07.15. The Seven Year Tribulation Period

The Seven Year Tribulation Period The 70^th week of Daniel is in the future and is a seven-year period. Most charts that you see will have the tribulation period spanning from the beginning of the seven seals to the second coming of Christ. Is this the correct view though according to the text? Let’s look at Daniel’s text.

“Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. (Dan 9:24 NAS95) The seventy weeks apply to the Jewish people, not to Gentiles.

Now, looking at the book of Revelation, we have two 3 ½ year periods. The first begins with the arrival of the two witnesses at the end of the 6^th trumpet. The second 3 ½ year period starts with the killing of the two witnesses and the beast being given authority to act for 3 ½ years. From the time of the opening of the seals to the arrival of the two witnesses, the judgements are on all the earth. It is not until the arrival of the two witnesses, that the focus shifts back to Israel. Considering this, it is likely that the seven-year tribulation period proper does not start until the arrival of the two witnesses. That is not to discount the judgements nor their intensity from the start of the opening of the seals. This also provides for the time of the seal and trumpet judgements prior to the two 3 ½ year events that are listed. The apostasy that is referenced in 2Th 2:3 is a little harder to place, so this is a bit of speculation here. The apostasy must be prior to the man of lawlessness, so it must be no later than the middle of the Tribulation. Considering the severity of the judgements of the seals and trumpets, I would be inclined to think that it was prior to the opening of the first seal, so that going into the time of the judgements of the end, there would be very few Christians.