Why God Will Rapture Believers
Before the Seven Year Tribulation
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
THE TIMING OF THE TRIBULATION ESTABLISHED
IT IS NOT FOR YOU TO KNOW THE TIMES OR THE SEASONS
COME UP HITHER AND I WILL SHEW THEE THINGS TO COME
THE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER OF REVELATION
VARIOUS NAMES OF THE TRIBULATION
OUR GATHERING TOGETHER UNTO HIM
THE WRATH OF THE LAMB
TYPES OF THE RAPTURE
CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION :
1 Corinthians 15:51-54: "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory."
1 Thessalonians 4:14-17: "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
Isaiah 26:19-21: "Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain."
THE TIMING OF THE TRIBULATION ESTABLISHED :
THE FIRST 69 WEEKS OF DANIEL'S PROPHECY OF 70 WEEKS
The importance of the Prophecy of Seventy Weeks cannot be overemphasized in relation to understanding the last days. The passage is essential in understanding the timing of both the 1st and 2nd coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Tribulation. If one fails to understand this passage he will most likely not be able to rightly divide the rest of the prophetic Scriptures. The passage begins:
"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself ..." (Daniel 9:24-26)
This portion of Daniels Prophecy of "Seventy Weeks" precisely describes the timing of Messiah Jesus' first coming. Daniel 9:24-26 is a very important prophetic passage concerning the time of the Lord Jesus Christ's first coming as "Messiah the Prince" just prior to Passover and His crucifixion in 32 AD. King Artaxerxes of Persia issued the command in 445 BC.
It is important to note that Daniel's "Seventy Weeks" are not weeks of days, but of years. So one week is 7 years. Therefore, from "the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince" is 69 weeks as follows:
49 years: 7 weeks of building.
+ 434 years: 62 additionl weeks till the Lord's 1st coming.
483 years (69 weeks from the King's command to Messiah's coming.)
This prophecy was fulfilled on the day that many of the Jews received Jesus as "the King that cometh in the name of the Lord" when Jesus made His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem and the Temple through the Eastern Gate (Luke 19:38; cf. John 12:12; Ezekiel 44:1-3).
Sir Robert Anderson (1841 - 1918), the head of investigation at Scotland Yard in London, in his study of the Prophet Daniel's prophecy of "Seventy Weeks" carefully calculated the time from "the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince." He began with the historically verifiable date of March 14, 445 BC when King Artaxerxes of Persia issued "the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem," including "the wall." The event is recorded in the Bible in the book of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2:1-8).
It is essential to understand that the Biblical and Hebrew method of reckoning time used by Anderson in his calculations had 30 day months and 360 day years (30 x 12 = 360). Thus the total 69 weeks was 483 lunar years. Therefore, from the time Artaxerxes issued the decree to rebuild Jerusalem (March 14, 445 BC) to Christ's Triumphant Entry (April 6, 32 AD) there were exactly 173,880 days.
1. Add 7 + 62 weeks of years = 69 weeks of years in this prophecy
2. Multiply 69 weeks x 7 to get the total number of years = 483 years
3. Multiply 483 years x 360 to get the total number of days = 173,880 days
The "Seventy Weeks" is broken down into three parts to distinguish 1) the period "to restore and to build Jerusalem" which took 49 years (cf. John 2:20), 2) the remaining 434 years ordained of God that ushered in the Lord's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem on April 6, 32 AD. This leaves only one more week, the yet future 7 year Tribulation.
THE LAST WEEK OF DANIEL'S PROPHECY OF 70 WEEKS
"... and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." (Daniel 9:26-27)
49 years: "seven weeks" (The Jerusalem wall completed.)
434 years: "threescore and two weeks" (Fulfilled at Christ's 1st coming.)
+ 7 years: "one week" (The future 7 years of God's Wrath.)
490 years: "seventy weeks" (Ends with Christ's 2nd coming.)
The Hebrew people are the key:
The final week (7 years) is yet future. Remember back to the first verse of the Prophecy, Daniel 9:24 concerning whom it pertains to:
"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city ..."
Daniel's people are Israelis and his holy city is Jerusalem. Many Jews of Christ's day received Him, but the majority did not. In 32 AD a few days before His crucifixion, the Lord Jesus said:
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." (Matthew 23:37 - 24:2)
Here "your house" means both the whole House of Israel, and their Temple in Jerusalem.
In the last book of the Old Testament in Malachi 3:10, God called the Jerusalem Temple, "mine house" and the Temple treasury, "the storehouse", but in the New Testament the Lord moved "the storehouse" and His "House" to His Church. Note these two New Testament verses:
"... behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." (1 Timothy 3:15; Cf. In Old Testament times the Jews were responsible for caring for God's Word, "the Oracles of God" (Romans 3:1-2), but now Christ's Church is "the pillar and ground of the Truth.")
"Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come." (1 Corinthians 16:1-2)
This clearly signifies a dispensational change. That word "dispensation" in the Bible (1 Corinthians 9:17; Ephesians 1:10, 3:2; Colossians 1:25) means: "management, oversight, administration and stewardship of household affairs." So the dispensations of time are the various ways that God has, is, and will manage the affairs of His household.
All this helps us see that all 70 Weeks of Daniel, including the final 7 years, concerns Israel and the last Old Testament dispensation, the Dispensation of Law, and that it has nothing to do with this present Dispensation of Grace of the Church Age. Shortly after the Rapture of all believers of the Household of God of the Dispensation of Grace the final week of years on the Dispensation of Law will be played out. The Jerusalem in Temple will be rebuilt, sacrifices reinstated, there will be 144,000 Israelites from the 12 tribes of Israels sealed to take over the work of God from the church, and there will be two witnesses in Jerusalem who will preach God's Word for the first 42 months (1260 days) of the 7 year (84 month) Tribulation.
Look again at the passage under consideration:
"... the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate ..." (Daniel 9:26-27)
The major part of Verse 26 was fulfilled in 70 AD when four Roman Legions (1. Legion X Fretensis, 2. Legion XV Apollinaris, 3. Legion XII Fulminata, and 4. Legion V Macedonica) led by General Titus sacked Jerusalem and totally dismantled the Temple looking for gold hidden there by the Jews. The Jewish defenders had occupied Jerusalem since 66 AD, and the 7 month siege was completed in September 70 AD. Between 60,000 and 1,100,000 Jewish civilians were killed in the seven month siege. By 72 AD, 40 years after the Lord Jesus said, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate," the Jewish rebellion against Rome was effectively squelched fulfilling Danial 9:26. This began the 1,878 year diaspora of the Jews.
It becomes clear, therefore, that all 70 weeks pertain to Israel. It is as if the prophetic clock stopped with the destruction of the Temple and the disbursement of the Jews to the four corners of the earth.
The timing of the Tribulation and the Antichrist:
The "people" of "the prince that shall come" (the future Antichrist) who destroyed Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple were people of the Roman Empire. Some feel that these "people" are Muslims, because there were Syrian and Arab mercenary cohorts with the Roman legions when they destroyed Jerusalem and it's Temple in 70 AD. However, elsewhere in Daniel it is made clear that a revived Roman Empire will emerge in the last days (Daniel 2:37-44, 7:2-7, 15-25); that is to say, the Antichrist will be a leader from Europe (but not necessarily of European decent) who will head the end time World Government. He will be the leader of ten kings who will be over ten regions of the world (Daniel 2:40-44, 7:7, 20, 24; Revelation 13:7, 17:12).
According to the passage under consideration the Antichrist "... shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate ..." (Daniel 9:27).
Daniel 9:27 is a very important verse to understanding end time prophecy. Note the following issues involved:
1. The timing of the Tribulation is established as "one week." Of course this is 7 years (84 months or 2,520 days).
2. The Antichrist will "confirm the covenant with many." This will end the Islamic / Israeli conflict and allow the rebuilding of the Temple, but the peace will only be temporary until Magog or Russia leads Iran (Persia), Ethiopia (i.e. Sudan & Somalia), Libya, Togarmah (Japhetic peoples of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the Balkans, the Turkic peoples of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, etc.), and Gomer (of the Eurasian Steppe which is generally the same area as Togarmah) will attack them early in the first half of the 7 year week (Ezekiel 38). The Antichrist is the first horseman on the white horse and Russia is the second red horse of Revelation 6:1-4.
3. The "covenant" will include "the sacrifice and the oblation" in the rebuilt Temple. (Cf. Revelation 11:1-3). As with the first 69 weeks, here in the final week we clearly see that Israel and her Temple are involved (Cf. Daniel 11:31). Remember the period is called, "the time of Jacob's trouble." (Jeremiah 30:7)
4. Then "in the midst of the week," that is after 3 and 1/2 years the Antichrist will break "the covenant " that he had confirmed, and shall exalt "... himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." (2 Thessalonians 2:4). The 7 year period is broken into two equal halves (Daniel 7:25, 12:7; Revelation 11:2-3, 12:6, 14, 13:5). During the first half there will be 144,000 Hebrews from the 12 tribes of Israel sealed with "the seal of the living God," and through their witness "a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues" will be saved during the Tribulation (Revelation 12:2-9). "And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days." (Daniel 11:32-33). The Temple will be rebuilt and two other Hebrew witnesses in Jerusalem will give their testimony to the world during the first half of the Tribulation, and after the Antichrist kills the two witnesses the world will see them rise from the dead, most likely on TV or the Internet (Revelation 11:1-13). During the last half of the 7 years Satan will be cast out of haven and will attempt to destroy Israel, and the Antichrist will rule of the world (Revelation 12:1-6, 13-14, 13:5-8).
