Having stated all this, I believe it is also very important to understand the sufferings of the church. I have heard many people talk about tribulation and then state, “but we don’t have to worry about it because we will be in heaven”. This is true for the wrath of God, but not true concerning tribulation. This is why I stated in an earlier study that the timeline of the fulfillment of the 69 weeks does not affect the dispensational viewpoint. If Jesus fulfilled the prophesied 483 years at His baptism, then He would fulfill another 3 ½ years before His crucifixion. Instead of the final 7 years of Daniel’s prophecy only 3 ½ years would remain. The only thing we need to understand is that Daniel’s prophecy is concerning Israel and not the church. Whether Israel awaits 7 years or 3 ½ years of judgment does not directly affect the church’s future.
In Revelation, the periods of time is not called seven years. The time periods are called forty-two months, one thousand two hundred and sixty days, and time and times and half a time. Each of these refers to 3 ½ years. There are more than one time period equaling 3 ½ years, but the Bible breaks them up. If we observe we can see that there are two separate events – a time of tribulation and a time of the wrath of God. Whether both pertain to Israel and whether the church is involved has always been a point of debate. I personally believe the issue is irrelevant. The reason it is irrelevant is because the church is not promised immunity from tribulation. In fact, the opposite is promised. Jesus told His followers from the beginning, “In this world you will have tribulation but be of good courage for I have overcome the world”. This message is echoed throughout the New Testament. Look at these two examples:
1 Thessalonians 4:
4 For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know.
Revelation 2:
10 "Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Only in American and ‘Christianized’ countries are persecutions a foreign concept. Consider Sudan where over 2.5 million Christians have been killed in the last few years. Consider Iran, Iraq, Indonesia, China and countless other countries where Christianity is illegal and Christians are punished or killed for their faith. How then can we say that God will protect us from suffering – especially while the church as a whole no longer believes the scriptures? Are American Christians more favored by God than the Christians in Muslim countries? The Bible says the opposite. The Bible tells us plainly that in the last days, there will be a falling away from the true faith in Christ. It is because of this falling away that evil will abound. Because the church has become lukewarm, the Bible tells us that God will begin His judgment at the church. Look at 1 Peter 4
17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
18 Now "If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?"
19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.
Does the Bible promise that the church will be safe and comfortable during the times leading up to the Great Tribulation?
Why is the church around the world suffering for their faith today?
Why do people avoid this topic?
The Bible also tells us the purpose of this judgment. Look at Matthew 3
12 "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
A winnowing fan is also called a winnowing fork and is translated this way in many translations of the scriptures. This tool was used to separate the wheat from the chaff. The winnowing fork was used to beat the wheat so that it separated from the worthless chaff. Once the fork has sifted the wheat, it is tossed into the air where the wind would carry the chaff away from the grains of wheat.
In this passage, the Bible is plainly teaching that Jesus will use tribulation to separate the true Christian from the world and purge out of the church the counterfeit Christian who believes they can use religion as a trump card. There are many who think that the only purpose of Christianity is to get a ticket to heaven. They care nothing about knowing or loving God. They don’t want a relationship with God; they only want a god created by their own minds to do their bidding. When persecution falls, the counterfeit Christian will not stand but will be driven away like the chaff. They will depart from the faith because their comfort is the only purpose of their religion. The world will accept religion, but not Jesus Christ. God will make it clear who belongs to Him and who is tagging along for self-centered reasons. We have the promise that our tribulation will inherit the crown of life, but the counterfeit Christian will not understand this.
This is not a popular topic but this is what the Bible foretells and it is wrong to teach people to expect leisure while waiting for redemption. I truly believe that we will escape the wrath of God and I believe we will not see any of the Tribulation Period beyond what is revealed prior to John’s vision in Revelation 4. However, as we see the church slip away and become indistinguishable from the world we will also see the light of the gospel losing its effectiveness in our culture. As ungodliness increases, the tolerance for the true gospel will decrease and we will see the church become counter-culture. Once the culture is at war with God, any who serve God will suffer persecution. I also believe this falling away and its consequences precede the Tribulation Period. In this country, we already see a judicial system at war with God. The majority of rulings are contrary to Christian values. Public displays of Christianity is no longer welcomed. Tolerance has been redefined into a welcome mat for sin and a warning message against those who take God’s word seriously. In true Christianity, Jesus declares that those who keep His word have not denied His name. In counterfeit Christianity, being called intolerant is less acceptable than denying Jesus’ name. If you deny the word, you are denying His name.
Why does the church falling away from the scriptures create a sinful culture?
When the light of the gospel is missing, how does a dark world respond to the person lifting up the light?
What happens when a culture grows accustomed to godlessness – do they welcome the gospel?
Do we see warning signs in our culture today?
