(Continued: Chapter VI-The Great Tribulation)

Seeing that a certain one whom he designates as the treacherous one has dealt treacherously, the Prophet says, "I pine away, I pine away, woe is me!" (v. 16b). When this verse is read in the light of related passages, one comes to the probable conclusion that Isaiah was speaking of the world ruler, who in the middle of the Tribulation breaks the covenant which he has made with the Jews for seven years. This treacherous act will unleash a reign of terror throughout Jewry, and probably throughout the world.

In verses 17 and 18 the paralyzing effect of this reign of terror is seen creeping all over the world. A person may escape one danger only to be ensnared by another.

Verses 19 and 20 foretell that the earth will be utterly broken and rent asunder and will be shaken violently. It will stagger like a drunken man and swing to and fro like a hammock. The reason for the Lord's acting thus is the transgression of the population of the world. The civilization of that day will fall and rise no more.

The great day of Jehovah is near, it is near and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of Jehovah; the mighty man crieth there bitterly. 15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 a day of the trumpet and alarm, against the fortified cities, and against the high battlements. 17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against Jehovah; and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as dung. 18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of Jehovah's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he will make an end, yea, a terrible end, of all them that dwell in the land. (Zeph. 1:14-18).

As already seen, the Great Tribulation is called the Great Day of Jehovah in Zephaniah 1:14. Events of that time and of the days leading up to it will move with kaleidoscopic rapidity. Speaking figuratively, one would say that the world will shift into high gear. There will be hustle and bustle on every hand. The nerves of men will be frayed, and they will be brought to the point of exasperation, for "the mighty man crieth there bitterly."

The statements in verses 15 and 16 are to be understood literally. That day is a day of wrath—the wrath of God against sin and wickedness. It will be a day of disaster and distress, because trouble of every indescribable character will be the order of the day. It will be a time of waste and desolation, because destructive forces will be operating on every hand. It will be a time of clouds and thick darkness. The seriousness of the times will be reflected by the gloominess of the weather. It will be a day of trumpet and alarm, a time of unprecedented war. From parallel passages of the Scriptures, one learns that there will be three world wars in the Tribulation and one local war which will affect one fourth of the world's surface. There may be even more wars, but they are not listed. The wars which have already taken place were sham battles compared with those of the Tribulation.

God is forced on account of the sins and degradation of men to bring these disasters and troubles upon them, whose "blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as dung" (v. 17).

The almighty dollar now speaks. In the Tribulation it will have no voice. For God hath said, "Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of Jehovah's wrath ..." (v.18).

It is inconceivable at the present time for men to form any adequate idea of the destruction and suffering that will be the order of the day in the Tribulation. In the days of Noah men by their wickedness brought about destruction of all civilization. In the days of the Great Tribulation, men by their wickedness will bring about the destruction of their own civilization by means of the great judgments of the Almighty.

In the Olivet Discourse (Matthew, chapters 24 and 25,) the Lord Jesus Christ discusses the Tribulation, noting certain events that are not mentioned by any of the prophets. One should study carefully Matthew 24:9-28. Since this Olivet Discourse is discussed in Messiah: His Historical Appearance, Chapter XXX, pp. 296-314, and in Chapter III of this volume, pp. 67-83, it is not necessary to discuss this Scripture again. The reader, however, should by all means investigate what is said on this subject in these two references.

God always has a good and sufficient reason for everything which He does. He has plans and purposes that began in eternity of the past, that are unfolding in time, and that will continue to unfold in eternity of the future. At the present time He is working all things according to the purpose of His will.

That there is to be a world-wide revival in the Tribulation is clearly set forth in Isaiah 17:7,8: "In that day shall men look unto their Maker, and their eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. 8 And they shall not look to the altars, the work of their hands; neither shall they have respect to that which their fingers have made, either the Asherim, or the sun-images." The expression "in that day" occurs three times in this chapter with the technical meaning of the day of Jehovah, or the Tribulation. A careful study of this chapter is convincing on this point.

