Question: Are we currently in the tribulation period? If not, how shall we I know when it begins?
Answer: Judging by the current worldwide pandemic, the demise of world economies, the increase of rumors of war, natural disasters and food shortages, it does seem we have entered the prophesied Time of Trouble and that the first domino of that time period has fallen. Since these calamities have been multiplying, should we ignore them and act as if they don’t have anything to do with what we have done, or are doing? That everything will soon return to normal, even as unseen forces are at work in the world that suggest otherwise? As we have ever considered these kinds of calamities in the scriptures to be a consequence of people’s wickedness, should we pretend that in our case we are the exception, that God will favor us even when the scripture says of us:
“Vengeance cometh speedily upon the inhabitants of the earth, a day of wrath, a day of burning, a day of desolation, of weeping, of mourning, and of lamentation; and as a whirlwind it shall come upon all the face of the earth, saith the Lord. And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord; First among those among you, saith the Lord, who have professed to know my name and have not known me, and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house, saith the Lord” (Doctrine & Covenants 112:24–26)?
Personally the tribulations in the Latter-Days begin in 1861 what is known as the US Civil War followed by WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Cold War, and terrorism. The real troublous times to me is when neighbors work together on issues which will bring about a Zion people. At this point, we are not in real troublous times as Daniel spoke about which occurs in the 69th week.
According to scripture, a couple of things have to happen before the times of tribulation. The Jewish people have to get support 4 and begin building the temple.