What is The Tribulation?

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Welcome to the Friends for America Foundation, Dr. Chris Hughes. Are we living in the end times? Well, you know, we have been talking about this for a couple weeks ago. We started talking about the signs of the end times. And then we took a look at the rapture.

What is the difference between the rapture and the second coming? Well, today we're going to talk about something even deeper when you look into the Word of God and when you look into end time prophecy. We're going to look at something called the tribulation.

What is the tribulation? Do you know that nearly four in 10 Americans, that's almost 40 percent, said that they agree that the invasion of Russia into the Ukraine is a sign of biblical prophecy coming to pass and of the last days? That's amazing that that many people are paying attention and realizing that we really could be living in the end times. Now, as we start this conversation, I want to share with you again, the Bible says no man knows the day or hour that Jesus will come again. And we recently talked about the difference between the rapture and the second coming. The rapture is when Jesus comes in the air and those who have been saved go to meet him in the air. The second coming is when Jesus actually steps foot back on the ground. Now, an area of contention among a lot of Christians is when will that happen? Some people believe in what's called a pre tribulation rapture, meaning that Jesus will come again for his church, the bride of Christ. I don't mean people that just attend church, but people who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and serving with their hearts, soul, mind and body, that he'll come from them. And will he come before this time called the tribulation? Will he come in the middle or would come after? That's what we're going to be talking about. So stick around.

Today's show is going to be interesting. Welcome to Christian Perspective. I'm Chris Hughes. I want to thank Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary for being the home of the Christian Perspective Studios, where we bring you our show each and every day. They are a wonderful campus right here in Memphis, Tennessee. If you're looking for a place to go to school, the College of Mid-America is a wonderful Christian college where your students will develop a biblical world view. They'll learn great subject matter content. So don't thank you. Sometimes people think, well, if I go to Christian school, I won't get a good education.

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What does the Bible say on issues like transgenderism, abortion, homosexuality, traditional family values, gun ownership, and so much more? The Citizens for America Foundation wants Christians to understand what they believe and why they believe it with a biblical perspective, and then take that biblical perspective into the world, but not just in the world, but specifically to engage in the arena of public policy and politics. And they're going to have a great, great event on April 30th. If you have not registered for the Culture Engagement Summit in Memphis, Tennessee, go to CitizensForAmericaFoundation.com today.

That's CitizensForAmericaFoundation.com. And register today to attend the 2022 Culture Engagement Summit. It's going to be incredible. Well, we've been talking about end time prophecy. Are we living in the end times? And, again, I want to be clear that nobody knows for sure when Jesus is going to return again. But if you look at Bible prophecy and huge portions of the Bible screen that Jesus could be returning at any time, because a prophecy is basically a prediction of something that will happen in the future, and when you look at those predictions, everything that's supposed to happen in order for Jesus to come and rapture the church and take the church away from this earth has taken place. So really, Jesus could come at any time, or He might not come for 10,000 years. We don't know, but we need to be living our life with an urgency, because Jesus could return at any time. The Bible tells us that towards the end times, it's going to be kind of like the birth pains of a woman, where things are going to start happening in rapid succession.

And, goodness, look at the things that have happened and how our country and our world has changed so much, just even in the last few years. When we start talking about end times events, we talked about the signs that Jesus could rapture the church at any minute, and we've talked about the difference between the rapture and the second coming. So today, I want to shift gears a little bit and talk about the tribulation. First, we're going to talk about what's going to happen during the tribulation.

Again, let me tell you that the tribulation is a period of time described in the Bible as a seven-year period of time. That seven-year clock will begin when a peace treaty is signed with the nation of Israel. And that's why so many people are looking at this Ukrainian situation. Again, I'm not saying that this has anything to do with the tribulation or with Jesus' return, but there are some people across the world today that see Russia coming into Ukraine and think that if they're not stopped, they'll continue their way down towards Israel.

Because there's scripture that we'll talk about again in more detail in a little while that describes how an attack will come from a country in the north. Again, a lot of scholars think that's Russia that will come against Israel. Because of the pressures going on at that time, a seven-year peace treaty will be broken in three and a half years. But a peace treaty will be signed with Israel. And then when that peace treaty is signed, you better look out and be ready, because the rapture is imminent at that point if you believe in a pre-tribulation rapture. But either way, the signing of the peace treaty with Israel will kick off a period of time that the Bible refers to as a tribulation. It's a seven-year period, and at the end of that seven-year period, now that's when you're going to know to be ready for the second coming of Jesus, when Jesus will literally return to the earth.

Not just to catch people up in the air, but the return to the earth. The tribulation is divided into two three and a half year periods. The first three and a half year period is going to be very, very bad.

But the second three and a half is going to be unimaginable. And I believe, as I've told you before, in a pre-tribulation rapture, one reason I believe in that is God has always delivered his people from a time of great torture on this earth. And the earth has never seen anything like what we're going to see. So we're going to talk about the tribulation, and then we're going to talk about some of the major players of the tribulation, the two prophets that are talked about in the Bible.