5. The Antichrist's exhalation of himself, along with the False Prophet placing of the Image of the Beast (Daniel 11:31), and causing the world to receive the mark of the Beast (Revelation 13:14-18) will cause "the overspreading of abominations" and because of this "he shall make it desolate" (Daniel 9:27, Cf. 11:31, 12:11; Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14), that is, the Antichrist will bring destruction upon himself and "... all that dwell upon the earth ... whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb ..." (Revelation 13:8, Cf. 12,14).
Mark 13:14: "But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains."
IT IS NOT FOR YOU TO KNOW THE TIMES OR THE SEASONS :
Matthew 24:36: "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." (Cf. Mark 13:32)
Acts 1:6-7: "When they [the apostles] therefore were come together, they asked of him [Jesus] , saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.."
1 Thessalonians 5:1-2: "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.."
Matthew 25:13: "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."
Luke 21:36: "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Cf. Matthew 24:42, 44; Mark 13:35; 1 Thessalonians 5:6; 1 Peter 4:7; Revelation 3:3)
There is a contradiction here in these verses that the Pre-Wrath, Mid-Trib and Post-Trib advocates must answer. We know from Daniel 9:25-26 that one week is 7 years and that 1 Biblical year is 360 days (30 days to the month) so 7 years is 2,520 days or 84 months. We know this to be fact because of the exact fulfillment of the prophesy. We, therefore, know from Daniel 9:27 that the last week of Daniel, the Tribulation, which begins on the day Antichrist confirms the covenant with many to reinstitute Temple worship till the return in Christ will be exactly 2,520 days or 84 months, but the Lord Jesus says, "of that day and hour knoweth no man" and "it is not for you to know the times or the seasons." What is the answer to this seeming contradiction?
The answer to this dilemma is that just before His crucifixion, the Lord Jesus had told the following to the Jewish nation that had rejected Him:
"... I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." (Matthew 23:34-39; Cf. John 1:11)
As we have already noted, the destruction of Jerusalem, the Temple, and the slaughter of the Jews and enslavement of those that survived fulfilled words of Jesus and began the diaspora of the Jews in 70 AD finalizing a tempory dispensation change from the Dispensation of Law to the Dispensation of Grace. But just as the first 69 weeks of Daniel were of the Dispensation of Law, likewise the last week will be of the Dispensation of Law. The last week has nothing to do with believers of our 2000 year Church Age.
It therefore becomes apparent that those of us in this Church Age cannot know "that day and hour" or even "the times or the seasons" when "the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout" to catch us up "in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17), but those who will be saved during the Tribulation can know the exact day of Christ return to set foot on the Mount of Olives again. There is a coming only "in the clouds" and then 7 years later "his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives" (Zechariah 14:4). The will know, we will not!
COME UP HITHER :
The Pre-Tribulation Rapture, the Tribulation, and the Millennial Reign of Christ all go hand in hand. They are all the things that the Book of "The Revelation of Jesus Christ" calls "... the things which shall be hereafter." The Lord Jesus told the Apostle John in Revelation 1:19: "Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter." Revelation 1:19 is the outline of the Book of Revelation. Here is the break down of this verse. John was told to write:
1. "... the things which thou hast seen ..." (This is Revelation Chapter One. John saw and heard the Lord Jesus.)
2. "... the things which are ..." (John wrote to seven literal churches that existed in his day in Chapters Two and Three, but in a larger scene they symbolize this present Church Age.)
3. "... the things which shall be hereafter ..." (These things are everything from Chapter Four to the end of the Book of Revelation.)
These future "things which shall be hereafter " begin with the Rapture of all believers both living and dead. Revelation 4 begins with these words in verse one:
"After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee THINGS WHICH MUST BE HEREAFTER." (Cf. Jesus said, "I am the door" -- John 10:1-2, 7, 9.)
Note that some of word of Revelation 4:1 above are the same or similar to the primary passages concerning the Rapture of all believers to be with Jesus Christ:
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
1 Corinthians 15:51-52: "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."
In the Book of John the Apostle John frequently identified himself with terms such as, "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (Cf. John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, 20). The very last occurrence of John using such terminology is toward the end of the last chapter of his Book where he wrote:
"Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true." (John 21:20-24)
The Apostle John did not see Christ's physical return, but he did see visions of the Lord's return, and recorded them for us in the Book of Revelation. John says, "I saw" 38 times and "I heard" 22 times in Revelation. The events of the Rapture, Tribulation, Return, Millennium, etc. were shown and described to John and he wrote them for us.
