And if you are a believer who is actively awaiting The Lord's return- you've heard it all when it comes to the connection between 'the rapture' and 'the tribulation'.
The question is: What are we supposed to believe?!
In this post, I am instructed to clear up this confusion by giving a basic biblical timeline as well as how you personally will be affected when these events do take place.
Let's first establish that The Word of God (The Bible) is absolute Truth. Secondly, as a born again believer in The Lord Jesus Christ, the indwelling Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth (John 16:13). Having this certainty gives us a solid foundation to test any words or spirits (1 John 4) claiming to come from God. God will never contradict His word. And God speaks to all His children as He wills, through His spirit- giving instructions, commands, words, messages and using any means He chooses. He is God Almighty! His ways and thoughts are above ours.
Before we can understand these biblical timelines, we must define two seemingly synonymous words: "rapture" (or the catching away) and "tribulation".
Then we can get into the details of these events and their timelines.
I will begin by prefacing that the catching away (or rapture) is biblical (1 Thessalonians 4), therefore true and will occur. And secondly, no one knows exactly when it will occur (Matthew 24:36-51; Mark 13:32-36). I do not believe in date setting as only The Father knows when His Son will come for His bride.
If you are conflicted about this, seek The Lord in prayer and ask The Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and understanding and reveal what He would have you to see at this time.
I will be sharing many references of scripture as I share what The Lord has asked me to.
Rapture: to transport from earth to heaven at the Second Coming of Christ
Tribulation: distress or suffering resulting from oppression or persecution
The rapture or the gathering away is spoken of in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Verse 17 lets us know this:
"Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet The Lord in the air, and so we will always be with The Lord."
The context of this passage speaks of those who have already "fallen asleep" or died in Christ, compared to those who are still alive at His return.
Note, this does not speak of those being "left behind" or the tribulation.
Chapter 5, however, does speak about The Day Of The Lord- which is a series of events leading up to Christ's return, including "The Rapture", "The Tribulation Period" and "The Great Tribulation".
The Lord has revealed to me that there is a distinction between the Tribulation period and The Great Tribulation. To be more specific, The Great Tribulation is the time of God's wrath, when The Holy Spirit will no longer be restraining the reign of evil (through the spirit-filled bride of Christ, also known as the true church) on the earth (1 Thessalonians 2).
It is very hard to imagine that people will be on the earth, without the light of the church to guide them back to the truth. But this will happen.
Additionally, there is a period in The Tribualtion where some future Christians will be here.
While this is very daunting to think about, it is (in my opinion) a great honor to be one of the last voices of hope to the lost. These Christians are known as the Martyr Saints (as spoken of in Revelation 7). The Christians are commonly called those who "were left behind".
I feel this is a good moment to also draw the parallel between "The Rapture Saints" or "The Bride" and "The Tribulation/Martyr Saints".
It is PARAMOUNT that we understand that we only know in part while we are on this earth. We only know what The Lord through The Holy Spirit wills to show us, as He wills to show us. And as we yield to Him He will show us.
Some of you already know the hour we are in, for The Lord Himself has woken you up. Some of you are not completely awake, for The Lord Himself has not woken you up. And others are somewhere in between. I bring this up because we must be reminded that whatever we know, wherever we are, it is only by God's grace and His perfect will.
Brothers and Sisters, take heart:
If you are part of The Rapture Saints, The Lord is preparing you.
If you are part of The Martyr Saints, The Lord is preparing you.
With this distinction clarified, I think this will help us to better grasp, the core of the topic: Pre-Trib, Post-Trib, What-Trib?!
I was always taught that before all the bad, scary stuff that happens at the end of time, Jesus will take all the Christians out of the earth.
But in the fall of 2013, when The Lord woke me up to the time we are in, I began to read His word in relation to the last days and discovered more than I ever imagined I would. And I am so thankful, because I have been given a unique opportunity to not only share it with you but encourage you to read His word and seek Him for yourself!
Let's take a look at the Olivet Discourse found in Matthew 24 (and really 25, cause it's super important!), Mark 13, and Luke 21. Read these now if you haven't already.
Here we see The Lord Jesus, giving us great detail (in response to the disciples asking when and what ) about the signs of His Coming.
After reading, do you notice that most of what Jesus foretold has been happening for some time now?
What is left? The Abomination of Desolation (Matthew 24:15-28; Mark 13:14-22; Luke 21:20-24 and Daniel 9:27 (but read the whole book, there's a lot regarding this and the time of the end); Revelation 13 (but read the entire book!!! Always read in context!!!)
You may be seeing that this Abomination of Desolation is synonymous with the Antichrist and his soon coming reign on earth. I will get into that later.
Going back to the tribulation periods and how you will personally be affected when they occur.
I believe depending on who we are and where we live, many of us would say that (based on the definition) we have been going through tribulation for some time. We have heard of many being persecuted and even dying for their faith. And I think that most of us, even non-believers can see and sense that things are not going well in the earth and in our country.
So in one respect you can say that there is no such thing as a pre-tribulation rapture. Not when we look at it through this lens.
On the other hand, some would argue that The Bride will not escape 'The Tribulation' period and will be here on the earth during God's wrath. This too is partially inaccurate (1 Thes 5:9).
There are even some who believe we are already in the millennial reign of Christ. But no, we are not.
We see clearly in many scriptures, namely Matthew 25 that those who are waiting for The Lord's Return and who have kept their lamps full of oil were the ones who were ready to meet The Bridegroom. In other words, some of us are more prepared than others for The Second Coming and all of the events that lead up to it.
So let's take a look at a biblical timeline on when these events will occur and where we are in that timeline.
Read 2 Thessalonians.
Although, the Bible is full and rich of details of the second coming of Christ, 2 Thessalonians gives us a concise timeline that once you have prayed for revelation, read, and meditated on, I believe is easy to understand.