Who are they? What's the antichrist? Who are the 144,000 witnesses and so much more? So what is the tribulation? When will it begin? When will it end? Who will experience the horrors of the tribulation?

And why is it going to occur? Well, these are all great questions. We're going to talk about the Christian perspective today, and they are questions which every Christian should know the answers. Y'all, if you're studying the Bible, a huge portion of the Bible talks about Jesus' return and the prophecy of what's going to happen in end time days. And we as Christians need to get in God's word. We need to know what we believe and why we believe it. Matthew 24 verse 1 says, For then shall the great tribulation, such was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor shall ever be.

Remember what I told you? I do not believe that Christians will be here during the tribulation, and I've told you why. Revelation 3 10 promises that God will keep His church from the wrath to come.

What does it say? Revelation 3 10 says, Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation. I believe that our temptation is the tribulation.

The Bible goes on to say, We shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth. I think the Bible clearly teaches that the tribulation will be a seven-year period of time. It's going to be unlike any time ever previously experienced in the history of the world. It's going to be worse if you studied history.

You know that right after, not long after Jesus died, that Jerusalem was destroyed around 70 A.D. and more than a million people were killed at that time. This is going to be worse than that time. More people would die during the tribulation than when the Black Plague ravaged Europe and killed more than 9 million people. It's going to be worse than COVID was.

It will be worse than World War I, where more than 20 million people were killed, and World War II, where nearly 50 million people were killed. It's going to be a terrible, terrible time of suffering, and I want to tell you, you do not want to be here when that happens. As we've already seen, much of the Bible is prophetic in nature, but more time is given in the Bible to discuss the tribulation than any other prophetic event.

Did you know that? So, a majority of Christians don't have a clue really what the tribulation is, and particularly non-Christians do, or what's going to happen during that time, but more of the Bible is dedicated to the tribulation than any other prophetic event. It's important for us to know what the Bible says and why the Bible says it on anything, but particularly the important end-time events and what's going to happen during that time, and particularly during this time that we call the tribulation.

In the Bible, the tribulation is referred to, so if you hear these terms, it's talking about the tribulation. One of the terms that the Bible talks about is the time of Jacob's trouble. Remember, Abraham was a founding father of various religions, and Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was Isaac's son, the grandson of Abraham, and this time is called the time of Jacob's trouble.

Why is that? Because that's really referring to Israel. Israel comes from Jacob and the Israel of nation, and God is trying to get the attention of His people. The Israelites, the people of Israel, are God's chosen people, and the tribulation is going to be centering on getting their attention. So it's known as the time of Jacob's trouble. It's also called the tribulation.

It's called the day of the Lord, the wrath of God, and the wrath of the Lamb. If you hear any of these terms, these terms are referring to that seven-year period of time in the Bible that is called the tribulation. You know the tribulation is mentioned by the prophets in the Bible 39 times.

So if something's mentioned once in the Bible, it should be important and gather our attention. But if it's specifically discussed 39 times in the Bible, then we as Christians need to understand the tribulation, know what it is, what to expect, and be prepared so we are not here, so we have been raptured by Jesus Christ and not here when this happens. So what is the tribulation?

The tribulation is a seven-year period of time when God is going to discipline Israel and finalize His judgment of the unbelieving. God's trying to get our attention. God wants us to spend an eternity in heaven one day, and we have rejected, rejected, rejected, and particularly the nation of Israel has rejected Him. Jews have rejected Him.

God wants His chosen people, the Jews, the people of Israel, to turn to Him. And this period of time, this seven-year period of time, it's going to affect the entire world. And it's really going to be a time of focus to try to get the Jewish people to turn back to God. Today we're talking about the tribulation.

We'll come back. We're going to really jump into it. Who's going to go through the tribulation? Can you get saved in tribulation? What are the plagues of the tribulation? We're going to talk about all this and more.

Stick around. We'll be right back with more of The Christian Perspective. Or the causes you care about. See firsthand where the events of the Bible took place. Touring Israel with Dr. Chris Hughes is a travel odyssey like no other.

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I'd like to invite you to tune in to Equipped to Be and visit ConnieAlbers.com where I share useful tips and proven strategies to help you navigate the seasons of motherhood, faith, and life with confidence and joy. History was made on today's date. Stay tuned for an American Minute with Bill Federer. The Indians of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania had been ministered to by colonial missionary David Brainard, born this day, April 20th, 1718.

With his interpreter, he rode horseback along the Susquehanna and Delaware Rivers camping at night. David contracted tuberculosis and was nursed at the home of Princeton University President Jonathan Edwards and died at the age of 29. In his diary, which has inspired millions, David Brainard wrote, Oh, how precious is time and how it pains me to see it slide away while I do so little to any good purpose. Oh, that God would make me more fruitful. This has been an American Minute with Bill Federer.

For a free transcript, call American Minute at 1-888-USA-WORD. Welcome back to the Christian Perspectives, Chris Hughes. We're talking about Bible prophecy.