Truly the Lord Jesus loved John, but He likewise loves all believers. The Apostle John in Revelation 4:1 signifies all those who will go up in the Rapture. Revelation is a book of prophecy that was "signified ... unto His servant John" in order "to shew unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass ..." (Revelation 1:1) John is a sign, type or picture of all God's children being removed from this sinful world just before the Lord's wrath will be pored out upon it.
THE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER OF REVELATION :
The wording of the Book of Revelation demonstrate that there will be a Pre-Tribulation Rapture and progression of seven years in chronological order.
The progression begins by breaking the Book into three parts, the things John had "seen," the things which are," and "the things which shall be hereafter." It speaks of of two equal haves of the Tribulation consisting of 1260 days or 42 months each. It uses the words "church" and "churches" 3 times in the first chapter, and 15 times in the chapters two and three which signify the Church Age, and is not mentioned again until the last chapter after all the events of the Tribulation have been described.
THE CHRONOLOGY:
Note the following phrases demonstrate that the Book of Revelation is to be understood chronologically:
1. "Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter" (1:19).
2. "after this" (4:1).
3. "I will shew thee things which must be hereafter" (4:1).
4. "the second seal" (6:3).
5. "the third seal" (6:5).
6. "the fourth seal" (6:7).
7. "the fifth seal" (6:9).
8. "the sixth seal" (Rev 6:12).
9. "after these things" (7:1).
10. "after this" (7:9).
11. "when he had opened the seventh seal ... seven angels ... stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets" (8:1-2).
12. "Woe, woe, woe" (8:13).
13. "the first angel sounded" (8:7).
14. "the second angel sounded" (8:8).
15. "the third angel sounded" (8:10).
16. "the fourth angel sounded" (8:12).
17. "the fifth angel sounded" (9:1).
18. "One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter" (9:12).
19. "the sixth angel sounded" (9:13).
20. "The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly" (11:14).
21. "the seventh angel sounded" (11:15).
22. "Woe" (12:12).
23. "the seven last plagues" ( 15:1).
24. "after that" (15:5).
25. "the first [angel] went, and poured out his vial" (16:2).
26. "the second angel poured out his vial" (16:3).
27. "the third angel poured out his vial" (16:4).
28. "the fourth angel poured out his vial" (16:8).
29. "the fifth angel poured out his vial" (16:10).
30. "the sixth angel poured out his vial" (16:12).
31. "the seventh angel poured out his vial" (16:17).
32. "after these things" (18:1).
33. "after these things" (19:1).
THE FIRST AND LAST HALFS OF THE TRIBULATION:
There are three "woes" introduced by the sounding of fourth trumpet in Revelation 8:12-13. The first "woe" passes in Revelation 9:12, the second in Revelation 11:14, and the third comes quickly in Revelation 12:12 bringing us to the middle of the Tribulation. Phrases in chapters 11, 12 and 13 clearly show that the chronology has reached the mid-point of the Tribulation is those chapters:
Revelation 11:2-3: "... the holy city shall they tread under foot FORTY AND TWO MONTHS. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy A THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED AND THREESCORE DAYS ..."
Revelation 12:6, 14: "And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there A THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED AND THREESCORE DAYS. ... And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for A TIME, AND TIMES, AND HALF A TIME, from the face of the serpent."
Revelation 13:5: "And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue FORTY AND TWO MONTHS."
God's "two witnesses" will be able to prophesy during the first 1,260 days of the Tribulation, but the Antichrist will have full rule during the last 42 months.
Furthermore, observe that the vials occur after the mid-point of the Tribulation, and the seals and trumpets are before the mid-point. During the first half of the Tribulation the 144,000 and the "two witnesses" are seen on earth (Rev 7:2-8, 11:3-7), but during the last half of the Tribulation they are all seen in heaven (Rev 11:11-12; 14:1-5). All these that "... know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. And ... shall instruct many .... And ... turn many to righteousness ..." (Daniel 11:32-33, Cf. 12:3). Their witness is in the first half of the Tribulation, but after the middle of the Tribulation (Revelation 11, 12, 13) comes "... the night ... when no man can work" (John 9:4).
The first half of the Tribulation: At the beginning of the seven year Tribulation Temple worship will be reinstituted when the Antichrist confirms the covenant with many for seven years allowing sacrifice and the oblation to God (Dan 9:27). However, "the court which is without the temple ... is given unto the Gentiles" and they will desecrate "the holy city for these first "forty and two months" of the Tribulation (Rev 11:2, 8). God's "two witnesses" and others will be able to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ during this time. This sacrifice, oblation and witnessing in honor of God Almighty will continue till the middle of the Tribulation.
