What is the tribulation?
Question 10044
The Tribulation is a specific seven-year period of God’s judgement upon the earth that will occur after the rapture of the Church and before the Second Coming of Jesus. It’s a time unlike any other in human history, marked by unprecedented suffering, supernatural judgements, and the rise of the Antichrist. Understanding the Tribulation helps us grasp God’s programme for both Israel and the nations, and reminds us of the urgency of the Gospel message.
The Biblical Foundation
The Tribulation is rooted in Daniel’s prophecy of the seventy weeks. In Daniel 9:24-27, the angel Gabriel revealed to Daniel that “seventy weeks” (literally “seventy sevens” of years, totalling 490 years) were decreed for Israel and Jerusalem to finish transgression, put an end to sin, atone for iniquity, and bring in everlasting righteousness. The first sixty-nine weeks (483 years) led up to the coming of Messiah. After His rejection and crucifixion, the prophetic clock stopped, and we’ve been in the Church age ever since. The final “week” (seven years) remains unfulfilled, and this is the period we call the Tribulation.
Jesus Himself spoke about this coming time of trouble. In the Olivet Discourse, He warned: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short” (Matthew 24:21-22). This isn’t poetic exaggeration. Jesus is describing a literal period of unparalleled suffering that would destroy all life on earth if God didn’t limit its duration.
The Purpose of the Tribulation
God doesn’t judge arbitrarily or cruelly. The Tribulation serves several specific purposes in His plan. First, it’s a time of judgement on a Christ-rejecting world. Throughout history, mankind has increasingly rejected God’s revelation, spurned His mercy, and rebelled against His authority. The Tribulation represents God’s response to that accumulated rebellion. Paul describes those who reject God’s truth as people who “by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Romans 1:18), and the Tribulation is when God removes His restraining influence and allows sin to reach its full expression.
Second, the Tribulation serves to bring Israel to repentance. The prophet Jeremiah called this period “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7). Throughout the seven years, God will be working to bring the Jewish people to recognise Jesus as their Messiah. Zechariah prophesied about this, describing how Israel will look on Him whom they pierced and mourn (Zechariah 12:10). At the end of the Tribulation, “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26), fulfilling God’s covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Third, the Tribulation prepares the world for Jesus’ millennial reign. It’s a time when God decisively deals with evil, removes the wicked, and sets the stage for His kingdom to be established on earth.
The Structure and Events
The book of Revelation provides the most detailed description of the Tribulation’s events, presented through three series of judgements: seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls. These judgements intensify as the period progresses. The first seal judgement brings the Antichrist onto the world stage as a supposed peacemaker. The second through fourth seals bring war, famine, and death. The fifth seal reveals the martyrdom of Tribulation saints, those who come to faith after the rapture. The sixth seal brings cosmic disturbances, and the seventh seal introduces the trumpet judgements.
The trumpet judgements affect a third of the earth, trees, sea, fresh water, and celestial bodies. They also release demonic forces described in symbolic yet terrifying imagery. The bowl judgements, coming last, are the most severe, affecting the entire earth with painful sores, seas turned to blood, scorching heat, darkness, and ultimately the greatest earthquake in history, accompanied by massive hailstones.
Many scholars divide the Tribulation into two halves of three and a half years each. Jesus referred to this division in Matthew 24:15, pointing to “the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place”. This event, when the Antichrist desecrates the rebuilt Jewish temple, marks the midpoint of the Tribulation and signals the beginning of the second, more severe half, often called the Great Tribulation.
Who Will Be There?
The Church, having been raptured before the Tribulation begins, will not be present on earth during this time. However, many people will come to faith during the Tribulation itself. Revelation 7:9-14 describes “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” who will come out of the Great Tribulation. These believers will face intense persecution, with many being martyred for their faith in Jesus and their refusal to worship the Antichrist or receive his mark.
God will also raise up 144,000 Jewish evangelists, 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel (Revelation 7:4-8), who will proclaim the Gospel during this period. Additionally, two witnesses will prophesy in Jerusalem for 1,260 days (the first half of the Tribulation), performing miracles reminiscent of Moses and Elijah (Revelation 11:3-12).
Why It Matters Today
If the Church won’t be here during the Tribulation, why should we care about it? Several reasons. First, understanding the Tribulation helps us appreciate God’s grace in saving us from His wrath. We’re not appointed to wrath but to salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Second, it reminds us of the urgency of evangelism. Every person we know who isn’t saved is headed for either the Tribulation (if they’re alive when the rapture occurs) or eternal judgement. Third, it provides context for current events. Whilst we don’t set dates or claim to know exactly where we are on God’s prophetic timeline, understanding the Tribulation helps us recognise the general direction of world events.
Conclusion
The Tribulation is not a myth or a metaphor; it’s a literal, future period of God’s judgement described in detail throughout Scripture. It will be a time of unprecedented suffering, but also a time when God’s purposes for Israel will be fulfilled and His justice will be satisfied. For believers, the promise is clear: “God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9). We won’t be here to face the Tribulation because Jesus will have taken us home in the rapture. This truth should fill us with gratitude, motivate us to holy living, and drive us to share the Gospel with those who are lost. Time is short. The Tribulation is coming. But for those who trust in Jesus, our future is secure.
“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.” Matthew 24:21
Bibliography
- Walvoord, John F. The Revelation of Jesus Christ. Chicago: Moody Press, 1966.
- Pentecost, J. Dwight. Things to Come. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1958.
- Ryrie, Charles C. Revelation. Everyman’s Bible Commentary. Chicago: Moody Press, 1968.
- Fruchtenbaum, Arnold G. The Footsteps of the Messiah. Rev. ed. Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2003.
