There is no precedent, nor any similar event in any era of human history. The devastation that mankind has experienced over centuries, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and wildfires, cannot be compared to this event. In terms of proportion and magnitude, the only thing we can compare it to is the flood in the days of Noah.
Some well-known leaders preach that the Great Tribulation is exclusively for the Israelites as a result of their rejection of the Messiah. Others say that this event will affect both the unbelievers and the lukewarm Christians equally.
Believing that the Great Tribulation is solely intended to punish the people of Israel shows the ignorance of many teachers, because Scripture says: “I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.” Romans 11:1. Gentiles have attained salvation through Israel’s disobedience, but this does not mean that God has rejected them. God does not have an “A plan” for Israelites and a “B plan” for Gentiles. The Lord has one plan for ALL humans, and He is not going to change it just because you and I think it is impossible for Israel to be converted!
Therefore, assuming that God will leave His people out of His plan and will only rapture the Gentile Christians so they won’t go through the Great Tribulation is a mistake. We must remember that Israel is not a spectator in the end-time events, but an active participant. Many become arrogant, believing that God has rejected them when Scripture says otherwise.
Paul, in Romans 11:25, says: “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.” Israel is spiritually blind; they cannot see their Messiah. However, this blindness has allowed millions of Gentiles to be saved. But in no way does this replace Israel. You may not see it now, but Israel will be saved. They will all receive Jesus as Lord and King of kings, and they will repent for turning their back on the Son of God.
The great day of Jehovah is coming very soon, and all will see it.
For centuries, God’s prophets have announced the great and terrible day of Jehovah. During this period of time, people will try to flee, but they will not be able to. Wherever they go, things will be happening, perhaps even worse… because the tribulation will reach the whole world; it will in no way be a local event. People will tremble with fear when they see the stars move out of their place and the sun darken. This devastation will be the culmination of centuries of warnings from God through His prophets.
The Great Tribulation has been prophesied for millennia. The prophet Isaiah preached about this terrible time 2,500 years ago. Isaiah 13:6-11 says:
“Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. Because of this, all hands will go limp, every heart will melt with fear. Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame. See, the day of the Lord is coming— a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger— to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light; the sun will be darkened at its rising, and the moon will not give its light. I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.”
This prophecy mentions the same thing Jesus said in Matthew 24, where He alludes to the great tribulation. In which the sun, moon, and stars will be shaken. Jesus said in Matthew 24:29, “Immediately after the distress of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”
Therefore, we can say that the Great Tribulation mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew 24 and the “Great and Terrible Day of Jehovah” in the Old Testament are the same. In short, the return of Jesus Christ is the Great and Terrible Day of Jehovah.
The prophets announced the magnitude of this event long before, as confirmed by the prophet Zephaniah in Zephaniah 1:2-3: “I will completely destroy everything from the face of the earth, declares the Lord. I will destroy both man and beast; I will destroy the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea, and the idols will be demolished, and all mankind will be destroyed, says the Lord.”
When Jesus Christ returns, the destruction will be total, because it will reach every corner of the earth. It won’t matter if it’s a small island in the middle of the ocean; the Great and Terrible Day of Jehovah will reach there too, when least expected, as Malachi 4:1 says: “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire, says the Lord Almighty. Not a root or a branch will be left to them.”
Knowledge can save us from destruction.
Ignorance of the prophecies about the last times will be paid dearly. The lack of knowledge, both for Christians and for the people of Israel, is synonymous with destruction, as Hosea 4:6 says: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” There is a saying: “If you go to war, it’s better to have a rifle and not use it than to need a rifle and not have it.” It is better to know the things that will happen someday, perhaps not today, or in a year, or maybe we won’t see it as the apostles did, but be sure they will happen. So we must listen to God’s warnings and ask Him to protect us and give us strength to endure.
The prophet Isaiah says in Isaiah 1:3-5: “The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand. Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him. Why should you be beaten anymore? Why do you persist in rebellion? Your whole head is injured, your whole heart is afflicted.”
The foolishness of the Israelites is an example of what we should not do; however, Christians are in the same condition. Nowadays, it is normal for Christians to justify sin with the excuse that we are all sinners. Some use 1 John 1:10 to say that we cannot stop sinning: “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his word is not in us.”
