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A Seven Year Tribulation? Prophetic Chaos in Our Time?

The Futurist view is held by many very sincere Christians. Actually, John Darby back in the mid 1800s sold his Futurist “seven-year tribulation” concept to a minority of Fundamentalists. But they are a vociferous minority. During the balance of the 1800s up until 1948 they taught that Jesus could return any day. They claim that after Christ’s ascension there is no prophecy that has to be fulfilled before the rapture when Darby claimed Christ will momentarily return in fulfillment of 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 and rapture the Church. Scofield, a Darbyite, confirmed this in a footnote in his Scofield Bible. Is Darby’s concept correct?  Read more here:

Listen to Bible Student Elder, Mark Trible, discuss: The Tribulation Of Those Days

10 comments to A Seven Year Tribulation? Prophetic Chaos in Our Time?

  • Gasa

    Jehovah’s Witnesses have a problem with the 144000 elect being the only true Christians from penticost 33ce to date. Memorial 2019 over 19,000 partook the emblems, according to jw theory this number that was 7000 in 2000ce should be reducing not growing.! Pastor Russell on pg 235 Divine Plan of the Ages says there was more than one group of Christians. He mentions ‘m’ group who tried to be part of the ‘elect’ but fell short they were insufficently devoted to qualify. So two groups served as Christians from penticost to date. One heavenly group ‘large company’ and the little flock the elect, the 144000 the apostles etc primary heavenly group. The great crowd who stand before the throne who come out of the great Tribulation. This 2 group ‘elect’ and ‘other sheep’ resolve the numbers problem facing JWs. Of course the president of the Watchtower most ‘bible students’ don’t like Rutherford, anounced at a assembly that the ‘great company or multitude’ were the ‘other sheep’ this group survive the great tribulation as people. He argued if they survive through the GT as people why not continue to be people. So he announced the second group were not heavenly but earthly hope. Since he announced this in 1935 he came to believe this group started then, he forgot to check Brother Russell’s statement that 2 groups existed side by side as they do today.. Most certainly forgetting this point has caused JWs a real problem, we know for sure by 96ce over 100,000 Christians existed,. INTERESTING

    • Chris J

      Gasa,
      The difference between the JW view and Bible Student view is that we aren’t called to an earthly hope. Yes there are two groups. But we don’t come to Jehovah with an earthly hope. Those of the group “m” you mentioned FAILED to become part of the bride. The JWs don’t believe that the great crowd sitting in the Kingdom Halls is a failed group but a group with a different hope. No one in the Bible students believes they consecrate with an earthly hope. We have one group that does but that’s because they believe the 144,000 was complete in 1916 and they have two other groups called the Youthful Worthies and the Consecrated Epiphany Campers. Those in group “m” don’t know they are in that group. We call run the race until the end. We don’t dedicate ourselves to God with an earthly hope like JWs do.

    • Just Stay Sweet And Good

      Your mentioning 100,000 Christians in AD 98 needs a source to verify it. please supply it

  • Chuck Russell Jr

    The INITIAL portion of the “tribulation of those days” is timed in Daniel 8:13-14, as God deposes JW org as a sign.

    Apparently, the worst part is the first 1150 days “evening” (Dan8:14,26), when JW org also goes down.

  • Brettstone

    Peter-
    Hello and hope all is well.. I have a question for you! I notice the difference in teachings about the Tribulation Jesus spoke of in Matt 24:21,22. Bible students view this as the period we are in now. JW’s view it as a future event as do many nominal church’s. I always thought of Jerusalem as a TYPE and today as an ANTI-TYPE..
    JERUSALEM 66 -70 CE the Tribulation back then an event that was short swift and chaos..
    Tribulation perhaps collapse of econmies, world war and such.
    Question: why is it understood to be long duration covering entire period of parousia?

    • Peter K. (admin)

      Brettstone – It is great to hear from you again. Don’t hesitate to share your own points of view.

      This is a complicated issue, so the answer is not short and simple.

      DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM

      There is a lot to comment on here, but we will keep it short. The destruction of the Jewish Polity in 70 AD still left many Jewish people living in Israel without their Religious system in tact. This ended with the Bar Kokhba revolt (132–136). The point is that 70 AD was not the final end, however the Jewish Polity was destroyed at that time. In 1914, the Gentile Kings lost their thrones and Church / State rule (the Divine Right of Kings) ended. Since then, the kingdoms of this world continue to destabilize further.

      GREAT TRIBULATION
      Matt 24:21 “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.
      22 “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. NASV95

      The Tribulation of the Gospel Age prior to 1874 cannot be compared with our modern world, since technology amplifies the dangers and delivers on a Global scale.

      Never in history before the development of the atomic bomb have we lived a time where all live on earth could be wiped out through the use of weapons of mass destruction. Never before the twentieth century were there ever world wars.

      Let me share some statistics.