At the mid-point of the seven year Tribulation the Antichrist "... shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease ..." (Daniel 9:27), kill the two witnesses (Revelation 11:7) and will exalt "... himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God" (2 Thessalonians 2:4). At this time Satan and his angels will be cast out of heaven to the earth (Revelation 12:7-9) and that old serpent will empower the Antichrist (Revelation 13:2, 4), and power will be given to the Antichrist beast to continue forty and two months (Revelation 13:5). But saved Israel will be protected and nourished for a thousand two hundred and threescore days or three and a half years (Revelation 12:6, 14; Matthew 24:15-21).
It is, therefore, manifestly evident that the Book of Revelation is a chronological record of the events of the things which the Apostle John saw in chapter one (his vision of Jesus), and the things which were then and still are now (the Church Age of chapters 2 and 3), and the things which shall be hereafter (the Rapture, Tribulation, etc. from chapter 4 to chapter 22) (Cf. Revelation 1:19).
THE ORDER OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION:
1. The vision of the Lord, and this present Church Age (Chapters 1 to 3).
2. The Rapture and the scene in heaven just prior to the beginning of the Tribulation (Chapters 4 & 5).
3. The beginning of the Tribulation with the opening of the first 6 seals (Chapter 6). Here we see "the fourth part of the earth" wiped out early on in the Tribulation showing that this truly is the time of "the wrath of the Lamb" (Revelation 6:8, 16).
4. A parenthetical portion detailing the sealing of 144,000 Israelite soul winners who win multitudes to Christ (Chapter 7).
5. The chronological opening of the 7th seal which institutes the 7 trumpet judgments, and the sounding of the first 4 trumpets (Chapter 8).
6. The sounding of the 5th and 6th trumpets, the 5th of which completes the first of three woes (Chapter 9). Up to this point a full 1/2 of Earth's population has been wiped out (Rev 6:8, 9:15), all within the first half of the Tribulation.
7. Then there are five parenthetical chapters concerning:
1) A mighty angel with a little book (Chapter 10).
2) God's two witnesses and the passing of the second "woe" (Chapter 11).
3) Satan is cast out of Heaven and tries to destroy Israel (Chapter 12).
4) Antichrist, his Image and the False Prophet (Chapter 13)
5) The revealing of the 144,000 in Heaven, an angel preaching the everlasting gospel to them that dwell on the earth, the treading of the winepress of the wrath of God (Chapter 14).
8. After the 5 parenthetical chapters comes the seven last plagues of the wrath of God (Chapters 15 & 16).
9. Then there are two more parenthetical chapters that describe the fall of Religious Babylon (Chapter 17), and Economic Babylon (Chapter 18).
10. After all those things chapters 19 and 20 records:
1) There will be great joy in Heaven in anticipation of the marriage supper of the Lamb.
2) The Lord Jesus Christ returns with the Bride to destroy all the lost that remain on Earth, and will cast the Antichrist and his the false prophet alive into a lake of fire.
3) The Lord casts Satan into the bottomless pit, and raises all the Old Testament and Tribulation saints to attend the marriage supper of the Lamb, and reigns on earth for 1000 years.
4) When the 1000 years are ended those who will be born during the 1000 years who failed to receive Christ will rebel with Satan after he is released for a little season.
5) Satan will then be cast them into the lake of fire for ever, and then all the lost of all ages will raise, judged, and cast into the lake of fire for ever.