Many take a careless attitude toward sin. If they know someone is involved with their brother’s wife, they say, “Don’t judge him, because we are all sinners!” If the pastor is homosexual, they say, “Don’t criticize the anointed!” Or if he lies from the pulpit, they say, “He doesn’t mean it maliciously, he’s just exaggerating a little to make the sermon more engaging!”
In other words, for any situation, we have an excuse, without considering that the apostle John himself said: “The one who practices sin is of the devil; because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” 1 John 3:8
John was not contradicting himself, because when someone says they have not sinned, it refers to those who believe they have nothing to repent for, those who consider themselves righteous in their own eyes. However, John clearly said that whoever practices sin is a child of the devil because practicing sin is different from someone who sinned at a certain point, perhaps out of ignorance or rebellion, but who repents and does not return to sin.
We can see then that just like the people of Israel, Christians live in constant rebellion, provoking God’s wrath with our wickedness and justifications. God’s judgments always come because of man’s evil, but this time, God will come to destroy the wicked once and for all, just as He did in Noah’s time.
The word of God says in the book of the prophet Joel 2:11-13: “The Lord gives the command; and the camp is great, and strong is the one who executes His word; for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; who can endure it? Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity.”
God calls His people to repentance and warns them long before He sends His judgments, but instead of humbling themselves, the people react against His messengers, calling them crazy, fanatics, ignorant, and even heretics. The prophets of God were mistreated, humiliated, and many even lost their lives for pointing out the people’s wickedness. Amos 3:6-8 says: “When the trumpet sounds in the city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it? Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared— who will not fear? The Sovereign Lord has spoken— who can but prophesy?”
The Father does not desire harm for His children, which is why He sends “crazy” people like Amos to warn the people of what is going to happen. The people, instead of listening, close their ears, not realizing that they are not rejecting the prophet, but rejecting God. We, as the people of the Lord, still do not understand that His wrath is coming, and He will not spare the wicked, whether Christian or unbeliever, because the time for forgiveness is coming to an end, and the time of grace will soon finish.
We must take advantage of this short period of time before it is too late.
God’s mercy has prevented His judgments from reaching us immediately. Despite there being thousands of pornography shops in the world, and abortion being legal in many countries, His judgments have not reached us yet. Despite millions of Christians worshiping Mammon and other gods, God’s wrath has not reached them. Even though men are destroying the earth by polluting and poisoning it, and despite increasing violence, thefts, murders, and scams… God continues to be patient with all of us, the good and the bad. God’s love causes the sun to rise on both the righteous and the unrighteous. But God’s patience, though great, has a limit. He has been patient for millennia, but that will not prevent punishment from falling on all the sinners of the earth.
Jesus said that the last days will be like the days of Noah, when the wickedness was so great that God regretted creating man. He chose Noah to save his family and the animals to preserve His creation, and He will do the same when He returns. He will keep His chosen ones safe so they can survive that catastrophe.
We must understand that the Great Tribulation has not yet happened.
Many Christians believe that everyday afflictions and different world events are the Great Tribulation. Others think it happened over two thousand years ago, and others believe it will come after they are raptured. If the Great Tribulation had been an event in the past or present, not a single wicked person would be left on earth, because the purpose of the Great Tribulation is to destroy all the evil in the world, just as it happened in Noah’s time.
No event that has occurred to this day, no matter how catastrophic, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, or wildfires, can be compared to this event, which was prophesied hundreds of years before the first appearance of Jesus.
Scripture says that the second coming of Jesus will happen immediately after the Great Tribulation; obviously, it will be fulfilled in the future, since if it had occurred in the past, Jesus would already be present.
The prophet Joel also refers to the great and terrible day of Jehovah, saying: “Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; it is close at hand.” Joel 2:1. The day of the Lord will be a worldwide event, not just in Israel. Scripture says that all the inhabitants of the earth will be affected by this catastrophe. I must emphasize that the Great Tribulation has not yet occurred.
This will be a time of miracles and wonders like never seen before.
