A: Thank you for your question. There certainly are a
lot of folks teaching
that born again Christians will have to endure some or all of the
Tribulation. I am NOT one of them! Let me give you three reasons
why I say
that:
1. The Tribulation is often associated with wrath, primarily God’s
wrath
on wicked men. In Revelation 15:7, seven vials are distributed
to seven angels
who poured them out upon the people living on this earth. Notice
what was
in those vials—“And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven
angels seven
golden vials FULL OF THE WRATH OF GOD, who liveth for ever and
ever.” Now
look what Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:9—“FOR GOD HATH NOT APPOINTED
US TO WRATH,
but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.” If we were appointed
to
wrath, we should be looking for the coming of the antichrist, but
we are
“[l]ooking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of
the great
God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13)!
2. The Apostle John, a type or picture of the church (born again
Christians), is raptured up to the throne of God in Revelation
4:1 (“After
this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and
the first voice
which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which
said, Come
up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”),
and the
antichrist doesn’t show up until Revelation 6:2!
3. Paul told us in the Book of Galatians that if anyone tries
to preach
any other gospel than the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24)
to us,
that person is accursed. Notice that applied even to angels—“But
though we,
or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than
that which we
have preached unto you, let him be accursed”
(Galatians 1:8). Guess what happens
when an angel shows up in the Book of Revelation preaching a
different
gospel?—“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven,
having the
everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth,
and to every
nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud
voice, Fear
God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come:
and
worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the
fountains of
waters” (Revelation 14:6-7). That angel doesn’t preach anything
about the death,
burial, or resurrection of Jesus Christ (1Corinthians 15:1-4).
It’s a different
gospel for a different dispensation (the Tribulation) and he
is NOT
accursed! That tells us that the born again folks (Church Age
saints) had
all left and the only ones hearing the preaching were the Tribulation
saints
(folks who don’t take the mark of the beast –
Revelation 20:4).
I hope this has been a help to you, brother. If we can be of
any other help
to you, please let us know. God bless you.
Kept by the power,
Karl Lohman