It's an important topic. A large portion of the Bible discusses Bible prophecy. And today we want to talk about the Tribulation. What is the Tribulation? Before the break, we were talking about how the Tribulation is a seven-year period of time where God is really going to focus attention on unbelievers and specifically focuses attention on the people of Israel to try to get them to turn back to God and to turn from their wicked ways to accept Jesus Christ as a true Messiah and get their attention. So who's going to be in the Tribulation? Well, again, I've told you that my theory, and I've talked about this more on the show, on previous shows, is that I believe in a pre-Tribulation rapture. In other words, I believe that Jesus will take his followers away from this earth before the Tribulation. Either way, whether you believe that Jesus takes us away before the Tribulation, the middle of the Tribulation, or after the Tribulation, we need to live our lives with urgency because Jesus could return at any time. A lot of people ask, will Christians go through the Tribulation? And I believe, as I just said, no, that those who've asked Jesus to forgive their sins, to change their lives, and promise to serve him for the rest of their lives will be raptured prior to the Tribulation.

Now, what did I just describe? If you're listening to this show today and you don't know for sure if you died today, you'd go to heaven, or Jesus returned today, that you'll go to heaven. It's a simple process, and it's so simple people don't think it's even real. Listen, I hear people all the time say, well, do you think I'm good enough to go to heaven? No, none of us are good enough to go to heaven. Sin separates us from God. The Bible tells us that all of sin calls short of the glory of God. The Bible tells us in Romans 6, 23 that the wages of sin are death. In other words, because we've sinned and sin separated us from God, we deserve to die and spend an eternity in hell one day.

So the only saving grace is John 3.16, God tells us for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. The only way for us to have an eternity with God in heaven one day is to ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins, to change our lives, and promise to serve him for the rest of our lives. If we do that, then the Bible tells us that one day, either when we die or when Jesus comes again, that we will spend an eternity in heaven one day. These bodies that we live in are an earthly vessel and they're only going to live for a lucky 70, 80 years and some people a little bit longer. But the Bible tells us that we have a soul that lives within us, a spirit.

That spirit we live throughout all of eternity. And the decisions that we make in this life affect whether that soul will either spend an eternity in a place of eternal damnation called hell or a place called heaven in the presence of God Almighty and Jesus Christ. You might say, well, Chris, I don't believe in hell.

Well, let me offend you. Whether you believe it or not does not matter because it's still real and if you don't believe in it, you're going there. I don't want you to spend an eternity in hell, I want you to dedicate your life to Jesus Christ and I do not want you to have to go through the tribulation. The Bible clearly tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4 verses 13 through 18 and 1 Corinthians 15 verses 51 through 53 that God's people will be removed, I believe, prior to the tribulation. God's always removed his people from a time of great wrath, whether it be Lot. Remember when Lot and his family lived in Sodom and Gomorrah and God gave them the opportunity to leave before he destroyed that area?

And then remember in the time of Noah when God told Noah to build an ark because very few people just know when his family were the ones that were serving God. The world had gotten so wicked at that time, but God delivered them from the flood that destroyed the entire world. 1 Thessalonians 5, 9 is clear that God will remove his people from the time of wrath that is to come. And that time of wrath that they're talking about there is a period of time that is called the tribulation.

So what are the other names for the tribulation? We've covered some of these and I'm going to go fast here, I'm not going to read all these scriptures, but I'll tell you where you can look them up and find what I'm saying is true. Again, don't ever trust me or any man or woman who says something. You need to be grounded in the word of God. And it's not important what my opinions and I share with you when it's an opinion versus what the Bible says.

But it's not important what Chris Hughes thinks. What's important is what the word of God says. The Bible is the inerrant, which means there are no errors in it. It is the holy scriptures. It is the word of God. It is infallible.

There are no mistakes. And we as Christians need to believe the entire word of God. There are a lot of so-called preachers in the world today that are telling people, well, the whole Bible is not true or Jesus didn't create. God didn't create the heavens and the earth.

There was some big bang or all the other nonsense that some of these liberal preachers are spewing. You don't need to listen to that nonsense. The best way to read the Bible is to interpret it as it is written. And in most cases you can do that.

And when that is the case, you need to just take it for what it says. Now you can't just pick a verse here or there of how it's going to be written or what it's going to say. But you need to get in the word of God, understand the context, and then study history a little bit and understand the context of what was going on at that time.

Because sometimes customs at that time are different than customs in our day and age. And we may not understand why the Bible says something that it says. So we need to not just read a verse here or there, but read the entire passage of Scripture to understand what's going on and then understand the context of what is being presented in the Scripture when we read it. So where is the tribulation referred to?

I'm going to give you some of the examples. Remember I told you it's mentioned all throughout the Bible and the tribulation is the most discussed prophetic event in the Bible. So the day of the Lord is mentioned in Isaiah chapter 2 verse 12, in Isaiah 39 verses 6 and 9, in Joel chapter 1 verse 15, in Joel chapter 2 verse 21 verse 11 and 31, Joel chapter 3 verse 14, and in 1 Thessalonians 5 too. Again, I'm going to be rattling off a lot of verses here. I'm not going to read them because I don't have time.

