The Tribulation

1. The Tribulation 3 1/2 YEARS (42 months or 1260 days) 31/2 YEARS (Dan 12:7, Rev 11:2-3) Seven Seal Judgments (Rev 6:1-17, 8:1) 1) White horse Anti-Christ Conquers (6:1-2) 2) Red horse Wars (6:3-4) 3) Black horse Famines (6:5-6) 4) Pale Green horse ¼ Earth dies (6:7-8) 5) Martyred saints (6:9-11) 6) Earth Quakes (6:12-17) 7) Rev 8:1-2 Seven Trumpet Judgments (Rev 8:1-11:14; Matt 24:23-25:46) 1) 1/3 of Earth & Trees & all grass (8:7) 2) 1/3 of Sea to blood, Marine Life and Ships (8:8-9) 3) 1/3 of Fresh Water (rivers) turned bitter (8:10-11) 4) 1/3 of Sun, Moon, Stars (8:12-13) 5) Demonic Locusts torment (9:1-12) 6) 1/3 of man is killed from 200 million Demonic Horsemen (9:13-11:14) 7) 7th Trumpet = 7 Bowl Judgments Time to run for the Hills!! (Matt. 24:16) Seven Bowl Judgments at end of Trib. (Rev. 16:1-21) 1) Sores on Anti-Christ worshippers (16:1-2) 2) Ocean and ocean life is Destroyed (16:3) 3) All Fresh Water Destroyed (16:4-7) 4) Sun scorches men (16:8-9) 5) Earth is Darkened (16:10-11) 6) Euphrates dried up for kings of East (16:12-16) 7) Earthquakes and Destruction (16:17-21) Antichrist breaks Covenant (Dan 9:27) Antichrist claims to be God (2 Thess 2:3-4,9) “Abomination of Desolation” (Dan 11:31, 12:11, Mtt 24:15)

2. POSTMILLENNIALISMChrist comes after the Millennium Christ Eternal State CHURCH AGE>>Millennium Resurrection of believers Resurrection of unbelievers Judgment New Heavens, new earth According to this view, the progress of the gospel and the growth of the church will gradually bring in the millennium, which will occur during the church age. This may or may not be a literal thousand year period. • Characteristics of Postmillennialism: • Very Optimistic about the power of gospel to change lives and bring good to culture. • 31 He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."(Mat 13:31-32) • Attractive view when church is experiencing great revival. • Unattractive view during times of war and international conflict. • What to do with the following verses? • Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14“Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matt 7:13-14 • Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth? Luke 18:8

3. Christ Eternal State Church age Rev 20:1-6 is now AMILLENNIALISMNo Future Millennium Resurrection of believers Resurrection of unbelievers Judgment New Heavens, new earth • Why take a figurative interpretation of Revelation 20, when the plain literal makes sense? • What about God’s future promises to Israel? • Revelation is wholly allegorized. What happened to tribulation? • Who are the resurrected ones in Rev 20:4 during church age? • (resurrection always refers to bodily resurrection in N.T. (anastasis). • How does Amillennialism reconcile these verses? • 1Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. Rev 20:1-3 • Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Pet 5:8 • But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe. 2 Cor 2:3-4 • We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies undertheswayof the wicked one. 1 John 5:19

4. HistoricPREMILLENNIALISMChrist comes before the Millennium Christ Immediate Eternal State Bel. Chr. CHURCH AGE Trib. Millennium Bel. Bel. Resurrection of believers Resurrection of unbelievers One Judgment for All • (1Th 4:16) For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. • (1Co 15:51-52) Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, • in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. • Why is the church not mentioned during Tribulation events? (Rev 4-19). • Who is Tribulation primarily for? • Who fills the Millennial Kingdom? • What are the following verses referring to? • “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Rev 3:10 • 9For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thess 5:9 • Is Christ’s return still imminent with events of tribulation preceding? • “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. Matt 25:13

5. Pretribulational PREMILLENNIALISMChrist comes before the Millennium and before the tribulation Christ 7 year period Eternal State Bel. Chr. CHURCH AGE Trib. Millennium Bel. Bel. Resurrection of believers Bema Seat Judgment Resurrection of unbelievers Judgment of unbelievers New Heavens, New Earth • Upholds Christ “any time” return for his church, while preserving the signs that must precede His return for the nations. • No mention of church during Tribulation events. • Problems: • The NT does not seem to justify 2 returns of Jesus (a private and and public). • The entire O.T. has no explicit teaching about the Messiah coming twice, once as a suffering messiah and later as a conquering King. • The idea of glorified believers and sinners living on Earth together during millennial kingdom sounds strange (for both Premillennial views). • So does this! • 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. (Mat 27:52-53)