Time Limits of the Great Tribulation
The events of the second half of the seven-year tribulation period are properly called the great tribulation. There are a number of reasons for making this distinction between the two halves of the tribulation period.
First, the foundational prophecy in Daniel 9:27 makes a distinction between the two halves. We read that the antichrist “shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering.” As we have seen, the week refers to a week of years, or seven years. For half of that week—that is, the last three and a half years—the antichrist will put an end to animal sacrifices in the Jewish temple.
The antichrist will do this because of his desire to be worshipped as God. Bible expositor Renald Showers explains: “By the middle of the 70th week, he will turn against every form of established worship to clear the way for the worship of himself. He will magnify himself to the level of deity.”1 He will take his seat in the Jewish temple, announce that he is God, and demand that his subjects worship him (see Daniel 11:36-37; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; Revelation 13:4-8,11-17; 19:20; 20:4).
In this context, the second half of Daniel 9:27 takes on great significance: “On the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” Once the antichrist puts an end to the animal sacrifices in the Jewish temple at the midpoint of the tribulation period, he will apparently desolate the temple, and that desolation will apparently continue throughout the second half of the tribulation. This is one thing that makes this part of the tribulation so terrible—especially for the Jews.
Jesus warns the Jews to get out of Jerusalem quickly when the abomination of desolation occurs.
When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be (Matthew 24:15-21).
The connection between this abomination of desolation and the beginning of the great tribulation, then, seems clear from a comparison of Daniel 9:27 with Matthew 24:15-21.
Speaking of this same time of travail, Daniel 12:1 comments, “there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time.” This time period largely deals with Israel, so Jeremiah 30:7 calls it “a time of distress for Jacob” (Jacob is a metaphorical name referring to Israel). Truly this will be a time of great tribulation.
These passages in Daniel and in Matthew’s Gospel reveal the two defining characteristics of the great tribulation: the self-exaltation and forced worship of the antichrist, and his war against the people of God. By understanding how long the antichrist will be worshipped and how long he will persecute the saints, we can confirm that the great tribulation will last three and a half years.
The antichrist claims deity, blasphemes the one true God, and demands to be worshipped at the midpoint of the tribulation, and these activities continue for precisely three and a half years—that is, 42 months (Revelation 13:5). This confirms that the great tribulation will be the last three and a half years of the tribulation period.
Likewise, Daniel 7:25 reveals that the antichrist “shall wear out the saints of the Most High…and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time”—three and a half years. The persecution of the saints is a defining characteristic of the great tribulation, so this verse confirms that the great tribulation will be the last three and a half years of the tribulation.
Yet another scriptural observation supports this view. We know that the antichrist’s persecution of the saints begins at the midpoint of the tribulation (Revelation 13:5-10). This will continue until the “time came when the saints possessed the kingdom” (Daniel 7:21)—that is, until Jesus’s second coming and the beginning of His millennial kingdom (see Zechariah 14:1-9; Revelation 19:11–20:6). Again, then, it would seem that the great tribulation will constitute the last three and a half years of the tribulation period.
Renald Showers quotes Irenaeus, the bishop of Lyons who lived during the second century and who supported this view.
When this Antichrist shall have devastated all things in this world, he will reign for three years and six months, and sit in the temple at Jerusalem; and then the Lord will come from heaven in the clouds, in the glory of the Father, sending this man and those who follow him into the lake of fire; but bringing in for the righteous the times of the kingdom.2
This being the case, how are we to understand these words of Jesus about the shortening of the great tribulation? “Then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short” (Matthew 24:21-22). Was Jesus saying He would make the great tribulation shorter than three and a half years, or was He saying that three and a half years is the shortened time?
To answer this question, we turn to the parallel verse in Mark 13:20. “And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days.” Greek scholars note that the two verbs in this verse—“cut short” and “shortened”—express action that was taken by God in the past.
In this view, God in eternity past sovereignly decreed a limitation on the length of the great tribulation. What are God’s sovereign decrees? Theologian Henry C. Thiessen tells us. “The decrees are God’s eternal purpose. He does not make His plans or alter them as human history develops. He made them in eternity, and, because He is immutable, they remain unaltered (Ps. 33:11; James 1:17).”3 (See also Isaiah 14:24-27; 46:9-11; Daniel 9:24,26-27; 11:36; Luke 22:22; Acts 2:23; 4:27-28; Ephesians 1:11; 3:11.)
