Jeremiah’s Prophecy of the Great Tribulation and Israel’s Deliverance
By: Junior Tate
When I read Jeremiah 30, I believe we are looking at one of the most important Old Testament prophecies concerning Israel and the end times. The expression “the time of Jacob’s trouble” has become familiar to many students of Bible prophecy, but I believe we need to slow down and look carefully at what God actually told Jeremiah. This prophecy is specifically connected with Jacob, which means Israel, and I believe it points toward a future time when God will bring Israel through tremendous trouble and ultimately to the salvation and restoration He has promised.
However, I do not want anyone to come away thinking that the Tribulation will concern Israel alone, because Scripture shows us that its effects will be worldwide. God will be dealing not only with Israel, but also with the sin and rebellion of the nations as His judgments are poured out across the earth. Yet even in the midst of that judgment, God’s mercy will still be seen, because He will continue calling both Jew and Gentile to salvation through Jesus Christ. Revelation shows us people from nations, kindreds, peoples, and tongues coming to the Lamb during this terrible period.
So when we study the time of Jacob’s trouble, we are certainly studying God’s future dealings with Israel and the salvation and deliverance that await them, but we are also looking at a worldwide Tribulation in which God judges the rebellion of mankind while continuing to extend the message of salvation to people throughout the world. The Tribulation will reveal both the righteousness of God in judging sin and the mercy of God in continuing to call sinners to Jesus Christ.
One thing I want to make clear from the beginning is that Jeremiah himself does not call this period the seven-year Tribulation. Jeremiah calls it “the time of Jacob’s trouble.” My understanding that this prophecy reaches into the future Tribulation comes from comparing Jeremiah with Daniel, the words of Jesus in Matthew 24, Paul’s teaching concerning Israel, and the events John records in Revelation. I believe those passages fit together remarkably well, but I always want to distinguish between exactly what Scripture says and the interpretation I reach by comparing Scripture with Scripture.
What makes Jeremiah 30 so important is that God identifies the people involved before He describes the trouble. We are not left to guess whether Jacob represents the Church, the Gentile nations, or humanity in general. God tells us that these words concern Israel and Judah, and that context should guide everything that follows.
The Prophecy Concerns Israel and Judah
Jeremiah begins this portion of prophecy with a promise of restoration.
Jeremiah 30:3 through 4 (KJV)
“For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.
And these are the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah.”
When I read those verses, I believe we need to pay close attention to the names God uses. He specifically identifies Israel and Judah, and then He speaks about returning them to “the land that I gave to their fathers.” To me, that language takes us directly back to the covenant promises God made concerning Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants.
This is important because sometimes we begin interpreting prophecy several verses after God has already told us who the prophecy concerns. If we begin with verse 7 and isolate the expression “Jacob’s trouble,” there may be room for all kinds of speculation about Jacob’s identity. However, if we begin where God begins, the context is already established. These words concern Israel and Judah, and therefore I believe Jacob should be understood in that same context.
This does not mean the Church is unimportant to God, nor does it mean Israel has a different way of salvation. I believe Scripture is very clear that salvation is through Jesus Christ alone. What it does mean is that God has not forgotten the national and prophetic promises He made concerning Israel, and Jeremiah is describing events connected with the fulfillment of those promises.
A Time of Trouble Unlike Any Other
After identifying Israel and Judah, Jeremiah describes a period of extraordinary fear and distress.
Jeremiah 30:5 through 7 (KJV)
“For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.
Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?
Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.”
There are two parts of verse 7 that I believe must remain together if we are going to understand this prophecy correctly. Jeremiah first tells us that this day will be so great that “none is like it,” which describes an extraordinary and unparalleled period of trouble. Yet the verse does not end there, because God immediately adds that Jacob “shall be saved out of it.”
