Firstly, I'll not debate those who think there is no specific "great tribulation" prophesied for the end of days just prior to Christ's return. God's Word gives ample evidence of a time of trouble upon the earth for the end that has never been the likes before, and never will be again (Dan.12:1; Matt.24; Mark 13; Luke 17; 21; etc.).
There's been all kinds of extra-Biblical books written, and sermons preached of gloom and doom about the great tribulation; lots of money made off it; fear sells. And a lot of it does not follow The Bible.
One of the images The Bible shows about the great tribulation is often missed. Our Lord Jesus showed us about a time of peace on the earth just prior to His return. In Mark 13:6 He said when we hear of wars and rumours of war, to not be troubled, but the end is not yet. How many times have you heard just the "wars and rumours of wars" phrase quoted without the rest of the verse? It's easy to throw that phrase out about wars and then go off on a tangent about world war three and Armageddon like Hal LIndsay's book The Late Great Planet Earth, never completing the full Message our Lord Jesus gave there in Mark 13:6.
Wars and rumours of wars going on, don't be troubled because the end is not yet. That's simple, as long as we hear about wars and rumours of wars, the end is not yet. But what's the opposite of that wars and rumours of wars? A time of peace. So our Lord Jesus was giving us some clues there about the time of great tribulation. It's going to happen with a time of peace on the earth when all wars and rumours of war have ended.
Apostle Paul gives another witness to that when he mentioned a time of "Peace and safety" the deceived will be proclaiming (1 Thess.5). That's just the opposite of world war three now isn't it? That's just the opposite idea of people going around literally killing and destroying each other during the tribulation. Rev.13:4 also gives a type of witness to that time of peace when asking who is able to make war with the beast?
Let's see, a time when all wars have ended, a time many will proclaim peace and safety, a time when none will be able to make war with the beast kingdom. That's showing a government system over all nations, and in control of all military power. That's an idea founders behind the United Nations have been preaching for decades. It's a pointer to one-world government over all nations and peoples on earth.
What peace-loving peoples would not want a time of peace and safety on earth? Isn't that also a condition Christ is to fulfill on earth when He returns to rule with His elect kings and priests? Yes. But as God is our Rock and there also exists a fake "rock", the Peace and safety for the tribulation timing won't be comparable to Christ's future Peace. There's a fake peace by the devil trying to play God, and then there's a real Peace by Christ. The fake peace happens first, and then the real Peace after Christ's return. Being deceived or not being deceived in the end also hinges on recognizing both times.
The "great tribulation" will affect Christians two ways.
1) deceived Christian brethren will wrongly accept a false messiah that comes first, thinking he is our Lord Jesus. That's the real falling away Paul was talking about in 2 Thess.2, the "strong delusion". That's what it is to be drunk in the night with those who will be proclaiming "Peace and safety". That time is the "hour of temptation" our Lord Jesus pointed to with His Message to the Church of Philadelphia (Rev.3). The deceived will fall away to that temptation by false messiah working wonders and miracles on earth to cause them to believe our Lord Jesus returned. For the deceived, that deception will be their tribulation, for when Christ returns He will say to those who worshipped another in His place, "I never knew you: depart from Me" (Matt.7; Matt.25).
Per Rev.9, it's the deceived not sealed with God's seal who are subject to the 'stinging' by the locust army for a five month period. The locusts are told not to kill them, but that they can only sting them. That stinging is about deception to the false messiah, for the power of the locust army is from their mouths.
2) for those sealed with God's seal, Rev.9 does not specifiy the locust army can't kill them. Per Mark 13 we know many of those sealed will be delivered up to give a Testimony by The Holy Spirit against Christ's enemies. Some of these will be killed, as our Lord's Message of the 5th seal shows. These will not be subject to the "hour of temptation" by not falling away to the deception of the strong delusion. In Matthew 10, our Lord Jesus those one's own household would be their foes (quoted from Micah 7 about the tribulation). It points to deceived family and friends turning these sealed saints in for refusing to bow to the false messiah, for the deceived will think and believe that false messiah is our Lord Jesus having returned. False messiah will seek these sealed saints out; many will be imprisoned, some put to death. Thus the real persecution of the tribulation will only be upon those sealed by God.
