Introduction to the Great Tribulation

1. Introduction

The Great Tribulation is not to be feared because it will not happen in our lifetime. If it did, then Jesus’ prophecy that it would occur within forty years is incorrect. We will see that the Great Tribulation took place as Jesus predicted, from 66 CE to 73 CE, lasting exactly 2300 days, as Daniel foretold.

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Matthew 24:21

In this series on the Great Tribulation, we’ll explore 22 key questions about it.

1. When was the Great Tribulation?
2. What was the Abomination of Desolation?
3. Had the gospel been preached to all nations before the Great Tribulation?
4. Why does Revelation equate Jerusalem to Sodom and Egypt?
5. Who was Josephus, and is he a credible historian?
6. What are the Seven Seals?
7. How did the seals relate to the Great Tribulation?
8. Was one quarter and one third of the population killed, as Revelation says?
9. Who were the 144,000?
10. Who were the armies crossing the Euphrates in Revelation?
11. How long was the Great Tribulation — seven years or 2300 days?
12. Why did Jesus say His coming would be like lightning from the east to the west?
13. When did the Great Tribulation begin?
14. When did it end?
15. When did the Christians flee Jerusalem?
16. How many people were killed during the Great Tribulation?
17. Why was there thirty minutes of silence in heaven?
18. When was the forty-two-month prophecy of Revelation?
19. What is the significance of the five-month prophecy in Revelation 9?
20. What was Daniel’s 1290 and 1335-day prophecy about?
21. What is the importance of Antioch in the prophetic calendar?
22. What was the blessing to those who lasted 1336 days?

2. The Great Tribulation Time Period

A. The Great Tribulation Will Never Occur Again

Jesus prophesied that there would be only one Great Tribulation, and that it would never happen again.

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Matthew 24:21

For this reason, it is THE Great Tribulation, not a tribulation that will be repeated.

B. When Would The Great Tribulation Occur?

There is a specific time limit for the start of the Great Tribulation. Jesus’ teaching on the Great Tribulation in Matthew 24:15-21 is set within two scriptures that define its beginning to occur within one generation. Before Jesus’ teaching on the Great Tribulation, He states:

Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Matthew 23:36

Following this verse, Jesus begins to teach about the Great Tribulation. Once He finishes His teaching on the Great Tribulation, He repeats the phrase, emphasising that it will happen within one generation of when He prophesied it in 30 CE, saying all these things will happen.

Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

Matthew 24:34

In our introductory lesson on eschatology, we learned that, according to the Old Testament, a generation is most commonly forty years. Therefore, the Great Tribulation cannot be in the future and must have begun before 70 CE. We will determine the start date in late 66 CE within a few days, placing it within the 40-year generation timeframe. 

3. Great Tribulation of All Nations

A. All Nations Will Witness the Sign of His Coming.

Just prior to the teaching on the Great Tribulation, Jesus makes this statement:

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Matthew 24:14

How can the Great Tribulation have already occurred if the gospel must be preached to all nations before His return?

B. Start of the Church

At the beginning of the church, on the Day of Pentecost, Luke, the author of Acts, stated that the entire earth was limited to those known at that time.

And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven.

Acts 2:5

C: Paul’s Teaching

Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, taught that he and others had finished the task of spreading the gospel.

If indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Colossians 1:23

D. The Whole World Reached by 57 CE.

By the time Romans was written in approximately 57 CE, the Word of God states that the whole world had heard the gospel.

At the start of Romans:

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

Romans 1:8

And at the end of Romans:

Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith.

Romans 16:25-26

E. View of Early Church Fathers

It was not only the view of the New Testament writers, but also that of the Church fathers. The first Church father, Clement, accompanied Paul on his missionary efforts.

And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.

Philippians 4:3

Clement had this to say about the apostle Paul:

“he taught the whole world righteousness, travelling from the East westward to the borders of the ocean.”

Eusebius, another church father, stated:

“The Apostles preached the gospel in all the world, and that some of them passed beyond the bounds of the ocean, and visited the Britannic isles”;

4. Abomination of Desolation

A. Let the Reader Understand

Jesus quoted the prophet Daniel about the abomination that causes desolation:

“Therefore, when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Matthew 24:15-16

Jesus commands us to understand the book of Daniel. We must diligently study the Book of Daniel to see the many clues about the Great Tribulation.

B. Holy Place

Some have incorrectly claimed that the abomination is the Antichrist in the Holy of Holies; however, the term ‘Holy Place’ is never used to describe the temple elsewhere in Scripture. Nor is the Antichrist mentioned in any of Jesus’ eschatological teachings in the Gospels.

