When is tribulation going to occur and how long will it last?
The tribulation is a future seven-year period of time when God will finish His discipline of Israel and finalize His judgment of the unbelieving world. The church, which is made up of all who have trusted in the person and work of the Lord Jesus to save them from being punished for sin, will not be present during the tribulation.
It is important to note the three primary tribulation views by different religious believers.
- pre-tribulation (the rapture occurs before the tribulation),
- mid-tribulation (the rapture occurs at or near the mid-point of the tribulation), and
- post-tribulation (the rapture occurs at the end of the tribulation
I will NOT discuss the details or comment on these views BUT I will say this,
The people who are PRE-Tribulation (believe there will be a secret rapture of Christians before the Tribulation), they believe it will be 7 years long
And that people who are POST-Tribulation (no secret rapture) say it will be either 7 years long…or possibly longer.
The prophecy in the Book of Daniel…about 530 years before Jesus was born in Daniel chapter 9:24 talks about the seventy ‘sevens’ decreed for God’s people (referring to the children of Israel) and the holy city (Jerusalem) to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.
In Matthew 24:21-24, Jesus also mentioned tribulation. Here is what He said,
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
After a period of seven years of tribulation on earth, Christ will return to the earth with His church, the saints who were raptured (Matthew 24:30, 2 Thessalonians 1:7, 1 Peter 1:13, Revelation 1:7). to reign with them for 1000 years.
Is the Rapture (the catching away) of the church the same as the Jesus’ Second Coming?
The rapture and the second coming of Christ are often confused. Sometimes it is difficult to determine whether a scripture verse is referring to the rapture or the second coming. However, in studying end-times Bible prophecy, it is very important to differentiate between the two.
The rapture and second coming are similar but separate events.
At the rapture, the Lord comes “in the clouds” to meet us “in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). At the second coming, the Lord descends all the way to the earth to stand on the Mount of Olives, resulting in a great earthquake followed by a defeat of God’s enemies (Zechariah 14:3–4). The second coming is also described in Revelation 19:11-16.
The rapture and the second coming both involve Jesus returning. They are both the end-times events. However, it is crucially important to recognize the differences.
The rapture is the return of Christ in the clouds to remove all believers from the earth before the time of God’s wrath. It is when Jesus Christ returns to remove the church (all believers in Christ) from the earth. Believers who have died will have their bodies resurrected and, along with believers who are still living, will meet the Lord in the air. This will all occur in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye. However, the second coming is when Jesus returns to defeat the Antichrist, destroy evil, and establish His millennial kingdom. The second is also when Jesus Christ will return to the earth to bring the tribulation to an end and to defeat the Antichrist and his evil world empire. He will bring His church with Him to rule for a thousand years.
The second coming is described in Revelation 19:11-16. Jesus will be victorious over His enemies and will reign on the earth for 1,000 years (the millennium) with His saints, the church.
After 1,000 years of Christ reigning in the earth, the living unbelievers and the wicked dead raised to life will be judged at the great white throne judgment. They will then be cast into the lake of fire, while the saved will live forever with Christ in a new heaven and earth (Revelation, chapters 19 and 22).
Important keys to note:
- If the rapture and the second coming are the same event, believers will have to go through the tribulation but that is NOT so according to 1 Thessalonians 5:9 and Revelation 3:10.
- During the tribulation—called “the time of trouble for Jacob” (Jeremiah 30:7)—God will again turn His primary attention to Israel. Read more from Romans 11:17-31.
The major differences between the rapture and the second coming
1) At the rapture, believers meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17). At the second coming, believers return with the Lord to the earth (Revelation 19:14).
2) The second coming occurs after the great and terrible tribulation (Revelation chapters 6–19). The rapture occurs before the tribulation (1 Thessalonians 5:9; Revelation 3:10).
3) The rapture is the removal of believers from the earth as an act of deliverance (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, 5:9). The second coming includes the removal of unbelievers as an act of judgment (Matthew 24:40-41).
4) The rapture will be secret and instant (1 Corinthians 15:50-54). The second coming will be visible to all (Revelation 1:7; Matthew 24:29-30).
5) The second coming of Christ will not occur until after certain other end-times events take place (2 Thessalonians 2:4; Matthew 24:15-30; Revelation chapters 6–18). The rapture is imminent; it could take place at any moment (Titus 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:50-54).
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