Sermon: The Doctrine of The Tribulation We are looking at this doctrine of the last things, eschatology. "The Tribulation" is our topic for tonight. If you'd like some notes, there are some there on the back table.
Our first reference is going to be Matthew 24, so we'll go ahead and turn to Matthew 24.
As I said before, I presented some of the other approaches to end times. You know, we talked about amillennialism and postmillennialism and these sorts of things. But I also said that we would be approaching this from a premillennial, pretribulational standpoint. We're talking primarily about the Tribulation period itself, and so we're going to look here at Matthew 24, verse 21 first, as we look at terms that the Bible uses for the Tribulation period.
I. Terms for the Tribulation Period A. The Great Tribulation Matthew 24:21 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."
Okay, so do we see here? "Great tribulation." Now, it's interesting because there are some people who interpret Revelation and the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24 and 25 as being fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. In other words, all the bad things in Revelation already happened in some people's minds and interpretation. The problem is, look at this verse. There's going to be a tribulation, a time of great trial that's greater than anything that happened before and greater than anything that will ever happen. I don't know that you can really describe the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 as that. Okay, so this obviously is something really big, something that's future. So, I believe that the things Jesus is saying in Matthew 24 are not all about the destruction of the temple in AD 70.
The Jewish people were living in Israel, ruled over by the Romans. They did, at times, want to throw off that Roman rule, and at times it would bring Roman anger on them, and the Romans would send their troops in there. And in AD 70, Titus, who was the Roman general at the time—he was the son of Vespasian, the Roman emperor—was sent with legions to go and put down the rebellion in Israel, in Judea. And he went there, and he destroyed the city of Jerusalem, burned it down. That's why Jesus said, "not one stone will be left on another." So some of this is fulfilled in AD 70, but something like a "great tribulation" that's so great that nothing after it is greater or nothing before it was ever like it doesn't make sense for the destruction of the temple in AD 70.
Notice verse 29 of Matthew 24 says something similar. It says, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken." After the tribulation of those days. Again, when did the stars fall and all these things happen in AD 70? That doesn't make sense. This is clearly an eschatological, end-times, Return of Christ kind of thing that's being described.
Let's look at Revelation 7:14. It says, "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." So what do we see here? Here are these martyrs that were martyred during the tribulation period. So there's a term; obviously one of the terms for the tribulation is "the tribulation."
B. The Hour of Testing A second term is "the hour of testing." Revelation 3:10 says, "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." "Temptation" and "testing" are the same word in Greek. It's going to come on the whole world, so again, this isn't AD 70. This isn't some minor thing. This is worldwide tribulation. So we see "the hour of testing."
C. The Time of Distress / Jacob's Trouble Jeremiah 30, verse 7 says, "Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it." Okay? So Jacob here is representing the nation of Israel. Jacob's name was changed to Israel, and so his descendants are known as Israel. So this is "the time of Jacob's trouble," alright? But notice, it's great. There's none like it. So again, here's a time of trouble or trial that's not like anything that's ever been. It's greater than anything that's ever happened.
Daniel chapter 12, in verse 1, says, "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book." So what we see here, again, at that time, there's going to be a time of trouble, but the Lord is going to deliver His people, Israel.
D. The Indignation / Wrath Another term for the tribulation is "the indignation" or "the wrath." 1 Thessalonians 1:10 says, "And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come." Okay? So, here's Jesus. Obviously, we see the wrath of hell we're delivered from, but there is a wrath that is coming for everybody. But here, Jesus is delivering us from that wrath that's coming.
Revelation chapter 6, verses 16 and 17: "And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" In other words, here's the time that the wrath of God has come. Who can stand before God in this kind of time?
In Daniel chapter 8, verse 19, he says, "And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be." All right? So we see it here: indignation, wrath. This is the time of God's anger being poured on the earth.
E. The Day of the Lord And then, "the day of the Lord." Look at Isaiah 13. Except for maybe one exception in the Old Testament, every time, the phrase "the day of the Lord" is a reference to the end times.
Isaiah 13, verse 6 says, "Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty." All right? In verse 9, "Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it." And then Zechariah 14:1, we see a reference to the day of the Lord.
Now, the term "the day of the Lord" doesn't just refer to the tribulation. There are some things that are blessings in the day of the Lord, and those are in the millennial kingdom, okay? But they're all end-time events. Zechariah 14:1: "Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee." Okay? And we could go on; you could search the term "the day of the Lord" and find it many, many times in the Old Testament. And it's a reference to that time of judgment during the Great Tribulation, and then later on, the time of blessing that comes in the millennium.