The words for “Holy Place” in this scripture are the Greek words ἅγιος τόπος, which are “Hagios topos.” The word Hagios means “Holy, and the word “topos” gives us the English word “topography”. It is defined as an inhabited place or a city. The word before in the Holy Place doesn’t necessarily mean in; it can just as well be understood as against or to.

The Holy Place is Jerusalem, so the entire city becomes a desolation.

C. Armies Encircling Jerusalem

You will notice that this verse in Matthew is followed by a command to flee into the hills. If we now turn to Luke, we find his interpretation of what the ‘abomination that causes desolation’ is.

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

Luke 21:20-22

D. Abomination of Lost Destiny

Israel failed in its duty to the nations to proclaim the God of Israel and His coming Messiah. They did not fulfil their destiny of becoming kings and priests.

And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

Exodus 19:6

It was an abomination for a foreign country to plunder the wife of God, Israel.

“Bring charges against your mother, bring charges;
For she is not My wife, nor am I her Husband!
Let her put away her harlotries from her sight,
And her adulteries from between her breasts;

Hosea 2:2

Allowing the Gentiles to plunder the God of Israel and mock Him was not God’s plan. Instead, God’s original intention was to enable both Jews and Gentiles to become one in God’s family. God aimed to have sons and daughters for Himself, a bride for Christ, and a temple for the Holy Spirit.

E. The Roman Armies

Jesus then says which armies would surround Jerusalem.

For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

Matthew 24:28

It is the eagles who will gather to devour during the Great Tribulation. The eagle was the emblem of the Roman armies.

The emblem of the Roman Empire was the eagle, known as the Aquila, which symbolised Roman prestige and power. It was the standard of a Roman legion, carried by an aquilifer, and represented the legion’s identity and honour. 

F. Babylon

In the Bible, the eagle symbolised the Babylonian Empire. Ezekiel prophesied that Babylon would capture Jerusalem in 597 BCE.

‘Thus says the Lord GOD:
“A great eagle with large wings and long pinions,
Full of feathers of various colours,
Came to Lebanon
And took from the cedar the highest branch.

Ezekiel 7:3

G. Babylon Spirit Ruling Through Rome

Although this concerns the Babylonian kingdom, the Bible mainly focuses on the underlying spirit.

‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’

Revelation 18:10

In our lesson on the Beasts of Revelation, we will learn that the same spirit that ruled over Babylon (the Beast out of the Sea) was in Rome, the centre of the Roman kingdom. Before referencing the woman Babylon, Jesus teaches us that this woman is seated on the city of seven hills – Rome.

“Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.

Revelation 17:9

5. Jerusalem Judged Like Sodom and Egypt

Jesus likened Jerusalem to Sodom and Egypt because both nations faced God’s judgment.

And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

Revelation 11:8

A. Worst Jewish Death Record

The carcass firstly refers to the huge number of Jews who would be killed. This percentage was higher during the Great Tribulation than during World War II. We looked at this in detail in Wars and Rumours of Wars, from which we get this table:

B. Romans believed God had sent them to Judge Israel.

Why else did Jesus refer to a carcass? The Romans believed they were doing God’s work by destroying what God could no longer tolerate. Jerusalem had become so abhorrent that even the Romans could not endure the cruelty of the Jews towards themselves. The Roman soldiers begged Vespasian to come and take Jerusalem because of the chaos unfolding. Vespasian refused, saying:

That they were greatly mistaken in what they thought fit to be done…. But if they stay a while, they shall have fewer enemies, because they will be consumed in this sedition:..that God acts as a general of the Romans better than he can do, and to sit still as spectators of the dangers they run into, rather than to fight hand to hand with men that love murdering, and are mad one against another

Josephus’ “War of the Jews” Chapter 6, section 2

C. The Law is a Carcass

Biblically, the Old Testament law died with Jesus on the cross.

having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

Colossians 2:14

D. Vanishing Away, Obsolete in 70 CE

Paul wrote to the Hebrews in the 60s CE before his martyrdom by Nero and the destruction of Jerusalem. He informs us that the Old Covenant is soon to vanish with the temple.

In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Hebrews 8:13

E. Destruction of Sodom

Jesus compared Jerusalem to Sodom because that city was divinely destroyed by fire. He did not even find ten righteous people there:

Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?”
And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.”

Genesis 18:32

And of course God sent fire from heaven and levelled the city:

Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens.

Genesis 19:24

The sulphur rocks are still found where Sodom was today, and they can be ignited with a flame.