During this time, the supernatural powers of darkness will manifest like never before. They will perform miracles and wonders to deceive men, seducing them with doctrines of demons, as Jesus said in Matthew 24:24: “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
There will be demonic manifestations, such as UFO sightings, cryptic creatures, which are nothing more than demons, sea monsters, demonic possessions, plagues, and others. But there will also be an increase in teachers spreading heresies and doctrines of demons, of which we have many examples in everyday life. Search the internet and you will see false preachers dancing bachata on stage, nearly naked women “dancing” for God, churches of homosexuals, shameless thieves taking tithes from poor people, people laughing uncontrollably, running and jumping erratically, leaders having out-of-body experiences with demons, just to name a few examples.
Many signs indicate that we are in the last days.
We can compare the Great Tribulation to a pregnant woman, as she gets closer to the day of delivery, the pains become more intense and frequent, culminating on the day of childbirth. It is both painful and joyful for the mother because, after nine months of care and suffering, she can finally see her child. The prophets of old, and the apostles, waited for and desired to see what we are experiencing. One of these signs is the increase in science or knowledge, as predicted by Daniel. “But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.” Daniel 12:4. We can be sure that we are closer to seeing the return of Jesus than they were because science has grown exponentially since the 1950s, during what became known as the digital age.
Another sign is climate change. Global warming was a taboo subject a few years ago; now it has become a worldwide concern. Deserts are gaining ground, and extreme weather is more frequent, with very hot or extremely cold temperatures. Floods in desert areas like Qatar or Dubai, snowfall in the Sahara Desert, droughts in the Amazon—these are signs that the end times are approaching. Nature is changing, and many don’t even realize it. Wars and rumors of wars warn us that we are living in the time just before the Great Tribulation, called the beginning of sorrows.
The economy will be a global catastrophe.
Some of us, who are 60, 70, or older, have witnessed the breakdown of the world economy, perhaps on more than one occasion, and we can testify to the consequences this has brought. But what would happen if a calamity struck an entire country and all its cities were completely destroyed? What would happen if a drought affected the entire country, or the entire world, for three years? And I’m not referring to scarce rain, but to no rain at all. It’s impossible to visualize this scenario and the economic consequences it would bring.
During the time of Elijah, God shut the heavens so it wouldn’t rain for three and a half years over the entire land, causing a great famine, as stated in 1 Kings 17:13-14: “Elijah said to her, ‘Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”
As we can see in these verses, God cared for the prophet and the widow who hosted him. Similarly, the book of Revelation mentions a time of worldwide drought that will last for three and a half years, as stated in Revelation 11:6. This drought will result in a tremendous food crisis, and the global economy will sink into the worst financial crisis of all time.
One doesn’t need to be a scientist to calculate the terrible consequences of a worldwide drought. Imagine if it didn’t rain anywhere in the world for three and a half years! Crops would fail, animals would die of hunger, the world’s economies would collapse; the strongest countries could sustain themselves for a brief period, but they would not be able to face such a situation.
Diseases would spread, and nations would collapse. Oil reserves would be scarce, vehicles wouldn’t be able to operate, product prices would rise exponentially, gasoline would become a luxury that only a few could afford. Businesses would close because there would be no buyers for their products, and jobs would be extremely scarce.
I want to clarify that my intention is not to scare you, and I apologize if I am doing so. Rather, my intention is to warn you, so that you are aware through knowledge. Scripture says that the people perished for lack of knowledge, but now that you have it, ask the Lord that you and your family may be saved from the wrath of God, as Paul says in Romans 5:9.
I firmly believe that God will supernaturally protect His people, just as He protected them during their exodus from Egypt, and as He protected the prophet Elijah. God provided shade, water, and food for the people of Israel for 40 years. They couldn’t plant anything in the desert; they had nothing, yet God sustained them in the desert for decades. Likewise, God will care for His people during the Great Tribulation, which, by the way, will only last for three and a half years. In another study, I will explain why the Great Tribulation will last three and a half years and not seven, as many believe.
Another sign before the return of Jesus is that the heavens will be shaken.
