What is the great tribulation mentioned in the Last Days prophecies?
The great tribulation does not signify the literal destruction of the physical earth, but rather the intense spiritual and ideological birth pangs of a changing era. It marks the climactic transition from the dominion of evil into God’s sovereign reign, where His Word purifies hearts and restores humanity to divine peace.
When believers read the solemn prophecies concerning the Last Days, few passages evoke as much dread as those depicting the great tribulation. Prophetic scriptures describe the sun growing dark, stars falling from heaven, heavens dissolving in fire, and unprecedented distress sweeping across the nations. For centuries, many have interpreted these visions literally, anticipating the catastrophic annihilation of the physical cosmos or an inescapable global nightmare. Yet when we examine the deeper principles governing God’s historical providence, a profoundly different picture emerges. The great tribulation is not a sentence of arbitrary destruction upon the physical universe, but rather the intense, unavoidable spiritual and ideological birth pangs that occur as human history transitions from the dominion of evil into the sovereign realm of God's original ideal.
The Biblical Foundation
Throughout the Old and New Testaments, apocalyptic texts depict great upheaval marking the end of the age. The prophet Daniel foresaw that "there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time" (Daniel 12:1). Jesus echoed these words when warning of the culmination of history: "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be" (Matthew 24:21). The Apostle Peter likewise warned that "the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat" (2 Peter 3:12).
However, Scripture itself cautions us against a literal reading of such cosmic destructions. The Word declares that "one generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever" (Ecclesiastes 1:4). Furthermore, God promised in Psalm 69 that He will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah so that "the seed also of his servants shall inherit it" (Psalm 69:36). Even in the time of Noah, God proclaimed, "The end of all flesh is come before me... and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth" (Genesis 6:13); yet the physical planet remained intact while human society was purified.
The vivid imagery of the sun and moon darkening and stars falling from the sky carries an internal, symbolic meaning. In Genesis, Joseph dreamed that "the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me" (Genesis 37:9), which Jacob immediately recognized as referring to himself as the father, his wife as the mother, and Joseph’s brothers as the children. In the course of providential history, the sun and moon represent central figures and guiding revelations, while the stars represent the believers. When Jesus inaugurated the New Testament era, the light of the Mosaic Law, like the moon, grew pale before the radiant sun of the Gospel. Those who rejected the living Messiah fell from their spiritual standing, tumbling from heaven. In like manner, the tribulation of the Last Days describes the fading of previous understandings before the dawn of a new expression of truth, a transition that inevitably shakes the spiritual cosmos to its very foundations.
The Providential Meaning of the Last Days
God created human beings to realize the three great blessings: to attain personal maturity as temples of God, to establish loving families and true lineages, and to exercise loving dominion over the creation. Because the human fall diverted history into the grasp of Satan, God has been working unceasingly through the providence of restoration to recover what was lost. The Last Days, therefore, do not mark the destruction of the world, but the last days of evil, the climactic period in which the world centered on Satan transitions into the world centered on God.
Because fallen humanity formed an illicit relationship with Satan, separation from evil requires fulfilling conditions of restoration through indemnity. Throughout providential history, God sought central figures to establish the foundation of faith through offerings of obedience and the foundation of substance by reversing the fallen nature introduced at the dawn of history. When central figures or their followers faltered—such as the Israelites who fell into faithlessness during their forty-day spy mission and wandered for forty years, or the religious leaders who evaluated Jesus by external traditions—the providence was prolonged and required greater indemnity.
Jesus came as the Messiah to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth and fully conquer Satan. Yet, because the people lacked faith in him, he walked the path of the cross, securing spiritual salvation while the complete restoration of the physical body and lineage was postponed until the Second Coming. Thus, the great tribulation signifies the final providential battlefield where Satan’s dominion is dismantled. It is the time when the deep accumulated grief of God and humanity is resolved, and the long-endured reign of conflict, fear, and sorrow gives way to authentic peace.
The Crucible of Ideological and Spiritual Turmoil
The intense distress foretold for the Last Days unfolds on both the internal and external planes. Externally, this transition culminates through worldwide conflicts and the clash of democratic and materialistic spheres, purifying the global environment to receive the returning Lord. Internally, the tribulation manifests as a profound ideological confusion and crisis of values. As the old era draws to a close, existing philosophies, religious paradigms, and cultural norms lose their vitality. People find themselves adrift without an absolute standard, experiencing immense existential anxiety.
Moreover, the great tribulation involves the painful confrontation between the old wineskins and the new wine. When God initiates a new era, He does not begin by totally abolishing the previous dispensation; rather, the new dispensation takes root amidst the old. When Jesus arrived, the religious leadership clung tightly to the external letters of the law and branded the Son of God a heretic. Today, those who remain rigidly attached to the external dogmas of the past risk opposing the very work of God they have longed for. Judgment does not come through physical fire, but through the fire of the Word of God, which exposes falsehood, consumes self-righteousness, and purifies the human conscience. The tribulation is fierce because Satan wages his fiercest resistance precisely when his sovereignty is being overthrown, and because the human heart must struggle to cast off centuries of inherited habits to embrace the living light of Heaven.
Living the Principle
To navigate this transitional hour, believers must first cultivate spiritual discernment, looking past literal metaphors of physical devastation and recognizing God’s hand at work in the transformation of human culture. We must not be paralyzed by sensational prophecies of natural catastrophes, but rather discern how God is preparing the global environment for the complete realization of His original purpose.
Second, we are called to maintain deep humility and open hearts toward the unfolding providence. Just as the contemporaries of Noah and Jesus stumbled by evaluating God’s work through rigid preconceptions, we must guard against spiritual pride and be willing to pour the new wine into new wineskins. This requires seeking the central point of God's present history and aligning our lives with the absolute standard of true love.
Finally, we must willingly offer our daily portion of responsibility through prayer, sacrificial service, and the setting of righteous indemnity conditions. By overcoming our fallen inclinations and establishing unity in our own hearts and families, we participate directly in the transition from hell on earth into the Kingdom of Heaven. Though the birth pangs of the new age may bring spiritual tension and trial, we can walk forward with unwavering hope, knowing that this tribulation is the final gateway into an eternal era of joy, light, and restored divine lineage.
These answers explain the Bible in the light of the Divine Principle, the teachings of Reverend Sun Myung Moon. Read about the author, Sun Myung Moon.
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Sources and further reading
- The Holy Bible, King James Version — Scripture quoted and referenced throughout the answers.
- The Divine Principle (full text) — The complete text of the Divine Principle, the teaching of Reverend Sun Myung Moon that these answers explain.
- Unification texts library (tparents.org) — Large online library of Unification texts, sermons and collected speeches, including the Cheon Seong Gyeong.
- Short video lectures in English — Playlist of short English video lectures presenting these same principles.