CHAPTER 5. TRIBULATION OR NOT!!

CHAPTER FIVE 

TRIBULATION OR NOT! 

Whether the church goes through tribulation or not has been an emotive issue to say the least. Much debate has occurred and close relationships have been divided over this matter. After all, is whether we go through tribulation or not, a salvation issue? Probably not, but it is imperative we believe correctly lest we find ourselves unprepared and caught off guard. There are differing opinions on whether the church goes through ‘the tribulation’ or not. Some say no, they are raptured before ‘the tribulation’ starts, others say the church gets raptured in the middle of ‘the tribulation’. Still others say, only the overcomer company does not go through ‘the tribulation’, the rest, being those who did not overcome prior to ‘the tribulation’ have to struggle through to the end. Then there are those who hold to the whole body of God’s people going through ‘the tribulation’.

We have four differing interpretations from one bible, each with an array apparently so, of scripture to back up that particular viewpoint. Just what is ‘the tribulation’? How many times does the Lord come? Do the scriptures speak of a secret coming of the Lord? When does Yeshua actually return? One could continue posing questions of which there is a degree of validity. The answers that are forthcoming are altogether quite different; differing mindsets and interpretations produce their own followings as believers agree or disagree with various interpretations. Are we afforded any choice of the aforementioned viewpoints we choose, surely we can believe what we want, within reason of course. So with this in mind, which view is the correct one, because as far as God is concerned there is only one correct view of which He is the author, any other is speculation and assumption. He will certainly not send His Son according to all four viewpoints to accommodate their theories, His Son will return for a second time only. He has come once and will come a second time, therefore, if that is the case, then can we be certain about what we commonly call the rapture and the timing of it? The answer must be yes.

Scripture needs to interpret scripture for there is no contradiction therein. If the language of scripture is straight forward without allegory or hidden meaning then we need to take at face value what has been said. It has been said, “When the plain sense of scripture makes common sense seek no other sense”. The scriptural principal of everything being established in the mouth of two or three witnesses is settled when we realize that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit bear witness with each other. This applies in this matter of tribulation. Allow the Messiah Himself to speak,

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed her light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and beat their breasts and lament in anguish, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, even from one end of the universe to the other”.   (Matthew 24 verses 24 – 27)

This is not poetry, this is an actual event that will take place at the time the Lord said it would. His coming for the second time is synonymous with our being gathered together to meet Him. There is no secret or invisible coming of the Lord. All the peoples of the earth will see Him descending from the heavens; most will beat their breasts and mourn in anguish.

“But in those days after (the affliction and oppression and distress of) that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. And the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of man coming in the clouds. And then He will send out the angels and will gather together His elect from the four corners of the earth”.   (Mark 13 verses 24 – 27)

In the book of Luke it is recorded this way,

“And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth distress (trouble and anguish) of nations in bewilderment and perplexity (that is, without resources, left wanting, embarrassed, in doubt, not knowing which way to turn) at the roaring of the tossing of the sea; men swooning away or expiring with fear and dread and apprehension and expectation of the things that are coming on the world; for the very powers of the heavens will be shaken and caused to totter. And then they shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud with great power and glory. Now when these things begin to occur, look up and lift your heads, because your redemption is drawing near”.   (Luke 21 verses 25 – 28)

Yeshua meant what He said and said what He meant; there is no mistaking His words. The idea that these passages apply to the Jews being the elect and those who become believers during ‘the tribulation’ known amongst many circles as ‘tribulation saints’ after the church has been raptured away is nothing but conjecture and inference. All who have believed in the Messiah and the work accomplished by Him here and now are the elect and chosen of God whether Jew or gentile. The whole body of the people of God will be here during tribulation for reasons we will come to. As a point of interest, the article ‘the’ before great tribulation occurs in one instance and that is found in the book of Revelation.

“I replied, sir, you know. And he said to me, these are they who have come out of the great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”.

(Revelation 7 verse 14)

Other references looked at already speak about a time of tribulation not governed by a specific time period i.e. a 7-year period. Tribulation here mentioned is not a single identifiable event but rather a continued period from the time that Messiah said it would start and would continue until He returns the second and final time. Certainly, tribulation will increase and become more intense towards the very end because of unparallelled clashes of light and darkness, because the devil knows he has but a short time left.

“Therefore be glad, O heavens and you that dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in fierce anger, because he knows that he has only a short time left”.  (Revelation 12 verse 12)

This final period of tribulation which is the great one, is 42 months or 1260 days or 31/2 years, will be a time of the devil’s wrath or anger in which he will seek to destroy all that is of God. We who believe will be here during this time of the devil’s wrath. He will seek to put to death those born of God and bear witness to the Lamb of God. It will also be a time of God’s judgements, yet His judgements will not be poured out on His own, as they will be sealed from them. Have you never read how the God of Israel kept His people in the midst of His judgements upon the Egyptians? God’s judgements will be poured out on all those who are rebellious and disobedient. Many saints will perish for their faith, not wanting to deny the Lord and Master who bought them; many will reject their faith not wanting to die for the sake of the Messiah. This will also be a time of not being able to buy or sell unless you receive the mark, the name of the beast or the number of his name. Ponder on that for a moment. Not being able to buy or sell or conduct ones daily affairs or do business. How shall we survive? This time period will not just be ‘we’ against ‘them’, our very lives will be at the risk of death. See Revelation chapter 13 verses 15 – 17.