Along with the financial crisis, celestial phenomena will cause consternation among people; these events will cause fear among the inhabitants of the earth, for they will see the heavens move, and the stars will fall to the earth, just as the book of Revelation 8:8 says: “The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood.”
When the word of God says that a mountain burning like a torch will fall to the earth, it is confirming what the prophets of the Old Testament said hundreds of years ago, and the same thing the writer of the book of Hebrews says in Hebrews 12:26: “At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, ‘Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’” I don’t know how you see it, but what John is describing is an enormous meteorite the size of a mountain.
Does it seem crazy to you? A few years ago, it was considered that the asteroid Apophis would impact the earth between 2029 and 2036; however, later observations have ruled out that possibility. At least for the next 100 years. This asteroid is 341 meters long, and if it were to impact the earth in the future, the devastation would be greater than 20,000 atomic bombs.
With this, I am not saying that this is the meteorite described in the Bible. First of all, because Scripture mentions a “mountain,” which is obviously bigger than 341 meters in diameter. The universe is vast, and some of the discoveries of these meteorites or comets were made by chance, sometimes even by amateurs. Despite having hundreds of telescopes pointed at the sky, there is no way to discover what God has hidden.
The difference between the intelligence and power of man, compared to the power and wisdom of God, is as great as the distance between His throne of grace and the earth that holds us. This became evident when the Creator asked Job: “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble, for the day of battle and war?” Job 38:22-23
God has reserved a great quantity of hail or meteorites, prepared for the day of judgment upon the nations. No one knows where they are hidden, much less the scientists. So, the mountain prepared by God for centuries will strike the earth, causing great devastation. It is difficult to imagine what an enormous meteorite could cause in a densely populated area. It would be impossible to calculate the material damage and the loss of lives resulting from it, not to mention the environmental repercussions. The only scientific reference we have to a similar event is the crater Chicxulub, located in the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico.
The crater has a diameter of approximately 180 to 200 kilometers, making it one of the largest known craters on Earth. It is estimated that the asteroid that caused it was between 10 to 15 kilometers in diameter. The impact of the asteroid that created the Chicxulub crater released an immense amount of energy, equivalent to billions of tons of TNT. This caused a series of global catastrophes such as: Giant Waves or Tsunamis, Global Fires, and the Blocking of Sunlight. According to scientists and their cratering impact models or impact simulation models, the dust, soot, and gases thrown into the atmosphere blocked sunlight for weeks or months, creating an “impact winter.” This decreased global temperatures and affected photosynthesis, collapsing the food chain both in the ocean and on land.
Scripture also mentions another phenomenon that will cause great consternation among men, which are the darkness that will cover the earth—Literally! This darkness is possibly caused by the asteroid that will fall, something similar to what happened with the asteroid that fell in Yucatán. However, there are other details we must consider.
Today, there could be some explanations regarding the darkness that will come. The more spiritual might say that it is something allegorical, not literal, but rather a very dark time for humans. Others might think that the earth will be covered in ashes due to some volcanic eruptions, preventing the sun’s rays from penetrating the atmosphere. Some might consider this prophecy to be an allusion to solar eclipses. However, these natural events, where the sun seemingly hides somewhere in the world for a few seconds or minutes, are not what the Word of God describes.
These events, such as eclipses, have occurred for thousands of years, every year. Eclipses are natural phenomena whose manifestations are already documented by science, and now we can know when and where they will occur. Therefore, we must rule out the possibility that volcanic eruptions or solar eclipses are the causes of the sun’s darkening, and even less, that they are spiritually dark times, because the Bible, from the Old Testament, speaks of the same thing. Let’s look:
“For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened at its rising, and the moon will not give its light.” Isaiah 13:10
“Before him the earth shakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine.” Joel 2:10
“But in those days, following that distress, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.” Mark 13:24
“I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red.” Revelation 6:12
Obviously, if the moon goes dark, it is because the sun is not producing light, since the moon has no light of its own, it only reflects the light from the sun. But… what could cause the sun to go dark? Does it seem impossible that this could happen?
Let me ask you something: Do you doubt when Scripture says that God made the light? In Genesis 1:3: “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”
Where does the natural light we receive come from? … From the sun, unquestionably. If the Lord said, “Let there be light,” and it was so, it is undeniable that God formed the sun in a single day. Impossible? For God, all things are possible!
