Why I think Christians Will Go Through the Tribulation”
11/26/06
“As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples came along and wanted to take him on a tour of the various Temple buildings. But he told them, "All these buildings will be knocked down, with not one stone left on top of another!" "When will this happen?" the disciples asked him later, as he sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. "What events will signal your return and the end of the world?" Jesus told them, "Don’t let anyone fool you. For many will come claiming to be the Messiah and will lead many astray. When you hear of wars beginning, this does not signal my return; these must come, but the end is not yet. The nations and kingdoms of the earth will rise against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many places. But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come. "Then you will be tortured and killed and hated all over the world because you are mine, and many of you shall fall back into sin and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and lead many astray. Sin will be rampant everywhere and will cool the love of many. But those enduring to the end shall be saved. "And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it, and then, finally, the end will come.
"So, when you see the horrible thing (told about by Daniel the prophet) standing in a holy place (Note to the reader: You know what is meant!), then those in Judea must flee into the Judean hills. Those on their porches must not even go inside to pack before they flee. Those in the fields should not return to their homes for their clothes. "And woe to pregnant women and to those with babies in those days. And pray that your flight will not be in winter, or on the Sabbath. For there will be persecution such as the world has never before seen in all its history and will never see again. "In fact, unless those days are shortened, all mankind will perish. But they will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen people. "Then if anyone tells you, ’The Messiah has arrived at such and such a place, or has appeared here or there,’ don’t believe it. For false Christs shall arise, and false prophets, and will do wonderful miracles so that if it were possible, even God’s chosen ones would be deceived. See, I have warned you.”
Matt 24:1-25 (Living)
Thanksgiving was great this year. The turkey was perfect. The pies were delicious. Everyone had a great time. And we had so much to be thankful for. God has been so good to us. I feel so blessed. We have so many comforts the rest of the world doesn’t have. We live like kings! My kids and grandkids and friends fill the house with love. We are safe and warm and well fed. We should be truly thankful. And we should probably enjoy it while we can – because if I read the Bible correctly and read the signs of the times correctly – it won’t last forever.
Jesus was in Jerusalem with his disciplines. They were visiting, probably because of a religious holiday. Galilee was where they normally hung out. That was home. Capernaum was home. But they had finished what they were doing and they were admiring the temple. It must have been impressive at that time and place. The disciples were a little awed by it. But Jesus, seeing a chance to teach, told them that one day it would all be destroyed. Not one stone would remain on top of another. This got their attention. They wanted to know two things. 1. When was this going to happen and 2. When was Jesus going to return? Those were pretty straight forward questions and I believe Jesus answered them honestly and clearly.
The first happened in their lifetime. The second question will probably happen in our life time. Jesus obviously wanted them and us to be prepared for Him return. He gave some pretty specific clues to when he was coming back.
First, false Christs would arise. There would be wars and rumors of wars. There would be famines in many places. There would be many earthquakes that would cause much destruction. Jesus said that this wasn’t it yet. This was only the beginning. The next stage would be the persecution of Christians. He said,
"Then you will be tortured and killed and hated all over the world because you are mine, and many of you shall fall back into sin and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and lead many astray. Sin will be rampant everywhere and will cool the love of many. But those enduring to the end shall be saved.” Matt 24:9-13 (Living)
We live in the land of the brave and the free. We are pretty safe here. Sure, there are rumblings of religious intolerance, but there are thousands and thousands of Christians who are dying for their faith right now. Look at this:
Buddhist militants attacked two church services in Sri Lanka on November 12 and hit Christian workers returning from a funeral. On Thursday (November 16), they also doused a female church member with a container of burnt oil. Nov 21st, 2006 10:36 PM
Two unidentified militants today killed a Christian convert from Islam on a busy road in Mamoosa village, Barmullah district, in the terror-stricken state of Jammu and Kashmir. Nov 21st, 2006 10:34 PM
Adherents of a Bodo tribal religion in Assam, northeast India, forced nine families from their homes last Tuesday (November 14) for converting to Christianity. Nov 21st, 2006 12:00 AM
Armed and drunken Muslims struck two greeters at a Sunday evening service of a church outside Lahore last week, later returning to pelt the building with stones and bricks. Nov 20th, 2006 11:58 PM
These are just a few things that happened last week in just a few places. But I think it is going to get worse. I think Christians will be hated by everyone. We will become the bad guys to the extent that we will be killed just for being Christians. Consequently many Christians will leave the faith. It’s going to be too tough for some to be Christians. Backslidden Christians will betray each us. And false prophets will arise and lead many astray. We hear things like, “There are many ways to God. Jesus is just one way. But Jesus said, “I am THE way” He is the only way. Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father EXCEPT through me.
