Why does God bring this time of the Great Tribulation on the earth?

Purposes of the Great Tribulation

There are three main purposes for the great tribulation: to end wickedness and destroy the wicked ones, to bring about a worldwide revival, and to break the power or the stubborn will of the Jewish nation

1. To Make an End of Wickedness and Wicked Ones

The first purpose of the great tribulation is to make an end of wickedness and wicked ones.

Two key passages give this purpose.

The first is Isaiah 13:9, which states: Behold, the day of Jehovah comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

Here is the term “the day of Jehovah,” used as a reference to the great tribulation and the goal here is “to destroy the sinners thereof out of it.”  So, the first purpose of the tribulation is to destroy the wicked ones within the land.

Isaiah goes on to describe this goal in Isaiah 24:19-20: The earth is utterly broken, the earth is rent asunder, the earth is shaken violently. 20 The earth shall stagger like a drunken man, and shall sway to and fro like a hammock; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it, and it shall fall, and not rise again.

Here we see that the basic goal for the judgments of the tribulation is that the worldwide rebellion shall fall and not rise again. So again, the purpose of the tribulation is to make an end of wickedness.

2. To Bring About a Worldwide Revival

The second purpose of the tribulation is to bring about a worldwide revival.

We find this in Rev 7:1-17.

In verses 1-8, John gives us the means by which this will be accomplished, 9-17 gives the results of this great revival.

In verses 1-3 the four angels are commissioned to hurt not the earth until they have sealed the servants of God and the number of those servants was 144,000. Here John introduces, in verses 5-8, the ministry of 144,000 Jewish evangelists, that’s 12000 from each of the twelve tribes who will be sharing the gospel in all of the world.

It is by means of these Jewish evangelists that God will bring about the worldwide revival and accomplish another goal of the tribulation. 

This revival will occur in the first 3 ½ years of the tribulation,

There is a great advantage in using Jews to conduct a worldwide revival. The Jews are scattered all over the world. All major and a great number of the world’s minor languages are spoken by some Jews somewhere; most Jews are at least bilingual.

Most Jews receive a good and basic understanding of the Old Testament text. They have a greater or lesser degree of knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures, depending on their background.

So, at some time after the rapture of the church, the Lord will save 144,000 Jews from around the world, who already speak the languages needed. They will already have a basic knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures. All they will need to learn is the content of the New Testament. So, they could begin to preach the gospel shortly after coming to faith in Yeshua.

The evangelization of the world by means of 144,000 Jews during the first half of the tribulation will fulfill the prophecy found in Matthew 24:14: And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.

Following the vision of the 144,000 Jews in the first part of Revelation 7, John describes seeing the results of the ministry of these Jewish evangelists in verses 9-17.

In summary, it speaks of a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all tribes and peoples and tongues standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands

So, a countless number of Gentiles as well as other Jews will come to a saving knowledge of the Savior during the tribulation. Thus, by means of the 144,000 Jews, God will accomplish the second purpose of the great tribulation, that of bringing about a worldwide revival.

In verses 11-12 there is the worship of the one on the throne – And all the angels were standing round about the throne, and about the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God

In 13-14 is the Identification of the multitude – These are they that come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb

In 15-17 we see the comfort enjoyed after martyrdom in Heaven – for the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall be their shepherd.. and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes

3. To Break the Power of the Holy People

Now the third purpose of the tribulation is to break the power or the stubborn will of the Jewish nation.

In Daniel 11-12, the prophet was given a vision of what conditions will be like for his people (Israel) during the tribulation.

Then, in Daniel 12:5-7, a question is raised as to how long this period will be allowed to continue: How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? 7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and swore by him that lives for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when they have made an end of breaking in pieces the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished

It is for a period of 3 ½ years, and God intends to break the power, meaning the stubborn will, of the holy people in order to bring about a national regeneration.

Now the means by which God is going to do this is given in Ezekiel 20:33-38

As I live, says the Lord Jehovah, surely with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out, will I be king over you. 34 And I will bring you out from the peoples, and will gather you out of the countries wherein you are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out; 35 and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there will I enter into judgment with you face to face.