Is the Great Tribulation the Wrath of God?

The disciples asked Jesus about the sign of His coming and the end of the age (Matthew 24:3). In the Lord’s reply, He outlined the significant events at the end of the age (Matthew 24:4-31). These verses describe events that closely resemble the Lord's outline in Revelation 6-7 during the opening of the Seven Seals. After Revelation chapter 7, the Lord goes into specific details. It is possible that these events will all occur within the seven-year period that begins with the confirmation of a peace treaty regarding the land of Israel (Daniel 9:27), but this remains an assumption on the part of most Bible teachers. Jesus referred to the first three and a half years following the signing of the peace covenant as "the beginning of birth pains" (Matthew 24:8). As each seal is opened in Revelation chapter 6, a corresponding event occurs that exacerbates the situation on earth, which Jesus likened to a woman's birth pains worsening as the time for birth approaches. Great persecution is initiated at the opening of the fifth seal (Revelation 6:7) against believers in Christ and Jews who will not take the mark and worship the Antichrist. Something significant is then prayed by those martyred:

9When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” 11Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been (Revelation 6:9-11; emphasis added).

There will be believers in Christ who will be martyred at the time of the fifth seal. I believe the opening of this seal corresponds to Jesus' warning about the Great Tribulation (KJV) or great distress (NIV) that He mentioned in Matthew 24:21. I am convinced that this period should be referred to as the Great Persecution rather than the Great Tribulation. We don't know how far ahead in time this persecution is, but as Christians, we must be prepared to endure and not compromise our faith. Many will fall away when this persecution begins (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Based on over 48 years of intensive study on this topic, believers in Christ cannot expect to be delivered (raptured) from the earth until sometime into this Great Tribulation or Persecution of the saints. 

Some teachers say we need not be concerned about the time ahead (how far ahead, we do not know). They assert that the Church will be raptured before the Antichrist emerges on the world stage, and that the seals will open with terrible consequences on Earth. They believe that the seven-year period represents the wrath of God, citing Paul's teaching, "God did not appoint us to suffer wrath" (1 Thessalonians 5:9). However, how can the seven-year period be considered the wrath of God? In the Scripture passage above, some believers martyred during the Great Tribulation, or Persecution, will ask God:

"How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” (Revelation 6:10; emphasis added).

This appeal to the Lord to intervene happens at the fifth seal (v. 9), sometime after the mid-point and perhaps well into the second half of the seven-year period. This cry for justice and judgment to the Lord is because judgment against the enemies of God has not yet happened. The cry is against those persecuting true believers in Christ. The wrath and judgment have not yet started at the fifth seal persecution. The Lord’s reply encourages those believers “to wait a little longer until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been” (Revelation 6:11). In my opinion, we cannot expect the rapture to take place until sometime into the second half of the seven-year period and before the wrath and judgment of God begin. We need to be spiritually ready to learn God's Word and grow in our dependence upon Him. It's time to put away our toys and get serious about our faith. It's time to get close to Christ. When the darkness worsens, God will pour out His Spirit, and the Church will shine with His love, life, and light (Isaiah 60:1-2; Daniel 12:3). Keith Thomas

These shortened thoughts are from the series called The End Times, found in the All Studies box on the Home Page. The study is titled, The Rapture and Day of the Lord. The video teaching of this topic is found at the following link: https://youtu.be/55VR6a8P9Bo