That is something I do not want us to overlook. The time of Jacob’s trouble is not a prophecy announcing the final destruction of Israel. It is a prophecy describing terrible trouble through which God will ultimately preserve and deliver Israel. The suffering will be real, the judgment will be severe, and the danger will be unlike anything Israel has previously experienced, but none of those things will overturn the promises God has already made.
When Jeremiah uses the name Jacob, I believe the meaning is especially significant. Jacob was the man whose name God changed to Israel, and his descendants became the tribes of Israel. Since Jeremiah has already told us that the prophecy concerns Israel and Judah, I believe the connection is straightforward. Jacob’s trouble is Israel’s trouble, but the same God who tells us about the trouble also tells us that Jacob will be brought through it.
Daniel Describes the Same Kind of Unprecedented Trouble
When we turn to Daniel, we find language that sounds remarkably similar to what Jeremiah has just described.
Daniel 12:1 (KJV)
“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.”
I believe the similarities between Jeremiah and Daniel deserve our attention. Jeremiah describes a day “so that none is like it,” while Daniel speaks of “a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation.” Jeremiah says Jacob will be saved out of his trouble, and Daniel says that his people will be delivered.
Daniel is also dealing with his own people. When we study Daniel 9, Gabriel makes this particularly clear by telling Daniel that the seventy weeks are determined upon “thy people and upon thy holy city.” Daniel had been praying about Jerusalem and his people Israel, and God’s prophetic answer concerned those very things.
From my understanding of Scripture, Jeremiah and Daniel are looking toward the same future period, although each prophet gives us different details. When we put those details together, I believe the prophetic picture begins to become much clearer.
Daniel’s Seventieth Week and the Coming Tribulation
Daniel 9 gives us one of the foundational passages for understanding the Tribulation.
Daniel 9:27 (KJV)
“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.”
From my understanding of Daniel’s prophecy, the final week represents a period of seven years that remains in the future. I believe the first sixty-nine weeks have already run their course, while the seventieth week awaits fulfillment after the present Church Age has been completed. This is an interpretive conclusion drawn from the larger prophetic picture, and I believe Daniel 9 itself gives us good reason to distinguish this final week from the sixty-nine that preceded it.
Something very important happens “in the midst of the week.” The covenant is violated, sacrifice and oblation are stopped, and Daniel describes an abomination connected with desolation. If this final week represents seven years, the middle naturally divides the period into two halves, and that becomes significant when we compare Daniel with Revelation’s repeated references to 1,260 days, forty-two months, and a time, times, and half a time.
I believe the entire seventieth week belongs to the future Tribulation period, while the second half brings the most intense phase of persecution and judgment that Jesus calls “great tribulation.” This is where Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning Jacob’s trouble becomes especially important.
Why Are Sacrifices Taking Place Again?
There is something here that I believe we need to stop and explain, because I do not want anyone reading this article to misunderstand what I believe about the future Temple and the sacrifices Daniel tells us will be stopped in the middle of the seventieth week. Daniel plainly tells us that sacrifices will be taking place, because something cannot be stopped unless it has first been started. However, I do not believe this means God has turned the clock backward and placed Israel under the Law of Moses again. Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law, and His sacrifice upon the cross accomplished what the blood of bulls and goats could never accomplish. When Christ died for our sins, the need for those Old Testament sacrifices was finished forever.
Hebrews 10:11 through 14 (KJV)
“And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”
When I read that passage, I cannot see God returning to animal sacrifices as the means of dealing with sin. Jesus Christ has already offered the perfect sacrifice, and nothing Israel could place upon an altar in a future Temple could add anything to what Christ accomplished at Calvary. Therefore, I believe we need to distinguish between God allowing sacrifices to take place and God establishing those sacrifices again as the way He wants mankind to approach Him. Those are two very different things.
From my understanding of Scripture, the Jewish people will rebuild the Temple because, as a nation, they are still looking for their Messiah. Many still do not recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah who has already come, and because of that rejection, I believe the future Temple and its sacrificial activity will become part of the setting the Antichrist uses for his deception. God can allow something to occur within His prophetic plan without approving the false belief behind it. In fact, I believe the Antichrist will take advantage of Israel’s expectation of Messiah and eventually reveal the terrible deception for what it is.
