Dr. Couch, I have been told that the second half of the 70th week of Daniel is actually the Great Tribulation. I am confused because there is tribulation occurring between chapter 6 and the vials, though it seems to be the wrath of Satan. Also, many used the Westcott & Hort text. Should we trust scholars who don't seem to be "born again"?
ANSWER: I will handle your last question first. Scholars who are not born again can be just as objective with factual material as one who is born again. Being born again gives us a spiritual understanding of things but not necessarily an "up" on objective, factual things. Every week I use my Hebrew Grammars, Jewish commentaries, and Jewish lexicons, all written by men who are not born again. So, what is your point? I can learn objective facts from them just as well as from Christians. You have clearly been misled by someone!
I am not clear as to what your point is on what you first wrote. So I will simply address the issue of the Great Tribulation. The Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:21) is not a technical expression but a description of the fact that the tribulation will get worse as it goes along. I think those who try to make it a technical expression are wrong. In the Greek text there is no article before the adjective "megale" (great). The article "a" has been supplied but there is no "the." Great Tribulation then is indefinite. Many scholars miss this but since I have had more graduate Greek than anyone, I didn't miss this!
Walvoord calls the Great Tribulation a "specific period of time," while this is true, in that things get worse at the last half of the tribulation, it still should not be considered a technical period.
Thanks for asking.
—Dr. Mal Couch(4/11)
