The Great Tribulation

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Willis Davidson
5 years ago
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1 The Great Tribulation Will the Church go through the Great Tribulation? To even begin to answer this question, one has to understand the use of the term: in other words, what does the great tribulation mean? The title itself comes from the words of Jesus Christ in Matthew 24:21: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor shall be. This tribulation period of time is also referred to as Jacob s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7) meaning it is specifically focused on the nation of Israel. Here is where the first controversy will come into play when answering our question because there are denominational groups that teach the church took the place of Israel after they rejected Christ. This is indeed false: Romans 9-11 reveals the falseness of such teaching. The bible states there are three distinct groups of people in the world, and they are completely separate. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God (1 Corinthians 10:32). They are separate because to determine which group a person belongs to all depends on their birth. The Jews are those born from Abraham s descendants: Isaac and Jacob who make up the nation of Israel. They are God s chosen people. The Gentiles are the second group who make up everyone else that is born into this world. When you are physically born you are either Jew or Gentile. To be a part of the third group: the church, one must be born again (John 3:3, 3:7, and 1 Peter 1:23). God s word does not confuse these three groups. When God s word mentions the church, He is talking about those that have had a spiritual birth. When God s word mentions the Jew or Gentile, He is talking about a group of people based on their physical birth. The Jews are the focal point when God discusses the great tribulation, thus trying to make the great tribulation apply to the church is mishandling the word of God. According to Matthew 24 referenced above, God mentioned the words spoken by Daniel the prophet as being in direct connection with the great tribulation (Matthew 24: 15). Therefore, let us see what Daniel had to say. The majority of this writing will deal with these verses of scripture. Daniel 9:21-27: 21 Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. 22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. 23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. 24 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. 25 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. 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: 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. 27 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. A quick reading of Daniel 9:21-27 will show that it all has to do with HIS PEOPLE and HIS HOLY CITY. The nation of Israel is His chosen people, and the only city recognized in scripture as being holy is Jerusalem: the center of Israel and even the center of the nations and countries on the earth (Ezekiel 5:5). Simply understanding this fact should be enough to conclude that the church will NOT be a part of this time period because the church was never in view when this time period was established by God. However, let s go through the scripture piece by piece because it is truly a blessing to know and understand (Daniel 9:23 and Matthew 24:15).

2 God said He would give a commandment to his people to restore and to build Jerusalem, and from the time that commandment would be given, SEVENTY WEEKS are determined upon Israel and their city. First, these weeks are weeks of years. The reason for this is because this is a prophecy coming from God through Daniel concerning iniquity. Prophetic time scales referring to Israel and iniquity use a day to represent a year. 1) After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise (Numbers 14:34). 2) And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year (Ezekiel 4:6). This means 1 week equals 7 years, and 70 weeks equals 490 years. Also, these seventy weeks were further divided down into 7 weeks (49 years) and 62 weeks (434 years) with 1 week remaining (7 years) to make up the full seventy weeks. The table below shows why these divisions are given: 1. Commandment given to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem 2. It took them 7 weeks of years (49 years as stated by Daniel) to rebuild the temple and the city. 3. The 62 week period runs its course. God gave Israel this commandment in Nehemiah 2:4-8: Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers sepulchers, that I may build it. And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah; And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me. - This was done in troublous times: Nehemiah 3-6 and Daniel 9:25. - When this was accomplished, the 62 week period would begin. - Most of these 434 years are known as the 400 silent years: the time between the writings of Malachi (the last book of the Old Testament) and when Jesus comes on the scene in Matthew. - Daniel 9:26: And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: 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. This is when Christ was rejected by His own people (John 1:11) and dyed for the whole world. (Zechariah 9:9, Matthew 21:1-11, Titus 2:11, 2 Corinthians 5:19) - This brings us to the 70 th and final week. Please take note of and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary compared to Daniel 9:25: the Messiah the Prince. The prince (small p) is the antichrist, and the bible just said that his people would come in and destroy the city and the sanctuary. This happened in 70 A.D. when Alexander came into

3 Jerusalem under the Roman emperor Titus and destroyed Jerusalem. Rome is the people of the antichrist. I will not say with absolute certainty, for nobody knows who the antichrist is, but I wonder if it will be a Roman Catholic Pope? There is one week (7 years) remaining to be fulfilled according the Daniel s prophecy. Please understand that God only keeps time when He is dealing with Israel. No time is kept while the church is in view because the church is eternal. Therefore, nobody knows when this remaining week will begin. Right before Pentecost in Acts 1, Jesus even made this evident to the disciples when they asked Him if He was going to establish His kingdom on earth. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, 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 (Acts 1:6-7). 4. Israel s 70 th week: when the antichrist rises to power through a covenant with Israel, and then later breaks the covenant. This begins when the prince confirms a covenant with many: religious freedom. Daniel 9:27: 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. For 3-1/2 years (half of the week, or 42 months, or 1260 days) is when the two witnesses of Revelation 11 will have liberty to prophesy, to perform their miracles, and Israel has their freedom (through this covenant) to worship as they will. Then the 2 witnesses will be killed (Revelation 11:7). The remaining 42 months according to Revelation 13 is when the beast blasphemes God and exercises his power over all nations (Revelation 13:5-7). That last 42 months (3-1/2 years) is what is known as the Great Tribulation. The first 42 months (3-1/2 years) is known as the Beginning of Sorrows (Matthew 24:7-8). We need to return to Daniel 9 one last time to truly see that the Church will not go through this 70 th week. First, a question needs to be asked: What is the reason for the seventy weeks? Daniel 9:24 gives us that answer. 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. NOT ONE OF THESE 6 STATEMENTS CAN APPLY TO THE CHURCH. 1. To finish the transgression the born again believer s transgression was put away when Jesus cried out from on the cross saying, It is finished (John 19:30). 2. To make an end of sins The believer s sin was borne in Christ s body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24). 3. To make reconciliation for iniquity All believers are instantly reconciled to God the moment they are born again (2 Corinthians 1:30) 4. To bring in everlasting righteousness Everlasting righteousness is given to the believer they moment they are regenerated, i.e. born again (1 Corinthians 1:30) 5. To seal up the vision and prophecy There is no vision or prophecy directly setting the New Testament church in the Old Testament writings. 6. To anoint the most Holy The church has a Savior, who is the head, but He is not a King over the church. In fact, each member of the church is a king themselves (Revelation 1:6).

