Simple Keys to Understanding the Book of Revelation — Part 16
Most people who teach and write books to explain the events of the End Times teach that there will be a 7-year Tribulation.
That is not in the Bible.
Even though the number 7 characterizes the book of Revelation more than any other number, there is *never *a 7-year period mentioned in the entire book of Revelation. In this book, there are 7 thunders, 7 stars, 7 angels, 7 letters to 7 churches, 7 lampstands, 7 trumpets, 7 bowls, 7 Spirits of God, 7 plagues, 7 seals, but never, never a time period of 7 years.
There are many references to the length of the Great Tribulation in Revelation, but they always refer to a 3½-year period. That period of time is referred to in different ways: three and a half years, 42 months, 1,260 days, and times, time and a half a time. And every single one of these references speaks of the same period of time. They always refer to the Great Tribulation which Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24.
As my friend and former pastor pointed out in this book on p.17, at the end of each 3½-year time period that is mentioned in Revelation, the Tribulation is over and the millennial reign of Christ begins! This seems to further confirm that all of these references are speaking of the same period of time and that the Tribulation period is one of three and a half years, not seven.
This is also prophesied in the book of Daniel. This time period is the last half of Daniel’s 70th week that is described in Daniel 9:24-27. This is the Great Tribulation that immediately precedes the return of Christ to the Earth and His 1,000 year reign.
The myth of the 7-year time period for the Tribulation is based on a misinterpretation of Daniel 9:27:
“And he will confirm a 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 the one who makes desolate, until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, gushes forth on the one who makes desolate.” (NASB)
People who support this myth say that this verse declares that the Antichrist will make a 7-year (“one week”) covenant with Israel, but that interpretation falls apart when you take time to realize that the pronoun “he” in this verse is not speaking of the Antichrist at all! That pronoun can only be speaking of the Messiah in the previous verse. Also, the verse does not say that he will *make *a new covenant, but that he will confirm, or strengthen, an already existing covenant. Many versions of the Bible have mistranslated this word, but the original language is clear. The only One Who has an existing covenant to confirm with His people is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the One who “put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering” when he died on the cross as the ultimate sacrifice in the middle of Daniel’s 70th “week” of seven years.
What About the Temple Sacrifices?
The misinterpretation of Daniel 9:27 has also led to a belief that the Jewish temple sacrifices will be reinstituted as a prophetic sign that Daniel’s 70th week has begun. This all stems from a misunderstanding of the phrase “in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering.” This leads people to assume that the Jews will somehow reinstitute temple sacrifices, and then the Antichrist will force those sacrifices to stop. That misunderstanding has occurred because people incorrectly interpret “he” in that passage to be the Antichrist rather than the Messiah. “He” is the Messiah from the previous verse. Messiah has already put an end to the sacrifices and oblations with His death on the cross in the middle of the week, at the end of His 3½ year ministry, which corresponds to the first half of Daniel’s 70th week. That part of Daniel’s prophecy has already been fulfilled.
When you think about it, why would God want to restart the temple sacrifices as a prophetic sign to Israel? It would be as if God was nullifying everything that Jesus accomplished on the cross! When Jesus cried out “It is finished” on the cross, it was finished! No more temple sacrifices! He caused them to cease, just as it reads in Daniel 9:27. They serve absolutely no purpose any more, and God is certainly not going to honor any reinstitution of temple sacrifices as a prophetic sign! They would be a slap in His face! As if Jesus had never died!
The first half of Daniel’s 70th week was fulfilled by the 3½ year ministry of Jesus. That leaves 3½ years yet to be fulfilled. Those remaining 3½ years will be the Great Tribulation period.
Jesus acknowledged this in his declaration in the synagogue in Nazareth in Luke 4:18-21. In reading Isaiah’s prophecy from chapter 61:1-2, He declared, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” But He didn’t read the whole passage. He stopped in the middle of verse 2, before it reads, “the day of vengeance of our God.” That will be fulfilled in the second half of Daniel’s 70th week. Jesus had only come at that time to fulfill the first 3½ years.
When Christ was crucified in the middle of Daniel’s 70th week, the clock stopped, so to speak. The last 3½ years of Daniel’s 70th week correspond to the 3½ years of the Tribulation period. And I personally believe that, just as the first 3½ years were fulfilled by the greatest ministry the world had ever seen at that time, the last 3½ years will be fulfilled by the greatest ministry in the history of the world. The first 3½ years were fulfilled by Jesus. The last 3½ years will be fulfilled by the extraordinary ministry of the Overcomers and the End-Time Church. The first 3½ years were the ministry of Jesus. The last 3½ years will be the ministry of His Bride. These two 3½ periods of miraculous ministry will be like bookends at the beginning and the end of the Church age. The Church will finally fulfill John 14:12 and do the “greater works” that Jesus promised! Most people focus on the Great Tribulation as a time of judgment, and it will be that, but I believe that it will also be a time of great glory for the Lord and the Bride of Christ!
This is a very brief explanation, but you can find a more thorough explanation by downloading this book about the End-Time prophecy of Daniel.
You know, when you find the right interpretation, everything starts to fall into place. Everything will start to make sense. I believe that will be your experience as you read the book of Revelation with new insight that the Tribulation period is not 7 years, but 3½ years.
For a more detailed explanation of the events in the book of Revelation, I highly recommend this free book about the end-time harvest (PDF download), as well as this free book about the Daniel’s prophecy (PDF download), and this free book about Revelation prophecies (PDF download). These were all written by my friend and former pastor.