Establishing The Timeline

First up, the fact that there is a definitive start will need to be established. Is there a 'first event' that marks the start?

See: I Come As A Thief for a full explanation of the 'yes' answer. We have a clear ending for the day of the Lord, when Christ returns to the Mt of Olives, cleaves it in two and judges the nations at Armageddon. All the resurrected Saints arrive with Him.
For a separate chart/article specifically comparing the Trumpets and Vials See: Trumpets and Vials of the Seventh Seal

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The more obvious detail with clearly defined time spans are towards the end of the period so it is somewhat easier to work from the back towards the front.

Matt 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

This passage tells us that the ‘great tribulation’ will take place after the abomination of desolation mentioned in Daniel.

Dan 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

This is the forty two month period (three and a half years) of the beast’s reign, and an extra thirty days for unspecified activity. This thirty-day period could occur at either end of the three and a half years. (Technically it could also represent an intercalated year that requires an extra month to be added according to the biblical calendar. Within the time span of the end time that would very likely occur).

The beast and false prophet are both rounded up by Christ when He returns so the end of their forty-two months is also the end of our timeline.

Since the beast kills the two witnesses just before the return of Christ, their forty-two month duration must be the same. This all occurs during the seven trumpets that comprise the seventh seal. At the end of the seventh trumpet of this seal, Christ returns and ‘takes over’.

Rev11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

This is the end of the end time. Christ has returned and now establishes the kingdom.

Therefore: from the time of the abomination to the end is three and a half years.

Dan 9:27 adds the abomination occurs is the ‘midst of the week’, however it also notes that the ‘midst’ is part of a week. At this stage if the second half of the ‘midst’ is three and a half years then the week would hold true to the biblical ‘day for a year’ principal. We will come to that later.

Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

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The Great Tribulation.

So far we have the last forty-two months well established. Is this the period of the great tribulation and is it also the period known as the seventh seal?
The seventh seal is itself made up from seven divisions, each one introduced by an angel blowing a trumpet. The seven ‘vials’ that come later in Revelation must be dual to a degree since they have a common ending: the return of Christ. There are quite a few commonalities. Of the seven trumpets and vials five of each both deal with the same subject: the ocean, fresh water, the sun, intense pain for followers of the beast, coming across the Euphrates. Since these all have a common ending as well, it would be reasonable to assume these are different commentaries on the same events.

In the Matt 24:15-21 verse Christ says that when the abomination occurs then will be ‘great tribulation’ such as never has been or ever will be. That is the great tribulation and it begins when the abomination has occurred in the midst of the week, forty-two months before the end.
Another event that occurs forty-two months before the end is: the Church is ‘taken’ out of harms reach, ‘somewhere’. There is a promise to a particular group of the Church that they would be spared the great tribulation, the ‘hour of temptation (trial) that would come on the earth’.

Rev 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

The people who ‘keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ' could only be Christians, the Church. They are taken somewhere at the same time as the great tribulation starts, forty two months before the end:

Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. 15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The woman must be the Church since it is the balance of those defined as having ‘the testimony of Christ and keeping His commandments’.

We need to demonstrate that this forty-two month period is the seventh seal.
Several factors can be added together to reach a conclusion.
First, we need to look at the sixth seal.

Rev 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

There are a number of distinguishing features that make up this sequence of events.
1) A great earthquake.
2) The sun going dark.
3) The moon turning red.
4) The stars and heavens acting in spectacular fashion.
5) Everyone on earth being terrified.
6) Everyone on earth seeing Christ on His throne realising trouble is ahead.

This series of very unusual and unique incidents comprises the sixth seal. We will compare it to Matt 24:29.

Matt 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

What we have is:

1) The sun going dark.
2) The moon not as bright.
3) The stars and heavens acting in spectacular fashion.
4) Everyone on earth being terrified.
5) Everyone on earth seeing Christ on His throne realising trouble is ahead.
6) A great earthquake. (Earthquakes cause tsunamis. In the same account in Luke 21 it adds ‘the sea and waves roaring’).

This is exactly the same event defined as the sixth seal. The fact that the whole earth, ‘all the tribes of the earth’ sees Christ coming with power and great glory at the same time as the other features makes this scenario impossible to be anything else other than the same event; the sixth seal.

However, two really important details are added.
1) The resurrection, the gathering of the Saints takes place at this time. This is completely consistent with the Church being away for three and a half years to return with Christ at the end. The sixth seal is when the Church is gathered and ‘taken on eagles wings’ for three and a half years (leaving the seventh seal as the time when Satan is cast down to earth).

2) This is after the ‘tribulation of those days’ and also since it is immediately after those days, it signifies they had been immediately before. What is being referred to? Seals two through to four resulted in a quarter of the world’s population dying. That is a tribulation in its own right!
We can now state ‘The tribulation of those days’ is collectively the first five seals.

Rev 6:7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Here is the extra detail added to our timeline.

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A quick summary

Most people would be comfortable with this explanation, but it is so important for setting the foundations to understanding the end time that we will recap once again.

Matt 24:15 when you see the abomination of desolation as spoken by Daniel, then shall be great tribulation.
Dan 12:11 from the time the abomination is committed (until Christ arrives) is three and a half years which is also the great tribulation.
Rev 12:14 The Church is gone for three and a half years at the sixth seal.

Therefore: the great tribulation is the seventh seal lasting three and a half years.

The basic time line used throughout the site is represented in the following way:

chart of end time

Where this chart is used it will be accompanied by an 'active' panel strip beneath it. Click on the individual elements for the enclosed detail which will vary according to the subject.

NB: To know where the VIALS are placed on our charts please study the 'Trumpets and Vials' article and chart. Trumpets and Vials
We have a new website based purely on an interactive timeline: www.dayofthelordonline.com

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