2 Thessalonians speaks of The Man of Lawlessness. This 'Man' is the coming Antichrist, who will deceive the entire world into "believing" he is "God".
While I will not go into detail yet about the Antichrist, it is important to understand and put into perspective just why we have and will go through tribulation and for many, The Great Tribulation.
Let's look at 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4:
"Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God."
Note:
This is a good time to mention this: The Lord has been showing me that for some time we have been going into the time of The Great Apostasy (or Deception). In fact, I have been writing about it for about a year and a half. And I will post accordingly.
Notice that Paul warns us (as he has many times before), that we let "no one deceive (us) in any way". This confirms to me that, as many of us already know or have even experienced, that deception will run rampant- even amongst the children of God, and perhaps especially.
The Great Deception is here.
Let's continue...
That Day is referring to The Day Of The Lord, His Second Coming. We see firstly, that there will be deception (in this context he is referring to being told in essence- Jesus already came and they missed it), and then, "the rebellion".
2 Timothy and 2 Peter 3 speak of this.
It's here. It's now. It's time.
Then, "the man of lawlessness is revealed." This man will proclaim himself to be God.
It may seem surreal to know that we are living in the last days and the days coming will see the reign of the Antichrist. But, I believe this to be true.
Are we ready?!
So, is it pre-tribulation, post-tribulation and do we really understand what tribulation is?
We have already established that many have endured a type of tribulation. If you know you're history than you know that persecution of Christians, and people dying for their faith, has been happening longer than any of us have been around!!!
The Lord Jesus told us in His word that we WILL be persecuted for our faith (John 15:20).
So, tribulation(s) have been happening already, for quite some time.
But there is The Tribulation period which includes The Great Tribulation and this is the ultimate tribulation that will come upon the entire world, for those who profess Christianity, more specifically those who are calling Jesus Christ their Lord.
The reason is this: The Antichrist will be ruling and reigning on the earth and those who are left behind (The Martyr Saints) will have to literally give their life for their faith, refusing the "mark of the beast" (Revelation 13).
It bears repeating:
Brothers and Sisters, take heart:
If you are part of The Rapture Saints, The Lord is preparing you.
If you are part of The Martyr Saints, The Lord is preparing you.
Whoever you are, wherever you are...if you are in Christ Jesus of Nazareth, The Lord of lords and The King of kings, The Only Begotten Son of God....you are in the palm of His hand and His plan for you is perfect. DO NOT FEAR.
In Summary, there is a difference between tribulation, the rapture (or gathering away), The Tribulation period and The Great Tribulation. These events will occur sequentially within the Second Coming of Christ, also called The Day Of The Lord. The church is The Bride (Rapture Saints) and The Tribulation Saints (The Martyrs). Each are being prepared now for their time, all for His purposes and for His glory. Some of us know what we are called to be, others do not. He will reveal all truth to you through The Holy Spirit as you yield to Him. Ask, Knock and Seek (Matthew 7:7-8).
Where are we now?
We are in the time of sorrows...the tribulation before The Tribulation. In fact, I believe, from what The Lord has been showing me, we are on the brink of The Tribulation period. This is evident in the fact the indicator found in Daniel 9:27 has not yet occurred. However, all things point to it being imminent.
What should we do?
Pray. Surrender your hearts to The Lord. Trust God. Seek Him first in ALL things. Share your faith with the lost. Repeat until He returns.
Remember, The Lord is preparing us all for His return. We will all stand before The Son of Man. May we be found worthy to escape these things. And may we all be strengthened to live for Him until He calls us home.
I will be sharing more on The Great Tribulation period as The Lord wills.
The Lord Jesus told us in His word that we WILL be persecuted for our faith (John 15:20).
So, tribulation(s) have been happening already, for quite some time.
But there is The Tribulation period which includes The Great Tribulation and this is the ultimate tribulation that will come upon the entire world, for those who profess Christianity, more specifically those who are calling Jesus Christ their Lord.
The reason is this: The Antichrist will be ruling and reigning on the earth and those who are left behind (The Martyr Saints) will have to literally give their life for their faith, refusing the "mark of the beast" (Revelation 13).
It bears repeating:
Brothers and Sisters, take heart:
If you are part of The Rapture Saints, The Lord is preparing you.
If you are part of The Martyr Saints, The Lord is preparing you.
Whoever you are, wherever you are...if you are in Christ Jesus of Nazareth, The Lord of lords and The King of kings, The Only Begotten Son of God....you are in the palm of His hand and His plan for you is perfect. DO NOT FEAR.
In Summary, there is a difference between tribulation, the rapture (or gathering away), The Tribulation period and The Great Tribulation. These events will occur sequentially within the Second Coming of Christ, also called The Day Of The Lord. The church is The Bride (Rapture Saints) and The Tribulation Saints (The Martyrs). Each are being prepared now for their time, all for His purposes and for His glory. Some of us know what we are called to be, others do not. He will reveal all truth to you through The Holy Spirit as you yield to Him. Ask, Knock and Seek (Matthew 7:7-8).
Where are we now?
We are in the time of sorrows...the tribulation before The Tribulation. In fact, I believe, from what The Lord has been showing me, we are on the brink of The Tribulation period. This is evident in the fact the indicator found in Daniel 9:27 has not yet occurred. However, all things point to it being imminent.
What should we do?
Pray. Surrender your hearts to The Lord. Trust God. Seek Him first in ALL things. Share your faith with the lost. Repeat until He returns.
Remember, The Lord is preparing us all for His return. We will all stand before The Son of Man. May we be found worthy to escape these things. And may we all be strengthened to live for Him until He calls us home.
I will be sharing more on The Great Tribulation period as The Lord wills.