There's been all kinds of extra-Biblical books written, and sermons preached of gloom and doom about the great tribulation; lots of money made off it; fear sells. And a lot of it does not follow The Bible.
One of the images The Bible shows about the great tribulation is often missed. Our Lord Jesus showed us about a time of peace on the earth just prior to His return. In Mark 13:6 He said when we hear of wars and rumours of war, to not be troubled, but the end is not yet. How many times have you heard just the "wars and rumours of wars" phrase quoted without the rest of the verse? It's easy to throw that phrase out about wars and then go off on a tangent about world war three and Armageddon like Hal LIndsay's book The Late Great Planet Earth, never completing the full Message our Lord Jesus gave there in Mark 13:6.
Wars and rumours of wars going on, don't be troubled because the end is not yet. That's simple, as long as we hear about wars and rumours of wars, the end is not yet. But what's the opposite of that wars and rumours of wars? A time of peace. So our Lord Jesus was giving us some clues there about the time of great tribulation. It's going to happen with a time of peace on the earth when all wars and rumours of war have ended.
Apostle Paul gives another witness to that when he mentioned a time of "Peace and safety" the deceived will be proclaiming (1 Thess.5). That's just the opposite of world war three now isn't it? That's just the opposite idea of people going around literally killing and destroying each other during the tribulation. Rev.13:4 also gives a type of witness to that time of peace when asking who is able to make war with the beast?
Let's see, a time when all wars have ended, a time many will proclaim peace and safety, a time when none will be able to make war with the beast kingdom. That's showing a government system over all nations, and in control of all military power. That's an idea founders behind the United Nations have been preaching for decades. It's a pointer to one-world government over all nations and peoples on earth.
What peace-loving peoples would not want a time of peace and safety on earth? Isn't that also a condition Christ is to fulfill on earth when He returns to rule with His elect kings and priests? Yes. But as God is our Rock and there also exists a fake "rock", the Peace and safety for the tribulation timing won't be comparable to Christ's future Peace. There's a fake peace by the devil trying to play God, and then there's a real Peace by Christ. The fake peace happens first, and then the real Peace after Christ's return. Being deceived or not being deceived in the end also hinges on recognizing both times.
The "great tribulation" will affect Christians two ways.
1) deceived Christian brethren will wrongly accept a false messiah that comes first, thinking he is our Lord Jesus. That's the real falling away Paul was talking about in 2 Thess.2, the "strong delusion". That's what it is to be drunk in the night with those who will be proclaiming "Peace and safety". That time is the "hour of temptation" our Lord Jesus pointed to with His Message to the Church of Philadelphia (Rev.3). The deceived will fall away to that temptation by false messiah working wonders and miracles on earth to cause them to believe our Lord Jesus returned. For the deceived, that deception will be their tribulation, for when Christ returns He will say to those who worshipped another in His place, "I never knew you: depart from Me" (Matt.7; Matt.25).
Per Rev.9, it's the deceived not sealed with God's seal who are subject to the 'stinging' by the locust army for a five month period. The locusts are told not to kill them, but that they can only sting them. That stinging is about deception to the false messiah, for the power of the locust army is from their mouths.
2) for those sealed with God's seal, Rev.9 does not specifiy the locust army can't kill them. Per Mark 13 we know many of those sealed will be delivered up to give a Testimony by The Holy Spirit against Christ's enemies. Some of these will be killed, as our Lord's Message of the 5th seal shows. These will not be subject to the "hour of temptation" by not falling away to the deception of the strong delusion. In Matthew 10, our Lord Jesus those one's own household would be their foes (quoted from Micah 7 about the tribulation). It points to deceived family and friends turning these sealed saints in for refusing to bow to the false messiah, for the deceived will think and believe that false messiah is our Lord Jesus having returned. False messiah will seek these sealed saints out; many will be imprisoned, some put to death. Thus the real persecution of the tribulation will only be upon those sealed by God.