I live in a jungle. Well, for being in Central Texas, I guess you could call it that. No monkeys, but I am surrounded by a thicket of trees and vines, and there are a ton of birds, squirrels, rabbits, and deer, and wildflowers everywhere. Because of the the late summertime rain, you’d think it is springtime because everything is green and in full bloom. It is truly beautiful and except for the sound of the birds and a distant lawnmower, it is very quiet. I try not to take for granted what I’ve got living here, surrounded by all of God’s creation. It is hard to imagine that one day it will be gone.

The Tribulation period in the Bible is a tough subject to write about. For me it is anyway. It is about as serious of a subject as it gets, and it is very dark. I guess I am not alone in my thoughts, as it is a rarity to even hear this preached in our evangelical churches today. I would say the main reason would be fear of scaring people away. Hellfire and brimstone types of speech also has the tendency to make one look judgmental to the unbeliever. 

However, the Word is the Word. God says what He means and He means what He says. Two-thirds of the Bible is prophecy. With half of those prophetic events being fulfilled to date with 100 percent perfect and complete accuracy, why would I have any doubt that the remaining ones won’t happen exactly how He said they would?

The Bible gives us a great framework and magnificent outline to go by with many timelines, days, and seasons measured, and with clear instruction on what to look for, i.e. “signs.” And a sign is something that points toward something else coming towards us. Obviously, we have plenty of “signs” happening now that seem to be setting the stage for darker days ahead — thus, the launching of this website. And yes, end times are dark and many people just don’t want to hear about this, but the fact of the matter is, Jesus is coming soon. And, it would be a very dishonest statement for me to say that what I anticipate to be soon around the corner doesn’t scare me. Of course it scares me. However, my faith in my Savior is much greater than that fear, as I know with all my heart that no matter what happens, my eternity with Him is sealed. What scares me is how will I feel when this is all over, knowing I didn’t do enough to get the Word out there. What scares me even more is watching those I know and love, should things unfold in my lifetime, never grasp their chance at salvation by putting their trust in the Lord and accepting Christ as their Savior. 

The events in the Tribulation will be similar to a stack of dominos rapidly falling. Once it begins, it will all happen very quickly. But, some things must happen in order for other things to take place. For those new to this website, it may be unclear why we are pointing out and making such a big deal out of changes in our society and current events that are headlining today’s news. It is because, as mentioned earlier, signs point toward things to come. For example, in order for the Antichrist to emerge, the world has to be in a state of chaos. So much so that everyone will be looking for and welcoming with open arms someone to come save the day and get us out of this mess. Someone they can totally trust, riding in on a white horse, as it is written in Revelation. The people must be “ripe” to accept a global savior. In Revelation some have confused the rider of the white horse with Jesus, but this is not the case, as Jesus hasn’t come back just yet.

The signs of the times written in the Bible are numerous, but to list a few:

You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

When asked about the end of the age by His disciples,

Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Matthew 24:4-8)

So what exactly is the Tribulation? It is God’s final countdown for humanity. The Tribulation is the future seven-year period of time when God will finish His discipline of Israel and finalize His judgment of the unbelieving world. The church, made up of all who have trusted in the person and work of the Lord Jesus to save them from being punished for sin, will not be present during the Tribulation, as I (and many) understand the scripture to read — I believe in the pre-tribulation rapture.

The Tribulation period will officially begin when the Antichrist signs a peace treaty with Israel. Unless you are a Christian and already understand these politics, you are probably going to see this event as such a great and honorable accomplishment, and not recognize this as the beginning of God’s judgment on the earth. Without knowing what scripture has to say about it, why would you think anything else?

The first half of the Tribulation will appear to look good, with temporary peace and the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. But then the Antichrist will begin to show his true colors, and that is when God’s judgment and destruction will begin to unfold. It is chilling to read the descriptive words in Revelation as it relates to the wars that will take place, as it very much describes nuclear war, with one-third of all the trees, green grass, and human life being destroyed instantaneously.

