Afraid of the Great Tribulation

 

Afraid of “THE GREAT TRIBULATION”…?

already hiding yourself in the woods?

You don’t need to! If you would have attended Materbuilder’s seminary on “A Victorious Future” – Eine siegreiche Zukunft” or studied the Bible passages on the endtime speeches of Jesus you would know that the GREAT TRIBULATION is already an HISTORIC EVENT. Yes it already happened, AD 66 – 70 and you missed it.

Biblical passages on the GREAT TRIBULATION you should know:

Daniel 9:25 – 27; Matthew 24:1 – 34; Mk 13:1 -23, 30; Lk 21:1 – 24

Non Biblical Sources on the Great TRIBULATION

“The Jewish War” by Flavius Josphus, a Jewish historian and contemporary eyewitness

1) The GREAT TRIBULATION happened between AD 66 – AD 70

In Mt 24:34; Mk 13:23 Jesus says to his disciples that all things which HE described in Mt 24:1 – 33 will happen during the lifetime of THIS PRESENT generation. Jesus said that before his crucifixion, AD 30. A biblical generation lasts about 40 years, so all the signs and events Jesus talks about in Mt 24:1 – 33 must have been fulfilled between AD 30 – AD 70

Let’s see whether that’s true

a) Jerusalem was sieged, conquered, the temple destroyed, the daily sacrifices and the complete sacrifical system ended, Jews were slaughtered, starved to death, enslaved and deported (see Mt 24:2; Mk 13:2, 14 – 23); Lk 21:6, 20 – 24; Dan 9:26 – 27). The Anointed One Daniel is speaking of is the Messiah, “the people of the ruler who will come to destroy the city and the sanctuary” is the emperator Titus and the Roman army, the city is Jerusalem and the sanctuary is the temple

2) THE GREAT TRIBULATION happened to the Jews

see Dan 9:24 (“your people”; “your holy city”) “Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on a Sabbath (Mt 24:20) (NIV), Jesus addressed his Jewish disciples. “There will be great distress in the land and wrath against THIS people. (Lk 21:23 b) (NIV)

3) THE GREAT TRIBULATION happened in Israel

see Dan 9:24 (“your people”; “your holy city”, “let those you are in Judea flee to the mountains” (Mt 24:16) (NIV) ”

How were the signs of the end in Mt 24: 1 – 33 fulfilled in history?

First, we must define what is meant with “the end”. Jesus does not speak of the end of the material world but of the end of the Old covenant, which means the end of the sacrificial system. With the perfect sacrifice of Jesus there was no need for daily sacrifices anymore, a new covenant was made, Jesus fulfilled the law and gave us HIS righeousness in exchange for our Unrighteousness, He transferred HIS holiness to us and took our sins upon the cross.

When the Bible speaks about the “LAST DAYS” it speaks about the last days of the old covenant with its sacrificial system its dietary and ceremonial laws (e.g. circumcision, regulation on certain food which was allowed or not allowed to eat). These last days began AD 30 with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus and ended with the destruction of the temple AD 70 (see Acts 2:16 – 21,40; 1 Pet 1:5; 1 Pet 1:20 – 21; Heb 9:26; Heb 1:1 – 2)

Now let talk about the signs described in Mt 24: 1 – 33

1) False prophets, heresies, apostacy

The early church was both threathened by Judaizers who wanted to bring the disciples back under the Jewish law (dietary laws, ritual laws …) and by Gnosticism see Acts 15:1, 5 (the council at Jerusalem: Should Gentile believers be circumcised (Acts 15:1, 5), do they have to follow the dieary laws) and Ga 1:6 – 9; Gal 2:3 – 4; Gal 2:14 – 16,21; Gal 3:1 – 5; Gal 5:1 – 12; Acts 28:29 – 30; Rev 2:26; Rev 2:14 – 16; Rev 2:20 -24; 2 Tim 16:18; 1 Cor 15:12 – 14; Col 2:8, 16 – 23; 1 Tim 4:1 – 6; 2 Pet 2:1 – 3; 9- 22; James 4:8, 10 -13, 16 – 19; Rom 16:17 – 18; 2 Cor 11:3 – 4, 12 – 15; Phil 3:18 – 19; 2 Tim 4:2 – 5; 1 Tim 1:19 – 20; 1 Tim 6:20 – 21; 2 Tim 3:1 – 9, 13; 2 Tim 4:10, 14 – 16.

