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The Time of Jacob’s Trouble
Jeremiah 30:4 And these are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. 5 For thus saith the Lord; We have heard a voice of trembling, Of fear, and not of peace. 6 Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? Wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, And all faces are turned into paleness? 7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: It is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; But he shall be saved out of it.
There is a coming millennial kingdom Revelation 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. 7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
There are different views as to the coming of Jesus
There is the post-millennial view II Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
A-millennial view, consider Revelation 20
Pre-millennial view, can’t have all the promises without the prince of peace
Before the Millennial kingdom is the time of Jacob’s trouble, the Tribulation period
There are different views of the tribulation
Pre-tribulation, by the end of the message, Lord willing you will understand and believe that we will not go through any of the tribulation periods
Post-tribulation
Mid-tribulation
What is the time of Jacob’s trouble? Jeremiah 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: It is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; But he shall be saved out of it.
This is a prophetic verse about a future event
Jesus refers to this same trouble, tribulation, great tribulation Matthew 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
It is also referred to as the Day of the Lord, referred to over 20 times in Scripture or that day, referred to over 75 times
This day of the Lord probably is a longer time period that includes the Great Tribulation
It would go from His return till the new heaven and new earth, after the millennium
This will take place when God is through with the church on earth and the rapture takes place
The tribulation period will cover 7 years but the Great Tribulation refers to the last 3 1/2 years Daniel 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
What is the purpose of the time of Jacob’s trouble, the Great Tribulation, etc?
To prepare the Jews to receive the Lord Jesus Christ
The time of Jacob’s trouble, the tribulation period is primarily about the Jews
Look what Moses prophesied Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. 30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; 31 (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
This is a promise and prediction for the nation of Israel, the Jews
Moses is talking to Israel
Tribulation will come but God will not forget them nor forsake them
Sounds similar to our text Jeremiah 30:4 And these are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. 5 For thus saith the Lord; We have heard a voice of trembling, Of fear, and not of peace. 6 Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? Wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, And all faces are turned into paleness? 7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: It is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; But he shall be saved out of it. 8 For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, That I will break his yoke from off thy neck, And will burst thy bonds, And strangers shall no more serve themselves of him: 9 But they shall serve the Lord their God, And David their king, whom I will raise up unto them. 10 Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the Lord; Neither be dismayed, O Israel: For, lo, I will save thee from afar, And thy seed from the land of their captivity; And Jacob shall return, And shall be in rest, and be quiet, And none shall make him afraid. 11 For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: Though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, Yet will I not make a full end of thee: But I will correct thee in measure, And will not leave thee altogether unpunished.
Again clearly to the Jews and the nation of Israel
It is the time of Jacob’s trouble
God will again rescue them and not destroy them
Daniel reiterates the same promise Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
It is a time of trouble like no one has ever seen before
It is again the Jewish nation that is addressed
Again God is going to deliver them
However, God will also punish the Gentiles
God will pour out His wrath on a nation that has mocked and ridiculed Him Psalm 2:1 Why do the heathen rage, And the people imagine a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, 3 Let us break their bands asunder, And cast away their cords from us.
God is going to punish the Gentiles Jeremiah 25:30 Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The Lord shall roar from on high, And utter his voice from his holy habitation; He shall mightily roar upon his habitation; He shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, Against all the inhabitants of the earth. 31 A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; For the Lord hath a controversy with the nations, He will plead with all flesh; He will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord.
This Tribulation will be on the entire earth and its population Isaiah 24:1 Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, And turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. 4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, The world languisheth and fadeth away, The haughty people of the earth do languish. 5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; Because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, Broken the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, And they that dwell therein are desolate: Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, And few men left.
God will punish the Gentiles for their arrogance, rebellion, and godlessness
But the main purpose of the Tribulation is to prepare the Jews to receive the Messiah
What will the time of Jacob’s trouble, the Great Tribulation, be like?
People will be terrified and try to hide Isaiah 2:19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, And into the caves of the earth, For fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, When he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. 20 In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, Which they made each one for himself to worship, To the moles and to the bats; 21 To go into the clefts of the rocks, And into the tops of the ragged rocks, For fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, When he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
Most of the world’s population will die
The false Christ will promise peace Daniel 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
The saved will be rescued, delivered Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
There is coming a great day, time, of wrath, trouble, distress, desolation, darkness
It is a period of God’s wrath
God is preparing all to return and set up His kingdom
Will the church, God’s people, go through the Tribulation?
We are waiting for Jesus to come and get us and He has delivered us from the wrath to come I Thessalonians 1:9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; 10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
Remember the tribulation is a period of wrath like we have never seen before anywhere
The tribulation is His wrath on the world so more than speaking of Hell Revelation 6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
We are not hiding we are waiting and looking for His coming
Things are very different for us I Thessalonians 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
Notice the distinctions between brethren and them
Notice how this tribulation sounds like the others we have read about
They will not escape
We have not been appointed to wrath I Thessalonians 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
Same context as the previous passage
We are not on the list to suffer His wrath
Consider Revelation 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
He is talking to the church in Philadelphia
They kept His Word and He will keep them
This is the end of the church age and the tribulation period starts with no more mention of the church
How are we to feel about His coming?
We live in constant expectancy of the rapture, the coming of Jesus to take us home
We wouldn’t be hoping for and excited to see the coming of Jesus if we were going through the tribulation period
It wouldn’t be a surprise when Jesus would return if we were alive in the tribulation period Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
His coming is a blessed hope Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.