In verses 7 and 8 quoted above, Isaiah foretells this mighty world-wide revival: "In that day [in the Tribulation] shall men look unto their Maker, and their eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel." The King James Version renders verse 7 thus: "At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel." The American Standard Version, 1901 edition, renders this passage "In that day shall men look ..." Both renderings are correct because the word translated man in the King James Version and men in the American Standard Version may be interpreted as a singular noun referring to one individual, or as a collective noun referring to men in general. As to which meaning is to be accepted in a given case, the facts of the context must decide. In the sentence "In that day shall men look to their Maker," the antecedent of the pronoun their is men. The facts of this context, therefore, clearly point to men rather than man as the correct rendering.

From a number of passages of the prophets one learns that in the Tribulation—probably near the beginning—idolatry will be the order of the day. After the Church is raptured out of the world, as seen in Chapter V, mankind will take a mad plunge into idolatry. Satan, the god of this world, will momentarily have his heyday of glee. He will blind the eyes of men so that they will follow him whithersoever he leads. Thus Satan will gain a bulldog grip upon the entire world.

According to verse 8, men will turn away from idols and look unto their Maker, the Holy One of Israel (v.7). What will cause them to do this? What will arouse them out of their deadly stupor caused by the opiate of Satan's deception and lies? The answers are found in Revelation 6:12-17:

12 And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood; 13 and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. 14 And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the princes, and the chief captains, and the rich, and the strong, and every bondman and freeman, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 and they say to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 for the great day of their wrath is come; and who is able to stand?

In this passage we see that the leaders of the world will literally be shaken out of their stupor by the convulsions of nature. One has every reason to believe that mankind in general will likewise be aroused to the situation in which they find themselves. They will see that it is a case of life or death, and many of them will turn to God. When Isaiah, therefore, said that men will look unto their Maker, he undoubtedly meant the greater portion of the human family. In Isaiah, chapter 17, therefore, the Prophet foresees the world-wide revival.

As seen above in the discussion of Isaiah, chapter 24, the Prophet foresees a mighty turning to God and records the vision in these words: "These shall lift up their voice, they shall shout; for the majesty of Jehovah they cry aloud from the sea. 15 Wherefore glorify ye Jehovah in the east, even the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel, in the isles of the sea. 16 From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs: Glory to the righteous" (Isa. 24:14-16b). The setting in which this passage appears shows that this revival is in the first part of the Tribulation. The sufferings of the people of the world caused by the judgments of the Tribulation are contrasted with the joys and ecstasies of the new converts seen in the vision. From the facts of this context one sees that the judgments of the Tribulation are used of God in bringing about this mighty revival.

In Isaiah, chapter 26, appears a song that will be sung in the land of Israel in that day, in the Tribulation. The remnant of Israel who will sing this song will say,

8 Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Jehovah, have we waited for thee; to thy name, even to thy memorial name, is the desire of our soul. 9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee earnestly: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. 10 Let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness will he deal wrongfully, and will not behold the majesty of Jehovah (Isa. 26:8-10).

Those singing this song will say to God, "In the way of thy judgments, O Jehovah, have we waited for thee ..." Echoed in this statement is the conviction that the judgments will have had a salutary effect upon the worshipers. The statement "When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness" confirms the conclusion just expressed. The judgments referred to can mean nothing but the judgments of the Great Tribulation. According to verse 9, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness when God's judgments are falling upon them. How many will then learn righteousness? The inhabitants of the world. This answer implies that the greater portion of humanity will learn righteousness during the Tribulation. Isaiah, therefore, sees and speaks of the world-wide revival.

The Lord Jesus Christ foretells that "this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come" (Matt. 24:14). There is but one gospel (Gal. 1:6-9). Sometimes it is called the gospel of the kingdom; at other times it is designated as the gospel of the grace of God; and it is also called the everlasting gospel. The Lord Jesus is talking about the first part of the Tribulation when He says that the gospel would be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations. He simply makes a prediction that the gospel will be preached in the Tribulation to all nations, but He does not tell what results will follow.

The Apostle Paul foretells that the gospel will be preached in its own times:

I exhort therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings, be made for all men; 2 for kings and all that are in high place; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and gravity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 who would have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself a ransom for all; the testimony to be borne in its own times; 7 whereunto I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I speak the truth, I lie not), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. (I Tim. 2:1-7).

