We are told:
"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. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." -Rom. 5:8-10 (KJV)
And we are also told:
"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 Thess. 1:10 (KJV)
Now I have already been through a discussion on the tribulation period according to Revelation in another thread.
I have been told that Christians will endure it the same as the unsaved. Hey, if want to argue that you have the right to suffer right along with the unsaved, be my guest. But the above verses disagree with you.
Perhaps this is their way of proving that they are worthy to be a Christian.
They argue that we are also told we would have trials and tribulations as Christians. I do not argue against that. In fact, there has hardly been a time since the beginning that God's chosen ones have not had to endure some form of trial and tribulation.
Moody Baptist preacher and theologian Erwin Lutzer has shown that in the entire history of the world, there has only been 276 years where there were no wars. 276 years of peace.
People want to claim that the time between the opening of the seals and the sounding of the trumpets is not the wrath of God. But is it really?
I say it is and here is why. I have shown previously that just between the opening of the seven seals, and the seven trumpets, half of the worlds population die. That's roughly 3.5 BILLION people at current world population. (cf. Rev 6:8, Rev 9:15, 18)
If the post position is correct, how many of those are Christian? And even if you say as low as one (1), then that makes the previous scriptures of Paul, contradictory.
And after that comes the "wrath of Satan"(Rev 12:12, 13:7).
Again, how many Christians will endure the wrath of Satan contrary to what Paul said earlier?
Revelation also makes it clear that God is not merely "permitting" these things to happen, but is actually "causing" them to happen as Jesus is opening the seals, and angels are sounding the trumpets.
Further proof that the seals are the "wrath of God is seen in what proceeds strait from the mouths of the unsaved:
"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:" -Rev. 6:15-16 (KJV)
If Christians will endure the wrath of God, why would we hide ourselves from Him?
In the very next chapter, (Rev. 7) we also see that at this time, only 144,000 of the 12 tribes of Israel will be sealed and exempt from the wrath.
If there is no "pre-trib" rapture, the there is enormous torture coming to all mankind saved and unsaved except for the 144,000:
"And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them." -Rev. 9:4-6 (KJV)
Fact is, God has done this exact same thing in the past:
"He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, WRATH, and indignation, and trouble, by sending EVIL ANGELS among them." -Psa. 78:48 (KJV)
History has shown that Christians have always had and always will have trials and tribulations while in this world. (Most notably were the sufferings by Nero, and during those 2-300 years in the Dark Ages known as the Inquisition)
Even during the siege of Jerusalem, God provided a way out as seen in Eusebius where some escaped to Petra.
Another of the best passages of scripture that shows us we (Christians) will not have to endure this is found in Luke 21:
"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." -Lk. 21:36 (KJV)
And here is one I have heard here on the forums when I was a moderator:
The passages which speak of one being taken and one left behind, is God removing the unsaved and leaving the earth to Christians!
Who knows, maybe, just maybe the Preterist position is correct, and if they are, all these thing have already happened so why worry. Or the Amillennialists are correct and which case, we still have nothing to fear. Or, the Post position is correct and you will endure God's wrath which coincidentally, contradicts what Paul tells us. Or, perhaps, the pre-trib rapture is correct, in which no scripture is contradictory.
I also want to say that folks, we are talking about "eschatology" here. Even Jesus did not know when His return would be. Only one person knows when.
Eschatology is a wide open field, many interpretations, there are no 100% answers. Just bear that in mind.
God Bless
Till all are one.
