Great Escape Or A False Hope?

Transcription

1 Great Escape Or A False Hope? A scriptural look at the pre-tribulation rapture. Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

2 Preface Being the resident of a landlocked state in the middle of the US, I have never prepared for the arrival of a hurricane. The reason is simply because I never expect to encounter one. I'm not even sure what all hurricane preparations consist of. By the same token, how many believers who think that they will be gone before the great tribulation begins have taken the time to understand it and prepare for it? Not very many I'd guess. It's clear that we are instructed to watch and to be ready and alert for Christ's return but what all does that entail? The answer to that question will vary and depends largely on how we anticipate prophecy coming to pass. It's human nature for us to only prepare for what we see as likely to affect us. My initial understanding of prophecy back in the 80s included the pre-trib rapture. I remember struggling trying to apply the relevance of Jesus' exhortations to be ready and alert for His return. If the pre-trib rapture was true and believers were going to be taken out of the world before the great tribulation started then why the added emphasis? If we were going to miss it all then what specifically were we to do at that point that was different from any other time? I couldn't come up with an answer and the more I considered the implications of a pretrib rapture the more lax I became about studying prophecy, a subject I was really interested in. I couldn't see the significance in studying something that I felt didn't have a practical application. While it was fun to speculate about, I failed to see its relevance if the pre-trib rapture was true. It wasn't until I had a discussion with someone who presented a strong biblical case for a different view of the rapture that I realized the need for a more diligent and exhaustive approach to studying end time prophecy. I decided to abandon any prejudice toward any end time interpretation and spent months looking at prophecy related passages in an effort to harmonize them and arrive at an understanding supported directly by scripture. What is presented in this booklet is the result of years of adjusting and refining. I wouldn't say that it's set in stone but I feel it's mature enough to be put forth and given consideration. It's my hope that those who approach the subject honestly, giving preference to scripture, will find the information presented in this booklet sufficient to determine that the rapture will not happen before the great tribulation; and in coming to that realization, that being alert and ready will take on its intended meaning. Although one's viewpoint of the rapture does not affect their salvation, it will affect what they anticipate, and people prepare for what they expect to encounter. That's why it's relevant, and that's why it should be given an honest consideration. Five were prudent. Five were foolish. Matthew 25:1-13

3 The Timing of the Rapture In order to understand when the rapture takes place, you have to look at the passages that speak about it directly. Start there, make observations, and then let scripture interpret scripture. Doing so will lead to a clear understanding of when that day is, at least in relation to other events. Let s start with the two passages that actually deal directly with the rapture. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 According to these two verses we know exactly when the rapture will happen. It happens right after the resurrection at the last trumpet, when the dead in Christ are raised imperishable. It is vitally important when considering the rapture to understand that there are only three resurrections when people are raised imperishable or immortal. This verse in 1 Corinthians describes the three resurrections. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 1 Corinthians 15:22-24 Christ was the first to be raised immortal. Second will be those who are Christ s at His coming. This is the resurrection that happens just before the rapture. The third resurrection is at the end of Christ s 1000 year kingdom on earth. Since there is only one resurrection of those who are Christ s, we know from the following verses when that resurrection is. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day. John 6:40

4 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:44 From these verses, it is clear that the resurrection of those who are Christ s will happen on the last day. So now, when we put these together, we know that the rapture happens right after the resurrection at the last trumpet which is on the last day. That s a good start but it is still a bit ambiguous. When is the last day? Let s look at another passage that will help us to further narrow down when that day is. Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 These verses indicate that the resurrection and the rapture are events that happen on the day of the Lord. They are referred to here as our gathering together to Him. Apparently someone was telling the church in Thessalonica that the day of the Lord had already come and Paul was correcting that. So now we can add that and say that the rapture happens right after the resurrection at the last trumpet, on the last day, the day of the Lord. That gives us a little more to work with but it doesn t really narrow it down much. However, when we look at how the day of the Lord is described, there is one verse in particular that clues us in to when that is. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 1 Thessalonians 5:2 Paul clearly links the day of the Lord to what Jesus taught about His return coming like a thief in the night. Looking at the following passage in Revelation, we can determine when that is. Jesus tells us at what point we can expect His return like a thief. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame. And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon. Revelation 16:14-16 Considering these two verses together, we learn that the day of the Lord is when Christ returns. In Revelation 16, when Christ says that He s coming like a thief, the sixth bowl has been poured out and the armies are being gathered together for the battle of

