes in the form of famine resulting from war
• The Pale Horse comes in the form of pestilence and death.
• Martyrs begin dying during the Tribulation (The Antichrist begins his persecution of believers).
• Worldwide earthquake followed by the darkening of the sun and moon, and a colossal meteor shower.
• Silence in Heaven, followed by fire being hurled to the Earth.

(Note: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, are symbols for the first four seal judgments. They represent events as seen in a vision by the John of Patmos. As they are allegorical, no horsemen are expected to be seen galloping during the tribulation.)

Seven Trumpet Judgments

• Hail, fire, and blood fall upon the earth, burning one-third of the earth, trees, and grass (This is a plague similar to the hailstorm described in the book of Exodus, with the exception of the blood. Though the Bible says that this judgement will affect only 1/3 of the world's vegetation and does not mention human casualties, there are those who believe the blood will come as a result of massive injuries to humans and animals. Most Christians however, believe that it will be supernatural, as most of the trumpet judgments are.)
• A burning mountain plummets into the sea (This could refer to an asteroid striking the earth, causing widespread death and destruction. It is believed that it will be a localized, non-extinction-level event. Though most believe in an ocean strike causing a great tsunami that sweeps over entire cities, many scholars argue that the sea referred to here is actually the Mediterranean Sea. Thus the event would mostly affect those nations surrounding this body of water.)
• A star called Wormwood falls onto the Earth poisoning the freshwater sources such as streams and rivers (This is believed to be a comet that falls but desintegrates before striking; the remains of which fall on the rivers and lakes, thus poisoning the waters. Thousands will die from drinking it. It is believed and accepted that believers will be spared this judgment.)
• Sun, stars and moon are darkened by one-third (This darkening will cause temporary winterlike conditions in the world, as well as a massive shortage of energy — sort of a short ice age, or some believe a nuclear winter. This will apparently be a temporary phenomenon, as the sun must later burn with the force of fire...)
• Plague of indestructible locusts ravage the wicked forces of the Antichrist, inflicting endless pain. Many will try to kill themselves from the pain, but "death will flee from them" (These are most likely demonic locusts. This is clearly a supernatural event that will affect the non-believers only. There is mention that believers will be sealed by God first, and the locusts will not attack them upon seeing God's seal on them.)
• Over 200 million horsemen kill one-third of wicked left on Earth with massive strikes, fire, and smoke (Much speculation exists regarding the nature of this plague, as the author sees this in a vision. It is mostly accepted that these are also demonic beings sent to destroy the most rebellious of the unbelievers. Others believe it could be a massive military force.)
• Lightning, hailstorm, and earthquakes

Seven Bowl Judgments

• Painful sores (possibly boils or carbuncles on the worshippers of the Beast (These sores only affect those bearing the mark of the beast, who worship his image.)
• Sea turns to blood
• Rivers turn to blood
• Sun burns with intense heat and scorches people (This is an intense heat plague, that it is believed will also affect mostly those with the mark. This is beleived to refer to the hole in the ozone layar)
• Antichrist's kingdom is plunged into darkness (It is not clear if it means all the earth, or only the Antichrist's capital. New Babylon, the city many believe will be this capital, is a likely place, but cities such as Rome and Jerusalem have also been proposed. This is a darkness reminiscent to the one described in the book of Exodus. It is so thick and deep that it causes literal pain. People writhe and gnash their teeth from the pain which is worsened by the sores that they still have from the first plague.)
• Euphrates River dries up and is prepared for battle from the armies from the east (To clarify, the river dries up to facilitate the crossing of the armies from the east, on their way to Israel for the battle of Armageddon.)
• Worldwide earthquake leveling every mountain into the sea followed by huge hailstones and lightning. (This could also be simultaneous earthquakes of great magnitude throughout the world. The earth's geography and topography will be altered forever, as every mountain and hill will be leveled, and every island will either move or disappear. The earthquakes are accompanied by huge 100-lb hailstones.)