You do have to understand as well that there is another phrase that is used as a substitute for "the day of the Lord," and that phrase is "in that day." Okay? "In that day this will happen." Understand the term "day" in Hebrew can be used of a time period, not just 24 hours. Okay, so it can mean more than just a 24-hour period. When we get to Genesis 1, though, you know, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth," and then it says, "On the first day, God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." You say, "Well, isn't that a 24-hour period?" Yes. Because it's the first day, the second day, the third day. Never in the Old Testament do you have a first, second, third, applying to a day and have it be anything other than a 24-hour period. Nor do you have "evening and morning." Okay, that indicates it's a 24-hour period in Genesis 1. So, yes, the term for day, yom is the Hebrew word, can mean more than 24 hours, like "the day of the Lord," the seven-year tribulation. But in the book of Genesis in chapter 1, the day there has evening and morning, it's the first day, second day, third day, for a week's span. So there are about four reasons that there, "day" means 24 hours in Genesis 1.
But when we look at the word "day," like "the day of the Lord" or "in that day," it's often referring to a longer span of time, sometimes several years, but it's in that time period.
So those are terms for the tribulation period.
II. The Timing of the Tribulation Period So when does the tribulation take place? It follows the rapture of the church and the judgment seat of Christ. The church is raptured, taken out of the way. You say, "Well, why is that the case?" Because what is the tribulation called? "The time of Jacob's trouble." The church is raptured and God turns his attention back to Israel to prepare Israel for their King. Jesus is coming back. So the rapture isn't there because Christians can't go through trials. The rapture is there so that God can turn his attention back to Israel.
1 Corinthians 4:5 says, "Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God." And then 2 Timothy 4:8. In other words, Jesus is going to judge. Second Timothy 4:8 says, "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."
We're going to get into the doctrine of judgments, but I think I need to explain this a little bit here. I believe that there is a distinction between various judgments in the scripture. I think I can demonstrate that in scripture, and I will try to. And that is that the judgment seat of Christ is for believers. When Paul says, "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ," who's the "we"? Believers. He's talking to the Corinthians. All right, so the judgment seat of Christ takes place after the rapture and before we return to earth with Jesus in Revelation 19.
You also have other judgments, like the sheep and the goats judgment. All right? So what happens? Jesus returns at the end of the tribulation. What about the people on earth? Not everybody's dead. Who gets to enter the kingdom? Who gets to go into the millennium? John 3, what does Jesus say to Nicodemus? "Unless a man be born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of God," right? So what about the people in the tribulation who trust the Lord, get saved, and are born again, and they survive the tribulation period? They get to go into the kingdom. What about those who haven't trusted Christ and have rejected the Gospel? They're rejected, and they're judged. And so Jesus makes a difference between the sheep and the goats, and he separates them. The sheep go into the kingdom, the goats don't. Okay? So, your sheep and goat difference.
And then also you have the phrase "the great white throne judgment," which we find in Revelation 20. And what you find is this is the final judgment. And that one is primarily for unbelievers. It is the final judgment at the end of the millennium, that sort of thing, where all the final judgment will be made. But some have already faced judgment before that, at the sheep and the goat judgment or at the judgment seat of Christ.
1 Peter 5:4 says, "And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." In other words, when that time comes that you see Jesus, if he judges at that judgment seat of Christ, then for those who have been faithful as elders and pastors, you will receive a crown of glory that fades not away.
And Revelation 22:12 says, "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." And that "quickly" that Jesus is saying, "I come quickly," remember, the rapture could happen at any time. "Quickly" there is the idea not of how soon it's coming, but how suddenly it is coming.
So it follows the rapture of the church and the judgment seat of Christ. It precedes the millennium. If you go back to what we call the Olivet Discourse, Matthew 24... Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and the disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple. So he leaves Jerusalem. Where does he go? He went over to the Mount of Olives. And there, his disciples say to him, "Look at this beautiful temple." And Jesus said unto them, "See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." Verse three: "And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" Jesus answered and said unto them, "Take heed that no man deceive you." And then he goes through this discourse in Matthew chapter 24.
And here, if you look at Matthew chapter 24, in verse 29, it says, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven..." All right, after the tribulation, Jesus returns. "And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." Coming in the clouds with power and great glory. That's not the rapture. That's the second coming. That's Revelation 19, Jesus on the white horse. So Jesus coming on the white horse comes after the tribulation period, but he has to come before he can set up the millennium, right?
So, in other words, we go to the next verse, "And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." And so what we see here is he's going to come, he's going to judge, and he's going to set up his kingdom. So that's the timing. The tribulation is before the millennium, but it's after the rapture and the judgment seat.
