494 – The Great Tribulation Period

SEMESTER 6

494 – The Great Tribulation Period

BIBLE INSTITUTE OF CORRESPONDENCE

COURSE: BIBLE SURVEY VI LESSON # 94
THE GREAT TRIBULATION PERIOD

Read Rev. 6:1 through 18:24.

INTRODUCTION:

1. This lesson covers a huge amount of Scripture and a very broad subject.
2. The element of the unknown and the horrible descrip­tions in this passage cause much speculation by people disinterested in most other Scripture.
3. In this single, short lesson, we can do little more than a short overview.

I. THE TIME OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION

1. The words “Great tribulation” appear only three times in all of Scripture. (Mat. 24:21, Rev. 2:22, Rev. 7:14)
2. Nevertheless, the description is so detailed that the event cannot be denied. (Dan. 12:1)
3. Jesus points to Jerusalem’s destruction as a shadow of it. (Mat. 24:1-2)
4. It is immediately preceded by a time when, (Jews?) no Christians shall be hated for His name’s sake. (Mat. 24:9- 13)
5. It immediately follows the period of the preaching of the gospel. (Mat. 24:14)
6. It is immediately preceded by an assault upon, and is, an assault upon the Jews. (Mat. 24:15-21, Isa. 65:12, Isa. 66:15)
7. It is immediately followed by the visible return of Christ. (Mat. 24:29:-30)

II. THE LENGTH OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION

1. Some men question this period of time but Scripture seems to teach a seven year tribulation.
2. I believe it is the seventieth and final week of the years seen by Daniel. (Dan. 9:24-27)
3. Scripture clearly teaches it is a short and unique period. (Mat. 24:21-22)
4. This period seems to be about seven years divided approximately in half. The last half is more horrible than the first half. (Dan. 12:5-12)

III. EVENTS DURING THE GREAT TRIBULATION

1. The statement of Mat. 24:21 demands, “What do such words describe?”
2. A time so bad, continuation of it would destroy mankind. (Mat. 24:22)
3. A time when half of humanity will be destroyed. (Rev. 8:8-11, Rev. 9:15-18)
4. It is a time so bad that men will seek death and cannot die. (Rev. 9:3-6)
5. It is marked by an unholy alliance between political and religious power. (Rev. 17:1-7)

IV. THE CATASTROPHIC ENDING OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION

1. Babylon, the unholy alliance, falls, destroying the earth’s ill-gotten gain. (Rev. 18:1-18)
2. The anti-christ forces, which have persecuted the saints and prophets, fall. (Rev. 18:21-24)

i. This force was alive and well in the days of Nimrod.
ii. It was continued and intensified in the days of Jezebel.
iii. It had its greatest days of destruction in the form of Roman Catholi­cism.

3. The world is taken up with sorrow and morning over the super­natural plagues and man’s great financial and economic loss. (Rev. 18:11-19)
4. Conversely, heaven, prophets and the holy apostles are encouraged to rejoice. (Rev. 18:20-24)
5. At this point, the Lord returns in His glory and fights the battle of Armageddon. (Rev. 19:11-21)
6. It is notable that the great tribulation is never relieved for the wicked. A terrible situation simply goes from bad to worse then to destruction.
7. We shall see in the next lesson how that believers who survive the tribulation shall be relieved from the terrible trouble.