These verses that I intend to share on this web page on the topic of Christians and God's wrath in the tribulation are very timely and relevant at least in western Christianity and perhaps in other parts of the world. Although I would be glad to get more feedback through e-mail from Christians and others from other parts of the world, I think there are enough signs around the world of the instability and insecurity of the present world arrangement both in nature and in the systems of man that people in other parts of the world that are at all aware of what is going on must have some sense that we are living currently in a critical and likely terminal period on earth. There is a fairly widespread belief even among many that are evangelical Christians or that have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour at least in the west that if there is a period such as the tribulation mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 24 and 25 or in much of the book of Revelation as well in 2 Thessalonians 2 and parts of the Old Testament that not everything there should be taken literally and it will be just mostly a time of refining of half-hearted but true Christians rather that mostly judging the world of those who fail to trust in Jesus at all as their personal Lord and SAviour before the tribulation and what I and other people who take the Bible very literally will be a preceding pre-tribulation rapture or catching up to heaven of all true or Bible believing Christians. However I believe and now I have found more evidence from a consistant studying of the Bible in the word "wrath" that true Christians are not appointed at all to go through the tribulation, even the first half of it, because it will not at all be a time for refining Christians but a time of God's wrath on people that are still holding to this world system rather than to God and His things of eternity and heaven through His Son Jesus Christ and His Church. I also believe we are definitely supposed to take most of Revelation literally which it often can be and that this clearly indicates it would be too horrendous a time to be simply a time for refining the fleshly or doubleminded Christians as many of the judgments will kill or seriously injure good fractions of the earth dwellers that is much more severe than just refining or chastening lukewarm or half-hearted Christians or chosen heavenly people. There are also other points to consider such as that the church or Christians are not specifically mentioned on earth at all in the chapters about the tribulation (chapters 6 to 18) in Revelation as the occasional mention of saints does not necessarily mean Christians of this age but people that will believe in God and Jesus after the rapture and beginning of the tribulation through the witness of the 144,000 Jewish believers in Jesus witnesses instead. Following I will share some verses from the New Testament that show that Christians aren't destined to wrath and that this wrath is referring to not just the last half or part but all the tribulation or in other words Christians will be removed from the earth before any part of God's wrath in the tribulation occurs.
This verse (verse 10) is most likely a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ coming for the Church to take us to heaven at the rapture before the tribulation. This is partly because Christians of this age are encouraged to wait for the Lord Jesus in this coming as some Christians of this age will be alive on earth when he comes at the end of this current Church age or age of grace to take all true Christians to heaven in our new bodies. This pre-tribulation rapture will also spare us from the tribulation which is intended for those who have not received the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and SAviour by that time and are still under God's wrath and the tribulation is not spoken in the Bible to be mainly a time of refining the fleshly or half hearted Christians. This is because the rapture like salvation is an act of God's grace and faith in God's Son Jesus Christ (as in 1 Thessalonians 4:14 and John 14:1) and is not dependent on the good works or good merit even after salvation of the Christian although God does expect that faith in His Son Jesus Christ to be whole hearted and not just intellectual agreement with the facts of the gospel. Although there will be the wrath of God for eternity in hell for those who die in their sins I think the context here in 1 Thesslonians 1 is talking about God's wrath on people left behind on earth in the tribulation as that will be the next thing that happens after the rapture of the church and being delivered from God's wrath by a pre-tribulation rapture is a main theme of the book of 1 Thessalonians. The scripture passage of 1 Thessalonians 1 in which God promises through the apostle Paul that all true Christians can expect the Lord Jesus to come for us to deliver us from the wrath to come in the tribulation is as follows:
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 Thessalonians 1:10
As well as the reference in 1 Thessalonians 1, there is another reference in 1 Thessalonians promising that all true Christians won't go through God's wrath in the tribulation. This other reference is in chapter 5. In this reference God through his servant the apostle Paul states that God has not appointed us meaning all true Christians to wrath. Based on how that term is used in chapter 1 of this book I believe the reference to wrath is primarily to God's wrath in the tribulation. As I will show from references from the book of Revelation, this ends up being another way of saying based on good interpretation of the Bible in context that all true Christians will go through none of the tribulation. Then Paul states that instead God has appointed us to salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. This salvation means partly salvation from the position of being under sin which happens the moment in this life that we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour and come to have a new position in Christ. However here as in other parts in the New Testament, I think salvation could also mean ultimate salvation from the presence of sin which will happen when the Lord Jesus Christ comes from heaven to the air to catch up all true Christians to be with himself in heaven with our new bodies before the tribulation. So I think this is also a very strong statement that all true Christians will not go through God's wrath in the tribulation but will be caught up to heaven to be with Jesus (and God the Father) immediately before the beginning of the tribulation and the 7 year reign of the Antichrist (the beast out of the sea and the false prophet). The scripture passage from 1 Thessalonians 5 stating that all true Christians aren't destined to wrath (probably especially God's wrath in the tribulation) but to salvation including salvation from the presence of sin on earth is as follows:
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:9
The references in 1 Thessalonians assure Christians that we aren't destined to go through God's wrath in the tribulation. This reference in Revelation 6 mentions God's wrath as having already come in the seal judgements at the beginning of the chapters on the tribulation in Revelation (chapters 6 through 18) and what I think is near the beginning of the 7 year period of the tribulation chronologically. I think chapter 12 and 13 mark the half way point of the tribulation and the chapters before that dealing with the tribulation are mostly in the first half and the chapters after that about the tribulation are in the second half of the tribulation. Although everyone who hasn't trusted in Jesus even of those who are left behind after the rapture of the church will be fearful of God and Jesus and His judgment for people's especially unconfessed sins from the beginning of the time of the tribulation and until Jesus coming to judge the world at the end of the tribulation, I think the reference in chapter 6 is still primarily at the beginning of the tribulation and that God's wrath will have already started then to be poured out on a mostly godless and Christ-rejecting world. I think the day of God's wrath will be the whole 7 year tribulation although especially the second half and Jesus' second coming in power and great glory at the end of the tribulation to set up God's kingdom on earth and judge the world. I think it is clear that nobody will be able to stand against God and Jesus and His wrath in their sins but the next chapter makes clear that many will respond to the preaching of the gospel by the 144,000 Jewish believers in Jesus that will be witnesses for God and Jesus in the tribulation and these witnesses and those who heed their gospel message will be saved and either be martyred for Jesus or survive the tribulation and populate the Millennial or Messianic Kingdom in their mortal bodies. The scripture reference from Revelation 6 of God's wrath beginning with the seal judgments that are near the beginning of the chapters in Revelation about the tribulation and probably near the beginning of the tribulation timewise and that are part of the wrath true Christians are promised to be delivered from is as follows:
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: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Revelation 6:15-17
In the beginning of Revelation 15 there is also a reference made to God's wrath in the tribulation. This reference is the first of the last (bowl or vial) series of judgments in the tribulation. Since this chapter comes after chapters 12 and 13 that are associated with the midpoint of the tribulation, I believe these bowl judgements are all in the second half of the tribulation sometimes called the great tribulation. This is also the period when Satan through the beast out of the sea or antichrist and the false prophet will seemingly being fully in control on earth and compelling all people there to worship him or else face death if caught. However the first verse of chapter 15 has a very interesting statement. It says with these bowl judgments God's wrath is filled up or literally completed. That suggests that God's wrath had already started to be poured out and the most likely place would be in the judgments in the earlier part of the tribulation or in the first half namely the seal judgments and trumpet judgments. As I mentioned earlier in this web page this idea is supported by the use of the term wrath with one of the last seal judgments not once but twice and is probably in association not just with this last seal judgment but all the seal judgments as they also begin after the rapture of the church and after the tribulation begins with the covenant of the antichrist with Israel to build their temple on the temple mount in Jerusalem as mentioned in Daniel 9:27. Since this reference in Revelation 15 further supports the idea that God's wrath will continue in the second half of the tribulation after already beginning in the first half of the tribulation and this is supported by the reference in chapter 6 and since according to the above references in 1 Thessalonians that all true Christians are assured that we won't go through any of God's wrath in the tribulation I think these references in Revelation and 1 Thessalonians together support the idea of a pre-tribulaton rapture of catching up to heaven of all true Christians who have from our heart admitted we are sinners to God and asked his forgiveness through the shed blood of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross and for new life through the risen Lord Jesus Christ and that no true Christian will go through any of God's wrath that will be throughout the entire seven year tribulation or 70th week of Daniel period. The scripture reference from Revelation 15 which supports the idea that God's wrath begins in the first half of the tribulation and the last or bowl judgments are just completing God's judgments on the mostly Christ-rejecting world in the tribulation which those who trust in Jesus after the rapture will have to endure is as and that this supports the idea that all true Christians will be totally spared from being left on earth for any of the tribulation is as follows:
And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. Revelation 15:1
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