4 When is the Church called away? The answer is before the antichrist goes forth (Revelation 6:2). It is believed that the Rapture (the catching away of the body of believers 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17) happens in Revelation 4:1: 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. That is the last statement in Revelation with the church being on earth. This matches 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17: But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 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 descent 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. Below are 14 more reasons why the Church CANNOT go through the 70 th week of Israel. 1. The Lord Jesus Christ promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against His church (Matthew 16:18). In Revelation 13:7 Satan overcomes the saints and controls the world. If the church is still on earth then Christ is a liar. 2. In Chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation we read of the activity of the local churches. After the call, Come up hither, at the beginning of chapter 4 the church on earth is never mentioned again. 3. The 70 th week is a time of wrath (Revelation 6:16-17, Zephaniah 1:15). The church saints are promised that they are not appointed to wrath, but to obtain salvation from the time of wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9). The church may very well experience the wrath of man, but are free from the wrath of God. 4. The 24 elders in Revelation 4:4-5:14 are more proof. The name elder is never given to an angel. We never read in scripture of angels sitting upon thrones or wearing crowns. So this company in heaven cannot be angels. Only the church-age believers are promised crowns (1 Peter 5:2-4, 2 Timothy 4:8; etc.). The apostle and his fellow believers are told that God has made them kings and priests (Revelation 1:6) and that those who suffered with Him would reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12). Also these 24 elders have to be born again saints because the bible states they have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ alone (Revelation 5:9-10; 1:5). It also needs to be mentioned that the crowns are not earthly crowns, for they belong to the people in heaven and, thus, must have been received at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10, 1 Corinthians 3:11-15). 5. The 24 elders in Revelation are also clothed in white raiment (Revelation 4:4). This is the garment of a priest. Yet, no Levitical priest ever wore a crown or sat upon a throne, so these cannot be Old Testament saints. These are members of a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) which were regenerated by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). 6. It is also interesting how the Holy Spirit views the prophecies regarding the day of wrath. The warning for the Jew and Gentile, found in Joel 2:31 says, The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. But when Peter, under the power of the Holy Spirit, preaches this passage on the day of Pentecost, God moves him to say, The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the LORD come (Acts 2:20). To those who go through the tribulation time, it certainly will be terrible, but for those who miss it, it will only be notable. Hallelujah!

5 7. Most of the church cannot go through the tribulation because they are already in heaven. Many of these were carnal, but they will not be returned to earth to be punished. 8. To the Christians at Colosse comes the promise they are to be presented holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight (Colossians 1:22). This sanctification is said to extend to those called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Corinthians 1:2). The idea that good Christians get raptured and bad Christians must go through all or part of the tribulation as a sort of purgatory is non-biblical. 9. We are recognized ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:17-21), and our citizenship is in heaven. Not a single country would abandon its representatives in a foreign land once hostilities arose: besides maybe America under the leadership of Barack Hussein Obama. 10. The blessed hope of all saints is to be caught up to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), NOT to endure through a period of great tribulation without taking a mark or to survive until the Lord s coming to earth. 11. Men will be judged regarding the Sabbath in the tribulation time (Matthew 24:20). The Sabbath does not apply to the church (Colossians 2:16) Thessalonians 2 details the coming antichrist and the perilous times of his power. Verse 2 tells the born again church member not to be troubled by this fact. It s not troubled because the church will be gone. 13. Not once is the great tribulation mentioned by Paul in the epistles which govern the lives of those who make up the church. Chastening is mentioned (1 Corinthians 11:32) but never of condemnation with the world. 14. Lot is an example proving that God will not destroy the righteous with the wicked (Genesis 18:25), though their righteousness is apparent to no one other than God (2 Peter 2:6-7, Genesis 19:14). Those who teach that all or part of the time of Jacob s trouble will be experienced by the church are simply trying to make Israel and the church the same, when they are indeed separate.

Why the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is Biblical. Dr. Dave Lueloff

Why the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is Biblical Dr. Dave Lueloff The work and ministry of the Holy Spirit necessitates that the Rapture must occur before the Tribulation Period. The book of Thessalonians is