GENERAL FACTS
ABOUT THE
GREAT TRIBULATION

[These are facts that do not identify themselves with any particular phase of the sequence of things to come but are more general in nature. Some overlap into the reign of the Millennial Kingdom of God and of Christ.]

THE "DAY OF THE LORD" IS:

^ A time of DOOM for the NATIONS

^ "The TIME OF THE GENTILES"

• Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the TIME OF THE GENTILES is fulfilled. Luke 21:24
• Egypt and her allies will fall. "Then they will know that I am the Lord when I have set a fire in Egypt and when all her helpers are destroyed." Ezekiel 30:1-8 

· FORTY YEAR DESOLATION OF EGYPT

· THE LAND AND CITIES UNINHABITED FOR 40 YEARS Ezekiel 29:1-16

"THE DAY OF THE LORD"

• IS A DAY OF DARKNESS AND DISTRESS Amos 5:18-20
• IN THE FORM OF DESTRUCTION FROM THE ALMIGHTY Joel 1:15
• INCREASED WICKEDNESS SO MUCH SO THAT THE LOVE OF MANY WILL GROW COLD - Matthew 24:12 

Freedom to do as we please (lawlessness) does not promote love but rather destroys it. This fact has clearly been proven by our permissive society today. (i.e. the accelerating divorce rate, child and wife abuse, the rampant rebellion of our young people and violence in general  which includes abortion and euthanasia). All these stem from a departure from the righteous laws given by God.

IT WILL BE A TIME OF WARS BEGINNING WITH THE INVASION OF GOG AND MAGOG SHORTLY AFTER ISRAEL HAS SIGNED WITH MANY NATIONS A SEVEN YEAR PEACE AGREEMENT  ACCORDING TO Daniel 9:27, and  Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39

• BETRAYAL, REBELLION, HATRED, MARTYRDOM
  WILL BE NORMS OF THE TIMES Matthew 24:9-10, Mark 13:12-13a, Luke 21:16-17 

Not only do we find the betrayal, rebellion, hatred and martyrdom taking place before the Great Tribulation as a sign that the time is near, but it will continue to increase throughout the time of the Great Tribulation.

Recently in Germany during World War 2 and afterward in countries where Communism was taking over, you saw this kind of betrayal generated by godless authorities. When ideologies are taught to the children that severely conflict with those of the parents, the children are caught in the middle. These children have not lived long enough to have formed values of their own. Children believe that what is taught in school, and presented with authority, must be true. It is easy for the children to be turned away from the parents to the point of betrayal.

This form of turning away always appears as a form of rebellion, because the child is accepting the new ideas against the wishes of the parents, and often unknown to the parents.

It was practiced very effectively in Germany to lead the youth into participation in the Holocaust of World War 2. It is practiced in America today by well meaning `Humanists' and those actively promoting the `New Age Movement.' It also results from the influence of those militantly pushing atheism in an effort to remove any form of `religion' from government, from public communication systems, and from public schools, and from public life in general. This same method will be used extensively by the End Time Antichrist and his political system; and, it will have the same effect.

The children who have been indoctrinated by the government controlled schools will turn against their parents by reporting them to the authorities, resulting in their arrest and possible death. Even today children are encouraged to report parents on charges of child abuse, and that is just the start.

The parents will turn against the children in fear, frustration and mistrust. Children who are wise and see what is happening will be against those who are blindly led by the new order. Ungodly parents will be against children who turn to the Lord. It will be a time of severe division of families.

It is all a natural result of the forced change of ideology by ungodly governments turning from Godliness and trying to destroy the influence of holiness as their atheistic concepts are, more and more, generally accepted by a generation that does not know God. Hatred for one another will be fierce.

When the effective Church is removed and it's influence for good is taken out of the way of wicked humanity, the world will learn just how terrible men can be in their natural lusts and the fruit of their carnal natures. There will be no end of evil and wickedness, of vile person against vile person, each pursuing the pleasures of uninhibited self-seeking assertiveness.

God will still have His faithful few in every generation who will suffer all that mankind does to them and still hold fast to their faith in God; faith they received through understanding the Gospel, the Word of God. God knows what a person faces and will reward the faithful.

