Showing posts with label great tribulation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label great tribulation. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

XIII. TRIBULATION ARGUMENTS CONSIDERED - Part 2 (Chs. 13-24, Tribulation Arguments)


The Lord Jesus gives a warning of an unequalled tribulation which shall immediately precede His coming in glory: “Then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened....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: 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” (Matthew 24:21-30).

Some have said, “What a fearful prospect it is if the Church shall be in this tribulation! Can we suppose it possible that the Lord can permit any part of this suffering to fall on His redeemed and believing people? Is it not more fitting, more in accordance with His dealings in grace towards them, that they should be removed to be with Him before this trouble sets in?”

And thus any theory is judged admissible which shall exclude the Church from sharing at all in this suffering, or from being on earth at the time. But we cannot draw conclusions in this transcendental manner. Thus Peter argued and spoke when his Master foretold “that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day”. It was nature, and not spirituality, that led him to think thus of the sufferings of his Lord, rather than of the promise of His resurrection: “Be it far from thee, Lord; this shall not be unto thee” (Matthew 16:22). Should not our Lord's rebuke to Peter check all such reasonings? Especially, too, when He speaks of His followers taking up their cross, losing their lives, but having before them the promise that the “Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father?” We can never set our opinion of what is fitting in opposition to any direct statement of the Lord.

But is suffering and trial so strange a lot for the people of Christ? “These things have I spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). How continually did apostles teach “that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14.22). “No man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation, even as it came to pass, and ye know” (1 Thessalonians 3:3,4).

If, then, certain tribulations are to be expected as the common experience of the faithful servants of Christ, why should it seem strange that they should be instructed respecting the great and final tribulation? Why should it be thought that they must previously be taken away?

"What are these that are arrayed in white robes, and whence came they? These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb: therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple" (Revelation 7:13-15). These are “a great multitude, which no man can number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues”, [1] whom John saw standing “before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands”.

Thus the gathered assembly of those whose robes have been washed and made white in the blood of atonement, are set forth as those who have passed through great tribulation: it is so spoken of as their characteristic, that it seems as if the last scene on earth, in which they had been regarded, was one marked by tribulation.

It is said that, if the unequalled tribulation is an affliction for Israel and a punishment for the Gentile, how can the Church be in it? In this inquiry, two fallacies are assumed: First, that this tribulation is part of the out-pouring of judgment; and second, that the Church, while in the world, is exempted from part of the suffering which falls on men or on nations. For believers there is no penal suffering, because Christ in life and in death endured for His people all that is penal: any disciplinary sorrow on Israel or on the nations before Christ comes, has, in part at least, a corrective character; it ought to lead to repentance; and from this the last tribulation, though of a very special kind, is not to be excepted. [2]

But in this last tribulation, Christ is very mindful of His people: “for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened”; and, besides this, they are warned of that time, in order that they may at once flee away from the scene of suffering. Those who believe that these warnings are intended for Christians, may, by obeying the word of the Lord, be locally removed from the fierceness of the trial; those who think such warnings are not for them, of course, cannot do this; they neglect the light which God has given them. [3]

Thus the Lord desires that His people should be enabled to endure; that in obedience to Him, they should watch the coming on of this tribulation, and that they should know that, however they may in part be sharers in it, His own coming is to follow at once.

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[1] It may illustrate some points of the Jewish system of interpretation, when I mention that I have heard it gravely maintained, that this great multitude were all Jews: not persons of, or belonging to all nations, but Jews who had been scattered amongst all nations.

The use of words seems vain if it be legitimate thus to pervert them. It is not too much to call this trifling with Holy Scripture. I have also heard it taught that this is not a heavenly, but an earthly scene: that they stand on earth before the throne of God. If so, how could even the Spirit of God himself (I desire to speak reverently) find words to describe what is heavenly?

In some more recent statements, these are said to be a peculiar class, who stand in contrast to the Church; we “are washed”, but these (it is said) “wash their own robes”.

When advocates of a system support it by such perversions, it shows that they at least lack better arguments; and that they, and all who receive their teaching, value the “secret coming” system, more than they do the doctrines of grace; for they invalidate the latter to maintain the former.

[2] Some who saw that the company of the redeemed in Revelation 7 are indeed the Church, and who yet would not admit that the Church can be in the special tribulation, rashly cut the knot by asserting that this company were not in the tribulation at all; “they came out of great tribulation” (14) meant, according to such teachers, that they came away from it, so as not to have been in it! This they said was the force of the preposition εκ here. If this were true, then Colossians 1:18, where our Lord is called “the first-born (εκ) from the dead”, would teach that He never died at all, instead of the direct contrary. If it be allowable thus to wrest words, can Almighty God himself give an unequivocal revelation of truth in human language?


[3] See Appendix C.


Wednesday, August 6, 2014

TRIBULATION OR WRATH?

For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know” (1 Thessalonians 3:4 NKJV)).

“…and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10 NKJV).


As mentioned in the first chapter, all events of the Great Tribulation occur before any events of the Wrath of God. Therefore, the first step necessary for understanding end-time events is to get a clear understanding of the difference between the Great Tribulation and Wrath of God. Unless this difference is clearly understood, it is virtually impossible to understand end-time events. Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the major differences between the Great Tribulation and the Wrath of God. (Each of those time periods are covered in detail in following chapters.)

The Great Tribulation

An important clue to remember when studying end-time events is that the Great Tribulation is demonic in origin. It includes the persecution and killing of many people by Satan‘s emissary—the Beast. The Beast (also called the Antichrist) will reign during the Great Tribulation. He will demand worship and conquer many countries. The Great Tribulation will be a time of intense evil. The source of the Great Tribulation is Satan (Revelation 13:2-4). Satan‘s purpose for the Great Tribulation is to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). A major characteristic of the Great Tribulation is the deception of those who do not love the truth (2 Thessalonians2:9-12).

The Wrath of God

The Wrath of God is godly judgment against evil. This judgment takes the form of seven plagues poured out against the Beast and those who worship him. These seven plagues are administered by the angels of God. The purpose of the Wrath of God is to punish the Beast and his followers (Revelation 14:9-10). The major characteristic of the Wrath of God is severe punishment of those who do not belong to God.

The Difference

The Great Tribulation and the Wrath of God are two separate events coming from two different sources for two different purposes. The Great Tribulation is a time of intense persecution. It is instigated by Satan through the Beast in an effort to deceive people and cause them to worship him instead of Christ. The Wrath of God is a time of judgment which will be poured out upon the world by God. Its purpose is to punish the Beast and those who have taken his mark during the Great Tribulation.


The differences between the Great Tribulation and Wrath of God have been summarized in this chapter. More details about each of these time periods are given in later chapters.