The Almighty can create a star like the sun in a single day. Do you not think that if God said, “Let the light cease,” the sun would disappear? I’m just supposing! Although Scripture says in Revelation 22:5: “There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever.” Why would we need the sun if God will be our light?
During the Great Tribulation, plagues worse than those that affected the Egyptians will fall.
The book of Revelation mentions a very terrible plague, which is a hailstorm so large that men will blaspheme against God. Revelation 16:21 says: “And hailstones, about the size of a talent, fell from the sky on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.”
When Scripture mentions “men,” it refers to all men, as we will see later. It is also worth noting that this plague will be worldwide in scope, and its destruction is incalculable, since it involves huge hailstones. The talent has an equivalent weight of 75 pounds, meaning there will be a rain of meteorites or large sulfur balls falling from the sky.
The only reference to the scope of this destruction is the one we have in Sodom and Gomorrah. In those cities, the wrath of God was reflected in the rain of hail mixed with fire, which reduced them to ashes. Today, we can find remnants of those sulfur balls in the plains of Masada in Israel. In its surroundings, pure sulfur balls have been found, which do not even exist in natural sources such as volcanoes.
These cities were completely reduced to ashes because God made sulfur fall in the form of fireballs. “Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens.” Genesis 19:24
If you live in areas where hail sometimes falls, you know the damage caused by hail the size of a golf ball. Imagine what would happen if a great rain of 75 to 100-pound hailstones fell!
Now, you might ask, will God allow Christians to go through all this? Doesn’t God want the best for His children? How could He allow us to go through so much suffering? Others will say, all of this is a lie because I have been taught that we, the children of God, will be raptured before the Great Tribulation, so I won’t go through everything you mention in this study.
By the way, we have a study titled The Rapture or The Catching Away of the Church in case you want to know a bit more about how this event will happen and why the vast majority of Christians will not participate in it.
During the Exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt, there were two sides: the Israelites and the Egyptians. Some were saved and protected miraculously, while others suffered each of the plagues. The Egyptians went through that time of great tribulation, directly experiencing the plagues, and they were the only ones affected. Their drinking water turned to blood, they were filled with lice, frogs, and flies that tormented them, but these plagues affected only the Egyptians, not the Israelites.
Similarly, God will protect His people from every plague that will come upon the wicked of the earth. The men who do not know God will not be able to hide from the plagues described in the book of Revelation. These plagues will come upon the inhabitants of the earth, and just as in the past, their rebellion and unbelief will be made evident. The people of the world will not turn to God, but instead, they will blaspheme His name. As difficult as it may seem, many who are considered Christians today will also be affected. They are the tares that will be burned when Jesus returns for the second time, as Scripture declares.
Remember one thing, God’s judgment will begin with His house, 1 Peter 4:17, and as the book of Amos mentions in Amos 4:9-11: “I struck you with blight and mildew; when your gardens and vineyards, your fig trees and olive trees increased, the locusts devoured them. Yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord. “I sent plagues among you as I did to Egypt. I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. I made the stench of your camps rise up to your nostrils, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord. “I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
I know this prophecy refers to Israel, but how different are modern Christians from the people of Israel? In reality, there is not much difference because today people say that God is love, and that He cannot do such horrible things that will happen during the Great Tribulation.
Do not be mistaken! God is just, and precisely because of that, He has reserved this time to bring judgment upon the nations for all the centuries of wickedness and bloodshed. The wickedness of man has provoked God for millennia, and they believe that He will remain still forever. God’s judgments are reserved for that specific time. I don’t know when it will happen, but I wish I were not present, though it is not up to us.
The Great Tribulation has been announced for thousands of years, and yet, men do not believe it can happen. But when that day comes, there will be no place for repentance, as the prophet Ezekiel mentions in Ezekiel 7:6-9: “The end has come, the end has come! It has roused itself against you. See, it comes! The morning has come for you, O you who dwell in the land; the time has come, the day is near— a day of tumult, and not of joyful shouting, on the mountains. Now I will shortly pour out my wrath upon you, and accomplish my anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways, and I will bring upon you your abominations. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity; I will repay you according to your ways, and your abominations will be in your midst; then you will know that I am the Lord who strikes.”
