The Great Tribulation Explained: Seals, Trumpets, the Mark and the Return of the King
The short answer: The great tribulation is the final three and a half years of Daniel's seventieth week, the time of distress Yeshua called unequaled in history (Matthew 24:21). It begins when the antichrist stands in the holy place and declares himself God (Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:4). Then come the seals and trumpets, the two witnesses and the 144,000, the mark of the beast and the persecution of the saints, and finally Yeshua's return in glory, when He gathers His elect "immediately after the tribulation" (Matthew 24:29–31).
Three and a half years, not seven
Viewers asked for a full breakdown of the tribulation, and Pastor Chris and Josh walk through it from start to finish. Many speak of a "seven-year tribulation," drawing on the final week of Daniel 9:27. But the time Yeshua called great distress is the second half of that week: 1,260 days, or "a time, times, and half a time" (Daniel 12:7; Revelation 12:6, 14).
The trigger is the abomination of desolation: "When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place... then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains" (Matthew 24:15–16). Paul describes the man of lawlessness who "sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself up as God" (2 Thessalonians 2:4). Believers are the temple of God's Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16), but Pastor Chris teaches that these passages also require a physical temple in Jerusalem.
The seals
The white horse: a conqueror with a bow (Revelation 6:2). Pastor Chris sees this as the antichrist's false peace and global control, not Messiah.
The red horse: peace is taken from the earth (6:4).
The black horse: famine, a day's wages for a measure of wheat (6:6).
The pale horse: death and Hades, given authority over a fourth of the earth (6:8).
The fifth seal: the souls of martyrs under the altar crying out for justice (6:9–11).
The sixth seal: a great earthquake, the sun black, the moon like blood, and the kings of the earth hiding in caves from "the wrath of the Lamb" (6:12–17).
The trumpets
After silence in heaven, the trumpets sound (Revelation 8–9). Hail and fire burn a third of the trees. Something like a burning mountain falls into the sea and a third of it dies. A star called Wormwood makes the waters bitter. A third of the sun, moon and stars is darkened. Creation itself groans under the rebellion.
At the fifth trumpet a fallen star is given the key to the abyss, and locust-like creatures torment, for five months, those without God's seal on their foreheads (Revelation 9:1–11). Some interpreters wonder whether John was describing modern weapons he had no words for. Pastor Chris takes seriously that they may be what the text says: demonic powers released openly. He connects this to the growing "alien" deception, fallen spirits presenting themselves as benevolent beings.
God's witnesses in the darkest hour
God is never silent. The two witnesses prophesy 1,260 days in sackcloth, with power to shut the sky and turn water to blood (Revelation 11:3–6). When they are killed, their bodies lie in the street three and a half days, then God breathes life into them and they rise to heaven before the world (11:7–12). Pastor Chris sees in them a picture of the persecuted, resurrected people of God. Alongside them, the 144,000 from the tribes of Israel are sealed with God's name and "follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (Revelation 7:4; 14:1–5).
This isn't the church hiding in caves. This is the church roaring like the Lion of Judah.
Life under the beast system
The beast forces everyone to receive a mark on the right hand or forehead, so that "no one would be able to buy or to sell" without it (Revelation 13:16–17). The mark is not just economic. It is allegiance and worship. An image of the beast is given breath to speak and to have those who refuse it killed (13:15). Pastor Chris believes artificial intelligence may play a role in such an image.
And the saints are still here: "It was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them" (Revelation 13:7). The warning about the mark is addressed to believers: whoever worships the beast and receives his mark "will drink of the wine of the wrath of God" (14:9–11). "Here is the endurance of the saints" (14:12). That is why Yeshua told His followers to flee to the mountains when the abomination appears.
The King returns
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days... the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky... He will send out His angels with a great sound of a shofar, and they will gather together His chosen ones from the four winds" (Matthew 24:29–31). The dead in Messiah rise first, and those alive are caught up to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17). Believers are spared God's wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9), but not the tribulation.
Then the saints return with Him. He comes not on a donkey but on a white horse, with eyes like fire and a sharp sword from His mouth (Revelation 19:11–16). His feet stand on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4), the beast and false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire, Satan is bound, and the thousand-year reign begins (Revelation 19:20; 20:1–4).
How to prepare
This is a time to prepare, not to fear. The overcomers win "because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony. They didn't love their life, even to death" (Revelation 12:11). Settle your allegiance now, before the pressure comes. Let go of unforgiveness, stay in the Word, and walk by the Spirit. "Watch therefore all the time, praying that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:36). The risen King promises, "He who overcomes, I will give to him to sit down with Me on My throne" (Revelation 3:21).
For what follows, see our teaching on the millennial reign of Christ.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the great tribulation?
Three and a half years, or 1,260 days, the second half of Daniel's seventieth week (Daniel 12:7; Revelation 12:6).
What starts the great tribulation?
The abomination of desolation, when the antichrist stands in the holy place and declares himself God (Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:4).
Will Christians go through the tribulation?
Pastor Chris teaches yes. Revelation 13:7 shows the beast making war on the saints, and Yeshua gathers His elect after the tribulation (Matthew 24:29–31).
What is the mark of the beast?
A mark on the right hand or forehead required to buy or sell, representing allegiance to and worship of the beast (Revelation 13:16–17; 14:9–11).
Take the next step
If this stirred something in you, do not walk it out alone. Join our free online Bible study community on WhatsApp. We meet weekly to study the Word, ask hard questions, and grow together — Prophetic Bible Study on Wednesdays, Standard Bible Study on Mondays, and Women's Bible Study every other Tuesday.
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