The Midpoint of the Tribulation
Nobody likes to read about the horrors that the earth and those that will find themselves in it will have to endure during the seven years of God’s wrath. Why do we need to know what will happen during the Tribulation if the church will not be present? God put it in the Scriptures because He wants us to know what is coming; it is not for us to us to cherry-pick the parts of Scripture that we want to know, while disregarding others. It would also be unfair to keep quiet about what is coming, and not inform those in need of salvation.
Everybody should be given the opportunity to make an informed decision about their eternal future. Many people are asking questions about the book of Revelation as they see the world descending into chaos, and, as believers, we must be able to give truthful answers.
This is the second article in which we discuss the Tribulation—the first one looked at events that will take place during the first half of this seven year period that is to come. Things will escalate fast from there and become increasingly troublesome for those dwelling on the earth during that time. Much will happen around the middle of the Tribulation period, as listed below. Note that the events shown here are not necessarily in chronological order, and that some will run concurrently with others.
- The little scroll is opened, and eaten by John – Revelation 10
- The Antichrist is mortally wounded and miraculously healed – Revelation 13:1-3
- Satan is cast out of heaven – Revelation 12:7-12
- The false church destroyed – Revelation 17:15-17; Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:3,4.
- The two witnesses are killed and resurrected – Revelation 11:7-12
- The Antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel and demands to be worshipped – Daniel 9:27; Revelation 13:4-12; 2 Thessalonians 2:3,4
- The abomination of desolation takes place – Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15-21
- The false prophet arrives on the scene – Revelation 13:11-15
- The mark of the beast is introduced – Revelation 13:16-18
- The Jewish remnant flees to the mountains – Zechariah 13:9; Matthew 24:15-22; Revelation 12:13-17
- Satan makes war against believers who are saved during the Tribulation – Revelation 13:7-10
Revelation chapters 14 and 15 connect the events mentioned above with the judgments that will fall during the second half of the tribulation period. Chapter 14 opens with a scene where Jesus is seen standing on Mount Zion with the 144,000 Jewish servants, now in heaven with Him. An angel flies in the midst of heaven, preaching the gospel to those on the earth: God’s grace is still reaching out to those on the earth, calling on them to worship God.
Another angel is also seen, proclaiming the fall of Babylon. A third angel warns with a loud voice that those who worship the beast, his image, or received his mark, will receive the full strength of God’s wrath.
Jesus is then seen on a cloud with a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. An angel calls on Him to thrust in His sickle and reap the harvest of the earth, which He promptly does. Another angel appears, calling to yet another angel, also with a sickle in his hand, telling him to reap the earth and empty it in the wine press of God’s wrath. As horrific as the first half of the Tribulation was, the second half will be much worse.
And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs (about 184 miles). Revelation 14:20
Seven angels are then seen in heaven with the seven last plagues of God’s wrath. The saints that overcame the beast, his image and his mark, are also seen, singing the song of Moses and the Lamb.
After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands. Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed. Revelation 15:5-8
At this time it is important to look into an event mentioned earlier above: a Jewish remnant flees to the mountains around the middle of the Tribulation period. This major event is mentioned in Matthew 24:15-28, Zechariah 13:8-9 and Hosea 5:15. A remnant (1/3rd) of the Jews will hide themselves in the mountains, probably in Jordan, where God will take care of them. The rest of them will be annihilated, according to Zechariah 13:8. No wonder Jeremiah (Jeremiah 30:7) calls it “the time of Jacob’s trouble”—a very difficult and dangerous time for the Jewish nation.
The remnant will hide themselves until the end of the Tribulation when they will see Jesus as their Messiah:
And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. Zechariah 12:10,11
In times past many of the events mentioned in Revelation seemed impossible, but due to the huge technological advancement of the last decades, they now seem perfectly plausible. The Day of the Lord is certainly approaching fast! Once again we need to remind ourselves that we are not of this world, and should not become attached to it. The world will soon pass away with all that it has to offer, as per 1 John 2:15-17. Preach, talk, pray, share on social media (and wherever you have influence) the message of the only hope there is before it is too late. The sun is certainly setting on the era of grace.
The Tribulation years will be the most difficult that the world has ever seen, and it would be foolish to put off decisions for the Lord until then, or to delay any assignments that He has put on your heart to do for Him.
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