The Antichrist and the Coming Great Tribulation
> When many people hear the word tribulation, they immediately think of fear, chaos, and confusion. Scripture does speak of a coming time of intense global hardship and unprecedented deception. Yet even here, the Bible does not call us to panic. It calls us to truth, endurance, and hope.
In this post, we will look at what Scripture says about the Tribulation, the rise of the Antichrist, the difference between the full seven-year Tribulation and the final three-and-a-half-year Great Tribulation, and God’s redemptive purpose in this dark chapter of history. We are writing from a pretribulational, premillennial perspective, while also noting where other major interpretations differ.
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What Is the Tribulation?
In this view, the Tribulation is a future seven-year period of divine judgment and global upheaval that follows the rapture of the church. It is often connected with Daniel’s seventieth week in Daniel 9:24–27, a final seven-year period in God’s prophetic program for Israel and the nations.
Jesus described this future era as a time marked by deception, war, famine, persecution, and cosmic disturbance (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21). Revelation 6–18 gives the fullest biblical portrait of this period, unveiling seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments as God judges a rebellious world.
The apostle Paul also describes the spiritual climate of that time by warning about the coming of the “man of lawlessness” who exalts himself against God (2 Thessalonians 2:3–4). John, likewise, speaks of the spirit of antichrist already at work in the world, while also anticipating a climactic personal embodiment of that rebellion (1 John 2:18; Revelation 13).
The 7-Year Tribulation and the Great Tribulation
It is important to distinguish between the entire seven-year Tribulation and the Great Tribulation, which refers especially to the final half of that period.
The full 7-year Tribulation
The seven years begin when the coming world ruler makes or confirms a covenant, often understood from Daniel 9:27. This entire period is marked by escalating judgment, deception, and instability.
The Great Tribulation: 3 1/2 years
The expression “Great Tribulation” is commonly used for the final three-and-a-half years of that seven-year period. Jesus says:
“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.”
— Matthew 24:21 (ESV)
According to this interpretation, the midpoint is crucial. The Antichrist breaks his covenant, desecrates the temple, and openly exalts himself in blasphemous defiance of God. This event is often linked to the abomination of desolation spoken of in Daniel and referenced by Jesus (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:4).
This last half is therefore not merely difficult in a general sense. It is the most severe and concentrated period of satanic deception and divine judgment the world has yet seen.
Who Is the Antichrist?
The Bible presents the Antichrist as more than a vague symbol of evil. In pretribulational, premillennial teaching, he is understood to be a real future world ruler energized by Satan, empowered politically, and embraced by a deceived world.
Revelation 13 describes a beast who receives authority, inspires awe, and demands worship. Paul calls him the man of lawlessness and the son of destruction (2 Thessalonians 2:3). He is both a political tyrant and a religious deceiver.
His rise will not happen in a vacuum. Scripture says his coming will be marked by false signs and wonders, persuasive lies, and strong delusion among those who refuse the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:9–12). He will offer counterfeit peace, counterfeit unity, and counterfeit salvation.
Believers must remain vigilant, grounded in Scripture, and wholly devoted to Christ. It is critical to stay spiritually separated from the world’s systems, no matter the cost, and refuse to compromise with anything that contradicts God’s Word. In these times of great delusion, believers must stand firm, refuse to follow false teachings, and under no circumstances take the mark of the beast, which will signify allegiance to evil. Stay steadfast in prayer and obedience, trusting in Christ to guide and protect you through the coming challenges.
As John Walvoord wrote:
“The Bible does not present the end-time world ruler as a mere symbol, but as an actual person who will head the final revolt against God before Christ returns in glory.”
— John F. Walvoord
That matters because biblical prophecy is not warning us about abstract darkness, but about a real future rebellion that culminates before the visible return of Christ.
God’s Purpose in the Tribulation
The Tribulation is not random chaos. It is not history spiraling out of control. It is a period God sovereignly uses for His holy and redemptive purposes.
(1) Judging the nations
The book of Revelation makes clear that God is judging persistent human rebellion, idolatry, violence, and blasphemy. The nations are not merely suffering natural consequences; they are experiencing the righteous judgments of the Lord.
A key Old Testament reference to this time of judgment on the nations is found in Joel 3:2, where God states, “I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.” This passage highlights God’s judgment on the nations for their rebellion and mistreatment of His people, paralleling the themes of judgment seen in the book of Revelation.
(2) Preparing true Israel for the kingdom
In this interpretive framework, the Tribulation also has a special purpose in relation to Israel. It is the time when God brings Israel through deep distress, leading to repentance and faith in her Messiah. This is often connected with passages such as Zechariah 12–14, Jeremiah 30:7, and Romans 11:26.