Simon the Magician (Acts 8:9 -11);

Barjesus (Acts 13:4, 6, 8 – 11)

Jewish exorcists (Acts 19:11 – 17)

2) Persecution

mostly by Jews who opposed the gospel, sometimes by Non-Jews because of material reasons (losing income)

see Acts 4:1 – 3, 5 – 11, 16 – 22, 27 – 28; Acts 5:17 - 18, 27 – 28, 30 – 33; Acts 7:51 – 58; 8:1, 3; Acts 9:22 – 30; Acts 12:1 – 4, 17; Acts 14:43 – 45, 49 – 51; Acts 14:1 – 6; Acts 14:19 – 20; Acts 16:16 – 25; Acts 17:1 – 9; Acts 18:1 – 2; Acts 18:12 – 17; Acts 19:23 – 30; Acts 20:1 – 3; Acts 21:10 – 11; Acts 21:27 – 36; Acts 22:22 – 25, 30; Acts 23:2 – 5, 10 – 16; Acts 23:26 – 30; Acts 24:1 – 9, 22 – 23, 27; Acts 26:1 – 15, 17 – 21, 24 – 25, 30 – 32

the persecution under the rule of Nero, AD 64 in Roma

b) the spirit of antichrist and the antichrists (note the plural, the Bible does not speak about THE antichrist!)

1 John 2:18 – 19, 22 – 23, 26; 1 John 4:1 – 6; 2 John 7 – 11

3) wars and rumors of wars

There are numerous wars and military conflicts which took place in the period between AD 30 – AD 70/73, this is an excerpt of the military history of the Roman Empire  and his military conflicts with other nations and within its empire.

uprising in Roma because prices for goods were raised (AD 32)

Annexion of Mauretania (AD 42)

the Chattians invade Roman territory from Germania liberia and are foreced to withraw by the Roman army under Pomponius (AD 50)

war with the Parthians, unsuccessful attempt to conquer Armenia, war with Germanic tribes in Germania, all in AD 58

uprisings in Britannia, AD 61

uprising of Julius Vindex in Gallia, AD 68

civil war in Roma, AD 69

war with the Garamantes in Libyia, AD 69

revolt of the Batavians under Julius Civilis, AD 69

the Jewish – Roman war AD 66 – 70 (the Jewish fortress Massada fell in AD 73)

4) famines and earthquakes

Agabus, a prophet, predicted a severe famine under the reign of emperor Claudius which started in AD 45 and ended AD 48.

(see Apg 11:27 – 28)

famine in Roma, AD 51

When Jesus was dying an earthquake took place in Jerusalem

(see Mt 27: 50 – 54)

Colosä (a Greek city) is destroyed by an earthquake (AD 61)

A severe earthquake took place in the Roman Empire in the Campania, AD 63

Pompeij suffers an earthquake, AD 63

5) The gospel was preached to the ends of (the known) world of the 1st century

see Col 1:5 – 6, 23; Rom 1:8; Rom 10:18

Conclusion:

There is enough biblical and nonbiblical historic evidence to conclude that the events preceding the GREAT TRIBULATION and THE GREAT TRIBULATION itself are historic events. Of course wars, earthquakes, apostacies, false prophets and persecutions have happened since AD 70 until now but the “GREAT TRIBULATION” the Bible speaks of has become history.

So let us not speculate on who the Antichrist is or will be, when the tribulation will take place, whether we will be raptured before or after but let us focus on expanding the kingdom of Christ here on earth, so that all come under the rulership of Christ.

from kadosh

Tags: Eschatology