(Joel 2:1)
THE GREAT TRIBULATION
INTRODUCTION
The blue sentences indicate additional and detailed biblical explanations. Just click on the blue hyperlink. The biblical articles are mainly written in four languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese.
"Woe to those who yearn for the day of Jehovah! What, then, will the day of Jehovah mean for you? It will be darkness, and not light" (Amos 5:18). The article below, about the great tribulation is written in the same mind of Amos 5:18, seriousness and sadness. When a meteorologist or a team of engineers, analyze the terrifying satellite images of a category 5 cyclone, with winds exceeding 300 km / h (160 knot/h), their feelings could be very mixed. They are between the need to warn the populations concerned, without triggering a general panic, which could worsen the situation. It is the same with regard to the great tribulation: There is a biblical duty to warn, without panicking people. It is necessary to show that the great tribulation is a very close event, which will really happen, while showing as clearly as possible, what it is necessary to do to survive. Jesus Christ himself announced this great tribulation, with a particular reference to the prophecy of Daniel:
"During that time Michael will stand up, the great prince who is standing in behalf of your people. And there will occur a time of distress such as has not occurred since there came to be a nation until that time" (Daniel 12:1).
"For then there will be great tribulation such as has not occurred since the world’s beginning until now, no, nor will occur again" (Matthew 24:21).
The prophecy of Daniel, and also, the prophecy of the Revelation, announce that there will be a great crowd of survivors:
"And during that time your people will escape, everyone who is found written down in the book" (Daniel 12:1).
"After this I saw, and look! a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes; and there were palm branches in their hands. (…) In response one of the elders said to me: “These who are dressed in the white robes, who are they and where did they come from?” So right away I said to him: “My lord, you are the one who knows.” And he said to me: “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 7:9,13,14).
It is the prophecy of Zechariah
which gives the most precise information about the great tribulation, regarding this "great crowd", which will come out of the great tribulation: "And in all the land,” declares Jehovah, “Two parts in it will be cut off and perish; And the third
part will be left remaining in it. And I will bring the third part through the fire; And I will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people,’
And they will say, ‘Jehovah is our God" (Zechariah 13:8,9). God divides mankind into three "parts" (H6310 Strong's Concordance: "פֶּה" (peh) "part"). At first, one might think that it would be "three parts" equal,
or three "thirds" (H7992 Strong's Concordance "שְׁלִישִׁי" (sheliyshiy) "a third"). In the Hebrew text, it is a question of the first two parts (peh) and the third (sheliyshiy), according to the context of this sentence, third "part". So, these three parts
of humanity are not necessarily the same number of humans (That is "Three Third"). To know what represent these three "parts" of mankind regarding the biblical context, we must take attention to the dramatic celebration of the Day of Atonement, Ethanim,10
(Tishri).
Many biblical prophecies designate the great tribulation as the "Day of Jehovah". While referring to it, this article will primarily rely on the prophecy Zechariah, to know what is the great tribulation and when it will happen.
What is the Great Tribulation?
To put it very simply, this is the time when Jehovah God, through his Son King Jesus Christ, will end to this system of things (Revelation 14:15-20; 19:11-21 ). Other biblical prophecies refer to the Great Tribulation as the "Day of Jehovah": "Blow a horn in Zion! Shout a war cry in my holy mountain. Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of Jehovah is coming! It is near! It is a day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick gloom, Like light of dawn spreading out on the mountains" (Joel 1:15; 2:1,2; see also Amos 5:18-21; Obadiah 15; Zephaniah chapter 1 and 2:1-4; Zechariah chapters 12, 13, 14).
How long will the Great Tribulation last?
After careful reading of all the prophetic texts mentioning the "Day of Jehovah" or the "Great Tribulation", it can be said, without a shadow of a doubt, that this day will last only ONE DAY.
The clearest prophetic text over its duration is that of Zechariah and the Book of Revelation, both of which describe the Day of Jehovah as one day, or the only date of one day:
"And it will become one day that is known as belonging to Jehovah. It will not be day, nor will it be night; and at evening time there will be light" (Zechariah 14:7).
This text alone shows that it is a 24-hour day, and not a period of few days, because it is written that at the time of day, it will be neither day nor night, and that at the time of evening there will be light. However, the most explicit text is that of the book of Revelation, where this Day is connected with a date on the Jewish calendar. In Revelation 11:18, it is written: "But the nations became wrathful, and your own wrath came, and the appointed time came for the dead to be judged and to reward your slaves the prophets and the holy ones and those fearing your name, the small and the great, and to bring to ruin those ruining the earth" (Revelation 11:18). This text refers to the time of the Great Tribulation, when God "will bring ruin to those who ruin the earth". However, what is even more interesting, is that verse 19 repeats this time in enigmatic way, connecting the Day of Jehovah withe the vision of the ark of his covenant: "And the temple sanctuary of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen in his temple sanctuary. And there were flashes of lightning and voices and thunders and an earthquake and a great hail" (Revelation 11:19).
This verse has two main parts: The first is the vision of the "ark of his covenant", the date of only one day. Indeed, Jehovah God did not allow to see the ark of his covenant (by the high priest), any day other than Ethanim (Tishri), 10 (Leviticus 16:2,29). The second part of the verse 19, is the symbolic description of the Great Tribulation. The Ethanim, 10 (Tishri), corresponds to the dramatic celebration of the Day of Atonement. The process of celebration is described in Leviticus chapter 16. It is a dramatic moment, because it describes symbolically, what will happen during the Day of Jehovah, the Great Tribulation. It will be a day of sadness, because Jehovah had given this instruction regarding this day: "It is a sabbath of complete rest for you, and you should afflict yourselves. It is a lasting statute" (Leviticus 16:31) (The vision of the Ark of the Covenant, is the date of the one Day of Jehovah: the Ethanim, 10 (Tishri)).