What Is the Tribulation? The Seven Years, the Great Tribulation, and Daniel’s 70th Week
The tribulation is a seven-year period of judgment on the earth before Jesus returns. The prophet Daniel first outlined it, Jesus described it in His Olivet Discourse, and the Book of Revelation unfolds it through three series of judgments: seals, trumpets and bowls.
This page explains where the seven years come from, what happens during them, and how different Christians understand the tribulation. See where this fits on the interactive end times timeline.
Where the seven years come from: Daniel’s 70 weeks
In Daniel 9:24-27, the angel Gabriel tells Daniel that “seventy weeks” are decreed for his people and his holy city. Most interpreters read each “week” as seven years. Sixty-nine weeks run to the coming of the Messiah, who is “cut off.” Futurist readers see a gap between the 69th and 70th weeks, the present Church Age, with the 70th week still to come. Those final seven years are the tribulation.
Scholars calculate the dates of the 69 weeks in different ways, so the exact arithmetic is debated. The seven-year length of the final week is the common ground.
The seals, trumpets and bowls
Revelation describes three series of seven judgments, growing in intensity:
| Judgments | Where | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Seven seals | Revelation 6:1-17; 8:1 | The four horsemen (conquest, war, famine, death), martyrs crying out, and cosmic signs |
| Seven trumpets | Revelation 8:2-9:21; 11:15-19 | Judgments on land, sea, waters and sky, demonic locusts, and a great army |
| Seven bowls | Revelation 16:1-21 | The final wrath of God: sores, seas and rivers turned to blood, scorching heat, darkness, and the gathering at Armageddon |
The Great Tribulation
Jesus said that when the abomination of desolation stands in the holy place, a great tribulation will follow, unlike anything since the beginning of the world or ever again (Matthew 24:15-21). Most futurist readers place this at the midpoint of the seven years, when the Antichrist declares himself god in the temple (2 Thessalonians 2:4).
Scripture describes the same span three ways: 42 months, 1,260 days, and “a time, times, and half a time” (Revelation 11:2-3; 12:6, 14; 13:5; Daniel 7:25).
Who is on earth during the tribulation?
- The 144,000: servants of God sealed from the twelve tribes of Israel (Revelation 7:1-8; 14:1-5).
- A great multitude from every nation who come to faith and are faithful, many to death (Revelation 7:9-14).
- The two witnesses: prophets in Jerusalem for 1,260 days (Revelation 11:3-13).
- The Antichrist and the False Prophet, who rule and deceive (Revelation 13).
How Christians understand the tribulation
| Approach | Reading |
|---|---|
| Futurist | A coming seven-year period before Christ’s return |
| Preterist | Fulfilled in the Jewish War and the fall of Jerusalem in AD 66-70 |
| Historicist | Unfolding across church history |
| Idealist | A picture of the suffering and victory of the Church in every age |
Even for readers who place the tribulation in the future, Jesus’ words apply now. He told His followers they would have tribulation in the world, and to take courage, because He has overcome the world (John 16:33).
Frequently asked questions
How long is the tribulation?
Seven years, based on the 70th “week” of Daniel 9:27, where each week stands for seven years. Revelation divides it into two halves of 42 months, or 1,260 days (Revelation 11:2-3; 12:6; 13:5).
What is the difference between the tribulation and the Great Tribulation?
The tribulation is the full seven years. The Great Tribulation is the last three and a half years, which begin when the Antichrist sets himself up in the temple (Matthew 24:15-21).
Will Christians go through the tribulation?
It depends on the view. Pre-tribulation Christians believe the Church is raptured before it begins; mid-tribulation and pre-wrath Christians believe the Church goes through part of it; post-tribulation Christians believe the Church goes through all of it and is gathered at Christ’s return. Read more: What is the rapture?
Can people be saved during the tribulation?
Yes. Revelation 7:9-14 describes a great multitude from every nation who come out of the great tribulation, washed in the blood of the Lamb.
Are we in the tribulation now?
Futurist readers say no: the seven years begin with the covenant of Daniel 9:27. Jesus did say His followers would have trouble in this world (John 16:33), and Christians in many countries suffer persecution today.
The book behind this guide
This guide draws on Paul T. Barham’s upcoming book, The Bible’s Prophetic Timeline: A Beginner’s Guide to the End Times, the Rapture, the Antichrist, the Tribulation, and the Book of Revelation. The book walks through every event and every major person in Bible prophecy, sets out what each Christian tradition believes, and gives the pre-tribulation view a full chapter.
Join the email list on the home page to hear when the book releases. Until then, Paul’s book For the Love of God includes a Scripture-based appendix on the signs of the end times, and Salvation 101 explains how to be ready to meet Jesus.