Robert L. Thomas, Wycliffe Exegetical Commentary, Rev 1-7, 1992.
The saints’ point of departure is the earth, the scene of “the Great Tribulation”. The same meaning attaches to the expression here as was adopted at Rev 2:22 in Christ’s message to Thyatira. This is a period of eschatological tribulation immediately before Christ returns in power to establish His kingdom. It cannot be simply general tribulation that began in John’s time. This is a worldwide crisis among all nations that could hardly reflect the localized situation of John’s time or shortly thereafter (Moffatt). It cannot be the destruction of Jerusalem of A.D. 70, the subject of Christ’s remarks on the Mount of Olives (cf. Matt. 24:1-3, 21, 29), because this was not the ultimate fulfillment of His prophecies there. Nor can the reference be to all the tribulations throughout the age of the church, because the definite article (“the”), the whole vision, and its relation to the rest of the book eliminate the possibility of such a general understanding. This must relate to the future time of punitive action anticipated in Rev. 3:10 as “an hour of trial” and spoken of in Rev. 6:17 as “the great day” of the wrath of God and of the Lamb (Johnson). Paul also anticipates such a period of God’s punitive action against the world (1 Thess. 5:3; 2 Thess. 1:6-10). Jesus coined the expression “the great tribulation” (Matt. 24:21) and limited it to the second half of Daniel’s seventieth week (Matt. 24:15-22; Mark 13:14-20; cf. Dan. 9:27). t will be a period that will exceed all past and subsequent sorrows endured by the earth whose length will be 1,260 days (Rev. 11:3; 13:5).
It is the superlatively great crisis of trial through which all rebels against God must pass just before Christ’s second coming. The servants of God will not suffer the direct effects of God’s wrath. They will be untouched by it (Caird).
