Bob Josey: Second Half of Tribulation - Dec 15th 2019

Post date: Dec 16, 2019 2:47:47 PM

The Great Tribulation – The Second Half of the Tribulation Period (Matthew 24:9-26)

1. The Signs of the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:9-14)

Several months ago we discussed that The Tribulation Period has several names. From our study of Daniel 9:24-27 we learned that the entire seven years is called the Seventieth Week of Daniel. We also discussed that The Day of the Lord is second phase of the Tribulation Period that is also called the Great Tribulation by Jesus, Himself. The Day of the Lord is used 18 times in the Old Testament and 5 times in the New Testament for the Great Tribulation Period. The Day of the Lord is an extended Period of time in which God will deal with wicked men directly and dramatically in fearful judgment. It is during this time that the hard-labor birth pangs will occur. In Jeremiah 30:6-7 the prophet gave the Great Tribulation Period a name that shows that the main focus of the Tribulation Period is on Israel. He called it the time of Jacob’s distress (NASB) or as the KJV translates it, the time of Jacob’s trouble. This cannot be applied to the first half of the Tribulation Period because of the covenant the anti-christ made with Israel.

The first half of the Tribulation will be a time of relative peace and the birth pangs or events that will occur will be farther apart and less severe. During the second half of the Tribulation, events will become more server, intense and closer together. They are called hard- labor birth pangs. Just as birth pangs anticipate the joy of the birth of a baby, events of the Tribulation Period anticipate the joy of the coming of the Messiah to end the present age and inaugurate the Messianic age. In the Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran and in other Rabbinic literature also say that there will be a time of trouble preceding Messiah’s coming which is called “the birth pangs of the Messiah” and “the Messianic Woes.” The birth pangs metaphor is used for the Tribulation s God’s judgements brings upon man as seen in Isaiah 13:6-11, 1 Thess. 5:5, and other Scriptures as we discussed in our last lesson.

In verses 9-14 Jesus gives some of the specific signs of the second half of the Tribulation Period called the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord. The word “then” at the beginning of verse 9 indicates that things have progressed passed the beginning of the birth pangs to the more intense part of a woman in labor called hard-labor birth pangs. It literally means “at this time” or “after that.” It is not looking back to a previous time, but it’s introducing a new element and, in this case, a new time period. It is at this point that the anti-christ will break his’ covenant with Israel. Israel and the Jewish people will no longer be protected by the anti-christ and his’ associates. The signs of the end of the age will begin to be manifested. After the covenant is broken, the anti-christ will reveal his real self and his real intentions. The anti-christ and his’ associates will begin to persecute and murder Jewish believers and unbelievers. Anti-Semitism will reach a level that has never been seen before until this time. Things during this last 31/2 years of the Tribulation will begin to greatly intensify under the direction of the anti-christ. The Lord’s judgement and wrath during this time will also begin to intensify.

As we discuss the following signs of the end of the age, they will look very similar to what the disciples and Paul went through after Jesus ascended to heaven as the events we discussed in verses 4-8 seem similar to what occurs today. However, please keep this in mind that the signs and events that Jesus discusses in the following verses is Jesus responding to the disciple’s question about the end of the age, not the church age. The church age in not the end of the age, but the end of the age is the last 3/1/2 years of the Tribulation Period. Also, no one knew about the church and the church age until the Holy Spirit revealed it to Paul about thirty years after the Olivet discourse. The bottom line is that the events Jesus describes is not about the disciples during the church age, but they describe the events that will occur driving the Great Tribulation Period, the last 31/2 years.

As we begin to discuss the signs of the Great Tribulation, I want you to be aware of the importance of how Jesus connects each sign together with the Greek word “Kai” that is translated “and.” Most of the time in the Bible a string or words or thoughts are connected with a comma. However, when a set of words or thoughts are linked together with an “and” instead of just a comma, it shows that words or thoughts are each to be emphasized. Instead of rushing through a list of words or thoughts, the Holy Spirit wants the reader to contemplate and remember each word or thought separately. After all, the ones who will be affected the most by the occurring signs will be the Jewish people who will be in the middle of it all.

The following are some of the signs that show that the coming of the end of the age and the coming of the Messiah is upon them is very near and that they need to act accordingly. As we transition from the first part of the Tribulation Period to the Great Tribulation please notice that the signs are on a much personal in nature rather than general.

