Tribulation
1. Restoration of the State of Israel
The Jewish people return to the land of Israel and re-establish it as a state. This sign has already come to pass and it occurred on 5/14/48. The city of Jerusalem was then regained by the Jewish people on 6/7/67.
2. Miscellaneous Signs
Jesus Himself tells us that the following signs will occur as we approach the end times.
a) Perilous times will come.
b) False Christs and false prophets will arise. c) Wars and rumors of wars. d) Nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom. e) Famines, pestilences and earthquakes. f) Lawlessness and immorality will abound. g) Love of many will grow cold. h) Christians will depart from the faith giving heed to doctrines of demons. i) Men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, unholy, proud, boasters, blasphemers, unloving, disobedient to parents, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, traitors, headstrong, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God and unthankful.3. Rise of the Antichrist, False Prophet and a 10 Nation Confederacy From Which They Will Rule This Earth From.
4. Rise of the City of Babylon
5. Russia and Her Allies Will Invade Israel. God Will Then Supernaturally Destroy This Invading Army.
Main Events That Will Occur
During the 7 Year Tribulation
1. The Antichrist Establishes a Peace Treaty and a Covenant with Israel
2. The Jewish Temple is Rebuilt
3. God's Counterbalances:
•The 2 Witnesses
•144,000 Jewish Witnesses
•Major Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
•Angel of the Everlasting Gospel allowed to preach the gospel
4. The Antichrist Will Destroy the City of Babylon
5. A War in Heaven Breaks Out
St. Michael the Archangel and his angels cast Satan out of the second heaven and onto the earth. The Devil becomes furious when this event occurs because he knows that his time is short.
6. The Abomination of Desolation
Three and half years into the Tribulation, the Antichrist will break his peace treaty with Israel, seat himself up in their rebuilt temple and proclaim himself to be God.
7. The 7 Seal Judgments Rev. 6-8
8. The 7 Trumpet Judgments Rev. 8-11
9. The 7 Bowl Judgments Rev. 16
Pre-Tribulation
The Pre-Tribulation rapture is the view that the rapture will occur before the beginning of the Tribulation period. According to this view, the Christian Church that existed prior to that seven-year period has no vital role during the seven years of Tribulation, and will therefore be removed. Many people who accept Christ after the rapture will be martyred for their faith during the Tribulation. The Pre-Tribulation rapture is the most widely held position among American evangelical Christians. It has become popular in recent years around the world and through the work of dispensational preachers such as Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost, Tim LaHaye, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, Chuck Smith, Dr. Chuck Missler, Jack Van Impe, and Dr. Grant Jeffrey.
Mid-Tribulation
A minority view, with few proponents today, is that the rapture happens half-way through the seven-year Tribulation. This view is supported by the 7th chapter of Daniel (Verse 25), where it says the saints will be given over to tribulation for "time, times, and half a time" which is interpreted to mean 3.5 years. That is, half way through the seven years of the tribulation. At this juncture, the Antichrist commits the "abomination of desolation" by desecrating the Jerusalem temple (to be built on what is now called The Temple Mount.)
Post-Tribulation
The Post-Tribulation rapture (or "Post-Trib") view places the rapture at the end of the Tribulation period, based on passages such as 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, seen as quoting the words of "the Lord" as indicated in Matthew 24:29-31 (see table below). From this perspective, Christian believers will be on the earth as witnesses to Christ during the entire seven years, until the last day of the tribulation period. The Post-Tribulation view brings Christ's "appearing" and his "coming" together in one all-encompassing, grand event. Matthew 24:29–31; "Immediately after the tribulation of those days…they shall gather together his elect…", is cited as a foundational scripture for this view.