Daniel tells us exactly where the dramatic change takes place.
Daniel 9:27 (KJV)
“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.”
I believe the Antichrist will initially use the Temple and the religious expectations surrounding it as part of his deception, but in the middle of Daniel’s seventieth week that deception will become openly blasphemous. The sacrifices will be stopped, and what appeared to offer Israel security and religious freedom will be exposed for what it really was. Paul gives us another part of the picture when he describes the man of sin exalting himself in the Temple of God and presenting himself as God. From my understanding, this is directly connected with the abomination of desolation that Daniel foretold and that Jesus later warned about in Matthew 24.
There is also another reason I believe a Temple will have a place in God’s future program, but again, I want to separate that from a return to Mosaic salvation. I believe Jesus Christ will literally return to this earth and rule and reign for one thousand years. The prophets repeatedly connect His coming Kingdom with Jerusalem, and from my understanding of Scripture, Christ will rule from Jerusalem during that Kingdom. Therefore, the Temple setting that the Antichrist temporarily corrupts does not belong to him in the end. Antichrist may use it for deception, but Jesus Christ is the rightful King, and it is Christ who will ultimately rule and reign.
This is the distinction I want readers to understand. I do not believe God removes the Church at the Rapture and then turns history backward to the Law of Moses. Calvary changed that forever. There is one Savior, one sufficient sacrifice for sin, and one way of salvation, whether a person is Jew or Gentile. The future Temple and the sacrifices associated with Daniel’s prophecy belong to the circumstances surrounding Israel’s unbelief and the Antichrist’s deception, not to God replacing the finished work of Jesus Christ with the old sacrificial system.
In fact, I believe this makes the prophetic picture even more powerful. Israel will be looking for Messiah, the Antichrist will use that expectation to deceive them, and eventually the false messiah will be exposed. Israel’s ultimate answer will not be found in a Temple sacrifice, an animal upon an altar, or the restoration of the Law of Moses. Their answer will be found in the same Person who is our answer today; Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who has already paid the price for sin.
Jesus Points Directly Back to Daniel
When Jesus teaches about future events in Matthew 24, He specifically directs His listeners back to Daniel.
Matthew 24:15 through 16 (KJV)
“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:)
Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:”
I want us to notice how specific Jesus is. He mentions the abomination of desolation, identifies Daniel as the prophet who spoke about it, refers to the holy place, and warns those who are in Judaea to flee. These are details that I believe need to be allowed to retain their natural meaning.
Jesus then explains why the situation will become so urgent.
Matthew 24:21 through 22 (KJV)
“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”
When I compare these words with Jeremiah and Daniel, I have a difficult time believing the similarities are accidental. Jeremiah describes a day unlike any other, Daniel describes a time of trouble unlike anything since there was a nation, and Jesus describes great tribulation unlike anything from the beginning of the world.
For me, these passages help explain one another. Jeremiah gives us the identity “Jacob’s trouble,” Daniel gives us additional prophetic timing and circumstances, and Jesus points directly back to Daniel while describing the unparalleled severity of what is coming.
Why I Believe the Complete Fulfillment Is Still Future
I realize that not everyone understands these passages the same way. Some interpret much of Daniel and Matthew 24 in connection with the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, and there is no question that Jerusalem’s destruction was a terrible historical event that Jesus prophesied. I believe we should acknowledge that history rather than pretending it has no relationship to biblical prophecy.
However, when I continue reading the prophetic passages, I do not believe AD 70 completely fulfills everything Jeremiah, Daniel, Jesus, and Revelation describe. Jeremiah does not simply take us to destruction and leave Israel there. His prophecy moves from unprecedented trouble into deliverance, restoration, security, and the reign of the promised Davidic King.