11. The description of Heaven and eternity future and final warnings (Chapters 21 & 22).
VARIOUS NAMES OF THE TRIBULATION :
THE TIME OF JACOB'S TROUBLE: "Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even THE TIME OF JACOB'S TROUBLE; but he shall be saved out of it." (Jeremiah 30:7)
A TIME OF TROUBLE: "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be A TIME OF TROUBLE, SUCH AS NEVER WAS SINCE THERE WAS A NATION even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book." (Daniel 12:1)
THE DAY OF THE LORD'S VENGEANCE: "For it is THE DAY OF THE LORD'S VENGEANCE, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion." (Isaiah 34:8; cf. Mark 13:19; Jeremiah 46:10, 51:6)
THE DAY OF THE LORD'S ANGER: "Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before THE DAY OF THE LORD'S ANGER come upon you. Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in THE DAY OF THE LORD'S ANGER." (Zechariah 2:1-3)
THE INDIGNATION: "Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until THE INDIGNATION be overpast." (Isaiah 26:20; cf. Daniel 11:36)
THE DAYS OF VENGEANCE: "For these be THE DAYS OF VENGEANCE, that all things which are written may be fulfilled." (Luke 21:2)
THE DAY OF THE WRATH OF THE LORD: "They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in THE DAY OF THE WRATH OF THE LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity." (Ezekiel 7:19; Cf. Romans 2:5; 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 5:9; Jeremiah 10:10)
THE TRIBULATION: "Immediately after THE TRIBULATION of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken." (Matthew 24:29; Cf. Mark 13:24)
GREAT TRIBULATION: "For then shall be GREAT TRIBULATION, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." (Matthew 24:21; cf. Revelation 2:22, 7:14; Deuteronomy 4:30-31)
THE DAY OF THE LORD: "Behold, THE DAY OF THE LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it." (Isaiah 13:9; Cf. Ezekiel 30:3;
Joel 1:15, 2:1, 3:14; Amos 5:18, 20; Obadiah 1:15; Zephaniah 1:14-18; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10)
OUR GATHERING TOGETHER UNTO HIM :
THE DAY OF THE LORD VERSUS THE DAY OF CHRIST:
THE DAY OF CHRIST: "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that THE DAY OF CHRIST is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition." (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3)
The phrase, "THE DAY OF THE LORD" and like phrases which are primarily in the Old Testament speak in bad light for those who go into the Tribulation, whereas phrases like "THE DAY OF CHRIST" found strictly in the New Testament depicts believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who will go to the Throne of God in the Rapture beforehand. Note the 7 instances of these phrases:
THE DAY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST: "... waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in THE DAY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST." (1 Corinthians 1:7-8)
THE DAY OF JESUS CHRIST: "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until THE DAY OF JESUS CHRIST." (Philippians 1:6)
THE DAY OF THE LORD JESUS: "To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in THE DAY OF THE LORD JESUS." (1 Corinthians 5:5; Cf. 2 Corinthians 1:14)
THE DAY OF CHRIST: "Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in THE DAY OF CHRIST, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain." (Philippians 2:16, Cf. 1:10; 2 Thessalonians 2:2)
These phrases depict the position of the saved during the Tribulation who will have been rapturer to Heaven shortly before it begins, but all the lost will be subjected to the 7 year Tribulation, the day of the Lord.
RUMORS AND FORGERIES FROM FALSE TEACHERS:
Look again at our text, "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition." (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3)
It is clear that Paul was speaking of the Rapture for he uses the phrases, "the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" and "our gathering together unto him" in the first verse. Concerning it he tells the Thessalonians not to be "shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us," because someone had spread rumors and even forged a letter indicating "that the day of Christ is at hand." That word "at hand" means "present" and is translated thus from the same Greek word, "enistemi" 5 of the 7 times it is found in the Bible (Romans 8:38; 1 Corinthians 3:22, 7:26; Galatians 1:4; Hebrews 9:9). Some of the Church at Thessalonica were fearful that they were already in the Tribulation, but Paul assures us as we have already seen from the Prophet Daniel that the Antichrist must first be reveled. Paul said:
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.." (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)
THE FALLING AWAY AND THE ANTICHRIST FIRST:
The "falling away" that Paul speaks of is in the progress. The "falling away" has been underway since the early 20th Century starting with the false teaching of evolution being introduced into colleges, and then in the 60's with its entrance into elementary and high schools and the exclusion of prayer and Bible from schools. This is part of the mystery of iniquity that Paul continues with in the passage:
"And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming." (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8)
The Bible name for the New World Order is "the mystery of iniquity" and it "doth already work." It's plan is seen in Masonic and Illuminati documents from the 18th and 19th centuries that were revealed to the world by the providence of God. It is no theory, but it is a Satanic conspiracy that is going according to plan.
Our text says that believers "... know WHAT withholdeth that he [Antichrist] might be revealed in his time" (v. 6). And that "... HE who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed" (vv. 7, 8). Those words "withholdeth" and "letteth" both come from the same Greek word, "katecho" which is also translated: stayed, hold fast, hold, held, keep, retained, seize, etc. The idea is to hold back, that is, to hold "the man of sin" back from being revealed. Note that whoever is doing the holding back is called both "WHAT" (neuter) and "HE" (masculine). This indicates two things: 1) The neuter, "WHAT" which includes all believers of the Church Age; 2) The masculine, "HE" which is the Holy Spirit who dwells in all believers (Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1:12-14). Believers are called, "the salt of the earth" (Matthew 5:13) and salt is a preservative. Take the preservative out of the world and it will rot.
So beginning with the Apostle Paul's assurance to the Thessalonians of the fact that they were not in the Tribulation (v. 3) and that it would not come until the Antichrist, "the man of sin be revealed" (v. 6), and that "the man of sin" would be withheld by the Holy Spirit and believers in whom He dwells "until he be taken out of the way" (v. 7). We know from Daniel 9:27 that the Antichrist will not be revealed until he confirms "the covenant" which will institute "the sacrifice and the oblation" of Temple worship "for one week." This will occur shortly after "our gathering together" (v. 1) unto the Lord Jesus Christ.