In this passage the Apostle urges that prayer and intercessions be made for all men. Why? Because the One eternal God would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Men can be saved only by the truth of God. "For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all; the testimony to be borne in its own times ..." (v. 5). The message of the truth of this gospel has been preached here and there at different times during the present dispensation. But a campaign, world-wide in its scope, has never been conducted thus far. The Apostle Paul, however, foretells that the complete testimony will be given in its own times. When do Jesus and the prophets say that the gospel will be preached unto all nations? As already seen, in the Tribulation. Why will it be preached then? Because God would have all men to be saved. But He saves men through the gospel message—"So belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Rom. 10:17).

In Revelation, chapter 7, appears one of the most glorious prophecies regarding the world-wide revival found in the Scriptures:

After his I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that no wind should blow on the earth, or on the sea, or upon any tree. 2 And I saw another angel ascend from the sunrising, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a great voice to the four angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3 saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we shall have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads. 4 And I heard the number of them that were sealed, a hundred and forty and four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel:
5 Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand;
6 Of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand;
7 Of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand;
8 Of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand;
Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
9 After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 and they cry with a great voice, saying, Salvation unto our God who sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb. 11 And all the angels were standing round about the throne, and about the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 12 saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. 13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, These that are arrayed in white robes, who are they, and whence came they? 14 And I say unto him, My lord, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they that come of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore are they before the throne of God; and they serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall spread his tabernacle over them. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun strike upon them, nor any heat: 17 for the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them unto fountains of waters of life: and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes. (Rev. 7:1-17).

Revelation 6:12-17 shows that forces will shake the world to its very foundation and cause men to realize that God is still supreme and in control of all things throughout the universe. Men will realize as never before that the cosmic upheavals throughout the universe and the catastrophes on the earth are the result of the wrath and the indignation of the Almighty, against whom mankind has sinned and has done that which is abominable in His sight. What a turning plow does in breaking up the soil preparatory to the sowing of seed, the convulsions throughout nature and the judgments upon earth will do in the hearts of men, preparing them for the sowing of the good seed of the Word of God in their hearts.¹ God never deviates from His foreannounced plans and purposes, but fulfills His predictions as written. When He called Abraham into His service (Gen. 12:1-3 and related passages), He said He would bless the world through Abraham and his seed. In keeping with this announced purpose, the Almighty will call forth, equip, and prepare for service the 144,000 Jewish servants who will conduct the world-wide revival, as set forth in Revelation, chapter 7.²

That the 144,000 servants of God in this passage are Jews is evident. One is to take this language at its face value unless there is positive evidence indicating a departure from the literal meaning. One seeks in vain for such evidence. It is, therefore, logical to accept the literal meaning of the words.

The 144,000 Jews of Revelation, chapter 7, must not be confused with the 144,000 individuals in Revelation 14:1-5, who are taken from among men—that is, from among all nations:

4 These are they that were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they that follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were purchased from among men, to be the firstfruits unto God and unto the Lamb 5 And in their mouth was found no lie: they are without blemish (Rev. 14:4,5).

After giving the names of the twelve tribes of Israel from which the 144,000 of Revelation, chapter 7, are selected, the Apostle John, the writer of the Book of Revelation, records a vision of the world-wide revival in which he sees "a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands; and they cry with a great voice, saying, Salvation unto our God who sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb" (Rev. 7:9,10). Upon the authority of this passage, one may believe that there will be multiplied millions of people from every nation and tongue who will come to the Lord during the Tribulation.

According to verse 13, one of the elders asks John, These that are arrayed in the white robes, who are they, and whence came they?" John confesses his ignorance on this point. Then the elder replies, "These are they that come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (v. 14). This mighty throng of people come out of the Great Tribulation. John uses the strongest expression in referring to the Tribulation—"the Tribulation, the great one." There can be no misunderstanding of the use of this special idiom. All those who live righteously shall suffer persecution, as Paul declares. Such tribulations are the experiences of individuals; but the Tribulation, the great one, is a period of seven years with which the present age closes.

This multitude that cannot be numbered comes out of the Great Tribulation, having washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. In this connection let one remember that the church, all born-again believers, will be raptured out of the world before the Tribulation begins. This innumerable host of saved people, hearing the gospel, accept Christ in the Tribulation. They are the tribulation saints.

When all the facts of this subject are studied, it is seen that the world-wide revival will occur in the Tribulation and will be conducted by the 144,000 Jewish servants of God, to whom the gospel is now being given.