5 Armageddon. All that is left at this point is for Christ to return and establish the kingdom of God on earth. It s necessary to understand that the trumpets and bowls are related. The same seven angels that are given trumpets are also given bowls. This can be seen in Revelation 15:6-7 where the seven angels who already have the seven plagues are then given seven bowls. The only seven plagues that we know of are associated with the seven trumpets so it s reasonable to assume that the seven plagues that the angels have is a reference to the plagues brought on by the seven trumpets. This is also evident in the striking similarities between the same numbered trumpets and bowls. The seven plague angels were given trumpets to begin their plagues and bowls to pour out to bring their plagues to their completion. I bring that up because after the sixth bowl is poured out and Christ states that He is coming like a thief, the sixth angel is finished. The only thing that s left is for the seventh angel to sound his trumpet and pour out his bowl. After the seventh angel sounds his trumpet then the Son of Man will sound the last one. The last trumpet is the trumpet of the Lord. It's the one that He sounds from the clouds when He returns. It can be seen in these verses: Then the Lord will appear over them, And His arrow will go forth like lightning; And the Lord God will blow the trumpet, And will march in the storm winds of the south... And the Lord their God will save them in that day. Zechariah 9:14,16a And then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. Matthew 24:30b-31 The Lord will appear over them, on the clouds, and there will be lightning (as the seventh trumpet states) and He will blow His trumpet, the last trumpet. Those who are Christ's are then made immortal and gathered to Himself. Christ, and those with Him, will return to earth and Israel shall be delivered from danger. All of the events associated with the seventh plague angel (the seventh trumpet and bowl) take place on the last day. We know that after Christ returns He rules for 1000 years so what is the last day the last day of? The answer is found in the seventh trumpet.

6 Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever. Revelation 11:15 When the seventh trumpet sounds, the world changes governors. Satan and his minions will no longer exercise dominion. Jesus will cast out Satan and his angels and then He will rule the earth in righteousness. The demise of Satan's kingdom is seen in the seventh bowl. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. Revelation 16:19b Babylon is an allegorical reference to Satan's kingdom and its influence among the human race. The entire chapter of Revelation 18 describes its fall. This is such a significant event because for thousands of years, since the fall of man in the garden, the world has been in the power of the evil one. When Christ returns it will be the last day of Satan's dominion on earth. In summary, and according to scripture, the rapture happens: at His coming - He will return in like manner as He ascended - Acts 1:11 on the day of the Lord - when He returns and begins to reign at the last trumpet - the trumpet of God that He will sound from the clouds after the resurrection - the dead in Christ will rise first on the last day - the last day of Satan's ruling of the earth like a thief in the night - after the armies gather at Armageddon There is only one point in Bible prophecy when all of these criteria will be met. Based on direct scriptural support, the rapture will happen on the day that the seventh trumpet is sounded. This is after the great tribulation. Consequently, believers should be prepared to endure the persecution of those days.

