Editing Great Tribulation (section)

===Futurism===
In the [[Futurism (Christianity)|futurist]] view of [[Christian eschatology]], the Great Tribulation is a relatively short period of time where everyone will experience worldwide hardships, persecution, disasters, famine, war, pain, and suffering, which will affect all of creation, and precede judgment of all when the [[Second Coming]] takes place. Some pretribulationists believe that those who choose to follow [[God in Christianity|God]] will be [[rapture]]d before the tribulation, and thus escape it.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}} On the other hand, [[Posttribulation rapture|posttribulationists]] believe Christians who are alive at the time of the Great Tribulation must endure the Great Tribulation and will receive great blessings.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}}

According to [[Dispensationalism|dispensationalists]], the Tribulation is thought to occur before the Second Coming of Jesus and during the [[Eschatology|End Times]]. In this view, the Tribulation will last seven prophetic Hebrew years (lasting 360 days each) in all, but the Great Tribulation will be the second half of the Tribulation period.<ref>see [[wikisource:Bible (King James)/Matthew#Chapter 24|Matt 24:15]] and [[wikisource:Bible (King James)/Matthew#Chapter 24|Matt 24:21]] showing the Great Tribulation is after the [[Abomination of Desolation]], which marks the midpoint of the Tribulation</ref>

In this view, this seven-year period is considered to be the final week of Daniel's [[Prophecy of Seventy Weeks]], found in Daniel chapter 9. It is theorized that each week represents seven years, with the timetable beginning from [[Artaxerxes I of Persia|Artaxerxes]]' order to rebuild the [[Second Temple]] in Jerusalem. After seven weeks and 62 weeks, the prophecy says that the [[messiah]] will be "cut off", which is taken to correspond to the death of [[Christ]]. This is seen as creating a break of indeterminate length in the timeline, with one week remaining to be fulfilled.

The time period for these beliefs is also based on other passages: in the Book of Daniel, "[[time, times, and half a time]]", interpreted as "three and a half years," and the Book of Revelation, "a thousand two hundred and threescore days" and "forty and two months" (the prophetic month averaging 30 days, hence 1260/30 = 42 months or 3.5 years). The 1290 days of {{Bibleverse|Daniel|12:11}}, (rather than the 1260 days of {{Bibleverse|Revelation|11:3}}), is thought to be the result of either a simple [[Intercalation (timekeeping)|intercalary]] leap month adjustment, or due to further calculations related to the prophecy, or due to an intermediate stage of time that is to prepare the world for the beginning of the [[Millennialism|millennial reign]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Tim F. LaHaye|author2=Thomas Ice|title=Charting the End Times: A Visual Guide to Understanding Bible Prophecy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ESz8LZW5d-gC|year=2001|pages=66–67|publisher=Harvest House Publishers|isbn=978-0-7369-0138-3}}</ref>

====Events====
Among Futurists there are differing views about what will happen to Christians during the Tribulation:
* Pretribulationists believe that all righteous Christians (deceased and living) will be taken bodily up to [[Heaven]] (called the [[Rapture]]) before the Tribulation begins.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Thessalonians%204.13-18|title=1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 (ESV) - "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who ..." - Biblia.com|work=Biblia|access-date=15 September 2014}}</ref> According to this belief, every true Christian that has ever existed throughout the course of the entire Christian era will be instantaneously transformed into a perfect resurrected body, and will thus escape the trials of the Tribulation. Those who become Christians after the rapture will live through (or perish during) the Tribulation. After the Tribulation, Christ will return to establish his Millennial Kingdom.
* Prewrathers believe the rapture will occur during the Tribulation, at some unknown time in the second half of the 70th week of Daniel, but before the [[seven trumpets]] and [[seven bowls]] of the [[Divine retribution|wrath of God]]. Thus the rapture cuts short the Tribulation and initiates the wrath of God.
* [[Midtribulationism|Midtribulationists]] believe that the rapture will occur halfway through the Tribulation, but before the worst part of it occurs. The seven-year period is divided into halves—the "beginning of sorrows" and the "Great Tribulation".
* [[Post Tribulation Rapture|Posttribulationists]] believe that Christians will not be taken up into Heaven for eternity, but will be received or gathered in the air by Christ, to descend together to establish the [[Kingdom of God]] on earth at the end of the Tribulation.

In pretribulationism and midtribulationism, the rapture and the Second Coming of Christ are separate events, while in post-tribulationism the two events are identical or simultaneous. Another feature of the pre- and mid-tribulation beliefs is the idea that after the rapture, Christ will return for a third time (when also counting the first coming) to set up his kingdom on the earth.{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}}

The [[Catholic Church]] teaches that there will be a "final Passover" or last "purgatory" before the final [[parousia]] (Second Coming), in which the church will "pass through a final fire that will shake the faith of many". Generally neither the Catholic Church, the various [[Orthodoxy#Christianity|Orthodox]] and [[Anglican communion|Anglican]] communions, nor the older Protestant denominations use the term "rapture", and tend toward [[amillennialism]]. In this view, the millennium is regarded as the initial period of Christ's reign (manifested in the life and activity of the church) that began with the Pentecost and will lead up to the messiah's eventual return, with the outcome being a single and permanent event at the end of present time.<ref name="Switzer (Cath. escat.)">{{cite web|last1=Switzer|first1=John|title=Do Catholics believe in the Rapture?|url=http://www.uscatholic.org/articles/201407/do-catholics-believe-rapture-29196|website=US Catholic| date=11 August 2014 |access-date=September 10, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Anglcian (eschat.)">{{cite web|author1=Fr. Jonathan|title=Ask an Anglican: The End of the World|url=https://conciliaranglican.com/2011/12/23/ask-an-anglican-the-end-of-the-world/|website=The Conciliar Anglican|access-date=September 10, 2016|date=December 23, 2011|archive-date=July 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160730035042/https://conciliaranglican.com/2011/12/23/ask-an-anglican-the-end-of-the-world/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Rossing (Lutheran eschat.)">{{cite web|last1=Rossing|first1=Barbara|title=End-times|url=https://www.livinglutheran.org/2013/06/end-times/|website=Liveing Lutheran|access-date=September 10, 2016|date=June 4, 2013}}</ref>