Q: #239. What part do you think the Jews will play in the Tribulation?
A: As I have stated many times before on this website, I am far from an expert on eschatology (the study of end-times events), so this is simply my view based on my limited study. If you disagree, I am not going to argue 🙂 .
I believe that the Tribulation may well be primarily for the Jews and not the Gentiles. In speaking of the Tribulation, a number of verses show that Israel and the Jews will certainly be prominent during this 7 year period.
1. The Tribulation is called a time of Jacob’s (Israel’s) trouble (Jer 30:7).
2. The Antichrist will appear and sign a 7 year peace treaty with Israel (Dan 9:26-27), which he will break after three and a half years, and make war with Israel (Dan 9:27)(Dan 12:11)(Lk 21:20 (Rev 13:7).
** Two-thirds of all Jews will die (Zech 13:8-9).
*** Satan (the dragon) will also assault Israel (Rev 12:13,17).
3. 144,000 witnesses, all Jews, will be sent to witness during the Tribulation (Rev 7:4-8)(Rev 14:1-5).
4. The Abomination Of Desolation. The Antichrist will set himself up in the (Jewish) Temple to be worshipped (Dan 9:27)(Mt 24:15)(2 Th 2:3-4)(Mk 13:14).
5. The Jews will flee (Rev 12:6)(Mt 24:16-21)(Lk 21:20-24)(Mk 13:14-19), but God will take care of them (Rev 12:6).
In addition, when speaking of the Tribulation in Matthew ch. 24, words with significance to the Jews are used such as: holy place (Mt 24:15), Judea (Mt 24:16), and Sabbath (Mt 24:20).
It is my belief that many Jews will believe that the Antichrist is the Messiah that they have been waiting for. Signs they have been expecting will be fulfilled in conjunction with this man (i.e. the Temple will be rebuilt, there will be peace with the signed peace treaty, etc…). Since the Jews will also be looking for a Messiah that is descended from David (on the father’s side), and would not believe unless he was, I believe it is likely that the Antichrist could be Jewish (some believe [Dan 11:36-39] points to this).
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I believe the following is important:
(Rom 11:25) says that Israel has been blinded and hardened, but will no longer be so when the fullness of the Gentiles comes in (until the last Gentile has been added to the Church).
(2 Th 2:11-12) says that those who have rejected Christ before the Tribulation will not have a chance to accept Him during the Tribulation because God will send a strong delusion on them so that they will believe a lie. I believe that since the Jews have been blinded, and therefore have not fully had a chance to accept Christ as a result, they will not receive this strong delusion. With the blindness being removed, because the fullness of the Gentiles has come, they will be given the chance to come to Christ in the Tribulation.
(The 144,000 (Jewish) witnesses will be influential in leading them to Christ.)