Jesus said wickedness will be multiplied. With millions of babies killed each year in abortions and homosexuality being promoted and accepted by society, we see it happening today. Jesus said that love will grow cold. Why? Sin. Sin deadens your conscience. And you can turn on TV on any given night and see evidence of this. Things like child pornography and horrible abuses to children. Isn’t our divorce rate an indication of love growing cold. We don’t want to pay the selfless price to make our relationship work. It’s touched almost all of us. Our love has grown cold. There are unbelievable crimes committed almost every day that make us astonished that someone could be that cruel and cold. But even more of it is on the way. The good news is that the gospel will be preached in every nation. I think we have seen that fulfilled. Jesus said, “THEN the end will come.”
But HOW will He come? He said,
“For as the lightning flashes across the sky from east to west, so shall my coming be, when I, the Messiah, return.”
"Immediately after the persecution of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give light, and the stars will seem to fall from the heavens, and the powers overshadowing the earth will be convulsed. "And then at last the signal of my coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning all around the earth. And the nations of the world will see me arrive in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And I shall send forth my angels with the sound of a mighty trumpet blast, and they shall gather my chosen ones from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.”
Matt 24:27-31 (Living)
But is this before the tribulation or after? Is it in the middle of the tribulation? Inquiring minds want to know! Let me share a couple of things that make me think that Jesus’ return will be after the tribulation. First, let’s look at the trumpet sound. Will Gabriel really blow his horn? Jesus said,
“I shall send forth my angels with the sound of a mighty trumpet blast.” So it would appear that there really will be a sound like a trumpet. Paul wrote to the early Christians, and notice that he is quoting Jesus:
“I can tell you this directly from the Lord: that we who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet him ahead of those who are in their graves. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a mighty shout and with the soul-stirring cry of the archangel and the great trumpet-call of God. And the believers who are dead will be the first to rise to meet the Lord. Then we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever.” 1 Thess 4:15-17 (Living)
Notice that the Lord will come from heaven with a might shout, with a soul-stirring cry of the archangel and the great trumpet call of God. So, again, their will be a trumpet sound. I have no idea what it will sound like – but we will know it when we hear it.
Paul gets a little more specific to the Corinthian church. He says,
“I am telling you this strange and wonderful secret: we shall not all die, but we shall all be given new bodies! It will all happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For there will be a trumpet blast from the sky, and all the Christians who have died will suddenly become alive, with new bodies that will never, never die; and then we who are still alive shall suddenly have new bodies too.” 1 Cor 15:51-52 (Living)
Did you notice that Paul said this time that it was “the last” trumpet. If it is the last trumpet that is blown before all the Christians who died in the faith arise and then we who are alive will rise up and meet them with new bodies, how many other trumpets will sound? None! The last trumpet precedes what we sometimes call the rapture. So Jesus’ return has to be after the tribulation, it appears to me, because the last trumpet is blown before the resurrection of the saints.
Secondly, we have not only the ‘last trumpet” but also the ‘first resurrection.” Take a look at the book of the end times, Revelation 20:4-5.
“Then I saw thrones, and sitting on them were those who had been given the right to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus, for proclaiming the Word of God, and who had not worshiped the Creature or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They had come to life again and now they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. This is the First Resurrection.” Rev 20:4-5 (Living)
Now, let’s think this through. If this is the ‘first’ resurrection – how many resurrections are there before this? That’s right! None! The “first resurrection” is the first resurrection. Some people say, “Ya, but it’s not the rapture. I don’t care if you call it the rapture or the resurrection or the second return of Christ. Whatever you call it – it is still the first resurrection. And it is clearly after the tribulation because those killed for not worshipping the beast or accepting his mark on their foreheads or hands are among those who come to life and reign with Christ for a thousand years.