Remember this: It is not Satan, the false prophet, or the beast who punishes: it is God. The judgments come from God, He is the one who will punish all men. The modern Christian thinks that it is Satan and the false prophet who will persecute the church, and therefore, they assume that they are the ones who will bring great calamity upon mankind.
Let me tell you something. Satan has always persecuted the church, I mean the true church, the true children of God. If there is no persecution now, it is because the church does not represent any danger to Satan; rather, they are his allies.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:6-8: “We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
If the powers of darkness had known that by persecuting and killing Jesus, salvation would come to all mankind, they would not have crucified Him! Satan was defeated with Jesus’ death, and likewise, Satan will not only be defeated again, but he will be imprisoned for a thousand years.
Neither the false prophet nor the beast will destroy the earth, it is God. He is the one who comes to destroy the wicked, He comes to imprison Satan and his angels so they cannot continue deceiving the inhabitants of the earth, as mentioned in Revelation 20:1-3: “I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.”
Satan, the beast, and the false prophet have their days numbered.
Now, we have given an overview of the catastrophes and the effects of the Great Tribulation. But Jesus warned on several occasions that we must watch out for false prophets; they will dress as messengers of God, when in reality, they serve Satan, whether they know it or not.
False prophets have a common characteristic, and that is that they speak flattering things, they tell you what your ears want to hear. False prophets are sycophants who pretend to speak the word of God when in reality they are lying. These men and women will deceive those who have not received the Holy Spirit, and unfortunately, these people don’t even realize that they are being lied to.
Isaiah says in Isaiah 30:9-11: “For this is a rebellious people, deceitful children, children who are unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction. They say to the seers, ‘See no more visions!’ and to the prophets, ‘Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel.’”
The word of God is harsh and penetrates deep into our hearts to show us our wickedness, and calls us to repentance. God doesn’t pat you on the back and say: “What color do you want the latest model car that I’m going to give you?” God doesn’t build your self-esteem like false preachers do. He will give you the strength to do everything He commands and to endure temptation. “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” Luke 17:10
The author of the book of Hebrews in Hebrews 4:12 says: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” God is not the kindly old man in cartoons; He deals harshly with His people and punishes them. “Because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” Hebrews 12:6
These false prophets seek your tithes, your offerings, and your membership, which is why they please you, so you won’t leave. You can recognize them because they almost never, or never, speak about sin or holiness. They aim to entertain you with jokes, plays, music, colored lights, reclining chairs. They tell you how wonderful and good they are, presenting themselves as examples of goodness, holiness, and prosperity. These false prophets seek to divert you from the true path; that is their goal.
It must be mentioned that during the Great Tribulation, many true miracles and wonders will be seen, but false prophets will try to distort the works and marvels of God, just as the magicians did in Egypt. The magicians falsified the miracles that Moses performed or tried to present them as natural phenomena. These magicians and sorcerers convinced Pharaoh that the plagues were natural phenomena, to harden his heart and prevent the Israelites from leaving.
The same will happen during the Great Tribulation: the children of darkness will have such power that they will even be able to perform deceptive miracles and wonders, with the sole purpose of deceiving all men, and if possible, the elect. Matthew 24:24 Satan will counterfeit the truth and perform miracles and wonders to confuse the people of God.
These false prophets in the last days will have the power of Satan at their disposal. They will make men believe that the plagues or judgments do not come from God, but from the darkness. According to these false prophets, God does not want His children to suffer; on the contrary, they will say that God does not seek to destroy man. Therefore, they will sweeten the ears of those who prefer to hear lies rather than the truth.
Satan is the father of lies and will deceive all men who have not received the seal of God, meaning those who have not been filled with the Holy Spirit and do not have the ability to distinguish between truth and lies. The powers of darkness will take one last breath before being completely destroyed. Satan will act with great urgency, knowing that he has little time. He will do everything in his power to undermine the work of God, deceiving men who desire peace, security, well-being, and prosperity.
