Great Tribulation

The Great Tribulation is a time of distress unequalled since the beginning of the world, foretold by Jesus and the prophets. Christians differ on its timing and meaning: futurists place it just before the Second Coming and hold pre-, mid- or post-tribulation views of the rapture, while preterists hold that it was fulfilled in the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70; the passages each view relies on are listed.

Foretold by Jesus

• Matthew 24:15-22
  ¹⁵When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ described by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand), ¹⁶Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains:then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:Let no one on the housetop come down to retrieve anything from his house. ¹⁸Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.And let no one in the field return for his cloak. ¹⁹And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! ²⁰But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:Pray that your flight will not occur in the winter or on the Sabbath. ²¹For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.For at that time there will be great tribulation, unmatched from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again. ²²And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.
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• Mark 13:14-20
  ¹⁴But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judea flee to the mountains:So when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁵And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house:Let no one on the housetop go back inside to retrieve anything from his house. ¹⁶And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.And let no one in the field return for his cloak. ¹⁷But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! ¹⁸And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.Pray that this will not occur in the winter. ¹⁹For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.For those will be days of tribulation unmatched from the beginning of God’s creation until now, and never to be seen again. ²⁰And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.If the Lord had not cut short those days, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom He has chosen, He has cut them short.
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• Luke 21:20-24
  ²⁰And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that her desolation is near. ²¹Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country stay out of the city. ²²For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.For these are the days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. ²³But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people. ²⁴And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
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• Matthew 24:29-31
  ²⁹Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:Immediately after the tribulation 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 powers of the heavens will be shaken.’ ³⁰And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. ³¹And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
  Show context · Read Matthew 24 →

Foretold by the prophets

• Daniel 12:1
  And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and 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.“At that time Michael, the great prince who stands watch over your people, will rise up. There will be a time of distress, the likes of which will not have occurred from the beginning of nations until that time. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.
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• Daniel 9:27
  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.And he will confirm a covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of the temple will come the abomination that causes desolation, until the decreed destruction is poured out upon him.”
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• Jeremiah 30:7
  Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.How awful that day will be! None will be like it! It is the time of Jacob’s distress, but he will be saved out of it.
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• Joel 2:1-2
  ¹Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;Blow the ram’s horn in Zion; sound the alarm on My holy mountain! Let all who dwell in the land tremble, for the Day of the LORD is coming; indeed, it is near— ²A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like the dawn overspreading the mountains a great and strong army appears, such as never was of old, nor will ever be in ages to come.
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In Revelation

• Revelation 7:13-14
  ¹³And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?Then one of the elders addressed me: “These in white robes,” he asked, “who are they, and where have they come from?” ¹⁴And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.“Sir,” I answered, “you know.” So he replied, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
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• Revelation 13:5-7
  ⁵And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to act for 42 months. ⁶And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.And the beast opened its mouth to speak blasphemies against God and to slander His name and His tabernacle—those who dwell in heaven. ⁷And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.
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• Revelation 3:10
  Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
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Passages cited on its timing

• 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
  ¹⁶For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. ¹⁷Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.
  Show context · Read 1 Thessalonians 4 →
• 1 Thessalonians 5:9
  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,For God has not appointed us to suffer wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
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• 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
  ¹Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers, ²That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.not to be easily disconcerted or alarmed by any spirit or message or letter seeming to be from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has already come. ³Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness—the son of destruction—is revealed. ⁴Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
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• Matthew 24:34
  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened.
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Endurance

• Matthew 24:13
  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.
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• Revelation 13:10
  He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.“If anyone is destined for captivity, into captivity he will go; if anyone is to die by the sword, by the sword he must be killed.” Here is a call for the perseverance and faith of the saints.
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• John 16:33
  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!”
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See also

• Second Coming
• Antichrist
• Mark of the beast
• Millennium
• Persecution

Notes

1. Verses are quoted in the translation chosen in the Translation menu at the top of the page. See Translations for sources and copyright notices.
2. Each reference links to the full chapter so the verse can be read in context.