III. The Chronology of the Tribulation Period The tribulation period is a period of seven years. Daniel chapter 9:27 says this: "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."
All right now, it says "week" there. The Hebrew word there means a set of seven. It could be a week of days or it could be a set of seven years. Okay? And as we look at this, if we look at the 70 weeks of Daniel's prophecy, it talks about 70 weeks. Daniel tells us—there have been books written on this—you can count in his 70 weeks. He talks about... let's go to verse 26: "...and after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary..." In other words, 69 of those 70 weeks have been fulfilled. From the starting of those 70 weeks, if you do the math, take the date the first week starts, and you do the math, and you go, okay, you know, seven years times 69, that takes you right to the crucifixion of Jesus. So the crucifixion of Jesus ends the 69th week of Daniel.
But there's a 70th week that hasn't come. All right? That 70th week is going to be the tribulation period. Jesus has now ascended up into heaven, but that 70th week is going to come that prepares the earth for his return. And so it's a period of seven years, as we see here, a "week" of years.
The tribulation is in two parts of three and a half years each.
The First Half: Revelation 11:3. "And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth." That's three and a half years. Okay? So for three and a half years, they're going to prophesy. That's the first half of the tribulation.
The Last Half (The Great Tribulation): Revelation chapter 12:6 says, "And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days." Again, three and a half years. But here, who's this woman? Verse one: "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars." Now, is there ever a symbol elsewhere in scripture of 12 stars representing the tribes of Israel? Yes. Sun, moon, and stars? Doesn't Joseph have a dream that says he sees not only the sheaves of his brothers bowing down to him, but later, he says the sun, moon, and stars? And his father rebukes him and says, "Are your mother and I going to bow down to you?" Yes, because you're going to come down to Egypt and he's going to be the ruler of Egypt. And so this picture is a picture of the 12 tribes of Israel. So who is this woman? This isn't Mary. The Roman Catholic interpretation understands this to be Mary. This isn't Mary, this is Israel.
"And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered." And I understand here, because she's giving birth to the Messiah, but you understand it's Israel that's in view here. "And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born." So the dragon is waiting for the woman to give birth so he can eat the child. "And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne."
So who's this child who's going to rule the whole world with a rod of iron? Jesus. And who's caught up to God? Jesus. "And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days." There's that verse. All right, so this is the idea that this is the nation of Israel, because they're going to be protected by God during the second half of the tribulation from the wrath of Satan. There's no sense in which Mary had to flee into the wilderness to hide from Satan. That is true and will be true of Israel.
So the second half of the tribulation is the time of Jacob's trouble, or as we would say, more specifically, the Great Tribulation. Verse 14 as well, we see a verse here that says, "And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent." A "time" (a year), "times" (two years), and "half a time" (half a year) is three and a half years. That is hiding from Satan.
And if you compare that to Daniel 7:25, it says, "And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time." So who is this? This is the Antichrist. He's going to persecute God's people, all right? And he's going to speak great words against God, and he's going to persecute God's people, the Jews, for "a time, times, and the dividing of time." That's the same phrase we see in Revelation. Three and a half years. That's the second half of the tribulation.
And then Revelation 13:5, we see a similar concept here: "And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months." Forty-two months is three and a half years. So the tribulation is a seven-year period, there are two halves to it; the first half is three and a half years, the second half is three and a half years.
IV. The Purposes of the Tribulation Period Why? Why is there going to be a tribulation? I mean, why does all this have to happen? It's a pretty big deal. And the things we've seen in our series in Revelation so far, the first portion of the Seal Judgments that wipes out a quarter of humanity, and then a third of humanity wiped out after that. You know, in today's world's population, that's four billion people. Why is that all going to happen?
A. Judgment on Unrepentant Sinners First, it's going to be a judgment on unrepentant sinners. Matthew 13:29-30, "...he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn." Here's the parable of the wheat and the tares. Tares look like wheat when they first spring up. But they're not wheat; they're a plant called bearded darnel, and bearded darnel has little seeds in it that are not like wheat. Once they pop up, you can see little black seeds. And if you grind those up and mix them with your wheat, it can cause hallucinations and health problems. So you don't want to eat it. So what does he say, though? "Don't go uprooting the tares yet, because we got to know the difference. And when it's clear and the harvest time comes, then we'll gather up the wheat, and we'll gather up the tares and we'll separate them, and the tares will be judged. They'll be burned up, and the wheat will be gathered into barns." The point is, in the end, God is going to use the tribulation to make a judgment distinction between His people and the wicked who rejected God.