O, the tragedy of the people of God who have no need to be concerned about that time, for they assume they shall not be here but will be eating pie in the sky after being raptured away to some distant location in heaven away from it all. Neither can you think to receive the mark and still be loyal to the Lord; you will bow your knee to the beast and serve him. This receiving of the mark although physical will have a spiritual impartation also. Those who receive the mark, whatever it may be, set themselves in direct opposition to the Lord. It will require of us, the people of God to trust Him and rely upon Him to provide supernaturally for us during this time. The people of God need to prepare for this time; in fact, we should be already in the state of preparedness. I do not believe for one brief moment that the church of today as it stands, if the Lord were to return right at this moment, would be held guiltless. Never in the history of the church as now have we had teaching after teaching, word after word, prophecy after prophecy and we are still undone. What excuses have we to offer that would bare any degree of weight before the Lord of our wilful lack? We choose to remain obstinate in spite of the fact that God, time and again has called us to seek His face and we make every excuse why we should not obey. The depths of God are calling to our own depths and we need to respond in faith to Him who is calling.

There are various legitimate types in scripture that reveal last day’s events, the life of the prophet Elijah being one. Elijah being pursued by the wicked Jezebel as he was journeying through the wilderness had to be sustained by the Angel of the Lord twice in one place. Elijah was feeling dejected, he was enough, he wanted to roll over and die.

“The Angel of the Lord came the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you”.  (1 Kings 19 verses 4 – 8)

The journey is too great for you, make no mistake, the journey ahead of us is going to be too great for us, unless the Angel of the Lord i.e. the Lord Himself, sustains us. And He will, if we trust Him to. God is well able to prepare a place for us in the wilderness in the presence of our enemies. Read the scriptures saints, for in them are made known events that will take place on this earth. Our very own complacency and the trickery of our enemy have caused a stupor to come upon the church in such a way that we are blind to the events that are unfolding before our very eyes. Listen again, be on your guard, watch and pray, be ready at all times, prepare for the days that lie ahead and don’t make excuses for the fleshly nature that seeks to rise up and take the forefront. We need to be ruthless with all those things that cause us to be complacent and cold toward the Lord God.

“But the end and culmination of all things has now come near; keep sound – minded and self – restrained therefore for the practice of prayer”.  (1 Peter 4 verse 7)

If the end as described by Peter was as near as he said then, how much nearer the end are we now? Every available moment we have afforded us, let us pursue prayer; in fact we need to be in a perpetual state of prayer. We do this by being conscious of God, by being in unbroken fellowship with Him, knowing that we have the freedom of access to abide in His presence and even to remain there. We are living in evil days, hence we need to make the most of the time we have. The fellowship of the saints is an integral part of our being strengthened, even on a daily basis.

“Therefore beware, brethren; take care lest there be in any one of you a wicked, unbelieving heart which refuses to cleave to, trust in and rely on Him – leading you to turn away and desert or stand aloof from the living God. But instead warn (admonish, urge and encourage) one another every day, as long as it is called today, that none of you may be hardened into settled rebellion by the deceitfulness of sin – that is, by the fraudulence, the stratagem, the trickery which the delusive glamour of his sin may play on him”.  (Hebrews 3 verses 12 – 13)

Now is the time to draw near to God as a priority, and then in fellowship with other believers. We need now to be in fellowship as often as possible with one – another and our fellowship needs to be of a qualitative kind, going beyond the merely casual, superficial thing we have been accustomed to. The deceitfulness of sin is here and it will overcome any believer who is nonchalant about his or her relationship with God. The devil does not care for you in the slightest, he will chew you up and spit you out without any thought of your feelings whatsoever, and if he gets you at a point of vulnerability, then be assured he is going to play havoc with your life.

Know this about your arch – enemy, there is not one iota, not one fraction of an ounce of love in him for anything or anybody, save himself, so do not give him an opportunity to get a foothold in your life. We will be here during the time of the devil’s wrath. As it was in the days on Noah, so shall it be in the days when the Son of Man returns. Noah was not raptured away to some remote place away from God’s judgement on the wicked. He was right there in the midst of God’s judgement, however; he and his family were kept safe in the ark. Or we have Lot as a type, in the midst of all the iniquity and perversion right up to the very day when God poured out His judgement on those wicked cities; then He removed Lot and family out of the way, thus they were kept safe from His judgements. Either way, we must remember that God’s judgements are poured out on all the unrighteousness and wickedness of this world, not on those who have the seal of God upon them.