Greetings! So in our last post, we talked about the “last trump” and learned just exactly when it takes place. In this post, we’re going to examine the correct definition of the word “tribulation.” For too long, the incorrect definition of this word has caused a lot of mistakes in the interpretation of end time doctrine. If two people are talking about the tribulation, yet each of them has a different interpretation as to what it is, they’re not going to be on the same page at all! So let’s talk about the word “tribulation.”
THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD
First in a One-Part Series
By Karen Thompson
DEFINING THE WORD TRIBULATION
So now we know the resurrection of the dead (the rapture) takes place at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, which is the last trump. The next thing you need to know is the timeline of events that will lead to the seventh trumpet being sounded. The seven trumpets are sounded when Antichrist breaks the covenant in the middle of the seven-year week. So that means three- and one-half years after Daniel’s 70th week begins, the seventh trumpet is sounded.
I can already hear the exclamation, “What! The resurrection of the dead takes place mid-trib?”
Oh dear… We’ve run into one of eschatology’s red herrings (something that misleads). This red herring is the mistaken belief that all seven years of Daniel’s 70th week are years of tribulation, or are referred to as “the tribulation.” And with that understanding, eschatologists have long argued over the timing of the resurrection. Some argue it takes place before the tribulation period—pre-trib. Some argue it takes place in the middle of the tribulation—mid-trib. While others argue it happens after the tribulation—post-trib. The majority of eschatologists believe the resurrection takes place pre-trib. Only a minority contend it takes place mid-trib or post-trib.
Well, it’s time to deal with this red herring once and for all. And it’s time to stop referring to Daniel’s 70th week as “the tribulation.” It’s simply not scriptural to do so. The first thing we need to do is establish a precise definition for the word “tribulation.” Or I should say a “biblical” definition. Ministers are always preaching about “the great tribulation.” But if you were to ask the average believer to define the word tribulation, they almost never define it specifically. To them, it’s just a generalized term to mean things that happen during the end times. If you push for something specific, they might say it’s when the Antichrist figure wreaks havoc on the earth.
One thing is for sure: if you’re having a conversation with someone about “the tribulation,” it will get confusing if both of you have a different idea of what the tribulation actually is. You might think you’re talking about the same thing, when you are not. We need to differentiate between what the word tribulation actually means versus what people think it means.
Let’s start with a simple study of the word tribulation. The Greek word translated in English as tribulation is thlipsis, and it means “a pressing, pressing together, and pressure.” Metaphorically it means “oppression, affliction, tribulation, distress, straits.” And it’s translated in the Bible as “tribulation, affliction, trouble, anguish, persecution, burdened, to be afflicted.”10
Basically, the word tribulation is a noun that simply means trouble or affliction. That is how the apostle John used the word when he said, “I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev. 1:9 KJV). John was sentenced to live on the isle of Patmos for preaching the Gospel. Patmos was a small island to which criminals were exiled for their crimes. His exile on Patmos was full of difficulty and suffering. He called his experience on Patmos “tribulation.”
The Evolution of Words
Over time, the meaning of the word tribulation has evolved into something different than how the Bible uses the word tribulation. And it’s caused confusion. The Bible’s definition for tribulation is how the apostle John used it when he described his very unpleasant experience while exiled on the isle of Patmos. And every time you see it used in the Bible, that’s how it is used. The 21 times it’s used in the King James New Testament, including the book of Revelation, it’s always used to describe a time affliction, oppression, or distress.
The scripture in Revelation chapter seven where it talks about when John saw a great multitude in heaven standing before the throne, all wearing white robes is the portion of scripture where people interpret the word “tribulation” incorrectly. John wanted to know who these people were. In Revelation 7:14 the angel described these people as “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Too often, people read the phrase “they which came out of great tribulation,” and in their minds they hear it as “they which came out of the great tribulation.” They didn’t come out of “the” great tribulation. They came out of great tribulation, meaning they came out of a time of “affliction, trouble, anguish, persecution, burdened, to be afflicted.” The word tribulation here is being used in the same way when the apostle John used it when he described his time on the aisle of Patmos.
Truthfully, the word tribulation in the Bible is never used in the way Christians use it when they speak of “the tribulation.” The definition of the word tribulation has undergone an evolution and has come to mean a time of persecution and torment attributed to the Antichrist, giving it an end time application. It has come to mean a time when people will suffer greatly under the reign of Antichrist. It has come to mean “end time events.” Using this definition, believers will ask, “Will we have to go through the tribulation?”
This sort of evolutionary change to its meaning is the same thing that happened to the word apocalypse. In English, the Greek word apocalypse simply means “revelation.” The vision the apostle John experienced while on the isle of Patmos is called “The Apocalypse” in the Greek language. In English, it is called “The Revelation.” But over time, the word apocalypse has evolved to mean something entirely different. Because of its association with the book of Revelation, the word apocalypse is now defined as “the complete and final destruction of the world, or an event involving destruction or damage on a catastrophic scale.” That’s quite an evolution. A word that simply means “revelation” is now used to describe cataclysmic events that bring about worldwide destruction. That’s quite a departure from its actual meaning.
Dear fellow eschatologists, here is a bit of advice. When you come across the word tribulation in your study of end time doctrine, make sure you apply the Bible’s definition for the word tribulation and not its evolved meaning.
And as far as correcting our eschatological red herring—the mistaken belief that all seven years of Daniel’s 70th week are years of tribulation—confusion comes to an end when we understand that it is incorrect to label the entire seven-year period as “the tribulation.” Not all seven years of Daniel’s 70th week will be filled with tribulation. The first three- and one-half years will be years of peace. There will be no “tribulation” during the years when the peace treaty is being observed by all parties. It’s only the last half of Daniel’s 70th week that can be accurately labeled as “the great tribulation,” if we still want to use that term. That is when Antichrist becomes the beast and demands everyone to worship him as God. And in response, God will pour out His wrath on the destroyers of the earth.
This may seem like a trifling detail, but it’s not. What we understand to be “the great tribulation” doesn’t start until the last half of Daniel’s 70th week. This knowledge renders the labels of pre-trib, mid-trib, and post-trib meaningless and have no relevance to the discussion of end times. The correct language to use is to say the resurrection of the dead takes place in the middle of Daniel’s 70th week, which is right before God pours out His wrath. Or as some believers describe as “the great tribulation.”
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