• WRATH OF GOD AGAINST ALL GODLESSNESS AND WICKEDNESS OF MEN Romans 1:18 
• THE WINE CUP OF THE FURY OF GOD SENT THROUGHOUT THE EARTH - World wide judgment is sure - Jeremiah 25:15-38 

The Great Tribulation is the world wide result of the wine cup of the Fury of the Wrath of God.

EVERYONE will RECOGNIZE THE TIME OF THE WRATH OF GOD

When the sixth seal is opened, the earth experiences a great earthquake where every mountain and island will be moved out of place, the sun turns black, the moon turns red, the stars fall from heaven, and the sky is rolled up like a scroll, men will know what is in store. Men from every station in life recognize that "THE GREAT DAY OF HIS WRATH HAS COME" and they ask the great question everyone should have asked long before: Who can stand against the Wrath of God Almighty? Revelation 6:12-17,  Isaiah 2:10-11, and Isaiah 2:20-21

The people will be well aware of the approaching wrath from God Almighty as being the cause of the great signs in heaven and on earth. This indicates that they had heard the warnings of the ones who were watching for the coming of the Lord. This also tells us that they fell into the category of the `scoffers' who knew the truth, but because of the length of time waiting, they were unable to maintain their faith. They had not applied themselves to seeking the truth, but rather had chosen to seek the things of the world.

The fact that they are calling for the rocks and mountains to hide them from the Wrath of God, indicates that they know it is the Wrath of God that is coming to destroy the world. Still they deliberately refuse to turn to God in repentance, preferring to trust in the natural things to protect them that will themselves be destroyed.

God desires repentance instead of death. But men would rather die than turn to God and submit to His ways. By refusing to accept the grace and mercy God has extended to them for so long, they seal their own destiny.

In rejecting the truth, men show that they would rather believe the lie from Satan. Because the truth does not fit their mistaken concept of a loving God, they would rather sit in judgment against God and call Him a liar. People do not want to believe that God will really send them to the Lake of Fire for eternal punishment, even though God has repeatedly revealed, over and over again, that it is the reward of those who refuse His salvation. Proving again that men would rather believe a lie than seek out the truth, or even accept it when it is revealed.

Surely God understands the hardness of the heart of men. God accurately said:

• "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." Proverbs 14:12 and Proverbs 16:25

It is amazing how people refuse to look beyond the present, or even show interest in the end result. People fail to realize that it is not over when we die. They think that to die ends all existence and experience.

The truth is that death is only the transfer from the natural to the eternal state of existence. Death of the mortal body ends the time when repentance can restore our relationship with God. Death ends the time of salvation from the consequence of sin. Death ushers in the rewards chosen in life, whether Paradise with God or The Lake of Fire in torment separated from the presence of God. Both are eternal.

The wickedness of man is described as being that of pride, arrogance, greed, extortion, unjust gain, bloodshed, lasciviousness, violence, idolatry. Paul calls it the works of the flesh. [see Galatians 5:19-21, and Romans 1:21-32]

THE TIME OF THE END IS AN APPOINTED TIME -Habakkuk 2:1-20

- IT IS PURPOSED BY GOD AND NO ONE CAN TURN IT BACK -

God established a plan and purpose for mankind and a judgment against sin and rebellion. There is no power, especially of mankind, that will be able to change it. Isaiah 14:26-27

SCOFFERS WILL BE TAKEN IN DESTRUCTION THE LORD HAS DECREED

NO AGREEMENT MAN CAN DEVISE WILL ANNUL IT Isaiah 28:14-22

Since destruction is determined by the Lord, it is folly for man to try to ignore it and to save himself by doing what is right in his own thinking. Never forget that God has said:

• There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end of it is the way of death." Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25

Paul also speaks about this truth:

• The wisdom of man is foolishness to God. [see 1 Corinthians 3:19]

It is far better for a man to diligently seek to understand God and accept the salvation He has provided; rather than trust in the wisdom of man, or his science, to defeat the judgment plagues that God has revealed will come to pass.