Jeremiah continues:
Jeremiah 30:8 through 9 (KJV)
“For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him:
But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.”
When I read those words, I believe Jeremiah is carrying us beyond anything that was completed in AD 70. Israel did not enter an age of lasting peace following Jerusalem’s destruction, nor did the promised Davidic King begin ruling the nations from Jerusalem at that time. From my understanding of Scripture, Jeremiah is looking toward the future Messianic Kingdom and the reign of Jesus Christ.
This is one of the reasons I believe we need to follow prophecy all the way to the conclusion God gives us rather than stopping at one historical event that may resemble part of the description.
Where I Believe the Rapture Fits
Before the time of Jacob’s trouble begins, I believe Scripture teaches that Jesus Christ will catch away His Church.
Paul writes:
1 Thessalonians 4:16 through 18 (KJV)
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
I believe this is the Rapture of the Church, and from my understanding of Scripture it occurs before the Tribulation begins. One of the passages that has always been important to me in reaching that conclusion comes immediately afterward in Paul’s letter.
1 Thessalonians 5:9 (KJV)
“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,”
I understand that sincere Christians interpret the timing of the Rapture differently, so I do not present the words “pre Tribulation Rapture” as though that phrase appears directly in these verses. It does not. This is the conclusion I have reached from comparing the passages concerning the Church, God’s wrath, Israel, Daniel’s seventieth week, and the events recorded in Revelation.
From my understanding, the Church is caught up to Christ before this period of divine wrath begins, and Israel once again moves to the forefront of the prophetic events God revealed through Jeremiah and Daniel.
I do not believe God Will Return Israel to the Law of Moses
There is an important point I want to make here because I believe people can easily misunderstand what we mean when we say that God will once again deal specifically with Israel after the Rapture.
I do not believe God will turn the clock backward and place Israel under the Law of Moses as the way of salvation. Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law, and what He accomplished at Calvary will never need to be replaced, repeated, or supplemented by the blood of animals. The cross did not temporarily interrupt the Mosaic sacrificial system so that God could restore it later as another means of dealing with sin. Christ offered the sufficient sacrifice once for all.
The writer of Hebrews makes that very clear.
Hebrews 10:10 through 12 (KJV)
“By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;”
Therefore, when I speak about God turning His prophetic attention again toward Israel, I am talking about covenant promises and prophetic events, not another Gospel. Jewish people will need Jesus Christ during the Tribulation just as they need Him today, and Gentiles will need the same Savior. There has never been another name that can save, and there never will be.
This distinction is extremely important to my understanding of end time prophecy because God can fulfill His promises to Israel without undoing what Jesus accomplished at the cross.
The Fulness of the Gentiles and the Rapture
Paul gives us another passage that I believe helps us understand the transition from the present Church Age into God’s future dealings with Israel.
Romans 11:25 through 27 (KJV)
“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.”
I believe the fulness of the Gentiles reaches its completion at the Rapture of the Church. From my understanding, the Rapture marks the completion of the present Church Age and a major transition in God’s prophetic program in which Israel again comes prominently into view.
However, I do not believe the fulness of the Gentiles means that the last Gentile who can ever be saved has entered the Church and that no Gentile can be saved afterward. Revelation itself prevents me from understanding the passage that way because John sees an enormous multitude from nations throughout the world coming out of the Great Tribulation.
Therefore, I understand the fulness of the Gentiles primarily in relation to the completion of the Church rather than the end of God’s willingness to save Gentiles. God’s attention toward Israel becomes prominent again, but His offer of salvation through Jesus Christ continues to reach people from every nation.
Salvation Will Continue During the Tribulation
One of the things that stands out to me when I read Revelation is how much evidence there is of God continuing to call people to Himself even during a period of terrible judgment.
John writes:
Revelation 7:9 through 10 (KJV)
“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”
A few verses later John is told who these people are.
