The Complex of Events Leading
to the Return of Jesus
Factors Involved in the
Post-Tribulation/Pre-Wrath Futurist View
Classical Futurist Pre-Millennialism
Post-Tribulation/Pre-Wrath Futurist View
Classical Futurist Pre-Millennialism
The post-tribulation view was the belief of the Apostolic Fathers: Irenaeus, Justin martyr and Papias. The main modern-day proponents are: George Eldon Ladd, Henry Alford, Robert Gundry, Theodore Zahn, and Fuller Theological College. In this understanding Christians experience the persecution of the “great tribulation” and relief comes when Jesus returns some short time before the one thousand years begins (the Millennium). Jesus returns only once at which time the first resurrection occurs (post-tribulation). The rapture is only into the earth’s atmosphere for a short period as Jesus continues his descent to earth at which time, he begins his judgment of the world.
Jesus Returns “Immediately After the Tribulation”
In his Olivet prophecy Jesus showed the chronological order of events and then stated that:
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory” (Matt. 24:29-30).
This means that Daniel’s seventieth ‘seven’ or ‘week’ begins relatively shortly before Jesus returns in the future and that the Olivet discourse events as recorded in Matthew 24:9-28, Mark 13:12-23 and Luke 21:16-24, and the seven seals of Revelation 6 are all within the time-frame of Daniel’s 70th ‘seven.’
Some versions of this view set the first resurrection and the rapture, that is, the being caught up to meet Jesus in the air, at a point near to the occurrence of the gathering of armies at Armageddon (Rev. 16:16) which occurs during the breaking of the seventh seal as the seventh trumpet is blown and the sixth bowl is poured out. This is based on a misunderstanding of Revelation 16:15 which is a parenthetical warning to the reader to be prepared for future events, but is not part of the chronology of events which shows that Christians have already been raptured out of the great tribulation before the Armageddon battle.
THE KEY TIMING FACTORS:
- The prophesying of the two Witnesses – 1,260 days
- The time that the symbolic “woman” is in the wilderness – 1,260 days / 3½ years.
- The length of Antichrist’s rule - 42 months, but he lives for a further 30 days making 1,290 days from the beginning of his reign.
- The length of time the “regular sacrifice” is abolished – 1290 days.
- The persecution of God’s people during the great tribulation. Daniel states this as 3½ years, but Jesus shows it will be cut short.
These events are all drawn from both Daniel’s prophecies and the book of Revelation and concern Daniel’s seventieth ‘seven’ of years which is divided into two halves. Indeed, all but the last, the great tribulation, are stated to last for 1,260 days, (42 months or 3½ times).
My Two Witnesses Prophesy for 1,260 Days
See separate paper.
The Woman in the Wilderness –
Nourished for 1,260 Days
The majority of scholars recognize that this is the ideal faithful Woman—a symbol of true Israel i.e., the believing messianic community through all of time. Therefore, this is a corporate Woman and links with her description in the prophecy of Genesis 3:15. From that prophecy she developed into the twelve tribes from the twelve sons of Jacob (“stars” in Gen. 37:9-11). In the end-times this woman will be represented by the faithful remnant of Jews who, at the time of his appearing, recognize Jesus as the Messiah (Zech. 12:10b-11). So, just as when Israel was pursued by Pharaoh, God had “born [Israel] on eagles wings and brought you to myself” (Ex. 19:4) so too:
“When the Dragon realized that he had been hurled down to the earth, he began to pursue the woman who gave birth to the male child. But the woman was provided with the two wings of a huge eagle so that she could fly away from the Serpent into the desolate wasteland, to the place where she is nourished for a time, times, and half a time” (Rev. 12:13, 14).
This Jewish Remnant will then be protected from the Dragon. They will also be nourished as were the ancient Israelites with manna—a likely reference to both physical and spiritual sustenance.
