Thursday, January 16, 2014

The tribulation and God's wrath are not the same thing


I often hear people try to prove the pre-trib rapture by quoting verses that say God's people are not appointed to wrath. For example 1 Thessalonians 5:9 says:

9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

The book of Revelation details a lot of the events during the 7 year period that is commonly called "Daniel's 70th week". In Revelation chapter 6 it starts to describe the events of the tribulation.

1st seal - rider on a white horse conquers
2nd seal - red horse brings war
3rd seal - black horse brings famine
4th seal - pale horse brings death through famine and war
5th seal - souls of martyrs asking God to bring judgement upon the earth

It would be ridiculous to call those events the wrath of God because one of those events involved the mass killing of Christians. And if those were the wrath of God, why would the martyrs be asking God to judge the earth? Wouldn't God tell them that he's in the process of judging the earth already? Instead God tells them to wait a little season in verse 11:

11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

Finally when the 6th seal is opened, the bible calls that the day of God's wrath:

17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

In reality, the tribulation is the wrath of Satan executed through the anti-Christ, which is followed by the rapture, then God pouring out his wrath on the unbelievers left behind.

If you look at the end times events from this prospective, it's easy to see how the rapture happens (Revelation 7) the same day that the 6th seal is opened, then God begins to pour out his wrath is Revelation 8.  That's why Jesus said that the rapture happens "after the tribulation" in Matthew 24:29-31:

29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.


Most of the time when the bible talks about tribulation, it's talking about believers going through persecution.

Matthew 13:20-21
20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.


2 Thessalonians 1:4
4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:

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