In view of this, we conclude that Jesus was teaching that God in the past had already shortened the great tribulation. He did so in the sense that in the past He sovereignly decreed to cut it off at a specific time rather than let it continue indefinitely. In His omniscience, God knew that if the great tribulation were to continue indefinitely, all humanity would perish. To prevent that from happening, God in eternity past “sovereignly fixed a specific time for the Great Tribulation to end—when it had run its course for three and one-half years or 42 months or 1,260 days. That fixed time cannot be changed.”4
In Revelation 13, we read that the antichrist and the false prophet—a diabolical duo—will subjugate the entire world so that no one can buy or sell who does not receive the mark of the beast.
[The false prophet] causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666 (verses 16-18).
Clearly, the book of Revelation reveals that the false prophet will seek to force human beings to worship the antichrist, the man of sin. He will require everyone to make a choice: Either receive the mark of the beast and worship the antichrist or starve, with no ability to buy or sell.
The next verse denotes a stark contrast. “Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.” The antichrist’s mark seems to be a parody of God’s sealing of the 144,000 witnesses of Revelation 7 and 14. Prophecy experts Thomas Ice and Timothy Demy offer this suggestion: “God’s seal of His witnesses most likely is invisible and for the purpose of protection from the antichrist. On the other hand, antichrist offers protection from the wrath of God—a promise he cannot deliver—and his mark is visible and external.” They also note, “For the only time in history, an outward indication will identify those who reject Christ and His gospel of forgiveness of sins.”5
Receiving this mark is a serious business, as we read in Revelation 14:9-10.
If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
Revelation 16:2 pictures the scene. “The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.”
Such words are sobering. Any who express loyalty to the antichrist and his cause will suffer the wrath of our holy and just God. How awful it will be for these to experience the full force of God’s divine anger and unmitigated vengeance (see Psalm 75:8; Isaiah 51:17; Jeremiah 25:15-16)!
Revelation 20:4 tells us, by contrast, that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ will refuse the mark of the beast. “I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”
Apparently, people will somehow be branded, just as animals today are branded and as slaves were once branded by their slave owners. We cannot be certain how the number 666 relates to this personage or the mark. Bible interpreters have offered many suggestions as to the meaning of 666 down through the centuries. A popular theory is that inasmuch as 7 is the number of perfection, and the number 777 reflects the perfect Trinity, perhaps 666 points to a being who aspires to perfect deity (like the Trinity) but never attains it. (The antichrist is just a man, though influenced and possibly indwelt by Satan.)
Others have suggested that perhaps the number refers to a specific man—such as the Roman emperor Nero. It is suggested that if Nero’s name is translated into the Hebrew language, the numerical value of its letters is 666. Some suggest that antichrist will be a man like Nero of old. Of course, all this is highly speculative. The truth is, Scripture does not clearly define what is meant by 666. Interpreting this verse involves some guesswork.
One thing is certain. In some way that is presently unknown to us, this number will be a crucial part of his identification. It is sobering to realize that receiving this mark of the beast is apparently an unpardonable sin (Revelation 14:9-10). The decision to receive the mark is an irreversible decision. Once made, there is no turning back.
Receiving the mark signifies approval of the antichrist and his purpose. No one takes this mark accidentally. One must choose to do so with all the facts on the table. The choice will be deliberate and have eternal consequences. Those who choose to receive the mark will do so with the full knowledge of what they have done.
The choice will cause a radical polarization. No middle ground is possible. One chooses either for or against the antichrist. One chooses either for or against God. People in our present day think they can avoid God and His demands on their lives by feigning neutrality, but no such neutrality will be possible during the tribulation, for one’s very survival will be determined by a decision for or against God. One must choose to either receive the mark and live (being able to buy and sell) or reject the mark and face suffering and death. One must choose to follow antichrist and eat well or reject the antichrist and starve.