The goal is not Israel’s destruction, but her refinement and restoration in preparation for the millennial reign of Christ that follows. The separation of the remnant, or true Israel, from the rest of ethnic Israel is described as a process where God purifies and refines His chosen people, distinguishing those who are faithful and obedient to His covenant from those who are not.
Passages such as Zechariah 13:8-9 and Romans 9:6-8 illustrate this separation, emphasizing that not all who are descended from Israel (ethnic Israel) are truly part of the spiritual Israel.
As Arnold Fruchtenbaum explains:
“The Great Tribulation is designed specifically to bring the Jewish people to the end of themselves and to faith in their Messiah.”
— Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum
From this perspective, the Tribulation is therefore both judicial and preparatory: judgment on the nations, and purification leading to Israel’s future blessing under the reign of Christ.
Where Is the Church During This Time?
A key feature of the pretribulational view is the conviction that the church is raptured before the Tribulation begins.
Believers who belong to Christ in this present church age will not endure God’s eschatological wrath in the Tribulation. Instead, they will be caught up to meet the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; 1 Corinthians 15:51–52). This does not mean Christians are spared all suffering in this age; the church has always faced tribulation in the general sense. But it does mean the church is delivered from the coming outpouring of divine wrath associated with this future period.
In heaven, resurrected and glorified saints will stand before Christ at the judgment seat of Christ, not to determine salvation, but to evaluate and reward faithful service (2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Corinthians 3:12–15). They will also share in the joy of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6–9).
J. Dwight Pentecost summarized this hope well:
“The church is not appointed to wrath, but to obtain deliverance through the Lord Jesus Christ; her hope is not the Tribulation but the coming of Christ for His own.”
— J. Dwight Pentecost
That means for the believer today, the next prophetic event is not terror but reunion.
What About Believers During the Tribulation?
If the church is in heaven, does that mean no one will be saved on earth during the Tribulation? Not at all.
Scripture indicates that many will come to faith during this period. These believers are often called tribulation saints. Some may respond through the witness of the 144,000 in Revelation 7, through the preaching of the two witnesses in Revelation 11, or through the global proclamation of God’s truth in the midst of judgment.
These saints will face intense persecution. Many will suffer greatly for refusing allegiance to the beast. Yet the call of Revelation is clear: endure, remain faithful, and hold fast to the testimony of Jesus.
“Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.”
— Revelation 13:10 (ESV)
For tribulation believers, steadfastness will not be easy, but it will be possible by the grace of God. The same Lord who saves also sustains.
Significant Differences With Other Common Interpretations
Because faithful Christians do not all read these passages the same way, it is helpful to briefly note several major differences.
Posttribulational premillennial view
Posttribulationists generally agree that Christ will return before the millennium, but they believe the church will go through the Tribulation and be gathered to Christ at His visible second coming rather than before it.
Midtribulational or pre-wrath views
These positions place the rapture somewhere in the middle or later part of the seven years, rather than before the entire period.
Amillennial view
Amillennialists typically do not read the thousand years of Revelation 20 as a future literal earthly kingdom in the same way premillennialists do. They often understand the tribulation more broadly as the present church age intensified near the end.
Preterist or partial preterist view
Preterists see many tribulation texts as fulfilled primarily in the events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, though partial preterists still affirm a future bodily return of Christ.
These differences are important, but all orthodox Christians affirm Christ’s final victory, His bodily return, the resurrection, and the judgment to come.
How Should We Live in Light of These Things?
Even when Scripture speaks about the darkest chapter of future history, its purpose is not to produce obsession, but faithfulness.
We do not study the Tribulation to indulge fear. We study it to see the seriousness of sin, the certainty of divine justice, the faithfulness of God to His promises, and the glory of Christ’s coming kingdom.
For believers now, this teaching should produce:
- sobriety, because deception is real
- confidence, because Christ reigns
- evangelistic urgency, because the gospel must be proclaimed
- endurance, because truth matters
- hope, because history is moving toward the return of the King
As Charles Ryrie wrote:
“Prophecy is not given merely to satisfy curiosity, but to sanctify conduct, to stimulate holy living, and to encourage steadfast hope.”
— Charles C. Ryrie
A Final Word of Encouragement
The Tribulation is real. The Antichrist is real. Future judgment is real. But none of those realities is greater than the steadfast love of God.
For the church, our blessed hope is Christ Himself. For those who come to faith in that future dark hour, God will not abandon His own. He will keep, strengthen, and carry them through. His mercy will still be saving sinners. His truth will still be shining in darkness. His kingdom will still be coming.
So let your heart rest here: God’s love is trustworthy, and it endures forever.
The same Lord who ordains the end of history also holds His people fast. No matter how dark the hour, He remains faithful. And beyond the Tribulation stands the triumphant return of Jesus Christ, the defeat of evil, the salvation of Israel, the judgment of the nations, and the glorious kingdom of our King.
Lift up your head. The story does not end in terror, but in victory.
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