Revelation 7:13 through 14 (KJV)
“And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
When I read that passage, I believe we are seeing a tremendous harvest of souls during the Tribulation. John does not describe a small group from one nation because he sees a multitude that no man could number from “all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues.”
This is why I believe we need to be careful when we say God turns His attention back toward Israel. That does not mean God ignores everyone else. During this terrible period, salvation will continue to be available through Jesus Christ, and Revelation gives us every reason to believe that people throughout the world will respond.
To me, this is one of the most remarkable parts of the Tribulation story. The righteous judgment of God will be falling upon a rebellious world, yet His mercy will still be evident as people are called to salvation through the Lamb. God will not compromise His holiness, but neither will He cease being merciful.
The 144,000 and God’s Continuing Work With Israel
Revelation 7 also introduces a group of 144,000 who are sealed from the tribes of Israel.
Revelation 7:3 through 4 (KJV)
“Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.”
From my understanding of Scripture, I believe we should take the identification John gives us seriously. He tells us these servants are connected with the tribes of the children of Israel, and I do not see a reason in the passage to turn them into a symbolic description of the Church.
Their presence during the Tribulation also shows me that God has not forgotten Israel. The same nation Jeremiah said would experience Jacob’s trouble remains present in Revelation while God continues carrying His prophetic purpose toward completion.
Exactly how every detail concerning the 144,000 should be understood is a subject that deserves careful study of its own, but the point relevant to this article is clear enough. Israel has not disappeared from God’s prophetic plan.
God Will Have Witnesses During the Darkest Days
Revelation 11 gives us another example of God continuing to bear witness during the Tribulation.
Revelation 11:3 through 4 (KJV)
“And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.”
I personally believe these two witnesses are Enoch and Elijah, although I always want to make clear that Revelation 11 does not directly identify them by name. That is my interpretation based upon my study of Scripture, and I do not want to present an interpretation as though John specifically wrote their names.
What Revelation does state plainly is that God places two powerful witnesses upon the earth for 1,260 days. Their ministry reminds us that even while the world is moving deeper into rebellion, God has not left mankind without testimony.
When I look at the 144,000, the Two Witnesses, and the great multitude coming out of the Tribulation, I see both judgment and mercy operating during the same period. God is dealing with rebellion, but He is also calling sinners to Himself. I believe that is an important part of the prophetic picture that sometimes gets lost when we focus only upon the terrible judgments.
The Antichrist and the Coming Deception
As we continue following the prophetic picture, Scripture introduces a coming ruler who will stand in direct opposition to God.
Paul writes:
2 Thessalonians 2:3 through 4 (KJV)
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”
When I compare Paul’s description with Daniel 9 and the words of Jesus in Matthew 24, I believe these passages point toward the same great deception surrounding the future Antichrist and the abomination of desolation.
I also believe there will be a future Temple in Jerusalem. However, I want to repeat what I said earlier because it is important to my understanding of this subject. The existence of a future Temple does not mean God has reinstated animal sacrifices as the means of salvation. Jesus Christ has already made the final sacrifice for sin, and nothing mankind builds in Jerusalem can change what He accomplished at Calvary.
From my understanding, the Antichrist will use the Temple and Israel’s expectation of Messiah as part of his deception. Eventually he will exalt himself, violate the arrangement that has been made, and claim a position belonging only to God.
This is why Jesus’ warning concerning the abomination of desolation carries such urgency.
Why the Second Half Becomes So Severe
Daniel tells us that the critical change occurs in the middle of the final week, while Revelation repeatedly gives us measurements corresponding to three- and one-half prophetic years.
One example appears in Revelation 12.
Revelation 12:6 (KJV)
“And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.”
Later John describes the same period another way.
Revelation 12:14 (KJV)
“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.”
From my understanding of Scripture, the woman represents Israel, and these verses describe God preserving a remnant during the final three and one half years when Satan’s fury against Israel reaches an extraordinary level.
