A Look at the Tribulation

And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:10)

Notice the phrase 'the wrath to come'. The Bible foretells an unparalleled period of intense divine wrath, a time so unique in its ferocity that it stands apart from any past manifestation of God's fury. This cataclysmic period is referred to as the 'Tribulation.' In 1 Thessalonians 1:10, we are reminded that Jesus, risen from the dead, will deliver us from the impending wrath.

The Apostle Paul is saying here, that Lord Jesus through a mighty act of power (the Rapture), will carry out the deliverance that He's already granted to us and provided for us as Christians from that future Day of the Lord's wrath here on planet Earth.

This period of the Lord's wrath is known as the 'Tribulation'. Daniel 12:1 refers to it as "a time of trouble such as never was..." This time of the Lord's wrath is going to last for a period of seven literal years.

Why seven years of tribulation only?

Lord Jesus speaking of the tribulation, prophesied "And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened." (Matthew 24:22)

During the seven-year Tribulation period, following the Rapture of all the Christians to heaven, the Bible warns that the wrath of God will be poured out on unrepentant sinners. These judgments describe in Revelation include worldwide war (conventional as well as nuclear), famine, plague, wild animals attacking humans, meteor impacts, massive global earthquakes, and more.

The start of these terrible judgments commence at the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation period, which is marked by the signing of a seven-year peace treaty between the Antichrist and Israel.

This Tribulation period is divided into two halves, each three and one-half years in length. The second half of the seven-year Tribulation period will be even worse than the first half. It is a time period known as the Great Tribulation.

These last three and a half years will begin with the Antichrist's violation of the treaty he signed with Israel. He will break the covenant by stopping the sacrifice and defiling the Holy of Holies in the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem. This is the prophesied "abomination of desolation" (refer Daniel 9:26-27; Matthew 24:15) and it will signal the beginning of the last three and a half years of the seven-year Tribulation period.

The Tribulation period will end at the battle of Armageddon with Jesus' victory. Please prepare yourself spiritually. Ensure you have prayer as a family. This will prepare your family also. The Lord is coming soon.

A Look at the Tribulation

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