7 Year Tribulation, Why 7 Years?
The end time of the present world will come in the near future, and it will last for 7 years, which is what the Bible calls the Tribulation.
This a period of time when evil will be abound and God’s divine judgments will be poured upon earth as prophesied in the Bible. Both evils and divine judgments will cause chaos and disasters in a scale so gigantic that the earth will be changed by the events forever.
Where in the Bible does it say that the Tribulation will last for 7 years?
Daniel 9:24-27
24“Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.
25“So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.
26“Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.
27“And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”
According to the above passage, God has declared “seventy weeks” for the Jews. This period is given to “finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.” (v 24)
The entire “seventy weeks” will be followed by the Millennium kingdom as prophesied in the Bible, which will last for a 1000 years with the Messiah Jesus Christ literally reigning on earth.
However, the “seventy weeks” isn’t a continuous period – it is consisted of seven weeks, sixty-two weeks, and one week. Each week stands for 7 biblical years.
The seven weeks (49) and the sixty-two weeks (62) had already passed. It started from the degree of Persian Emperor Artaxerxes (Neh 2) to rebuild Jerusalem and ended at Jesus’ entering Jerusalem on a donkey (Palm Sunday).
Does that mean there were exactly 483 years (49+62= 483) between the decree to rebuild Jerusalem and Jesus’ entering Jerusalem as “Messiah the prince”? Sure, but it is prophetic year that we are talking about, not solar year that we use in our secular calendar, aka the Gregorian calender.
A prophetic year is 360 days and a solar year is 365.2422. That would make 483 × 360 = 173,880 days (24 hours) = 476 solar years + 25 days. The decree of Artaxerxes made the perfect starting point of the 483 prophetic years because, according to secular history, that decree was made in 445 BC and Jesus was crucified in 32 AD.
There were exactly 476 solar years + 25 days, which equal to 173,880 days, which also equal to 483 prophetic years, between the decree to rebuild Jerusalem and Palm Sunday.
How do we know that a prophetic year is 360 days?
We know there is one “seven” left that is waiting for its fulfillment in the near future. The Bible talks a lot about this last “seven”, and we can therefore soundly derive the number of days of an entire “seven” from the hints of the scripture that talks about this ’seven’.
First hints (the last half of the ’seven’ is 3.5 of times):
Daniel 7:25-26
25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time.
26 ” ‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever.
Daniel 9:27
27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ’seven.’ In the middle of the ’seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. “
Daniel 12:7
7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.”
We can see from the above verses that the Antichrist will “confirm a covenant with many for one ’seven’”, but he will cause the sacrifice and offering of the Jewish temple to stop in the middle of the ’seven’.
We can see that during the first half of the ’seven’, this Antichrist has no power over the ’saints’, but God will hand the ’saints’ over to him after the middle of the ’seven’ for a ‘time, times, and half a time.’
Half of 7 is 3.5, which means that ‘a time, times, and half a time’ is 3.5 of times, but 3.5 of what time? 3.5 days? 3.5 month? or 3.5 years?
See the answer below:
Revelation 11:2
2But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.
Remember, the Antichrist has no power over the ’saints’ in the first half of the ’seven’, so he and his Gentiles army couldn’t possibly trample the holy city during that time, so this 42 months have to be the second half of the ’seven’.
So the second half of the ’seven’ = 42 months, and 42 months are 3.5 years, so half of the ’seven’ is 3.5 years!!!
To make it clear, we now find that ‘a time, times, and half a time’ = second half of the last ’seven’ = 42 months = 3.5 years
Next, how many days do we have for this 42 months?
Revelation 12:5-6
5She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 6The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
The woman is the nation of Israel. Israel will enjoy peace and control of her holy temple for the first half of the ’seven’, but after that her holy city and temple will be trampled by the Gentile for 42 months, during which the Israelis have to flee.
She will flee for 1,260 days. So here we see that 1,260 days = 42 months.
Again, just to make it clear, so far we have: ‘a time, times, and half a time’ = second half of the last ’seven’ = 42 months = 3.5 years = 1,260 days
To be double sure, let’s check out one more verse that confirm the conclusion we have:
Revelation 12:14
14The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.