THE WRATH OF THE LAMB :
The Bible prophesied that the Lamb would come twice:
First as "... the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
Secondly comes "... the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come ..." (Revelation 6:16-17).
The following prophesy of Isaiah written about 600 years before the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ speaks of both comings of the Lamb, one as Saviour and the other as Judge.
"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified." (Isaiah 61:1-3)
Now look a the Lord's reading of the passage at the beginning of His earthly ministry, and note where He stops:
"And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." (Luke 4:16-21)
God speaks through the Prophet Isaiah of the two comings Christ in Isaiah 61:1-3, but when quoting it at the beginning of His ministry, Jesus stops and closed the book after speaking of "the acceptable year of the Lord" and makes no mention of "the day of vengeance of our God." Jesus fulfilled "the acceptable year of the Lord" at His first coming and He will soon fulfill "the day of vengeance of our God" after He raptures believers of this Church Age to the Throne of God.
There is not a word about the Church or Church Age believers after the Rapture to the Throne of God (Revelation 4:1-3) and the scene in Heaven just before "the Lamb" (Revelation 5:6, 8, 12-13) begins opening the Seven Sealed Scroll one seal at a time (Revelation 4 & 5) until she is seen prepared "the marriage supper of the Lamb" in Revelation 19:7-9 (Cf. Ephesians 5:22-27) and the Lord's return with "the armies which were in heaven ... upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean" following (Revelation 19:11-16; Cf. Jude 14-15).
Note that once Isaiah begins speaking of the day of vengeance of our God he continues a theme of comfort for those who are saved in the Tribulation, especially for those in Zion: "... the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified." (Isaiah 61:1-3)
Isaiah says of the Tribulation that "... it is the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion." (Isaiah 34:8). God further declares through the Prophet Joel:
"I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. ... Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision." (Joel 3:2, 14) "For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many." (Isaiah 66:16)
"Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even THE TIME OF JACOB'S TROUBLE; but he shall be saved out of it." (Jeremiah 30:7; Cf. Daniel 12:1)
The Lord Jesus will begin "the day of vengeance of our God" when He opens the first seal of the Seven Sealed Scroll. The opening of the first seal will be when Antichrist will "confirm the covenant with many for one week" not long after the Rapture. By the time the Lord opens the sixth seal it will be crystal clear to those "that dwell upon the earth" (Revelation 3:10, 8:13, 12:12, 13:8, 12, 14, 17:2, 8; Isaiah 24:1, 6, 26:21) that they are experiencing "the wrath of the Lamb" (Revelation 6:16).
"And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens 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 that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (Revelation 6:12-17)
The Lord Jesus makes these promises to people of this Dispensation of Grace:
"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." (Revelation 3:10)
"... I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds." (Revelation 2:20-22)
Both of these passages have to do with salvation.
The one who repents of his deeds and keeps the Word of Christ's patience is one who has received Christ through His Word which says:
"Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted Word, which is able to save your souls." (James 1:21)
"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. ... As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious." (1 Peter 1:21, 2:2-3)
Salvation through Christ is the only prerequisite to avoid the Wrath of God and to go in the Rapture.
"For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17)
... ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come." (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10)
"For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him." (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10)
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." (Romans 5:8-9)
Contrary to what Mid-Tribers, Pre-Wrathers and Post-Tribers may say, the whole of the Tribulation is "the wrath of the Lamb," and also contrary to what they say, "God hath not appointed us to wrath." The Rapture first then the Wrath of the Lamb.
TYPES OF THE RAPTURE :
There are at least three Biblical types, pictures or foreshadowings of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture:
Noah:
Matthew 24:37-42: "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." (Cf. Luke 17:28-29)
2 Peter 2:4-5: "For if God spared not ... the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly."
There are parallels of our day to Noah's seen here. Before the Flood, like today, people would not heed the warnings of God's "preacher of righteousness." Today people scoff at Biblical truth and prophecy being fulfilled before there very eyes. They are not paying attention to the signs of the times and carelessly continue life as usual. As the antediluvians continued in this manner till the Flood was upon them, so likewise most people of today will continue till the Rapture and the Tribulation.
Lot:
Luke 17:28-30: "Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed."
"And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)." (2 Peter 2:6-8)
As with Noah, Lot did not partake of God's judgment upon the lost. Lot was removed from Sodom before God "rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all."
Enoch:
Genesis 5:21-24: "And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him." (Cf. Hebrews 11:5; Jude 14-15)
Enoch was the seventh (number of completion) descendant from Adam, and his son, Methuselah was the eighth (number of new beginnings). Enoch did not die, but "walked with God: and he was not; for God took him ." He was raptured alive before God's Judgment, the Great Flood. His son, Methuselah, die the same year as the Flood, the year of the new beginning. Enoch's rapture was a picture of the end of a dispensation, and the death of his son, Methuselah, foreshadowed the beginning of a new one.