But you can go back. This show will be released later today on the podcast. Anywhere you get your podcast, whether it's from our network, the Truth Network, or Apple Podcast or Spotify or Google or wherever it may be, you can go back and listen to this. And certainly on the Truth Network, we have a transcript so you'll be able to see all of these verses listed out. It's also called trouble or tribulation in Deuteronomy chapter 4 verse 30 and in Zephaniah chapter 1 verse 1. It's called the great tribulation. The great tribulation, by the way, if you remember from a previous show, is the second half of the seven year period. So the entire seven year period is called the tribulation. The second three and a half years of that seven year period is referred to as the great tribulation.

And that's going to be the most intense period of time that the world has ever seen. And that's referenced in Matthew chapter 24 verse 21. That's Matthew chapter 24 verse 21, where you can learn about the time of the great tribulation, which is the second half of the seven year period of tribulation. It's called the time or day of trouble in Daniel chapter 12 verse 1. Time or day of trouble in Daniel chapter 12 verse 1 and in Zephaniah chapter 1 verse 15. It's called the time of Jacob's trouble. Remember Jacob's trouble?

Jacob is a reference to Israel because Israel descended from Jacob and God is trying to get the attention of Israel specifically during that time. So it's called the time of Jacob's trouble in Jeremiah chapter 30 verse 7. It's called the day of vengeance of God, the day of the vengeance of God in Isaiah 34-8 and Isaiah 63 verses 1-6, where God is going to begin to take his vengeance against sin because God cannot stand sin and sin separates us from God. It's called the 70th week of Daniel in Daniel chapter 9 verses 24-27, where Daniel just thousands of years ago described in great detail what's going to happen during the period of time called the tribulation. It's called the time of the end in Daniel chapter 12 verse 9 and the great day of his wrath in Revelation 6-12. It's called the hour of his judgment because remember God is judging sin in Revelation chapter 14 verse 7. It's called the end of the world which many people think that we're approaching right now. The end of the world is referred to in Matthew chapter 14 verses 40 and verse 49.

It's called the indignation in Isaiah chapter 26 verse 20 and in Isaiah chapter 34 verse 2. In Daniel chapter 9 verse 27 the tribulation is referred to as the desolation of abomination. And in Daniel chapter 12 verse 1 it's called the time of troubles as never before.

Now I've listed these so you'll have an idea of some of the places throughout the Bible where God refers to this end-time event that we call the tribulation, the seven-year period of time of terrible things that are going to go on during the tribulation. One of the reasons that I love to study Bible prophecy is because God's Word is always true. And God's Word, when I say God's Word I'm talking about the Bible, is also always accurate. So don't listen to liberal preachers who don't believe in the literacy of Scripture or the sufficiency of Scripture. When you study every prophecy given in the Bible every one of them came true as God said it would come.

God's Word is always true and it's always accurate. Our understanding of the tribulation comes from Daniel chapter 9 verses 24 through 27 where as I mentioned a while ago the prophet Daniel talks about something called the 70 weeks. Daniel chapter 9 verse 24 talks about a period of time that God has given and here's what the Scripture says to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make an atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place. I love what that verse says because it says it's going to bring an end to sin. And when Jesus finally comes in the second coming and after the millennial kingdom that's where there will never be sin on this earth again and I can't wait for that day where we'll live in perfect army with Jesus Christ, with God, the Holy Spirit. He's going to make an atonement for iniquity and He's going to bring in everlasting righteousness. That's going to be a great day and that's a hope of all Christians to look forward to that day when Jesus will do those things. When we're talking about the tribulation today we're going to take a break and we're going to come back and start to look at what exactly is the tribulation and what's going to happen during that time.

Stick around, we'll be right back. The United States of America has a strong Christian heritage but most Americans don't know the truly important role that God in the Bible played in the founding of this great nation. This Jew joined nationally syndicated radio host and founder of the Citizens for America Foundation Dr. Chris Hughes for four amazing days in our nation's capital. With Chris you'll embark on a journey of discovering the hidden secrets of Washington D.C. and rediscover much of America's forgotten Christian heritage. Your tour will include an up close and personal look at the nation's establishment and how it's evolved over the centuries. Learn about the government and the men who helped forge this new kind of republic. One that acknowledged the creator from its very inception. Know the truth about the creation of the United States of America.

About the faith of the founding fathers and how Christian principles were used to establish this form of government. Visit citizensforamericafoundation.com today and secure your spot to join Chris Hughes in Washington D.C. this June. This show is brought to you by Generous Joe's. The coffee company with the Christian perspective. This is the answer that Christians and conservatives have been looking for. A coffee company that gives back to causes you care about.