I believe this is where the words of Jeremiah become especially powerful. Jeremiah never promised that Israel would be spared from every difficulty. In fact, he prophesied the exact opposite when he called this period Jacob’s trouble. Yet God promised that Jacob would be saved out of it, and Revelation shows us a people being preserved in the middle of intense satanic opposition.
There Is a Spiritual War Behind Jacob’s Trouble
Revelation allows us to see something Jeremiah did not reveal in the same detail. Behind the earthly conflict is a spiritual enemy who has opposed God’s purposes throughout human history.
Revelation 12:9 (KJV)
“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
When we understand Satan’s hatred of everything connected with God’s purpose, his hatred toward Israel during this period makes sense. God made promises involving Israel, Jerusalem, David’s throne, and the coming Messiah. Satan cannot destroy the faithfulness of God, so he attacks the people and purposes connected with those promises.
Yet Revelation does not present Satan as an equal opponent who might possibly defeat God. His time is limited, his actions remain under divine boundaries, and his final judgment is already certain.
That is something I believe Christians need to remember whenever we study prophecy. We are not reading about a future in which God struggles desperately to regain control of His creation. God remains sovereign throughout the entire prophetic story, and the outcome has already been determined.
Israel’s Greatest Restoration Will Be Spiritual
If all God intended to do was preserve the physical descendants of Jacob, the prophetic story would still be incomplete. Israel’s greatest need is not simply national survival or possession of the land. Israel needs the Messiah.
Zechariah gives us one of the most moving prophecies concerning Israel’s future recognition of Christ.
Zechariah 12:10 (KJV)
“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”
When I read this passage alongside Romans 11, I believe Scripture is pointing toward a future spiritual awakening in Israel. Paul says that blindness “in part” has happened to Israel “until” the fulness of the Gentiles has come in, while Zechariah describes the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem looking upon the One whom they pierced.
To me, the direction is unmistakably toward Jesus Christ. God’s future work with Israel does not take Israel away from Christ or provide another way to salvation. Instead, it ultimately brings a surviving remnant to recognize the Messiah they need.
That is why I believe the time of Jacob’s trouble is not simply about punishment. God will use this period within His larger prophetic purpose, and that purpose moves Israel toward recognition of Jesus Christ.
Christ Will Personally Intervene
Jeremiah tells us that Jacob will be saved out of his trouble, and when we continue through prophecy, we eventually discover how the final deliverance comes. Israel’s deliverance will not ultimately come because some earthly government negotiates the perfect agreement or because mankind finally discovers how to establish permanent peace in the Middle East. The decisive intervention comes from the Lord Himself.
Zechariah writes:
Zechariah 14:2 through 4 (KJV)
“For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.”
I take this prophecy literally. From my understanding of Scripture, Jesus Christ will return physically to this earth, His feet will stand upon the Mount of Olives, and He will intervene in the conflict surrounding Jerusalem.
That return is also described in Revelation.
The King of Kings Returns
Revelation 19:11 through 16 (KJV)
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
I believe we need to distinguish this event from the Rapture. At the Rapture, the Church is caught up to meet Christ in the air, while Revelation 19 describes Christ coming in judgment and openly exercising His authority over the nations.
From my understanding of Scripture, this is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and it brings the Tribulation toward its conclusion.
The world will not rescue itself from Antichrist. Israel will not save itself through military strength, and human diplomacy will not establish the Kingdom promised by the prophets. Jesus Christ Himself will return as KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Jeremiah Told Us the Outcome From the Beginning
After looking at Daniel, Matthew, Romans, Zechariah, Thessalonians, and Revelation, I want us to return to Jeremiah because the prophet told us the outcome before we ever examined the details.
Jeremiah 30:10 through 11 (KJV)
“Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.
For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.”
I believe these verses bring the whole subject into focus. God never tells Israel that sin does not matter, and He never promises that Israel will avoid correction. In fact, He specifically says that He will correct Jacob and will not leave him altogether unpunished. Yet in the very same statement God promises that He will “not make a full end” of Israel.