We easily see that Enoch, Noah and Lot were saved men and pictures of Church Age believers who will be delivered from God's wrath. "Enoch walked with God" (Genesis 5:22, 24), Noah was "a preacher of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5) and as he lived among the ungodly Lot's "righteous soul" was "vexed" by "the filthy conversation of the wicked" and their unlawful deeds." (2 Peter 2:7-8)
CONCLUSION :
Salvation in the Tribulation:
God often uses troubles during this Dispensation to prepare people for salvation. The Tribulation is no different. During that terrible time a multitude of people from all the tribes of Israel, and "of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues" will receive the Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 7:3-10).
Contrary to the false teachings of some Dispensationalists there is only one way of salvation, not by works in one dispensation, and a mixture of works and grace in another, but only by grace in every dispensation. The only way of salvation is through repentance of sin against God and faith that He is willing and able to forgive and save through the "seed " of the woman which was first spoken of in Genesis 3:15. This, of course is Jesus Christ. Those in dispensations past looked forward to the coming of the Redeemer, while we look back to His finished work "once for all" (Hebrews 10:10). God through the new birth takes all, regardless of dispensation, into His family (Deuteronomy 30:6; Ezekiel 11:19, 18:31, 36:26; John 3:5-7; Titus 3:5-6).
What the Tribulation is and what it is not:
We know that all believers experience trials and tribulation from Satan (2 Corinthians 4:3-4) and his world system (2 Thessalonians 2:7), but these persecutions are not directly from God. They are His permissive will for our learning. Rewards will be earned for enduring temptations and tribulations (James 1:12; Revelation 2:10). There is a great difference between the cruelty of the devil and evil men as opposed to the Lord's planed and intentional wrath on this wicked unbelieving world. The Lord Jesus forewarned believers that we would face persecution in the World:
"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." (Matthew 5:10-12)
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.." (1 Peter 4:12-13, Cf. 1:3-9)
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world." (1 Peter 5:8-9)
We know also that all believers experience chastisement from the Lord (Hebrews 12:8) for our betterment, but this in not wrath from God. There is a big difference in God's loving chastisement and the wrath of God.
"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." (Hebrews 12:11)
"For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world." (1 Corinthians 11:31-32)
The 7 year Tribulation is "the wrath of the Lamb," from beginning to end (Revelation 6:16-17, 11:18, 14:10, 19, 15:1, 7, 16:1, 19, 19:15), but neither chastisement from the Lord, nor persecution from the devil and the world are God's wrath.
Summary of the Biblical evidences for the Pre-Tribulation Rapture:
1. No one knows the time of the Rapture (Acts 1:7; Matthew 24:36), but the exact time of the Return of Christ is known (Daniel 9:27).
2. The time is the last week (7 years) of the the Old Testament Dispensation of Law (Daniel 9:27).
3. This period is called "the time of Jacob's trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7).
4. The Apostle Paul calls the period "the wrath TO COME " and says "God hath not appointed us to wrath" and that believers in Christ "shall be saved from wrath through Him" (1 Thessalonians 1:10, 5:9; Romans 5:9).
5. The Book of Revelation tells us that at beginning of the Tribulation people will cry, "hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of His wrath IS COME " (Revelation 6:16-17).
6. The Prophet Daniel and the Apostle Paul tell us that the Antichrist must be revealed for the seven year Tribulation to begin, and Paul further tells us that for that time to begin believers must first be removed (Daniel 9:27; 2 Thessalonians 21-3, 6-7).
7. From the Old Testament perspective the seven year Tribulation is called, "the indignation" and "the day of the LORD'S vengeance" etc. (Isaiah 26:20, 34:8); but from the New Testament perspective terms like "the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" are used (1 Corinthians 1:8). The first indicates the view of the lost from the earth, and the second is from the perspective of the saved in heaven.
8. The chronology and terminology of the Book of Revelation prove that the Rapture will occur before the Tribulation (Revelation 1:18, 4:1; Cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17)
The only Scriptural position:
The Pre-Tribulation Rapture of all Church Age believers is the only Scriptural position.
"The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished." (2 Peter 2:9)
"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Luke 21:36)
The only way for one who is alive at the end of this Dispensation to "be accounted worthy to escape" the Tribulation is for him to be saved before the Rapture occurs.
"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. ... And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, 6-10)
"For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to WRATH, but to obtain SALVATION by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him." (1 Thessalonians 4:14 - 5:10)
"Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light." (Amos 5:18)
"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
Maranatha!
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