Question: “What is the Tribulation? How do we know the Tribulation will last seven years?”
Answer:
The tribulation is a future seven-year period of time when God will finish His discipline of Israel and finalize His judgment of the unbelieving world. The church, made up of all who have trusted in the person and work of the Lord Jesus to save them from being punished for sin, will not be present during the tribulation. The church will be removed from the earth in an event known as the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53). The church is saved from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Throughout Scripture, the tribulation is referred to by other names such as the Day of the Lord (Isaiah 2:12; 13:6-9; Joel 1:15; 2:1-31; 3:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:2); trouble or tribulation (Deuteronomy 4:30; Zephaniah 1:1); the great tribulation, which refers to the more intense second half of the seven-year period (Matthew 24:21); time or day of trouble (Daniel 12:1; Zephaniah 1:15); time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7).
An understanding of Daniel 9:24-27 is necessary in order to understand the purpose and time of the tribulation. This passage speaks of 70 weeks that have been declared against “your people.” Daniel’s people are the Jews, the nation of Israel, and Daniel 9:24 speaks of a period of time that God has given “to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.” God declares that “seventy sevens” will fulfill all these things.
This is 70 sevens of years, or 490 years. (Some translations refer to 70 weeks of years.) This is confirmed by another part of this passage in Daniel. In verses 25 and 26, Daniel is told that the Messiah will be cut off after “seven sevens and sixty-two sevens” (69 total), beginning with the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. In other words, 69 sevens of years (483 years) after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem, the Messiah will be cut off. Biblical historians confirm that 483 years passed from the time of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to the time when Jesus was crucified. Most Christian scholars, regardless of their view of eschatology (future things/events), have the above understanding of Daniel’s 70 sevens.
With 483 years having passed from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to the cutting off of the Messiah, this leaves one seven-year period to be fulfilled in terms of Daniel 9:24: “to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.” This final seven-year period is known as the tribulation period—it is a time when God finishes judging Israel for its sin.
Daniel 9:27 gives a few highlights of the seven-year tribulation period: “He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” The person of whom this verse speaks is the person Jesus calls the “abomination that causes desolation” (Matthew 24:15) and is called “the beast” in Revelation 13. Daniel 9:27 says that the beast will make a covenant for seven years, but in the middle of this week (3 1/2 years into the tribulation), he will break the covenant, putting a stop to sacrifice. Revelation 13 explains that the beast will place an image of himself in the temple and require the world to worship him. Revelation 13:5 says that this will go on for 42 months, which is 3 1/2 years. Since Daniel 9:27 says that this will happen in the middle of the week, and Revelation 13:5 says that the beast will do this for a period of 42 months, it is easy to see that the total length of time is 84 months or seven years. Also see Daniel 7:25, where the “time, times, and half a time” (time=1 year; times=2 years; half a time=1/2 year; total of 3 1/2 years) also refers to “great tribulation,” the last half of the seven-year tribulation period when the beast will be in power.
For further references about the tribulation, see Revelation 11:2-3, which speaks of 1260 days and 42 months, and Daniel 12:11-12, which speaks of 1290 days and 1335 days. These days have a reference to the midpoint of the tribulation. The additional days in Daniel 12 may include the time at the end for the judgment of the nations (Matthew 25:31-46) and time for the setting up of Christ’s millennial kingdom (Revelation 20:4-6).
In summary, the Tribulation is the 7-year time period in the end times in which humanity’s decadence and depravity will reach its fullness, with God judging accordingly.
问题：“大灾难是什么？我们怎么知道大灾难将持续七年？”
答案：大灾难是未来七年的时间，上帝将完成他对以色列的训练并最终确定他对不信的世界的审判。教会由所有信靠主耶稣的人和工作以拯救他们免于因罪而受到惩罚的人组成，在大灾难期间不会出现。在被称为被提的事件中，教会将被从地上移除（帖撒罗尼迦前书4：13-18;哥林多前书15：51-53）。教会从忿怒中得救（帖撒罗尼迦后书5：9）。在整本圣经中，大灾难被其他名称所引用，例如耶和华的日子（以赛亚书2:12; 13：6-9;约珥书1:15; 2：1-31; 3:14;帖撒罗尼迦前书5：2） ）;麻烦或苦难（申命记4:30;西番雅书1：1）;大灾难，指的是七年后半期更为激烈（马太福音24:21）;时间或日子的困难（但以理书12：1;西番雅书1:15）;雅各遇到麻烦的时候（耶利米书30：7）。
理解但以理书9：24-27是必要的，以便了解灾难的目的和时间。这段经文谈到已经宣布反对“你的百姓”的70周。但以理的人是犹太人，以色列民族，但以理书9:24讲述了上帝给予“完成犯罪，放弃犯罪”的一段时间。结束罪恶，赎罪，引入永恒的公义，封锁异象和预言，涂抹最神圣的人。“上帝宣称”七十七人“将会完成所有这些事。这是七十七年，或490年。 （有些翻译指的是70周的年份。）丹尼尔的这篇文章的另一部分证实了这一点。在第25和26节中，丹尼尔被告知弥赛亚将在“七个七人制和六十二个七人制”（总共69个）之后被切断，从重建耶路撒冷的法令开始。换句话说，在重建耶路撒冷的法令之后，69年七年（483年），弥赛亚将被切断。圣经历史学家证实，从重建耶路撒冷的法令到耶稣被钉十字架的时候已经过去了483年。大多数基督教学者，无论他们对末世论（未来的事物/事件）的看法如何，都对丹尼尔的70个七人制有了上述的理解。
从法令到重建耶路撒冷到切断弥赛亚已有483年，这使得在但以理书9:24中有一个七年的时期得以实现：“完成犯罪，结束罪恶，到赎罪，汲取永恒的公义，封锁视觉和预言，膏抹最圣洁的人。“这最后的七年时期被称为大灾难时期 – 这是上帝完成审判以色列罪恶的时候。
但以理书9:27给出了七年大灾难时期的一些亮点：“他将确认与七人之间的许多人签约。”在“七”的中间，他将结束牺牲和奉献。在圣殿的一个翅膀上，他会设立一个令人憎恶的憎恶，直到被命令的结束倾倒在他身上。“这节经文所说的人就是耶稣称之为”导致荒凉的憎恶“的人（但马太福音24:15）在启示录13章中被称为“野兽”。但以理书9:27说兽会立约七年，但在本周中期（大灾难的3年半），他将打破这个约，停止牺牲。启示录13章解释说，兽将在寺庙中放置自己的形象，并要求世界崇拜他。启示录13：5说这将持续42个月，即3年半。由于但以理书9:27说这将在本周中发生，而启示录13：5说兽将会这样做42个月，很容易看出总时间是84个月或七年。另见但以理书7:25，其中“时间，时间和半个时间”（时间= 1年;时间= 2年;半个时间= 1/2年;总共3年半）也指“大灾难”，七年大灾难期的后半段，当时兽将掌权。
关于灾难的进一步参考，请参阅启示录11：2-3，其中提到1260天和42个月，以及但以理书12：11-12，其中提到1290天和1335天。这些天提到了灾难的中点。但以理书12章的额外日子可能包括各国审判结束的时间（马太福音25：31-46）以及建立基督千禧年王国的时间（启示录20：4-6）。
总而言之，大灾难是人类颓废和堕落将在其结束时的7年时间段，而上帝则相应地进行判断。