• THE ANGER OF THE LORD WILL NOT TURN BACK UNTIL HE HAS FULLY ACCOMPLISHED THE PURPOSE OF HIS HEART Jeremiah 23:18-20

There is no power in Heaven or on earth that can stop the things that God has determined to do in dealing with the wickedness of mankind. Pharaoh of Egypt, with all his magicians, was not able to turn even one of the plagues of Egypt away, or to prevent any of them from damaging the land or its people. It will be the same for all the earth when God pours out His Wrath in the plagues of the Great Tribulation. All the wisdom, magic, science and technology of mankind will not be able to withstand or change the plan of God. The plagues will come just like God has said they will. We can be sure of that.

As the end times proceed, and the signs are obvious for all to see. Those who have searched the scriptures faithfully to understand what God has revealed will recognize the signs. They will understand what is happening and the end result of it all. They will be faithfully calling the world to repent and turn to God, because they will know that all God has revealed will surely come to pass, not one thing will be missed.

It is time for us who believe to become `more fervent' in finding the truth of what God has revealed, and warning the ignorant of the things that are ahead in the near future.

• THE "DAY OF THE LORD" THE LORD’S SACRIFICE Isaiah 34:6, Jeremiah 46:10, Zephaniah 1:7-8
• Punishment of Wicked Mankind Zephaniah 1:14-18

• THE LORD WILL DESTROY ALL THE GODS OF THE LAND Zephaniah 2:10-11

• GOD WILL NOT HAVE PITY ON THE WICKED [in the time of His Wrath] Ezekiel 9:3-11

The example of God's determination to finish a work without pity is expressed in the Old Testament. God has not changed and will be precise and complete in the Great Tribulation as well as the purge that will follow.  

• LOCUST, DROUGHT, FAMINE, TREES AND GRASS BURNED UP Joel 1:1-20
• THE DAY OF THE LORD is great and very terrible, who can survive it? Joel 2:1-11
• A DAY OF DARKNESS AND GLOOMINESS
• Invading Army, the greatest ever, THE LORD'S ARMY.

• THE TIME OF JACOB'S TROUBLE
  Luke 21:22, Jeremiah 30:4-7, Mark 13:19-20, Matthew 24:21-22

These are the texts from which the Great Tribulation got its name. Tribulation so great that all life on earth would be destroyed if God did not cut it short, is "GREAT TRIBULATION" indeed. For this reason God said the time is cut short for the sake of the elect.

To cut this time short is the only way to allow good people to survive past the plagues of God and escape destruction from the evil reign of the Antichrist. It will truly be, "A time of trouble for Israel" and for the Church as well.

• GREAT DISTRESS IN JERUSALEM AND JUDEA Luke 21:20-24

The Great Tribulation will be laced with wars. The center of attention will be focused on Jerusalem with the wars and violence growing worse until the Battle of Armageddon.

• AT THAT TIME, GOD'S PEOPLE WILL BE DELIVERED
  Daniel 10:1 thru 12:13, Revelation 12:6, Revelation 12:14-16, Revelation 18:4

However, it is well to notice at this point, that the mention of God's people being delivered does not unconditionally include all of Israel, but only the remnant who are "written in the Book." The term "Your people" does not refer to the Church but rather to the people of Israel. The message is addressed to Daniel in response to his inquiry for Israel when he realized the time prophesied by Jeremiah was fulfilled for Israel to be restored from Babylonian captivity. [See Daniel 10:1 thru 12:13] But the Lord was speaking of the time of the end when He said:

• "At that time Michael shall stand up, the great Prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time.  And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book." Dan 12:1

• CALL TO REPENTANCE

God is always faithful to call mankind to repentance. It is never His will for anyone to die, but rather that they should come to Him in repentance and find salvation and life. He is calling today! It is up to us to repent and choose to accept the truth. By doing so, we shall be saved by the Grace of God. 2 Peter 3:9, 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10, Ezekiel 18:29-32

• REPENTANCE IS STILL ACCEPTABLE AND IN ORDER Joel 2:12-17

• SALVATION -
• FOR EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD Acts 2:21

The grace and mercy of the Lord are everlasting, no matter what the circumstances. Even during the out-pouring of His Great Wrath, He offers salvation for everyone who calls on His Name. Salvation, in this instance, is from eternal judgment not from the effects of the plagues of His Wrath.

When the Wrath of God begins, the Rapture will have already taken place. When the plagues are falling on the earth, it will be too late to escape all the things that will come to test those who dwell on the earth Luke 21:36. Instead, those who find salvation during this period of time will either be the Elect for whose sake the Tribulation time is cut short so, as mortals, they can enter the Millennium Kingdom; or they will be the Tribulation Saints who become the Martyrs that take part in the `First Resurrection.'

