Like A Thief In The Night Series

But there is a reason WHY I believe Jesus will come before the tribulation and His 1,000-year reign. I believe He is coming back to rescue His church, His Bride, from the terrible period of tribulation and judgment that will happen on earth.

In the second and third chapters of Revelation, Jesus gave messages to the seven churches, which represent all churches of all time. When He wrote to the church at Philadelphia, He said, “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I also will keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.” (Revelation 3:10)

In Luke 17 Jesus compared His return to a couple of Old Testament events. “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.” (Luke 17:26-30)

For many years I read that statement thought the only take-away from it was that life would be going on as normal as possible when Jesus returns. People would be eating, drinking, marrying off their children, etc. But as I examined it more closely I came to see a deeper meaning. What do the flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah have in common with the second coming? First, the people were so wicked before the flood, that God sent the flood as a judgment against sinful humanity. The residents of Sodom and Gomorrah, who staged their own gay-pride parades, were so sinful that God sent a fiery judgment on those people. Doesn’t that remind you of the times we’re living in? We talk about God judging America; we’re not that special. The time is going to come when God will judge all humanity again. It’s described in Revelation chapters 6-19. What else did Noah and Lot have in common? In both cases, God rescued a FAMILY. God put Noah and his family into the ark and they escaped the watery judgment. The same thing happened with Lot. Before God sent the fiery judgment on those two cities, God had His angels let Lot and his family to a safe distance away.

The tribulation is another example of how God is going to pour out His wrath on a sinful world, and like Noah and Lot, He is going to come and rescue us out of here before the judgment comes.

III. THE DAY OF THE LORD WILL BRING DESTRUCTION TO MANY

There are many references to the Day of the Lord in the Bible. But remember, this isn’t one single 24-hour period. The Day of the Lord describes the end time events at begin with the rapture. For those of us who know Jesus, it will be a delightful experience, but for those left behind, it will mean destruction for many. It will not be a time of celebration and reunion for those who don’t know Christ. It will begin the worst chapter in the history of the world.