Order your coffee today at shopgenerousjoes.org and even subscribe to a subscription coffee plan and never forget the coffee you love or the causes you care about. The Conservative Baptist Network is a dynamic movement of Southern Baptist pastors, churches and Christians committed to standing for the sufficiency of God's Word in the face of a culture of compromise. The passion and prayer of the Conservative Baptist Network is that God would help Southern Baptists stay bold for the gospel so that we might see revival in America and the world reached for Christ. Visit our website today at conservativebaptistnetwork.com to learn how you and your church can join and support this exciting movement. Welcome back to the Christian perspective.

This is Chris Hughes. You know, we're taking a few days here to talk about end time prophecy. And before we get back into where we were, I just want to kind of review again so you know what we've been talking about, where we're going if you're just joining the show. End time prophecy is so important because by understanding what the Bible says, and by the way, we should not be shocked as Christians. We're surprised sometimes with what's going on.

We shouldn't be. Because the Bible tells us that these things are going to happen. The Bible tells us that in the last days, so many different things that I'm going through and be describing here these few days on our radio show, that so many things are going to happen and that it becomes like a woman in labor is what the Bible tells us. Because you know when a woman's in labor, she starts to have birth pains.

They grow, increase in the severity of the pains and the frequency of how often those things happen. And that's exactly what we're seeing here. Whether we look at strange weather patterns that are happening across the world. You know, people talk about, used to it as global warming.

Now it's climate change because it's not just warming, it's cooling. Things are changing continuously. There are a lot of very powerful hurricanes and tornadoes and tsunamis and tidal waves all across the world.

Even though we don't necessarily feel it in the United States yet, there's famine more so than ever before all across the world. So all these different things are happening and they're increasing in frequency. And we don't need to be alarmed because if we read God's word, if you read the book of Revelation, which is the last book of the Bible in the New Testament, or Ezekiel and Daniel in the Old Testament, and other books, many other books, about a third of the Bible is dedicated to different prophecy. And the Bible tells us what's going to happen in these times. And so we as Christians just need to realize, not get scared or crazy, but realize this is what God told us would happen. And part of what we need to do as Christians is live our lives with a sense of urgency. We need to understand that Jesus is coming very soon. And if we're going to live our lives with a sense of urgency, then one of the things that we're going to do is we're going to spend a lot more time in prayer.

Because prayer prepares us for what God wants us to do to be his vessels. And then the next and really the most important thing that we need to do is we need to tell everybody we know about Jesus Christ. So if you claim that you're a Bible-believing Christian, if you believe that Jesus Christ came to this earth, he lived a sinless life, he died on the cross, and he rose again from the grave, and we just a few days ago celebrated Easter. If you believe in those things, then you also will believe that Jesus is coming again, as he said he would.

And so that means we need to have our lives prepared and ready, and we need to tell everybody we know that Jesus is coming again. Because these bodies are just an earthly vessel. If you're lucky, you might live 70 to 90 years if God's graced you at that time of life. But there's a spirit inside this body, a soul. The Bible tells us it's going to live for all of eternity. And the decisions that we make on this earth determine whether that soul spends an eternity in a place called hell or an eternity in a place called heaven in God's presence. Now, a lot of people don't believe in hell today, and you've heard me say this before, it's offensive to people. You might not believe in it, but that means you're going there. It's still real whether you believe it or not, and if you don't believe in it, you're going to spend an eternity there. Hell is a terrible place of torture and damnation and pain. Very few preachers talk about hell today, but I'm telling you that hell is a very real place. I don't want to go there, and I don't want anybody that I know to go there. I don't even want my enemies to go there. And that's why I've committed my life to telling other people about Jesus Christ.

I want to encourage you to do the same. A lot of people have never even heard Jesus. I was, and I know I'm getting kind of off the Bible prophecy here for a few minutes, but just a little over a week ago on the Tucker Carlson show on Fox News, or excuse me, it wasn't Tucker Carlson.

It was a Jesse Watters show. They went out and they interviewed people on the street about the holiday that was coming up. That holiday was Easter, and a lot of people didn't know that Easter was coming, and even those that did didn't even know what Easter was.

Easter is the celebration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ's resurrection from the grave, and that is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. And it's sad that not many people know today. They don't know because we as Christians are not telling them, and because we don't have the urgency to tell other people about Jesus Christ, that they're going to spend an eternity in hell one day because we don't have an urgency to tell others about Jesus. So I want to just challenge you as a Christian. We have got to, if we believe it, if we believe it, we've got to act it out, not just verbally. We have to live our lives in a way where we're sharing Jesus Christ with everybody that we come in contact with. So I'm going to kind of review here what's happening here and then get in more detail in the tribulation. Remember, we began this process by talking about the importance of end-time prophecy.

It's important for Christians to understand what's going on, and again, as I just shared, it's because we need to live our lives with an urgency and understand that Jesus is coming again. About 2,000 years ago, after Jesus died on the cross and rose again, he was on the earth for 40 days. Many, many people saw him.