The 42 Month Length of Antichrist’s Rule
We learn from Daniel that “the sacrilegious object that causes desecration” is set up to be worshipped, and that there will be 1,290 days” i.e., the “time, times, and half a time” plus an extra 30 days. Although “the sacrilegious object that causes desecration” is mentioned by Daniel in connection with his people, the Jews, Jesus makes the connection also with Christians because he warns his disciples: “When you see the sacrilege which causes desolation’ standing where he ought not...” (Mark 13: 14). Now after recognizing that Jesus shows that the sacrilegious object” is future from his time, we return to Revelation concerning this event where John is told:
“Get up…measure God’s sanctuary, including the altar [area], and count those who are worshipping there; 2but don’t measure the outer court beyond the sanctuary. Exclude it because the nations will be permitted to trample on the holy city [Jerusalem] for forty-two months” (Rev. 11:2).
“… he [the beast] was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months … 7He was permitted to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them” (Rev. 13:5, 7).
Hence Antichrist controls Jerusalem and God’s people in it for this 42-months period i.e., the last 1,260 days. This appears to be “the times of the Gentiles” as noted by Jesus in Luke 21:24. However, the length of the great tribulation is undetermined because of Jesus’ statement in Matthew 24:22 that the 3½ years stated for other events will be less for the great tribulation because it is to be a “cut short” time period.
So, all the described events of Daniel 11 and 12, including the great tribulation, the return of Messiah, the rescue of the living Christians, the first resurrection of the dead, the catching up of all of God’s people to escort Jesus down to take his throne, and antichrist’s destruction, will be completed within 1,290 days from when “the sacrilege which causes desolation” is set up that will bring sacrifices to an end. This also brings everything to “the end of the age.” So, the effect of the sacrilege being set up lingers for another 30 days after the end of the 70th ‘seven’. This is because “he is not destroyed until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator” (Dan. 9:27) thirty days after the 1,260 days i.e., by the end of 1,290 days.
The Persecution of God’s People
During the Great Tribulation
During the Great Tribulation
The great tribulation is a reference to the time of intense persecution of Christians and can be seen to last at least 5 months less than the three and a half years of other events in the scenario. These events and times are first mentioned in Daniel’s prophecies where he describes them first in his second vision as he sees that, “He [“the Little Horn” referring to Antichrist] will…oppress the holy people of the Most High…and they will be placed under his control for a time, times, and half a time” i.e. 3½ years” (Dan. 7:25).
However, in his last vision Daniel asks the question:
“How long will it be until the end of these wonders?” He is given the answer: “it would be for a time, times and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed” (Dan. 12:6, 7). The further detail is added that: “From the time the daily sacrifice is stopped and the sacrilegious object that causes desecration is set up to be worshiped, there will be 1,290 days” (Dan. 12:11).
Indeed, this persecution ends with the rescue of ‘the holy people’ by the returning Messiah when they are caught up by angels (Matt. 24: 31) and so rescued out of the great tribulation (Rev. 7:14). This means that as Jesus is descending the first resurrection occurs and is soon followed by the rapture of all true Christians (1 Thess. 4).
JESUS SHORTENS THE TIME
Jesus would have known the statements by Daniel concerning the future great tribulation and its timing. In fact, Jesus as the New Moses was entitled to change certain details of the end times just as he, under God’s direction, brought the Mosaic Law to an end. So, he says:
“Certainly, at that time there will be a Great Persecution unequalled by anything that has happened since the beginning of the world until now, or will ever happen again. 22Unless those days are cut short, no one would be rescued. But for the sake of the chosen ones those days will be cut short”
(Matt. 24: 21-22).
Added to this is the fact that the event of the sun, moon, and stars being made supernaturally dark in both Jesus’ words of Matthew 24 and at the point of the breaking of the sixth Seal of Revelation (6:12-17). This shows that the “Day of God’s wrath” begins at that point in the time scenario and confirms that the days of great tribulation will be made shorter than Daniel’s stated time length.
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