The Tribulation - Exactly What is it?
The Tribulation period is a 7 year period that begins after the Rapture. It will not be a good time for those who have not been saved from the things to come. In fact, over 50% of the entire worlds population left at that time will be obliterated. The oceans, atmosphere, and food supplies will be critically affected.
Famine and incurable diseases, the effects of war, andthe spiritual evil that will have no opposition will be evident everywhere. The entire globe will be in great suffering and pain bought about by the madness bought upon us by our unbelief and direct refusal to obey God. Lcukily, God gave us an out if we want it. We become believers in His Son Jesus, and as mentioned in the Rapture part of this study...we will be saved from this.
Matthew 24:21 Jesus said: Then there will be great suffering unlike anything that has happened from the beginning of the world until now, or ever will happen.
24:22 And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
The Tribulation is a time that God reserved in history to deal mainly with the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. However, the rest of the world will feel the pain as well due to the rejection of the God of Israel and all the nations will feel the sting of their sin when the time comes.
Israel was a nation that God chose as an example of His goodness and mercy. Israel had obtained the promises of God through Abraham who obtained it through obedience to God. Israel disobeyed God and Egypt held them captive for hundreds of years. God then raised up Moses, who led the children of Israel into the land He promised them. They were given the Law, to show them how Holy and Pure God was, as well as to show them how far from Gods' purity we are as men.
This law lasted until the advent of Jesus, who returned the Jews to God under obedience rather than a strict system of religion the Jews were practicing at the time. Jesus followed the Law to the letter, but he was born without sin. Yet He did NOT want the Jews to follow God through a system of legalistic religion, but rather from a pure heart. Jesus was NOT religious, He was holy and true. He had several words for the religious system of the time that did more to deter people from God than it did to bring them close to Him. According to the prophet Daniel, this Messiah would be cut off and Israel would be dealt with for a final 7 years in the Latter Days. Meaning once Israel became a nation again, and Jerusalem returned to the Jews. This happened in 1948 and 1967 respectively.
Paul told us the law is not a bad thing by all means. It was a mirror for us to see in what areas we fell short of God. But it did nothing to make us righteous. It was to be an outright showing of faith, it was never meant to make a man right before God. It was a tool for mankind.
During the Tribulation, Israel is the key to the prophecies. Israel always has and always will be the focus of God. Any Christian who does not see this does not understand the scripture. The Jewish people are Gods Chosen; it is THEIR Messiah that we accept. The Jewish people have an understanding of the Bible that few Christians will ever have. It has been ingrained in them for thousands of years and their language holds all the intricacies of the Bible. I will show in a later page where Israel has followed the path as set by God, and it is in Israel the Messiah will reign from the throne of David.
This 7 year period will begin with the confirming of a Peace Treaty just after the Rapture occurs. This peace treaty was begun in Annapolis Maryland in December of 2007. It is set to continue in Russia in November of this year, 2008. Which should be the beginning of the Jewish New Year of 2009.
Daniel
9:24 “Seventy weeks have been determined concerning your people and your holy city to put an end to57 rebellion, to bring sin to completion, to atone for iniquity, to bring in perpetual righteousness,
to seal up the prophetic vision, and to anoint a most holy place.
9:25 So know and understand: From the issuing of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until an anointed one, a prince arrives, there will be a period of seven weeks and sixty-two weeks.
It will again be built, with plaza and moat, but in distressful times.
9:26 Now after the sixty-two weeks, anointed one will be cut off and have nothing.
As for the city and the sanctuary, the people of the coming prince will destroy them.
But his end will come speedily like a flood. Until the end of the war that has been decreed there will be destruction.
9:27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one week. (7 years) But in the middle of that week (3.5 years) he will bring sacrifices and offerings to a halt.
On the wing of abominations will come one who destroys, until the decreed end is poured out on the one who destroys.”
The first 3.5 years will show the rise of the Antichrist and a period of prosperity. The Antichrist will then move against the nations of the world, and a great battle will ensue where we are told the flesh will melt from the bones and eyes will disappear from the sockets. The ashes will be blown away from what is left. In 3.5 years we will see over 50% of the remaining world population be obliterated. Jesus says that he MUST come back at the end of those years otherwise mankind will annihilate itself completely.
I am so glad I have prophecy to follow. As the apostle Peter said:
2 Peter 1:19 Moreover, we possess the prophetic word as an altogether reliable thing. You do well if you pay attention to this as you would to a light shining in a murky place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
1:20 Above all, you do well if you recognize this: No prophecy of scripture ever comes about by the prophet’s own imagination,
1:21 for no prophecy was ever borne of human impulse; rather, men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
Knowing the signs of the times as I do, I have full confidence I will NOT be part of the famine and disease and world wide wars that will bring more destruction and sorrow on mankind than any period in the history of man.
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