From time to time, including this morning, you have heard me use the term “Jacob’s Trouble.” When I do that, I am using it as a synonym for the seven year “Tribulation” spoken of by Daniel, and expounded here and in Revelation and other scriptures. The term is used only once in the Bible, as far as I know and that is in Jeremiah 30:1-11. “The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book. For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it. And these are the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? 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. For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him: But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them. Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid. For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.”
I know that when Jeremiah uttered these words of God, the immediate thought in the mind of his hearers, was of the Jews captivity by the Babylonians. But there are images here which push us beyond the initial and immediate context – For example, the men of Israel in unnatural pain –unheard of before. 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. There is the suggestion of peace, as will be promised by the Antichrist, but it will be replaced by fear and trembling. The Lord then promises salvation and deliverance from all the nations into which Israel has been sent. Furthermore the Lord says that “I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee.” That has not yet taken place, but many scriptures promise that it is coming. “I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.” That is the purpose of the Tribulation – it is first and foremost “Jacob’s (Isreal’s) Trouble,” preparing that nation for the arrival of their Messiah.
It is hard to summarize the huge subject of the “Tribulation” into a few minutes, but I am going to try.
First we begin with the fact that it is JACOB’S Trouble – it is not designed for today’s saints or the church.
It is commonly thought that “the church” – by whatever definition people give to the word – the church will have to pass through all or part of the tribulation. Perhaps some make that statement because of Matthew 24:14 – “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end be.” Who is going to preach the gospel if it’s not you and me? The Lord has answered that in other scriptures. And then there is the common statement – “The church will go through the tribulation because the Bible says that we will suffer for our faith.” Certainly the Bible teaches that God’s saints shall suffer persecution. John 16:33 – “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” II Timothy 3:12 – “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” We see the ebb and flow of this kind of tribulation throughout history. Hundreds of professing “Christians” are being slaughtered even today, but that doesn’t put us into the midst of “Jacob’s Trouble.” And the very term reminds us that the Tribulation is not about us – it is primarily about Israel. When a person understands what the Bible says is God’s purpose for the tribulation, they should realize that today’s saints will be taken away before the tribulation.
What will be the event which sparks the tribulation – “Jacob’s Trouble?” I have probably led you to believe that it is the translation of the saints – the so-called “rapture.” Actually that is not quite correct. It wasn’t because the resident’s got on the elevator that the building caught on fire. Because of a fire, the alarm sounded, and the residents rushed to the stairs and to the elevator. The tribulation in Bible prophecy is the period of time that will begin with the signing of a covenant between Israel and the Antichrist. I am not going to bury you with scriptures for each of these points tonight, but every point that I shall make does have scripture. Prior to the Tribulation there will be wars and rumors of wars in the Middle East, but then there will be a superficial peace treaty arranged by Daniel’s “little horn” – the Antichrist. Israel may think that it has suffered persecution and tribulation in the past, but that peace treaty will mark the beginning of an unprecedented period of divine judgment. The most extensive Biblical comments on the tribulation are found in Revelation 6-19. In those chapters, John provides a detailed exposition of Daniel’s “70th week” – Daniel 9:24-27. Some of the terms used to identify those seven years include – tribulation, great tribulation, the day of the Lord, the day of wrath, the day of distress, the day of trouble, Jacob’s trouble, a day of darkness and gloom, and the wrath of the Lamb.
God’s basic purpose for the Tribulation will be judgment, but it won’t be like that of the Lake of Fire. By that I mean that mixed with the judgment will be the unmistakable grace of God. “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end be.” Some people believe that those seven years will be a time of great spiritual revival. I don’t believe that, but there will be a great many people redeemed out of every kindred, tribe and nation. The tribulation will further prove that nothing but grace can humble the rebellious heart of man. Despite the deaths of billions of people during that time, millions of Jews and Gentiles will be given grace to repent and believe on Christ. These will be the people who joyfully enter the blessedness of the Millennial Kingdom.
Among several smaller points, there are three major objectives of the Tribulation.
Despite what I have said about Israel, the Tribulation will bring judgment upon the Gentile nations. Later here in Matthew 24 the Lord will make reference to “the days of Noah.” The Noahic flood brought judgment upon the whole world for its sins against God. I can’t say for a fact that the sins of Noah’s day were NOT worse than ours, but I have my doubts. There is no reason NOT to expect severe judgment for our society before the end of its reign. But remember that Israel has always been Jehovah’s chosen people, and generally speaking what happens to the Gentiles relates to Israel in some fashion.
How many scriptures are similar to Deuteronomy 30:7 – “And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.” Whole chapters of Isaiah prophesy God’s wrath upon the wicked nations or on the world in general. Take Isaiah 24 as an example – Verse 1 – “Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.” Verse 16 – “From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously. Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth. And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake. The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited. Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.”
I have already suggested a second purpose for the Tribulation is the witness of God. “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end be.” I thought about emphasizing a portion of this verse this morning – “for a witness unto all nations.” It is through the gospel that the message of salvation is proclaimed, but there is no salvation in the gospel itself. It is Christ who saves the sinner, not merely the message of Christ. One of the primary purposes for preaching the gospel is “for a witness unto all nations.” Doesn’t the gospel glorify God unlike anything else in this world – whether or not people are saved? During the Tribulation there will be the 144,000 Hebrew evangelists and common evangelism. Furthermore, the Two Witnesses will provide a special evangelistic witness to Israel. Revelation 14 even suggests that angels will be involved in awakening the people of the world. How many people will be saved during the Tribulation? Probably a small percentage of the billions then alive, but there will be millions never-the-less.
The primary purpose of the Tribulation period – “Jacob’s Trouble” – will be to break the will of Israel. God will use a variety of agencies – human, natural and even Satanic – to bring Israel to her knees – figuratively and literally. She must be brought to humbly see that Jesus Christ is her Messiah. That will not bring about His return, but it will be necessary for Israel’s participation in the blessings of Christ’s Kingdom. First, the Lord will return Israel to the land before and during the tribulation. “I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.” – Ezekiel 20:34. This has been taking place since 1948 with the modern state of Israel. Once the tribulation begins God says, “I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD” – Ezekiel 20:37-38. This tells us that a great many of the unbelieving Jews will be removed.
Now listen to Zechariah 13:7-9 – “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.” Zechariah gives us a numeric ratio that will be purged. We learn that two-thirds of Israel will be purged through the fire of the tribulation, leaving the one-third elect who will be converted to Jesus as their Messiah. Romans 11:26-17 – “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” What a glorious day that will be! Remaining Israel will be converted to Jesus as their Messiah at the time of Christ’s second coming, which will then begin the millennial reign of Christ.
Calvary Independent Baptist Church is no where to be found in these Tribulational activities. While many people think the tribulation will involve today’s saints, the Bible does not teach that. The New Testament teaches that Christ’s true churches will disappear because its members will be translated to Glory to forever be with Christ. There will be professing Christians and false churches left behind to face the Tribulation, but not the Lord’s people. Praise His glorious Name? Maranatha – Eve so, come Lord Jesus.