We only need to look at the headlines on our newspapers to see that we are already heading down this road. Here are some examples from Newspaper headlines that reveal just how close we are to becoming a nation at war with the Church:
ABC bleeps out the name 'Jesus'
ACLU Sues Louisiana Over Abstinence Ed
ACLU Threatens Legal Action to End Team Prayer at University Colorado
ACLU Files Suit to Remove 10 Commandments from AL Judge's Office
General Mills Apologizes for including Bible in CD Givaway
Lawsuit Could End Mealtime Prayers at Naval Academy
School Bans 2nd Grader from bringing book "The First Christmas" because of Jesus
FCC Sets Its Sights On Religious Broadcasters
FCC Rules Religious broadcasting license unconstitutional
Religion in Public Schools: "under God" Pledge Out; Prayer to Allah In?
Christian Social Worker Fired By Militant Homosexual Boss
Columbine Killers Video Tape Shows Hatred For Christians
Court Rules Private Property Statue Of Jesus Near City Park Is Unlawful
Cypress invokes eminent domain to seize church land
Evangelism in Chicago is called Hate Speech
FL School Bans Student Lead Graduation Prayer
Banned in Kentucky: 10 Commandments, Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, U.S. motto because they speak of God
ACLU Sues Hawii School to allow Church of Satan T-Shirt
Students Not Allowed to Wear Pro-Life T-Shirts
Pro-Life T-Shirts Banned from Golden Gate Bridge
Indiana Board Drops "God" From Moral Precepts
U.S. Circuit Court rules Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional
GA Library Bans the Bible
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship conducts "Mother God" / "Goddess Sophia" Worship
NY Kindergartner Told Snack-time Prayer is Unconstitutional
High court ruling prohibits students from petitioning God before games
NYC Housing Authority Sued for Denying Post 9/11 Prayer
Oregon Zoning Board Orders Church to Limit Attendance to 70 People
Teacher Throws Student's Bibles in the Trash
School Bans Christian Afterschool Club
School Allows Satanic Club
School Bans 'See You At The Pole' Poster
ACLU Files Suit Against School's Moment of Silence
Christian Groups Forbidden to Pray on Campus
Ohio's 50 year motto ruled unconstitutional because of reference to God
State Revokes Scholarship Because of Theology
There are countless more examples of intolerance to the truth in our culture. We may be called a Christian country, but we are only one shake-up in leadership away from a culture at war with Christianity. There are no Christianized nations today that have strong Christian leadership. There may be a few leaders who are Christians, but the foundation is weak and volatile. In the United Kingdom, atheism is the fastest growing religion. Across the rest of Europe atheism and Islam are growing faster than Christianity. The world is primed and ready for the persecution the Bible foretold. Even though this is not a popular subject, we must realize that it is the height of injustice to teach the church that we are exempt and never equip and prepare believers to stand firm in true faith.
If take the time to look, do we see the world getting better or falling away from the truth?
How should the church equip its members concerning persecution?
Which is the greater tragedy, persecution or conforming to the world?
Even so, the Bible comforts us. Where sin abounds, grace even more abounds. Though we are in a godless culture, we have the power of God in our lives, the promise of God in our future and the witness of our lives to reach those God has placed in our path. Unfortunately we don’t see the Church of our Lord keeping His word or persevering to keep His commands. Even if we are kept from testing that will fall upon the whole world, we are still not promised that we will not have trials and be required to make a stand. The church receiving this promise was being persecuted by what Jesus called ‘the synagogue of Satan’. The promise included to this church is that those of the synagogue of Satan will be made to worship at this Church’s feet. They may well have been like we see today. Christians who stand for God are called hateful, evil and a shame to the gospel. So that the world will know that the opposite is true, they will worship at the church’s feet and will know that God has indeed loved those the world calls evil. Persecution is not exempted, but those persecuted are rewarded. God does not need to test the church of Revelation 3:8 because they have proven their love for God by keeping His word and commandments. Those who stand between two gods will have to choose. Testing is called testing because it reveals the truth.
Whether the church is tested in the first 3 ½ years of the Tribulation Period or is tested during the moral decent leading up to the Tribulation Period is not an important issue. What is important is that God foretold that the end would not come until there is first a falling away of the church. When the church becomes like the world rather than guiding the world, lawlessness will abound. God’s judgment begins at the church first, the wheat is separated from the chaff and then God will gather His people and then judge the world. It is our responsibility to equip the church to remain faithful and disciple the church to be obedient to the Word. The ‘Christian culture’ will turn from the truth of God, but He will reward those who stand firm.
Read Thessalonians 2:3-4. What is the primary sign that the ‘Man of sin’ will soon be revealed?
Does the coming anti-Christ overcome the church or fill the void left by the disobedient church?
Read Revelation 3:8-10 again. Was the church exempted from the hour of trial for the earth exempted from suffering?
Exchanged Life Outreach
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