On one occasion, there were over 500 people that saw him, and there are 13 references in the Bible in the New Testament of when Jesus, and he probably revealed himself more than that, but there are 13 instances in the New Testament that are documented of when people saw Jesus from the time of his crucifixion and resurrection to the time that he ascended into heaven. And then when he ascended, that is called the ascension that took place on the Mount of Oz, where Jesus ascended into heaven to be with God again. And he told us in his word that he will be returning again one day, and that's what the church has been waiting for, is the return of Jesus Christ. Now, there's a term that we use to describe that that is called the rapture. Now, some people want to get high and mighty and say, well, the word rapture is not in the Bible.

Well, you know what? None of the English words that we use today were in the Bible at that time. But Thessalonians talks about a snatching away, a taking away, and the Greek term for that was harpazo, and that's where we get our word rapture today, which means a taking away or a snatching away. At some point in the future, and when you look at Bible prophecy where it describes what could happen before Jesus returns, by the way, every single thing that the Bible said would have to happen prior to the tribulation, except for one thing, has happened prior to the tribulation. So that tells us that Jesus could return at any time, and his return is imminent, and we need to live our lives as if it is imminent. Now, that taking away, as I was mentioning just a second ago, is referred to as the rapture. There are different theories on the rapture. Some people believe that the rapture will take place before the tribulation, some people believe it will take place in the middle, that's called a mid-trib view, some people believe that it will take place at the end of the tribulation, some people don't believe that there will be a rapture at all. There are other theories as well, but those are the main theories of the rapture. And so the rapture is a phase where Jesus will come in the clouds of heaven, and the Bible says those who are dead in Christ shall rise first, and those who are alive and remain that believe in him shall be caught up in the air. So in other words, God is going to have an anointed time where he's going to send Jesus in the clouds to call away all believers in Jesus Christ, all followers of Christ, or what we call Christians today. So the second coming of Jesus is a two-phase event. The first phase is a rapture where Christians are taken away into the sky, and that's the rapture, and at some point after the rapture will begin a seven-year period of time that we call the tribulation. That seven-year period of time will begin with a peace treaty being signed with Israel. The Bible talks about it, and we're going to cover this in greater detail.

I'm just kind of doing a quick overview of this segment real quick. The Bible talks about there will be a time, a seven-year period of time, that is going to be a very bad time on this earth. The first three and a half years are going to be really bad, but the second three and a half are going to be what the Bible refers to as the Great Tribulation.

It will be a terrible, terrible period of time. But that will begin, so if you want to know, and the Bible is telling us exactly, if you want to know exactly when the tribulation will begin, it will begin when a peace treaty is signed with Israel. So at some point we know between now and that time that somebody is going to have to invade Israel. The Bible talks about armies from the north, and a lot of people believe that those armies from the north are Russia and some of their Islamic allies in the Middle East.

That's why so many people were concerned, or still are concerned, with Russia's invasion into Ukraine. If Russia captures Ukraine, many people believe, and I don't know if they will or not, but many people believe that they'll plow through Ukraine, and they'll keep heading their way towards Israel, and at some point there will be an attack on Israel. Because of what will happen at that time, there's going to be a need for a peace treaty to stop them, and a peace treaty will be signed. That will begin the seven-year period of time tribulation, and we're talking about in more detail in just a minute of all the things that are happening, and will be happening during the tribulation. The Bible tells us that three and a half years into that tribulation period, three and a half years into the seven-year period, the Antichrist is going to go to Jerusalem, and he is going to desecrate the temple in Jerusalem, and put a statue of himself up, and demand that everybody in the world worship that statue. So what does that tell us? That tells us that there will be another temple built on the Temple Mount.

Well, that can't happen right now. I don't know if you've studied Israel or ever been there, but there are two Islamic mosques that are on the old area that we refer to as the Temple Mount, the area where the old temple used to be. In order for a new temple to be built there, those mosques have to be taken down. I believe that whenever that happens, that's what's going to cause this great war, where a peace treaty will have to be signed, because there are millions of Muslims in the world, and they are not going to be very happy about those mosques being taken down.

The Dome of the Rock is the third most holy place in all the Islamic religion, and they're not going to take it lightly when that happens. So the Antichrist, three and a half years, is going to come into this new temple, and he is going to build a statue to himself, and then things are really, really going to get bad for the next three and a half years. By the end of that three and a half year period, the Bible tells us that Jesus will return again. It's different, remember, we've talked about this already, from the rapture, because the rapture is where Jesus takes his Christians away from this earth, and they meet him in the air. He does not come and stab his foot on the ground, but when he comes back in the second coming, at the end of the tribulation period, that seven year period, the Bible tells us that he is going to step his foot down on the Mount of Olives, which is where he left before. So he's coming back from the place that he left, where there's going to be an earthquake, and the Mount of Olives is going to split, and Jesus and his armies. So in the first phase, we go up to heaven, in the second coming, we return to heaven with Jesus. So I want you to stick around, we're going to be right back, we're getting into more detail. This week we're talking about end time prophecy, and what's going to happen when Jesus comes again. Y'all stick around, we'll be right back with more of The Christian Perspective with Chris Hughes. or connect with Diggs Design on social media.