This verse talks about the same woman who will flee to the desert for 42 months. Again, this 42 months have to be the second half of the last ’seven’, because this woman, the Israel, will enjoy peace for the first half of the ’seven’ and therefore she has no reason to flee at that period of time. So here again we see that ‘a time, times and half a time’ equal 42 months!
Let check out this final one to seal up the conclusion:
Revelation 13:5-7
5The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. 6He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.
Daniel 7:25-26 and the Revelation 13:5-7 above talk about the same period of time, which is the second half of the ’seven’, which confirm my conclusion that ‘a time, times and half a time’ = 42 months.
So, in conclusion, half of a ’seven’ = ‘a time, times and half a time’ = 3.5 prophetic years = 42 months = 1,260 days, and each prophetic year is therefore 360 days. (1,260 days ÷ 3.5 years = 360 days)
How do we know that the first half of the last ’seven’ is also 1,260 days?
What happens during the first half of the last ’seven’? How long would that be?
Revelation 11:3-10
3And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. 6These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.
7Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast [the Antichrist] that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. 8Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 9For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. 10The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
The first half of the ’seven’ is also 1,260 days, during which two powerful witnesses from the Lord will vex the world. With the televisions, Internet, and the Satellites, the whole world will be able to watch them preach day in and night out for 1,260 days.
How do I know this is the first half of the last ’seven’?
The Antichrist will control Jerusalem the holy city and the temple during the second half of the ’seven’, but if the two powerful witnesses are there during that period of time, this is not possible. They can’t coexist in the same city for the same period of time. Either the Antichrist stays while the witnesses are gone, or the witnesses stay and the Antichrist stays away.
I believe that Jerusalem is the main base of the two witnesses, because the above passage says that they will die there. (Revelation 11:8) Even if they don’t stay in Jerusalem most of the time during their 1,260 days of ministry, I don’t think they will let the Antichrist and his minions touch that city and the temple.
They will have to die before the second half of the last ’seven’ years of Tribulation.
They will testify against the New World Order, the evil plan of Satan, and the identity and dark deeds of the Antichrist. Most importantly, they will preach the whole Gospel to the entire world, and explain every divine judgment that will fall upon earth during the Tribulation. They will explain that this is their last chance to receive salvation.
Because of their ministry, everyone who is willing believe in God and dies for Him will be able to choose to do so. By then everything will be plain and obvious— Life and death, light and darkness, heaven and hell, Christ and Antichrist, divine and evil.
Those who choose to remain evil in that period of time will know fully what their choice is about – to go against the biblical, trinity God who fully reveals Himself during the Tribulation and to face an eternity of Hell. Nevertheless, the evil people will think that they can overpower God by military force and they will listen to the Antichrist, the false prophet, and their fallen angels buddies.
There will be no middle ground. People have to choose either God or Satan.
Next, what will happen during the dreaded Tribulation?
Want to escape these horrible things that will come during the Tribulation? Make sure you are qualified for the secret Rapture! It’s a divine escape God planned for you
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A couple of things. You believe that the 2 witnesses will be in Jerusalem for the first 3 1/2 years. Please read Rev again and notice that twhen the 2 witnesses are killed they are raised and raptured and then the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord. This is at the end of the 7. These witnesses preach from the city not the temple. They are protected from Anti Christ. Do not mistake the left behind movies as a true understanding. The Anti christ is the Pope and will set up a statue of Mary in or on the temple. The beast is a government and will reign over Earth, not nessessarily from israel but maybe.
The covenant is not a peace treaty and was signed on 01/01/2007. We are now entering the midst of the covenant. This is why the Sanhedrin is now calling for money fro jews for passover in June. They claim they can build the temle in 3 months. There is still time. Many things are set to take place this June. Watch and pray.
Revelation 12 has a double meaning in that the woman can be seen as the Israelis in Jerusalem that must flee when the armies from Luke 21 arive. It can also be seen as the church. The child are the obedient christians who get caught away. the woman is the disobedient Christians who must be tested and proved. The last verse reveals that the remainder of the womans seed are Christians as they have the testimony of Jesus which is the spirit of prophecy.
Please check my web site and see if it makes sense to you.
[...] Mid-trib, post-trib, and other timing within the Great Tribulation for the Rapture don’t make sense (if there is only one rapture), because once the Great Tribulation starts, the timing of Jesus’ second coming to end the Tribulation will be measurable, which is 7 years from its start. [...]