7 Dismantling the Pre-tribulation Rapture The viewpoint that the rapture will happen at the seventh trumpet is in stark contrast with the pre-trib rapture. Proponents of the pre-trib rapture claim that believers will not have to go through the great tribulation because the resurrection and rapture of believers will happen first, or pre-tribulation. There is, however, no direct scriptural support for such a view. The following look at the pre-trib rapture will show that it relies on fabricated terminology, confusing terms, misapplied scriptures, and an appeal to emotion in order to make its claim. It never directly address the specifics of scripture, such as the last trumpet or the last day, but instead relies on these fabrications and perceived exceptions to override what is plainly stated in the Bible. A Look at Terminology Here is a look at some of the fabricated and confusing terminologies that are used in an effort to give the pre-trib view a sense of legitimacy. Having no biblical basis, the only purpose they serve is to bias people through their usage. People who are unaware tend to simply accept them as true and assume that they are biblical when they are not. Tribulation, Judgment, Wrath - Confusing these three terms in an attempt to have them mean the same thing is central to the pre-trib argument because the Bible states that believers are not subjected to God's wrath. By confusing tribulation and judgment with wrath, they attempt to make the case for the rapture being pre-trib because we aren't destined for wrath. The problem with that is that they are not the same thing. They are three completely different words with different meanings. A cursory word study of the terms will show that. Tribulation is simply a reference to troubling times without regard for the cause. A judgment is a determination that has been made, usually in a judicial context, which may or may not carry a penalty. Wrath is another term for anger or indignation. Be careful to make these distinctions. The great tribulation involves the persecution of believers by the false prophet. The source of its trouble is from man, not God. Seven Year Tribulation There is nothing in prophecy that says there will be a seven year period of tribulation. Jesus said that in this world we will have tribulation. Believers experiencing tribulation has been going on since the church began. It s nothing new. The only future time duration that could be considered a time of tribulation is the 42 months that the man of sin wages war against the saints. At the beginning of that time period, there is a time of intense, or great, tribulation as described by Jesus in Matthew 24 but no time duration is specifically given for it. He does tell us that the intense persecution is cut short of the full 42 months though. Nowhere is there anything to suggest that there will be a future seven year tribulation period. Nowhere.

8 Seal Judgments There is a scroll that God possesses that is sealed up with seven seals. At some point Jesus begins opening these seals. When He does, certain events begin to take place on earth. They are never identified as judgments ; in fact, when one of them is opened, a time of martyrdom takes place. How can that possibly refer to God's judgment? Labeling the seals as seal judgments is a fabrication designed to bias people into believing something to be true when it is not. The Bible only refers to them as seals and that should be sufficient. Tribulation Saints - Since the Bible shows that a multitude of believers will be martyred during the great tribulation, this term was invented in an attempt to distinguish between the saints who are raptured pre-trib and those who are martyred during the great tribulation. The Bible, however, never makes such a distinction. Attempting to make that distinction does raise an interesting question though, that if all the believers are removed from the earth before the great tribulation then where do the believers come from who are martyred? This leads us to the next term. Great Revival This concept was invented to try and help explain where those unique tribulation saints come from. If the rapture happens pre-trib then where do all those saints come from that are martyred during the great tribulation? Aren t they all gone at that point? The story of the great revival says that when millions of believers suddenly disappear, then millions of people who weren t believers will have some kind of an awakening moment and become believers and thus create a great global revival. Not only is such an idea nowhere to be found in the Bible, it runs exactly contrary to what the Bible describes the last days to be like in 2 Thessalonians 2 and Matthew 24. The idea of a great revival was spawned of necessity in order to explain the existence of the tribulation saints. It s nothing more than fiction stacked upon fiction. A Simple Rebuttal - The First Resurrection As mentioned earlier, 1 Corinthians 15:22-24 describes three occurrences of immortal resurrection. Of these three, two are left. Of the two which are left, the first one takes place when Christ returns and is for all who have believed in Him. The dead in Christ will rise first and those who are alive at that time will be caught up or "raptured." The second resurrection is for everyone else and takes place after His 1000 year reign as explained in this passage. Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Revelation 20:4-5