(Note: Some believe that the seal and trumpet judgments will occur during the first half of the tribulation. The bowl judgments will occur during the second half, as the first one refers to those with the mark of the beast. The mark will not be implemented until the Antichrist dies and resurrects, and then defiles the Temple; and this will happen at precisely the mid-point of the tribulation. Thus, the bowl judgments will be more severe, and will last longer than any of the previous ones.

(Others argue that the seals generally cover man's history from after the first coming of Christ up to the End time (although several seem to go well into this period), with the trumpet judgements generally covering the Tribulation, and the most severe judgements — the Bowls reserved for the Wrath of God period — preceding the Millennium.)

The Preterist View

Christian preterists believe that the Tribulation was a divine judgment visited upon the Jews for their sins, including rejection of Jesus as the promised Messiah. It occurred entirely in the past, around 70 CE/AD when the armed forces of the Roman Empire destroyed Jerusalem and its temple.

A preterist discussion of the Tribulation has its focus on the Gospels, in particular the prophetic passages in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21, rather than on the Apocalypse or Revelation of John. (Preterists apply much of the symbolism in the Revelation to Rome, the Cæsars, and their persecution of Christians, rather than to the Tribulation upon the Jews.)

Jesus' warning in Matthew 24:34 that "this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled" is tied back to his similar warning to the Scribes and the Pharisees that their judgment would "come upon this generation" (Matthew 23:36), that is, during the first century rather than at a future time long after the Scribes and Pharisees had passed from the scene. The destruction in 70 CE/BC occurred within a forty-year generation from the time when Jesus gave that discourse.

The judgment on the Jewish nation was executed by the Roman legions, "the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet" (Matthew 24:15), which Luke presented to his Gentile audience, unfamiliar with Daniel, as "armies" surrounding Jerusalem to cause its "desolation." (Luke 21:20)

Since Matthew 24 begins with Jesus visiting the Jerusalem temple and pronouncing that "there shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down" (vs. 3), preterists see nothing in Scripture to indicate that another Jewish temple will ever be built. The prophecies were all fulfilled on the then-existing temple that Jesus spoke about and that was subsequently destroyed within that generation.

The Historicist View

The historicist view of the Tribulation is similar to that of preterists in applying it to the Jews, rather than to a future judgment on the whole world. Armageddon will bring God's wrath against all mankind, but the Tribulation is confined to the Jewish nation.

Historicists see Matthew's reference to "great tribulation" (Matthew 24:21) as parallel to Luke's reference to "great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people," the Jews. (Luke 21:23) Hence they conclude that it was fulfilled on the Jewish people alone.

However, unlike preterists who see fulfillment entirely in the distant past, historicists are prone to see prophecy fulfilled down through the centuries and even in today's world. Thus, instead of expecting a single Antichrist to rule the earth during a future Tribulation period, Martin Luther, John Calvin and the other Reformers saw the Antichrist as a present feature in the world of their time, fulfilled in the papacy and the Islamic invasion of Europe.

Similarly, some modern historicists see the Tribulation on the Jews as beginning in 70 CE and continuing for centuries, covering the same time span as "the times of the Gentiles" during which "Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the Gentiles." (Luke 21:24) This view would have it encompass not only the death of a million Jews at the hands of the Roman legions, but also the death of six million Jews in the Holocaust. The Tribulation would have ended, according to this understanding, at the restoration of the nation of Israel in 1948 or at the return of Jerusalem to Jewish control in 1967.

Sources

• The Great Tribulation: Past or Future by Thomas Ice and Kenneth L. Gentry Jr. (Kregel Publications, 1999) ISBN 0-8254-2901-3
• Four Views on the Book of Revelation by Kenneth L. Gentry Jr., Sam Hamstra Jr., C. Marvin Pate and Robert L. Thomas (Zondervan, 1998) ISBN 0-310-21080-1

See also

• End times
• Left Behind series
• Tim LaHaye
• Hal Lindsey
• Summary of Christian eschatological differences
• Implications of peak oil

External links

• Tribulation Forces Study of the End Times and Bible Prophecy
• Will Christians go through the Great Tribulation?
• A Bible-based chart of the Tribulation period
• The Tribulation
• http://www.preterist.org/
• http://www.historicist.com/
• http://www.historicism.net/