RAPTURE AT THE SECOND COMING #7: “WILL CHRISTIANS EXPERIENCE GOD’S WRATH DURING THE TRIBULATION? (PART 2)

“So far, all the passages we have evaluated with the Doctrine Test (see posts # 2 through #6) have taught EXPLICITLY that Christians will be raptured (gathered to meet Christ) at His Second Coming, not in a secret rapture prior to the Tribulation period. That means that Christians will be alive during the Tribulation. Today we will go to the Book of Revelation (written by the Apostle John around 95AD). We will examine Jesus’ letter to His church in Philadelphia (see Rev 3:7-13), a town in Asia Minor near the end of the first century.

Actually, Jesus sends letters to seven churches in Asia Minor (Rev chapters 2 and 3). Although His words are specific to each church and town, it is widely accepted that His insights and words of correction, commendation, and exhortation have clear relevance and applications for His churches in all times and places. We find His words to the church in Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7-13 (please read). Jesus said one thing in particular to this church that many believe relates to our study of the Tribulation, the Rapture, and the Second Coming. Some believe that the following verse is a strong support for the pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church:

“BECAUSE YOU HAVE KEPT MY WORD ABOUT PATIENT ENDURANCE, I WILL KEEP YOU FROM THE HOUR OF TRIAL THAT IS COMING ON THE WHOLE WORLD, TO TRY THOSE WHO DWELL ON THE EARTH” (Rev 3:10).

So, where do we begin? There are so many approaches, schools of thought, ways of interpreting the Book of Revelation! (If you ever meet people who say they’ve got it all figured out, you probably don’t want to hang out with them for long!) Revelation is filled with special numbers, symbols, types, creatures, horses and monster beasts, even a dragon; and there are seals (on a scroll) and trumpets and bowls (seven of each). It can be so confusing at times, one might be tempted to cry out, “HELP, LORD!” We certainly don’t have time to explain “apocalyptic” prophetic literature, filled with its various symbols; nor can we explore all the approaches and interpretive options that have been advanced. I like to keep things pretty simple. So here is my brief introduction to you for the Book of Revelation: “Things are hard now, and they are going to get worse…a LOT worse. But Jesus has this! He is coming back, so just hold on, persevere! Keep on keeping on; shine your light till the day you die or the day He comes back, whichever comes first. And no matter what happens, remember this: JESUS WINS!!! And we’re with Him!!!”

Now on to Rev 3:10. Is this promise made only to the church in Philadelphia of Asia Minor, in that time and place? Seven is a biblical number symbolizing wholeness, perfection, completeness. Even though Jesus had very different and specific insights, corrections, and promises to each of the seven churches, we might be safe in believing that “seven” infers to us that Jesus’ letters have pointed relevance to His churches with similar issues and circumstances in all times and places. For example, Jesus’ words to the church of Ephesus would relate to all churches that are dutiful but have lost their first love. His letter to the Laodiceans would speak with great conviction to every lukewarm affluent church that thinks they really don’t need anything, not realizing how spiritually poor, blind, and naked they really are.

When you get to Jesus’ promise to this particular church in Rev 3:10, does His promise that He will keep them from the hour of trial apply to all the churches, or to just the churches that have kept His word about “patient endurance?” What about those churches who have not patiently endured; are they okay, too? And what do we say that ‘the hour of trial’ in this passage represents? Is it clearly a reference to the Great Tribulation period? That is one of several options. Others include: 1) the trial of God’s judgment at the Second Coming of Christ; or 2) a very widespread time of persecution and trials in the more immediate future (rather than what Jesus referred to in Matt 24 as the great tribulation, immediately followed by Christ’s Second Coming).

Because there are other viable options to consider, I don’t believe we have enough to go on here to assume that this ‘hour of testing’ refers to the Tribulation. However, let’s try that interpretation on for size, so to speak, for a moment. Even if this were true, and even if it applies to all Christians and not just those that are patiently enduring, does “being kept from the hour of trial” necessarily mean that the Church will be taken out of the world (raptured)? Can’t it also mean that God will somehow have His hand of protection on His followers in the midst of it?

Let’s not forget that there is not even one verse in the entire New Testament that explicitly teaches a pre-Tribulation Rapture. As we have seen, ALL the verses that speak of being raptured or gathered to meet Jesus (see posts 2-6) explicitly teach that the gathering/Rapture of believers takes place at the Second Coming. Are we to believe that, in light of Rev 3:10, all those other passages are wrong, and therefore no longer relevant? That wouldn’t make much sense, would it? We would be saying that Jesus’ teachings were mistaken in Matthew 24, in the parables, and elsewhere; and the apostles Paul and Peter would have made enormous mistakes as well. Not a chance! There has got to be a better way of understanding this particular verse.