      In twentieth century: Wars have produced at least 150 million deaths, including civilian casualties and genocide

      over 50 million died from famine

      over 22 million died from aids

      In 2003, National Geographic said that “At least 35 million people in the world…have been forced to run for their lives, and are either temporarily or permanently exiled from their homes. Half of them are women and children.”
      In the Asian, African and Latin American countries, well over 500 million people are living in what the World Bank has called “absolute poverty”

      Nearly one in four people, 1.3 billion live on less than $1 per day

      3 billion people in the world today struggle to survive on $2/day.

      US Debt has grown from 1 trillion in 1980 to nearly 18 trillion today.

      In 1998, Illegal drug trafficking was 8% of total international trade and The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimated that around 4% of the world’s adults use illegal drugs in a year.

      ———-

      No doubt, the troubles will only get worse until the present heavens and earth (society and governments) pass away and are replaced by the kingdom of blessing.

      But we are assured in verse 22, that God will “cut short” the days and prevent the annihilation of humanity.

      Daniel 12:1-4 ties this Great Tribulation with deliverance of Israel and the increase in knowledge and travel. To my mind, these signs affirm to us that we have in fact been living in this Great Time of Trouble since Michael stood up in 1874.

      WINTER FLIGHT

      Matt 24:20 “But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. NASV95

      When the summer time of Harvest ends, the Winter Time of Great Tribulation begins and culminates with the burning of the tares. Just before this Winter time begins, the door is shut and yet the Great Company remain.

      Jer 8:20 “The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved.” NKJV
      This time is also called a Sabbath, because the Sabbath is a time of rest. Since the Church is complete and they have all “rested from their labors.” Rev 14

      Rev 14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: `Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.'” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.”
      14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. NKJV

      By the time this Winter time begins, the last members of the Church have already entered into their rest. After that the tare that have been bound in bundles will be burned.

      Isa 66:7 “Before she was in labor, she gave birth; Before her pain came, She delivered a male child. NASV
      Before her labor pains — Before the nominal systems are destroyed (burning of chaff in winter time of trouble)
      She delivered a man child — The Christ, Head and Body.

      Perhaps the final members of the Church will complete their course with a Final Elijah or John the Baptist message objecting to the illicit future cooperation between Church and State, reminding the people that it is Christ who will usher in his Kingdom, not the Nominal Church Systems.

      Isa 67:8 Who, hath heard the like of this? Who, hath seen the like of these things? Can, a land, be made to bring forth, in one day? Or, a nation, be born, at one time? As soon as she travaileth, Zion hath also given birth to her children. Rotherham

      “A Nation born at one time” is the Holy Nation, the Royal Priesthood.

      When Babylon travails (winter time of trouble & burning of the chaff) her children are born, that is when the Great Company are delivered to their heavenly home.

      Rachel died in giving birth to Benjamin (son of my pain); type of the Great Company.

      Nominal Zion will die in her labor pains, and. in dying, bring forth the Great Company.
      Of the Great Company we are told in:

      Rev 7: 14 …”These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. NKJV

      Perhaps the Great Company will give an Elisha message, warning the Nominal Systems and Nations not to go against Israel to battle. Through this message they will receive great persecution and through this winter time of trouble be delivered to their heavenly reward.

      FIG TREE

      Matt 24:32-33 (NKJV) “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.

      “So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near––at the doors!”

      When a tree puts forth leaves, it is showing signs of life. Since that first Jewish settlement in 1878, until Israel became a nation in
      1948, it has shown increasing signs of life, however, not yet the life of faith they are to receive in the kingdom, when God’s holy spirit is poured upon them.

      So the branch putting forth leaves is evidence that the Summer Time of the kingdom is near.

      I believe we are now in the Summer Time of Harvest.

      There is yet a Winter Time of Great Tribulation on the horizon.

      After that, will be this Summer Time of the Kingdom.
      Verse 33 says, “… when you see all these things, know that it is near––at the doors!”
      What is the “it” that is at the door. Some translations indicate that “He” or Jesus “is near.”

      The Luke account removes any doubt.
      Luke 21:31 (NKJV) “So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.”
      So the blossoming of the nation of Israel is evidence that the earthly kingdom is near.

      The Luke account adds the expression, “all the trees.”

      Luke 21:29-30 (NKJV) “Then He spoke to them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near.”

      Not only has Israel budded into a nation, but with the collapse of the great European empires in the 20th century, we have dozens of their colonies bud into new and independent nations. In 1900 there were less than 60 independent nations in the world. Today there are nearly 200 countries.

      • Brettstone

        Peter- Thanks for the explanation. I am on the site daily just have not left any recent messages but instead constantly reading and listening to the articles and discourses. My favorite yet is the study on the New Covenant… Absolutely amazing, my eyes have really opened to so much… Again thanks and I will post any thoughts or questions. First have to digest

        • Brettstone

          That article is “WHO HAS A COVENANT RELATIONSHIP WITH JEHOVAH?”

          • Peter K. (admin)

            Brettstone – Thanks I am preparing a PowerPoint presentation to go along with that article. It should be ready in less than a month. I will probably have some minor improvements to the article as well to be more clear.

            I have additional material the book of Hebrews that is related to this topic of the covenants, priesthood and also of the sin-offering. I can email that to you as attachments if you are interested.

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