Thursday, July 16, 2015

Names of "the Tribulation"

The terms "the great tribulation" and "the Tribulation" are not Biblical terms. There is no such thing as "THE tribulation" or even "THE great tribulation". There is a time period that is described as containing tribulation, but the Bible never calls this time period "THE tribulation". The time period itself is called many different names. The only time the phrase "THE tribulation" occurs is in Matthew 24:29 and it is used as an adjective, not a noun.

The most common titles are "the last days" and "the latter days" of Israel (Gen. 49:1, Isa. 2:2, Micah 4:1, Num. 24:14, Deut. 4:30, 31:29, Jer. 23:20, Jer. 30:24, 48:47, 49:39, Ezek. 38:16,Dan. 2:28, 10:14, Hos. 3:5). The term "the last day" (singular) is used for the Second Coming of Christ (Job 19:25). So what we often call "the Tribulation" is actually what the Bible calls "the last days". The time period itself is not called "THE tribulation", that is merely a description. You can see this easily in Deuteronomy 4:30, "When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;"

Another name for this time period is "the days of vengeance" (Jer. 51:6, Luke 21:22). The "day of vengeance", singular, for the Second Coming of Christ (Isa. 34:8, 35:4, 47:3, 61:2, 63:4, Jer. 46:10, 50:15, 50:28, 51:11, 51:36, Micah 5:15, Nah. 1:2). The reason it is called the days of vengeance is because God is executing His wrath on Israel for their unfaithfulness and unbelief (Jer. 30, Ezek. 7) and He will also recompense tribulation to the unbelievers who persecuted the Body of Christ under Grace (2 Thes. 1:3-2:12).  

Another name is "the time of trouble", "the day of trouble", and "the time of Jacob's trouble" (Ps. 21:9, 27:5, 37:39, Isa. 33:2, Jer. 2:27-28, 11:12, 14:8, 30:7, etc.).

Another Biblical name for this period of time is Daniel's 70th Week. This name is taken from Daniel's prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27. The last week of Daniel's prophecy is what most people call "the Tribulation".

Daniel 9:
[24] Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
[25] Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
[26] And after threescore and two weeks
shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
[27] And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [the time of Jacob's Trouble]: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate
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