In II Samuel 23:1-7 is what has been called "David's Swan Song." Though it is thus named, it was inspired by the Spirit of God: "The Spirit of Jehovah spake by me, And his word was upon my tongue" (v. 2). Continuing, David says that God is the one who is speaking. In this hymn appears one of the most glorious visions of King Messiah and His world-wide reign.

One that ruleth over men righteously,
That ruleth in the fear of God,
4 He shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth,
A morning without clouds,
When the tender grass springeth out of the earth,
Through clear shining after rain.
5 Verily my house is not so with God;
Yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant,
Ordered in all things, and sure:
For it is all my salvation, and all my desire,
Although he maketh it not to grow (II Sam. 23:3c-5).

In order that there may be such a glorious, sinless, reign among men, the wicked will have to be purged from the earth:

6 But the ungodly shall be all of them as thorns to be thrust away,
Because they cannot be taken with the hand;
7 But the man that toucheth them
Must be armed with iron and the staff of a spear:
And they shall be utterly burned with fire in their place (vv. 6,7).

According to this quotation, the ungodly are compared to thorns that will be thrust away: "And they shall be utterly burned with fire in their place." The wicked ones must be thus purged from the earth in order that there might be the reign of righteousness.

The inspired writer in Psalm 92:6-9 foretells the prevalence of sin and iniquity in the time of the end. When this condition develops to a certain extent, the Lord will destroy the wicked from the face of the globe:

6 A brutish man knoweth not;
Neither doth a fool understand this:
7 When the wicked spring as the grass,
And when all the workers of iniquity do flourish;
It is that they shall be destroyed for ever.
8 But thou, O Jehovah, art on high for evermore.
9 For, lo, thine enemies, O Jehovah,
For, lo, thine enemies shall perish;
All the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.

Psalm 119:126 states that "it is time for Jehovah to work; For they have made void thy law." The implication of this verse is that Jehovah will deal drastically with those who have made void His law.

Speaking for God in an oracle against Babylon, Isaiah says, "Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy the sinners thereof out of it" (Isa. 13:9). God declares, "I will make a man more rare than fine gold, even a man than the pure gold of Ophir" (Isa. 13:12).

From these two verses it is clear that God will purge the world of all sinners. Isaiah shows that comparatively few people will survive the destructive forces of the Tribulation: "Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are found guilty: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left" (Isa. 24:6).

From these and other passages of Scripture which could be cited, one sees that the Lord will purge the world of all sinners and workers of iniquity.

In Daniel, chapter 12, the Prophet discusses the latter half of the Tribulation, stating that "there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book" (Dan. 12:1).

Someone asked the angelic being who was present, "How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?" (v. 6). The celestial being swore "by him that liveth forever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when they have made an end of breaking in pieces the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished" (Dan.12:7). The drift of thought of this passage shows that the purpose of the judgments of the Tribulation—at least those of the latter half—are designed to bring the remnant of Israel to their knees; for when their power is utterly broken, the judgments cease.

A similar prediction is found in Psalm 60:1-3:

60 God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast broken us down;
Thou hast been angry; oh restore us again.
2 Thou hast made the land to tremble; thou hast rent it:
Heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh.
3 Thou hast showed thy people hard things:
Thou hast made us to drink the wine of staggering.

According to this passage, the remnant of Israel acknowledge that God has cast them off and broken them down, but they plead to be restored. At that time they will acknowledge the national sin of rejecting their Messiah and plead for Him to return—the event for which He has been waiting through the centuries:

18 And therefore will Jehovah wait, that he may be gracious unto you; and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for Jehovah is a God of justice; blessed are all they that wait for him. 19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; thou shalt weep no more; he will surely be gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear, he will answer thee (Isa. 30:18,19).



Footnotes:

¹ For further light on the world-wide revival, see my booklet Sowing and Reaping a Bumper Crop.

² God always uses men and means in carrying out His purposes. He has committed to men the word of reconciliation (II Cor. 5:19). He will use men, therefore, in giving the truth to these 144,000 and at the same time use men in teaching and equipping these servants for their special mission in the world.

In order to help carry out this threefold purpose, the Biblical Research Society has prepared its Messianic Series of seven volumes and is distributing them throughout world-Jewry as the Lord enables.