9 All of those who are Christ's are made immortal at the first of the two resurrections. This first resurrection clearly includes those who are martyred during the great tribulation so there is no possible way that the rapture can take place beforehand. It doesn't get any more straightforward than that. This plainly stated truth, in and of itself, should be sufficient for anyone giving honest consideration to the timing of the rapture to reject a pre-trib viewpoint. However, I ve come to realize over the years that people are more inclined to believe what they want to believe. Consequently, it may be necessary to look at some of the arguments for a pre-tribulation rapture and compare them to what scripture says. In doing so, it becomes clear that the rationale for those arguments is flawed and that they are without merit. For someone who is objective in their studies, the following should be sufficient to reveal that the false hope of a pre-trib rapture is predicated on false assumptions. Believers are not subjected to God's wrath. That is a true statement. We believers will not suffer the wrath of God. We have obtained salvation through Jesus Christ. That truth, however, has no bearing on the timing of the rapture. When someone puts forth this argument in support of the pre-trib view it s because they have misconstrued the time of great tribulation as God s wrath. The great tribulation is a time when believers are persecuted and martyred for not worshipping the false prophet. God s wrath is for unbelievers. This demonstrates why the pre-trib view relies so heavily on confusing the terms wrath and tribulation. This argument is an attempt to leverage that confusion in the absence of anything substantive. The return of Christ can happen at any time. This exception is also known as the doctrine of imminence. It is based largely on those verses that say that no one knows the day or the hour of Christ s return. Not knowing the day or hour of Christ s return means just that. It in no way suggests that His return can happen at any time. That s simply an unjustified embellishment because it directly contradicts one passage that states a prerequisite for His return. Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 Notice that this passage states that the rapture, which is our gathering together to Him at His coming, is described as happening on the day of the Lord. It goes on to say that the day of the Lord won t come until after the apostasy and the revealing of the man of

10 sin. How can the rapture happen at any time when there are things that haven t happened yet which must happen first? The church is restraining evil and must be taken out of the way. This exception is based on 2 Thessalonians 2:6-9 which states that something or someone is restraining the man of sin from appearing and that this restraint must be taken out of the way before he can be revealed. They conclude that since the church restrains evil by opposing it that the rapture is the removal of that restraint. For the same reason that imminence is false, this exception is false. The rapture will not happen until after the man of sin is revealed. Consequently, it s impossible for the church to be the restrainer that is removed before he is revealed. Also, it is not "evil" that is being restrained, it is a specific being. He was being restrained in Paul's day so he must be a supernatural being. The restrainer is likely the archangel Michael or some other supernatural entity like the abyss, which we know is a place of restraint for evil spirit beings, but it's impossible for it to be a reference to the church in any sense. The church is not mentioned after Revelation 3. This exception states that since the term church is not used after Revelation 3, the church must not be around because it was raptured beforehand. While the word church is not specifically mentioned, saints is and there is a reference to those who hold to the testimony of Jesus. So, while the specific term church is not mentioned, the church is clearly there as is also indicated by the rapture that s spoken of in Revelation 14. Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe. Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped. Revelation 14:14-16 This is the first of two reapings in Revelation 14. It is the reaping of the righteous by Jesus. It is the resurrection / rapture at the seventh trumpet. The second reaping is a reaping of the wicked and is done by angels at the seventh bowl. Both occur on the day of the Lord. This exception is based on a weak attempt to argue from silence. There are clearly references used after Revelation 3 to describe believers.

11 The blessed hope of the church is to escape tribulation. Tribulation is something a believer should expect to encounter, not escape. Believers are not of this world and are consequently hated by those who are. If they persecuted Christ, they will persecute His followers as well. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. John 15:19 Remember the word that I said to you, A slave is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. John 15:20 The blessed hope of the believer is a glorious immortal life beyond this one. It is for all who have ever put their faith in God, not just for a handful who are alive when Christ returns. It is true that the blessed hope is realized when Christ returns but it is in no way associated with escaping tribulation. Escaping tribulation is an appeal to emotion that runs contrary to what the church should expect to encounter. It's a false hope. End times prophecy only concerns Israel, not the church. Some will argue that the events described by Jesus pertaining to His return along with the events of Revelation are strictly for the people of Israel and not for believers. This is an assumption that is necessary for pre-tribbers to make, however, it is not based on scripture. Revelation 12 shows both Israel and believers as targets of Satan's hatred. So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. Revelation 12:17 The woman represents the people of Israel. After failing in his attack on her, the dragon then attacks her spiritual offspring, believers. The attack of both Israel and believers happens when the abomination of desolation is set up, bringing on the great tribulation. While the false prophet's activities are mainly taking place in the Middle East, we know that his kingdom is global in scope. It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. Revelation 13:7