This is exactly what we saw in our study of Jeremiah’s promise that Israel would never cease from being a nation before Him. God’s judgment and God’s covenant faithfulness are not contradictions. He can judge His people righteously while remaining completely faithful to everything He has promised them.
The time of Jacob’s trouble therefore should not be understood as God finally giving up on Israel. From my understanding of Scripture, it is part of the process through which God brings Israel toward the restoration He promised.
Jacob’s Trouble Leads Toward the Kingdom
One of the reasons I believe Jeremiah 30 reaches into the end times is because of what follows the trouble. Jeremiah does not merely promise that Israel will survive. He says they will serve “the LORD their God, and David their king.”
I believe that promise points directly toward the Messianic Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Revelation tells us:
Revelation 20:4 (KJV)
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”
I take those thousand years literally. I believe Jesus Christ will return to this earth and establish the Kingdom promised throughout Scripture, and I believe Israel will finally experience the covenant restoration that the prophets described.
The time of Jacob’s trouble is therefore not the final destination. It is the terrible period that comes before Israel’s deliverance and the establishment of Christ’s Kingdom.
When we understand that, Jeremiah’s prophecy carries a message of hope even while describing tremendous suffering.
Why Would God Allow Such a Terrible Period?
Whenever we study the Tribulation, I believe this question naturally arises. If God is merciful, why would He allow such terrible judgments to come upon the world?
Part of the answer is that we must never separate God’s mercy from His holiness. The world described in Revelation is not innocently suffering while God suddenly becomes angry without reason. Humanity has rejected its Creator, embraced rebellion, persecuted God’s people, worshipped the beast, and resisted repeated warnings. God is patient, but His patience does not mean that evil will continue forever without judgment.
At the same time, judgment is not the only thing happening during the Tribulation. God is fulfilling prophecy, exposing Satan’s deception, dealing with Israel, overthrowing Antichrist’s kingdom, preparing the world for Christ’s righteous reign, and continuing to call sinners to salvation.
This is why the great multitude in Revelation 7 matters so much to me. Even during one of the darkest periods in human history, God is still saving people from every nation, kindred, people, and tongue. His judgment is righteous, but His mercy has not disappeared.
I believe there will be a tremendous turning to Christ during the Tribulation, even though following Him during that period will carry a terrible earthly cost for many believers.
What Jacob’s Trouble Teaches Me About God
The more I study this prophecy, the more convinced I become that the central lesson is not merely about Israel or the Tribulation. It is about the character of God.
God told Israel that rebellion would bring judgment, and He meant exactly what He said. Yet He also told Israel that He would preserve them and fulfill His covenant promises, and He means that just as surely.
Sometimes we struggle to understand how judgment and mercy can appear together, but Jeremiah does not force us to choose between them. God is holy enough to judge sin and faithful enough to keep every promise He has made.
That truth encourages me personally because the same God who has remembered His promises concerning Israel across thousands of years is the God who has made promises to those who belong to Jesus Christ. The passing of time does not weaken His Word, changing governments do not alter His plan, and human failure does not catch Him by surprise.
When God says something will happen, I believe we can trust Him.
We Need to Be Careful With Today’s Headlines
Because this article deals with Israel and end time prophecy, I also want to say something about the way we interpret current events. I believe Christians should watch what is happening in the world, especially events involving Israel and Jerusalem, but we need to keep our Bible open while we do it.
Not every war is Armageddon, not every political agreement is Daniel’s covenant, and not every world leader is the Antichrist. I believe we can do more harm than good when we attach Scripture to every breaking news story and then have to change our interpretation when the story changes a week later.
Prophecy should make us watchful without making us reckless. When Scripture gives us details, we should believe those details exactly as God gave them. When Scripture does not tell us something, I believe we should be willing to say that we do not know.
Our confidence should never rest upon our ability to match every headline with a prophecy. Our confidence rests upon the God who already knows the end from the beginning.
