What Is the Tribulation? God’s End-Times Plan Explained
Scripture refers to the Tribulation as “The Day of the Lord” or a time in which God’s personal will intervenes in history to fulfill His ultimate plan for mankind.
Besides being a time of judgment, it will also be a time of salvation as God will deliver the remnant of Israel, fulfilling His promise that “all of Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26), forgiving their sins and restoring His chosen people to the land He promised to Abraham (Isaiah 10:27; Micah 4; Zechariah 13).The final outcome of the day of the Lord will be that “the arrogance of man will be brought low and the pride of men humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day” (Isaiah 2:17). The ultimate or final fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the day of the Lord will come at the end of history when God, with wondrous power, will punish evil and fulfill all His promises.
Unparalleled Time of Distress and Jacob’s Trouble
“For behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,” says the Lord. “And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.” 4 Now these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah. 5 “For thus says the Lord: ‘We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. 6 Ask now, and see, whether a man is ever in labor with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins like a woman in labor, and all faces turned pale? 7 Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it; and it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it’” (Jeremiah 30:3-7).
At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book (Daniel 12:1).
The phrase the time of Jacob’s trouble comes from Jeremiah 30:7, which says, “It is the time of Jacob’s trouble.” This prophetic scripture corresponds with the seven-year Tribulation.
In Jeremiah 30:3-4, the Lord speaks to Jeremiah the prophet about Judah and Israel, and He promises that on a future day He will bring both back to the land He had promised their forefathers. This return will be accompanied by distress. The time of Jacob’s trouble—Jacob being a synecdoche, or a metaphor, meaning Israel.
Jeremiah 30:5 explains that this will be a time of great fear and trembling. Jeremiah 30:6 describes this time as childbirth, indicating agony. Thankfully, there is hope for Israel, as the Lord goes on to promise that He will save them. Throughout history, no terror has equaled this time of Jacob’s trouble; God will deliver them in the end, as Jeremiah 30:7 indicates.
Blessings Follow the Time of Jacob’s Trouble
“Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,” says the Lord, “Nor be dismayed, O Israel; For behold, I will save you from afar, and your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet, and no one shall make him afraid. 11 For I am with you,” says the Lord, “to save you; Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, and will not let you go altogether unpunished” (Jeremiah 30:10-11).
The Lord makes a strong statement here. He declares that as part of the deliverance from the time of Jacob’s trouble, He, the Lord, will destroy the nations that opposed and held Israel and Judah captive. Further, God states that He will never allow Jacob to be completely destroyed. Jacob’s trouble is described here as a time of discipline for His people, and it is stated, “Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, and will not let you go altogether unpunished.” This time will be unparalleled in all of history, as Jeremiah 30:7 says, “Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it.”
For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be (Matthew 24:21).
Jesus uses the same imagery and language here in Matthew 24:21, saying of those days of Great Tribulation, “…such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be….” It is worth noting that Jesus’ and Jeremiah’s statements indicate that this Tribulation will be unlike any other time in history, before or after it.
Birth Pangs Leading Up to the Tribulation
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows (Matthew 24:6-8).
Jesus describes the events and conditions leading up to the Tribulation: wars, rumors of wars, nations rising against nations, kingdom against kingdom, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. But the end is not yet; these are only the beginning of what is to come—the Tribulation.
The apostle Paul echoes this prophetic insight from Jesus by stating a similar idea in 1 Thessalonians 5.
For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape (1 Thessalonians 5:3).
Paul states that they will say, “peace and safety,” only to experience destruction that will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. This scenario describes events that follow the Rapture of the Church (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Among the many issues Jesus listed in Matthew 24, He uses the terminology, “the beginning of birth pangs.” Paul also uses the same language of “birth pangs” when describing the events leading up to the Rapture of the Church, which immediately precedes the Tribulation. Birth pangs, or birth pains, are described in detail throughout Revelation, chapters 6 through 12.
One of the main purposes of the Tribulation—“the time of Jacob’s trouble”—is to bring Israel back to the Lord (see Jeremiah 30:22, Hosea 6:1-2, Zechariah 12:10).
The Time Of Jacob’s Trouble Reveals The Character Of God Who Keeps His Promises
God keeps His promises, brings salvation to those who trust in Christ, and pronounces judgment on sin. In the last days, God will pour out His judgment on a reprobate and wicked world. From Israel’s vantage point, the seven-year Tribulation is the time of Jacob’s trouble. God will purge His chosen people of the wicked and unbelieving who oppress them.
In His goodness and abundant mercy, God makes a way for salvation through it all, so that all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved!
And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the remnant whom the Lord calls (Joel 2:32).
For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).
The Nation of Israel Will Experience Intense Distress and Persecution
As we will see in the Seven Seals, the Seven Trumpets, the Three Woes, and the Seven Bowls, there will be an unprecedented period of intense distress and persecution for the nation of Israel. Because of this, Israel will experience salvation and restoration under the Messiah. During the “time of Jacob’s trouble,” there will be great suffering, but it will end with God’s ultimate deliverance. This fulfills the promise to Jacob, Israel, for their preparation and redemption before the Messiah’s return. Jeremiah 30 describes a time so severe that there is none like it. This time begins at the start of the Tribulation and lasts for the entire seven years.
Daniel’s 70 Weeks
God, in His mercy, has set a limit on the duration of the Tribulation as Jesus says in Mark 13:19-20 NIV, “Because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again. If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive….”
Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. 25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate (Daniel 9:24-27).
Here we see that God spoke to Daniel about the purpose and timing of the Tribulation—70 weeks declared against “your people.” The reference is to Daniel’s people, the Jews, and the nation of Israel. In Daniel 9:24, we see a period during which God’s purpose is “to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.” This is a prophetic snapshot of what will happen as the Tribulation begins and of how the Antichrist will rise. We know that Jesus Christ will be victorious in it all.
The Tribulation, that prophetic seven-year period in the end times, will bring an end to humanity’s decadence and depravity as God pours out judgment. During that time, Israel will repent of their sins and receive Jesus as their Messiah, paving the way for a period of great blessing and restoration known as the Millennial Reign of Jesus.
