Introduction to the Great Tribulation

• Review question on 1 Thess 5: 1-11. Go back to 1 Thess 4:13-18. Chapter 4 discusses the how (order of events). Chapter 5 discusses when. Rapture is discussed because it is imminent. Day of the Lord does in fact refer to the tribulation and it does follow the rapture. So this all makes sense when understood in context
• Reference for some of the notes comes from Dr Fruchtenbaum's book, "Footsteps of the Messiah"
• Names for the Tribulation
• Isa 28:21 (ESV) For the Lord will rise up as on Mount Perazim; //  as in the Valley of Gibeon he will be roused; // to do his deed—strange is his deed! // and to work his work—alien is his work!
• Jer 30:7 (ESV) Alas! That day is so great //  there is none like it; // it is a time of distress for Jacob; // yet he shall be saved out of it.
• Zeph 1:14-18 (NIV) "The great day of the Lord is near — // near and coming quickly. // Listen! The cry on the day of the Lord will be bitter, // the shouting of the warrior there.  // 15 That day will be a day of wrath, // a day of distress and anguish, // a day of trouble and ruin, // a day of darkness and gloom, // a day of clouds and blackness,  // 16 a day of trumpet and battle cry // against the fortified cities // and against the corner towers.  // 17 I will bring distress on the people // and they will walk like blind men, // because they have sinned against the Lord. // Their blood will be poured out like dust // and their entrails like filth.  // 18 Neither their silver nor their gold // will be able to save them // on the day of the Lord's wrath. // In the fire of his jealousy // the whole world will be consumed, // for he will make a sudden end // of all who live in the earth."
• Joel 2:1-2 (NIV) Blow the trumpet in Zion; // sound the alarm on my holy hill. // Let all who live in the land tremble, // for the day of the Lord is coming. // It is close at hand — //   2 a day of darkness and gloom, // a day of clouds and blackness. // Like dawn spreading across the mountains // a large and mighty army comes, // such as never was of old // nor ever will be in ages to come.
• Rev 6:16-17 (NIV) They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"
• Purpose of the Tribulation
1. Judgment on sin and sinners (rebellion against God)
• See previous verse, Zeph 1:17
• Isa 13:9 (NIV) See, the day of the Lord is coming // — a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger — // to make the land desolate // and destroy the sinners within it.
• Isa 24:19-20 (NIV) The earth is broken up, // the earth is split asunder, // the earth is thoroughly shaken.  // 20 The earth reels like a drunkard, // it sways like a hut in the wind; // so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion // that it falls — never to rise again. 
2. Final worldwide revival.  The first half of the tribulation sees Jews of every tongue around the world coming to Christ and sharing the gospel with the rest of the world.  The Jewish people finally fulfill the purpose for which God chose them
• Rev 7:1-4, 9-10, 13-14 (NIV) After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3 "Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God." 4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.  … 9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: // "Salvation belongs to our God, // who sits on the throne,  // and to the Lamb." … 13 Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes — who are they, and where did they come from?" // 14 I answered, "Sir, you know." // And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
• Jesus' teaching on the Mount of Olives, in conjunction with the above passage suggests that the preaching of the gospel to all the world is fulfilled during the tribulation, as opposed to preceding the tribulation.  I hesitantly say this as all Christian should be actively living as a witness both in word (sharing the gospel) and deed (living differently than the world)
• Matt 24:14 (NIV) And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
3. It is directed against Israel to break the power of the Holy People.  This was discussed earlier in events that lead to the tribulation, the second event was a re-gathering of unbelief for the purpose of judgment.
• Ezek 22:17-22 (NIV) Then the word of the Lord came to me: 18 "Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me; all of them are the copper, tin, iron and lead left inside a furnace. They are but the dross of silver. 19 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: 'Because you have all become dross, I will gather you into Jerusalem. 20 As men gather silver, copper, iron, lead and tin into a furnace to melt it with a fiery blast, so will I gather you in my anger and my wrath and put you inside the city and melt you. 21 I will gather you and I will blow on you with my fiery wrath, and you will be melted inside her. 22 As silver is melted in a furnace, so you will be melted inside her, and you will know that I the Lord have poured out my wrath upon you.'"
• Dan 12:5-7 5 (NIV) Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. 6 One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?"  // 7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, "It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed."
• Purpose of the seventy sevens.  Similar to the Great Tribulation, but slightly different because it includes the entire period of time and not the last seven
• Key Passage: Dan 9:24-27 (NIV) "Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city 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.  // 25 "Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing [of the temple] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him."
1. Technically, it is directed toward Israel, "decreed for your people," although I think all nations share in the results
2. It is "to finish transgression."  Could also mean to end the rebellion or to bring to completion.  It does end Israel's rejection of Jesus as the Messiah
3. It is "to put an end to sin." In the new covenant, the resurrected believer will not have a sin nature any longer, and so in that sense, sin will be ended.  (Some commentators have a more specific view toward Israel)
4. It is "to atone for wickedness."  Jesus' death pays the penalty completely for all sins (Some commentators have a more specific view toward Israel). It completes God's judgment against the wicked. Jesus paid the penalty for sin but men refused to believe, so they are still guilty of at least one sin, unbelief
5. It is " to bring in everlasting righteousness."  The end of the seventy sevens brings in the millennial and the rule of the Messiah on David's throne in Jerusalem
6. It is "to seal up vision and prophecy."  Most commentators view this as an end of both oral and written prophecies.
7. It is "to anoint the most holy."  This is potentially the anointing of what would be the fourth temple, probably in the New Jerusalem during the Messianic age.  Some believe that this is the temple which Ezekiel describes
• APPLICATION: How does one apply these truths?
• We should have a seriousness about our witness, both verbally and in our lifestyle.  We may not have the joy of seeing someone directly respond to the message, but we never know how people our evaluating our lives and our message, and the impact it might have in the future
• Example:  I once shared the gospel with a high school friend.  I don't remember doing that, although he does.  At the time, he did not respond, but years later, the accumulation of Christians in his life, struggles, and searching led him to the Lord.  He credits me for being a part of the planting of the seed.  But what if I had never said anything or didn't look any different in my words of lifestyle?  We never know who is watching
• We can be encourage because God has a plan which he is working out
• We should realize how much God hates sin.  The tribulation is where God pours out his wrath on the world.  Once, He destroyed the world with water in a flood.  The next time, he will destroy it in many different ways