THE BEGINNING OF SORROWS

The period of the first three and a half years of the prophetic week is called the "beginning of sorrows" Matt. 24:8.

The Jews, upon returning to their homeland, will bring the best of the world, obtained through their commercial success. The land of Israel will be filled with gold, silver, and endless treasures. Gen. 31:17,18; Isa. 2:7,8; Ps. 73:3-12.

The apostate Jews will have a temple in the land. They will offer sacrifices, observe Sabbaths and feasts merely as a tradition. Matt. 24:15; 2 Thess. 2:4; Ps. 42:4; Dan. 9:27, 12:11; Isa. 1:10-15; Ps. 1-41 (First Book of Psalms); Ps. 42.* The great multitude of apostate Jews will be led to worship without having any kind of thought directed toward God. "He who sacrifices a lamb will be like the one who slays a dog." Their ways before the Lord will be an abomination. Isa. 1:10-15, 66:3,4.

The Lord's first dealings with the world during the tribulation period will have a providential character (that is, earthquakes, famine, pestilences, etc.). Such dealings are called seals of judgment. Rev. 6:1-17; Matt. 24:6,7.

Not long after the Jews have returned to the land of Israel, conditions in the Middle East, Western Europe, and probably in America (the prophetic land) will become unsettled. There will be conflicts in every aspect of life. Violence and bloodshed will be abundant. Civil peace will be extirpated from the land. Rev. 6:3,4 (Second seal).

Wars and rumors of wars will fill the air. Matt. 24:6,7.

As the first three and a half years proceed, agriculture will begin to fail, followed by widespread famine. Sorrows and afflictions will multiply. Rev. 6:5,6 (Third seal). Matt. 24:7.

The privileged upper class will not be affected initially by the famine. Many of these will be Jews who have accumulated great fortunes for themselves. The working class, however, will suffer severely. Rev. 6:6.

The pestilence will spread throughout Western Europe ("the fourth part of the earth"). Death will follow. Rev. 6:7,8 (Fourth seal). Matt. 24:7.

As the scenario becomes darker, the corrupt religious system of Rome, with its totalitarian power over the Empire, will begin to martyr the Jewish witnesses who will be preaching the gospel of the Kingdom. The gospel of the Kingdom is the news of the coming of the Messiah who will subdue all dominion and establish His throne in Zion (Jerusalem), from where He will judge the world. Rome will treat these witnesses as revolutionaries who seek to undermine its control through the propagation of doctrines about another coming government. As a result, many of these faithful Jewish witnesses will be condemned to death for the Word of God and the testimony they will bear. Rev. 6:9-11, (Fifth seal) Matt. 24:9, 1 Kings 19:1-3.

As the middle of the week approaches, there will be war in heaven. Michael (the archangel) and his angels will overcome Satan and his angels, expelling them from heaven and casting them to the earth. Satan, knowing that he has little time, will employ all his energy to drag the world after himself. Rev. 12:7-12.

The heavens will rejoice when Satan is cast out. They will see themselves free from the presence of evil. From that moment on, the sphere of Satan's action will be restricted to the earth. Rev. 12:12. Compare Job 15:15; Eph. 2:2; 6:18.

Upon being expelled from heaven, Satan will cause a great upheaval in the world, especially in the West. He will enter the political arena causing a general revolt. There will be a complete collapse of the order of civil and governmental authority. The government of the West, under the leadership of the harlot (the false church), will become chaotic, resulting in disorder and anarchy. Rev. 6:12-17 (Sixth seal).

This will sow terror in the hearts of the inhabitants of the earth, as they watch the collapse of the system (that is, of government departments, businesses, organizations, etc.). There will be "panic among the nations in perplexity, men fainting in their hearts for fear," as they begin to perceive the thunder of the coming judgment. Rev. 6:15-17, Luke 21:25,26.