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Order your coffee today at shopgenerousjoes.org, and even subscribe to a subscription coffee plan, so you never forget the coffee you love, causes you care about. You navigate the seasons of motherhood, faith, and life with confidence and joy. The United States of America has a strong Christian heritage, but most Americans don't know the truly important role that God in the Bible played in the founding of this great nation. This June, join nationally syndicated radio host and founder of the Citizens for America Foundation, Dr. Chris Hughes, for four amazing days in our nation's capital. With Chris, you'll embark on a journey of discovering the hidden secrets of Washington DC, and rediscover much of America's forgotten Christian heritage. Your tour will include an up-close-and-personal look at the nation's establishment and how it's evolved over the centuries. Learn about the government and the men who helped forge this new kind of republic, one that acknowledged the Creator from its very inception. Know the truth about the creation of the United States of America, about the faith of the founding fathers, and how Christian principles were used to establish this form of government. Visit citizensforamericafoundation.com today and secure your spot to join Chris Hughes in Washington DC this June. Welcome back to The Christian Perspective.

This is Chris Hughes. We're talking today about end-time prophecy and specifically what's going to happen during that period of time that's referred to as the tribulation in the Bible. In the book of Daniel, God says that He will fulfill all these things in 70 weeks. When Daniel's referring to a week, it's not a seven-day week as we know it.

The Hebrew word is heptad, which is translated as a week in Daniel chapter 9 verses 24 through 27. Literally that means seven, and 70 weeks literally means 77 or 70 times seven. Seventy times seven is 490. God's referring to 490 years, which is confirmed in Daniel chapter 9.

Look at chapter 9 verse 24 that we talked about a while ago. So in other words, 70 times seven is 490 years. Sixty-nine times seven is 483 years. Both the Hebrews and the Babylonian Jews a 360-day calendar, which is different from the calendar that we use today.

Now I know this has kind of got to get a little confusing here, so stick with me the best that you can as we go through this process. There are exactly 483 years from the time of Israel's captivity until Jesus' crucifixion. Remember I mentioned a while ago 69 times seven is 483. So there are exactly 483 years from the time of Israel's captivity until Jesus' crucifixion. 483 years times 360 days equals 173,880 days.

The Persian emperor Artaxes Longinimus, who ruled Persia from 646 B.C. until 424 B.C., issued an edict to rebuild Jerusalem on the set of something called Nisan in the 20th year of his reign, which is roughly March 5th, 444 B.C. 173,880 days later is March 30th, 33 A.D. That is a significant date as people celebrate Easter.

So here's a map. March 5th, 444 B.C. to March 5th, 33 A.D. equals 476 years because 1 B.C. to 1 A.D. is one year.

There's no zero year. 376 times 3.65 days on length, which is a modern year, equals 173,855 days until March 5th. There are 25 days until March 30th, 33 A.D., which is exactly five days before the Passover on April 3rd, 33 A.D. So what happened exactly five days before the Passover that year? Go to your Bible and read John chapter 12, verse 1 and see what it says. March 30th was the triumphal entry, the day upon which Jesus presented himself to the nation of Israel as their Messiah.

It was the first time in his entire ministry that Jesus allowed himself to be publicly proclaimed as the Messiah. God's Word is always accurate. Daniel predicted through the Holy Spirit's guidance the very day of Jesus' death, more than 600 years before it occurred. That's why I'm telling you we need to trust God's Word.

It is always true. And that leaves the seven years of judgment to be fulfilled. Those seven years are the tribulation. So what's going to happen during that time? There are going to be seal judgment, trumpet judgments, and what the Bible calls bowl judgments.

What do those mean? The tribulation was comprised of many torments and plagues, and it will be much worse than what happened when Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt. The Bible tells us that there will be seven seal judgments, seven trumpet judgments, and seven bowl judgments. Each of these three sets of judgments are different series of judgments from God, and each judgment will get progressively worse as we go through that and more devastating as the time progresses. The seven seal judgments will bring in the seven trumpet judgments, and the seven trumpet judgments will bring in the seven bowl judgments.

And those will lead to the second coming, not the rapture, but the second coming of Jesus, when Jesus will actually return to earth and set up his millennial kingdom. So what are the seven seal judgments? The seven seal judgments are found in Revelation chapter 6, verses 1 through 17, and Revelation chapter 8, verses 1 through 5. The first four seal judgments are commonly known as the four horsemen of the apocalypse.

And again, I'm not talking about wrestling and Rick Flair, but the original four horsemen from the Word of God. The first seal, which is also the first horsemen of the apocalypse, introduces the antichrist in Revelation chapter 6. The antichrist is the false imitator of the true Christ, and he will be given great authority and will attempt to conquer all those who oppose him. The second seal, which is the second horsemen of the apocalypse, will cause great warfare. And you can read about that in Revelation chapter 6, verses 3 and 4. The third seal and fourth horsemen of the apocalypse causes famine in Revelation chapter 6, verses 5 through 6. The famines could also be a result of the great wars that will take place all over the world, because there's going to be wars going on at that time for the second horsemen. The fourth seal brings about the fourth horsemen of the apocalypse and plagues and further famine and even more warfare. And you can read about that in Revelation chapter 6, verses 7 and 8.