12 When Jesus was describing His return, He did give specific, urgent instruction for those who are in Judea because they will be targeted first. However, after they flee into the wilderness and are protected, believers around the world are then targeted. Believers are definitely a part of end time prophecy as the following verse also shows. Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. Matthew 24:9 Israel will not be hated by all nations because of the name of Jesus. That simply does not make any sense. Matthew 24 and Revelation apply to believers. Summary The viewpoint demonstrating that believers must go through the great tribulation has significant direct scriptural support whereas the pre-trib view has none. The pre-trib view relies on confusing terminology, baseless assumptions, biased interpretations, and rhetoric to make its case. It offers the false hope of escaping the great tribulation and tends to foster spiritual complacency. While our understanding of the rapture may not affect our salvation, it certainly will affect our preparedness since we prepare for what we expect to encounter. Five were wise. Five were foolish. The wise were in it for the long haul. The foolish were unprepared. Matthew 25:1-13

13 Being Ready As believers we are instructed to be ready and alert for the return of Christ. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. Matthew 24:42-44 What I say to you I say to all, Be on the alert! Mark 13:37 Practically speaking though, what does that translate into? What kinds of things should we be aware of and involved in that will help us to be ready and alert for His return? Jesus answers that question when He talks about the signs of the time. His initial instruction is to guard against the deception of those days. And Jesus answered and said to them, See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, I am the Christ, and will mislead many. Matthew 24:4-5 If you look at this verse carefully, you ll see that it s not a reference to false christs but rather to people who come in His name. They claim to be Christians and even confess that Jesus is the Christ. They say all the right things but they teach false doctrine and lead many astray. Consequently, being ready involves having an understanding of the truth whereby you can discern error. God gives every believer the Holy Spirit to help guide them into the truth. Everyone is responsible for seeking the truth of God s word themselves and discerning what they are taught, whether it is true or not. Those who rely solely on the teachings of others are susceptible to being misled. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:5 Eventually, false christs will come on the scene and the deception will move beyond just the propagation of false doctrine. Decades of lies will have paved the way for this: For false christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you in advance. Matthew 24:24-25 The advanced warning Jesus gives us there should not be taken lightly. There will be supernatural manifestations that will have people astonished. Those days will be anything but normal. Being ready then also includes the expectation of supernatural

14 phenomena being on display and knowing how to respond to it. Deuteronomy 13 gives clear guidance for such a circumstance. If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them, you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. Deuteronomy 13:1-4 It's extremely likely that those who are able to perform the great signs and wonders will accompany such amazing displays with false doctrine. They will deceive people into believing what they say based on the amazing things they can do. The above passage, however, states that If anyone uses supernatural manifestations as a means to validate their ungodly message, reject them. It s not a new thing; it just hasn t been seen in a long, long time. The last days are a time of testing and the signs and wonders are a part of that. Who will stay true to the Lord? Another thing that Jesus advises us to do is to guard against the cares of this world. Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap. Luke 21:34 We should remain aware of the fact that this world is not our home and we should not become entangled in its affairs. We should live our lives in such a way that we are redeeming the time instead of wasting it. If we walk in the light, that day will not overtake us as a thief. There will also come a point when believers will have to decide between keeping their life or losing it. We should also never become so attached to material things that it would cause us to compromise our faith. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 16:25 It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him... If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints. Revelation 13:7,10

15 Believers are called on to persevere during the great tribulation. Are we willing to abandon all of our accumulated stuff, to be separated from our families and loved ones, and give ourselves up to be martyred for Christ? That is a question that one day all believers will be confronted with answering. The false prophet will issue an ultimatum that whoever does not worship him will be put to death. Consequently, being ready also includes understanding what may be required of you. Determine ahead of time your resolve to be faithful when confronted with the worship or die ultimatum. You ll be less likely to be influenced by the prevailing rhetoric and the emotion of a sudden decision of such consequence. At the seventh trumpet, all who belong to Christ will become immortal when He appears and we will be with Him forever. This is our assurance, our blessed hope and what we should fix our eyes on. Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus. Titus 2:13 And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12 AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED. Acts 2:21 I trust that those who are honestly open to the truth will see from the scripture passages presented in this writing that the church will definitely be persecuted during the great tribulation. May this awareness help us in discerning the things to come and in being ready and alert for His return.