Will the Church Go Through the Great Tribulation?
Before us we have a much disputed question in our day, a question that sparks interest in some and initiates division in others. Sadly, in spite of the complexity of the doctrine of the second coming of Christ, this one question seems to dominate the entire study of prophecy for some. Some preachers have the idea that studying the subject of prophecy means studying whether or not the church will go through the Great Tribulation. There is so much more in the study of prophecy than simply this question. But this question is legitimate, and I will answer it with scripture.
To understand the question more clearly, one must understand that in the end time, there is a time period known as the Great Tribulation:
Matthew 24:21 – “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”
This time period has not yet happened. It is reserved for the end of time as we know it. It will occur when the Antichrist, the last world dictator, will be revealed. There is another event that will happen in the end of time. It is called the rapture of the church, a time when the true church of Jesus Christ will be raptured, or caught up to meet the Lord in the air:
I Thessalonians 4:16-18 – “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
The great question here is this – I know there is a time period coming known as the Great Tribulation. I know there is an event coming called the rapture of the church. But will the rapture of the church happen BEFORE the Great Tribulation (we refer to this teaching as “Pre-tribulation” or “Pre-trib”), IN THE MIDDLE of the Great Tribulation (we refer to this teaching as “Mid-tribulation” or “Mid-trib”), or AFTER the Great Tribulation (we refer to this teaching as “Post-tribulation” or “Post-trib”)? That is the question.
The Church is not Appointed to Wrath
I touched on this very briefly in my recent posts on the day of the Lord, but I will hit it again as it is necessary. This is the foundational point in answering the question at hand. To see whether or not the church will go through the Great Tribulation, one must understand, first and foremost, that the church of Jesus Christ WILL NOT and MUST NOT suffer the wrath of God.
I Thessalonians 5:9 – “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.”
There can be no misunderstanding here – the church is not appointed to suffer the wrath of God. Concerning this truth, it appears to me that we have much unity in the body of Christ. It seems that all Bible students agree on this one point. I know of no one anywhere who teaches that the church will suffer the wrath of God. Regardless of whether a person believes that the church will depart from this world before, during, or after the Great Tribulation, everyone agrees that the church will not be here for the wrath of God. I know of some who define their position as PRE-WRATH, meaning the church will leave before the wrath of God is poured out. It seems that everyone agrees with this point – the point that the church is not appointed to suffer the wrath of God.
The Church is Delivered from the Wrath to Come
I heard a man tell this story once. He said that in a certain town many years ago there was a tornado that went through, devastating the entire area. There was a church there. The church, like many other buildings in town, was destroyed. People died, including some of the church people. The pastor of the church, who was said to have been a man of God, said that he felt like the tornado was sent by God as wrath and judgment upon that town. The wrath of God that was demonstrated in the tornado, the preacher said, was not APPOINTED for the church in that town, but it was rather appointed for the wicked. But even though the church in that town was not appointed to the wrath of the tornado, the church still suffered some of it. The preacher then used I Thessalonians 5:9, which states that the church is not appointed to wrath, to say that even though the church is NOT APPOINTED to wrath, the church still may have to suffer some of it.
NOT SO! Not only is the church of Jesus Christ not appointed to wrath, but in the finished work of Jesus Christ upon the cross of Calvary, we are already delivered from wrath!
I Thessalonians 1:10 – “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”
Just as sure as the church has been delivered from the pit of hell, not to suffer a single flame of it, the church has also been delivered from the wrath of God, not to suffer a single bit of it.
TO BE CONTINUED...
