> ...Chapter 4, verse 1, where John is told to "come up here..."
Note that Revelation 4:1's "come up hither" was spoken only to John over 1900 years ago. This is why there's no coming of Christ or rapture and resurrection of the church found in Revelation 4:1, just as there isnt at the "come up hither" spoken only to the two witnesses in Revelation 11:12.
> ...the church is obviously absent throughout the Tribulation...
We find Christians referred to throughout Revelation (6:11, 7:3, 7:14, 12:17, 13:7-10, 14:1-4, 14:12-13, 15:2, 20:4). There can be no Christians outside of the church, for "there is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith" (Ephesians 4:4-5), which body is the church: "the church, which is his body" (Ephesians 1:22-23).
> ...they are not called the church...
Some would require the specific word "church" to be used to describe the Christians in the tribulation before they would consider them to be part of the church. But some NT books don't have "church" in them anywhere: 2 Timothy, Titus, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, and Jude. Do some then believe these books don't refer to the church?
How could saints living after the cross and after Pentecost who have "the faith of Jesus" (Revelation 14:12) and are "in the Lord" (Revelation 14:13) not be in his body?
> ...the Church of God will NEVER see the anti-christ nor the
> Tribulation!...
Note that in no scripture are we promised a rapture before the tribulation. Jesus said he would come to gather us together "immediately after the tribulation" (Matthew 24:29-31), and Paul said Jesus' coming to gather us together must "destroy" the Antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2:1-8).
> ...For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who
> now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way...
The one holding back the Antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2:7-8) can't be the church because Christians will still be on the earth during the Antichrists rule (Revelation 13:7-10, 14:12-13), and there are no Christians outside of the church (Ephesians 4:4-6).
> ...During the Tribulation the Holy Spirit will be just as He was
> before the first coming of Jesus Christ...
Where does the Bible teach this? How could saints living after the cross and after Pentecost who have "the faith of Jesus" (Revelation 14:12) and are "in the Lord" (Revelation 14:13) not have the Spirit? "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Romans 8:9).
> ...Falling away in Greek means departure...
The Greek word for "falling away" is apostasia. It means apostasy. I believe Paul is referring to the same departure from the faith that he refers to in 1 Timothy 4:1 and which Jesus refers to in Matthew 24:10-12.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8 Paul makes clear that the apostasy and abomination of desolation must occur before the day Jesus comes to gather us together, for Jesus' coming to gather us together must destroy the Antichrist (verse 8). I believe Paul is referring to the same coming and gathering together as Matthew 24:29-31. I don't believe Paul taught a 3rd coming or a 2nd rapture.
Some say apostasia can also refer to a physical departure. But apostasia (2 Thessalonians 2:3) isn't used in the Bible or in other ancient Greek literature to refer to people departing from a physical location, but is used in the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament (for example, Joshua 22:22, 2 Chronicles 29:19, Jeremiah 2:19) and in the New Testament (Acts 21:21) to refer to people departing from their religion. Look at its primary definition and you will see why: "defection, revolt, especially in religious sense, rebellion against God, apostasy."
> ...When Jesus comes down to gather His church at the Rapture,
> Jesus will not set foot on earth...
Because 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 shows Jesus "coming," but doesn't show him landing on the earth, some believe it refers to a U-turn coming of Jesus whereby he comes only as far as the clouds and then returns to heaven. But Matthew 24:29-31 doesn't show Jesus landing on the earth either. Do some then believe that Matthew 24:29-31 is also not the 2nd coming?
1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 doesn't show Jesus returning to heaven. Acts 1:11 says Jesus will "come" just as he left: he won't come only as far as the clouds and then return to heaven again, just as he didn't leave only as far as the clouds and then return to earth again. He went from the Mount of Olives to the clouds to heaven, he will come from heaven to the clouds to the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4). There's no 3rd coming of Jesus.
> ...1Thessalonians 5:9 makes it clear that God has
> not "appointed us to wrath" (the Tribulation) but to "obtain
> salvation,"...
Here Paul refers to a form of God's wrath which is completely opposed to salvation, that is, those who obtain salvation can in no way be appointed to this form of God's wrath. Because there are many who obtain salvation who are in the tribulation, this form of wrath cannot be the tribulation.
The word "wrath" in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 is the Greek word orge, which is used in the NT to refer to the entire spectrum of the forms of God's wrath, from a single angry look by Jesus: "He had looked round about on them with anger (orge)" (Mark 3:5), to the eternal horror of the lake of fire: "The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation (orge); and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever" (Revelation 14:10-11). If we who are believers do wrong, I believe Jesus can still look angrily at us without our losing our salvation: "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten" (Revelation 3:19); and I believe we believers can go through the entire tribulation (Revelation 6:11, 7:3, 7:14, 9:4, 12:17, 13:7-10, 14:12-13, 15:2, 20:4) without losing our salvation, for nothing we experience on this earth, no suffering or death of any kind, can rob us of our eternal life in Christ (Romans 8:35-39) and our complete deliverance from the wrath of the lake of fire (Revelation 14:10), to which all unbelievers are appointed (John 3:36).
> ...the Tribulation is especially the time of God's wrath...
Note that nobody in heaven says God's wrath "is come" until after the 7th trumpet (Revelation 11:15, 18), in the 7 vials (Revelation 15:1).
The vials contain God's wrath, yet not one of them is directed at Christians. I believe we are even blessed at the 6th vial (Revelation 16:15), that we might endure to the 1,335th day (Daniel 12:12).
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