The fourth horseman is symbolic of death and devastation, and from the plagues and the famine and terrible disease, these things are going to spread all over the world. And I want to tell you that as bad as the four horsemen are, they're just a precursor for even worse judgments that are going to come during the tribulation. The fifth seal tells us in Revelation 6, verses 9 through 11, that Christians will be martyred for their faith. For anyone who doubts that people can get saved during the tribulation, this passage clears up that issue. Christians cannot be killed for their faith if they don't follow Jesus. So do you understand what I'm saying here? I believe in the rapture of the church before the tribulation.

I'm explaining to you why. Some people ask the question, can people still get saved? I want to tell you, that's not a reason to not get saved now, because you don't want to go through what's going to go on during that time. But I do believe that the Bible is clear that people will get saved during the time of tribulation, because it talks about people being beheaded because they're Christians. So if the church has been raptured away, how can there be Christians here?

Clearly because people get saved during that time. The sixth seal brings a devastating earthquake, which will cause a massive upheaval and terrible devastation around the world. Revelation chapter 6 verses 12 through 14 describes some type of astronomical phenomena that will also occur during the sixth seal. It will be so bad, Revelation 6 verses 16 and 17 says, that people who survive will cry out. The Bible says they will say, fall on us and hide us from the face of him, meaning God, who sits on the throne from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand? Now let's talk about what are the seven trumpet judgments.

You know what? This is a terrible time, and we need to realize that we need to get our lives right with God. The seven trumpet judgments follow the seven seal judgments. They're found in Revelation chapter 8 verses 6 through 21, and Revelation 11 verses 15 through 19. The seven trumpets are the contents of the seventh seal, and that's described in Revelation chapter 8 verses 1 through 5.

Know I'm coming a lot, but go get the podcast and the transcripts, and you can look all this up. Revelation chapter 8 verse 7 tells us that the first trumpet will cause hail and fire. Hail is like giant giants, and not the little stuff we get, blocks of ice falling from the sky, and fire that will destroy much of the plant life on the world. The second trumpet brings what appears to be a meteor shower, described in Revelation 8 verses 8 and 9, which will hit the oceans and kill most of the world's sea life. The third trumpet of Revelation chapter 8 verses 10 through 11 is similar to the second trumpet, and during the third trumpet, most of the world's lakes, rivers, and fresh water will be destroyed. The fourth trumpet is found in Revelation chapter 8 verse 12, and it causes the sun and moon to be darkened, which could lead to great temperature and climate changes, and it won't be global warming, but a global cooling. Revelation chapter 9 verses 1 through 11 ushers in the fifth trumpet, which will be a plague of demonic locusts that attack and torture all of humanity, and the sixth trumpet releases a demonic army that will kill one third of humanity. Really, a lot of people have already been killed, but now one third of what's left will be killed, and that's described in Revelation chapter 9 verses 12 through 21. In Revelation 11, 15 through 19, and Revelation chapter 15 verses 1 through 8, the seventh trumpet calls for seven angels, and those seven angels are going to bring the seven bowls of God's wrath.

So we're going to continue this tomorrow. We've talked about the seven seal judgments, the seven trumpet judgments, where just large portions of all the population have been destroyed now during the tribulation. The oceans of the world and sea life have been destroyed, and fish and sea life are rotting, which brings in disease across the world. We just learned where all the fresh water is going to be damaged in the world, and people are going to be killed by these demonic locusts who enter the world. It is a terrible, terrible time, and we need to be ready and make sure that we are living our lives as we expect the return of Jesus Christ. Some people say, well, Chris, you're just trying to scare me into becoming a Christian.

You're exactly right. That should scare you to death, because it's going to be a terrible time, and you do not want to be here when the tribulation takes place. It's a terrible time of death and suffering, and God will have had enough. Just imagine, we see how bad society has gotten right now, and there are still Christians on this earth who are meeting and praying every day. That's the only thing that's really holding off the wrath of God and Satan from taking completely over.

Just imagine if Christians have been raptured, and the Christians are taken away from this earth, demons and Satan are going to take full control of what's going on on this earth at that time, and there will be nothing, no prayer covering to hold them back. It's going to be a terrible, terrible time of pain and suffering. Well, tomorrow we're going to talk more about this, and we're going to jump in to the seven bold judgments. I want you to be sure to come back tomorrow. This podcast, this show will be released in podcast format later today, and you can get that at the Truth Network, where we have our podcast.

There's a transcript of the show that's released with it, or you can certainly go to where you get your podcast, whether it's Spotify, Apple, or wherever you make it your podcast. So tune in here today, each and every day at your favorite radio station. Be sure to tell your friends about our show, and we'll look forward to seeing you tomorrow as we really jump into the seven bold judgments of the tribulation. Now let's go impact the culture for Jesus. Thank you for listening. The Christian Perspective with Chris Hughes. Learn more about impacting the culture for Jesus. Visit citizensforamericafoundation.com. This is the Truth Network.