There are so many components involved in the unfolding of God’s judgments that will take a multitude of different blog posts to cover it all. So, for this post, I wanted to go ahead and provide a basic summary I found that I think does a pretty good job pointing out the highlights of the events to come, and scripture is referenced should you want to take a deeper look. With it’s overview of the seven-year period beginning with the Antichrist and ending with the second coming of Jesus Christ, you will notice a few similar subject matters we have written about before in regards to what we see in the new’s headlines that speak of global government, global religion, climate change and signs that could even lay the groundwork for the mark of the beast. Much listed below will obviously take further reading to get the full picture, but I thought this summary to be a good start for those who care to learn more about it.

Important for me to point out, because it is so important to understand, that God did not create hell for people — He created it for Satan and his fallen angels. God has gone to extreme measures to keep us safe from this because he loves us. He loves us so much that he poured out His wrath on His own Son so that we wouldn’t have to face an eternity in hell. He has given all of us a free gift of salvation in order to escape this final judgment. However, as a God of love, He is also a God of justice, and he will separate Himself and those He loves from sin and the spiritual death of those who have turned their backs on Him. He has to, or He wouldn’t be a loving and all-powerful God. Because He gave us free will, this is a person’s choice whether or not to accept His gift, or else continue on the path of self-righteousness which will lead to eternal destruction; aka hell.

In closing, the very ending to this story where Jesus actually returns in all His glory is what I hold on to. I look forward to writing about that soon, because it is what happens immediately after the Tribulation that is my favorite part. The 1000 year reign of Christ, right here on planet earth! Imagine that! This is what is referred to as the Millennial Kingdom. And this is very, very good news. Jesus Christ, fully man, fully God — we will actually be able to walk and talk with Him face-to-face. Our creator. Our God. The thought takes my breath away.

Thanks for reading.

Holding fast,

Lori

The Events of the Tribulation Period – (Courtesy of Tim LaHaye, No Fear of the Storm)

• Revelation 4:1-2. John, a symbol of “the church”, is taken up to heaven (or, the Rapture of the Church).

• Daniel 9:27. The Antichrist signs a covenant for seven years with the nation of Israel. This is the event that inaugurates the Tribulation period.

• Revelation 6:1-2. Christ opens the first of the seven-sealed scroll, and the rider on the white horse (probably Antichrist) appears, using diplomacy and the promise of peace to establish his one-world government.

• Revelation 6:3-4. The second seal introduces a great world war.

• Revelation 6:5-6. The third seal begins the suffering of famine and inflation (the aftermath of war).

• Revelation 6:7-8. The fourth seal results, as do all wars, in death, but in this case it totals one-fourth of the people and living creatures. By today’s population standards, that would amount to one-and-a-half billion people.

• Revelation 6:9-11. This passage introduces the martyrdom of those who are converted under the preaching of the 144,000 Jewish witnesses described in chapter 7. An innumerable number of people receive Christ and are martyred by the government leader and harlot (the religious system described in chapter 17), who gets her power from the Antichrist. Note that evangelism during this period is back in the hands of the Jews. Since the church is absent, the 144,000 apostle-Paul-type believers will make powerful evangelists.

• Revelation 6:12-17. This sixth seal exhibits the wrath of God poured out in the form of a mighty earthquake, the like of which has never been experienced. It is so severe that people call on the rocks to fall on them.

• Revelation 8:1-6. The seventh seal introduces the Seven Trumpet Judgments, ending the first quarter of the Tribulation period and preparing for an even worse period called the “day of His [God’s] wrath.”

• Revelation 8:7. The first trumpet judgment results in one-third of all trees and green grass being burned up by hail, fire, and blood cast upon the earth.

• Revelation 8:8-9. The second trumpet sees a great mountain of sulfur falling into the sea and destroying a third-part of the sea and all living creatures in it and a third of the shipping vessels. Think of The Poseidon Adventure multiplied times one-third of all the world’s ships!

• Revelation 8:10-11. The third trumpet causes a great star (or meteor) called Wormwood (or “bitter”) to fall on the fountains of water and third of rivers to turn bitter, resulting in the deaths of millions.

• Revelation 8:12. The fourth trumpet results in one-third less sun, moonlight, and stars, extending the darkness of night.

• Revelation 8:13. A special angel flies around the earth, warning that worse judgments are to come.

