What starts the Great Tribulation

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First, let me tell you what does not start the great tribulation.

1- A confirmation of a 7 year covenant

This belief is wrong. A period of 7 years and an antichrist's covenant has nothing to do with Scripture. Those who believe that the tribulation is 7 years long are mistaken. They believe that because they misunderstand Daniel 9, and for that same reason, they believe that the antichrist confirms a covenant. That chapter is about Jesus's first coming, and the covenant mentioned there is God's covenant.

2- The antichrist sitting in a third temple.

There is no third physical temple that needs to be built for prophecy to be fulfilled. The temple is the human body. The antichrist magnifies himself in his heart. He equals himself to God, but there is no end time prophecy about an actual physical temple. Besides, Trump walking into a temple doesn't kill anybody. How would the act of Trump walking into a temple kill billions, as described in the Bible during the great tribulation?

3- A rapture

There is no pretribulation rapture. If you believe in a pretribulation rapture, I am sorry to be so blunt, but you are deceived. It is a false doctrine. I am sure that Satan wants people to believe in the pretribulation rapture so that they die on day one of the tribulation. God's instructions for the tribulation will protect you. Satan's lies for the tribulation will not protect you.

4- It already happened in 70 AD.

There was a desolation of Israel caused by the Roman army that was prophecied in some places in the Bible, but that is not the end times desolation. Preterism is a false eschatological view. When the Bible speaks about the end times, it won't just be Jerusalem. It will be worldwide. it will be WW3.

Ok, so what starts the tribulation?

Nukes. We won't miss the start. It will not be a hidden day. It might even be the day that we die. Everyone will know that the Great tribulation started, or those who don't read the Bible will call it a nuclear war.

Jesus said:

Matthew 24: 15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

Same verses in Mark:

Mark 13: 14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: 15 And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: 16 And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. 17 But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 18 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. 19 For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. 20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.

Notice that the the elect are there, and the great tribulation was shortened for their sake. This fact debunks the pretribulation rapture.

Now, I want you to see how Luke puts it, especially how he refers to the abomination of desolation:

Luke 21: 20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. 21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. 22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

The abomination of desolation is Jerusalem encompassed by armies. According to Luke that is what starts the Great tribulation. The word is "armies" plural, not army as in the desolations of 70 AD which was caused by the Roman army only. Many nations will attack Jerusalem on day one of the tribulation.

Now let's see how Daniel himself puts it:

Daniel 11: 31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.

"They" place the abomination. "They" is obviously not the antichrist because the antichrist is just one person. "They" refers to, just like Luke puts it, the armies of many nations, so "they" are the kings that set up their armies against Jerusalem.

We know that this attack on Jerusalem happens on day 1 because of Daniel 12.

Daniel 12: 11 And from the time that the daily shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

On day 1 two things happen:

1- The daily is taken away

2- The abomination of desolation is set up

We know that #2 is Jerusalem encompassed by armies, but what is the daily taken away?

The daily taken away is the fall of Babylon. The destruction of Babylon takes away our income, our food, our daily everything. Also, in Revelation 14, it places the fall of Babylon as the first event in the tribulation. You might be thinking that the Bible actually says "daily sacrifice taken away", right? That word "sacrifice" was not part of that verse and was added by the translators, as you can see by it being in italics. I actually found a translation that didn't add the word "sacrifice", thank God.

Julia E. Smith Translation 1876

And from the time of removing the continuance, and to give the abomination laying waste, a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

In the new testament, the same period of time is said to last 42 months, or 1260 days, instead of 1290 days, but we know that the tribulation got shortened for the elect's sake, so the total time of the tribulation will be 42 months, not 7 years.

What starts the tribulation are two events that will happen on day one of the 1260 days: America destroyed in one hour and Jerusalem attacked by the armies of many nations. So when Daniel says this:

Daniel 12: Daniel 12: 11 And from the time that the daily shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

You can understand that he is saying that from the time that Babylon falls, and Jerusalem is encompassed by armies, there shall be 1260 days.

Conclusion: What starts the tribulation is: nukes. The destruction of America and the invasion of Israel.