First, let’s establish that not all of the Tribulation period is “God’s wrath.” Jesus prepares His disciples for what is to come during the Tribulation period in Matthew 24: 9-13: “Then THEY WILL DELIVER YOU UP TO TRIBULATION and PUT YOU TO DEATH, and YOU WILL BE HATED BY ALL NATIONS FOR MY NAME’S SAKE. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because LAWLESSNESS (WICKEDNESS, NIV) WILL BE INCREASED, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But THE ONE WHO ENDURES TO THE END WILL BE SAVED.” Jesus’ disciples will certainly experience suffering, persecution, and martyrdom during this period; however, that will be at the hand of the wicked who hate God and the followers of Jesus. That is not God’s wrath. Jesus doesn’t mention God’s wrath coming during the Tribulation, but He does clearly warn that there will be judgment for unbelievers who are not ready for His Second Coming: there will “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt 24:51), “…darkness…weeping and gnashing of teeth” (25:30); the wicked “will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (25:46).

If we accept that at least part of the Tribulation period includes God’s wrath against the wicked, there is a far more plausible explanation for how Christ’s followers will be protected from His wrath than resorting to a pre-Tribulation Rapture. Again, we have found no explicit biblical passages to support that. Here are a few of my thoughts about these issues:

1. There is clear precedent for the faithful believers in the Old Testament to show how God protects His people from His wrath. For example: a) the Israelites were protected from God’s wrath during the plagues against Egypt, and particularly were saved from the death of the firstborn by the blood of the unblemished lamb on the doorposts of their homes (Exodus 8-12, esp. 12:12-13); b) In Ezekiel 9, prior to God pouring out his wrath on the unfaithful in Jerusalem, He ordered that a mark be put on the foreheads of those who “sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it (Jerusalem).” He orders that His judgment be without pity or compassion on the unfaithful; however, pertaining to the faithful He says, “BUT TOUCH NO ONE ON WHOM IS THE MARK.” (Ezekiel 9:4-6)

2. Also, we find God protecting His people from His wrath in the New Testament: a) As we have seen in Romans 1 (see post #6), God is able to pour out wrath on the wicked while Christians are on the earth; b) There will clearly be disciples of Jesus on the earth during the Tribulation period who are SEALED FOR PROTECTION before God pours out His wrath. In Revelation 7:1-3, John writes what he sees and hears: “Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, “do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, UNTIL WE HAVE SEALED THE SERVANTS OF OUR GOD ON THEIR FOREHEADS.” Whether we believe these Jesus-followers are Jewish believers or the whole church (Jews and Gentiles in Christ together) on earth at that time, the fact remains that there will be believers who are sealed and protected during any wrath that occurs within the Tribulation period. (FYI: I am going to make my case in the next post why I believe that the 144,000 sealed believers represent the whole church on earth during the Tribulation period.) c) It’s also clear that Jesus-followers are on earth during the Tribulation period, as demonstrated in Rev 13:7-10 and Rev 14:9-12, where Christ’s disciples are exhorted: “HERE IS A CALL FOR THE ENDURANCE OF THE SAINTS (13:9, 14:12).” The Rev 14:12 passage defines “saints” as “THOSE WHO KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD AND THEIR FAITH IN JESUS.” Summarizing, there will be servants of God, Jesus-followers, on the earth during the Tribulation, and God will put His seal of protection on them.

3. Why would Jesus allow His people to be on the earth during such a time of upheaval and suffering? One Scripture passage that reveals His heart is John 17:14-21 (please read the whole passage in your Bible), where Jesus is talking with His Father: “I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I DO NOT ASK THAT YOU TAKE THEM OUT OF THE WORLD, BUT THAT YOU KEEP THEM FROM THE EVIL ONE… 18 AS YOU SENT ME INTO THE WORLD, SO I HAVE SENT THEM INTO THE WORLD…. 20 “I DO NOT ASK FOR THESE ONLY, BUT ALSO FOR THOSE WHO WILL BELIEVE IN ME THROUGH THEIR WORD, 21 … SO THAT THE WORLD MAY BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE SENT ME.” Jesus asks that we not be removed from the world, but that we be protected from the evil one. Why does He not want to remove us from the world when times are horribly difficult? SO THAT THE LOST WILL BE SAVED! SO THAT MULTITUDES WILL RECOGNIZE THAT GOD HAS SENT JESUS TO SAVE THEM IN ORDER THAT THEY COME TO FAITH IN HIM. This is the heart of Christ! This is the heart of God our Father, who so loved the world that He sent His Son to save us! HALLELUJAH!!!

4. I know this is a long post, but it’s so important! I want to share one last passage of Scripture that really brings all of this together for me: “WHO SHALL SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST? SHALL TRIBULATION, OR DISTRESS, OR PERSECUTION, OR FAMINE, OR NAKEDNESS, OR DANGER, OR SWORD?… 37 NO, IN ALL THESE THINGS WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM WHO LOVED US. 38 FOR I AM SURE THAT NEITHER DEATH NOR LIFE, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, NOR ANYTHING ELSE IN ALL CREATION, WILL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD” (Romans 8:35-39). Believers will be sealed, protected, cared for during the Tribulation period, where they will shine their lights for Jesus. We can rest assured that no matter what we may go through in the future, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING CAN EVER SEPARATE US FROM GOD’S LOVE IN JESUS CHRIST!!! Can I get an AMEN!!!