God is faithful and will continue to send preachers throughout the Great Tribulation. They will include the Two Witnesses, the 144,000 Sealed Servants of God, and the Flying Angels who will preach the word clear to the end. Through it all, God offers salvation to anyone who will turn to Him in repentance, and hold fast to the gospel as delivered through His Holy Word the Bible, and through the servants God sends preaching, as a witness, to all the nations.

The Love of God is shown even here, where for the sake of the elect, God will shorten the Tribulation to keep the righteous from being completely destroyed so they can populate the earth during the Kingdom Age. The wicked will be purged away after the Great Tribulation is over. There is no acceptable excuse for those who continue to reject God's call. This is truth, the wicked will discover to their sorrow at the Judgment Seat of Christ, but it will be too late for them to change. They will be like the Rich Man in the illustration Jesus gave of the Rich Man and Lazarus, who found himself in torment with no way out. However, repentance in turning to God, will continue to be acceptable throughout the Great Tribulation.

• Whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered.... Joel 2:32

THE LORD JESUS IS IN HEAVEN SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD
WAITING FOR HIS ENEMIES TO BE MADE HIS FOOTSTOOL

To explain the outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, Peter quoted David (Psalm 110:1) as an evidence that Jesus was indeed exalted to the right hand of God in heaven after His resurrection:

• For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself said, "The Lord said to my Lord, `Sit Yourself at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool." Acts 2:34-35

The writer of Hebrews confirmed the fact of Jesus being alive in Heaven and offered the explanation that His office there is that of Mediator and High Priest on our behalf. Having completed His act of offering the one acceptable sacrifice, Christ sat down to rest and wait for the appointed time of His return to earth. This appointed time will not come until the time when all His enemies will be subdued and made to be His footstool.

• But after this Man had offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, He sat down at the right hand of God. From that time on, He is waiting until His enemies are made His foot stool. Hebrews 10:12-13

JESUS MUST REMAIN IN HEAVEN UNTIL THE TIME FOR GOD TO RESTORE EVERYTHING

• The Lord shall send Jesus Christ, who was appointed for you and whom was preached to you before. Whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. Acts 3:20-21

Peter not only indicated that Jesus sat down at the right hand of God Most High in heaven, but later in the Temple he went on to indicate that, according to the plan of God, it is mandatory for Jesus to remain there until the appointed time comes for the restoration of everything: This restoration by God begins with the Battle of Armageddon and the following purge of sin and offense from the earth.

THE CHOICE IS YOURS TO MAKE

Amazing as it may seem, men continue to be ordinary men. They will look at the calamities going on around them, at the time of the Great Tribulation, the same as they have looked at calamities from the beginning of time. Each man looks at the destruction of others from a detached and distant position. Often finding the sin and error in the one who suffered loss, but always feeling that `it will not happen to me.' Then, when problems come home to the individual, instead of being sober enough to consider his ways, repent of his wrong doing and turn to God with all his heart, he feels sorry for himself and complains that he is mistreated and the calamity is unfair.

As we see in these plagues, even though the men know that it is from God Most High, they would rather curse God and seal their destruction than to repent of their evil ways, be forgiven, and live.

The call of God remains the same today, as always, and will continue to the end; even through the Great Tribulation. The call for mankind to choose between life and death. It was expressed by Moses when he said:

• I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live. That you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may hold fast to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days. And that you may dwell in the land which the Lord promised to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them. Deuteronomy 30:19-20

Again Joshua said:

• Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth. Put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt, and you serve the Lord! If it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord". Joshua 24:14-15  

Today the choice remains ours to make, and the consequence of our choice has been revealed by God Most High. We all must choose, but IT IS GOD WHO DETERMINES THE OUTCOME. Have you chosen God's way and life? Or are you determined to live your life your own way and die? Let me encourage you to choose God's way, IT IS LIFE.

We all must answer to God. God does not have to answer to anyone or meet anyone's expectations. God has already revealed the truth, we only need to search it out, understand it, and choose to obey.

Please chose life offered to you by God freely through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, the time is near.