F. Destruction of Egypt by Babylon

Jesus also called Jerusalem Egypt, which God used Babylon to destroy:

“Take large stones in your hand, and hide them in the sight of the men of Judah, in the clay in the brick courtyard which is at the entrance to Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes; and say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I will send and bring Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden. And he will spread his royal pavilion over them. When he comes, he shall strike the land of Egypt and deliver to death those appointed for death, and to captivity those appointed for captivity, and to the sword those appointed for the sword.

Jeremiah 43:9-11

God did not destroy Egypt through a divine act; He used Nebuchadnezzar to bring about Egypt’s downfall. Similarly, He would use Rome to destroy Jerusalem. This served as a chilling warning to the Jews reading the Book of Revelation, where Rome (Babylon) is depicted as the instrument of judgment against Jerusalem and the Jews. They remembered how Babylon had defeated Egypt at the Battle of Carchemish, marking the end of the Egyptian Empire. The warning was clear: their nation was on the brink of destruction at the hands of the spirit behind Babylon.

6. Josephus and the Great Tribulation

We will refer to Josephus multiple times in the following lessons, so we need to assess his reliability as a source.

A. Josephus: A True Prophet

Josephus was a Jewish commander who defended the city of Jotapata against Vespasian and his armies for 47 days. Eventually, the siege of Jotapata in 67 CE led to its fall, with Vespasian emerging victorious. Josephus was captured and asked to see Vespasian, during which he accurately prophesied that Vespasian would become emperor. Josephus was imprisoned because Vespasian did not believe him.

“In Judaea, Vespasian consulted the oracle of the God of Carmel and was given a promise that he would never be disappointed in what he planned or desired, however lofty his ambitions. Also, a distinguished Jewish prisoner of Vespasian’s, Josephus by name, insisted that he would soon be released by the very man who had now put him in fetters, and who would then be Emperor.”

Suetonius The Twelve Caesars, Vespasian 5

When Vespasian was inaugurated in 69 CE, he removed Josephus’s chains and shattered them, symbolising that he should never have been imprisoned.

B. Similarity to Prophet Jeremiah

The similarity to Jeremiah, when Jerusalem was taken by the Babylonians, and the kindness shown to him by Nebuchadnezzar is fascinating.

Now Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, saying, “Take him and look after him, and do him no harm; but do to him just as he says to you.”

Jeremiah 39:11-12

Jeremiah and Daniel, prophets of the Old Covenant, and Josephus, a prophet of the New Covenant, were all imprisoned by the kingdom’s ruler and later cared for by different leaders in recognition of the prophetic messages they conveyed.

Now Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, saying, “Take him and look after him, and do him no harm; but do to him just as he says to you.”

Jeremiah 39:11-12

Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon.

Daniel 2:48

C. Did Josephus Exaggerate?

Some critics argue that he is unreliable, claiming he tends to exaggerate the number of people killed. However, there is no historical evidence that contradicts him. For instance, critics say eleven hundred thousand people can’t die in Jerusalem. Yet, as we will see later in this lesson, he underestimates this figure compared to a careful calculation accepted by Cestius and Nero, which estimated more than three million people in Jerusalem during the Passover of 66 CE.

Others argue that he was driven by a desire to boost Vespasian’s reputation. Trying to uncover someone’s true motives behind their words is a risky undertaking. Once again, this remains purely speculative.

7. Summary

In this lesson we have learned:

1. The Great Tribulation must have begun before 70 CE, or Jesus was a false prophet.
2. The Great Tribulation will never be repeated, and therefore is not in the future.
3. Multiple New Testament scriptures confirm that all nations had heard the gospel before 57 CE and prior to the Great Tribulation. The church fathers affirmed this truth.
4. The Holy Place where the Abomination that Causes Desolation refers to Jerusalem, not a future Third Temple.
5. The Abomination that causes desolation referred to by Jesus and Daniel is the Roman Army destroying Jerusalem.
6. The XII legion surrounding Jerusalem in November of 66 CE and their subsequent defeat served as a warning for believers to flee Jerusalem.
7. Jerusalem was called Sodom and Egypt because both were destroyed—Sodom by God, and Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar. God’s army of Joel (the Roman military) would destroy Jerusalem.
8. Josephus was a credible prophet and historian who accurately predicted Vespasian’s inauguration.
9. He bore similarities to Jeremiah and Daniel and correctly estimated Jerusalem’s population of over 3 million during Passover of 66 CE for Cestius, who confirmed this and informed Nero that it was a potential prize if captured non-militarily.

In the next instalment of the series, we will examine the Seven Seals of Revelation and their application to the Great Tribulation.

© Use by Permission Awakening Impact Ministries / Dr Neville Westerbeek van Eerten D.Miss, 2026