• Revelation 9:1-12. The fifth trumpet introduces hideous demon-like creatures such as scorpions and locusts out of the bottomless pit. Not able to kill men, they torture them so badly that they “will seek death and will not find it.”

• Revelation 9:13. The sixth trumpet introduces two hundred million horsemen (demon spirit-like death angels), who kill one-third of the people. This will occur between the fortieth and forty-second month of the first part of the Tribulation, which brings to 50 percent the population that is destroyed by God before the midpoint of the Tribulation. These individuals have taken the mark of the Beast and are considered incorrigibles. Since estimates of upwards of a quarter of those living at that time still be saved under the preaching of the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation 7:9, it is possible that 75 percent of the population 25 percent by martyrdom) will have been destroyed during the first half of the Tribulation period.

• Revelation 11:3-14. The Two Witnesses prophesy 1,260 days—a ministry which, if taken literally, would correspond with the forty-two months of judgments already described. Obviously, these two witnesses are real people with miraculous powers like Moses and Elijah, here to preach and witness during the entire first half of the Tribulation. It may be through their witness that the 144,000 are saved and sent out preaching. As dreadful a time as this will be, God is faithful to provide plenty of gospel preaching to the nations.

• Revelation 11:15. The seventh trumpet judgment introduces the awesome events described in chapters 12-18 and the most severe set of judgments yet reported, the Vial Judgments.

• Revelation 17:1-18. Describes the destruction of the Babylonish, false religious system—the great harlot—which will merge all the religions of the world during the first part of the Tribulation (which will take place easily after the church is raptured). This system will be so powerful that it will dominate both the Antichrist (“the beast”) and the ten kings at that time. But because of their hatred for the harlot, at the midpoint of the Tribulation, they will make war on her and kill her.

• Revelation 13:1-3. In the process of killing the harlot Mystery Babylon, the false religious system, somehow the Antichrist is killed and gets “a deadly wound” that is healed. In chapter 12 Satan himself is cast out of heaven, where he has been “the accuser of our brethren,” and now he enters Antichrist’s body and resurrects him to a new and even more vicious life.

• Revelation 13:4-10. Antichrist, now incarnated, will force the remaining people of the earth to worship him, except those whose names are in the Lamb’s Book of Life (see 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10).

• Revelation 13:11-18. The False Prophet will replace the slain religious system, forcing people to worship Antichrist and his image, or be killed. Everyone will be compelled to display a 666 mark in order to hold a job and “buy and sell.”

• Revelation 16:1-2. The first vial causes giant sores on those who rejected Christ and instead accepted the mark of the Beast, signifying their worship of him.

• Revelation 16:3. The second vial is poured out on the sea, turning it “to blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died.”

• Revelation 16:4. The third vial turns the rivers and other sources of water to blood (an especially just judgment because the people remaining had killed so many Tribulation saints).

• Revelation 16:8-9. The fourth vial will intensify the sun’s heat until ungodly men blaspheme the name of God.

• Revelation 16:10-11. The fifth vial will cause darkness to cover the throne of Antichrist and his entire kingdom. The sores will continue unrelentingly, producing such agony that men will gnaw their tongues for pain and blaspheme God and refuse to repent.

• Revelation 16:13-16. The sixth vial sends lying demon spirits out to the kings of the whole world to bring them down to “the battle of that great day of God Almighty,” more popularly known as the Battle of Armageddon.

• Revelation 16:17-21. The seventh vial results in a judgment of Almighty God that destroys the entire world system and judges all unsaved men severely. But even though enormous hailstones fall, the unregenerate still refuse to repent. This judgment is so devastating that it prepares the world for the coming of Christ to set up His earthly kingdom.

• Revelation 18:1-24. The destruction of commercial and governmental Babylon—the New World Order for which man has yearned ever since his rebellion at Babylon—now occurs, possibly during the seventh vial since it fits there (verse 19) just before earth’s final judgment. It will totally collapse the Antichrist’s system and further pave the way for the best event of the Tribulation.

• Revelation 19:11-21. We finally witness the Glorious Appearing of Christ in Power and Great Glory as King of kings and Lord of lords to set up His thousand-year reign on this earth.

~ ~ ~

The government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever! (Isaiah 9:6-7)

^{Photography by Dikaseva}