Is
being saved from God’s wrath synonymous with being saved from the Great
Tribulation?
One of the arguments advanced by those who hold the pre-tribulation view of rapture is that God will not allow his chosen ones to suffer: “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9). In short, they say believers will be spared from going through the Great Tribulation.
But
they fail to differentiate God’s wrath (judgment) from the Great Tribulation.
This
failure to distinguish God’s wrath (judgment) from the Great Tribulation is the
cause of much confusion.
Let
us now look at the timeline of the end times based on Matthew 24 and Revelation
6. For sake of clarity, the parts in red in the following passages refer to the
great cosmic
blackout.
Total
blackout occurs because the sun and moon will not give its light; also the
stars will fall from heaven.
“Immediately after the tribulation
of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon
will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the
heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in
heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the
Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He
will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather
together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other”
(Matthew 24:29-31).
I
looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake;
and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the
moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven
fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken
by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and
every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the
earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave
and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the
mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from
the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
(Revelation 6:12-17).
If
one were to draw the end time timeline based on the above two passages, it
would be:
- Great Tribulation
- Cosmic Blackout
- Wrath of God (judgment)
So
the next time, if someone quotes 1 Thessalonians 5:9, “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through
our Lord Jesus Christ”, you can share with him that freedom from God’s wrath does not necessarily mean believers will be
spared from having to endure the Great Tribulation.
While
God preserves believers from His wrath
(judgment), it does not necessarily mean believers will be spared from
having to endure the Great Tribulation,
which is a completely different end
time event.
The
Great Tribulation happens before the cosmic blackout whereas wrath of God (judgment) happens after the cosmic blackout.
Christians
will have to go through tribulation, in general, and the Great Tribulation—the
mother of all tribulations. For more: http://bit.ly/1mFzp9T
The
fact that believers will have to experience tribulation is totally consistent
with the teachings of the New Testament.
- Paul exhorts the disciples to continue in the faith, saying that “we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).
- Paul writes that we “glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance” (Romans 5:3).
- “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
- “They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake” (Luke 21: 12, 17).
During
the end times, both the righteous and wicked will suffer. But they suffer at different
times and come under different wraths.
When do the righteous suffer? During the Great Tribulation. They
suffer under the wrath of the Antichrist (Matthew 24: 15-28).
When do the wicked suffer? On the Day of the Lord when the wrath of God (judgment) is unleashed (Revelation chapters 8, 9.11, Matthew
13:40-42).
Just
as God waited for Noah and his family to enter the ark before He sent the
flood, God will bring His chosen ones to safety before He unleashes His wrath
(judgment).
How
does He accomplish it? Jesus will come again and gather
the elect during the rapture before He brings
judgment on those who are evil. In other words, there will be a separation. Jesus’ return in the clouds of heaven
ushers in a day of reckoning—salvation of His
people and judgment of the wicked.
The
purpose of the rapture, therefore, is to pull believers out to safety before
God rains down judgment on earth.
Throughout
church history—more so during the Great Tribulation—the cry of the martyrs ring
loud and clear, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge
our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” But they were told to “rest a
little while longer” (Revelation 6:9-11).
The
persecution and oppression of believers will come to an end when Christ returns
and they are caught up in the air to be with Him (raptured). “Then everyone
will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. So when
all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is
near!” (Luke 21:27-28). What a blessed hope!
However,
the fate of the wicked will be just the opposite when Christ returns. All of them will hide in the caves and rocks
of the mountains, and say to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us
from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For
the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Revelation 6:
15-17). The door is shut. The die is cast. The opportunity to repent is over. How irrevocably sad!
RELATED POSTS
RAPTURE BEFORE
TRIBULATION?
Will
believers be raptured before the Great Tribulation?
Re-examining
first-hand the relevant rapture passages.
FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY
"I
am afraid too many today are being lulled into thinking that when things get
really bad, we as believers will be suddenly snatched out of it all ("the
great snatch," the rapture is sometimes called). This is indeed poor
preparation for what is yet to happen—and a serious misreading of the prophetic
message."
CORRIE TEN BOOM ON
RAPTURE AND TRIBULATION
In
China, the Christians were told, “Don't worry, before the tribulation comes you
will be translated — raptured.” Then came a terrible persecution. Millions of
Christians were tortured to death. Later I heard a Bishop from China say,
sadly, “We have failed. We should have made the people strong for persecution
rather than telling them Jesus would come first. Tell the people how to be
strong in times of persecution, how to stand when the tribulation comes—to
stand and not faint.”
HOW TO QUICKLY ACCESS PORRIDGE
For a quick overview: http://bit.ly/1ijiXHp
To access similar articles in Christiantymalaysia.com:
To access similar articles in Asian Beacon magazine:
While believers will be spared from JUDGMENT, they have been told to expect persecution and tribulation, including the GREAT TRIBULATION. Never be confused between the former and the latter.
ReplyDeleteNever be mistaken that 1 Thessalonians 5:9 means we are spared from suffering.
In fact, the Bible repeatedly teaches this: believers need to develop endurance, perseverance and be overcomers through tribulation and suffering (Matthew 24:13, Revelation 3: 5). God uses the latter to test our faith in order to prove its genuineness (1 Peter 1:6-7; 1 Peter 4: 12-13). If Jesus had to endure suffering, won’t His disciples be made to follow in His footsteps (1 Peter 2:21, John 16:33, John 15:20)?
Of course, a pretribulation view of rapture is the popular view as it is more agreeable and comforting, like most false doctrines.