When does the “Great & Terrible Day of The Lord” and the 7 years of the Great Tribulation begin?

And, When does the “midpoint” (3.5 years) occur?
This can be a great mystery. But, it need not be. Here is the Tribulation Timeline, in summary:
Section A.1. The opening of Tribulation Seal ONE began sometime between the birth of Jesus and A.D. 95. Seals ONE through FIVE have been broken, progressively, up until this day.
Please read these scriptures and testimonies by other Apostles, confirming that the Last Days and the breaking of tribulation seals one through five had begun in or around the birth of Jesus through A.D. 95 found in:
- Acts 2:14-17,
- 1 Corinthians 10:11,
- 2 Timothy 3:1,
- Hebrews 1:2,
- Hebrews 9:26,
- 1 Peter 1:20,
- 1 Peter 4:7,
- 2 Peter 3:3.
- 1 John 2:18.
- Revelation 1:9
Since the birth of Jesus, there have been increasing episodes of
- global conquest and political intrigue (tribulation seal ONE),
- wars and rumors of war (tribulation seal TWO),
- famines, earthquakes, (tribulation seal THREE),
- widespread and global deaths (tribulation seal FOUR),
- persecution, martyrs, the Antichrist, the Great Apostasy and falling away from the faith (tribulation seal FIVE);
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All occurring since the birth of Jesus, continuing, overlapping and intensifying since their inception. (see “Is This The End?“).
Furthermore, it is important to know that the Great Apostasy, (tribulation Seal 5), will occur, and the Antichrist will appear before the rapture, according to the Apostle Paul. See 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4: “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit, or a message, or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. No one is to deceive you in any way! For it will not come unless the apostasy, [Which is the falling away from the faith] comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above [e]every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.”

We are therefore now standing at the precipice of the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal.
Section A.2. With the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal we will see that THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. “And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31 & Revelation 6:12-16)
Section A.3. Sometime after the rapture of the church, which occurs at the 6th Seal, the Antichrist enters a treaty with Israel. This begins the seven-year tribulation.
Section A.4. At the midpoint of the tribulation, which is found at the 6th tribulation trumpet, (1,260 days later), the Antichrist breaks the treaty, desecrates the temple, and begins to persecute the Jews.

According to Daniel 9:27, the tribulation begins with the signing of a peace treaty between the Antichrist and Israel, intended to be for one “seven,” that is, a set of seven years. But the “seven” is divided into halves: midway through the seven years, the Antichrist breaks the treaty and sets up in the temple a sacrilegious object (the “abomination that causes desolation”). The phrase “in the middle” indicates that the first half of the tribulation lasts for 3½ years, or at the blowing of the 6th Tribulation Trumpet, (1,260 days, using a “prophetic year” of 360 days). Likewise, the second half of the tribulation lasts another 1,260 days (another 3½ years), for a total of seven years.
Section A.5. At the end of the tribulation (1,260 days after the desecration of the temple), Jesus Christ returns to earth and defeats the forces of the Antichrist.
Section A.6. During the next 30 days (leading up to 1,290 days after the desecration of the temple), Israel is rebuilt, and the earth is restored.
Section A.7. During the next 45 days (leading up to 1,335 days after the desecration of the temple), the Gentile nations are judged for their treatment of Israel.
Section A.8. The dispensation of the millennium begins, and it will last for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:3 5–6,).
(Below here is a more complete description of the Tribulation Timeline. Concern yourself with the first SIX SEALS.)
Section B.1. The ‘tribulation period of birth pangs‘ (Matthew 24:8 & Revelation 6) begins with the breaking of the 1st Tribulation Seal and continues through the 5th Tribulation Seal, during which time we will see the
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- Apostasy,
- the great persecution of Christians,
- the revealing of the man of perdition and
- the signing of a peace treaty between Israel and her enemies.
The 1st Seal of the tribulation was being broken just after the death and resurrection of Christ, and the succeeding seals (Seals 2 – 5) have been broken. Jesus refers to this period, the breaking of the tribulation Seals ONE through FIVE as “the beginning of the birth pangs”, and He points out that “this is not yet the end”.
Section B.2. Then, with the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE DAY OF THE LORD, THE GREAT TRIBULATION, BEGINS. (Matthew 24:29, & Revelation 6:12)
As witnessed by, Matthew 24:29, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Verse 30. “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. Verse 31. “And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET, and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”
Section B.3. The “7 years of Great Tribulation” (aka Daniel’s 70th week) begins with the breaking of the 6th tribulation seal, and, will reach the mid-point of the tribulation period, (after 3.5 years) with the sounding of the 6th Trumpet of the Great Tribulation.
Section B.4. Then, the Great Tribulation will end with the pouring out of the 7 Bowls of Wrath.
– THE TRIBULATION JUDGMENTS LEAD TO THE END OF THE AGE –
The world has endured, and is enduring, the first 5 tribulation seals. You should, therefore, concern yourself with and be ready for the breaking of the Tribulation 6th Seal and the Great and Terrible day of the Lord!
Here is a Short outline comparing Jesus’ account of the Tribulation period both in the Book of Revelation and in the Book of Matthew:
Revelation Ch. 6 – as corresponding to – Matthew Chapter 24
The 1st Tribulation Seal – Global conquest and political intrigue. (This Seal was broken between A.D. 1 and A.D. 95, has been ongoing and has been overlapping the other Seals, and has been intensifying.)
The 2nd Tribulation Seal – Wars and Rumors of War. (This Seal was broken between A.D. 1 and A.D. 95, has been ongoing and has been overlapping the other Seals, and has been intensifying.)
The 3rd Tribulation Seal – Famine. (This Seal was broken between A.D. 1 and A.D. 95, has been ongoing and has been overlapping the other Seals, and has been intensifying.)
The 4th Tribulation Seal – Death. (This Seal was broken between A.D. 1 and A.D. 95, has been ongoing and has been overlapping the other Seals, and has been intensifying.)
The 5th Tribulation Seal – Martyrs, persecution, Anti-Christ, falling away.(This Seal was broken between A.D. 1 and A.D. 95, has been ongoing and has been overlapping the other Seals, and has been intensifying and will transition to the Sixth Seal once the Antichrist has been revealed.)
The 6th Tribulation Seal – Cosmic disturbances, blood moon, darkened sun. (The Opening of the 6th Tribulation Seal is yet to come. It is The BEGINNING OF the 7 years of “THE GREAT TRIBULATION” period, also known as The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord or the Wrath of the Lamb.)
- Sealing of the 144,000 – during the 6th Seal. (Revelation 7:1-8).
- The gathering & The Rapture of God’s Elect. (Matthew 24:29-31)
- Multitude from the tribulation before the Throne of God (Revelation 7:9-17).
I will continue through the ‘Bowl Judgments’ in this article, but, for the Christian, The Rapture has occurred at this point and Jesus has taken His Spotless Bride, The Church, to the Throne of God, Her eternal home.
Be Sure. Be Ready. Be Secure.
Your Brother and Friend
Mike Young
Receive Him and Declare Him as Lord Today
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“Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and surrender my heart and my life to you. I will trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior the rest of my days.”
The 7th Tribulation Seal – (click to continue) – The announcement of the 7 Trumpet Judgments.
(Ancillary reading: The Great Concurrence and Convergence of Events)0
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