新旧约都预期了一段大灾难时期作为终结前的征兆。耶利米说“遭难的时候”，并补充说那天是，“无日可比”（耶30:7）。但以理讲到 “并且有大艰难，从有国以来直到此时，没有这样的”（但以理书12:1）。在橄榄山圣训中（太24:3-51），耶稣不仅预言了耶路撒冷在公元70年的毁灭（太24:2），并进一步确认教会的整个历史中都是要面对患难（太24:9-10），除此之外也警戒教会最后要面对的大灾难 – 耶路撒冷的毁灭预示了将来所要发生的：“因为那时必有大灾难，从世界的起头直到如今，没有这样的灾难，後来也必没有。”（太24:21）。此外，还有基督徒离经叛道标记着基督再临之前的时期（2帖2：1-3）并敌基督的出现（但11:36-45； 帖后2:4）。
作者：Thomas, D.
Both Old and New Testaments expect a period of tribulation to characterize the period prior to the end. Jeremiah speaks of a ‘time of trouble’, adding concerning the day, ‘None will be like it’ (Jer. 30:7). Daniel speaks of a ‘time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning’ (Dan. 12:1). And in the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24:3–51), Jesus not only tells of the immediate destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 (Matt. 24:2),
and further admits that the entire history of the church is to know tribulation (Matt 24:9–10), but also warns that the church can expect a final tribulation—one which is anticipated by the destruction of Jerusalem: ‘For then there will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equalled again …’ (Matt. 24:21). In addition there are the signs of apostasy that mark the period before Christ’s coming (2 Thess. 2:1–3) and the appearance of Antichrist (Dan. 11:36–45; 2 Thess. 2:4).
Written By Thomas, D. (1993). God Strengthens: Ezekiel Simply Explained. Darlington, England: Evangelical Press