The mark of the beast will be a commerce passport during the future tribulation period. Arnold Fruchtenbaum suggests that the mark of the beast will be given to all who submit themselves to the authority of the antichrist and accept him as god. “The mark will serve as a passport for business (Revelation 13:17a). They will be able to neither buy nor sell anything unless they have the mark…Only those who have this number will be permitted to work, to buy, to sell, or simply to make a living.”6
This mark will apparently be required during the second half of the tribulation period. Prophecy scholar Mark Hitchcock suggests that there is ancient historical precedence for such a mark.7 For example, he points to Ezekiel 9:4: “The LORD said to him, ‘Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.’” This mark on the forehead preserved the faithful, just as the blood of the Passover Lamb marked the Israelites’ doorposts and saved them from death during the final plague on the Egyptians (see Exodus 12:21-29).
Such a mark was also used in connection with pagans and false deities in ancient times, as Robert Thomas explains.
The mark must be some sort of branding similar to that given soldiers, slaves, and temple devotees in John’s day. In Asia Minor, devotees of pagan religions delighted in the display of such a tattoo as an emblem of ownership by a certain god. In Egypt, Ptolemy Philopator I branded Jews, who submitted to registration, with an ivy leaf in recognition of their Dionysian worship (cf. 3 Mace. 2:29). This meaning resembles the long-time practice of carrying signs to advertise religious loyalties (cf. Isa. 44:5) and follows the habit of branding slaves with the name or special mark of their owners (cf. Gal. 6:17). Charagma (“mark”) was a [Greek] term for the images or names of emperors on Roman coins, so it fittingly could apply to the beast’s emblem put on people.8
John MacArthur makes a similar note.
In the Roman Empire, this was a normal identifying symbol, or brand, that slaves and soldiers bore on their bodies. Some of the ancient mystical cults delighted in such tattoos, which identified members with a form of worship. Antichrist will have a similar requirement, one that will need to be visible on the hand or forehead.9
Prophetic Scripture reveals that the false prophet will be an economic and religious leader. These two domains will become merged so that one depends on the other during the future tribulation. The mark of the beast will tie them together. David Jeremiah puts it this way: “The mark will allow the Antichrist’s followers to buy and sell because it identifies them as religiously orthodox—submissive followers of the Beast and worshippers of his image. Those without the mark are forbidden to buy because they are identified as traitors.” So, though receiving the mark is essentially a spiritual decision, it will have life-and-death economic consequences.
This is a very important point. Though modern technology will enable the antichrist and false prophet to bring about a cashless society and control all commerce on earth, we must differentiate between this technology and the mark of the beast, for the technology itself is not the mark. I make this point because a number of prophecy expositors have claimed that the mark will be a high-tech chip inserted under the skin, a barcode on the hand or the forehead, some kind of universal product code, or some other such technology.
This is not the case. The mark itself will identify allegiance to the antichrist, but that is separate and distinct from the technology that enables him to enforce his economic system. John F. Walvoord comments on how technology will make it possible for such economical control, based on whether or not people have received the mark.
There is no doubt that with today’s technology, a world ruler, who is in total control, would have the ability to keep a continually updated census of all living persons and know day-by-day precisely which people had pledged their allegiance to him and received the mark and which had not.10
Dr. Walvoord also suggests, it is also highly likely that “chip implants, scan technology, and biometrics will be used as tools to enforce his policy that one cannot buy or sell without the mark.”11
Notice that this mark will be on people, not in them (like some kind of micro computer chip). It will be on the right hand or head and will be visible (perhaps like a tattoo), not hidden beneath the skin. It will be universally rejected by God’s people but universally accepted by unbelievers. Woe to those who receive the mark!
In Matthew 24:11, Jesus prophesies that in the tribulation period, “many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.” The apostle Paul provides a similar teaching in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11.
The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false.
Notice that the lawless one (the antichrist) is energized and empowered by Satan. We learn from Scripture that Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44). Satan is a master deceiver and the greatest among all liars. His lies are typically religious, distorting the biblical picture of God, Jesus, and the true gospel.
Because Satan is the father of lies, the one whom he energizes—the antichrist—will also be characterized by lies and deception. The false signs and wonders that the antichrist performs will cause all the more deception because they will seem to exalt the antichrist as God among us.
