SO CRUEL ... TIME OF Two other titles which are related to the coming Day of the Lord are the Time of Jacob’s Trouble and the Great Tribulation.1 Notice that all three involve the concept of an unparalleled time of trouble. Unparalleled implies two things concerning the time periods involved: Since there cannot be more than one unparalleled time of trouble, their time periods must overlap.2 These events have not transpired in the past.3 Regarding the timing of the Great Tribulation, Jesus said “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 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. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.” (Mtt. Mat. 24:15-22) Jesus referred to this Daniel Dan. 9:27 “overspreading of abominations” in Matthew Mat. 24:15. Then He said, “then shall be Great Tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Mtt. Mat. 24:21), thereby indicating that the Great Tribulation will begin when the overspreading of abominations of Daniel Dan. 9:27 occurs. Since the Great Tribulation will begin when the overspreading of abominations occurs in the middle of the 70th week, we can conclude that the Great Tribulation will begin in the middle of the 70th week of Daniel, or after the first three and one-half years of that seven-year period have transpired.4 Notice Jesus says, “let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains” and “pray that your flight may not be . . . on the Sabbath.” There is an explicit Jewish element to this entire passage. This is because the events are related to the Time of Jacob’s Trouble described by Jeremiah: ‘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.’ Now these are the words that the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah. For thus says the LORD: ‘We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. 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? 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.’ (Jer. Jer. 30:3-7)
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 13:03:37 +0000
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