The tribulation did not occur immediately after the crucifixion because Israel rejected the offered King and Kingdom, causing God to interrupt the prophetic timeline and set the nation aside.
In the Old Testament prophetic program, the tribulation was expected to flow right after the Messiah's rejection and crucifixion, followed by Christ's return to set up His kingdom (Psalm 2; Clip7). Instead, Israel continued rejecting the messianic offer after Pentecost, so God stopped the prophetic clock and set the nation aside (Clip4; Clip1). He then turned to the Gentiles by grace, leaving Daniel's seventieth week future (Clip7; Clip5).
Daniel 9:24-27 — This prophecy establishes the seven-year period that was not fulfilled after the crucifixion because Israel rejected the Messiah.
Psalm 2:5-6 — It lays out the expected order in which wrath and vexation precede the setting of God's King on Zion.
Romans 11:25 — It shows Israel is temporarily hardened until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in, explaining the delay.
The Old Testament prophet Daniel was told that seventy weeks were determined for Israel and for Jerusalem (Daniel 9:24). After sixty-two weeks, the Messiah would be cut off, and the people of a coming prince would destroy the city and the sanctuary (Daniel 9:26). The same prophecy describes a final one-week period in which a covenant is confirmed with many, and in the midst of the week sacrifice and oblation cease (Daniel 9:27). Psalm 2 places the Lord's wrath and vexation immediately before the declaration, "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion" (Psalm 2:5-6). Psalm 110:1 pictures the Lord seated at God's right hand until His enemies are made His footstool. Romans 11:25 adds that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.
Les Feldick teaches that the Bible's prophetic program was originally a continuous sequence. In the Old Testament line, Israel would reject and crucify the Messiah, God would call Him back to glory and seat Him at His right hand, and then wrath, vexation, and tribulation would follow before the King was set on Zion (Psalm 2; Clip7). Hypothetically, the tribulation could have come immediately after the crucifixion, Christ could have returned, and Israel could have evangelized the nations (Clip3). That expected sequence did not happen. When Israel continued to reject the preaching of Peter and the eleven in Acts, God stopped His prophetic time clock, set the nation aside, and began calling out a people for His name (Clip4; Clip2). The final seven years of Daniel's 490-year prophecy remain unfulfilled and are pushed into the future (Clip1). In 70 A.D., God permitted Rome to destroy the temple and Jerusalem, and Israel entered a dispersion that lasted until modern times (Clip6). Les teaches that after the Church is raptured, God will bring in the tribulation for Israel (Clip5), and it opens when the Antichrist signs a seven-year treaty with Israel (Clip0).
Les Feldick teaches that the Old Testament prophetic line presented a continuous sequence: Israel would reject and crucify the Messiah, God would call Him back to glory and set Him at His right hand, and then wrath, vexation, and tribulation would come, followed by the King set on Zion (Psalm 2:5-6; Psalm 110:1; Clip7). He adds that hypothetically the tribulation could have come immediately after the crucifixion, Christ could have returned, and Israel could then have evangelized the Gentiles (Clip3).
Israel rejected the offer made through Peter and the eleven and refused to believe that Jesus was the Christ (Clip1). Because Israel kept rejecting after Pentecost, God set the nation aside and His prophetic time clock stopped (Clip2; Clip4). With Israel set aside, God turned to the Gentiles with salvation by grace, disconnected from Israel's Law (Clip7).
The final seven years still belong to Daniel's 490-year prophecy but are not yet accomplished (Clip1). Les says the tribulation will begin when the Antichrist signs a seven-year treaty with Israel, and that signing opens the seal judgments (Clip0). Before that, the Body of Christ must be raptured, after which God will bring in the tribulation for Israel (Clip5).
About forty years after the crucifixion and Pentecost, God permitted the Roman army under Titus to destroy the temple and Jerusalem and to uproot the Jewish people into a dispersion that has lasted until our day (Clip6). This came about because Israel rejected their Messiah and King (Clip6).
