Jacob's Trouble | Matthew 24:1-31 | J. Allen Mashburn

Today, we will be looking at a period of time known in the Bible as "The Time Of Jacob's Trouble."

This phrase is found in Jeremiah 30:6-7. In these verses, Jacob, or the nation of Israel, is portrayed like a man who is about to give birth. This man is suffering great pains and is bowed in agony. The Bible tells us that there are no days to compare with those that Israel must endure. However, verse 7 shows us that Israel will be saved out of those days.

By way of introduction, I would like to share two major reasons for this time known as the Tribulation. 

There are many more reasons that could be stated, but these seem to stand out to me as some of the more crucial.

 

1. To Punish The Gentile Nations - Rom. 1:18; 2 Thes. 2:12-13; Rev. 19:15. For many thousands of years men have spurned the call of God to repentance and salvation. During the Tribulation Period, God will visit wicked humanity with the fruits of their sin: divine judgment!

2. To Purge The People Of Israel - Eze. 20:37-38; Zech. 13:8-9; Mal. 3:3. The Nation of Israel is guilty of rejecting the Messiah and of having a part in His death. However, God will use the terrors of the Tribulation to prepare Israel for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus returns to the earth in power and glory, He will be met by a believing remnant of the Jewish people.

For some, this material can come across as frightening, however, we need to hear these things because there may be those people here who have never repented of their sins and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. These people, if Jesus returns in their lifetime, will face many of the things we will discuss during the course of this message.

Those of us who are saved will not be here for even one minute of the Tribulation, but we too need to hear about these things. We need our hearts stirred about what the lost of this world are going to face. We need to realize that the responsibility of reaching this world before the Tribulation is on the shoulders of the redeemed people of God. May the Lord use these truths to stir the hearts of His children to action!