The Time to Come to Christ Is Now
After studying a subject like Jacob’s trouble, I believe there is a danger in becoming so interested in what will happen during the Tribulation that we overlook the opportunity God has given us right now.
Someone may read about the great multitude saved during the Tribulation and think, “If the Rapture happens, I will simply get saved afterward.” I would never encourage anyone to think that way.
You have an opportunity to come to Jesus Christ today, and there is no biblical reason to gamble with your eternity by deliberately rejecting Him now while assuming you will have another opportunity later.
Paul gives us the Gospel plainly.
1 Corinthians 15:3 through 4 (KJV)
“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”
Jesus Christ has already done what is necessary for our salvation. He died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day. You do not need to understand every detail of Daniel, Revelation, the Rapture, or Jacob’s trouble before you can be saved. You need to recognize that you are a sinner and place your faith in the Savior who died and rose again for you.
Conclusion: Jacob Shall Be Saved Out of It
When I come back to the words of Jeremiah after following this prophecy through the rest of Scripture, I believe the most important statement is still the one God gave us at the beginning:
Jeremiah 30:7 (KJV)
“Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.”
I want us to notice that God tells us about the trouble and the deliverance in the same verse. He never hides the severity of what is coming, but He also never leaves us wondering whether His covenant purposes will survive it.
From my understanding of Scripture, after the Rapture of the Church the world will enter the final period revealed in Daniel’s prophecy. God’s prophetic attention will once again center heavily upon Israel, but this does not mean a return to salvation under the Law of Moses. Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law, His sacrifice is sufficient forever, and everyone who is saved during the Tribulation will be saved because of Him.
During those years, Antichrist will rise, deception will spread, Israel will experience tremendous persecution, and the world will see judgments unlike anything it has experienced before. Yet God will continue bearing witness to the truth and calling people to salvation, and Revelation tells us that an enormous multitude from throughout the world will come to the Christ.
As the final crisis reaches Jerusalem, Israel will not be abandoned. The Messiah they need will return, and Jesus Christ will intervene exactly as the prophets foretold. He will overthrow the kingdom of Antichrist, deliver the surviving remnant, and establish the Kingdom in which He will rule and reign.
That is why I do not see the time of Jacob’s trouble as evidence that God has forgotten Israel. I see exactly the opposite. Even in the most terrible period Israel will ever experience, God will demonstrate that His promises cannot be destroyed by Satan, Antichrist, hostile nations, human rebellion, or the passing of time.
Jeremiah looked into the future and saw trouble unlike anything that had come before it, but God allowed him to see beyond the trouble to something greater. He saw Jacob delivered, Israel restored, and the promised King reigning.
That is where I believe our attention should finally rest.
The darkest days of the Tribulation will not have the final word because Jesus Christ will have the final word, and the God who promised that Jacob would be saved out of his trouble will prove once again that He is faithful to everything He has spoken.
A Word to the Unsaved
If you have read this far and have never trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, I do not want you to leave this study simply knowing more about Bible prophecy. Knowing what may happen tomorrow will not save you if you do not know the One who holds tomorrow.
The Bible tells us plainly how a person can be saved.
Romans 10:9 through 13 (KJV)
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If the Holy Spirit is dealing with your heart, I would encourage you not to put Him off. You do not know what tomorrow will bring, but you can know today that your sins are forgiven and that you belong to Jesus Christ. He died for your sins, was buried, rose again the third day, and offers salvation to everyone who will come to Him in faith.
Prayer of Salvation
Heavenly Father, I come before You admitting that I am a sinner and that I need Your mercy and forgiveness. I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins, was buried, and rose again the third day. I know that I cannot save myself, and today I place my faith and trust in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.
Lord Jesus, forgive me of my sins, change my heart, and help me from this day forward to live for You according to Your Word. Thank You for Your mercy, Your grace, and the salvation You have provided through Jesus Christ.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
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