The Tribulation Opens with the Antichrist's Treaty
book of Daniel, that this seven year period of time, which we call Daniel's 70th week, or we call it the time of wrath and vexation, or we call it primarily the Tribulation, will be opening when the Antichrist signs that seven year treaty with Israel. Remember back there in Daniel chapter 9? And when he signs that seven year treaty, then this is the beginning of the opening of the seals.
The Final Seven Years Still Unfulfilled
Which means that when God left off dealing with Israel here early in the Book of Acts, we know that that last seven years have not yet been accomplished. And so then Bible scholars began to realize that these seven years were some place out in the future. We don't know when, but we know that we've already come almost 2,000 years and we feel we're getting close to it.
God Sets Israel Aside in Acts
Not that it was something new, the Old Testament was full of it, that Israel was to be a light of the Gentiles, Israel's Messiah was to be the light, but only through Israel. But now since Israel has had these seven years of constantly rejecting Peter and the eleven and their appeal, God, you might say, gives up on the nation of Israel, and sets them aside.
Hypothetically, the Tribulation Could Have Followed Immediately
And that's why I left the line this way, that the Jewish nation was being used of God in a Jew-only situation, with the exceptions, and I'll give you a couple of them somewhere down the road. And then they would reject Him. They would crucify Him. He would ascend the tribulation. Hypothetically, now, I've got to emphasize this.
God's Prophetic Clock Stops
But as we showed through all those verses, we know that historically now that didn't all happen. There was nothing that was part and parcel of the tribulation, and that after the Holy Spirit came down, the Old Testament program just came to a halt, God's time clock stopped, and now we're going to try and show you, coming through the book of Acts, and again, this is not an in-depth study of Acts, a…
The Church Age Parenthesis; Romans 11:25
Now always remember that if we could just pull a slight of hand, what I like to do is just remove this section again, and just back this right up to here, or we could just take the Church out and come right back to the Old Testament economy of the coming of the Messiah, the tribulation, the King, and the Kingdom, and so forth.
70 A.D. Destruction and Dispersion
Now then, when Israel after the crucifixion and after Pentecost continued to reject the offers of the Old Testament promises of the King and the Kingdom, and her role to literally be the evangelist to that pagan world around her, we notice that Israel begins to just, you might say, go down the tube spiritually, and finally in 70 A.D.
The Interrupted Prophetic Sequence
They would reject the Messiah, they would put Him to death, God would call Him back to Heaven, set Him at His right hand, until His enemies were made His footstool, and then the next verse in Psalms chapter 2 says, "...then will come His wrath, and vexation, and tribulation." And then what's the next verse? "...yet have I set my King upon the holy hill of Zion.
Daniel 9:24-27: Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 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.
The seventieth week in this prophecy is the tribulation that was postponed after Israel rejected the Messiah.
Psalm 2:5-6: Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
This places wrath and vexation as the expected step before God sets His King on Zion.
Psalm 110:1: The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
It pictures the Messiah at God's right hand, waiting until His enemies become His footstool.
Romans 11:25: 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.
It shows that Israel's hardening is temporary, lasting until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
Yes. Les Feldick says hypothetically the tribulation could have come right on in after the crucifixion, Christ could have returned and set up His kingdom, and Israel could have evangelized the Gentiles. The prophetic sequence was only interrupted because Israel rejected the offer.
Les teaches that Israel continued to reject the preaching of Peter and the eleven, so God stopped His prophetic clock and set the nation aside. The final seven years of Daniel's prophecy were therefore pushed out into the future.
It is still future. It belongs to Daniel's 490-year prophecy, and Les says it will begin when the Antichrist signs a seven-year treaty with Israel, after the Body of Christ is raptured.
No. God set Israel aside for a time, not permanently. Romans 11:25 indicates blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in, and Les teaches God will bring in the tribulation to Israel later.
Watch the Teaching: What Happens When the Lamb Opens the Seals — Revelation 6