Just like the men in Noah’s time, they did not understand what was happening around them until it was too late. “And they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” Matthew 24:39
It is common to talk about salvation, but what and who are we saved from?
Salvation is a term used daily among Christians, but the question we must ask is: What are we saved from? From going to hell? Yes, obviously… but we will also be saved FROM THE WRATH OF GOD!
Salvation is the act of rescuing someone from imminent danger. For example, when someone is drowning in a pool, and another person jumps in to pull them out to prevent them from drowning, that action is called “salvation”, meaning the person was saved because they were rescued in time. When a firefighter pulls an elderly woman out of a window from a burning building, it is said that the firefighter saved the woman. If a doctor urgently operates on a patient and they recover, it is said that the doctor “saved” them.
Similarly, God’s salvation comes when His children are in the greatest danger. When it seems like there is no escape, He saves His children from the oppressor. The most evident example is when Daniel’s friends were thrown into the boiling furnace. Miraculously, they were protected by God. They were not rescued before entering the furnace, nor were they raptured to avoid seeing the evil that was coming upon them. God supernaturally enveloped them with His holy presence so they were not consumed by the flames.
Let’s look at some examples of God’s salvation for the people of Israel:
• “Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.’” Exodus 14:13
• The people of Israel were delivered from Moab under King Jehoshaphat’s command. “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:17
Here we can see that God’s salvation comes in times of distress and tribulation. When everything seems lost, we see God act supernaturally to SAVE us. God never tells us to flee or hide! He always exhorts us to be brave and make an effort!
The people of Israel were saved from the wrath of God in Egypt, but they were in the midst of that Great Tribulation!
The Apostle Paul declares that salvation will be attained in the future, not when we accept Jesus. He knew that salvation was not a title gained by saying a small prayer, but rather a promise that will be fulfilled at a specific time. “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:9
The Apostles knew that when Jesus came with power and great glory, He would destroy the wicked from the face of the earth… but they… would be delivered from evil. “who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:5
The Apostle Paul also expected the same. “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” Romans 5:9 Therefore, the salvation we have received is to escape the WRATH of God and His judgments, being in the midst of them, NOT escaping them. It has always been this way. Why would it be different today?
Remember that during the Exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt, the plagues that struck that region came “exclusively” upon the Egyptians. God will protect His children from the plagues and catastrophes that will occur in the future. “DO NOT FEAR… THE LORD IS WITH YOU.”
Our God remained hidden for thousands of years, but today He will show Himself powerfully in favor of His people, and against the wicked, that is, against Egypt again. In the days of His wrath, He will show us wonders like the time when Israel came out of Egypt, as Micah 7:15-17 affirms: “As in the days when you came out of Egypt, I will show them my wonders. The nations will see and be ashamed, deprived of all their power. They will lay their hands on their mouths and their ears will become deaf. They will lick the dust like a snake, like creatures that crawl on the ground. They will come trembling out of their dens; they will turn in fear to the Lord our God and will be afraid of you.”
The peoples of the world will know that there is a God in Israel, and the enemies of the Lord will be ashamed. The Great Tribulation is a very short period of time that will last 3 and a half years. During this time, God will test the hearts of His people and destroy all those who did not believe in the only begotten Son of God. John 3:18
The way of thinking of modern Christians is very different from that of the early Christians. For them, tribulation was something daily, and they considered it a privilege. Philippians 1:29 Many were persecuted and killed; however, they endured until the end of their lives. Now things are very different; the Christian focuses on enjoying life, hoping that any day they will be raptured. They reject the privilege of suffering for Christ and being perfected because they lack knowledge.
Unfortunately, new believers do not want to hear anything that says we must go through hardships, and much less, that we will be persecuted and tribulated. I do not blame them; they have been taught this way. However, those who offer a cheap gospel, filled with economic comfort and health, will not be able to stand in the day of distress.
Now, if what I am telling you is false, and you are raptured before the “Great Tribulation” arrives, you will see me from the heavens and you can say, “That crazy person was wrong.” But if the Great Tribulation arrives before you are raptured, and you begin to see all the things I describe in this study because they are written in the Bible, remember… I warned you in time.
