How long will the Great Tribulation last?

Scripture says that the Great Tribulation will last for seven years. The first three-and-a-half years will be characterized by the success of the Antichrist and his New World Order. In the midst of those seven years, during which the Temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt, the Antichrist will demand that the sacrifices cease. He then will sit in the Temple and declare himself to be God.

Daniel documents the time period of the Antichrist: "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" (Daniel 9:27).

During these days of the Great Tribulation, the time will come when the Jews recognize that the Antichrist is not the Messiah, but an imposter. Israel will cry out to God, and He will answer: "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn" (Zechariah 12:10).