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You
have no doubt heard the warnings about the great
tribulation which they say will last seven years. Is
that a Bible fact or not? It’s a popular belief.
But in this brochure, I have gathered evidence
from the Bible to show you that there is not going to
be a seven year tribulation.
None! Nada!
The
timing
A fact that is commonly overlooked or explained
away is about the time of the great tribulation that
Jesus warned about in Matt. 24:21. That terrible
period took place before the end of the first century.
We know this from a statement John made in Rev. 1:9.
In addressing his brothers he said he was a
“companion in tribulation”
Also the very first Christians, the
“firstfruits” of the early church, “came out of
great tribulation.” Every one of the thousands and
thousands of conversions that we read about in Acts up
to Cornelius in the tenth chapter, were all Jews. Then
in Rev. 14 we learn that these were the first converts
because of that word “first fruits,” all 144,000
of them. Rev.
7:14; 14:1, 4. God
put that word “firstfruits” in there and we must
not try to put it into any other time frame than in
the early church. Nothing is said to indicate they are
yet to be converted. Rev. 14:4, “These were redeemed
from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to
the Lamb.” Notice
that It does not say they will be, but that
they were already redeemed ~ in the early church!
James addressed “the twelve tribes ... scattered
abroad” and said they were “firstfruits.” They
were “scattered abroad” because of the
tribulation. The “great persecution” began when
Stephen was stoned. Acts 8:1, James 1:1, 18.
These people are with the Lord now. They
“follow” Him everywhere He goes. Rev. 14:4. They
will be among the armies of heaven following Jesus
when He comes to “judge and make war.”
Rev. 19: 11-14.
It will be similar to a story of Elisha. II
Kings 6:13-17. A
huge army of men had come to capture him. His servant
was scared! Elisha answered, “Fear not; for they
that be with us are more than they that be with
them.” Elisha prayed, “Lord, I pray thee, open his
eyes, that he may see.” And the Lord opened the eyes
of the young man and he saw that the mountain was full
of horses and chariots of fire all around
Elisha. Invisible heavenly armies could have defeated
earthly warriors.
The
Seven Seals
In Rev. 5: 1-2, a book with 7 seals is
introduced. In chapter 6, the first one is opened. These seven seals are a time line of the Kingdom from Acts 2
to the time when Jesus gives it back to the Father (I
Cor. 15:24-28). Many
attempts have been made to put this puzzle together.
But in reading some of these, it is obvious
they have tried to force the pieces.
It doesn’t work! The way I present them here they fit together perfectly.
Seal one, white horse, Jesus our King.
Time period, the early church.
Seal two, red horse, the great
tribulation, 70 A.D.
Seal three, black horse, dark ages,
Roman domination. Seal four, Pale horse, no Christian leaders. Seal
five, an awakening, a calling on God.
Seal six, the cleansing of the earth,
the Day of judgment, Satan removed, then the
millennium. Seal seven comes after the 1000
years and includes all seven trumpets. Satan is let
loose for a short time. The final trumpet is the end,
and death is no more.
Rev. 11:15-18 and I Cor. 15:52, 54.
The
letters to the churches
If you believe that the letters to the
churches, Rev. 2-3, represent time periods, you will
notice that the second one, 2:9-10, mentions
tribulation. (This one is not real clear.)
Seven
Years?
Where did the idea of
the “seven years” come from? Well, that gets a bit
complicated. Let's see if I can shorten and simplify
it. The seven years of tribulation comes from the
assumption that the promised Kingdom did not take
place on time. God had to stop the clock, so they say.
In Daniel chapter nine there is a prophecy about
"Seventy Weeks" which actually meant 490
years, each week being seven years. The prophecy was
all fulfilled right on time. Jesus said so in Mark
1:15, “The time is fulfilled, the Kingdom of God is
at hand.” However, since Jesus went back to heaven
instead of sitting on a throne in Jerusalem, the
scholars assume it must have been postponed. They
figure that the last “week” or seven years, is yet
to be fulfilled. That is the time of the great
tribulation, which they say comes right after the
saints are taken out with the “rapture.” That is
the popular opinion, but it’s not a Bible fact.
It’s
a Spiritual Kingdom
The
pre-millennial package of opinions is mostly based on
the assumption that the kingdom was postponed.
Jesus did not set up His Kingdom and rule from
Jerusalem, but went back to heaven. They say that He
is coming back to set up His throne there in
Jerusalem. The many prophecies that say He will reign
from Jerusalem are all taken as proof that He will be
here in a bodily form for the thousand years. The fact
that He is reigning now from heaven and will not
return to earth until all enemies have been put down
is something they can’t comprehend. Matt. 22:44.
There seems to be a lack of understanding of the
spirit world. The Kingdom is a spiritual one, Luke 17:
20-21, and will never be otherwise. When we see Jesus
we will be like Him. I John 3:2.
In
His Saints
One reason this view is rejected is that there
are so many indications of the reign from Jerusalem,
which is yet to come. The rule from Jerusalem will
begin when the Jews as a Nation accept Jesus as
Messiah. That will take place from the day of wrath.
Ezekiel 39:22, From that day and forward. The
Lord will be glorified IN HIS SAINTS, 2 Thess 1:6-10.
Notice in this verse that there will be tribulation
from God on the evil ones but this is not the one
Jesus was talking about in Mt. 24. That one was
against Christians from the enemies of the Church.
Are you still looking for a physical Jesus? He
said that He could not send the Holy Spirit until He
left, John 16:7.
So if Jesus were on earth physically, would we
lose the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit?
According to what Jesus said, we can’t have both.
Jesus said in that verse that it is better for Him to
leave. Having
the Holy Spirit is better than having a physical
Jesus. For more on this, get the C.E. Koerner book.
Click on Rapture II.
The
Day of the Lord
A common mistake is to think that the
references to this Day are the tribulation. No, they
are not the same.
See my brochures called The Rapture to read about
The Day. |