24:9a -Believers will be persecuted – The persecution of Jewish believers in Jesus will begin the signs of the end of the age listed by the Apostle Matthew. The word tribulation here gives the idea that Jewish believers will be betrayed by friends and handed over to others that will afflict them with pain and suffering. Anti-Semitism will be ramped up during the and 31/2 years of the remainder of the Tribulation Period. Remember that during the first 31/2 years of the Tribulation Period there was relative peace with Israel because of the covenant the anti-christ made with them. The Jewish people were left alone. Now, with the covenant being broken, Israel and the Jewish people will not begin to feel the full brunt of the ant-christ and his associates.

24:9b -Believes will be executed – Please notice that the word and connects this to the last sign. Not only will Jewish believes be persecuted for their faith in Jesus, but they will also be executed. It would not surprise me that many of their executions will be put on worldwide TV like that of the two witnesses.

24:9c -Believers will be hated – As I said before, anti-Semitism will reach an all-time high for the history of the world. The word hate here indicates people who have great animosity towards other people. In this case, of course, the animosity displayed is towards the Jewish people.

24:10a -Apostates will manifest themselves – An apostate is one who claims to be a believer in Jesus and played the game, but at some point in their lives they are either called out by believers to as being an apostate or acknowledge it on their own. I think that since believers will be persecuted and martyred for their faith in Jesus, these apostates will no longer want to be associated with Jesus and believers.

24:10b -Apostates will betray others – Greek word that is translated “betray” is usually translated “to handover or give something to someone.” However, here it means to hand over, turn over, give up a person to authorities such as the police or to hand over someone into the courts for custody. In this context, of course, the apostates will turn over these Jewish believers to the associates of the anti-christ who will persecute and execute them.

24:11 -False Prophets will manifest themselves and deceive many – There has always been false prophets in Israel and among the Jewish people, but during the Great Tribulation Matthew tells us that there will be many. The main one will be the False Prophet who will be the spokesman for the anti-christ. A true prophet is one who speaks on God’s behalf, but the false prophets are going to lead many Jewish people astray be spreading false information that the people think is from God. So, not only will many prophets be manifested among the Jewish people but also false Messiahs. Through false messiahs and false prophets, many Jewish will be deceived. It will be the blind leading the blind.

24:12 -The increase in lawlessness will cause people’s love to grow cold - The word for love here is agape’. It means commitment even under difficult circumstances. The verb grow cold means to go out, be extinguished. The increase in iniquity and lawlessness resulting in chaos and anarchy during the second half of the Tribulation Period will cause loss of fervent love among many Jews who are usually known for sticking together during time of persecution and difficulties. They will no longer care at all for the welfare of others, even their families.

Did you notice that Matthew used the word many five times to describe the consequences of many false messiahs, many false prophets, and the increase in iniquity? The result of their false ministries will be that many will be deceived and many will become cold because of the increase of iniquity.

24:13 – All of the above signs of the end of the age we just discussed that occurs during the Great Tribulation have to do with relationships between people. Persecution, murder, hate, apostatizing from the truth, betrayal, anti-Semitism, being misled by false prophets, people not being committed to one another, and lawlessness are going to cause the destruction and death of many Jewish people from the anti-christ, his’ associates, and those who follow the him, false messiahs, and false prophets. There is going to be a marked difference between the first 31/2 years and the last 31/2 years

Even though many Jewish believes will be martyred, the but at the beginning of verse 13 shows that some will not. This is the Jewish remnant that includes the 144,000 plus others. This remnant is also referred to in Jeremiah 30:7. This verse has nothing to do with eternal salvation from sin. We know that anyone who trusts in Jesus as Savior receives eternal life and eternal security. Endurance under trail is never a means to salvation from the penalty of sin because that would be human effort. (Ephesians 2:8-9) The Passage does not assert that a believer must endure to the end of his life to remain saved or prove that he or she is regenerate. Assurance of salvation rests upon the promises of God and Jesus (1 John 5:10-13 and the conviction of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:16)), not on performance under pressure.

Therefore, verse 13 deals with physical salvation or better physical deliverance. This verse is referring to the deliverance of Jewish survivors at the end of the age who Jesus will lead into the Messianic Kingdom with Him. Many, of course, will not endure to the end, in the sense that they will be martyred, even though they are saved by faith in Jesus.