Revelation 9:20-21: "And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood... Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." Not only do we know that they're not repenting, but we know some of the sins they committed. So here we see judgment on unrepentant sinners.
Revelation 14:15: "And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe." In other words, their sin is ripe; they're ready for judgment.
Revelation 16:9-11: "And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds." So, do these sound like just poor innocent people that this is just happening to? Or does this sound like an unrepentant people who've earned judgment? And we can look around our world today. Is there not much that deserves God's judgment? God's judgment isn't coming yet because He's gracious and patient and giving people time to repent.
B. The Chastening of Israel Another reason is the chastening of Israel. Isaiah 28:15: "Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves." Here's Israel. Verse 14 says, "Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem." Are the Israelites generally right with God today? No. The most common religious view in the political entity of Israel today is atheism. And beyond that, recently Tel Aviv was rated as one of the best places to go for Pride month, for LGBT. They have huge Pride parades in Tel Aviv. So even though they know what the Old Testament says... certainly the Orthodox Jews and others that are there despise that, but the general population of Israel, it's not like they're currently seeking the Lord and they've accepted their Messiah, Jesus. No, they've rejected him.
I do want to say this: I do believe God has not rejected his people. Israel is still God's people. However, we do have to understand that the current political entity of Israel isn't identical with the Jewish people. There are many Jews in it, and I'm not being anti-Israel, but what I want us to understand is just because Netanyahu decides to do something doesn't mean God's pleased with it. You feel what I'm saying? They're not currently following King Jesus. That will be a different day.
So there will be a need for Israel to be chastened, to bring them back to the Lord. Jeremiah 30:7: "Alas! for that day is great so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble." The tribulation is the time of Jacob's trouble. In other words, the focus is turned back to Israel, as God chastens them and makes them ready for the return of their King, Jesus.
John 5:43 says, "I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive." How many false messiahs have people sometimes followed? Jesus came, and He wasn't received. They're disobedient to the Lord until they accept Christ as the Messiah. And so there's going to be a time of chastening to turn them back to Christ.
C. The Salvation of Israel This doesn't exist just to chasten them, but to turn them to Christ so that they would be saved. Romans chapter 11:26 says, "And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob." So the Lord is going to bring his people back.
Zechariah 12, verse 10 says, "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son..." What are they going to do? They're going to look on Jesus, whom they pierced, and they're going to mourn because they realized they killed their Messiah. But they're going to turn back to Him. What's the point? Zechariah 13:1: "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness." In other words, they'll be washed clean.
Isaiah 66:8 says, "Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children." In other words, there's going to be a rapid return in repentance and in belief in Jesus that's going to turn the nation in that tribulation period. This isn't going to take generations; it's going to be a rapid return to the Lord.
D. The Salvation of Gentiles It's not just Israel that's going to be saved, but the Lord's going to use that time to save the nations as well. Zephaniah 3:9 says, "For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent." In other words, the Gentiles are going to be turned to a pure language and can call on the Lord.
Then in Matthew 25, we talked about the Olivet Discourse. We go back there. Matthew 25, verse 34, says, "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." That's the sheep and the goats judgment. Those people from all the nations who have been born again during the tribulation, they get to enter the kingdom.
And then Revelation chapter 7, verses 9 through 17: "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes... 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 great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
These are those who came out of the tribulation, and they've been washed in the blood of the Lamb. "Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple." Here are people from every kindred and tribe and nation, from Gentile backgrounds. So it's not just that the Jewish nation will be saved in the tribulation, but many Gentiles as well.
So the tribulation isn't just a scary time. Yes, it will judge sinners, and we thank God that He is just and does judge sin. Yes, it will chasten Israel for their disobedience, but with a purpose: so that Israel will turn back to the Lord and be saved. And in that process as well, the Lord will use it to save many from nations all around the world. So the point of the tribulation isn't just that all these terrible things will happen. The point is God's using it to save. It's a time that, yes, is scary, but in it, God will save people.
We have people in our own congregation that will tell you they went through a terrible trial in their life, and that was the time when they came to faith in Christ. And they wouldn't want to go through those trials again, they're not volunteering for them in the future, but they'll say, "As much as I hated that trial, I thank the Lord He used that to bring me to Christ." And in the tribulation, God will use it to bring people to God. I personally think that there will be a great time of turning to Jesus. I don't know that the majority will, but a lot will come to Christ because there are these huge multitudes of people who came from the tribulation. And so we'll see many, many come to the Lord. Even in that terrible time, the Lord will be at work.
Let's have a word of prayer.