Even worse, Satan will blind the minds of human beings so that they cannot perceive the truth. Second Corinthians 4:4 tells us that “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
Tragically, unbelievers during the tribulation period will have turned their backs on God, so God will hand them over to a powerful delusion. God desires all to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4-6), but many refuse God’s truth and offer of salvation. When that happens, God eventually allows them to experience the full brunt of the consequences of falsehood (see Romans 1:18-25). The book of Revelation indicates that the unrepentant will experience those consequences during the second half of the tribulation, also known as the great tribulation.
The deception will be enormous. It seems to kick into highest gear at the midpoint of the tribulation. Scripture provides many evidences for this.
Revelation 12:9, for example, tells us that at the midpoint of the tribulation, “the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” Once he is on the earth, he will either empower or indwell the antichrist to engage in deception.
In chapter 13, we are told that the false prophet carries out the bidding of the antichrist in engaging in deceptive acts. “By the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived” (Revelation 13:14). Many will fall for the deception.
This deception will finally end at the second coming of Christ. “The beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur” (Revelation 19:20). Multitudes will suffer deception and receive the mark of the beast.
Satan will be bound during Christ’s millennial kingdom “so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended” (Revelation 20:3, see also verses 8,10). Deception will relentlessly flow from the satanic trinity—the antichrist, the false prophet, and Satan—during the great tribulation.
We earlier witnessed the unleashing of the seal judgments, involving bloodshed, famine, death, economic upheaval, a great earthquake, and severe cosmic disturbances (Revelation 6). We then witnessed the unleashing of the trumpet judgments, involving hail and fire mixed with blood, the sea turning to blood, water turning bitter, further cosmic disturbances, affliction by demonic scorpions, and the death of a third of humankind (Revelation 8:6–9:21).
Now, finally, the worst judgments of all fall on the earth during the great tribulation—the bowl judgments. A brief perusal of Revelation 16 reveals that these will be horrific days to be alive on the earth.
First bowl judgment. “The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image” (verse 2).
Second bowl judgment. “The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea” (verse 3).
Third bowl judgment. “The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say, ‘Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!’” (verses 4-6).
Fourth bowl judgment. “The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory” (verses 8-9).
Fifth bowl judgment. “The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds” (verses 10-11).
Sixth bowl judgment. “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. (‘Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!’) And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon” (verses 12-16).
Seventh bowl judgment: The final bowl judgment is addressed in verses 17-21. However, because this judgment is unleashed in connection with the campaign of Armageddon, I will address it later.
Despite the horror of these woes from the hand of God, people will continue to harden their hearts. They will utterly refuse to repent and turn to God. Many of these will have fallen for the antichrist’s deceptive promises and will end up in the lake of fire, like the antichrist and the false prophet.
And yet there is still time to repent and turn to God. As we are about to see, the gospel of the kingdom will be preached even in the midst of this pervasive rejection of God.
Matthew 24:14 tells us that during the tribulation period, “this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Even though persecution and affliction will be widespread, and even though many will harden their hearts against God, God will nevertheless have witnesses on earth who are committed to spreading His message about Jesus Christ and the coming kingdom.
Just as John the Baptist and Jesus in the Gospels often preached that the kingdom of God was near, so God’s witnesses will do the same during the tribulation period. Jesus Christ will clearly be presented as the divine Messiah, the King who will rule in the coming kingdom. William MacDonald and Arthur L. Farstad note, “The gospel of the kingdom is the good news that Christ is coming to set up His kingdom on earth, and that those who receive Him by faith during the Tribulation will enjoy the blessings of His Millennial Reign.”12
Those who turn to the King during the tribulation period will be granted entrance into Christ’s thousand-year millennial kingdom, but those who reject the King will be forbidden entrance. Indeed, at the judgment that takes place following Christ’s second coming, Christ will divide all people into two groups—sheep and goats (believers and unbelievers). The sheep (believers) will be invited into Christ’s millennial kingdom, but the goats (unbelievers) will be sent into punishment (see Matthew 25:31-46).
The book of Revelation makes it clear that many will respond to this gospel of the kingdom. In the end, there will be “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands” (Revelation 7:9).