Dr. Couch, Is there going to be a worldwide tribulation? When will this happen and what is it?
ANSWER: A timetable is given in Daniel 9:24-27 of 490 years in which God would
wrap up His dealings with the Jewish people. 483 years have been
completed and these years come down to the very period of the rejection
of Christ. A “week,” or a period of seven years remain in the Lord’s
calculation to deal with and purge the Jewish people (v. 27). During
this time, the temple sacrifices will cease, which implies that a
rebuilt temple is standing in Jerusalem, something which the orthodox
Jews rightly look for.
Verse 27 makes a horrible prediction in which
there comes desolation, complete destruction. This seems to tie in with
Isaiah 24. There it is predicted that the earth will be completely laid
waste (v. 3), the earth will be polluted (v. 5), and the earth will be
burned “and few men will be left” (v. 6). “Terror and pit and snare
confront you, O inhabitant of the earth” (v. 17). Christ called this the
“birth pangs” referred to in Jeremiah 30. He called it the tribulation,
and the great tribulation (Matt. 24). He said there will be no day like
it ever on the earth (v. 21) and that if this period was not shortened,
no flesh would survive (v. 22).
While we do not determine Bible doctrine by
current events, anyone looking carefully at the Middle East is a fool
who denies that such a day is possibly very near! Some say, “well have
not others in the past predicted that the end of the earth was about to
take place?” The answer is yes, but there is something in place now that
was not before. The Jews have been miraculously returned to the land of
Israel after being scattered around the world for almost 2,000 years!
The nation of Israel must be in place for the tribulation to take place.
But too, there is to be an apostasy of the church. There will be a lot
of religion but little spiritual reality! I believe we are now entering
into the apostasy!
I hope this helps.
Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch
