(The Tribulation is a future time period when the Lord will accomplish at
least two aspects of His plan: 1) He will complete His discipline of
the nation Israel (Daniel 9:24),
and 2) He will judge the unbelieving, godless inhabitants of the earth
(Revelation 6 - 18). The length of the Tribulation is seven years. This
is determined by an understanding of the seventy weeks of Daniel. The
Great Tribulation is the last half of the Tribulation period, three and
one-half years in length. It is distinguished from the tribulation
period because the Beast, or Antichrist, will be revealed, and the wrath
of God will greatly intensify during this time. Thus, it is important
at this point to emphasize that the Tribulation and the Great
Tribulation are not synonymous terms. Within eschatology (the study of
future things), the Tribulation refers to the full seven-year period
while the term "Great" Tribulation refers to the second half of the
Tribulation.)