John adds,
“Blessed and holy are those who share in the First Resurrection. For them the Second Death holds no terrors, for they will be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” Rev 20:6 (Living)
Our future is one of ruling and reigning with Christ. We don’t have to fear ever being separated from Jesus again.
Now I know that I have probably raised more questions than I have answered, but before I end I need to mention a few things.
First, the end is near. We need to prepare ourselves for it. How do we do that? By being ready for Jesus’ return at any moment. Spiritually, we need to be right. If there is any rebellion in your heart – get rid of it. If you are resisting or desiring other things – get your priorities straight. We need to be so close to God, so committed to Jesus that when the persecution comes it won’t cause us to backslide. Our roots need to be deep and strong, otherwise if we are shallow we will be yanked out when the tough times come. False preachers are going to come that will do miracles like we have never seen. People will say, “They MUST be of God!” No. But unless you are committed to Christ – you will be deceived. You will be led astray. Grow deep and strong in the Lord.
Secondly, we need to, by any means, save some. We need to win the lost. That needs to be a priority. When we look at our family and friends and neighbors, we need to realize that they don’t have much more time to get right with God. They don’t have much longer to turn to Jesus. We need to have an urgency about our witnessing. Jesus said,
"Two men will be working together in the fields, and one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be going about their household tasks; one will be taken, the other left. "So be prepared, for you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. "Just as a man can prevent trouble from thieves by keeping watch for them, so you can avoid trouble by always being ready for my unannounced return.”
Matt 24:40-44 (Living)
When I was growing up I always thought the one taken was the Christian. But who was taken in the days of Noah, the righteous or unrighteous? The unrighteous were taken, weren’t they? Jesus said it will be the same when He returns. So I think we will be going about our business when the trumpet will sound, and before the blast is finished, the unrighteous will be taken and destroyed. Then the dead Christians will rise, with the living Christian right behind them. We will meet the Lord in the air as He comes to set up His Kingdom, and return with Him for a thousands years. But it will be too late for our unsaved loved ones. Peter says,
“The day of the Lord is surely coming, as unexpectedly as a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the heavenly bodies will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be burned up. And so since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives we should be living! You should look forward to that day and hurry it along--the day when God will set the heavens on fire, and the heavenly bodies will melt and disappear in flames. But we are looking forward to God’s promise of new heavens and a new earth afterwards, where there will be only goodness.
Dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen and for him to come, try hard to live without sinning; and be at peace with everyone so that he will be pleased with you when he returns. And remember why he is waiting. He is giving us time to get his message of salvation out to others.”
2 Peter 3:10-15 (Living)
One of the objects some people have of Christians going through the tribulation is that the tribulation is when the wrath of God is poured out on the wicked. They don’t see Christians going through the wrath of God I don’t either. The Old Testament revelation of what will happen is when Moses was taking God’s people out of Egypt. Remember they experienced some of the lesser plagues with the Egyptians. But when the worst hit, they were spared. I instance was with the plague of flies.
“… I will send swarms of flies throughout Egypt. Your homes will be filled with them and the ground will be covered with them. But it will be very different in the land of Goshen where the Israelis live. No flies will be there; thus you will know that I am the Lord God of all the earth.” Ex 8:21-22 (Living)
The same was true with all the plagues right up to the death of the first born. God’s people were there – but they were spared. The same will be true in the end times. Revelations says,
“And I saw another angel coming from the east, carrying the Great Seal of the Living God. And he shouted out to those four angels who had been given power to injure earth and sea, "Wait! Don’t do anything yet--hurt neither earth nor sea nor trees--until we have placed the Seal of God upon the foreheads of his servants." Rev 7:2-3 (Living)
So I think we will be there, going through the end times, but spared the wrath of God. But we will go some trials and tribulations. Be prepared for it.
I don’t know much about the end times but I know this: 1. He is surely coming and he will come as unexpectedly as a thief. 2. We need to be living holy and godly lives, 3. God is giving us time to share the message of salvation with as many people as we can.
This week, let’s make our lives and time count. Seek more of Jesus and share what you do have with others.
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for loving me so much that you died for me. Thank you for loving me so much that you want me to spend eternity with you. Help me to draw closer to you. Help me to be obedient in every way. And help me share You with others.
In Jesus’ Name
