The Great Tribulation
In Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, Jesus’ teaching on The Great Tribulation is set in the context of his answer to the question posed by his disciples:
“When will the temple be destroyed?”
This is important to know and remember.
Jesus answered that the temple would be destroyed by armies after the abomination of desolation (Luke 21), which is when the man of lawlessness, the son of perdition, set himself up in the temple as God.
NOTE: Here is a link to a detailed article I wrote called: What Is The Abomination That Causes Desolation?
The abomination is the breaking of the law of Moses by Israel through their rejection of Jesus and their persecution of believers.
This abomination could only take place during the age of the law because the abomination is the transgression of the law of Moses.
God states in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 that armies would destroy cities in Israel if they broke the law of Moses.
The desolation of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple by the armies would occur after the abomination of desolation and in response to the law of Moses being transgressed by the people of Israel.
So the Great Tribulation would happen at the end of the law-age in response to the people of Israel breaking the law.
Jesus said it would be in this time, the time of the violation of the law of Moses and the destruction of the temple, that the Great Tribulation would happen.
In view of the desolation of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple, Jesus instructed believers in Judea, the city (Jerusalem), and the country (the area around Jerusalem) to escape to the mountains when they saw armies surround Jerusalem (Luke 21).
Armies destroying Jerusalem is based on Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28.
Jesus instructed those in the time of the Great Tribulation to pray it would not happen on the Sabbath or in the winter, which would make escape very difficult for the Jewish believers in First Century Israel.
We see in Matthew 24, Luke 21, and Mark 13 that Jesus linked the geography of the Great Tribulation to the land of Israel, Jerusalem, and the areas around it.
He linked the timing of the Great Tribulation to the abomination of desolation happening inside the temple, and he linked it to the armies surrounding Jerusalem to destroy the temple.
These indicators put the Great Tribulation in Israel, specifically Jerusalem and the surrounding areas, at the time when Jerusalem would be surrounded by armies and the temple would be destroyed.
This was during the time of 70 AD.
Until a few months ago (October of 2023), I held the view that the Great Tribulation was in the future and global wide.
Yet, through an intensive study of the Scriptures, I now see the Great Tribulation as past and localized to Israel.
I’m not seeking to force my view on anyone.
I simply want to communicate information so others can take it and study it further if they choose to do so.
Most believers have never heard of 70 AD.
Yet 70 AD and the destruction of the temple is one of the major events of history.
If you would like to learn more about this, see the links below.
