You think the suffering of the saints will be far worse in the Tribulation? Not even in the Tribulation will all first-borns be lost. Christians in the 3rd century were thrown to the lions. That is far worse to be torn to shreds by the teeth of lions. It's a horrific way to die. "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life" (Rev. 2.10). Why are there martyrs in Christ? Because of sin and evil men in the world. Jesus said as He was treated so will we be.Originally Posted by jcloy
You don't think Israel endured suffering? They all died, never seeing the promise land. They went through their own tribulation period. Sure they escaped the plagues as the saints won't die in the first half of the Tribulation, but they all died eventually. Only those like an Enoch or Elijah who are overcomers will be raptured before the Tribulation. The rest will pass through the tribulation like Noah just as the Apostles endured tribultion. You think our suffering if we are in the Tribulation is going to be worse than what Jesus and the Apostles experienced? Are you sure you don't want to retract that?
It would help for you to understand what the rapture is and what it is not. It is not to avoid affliction. But it is the pinnacle. 6000 years as days x 24 hours a day is 144,000. This number represents the pinnacle reached so that Rev. 14.1-5 and other overcomers who are alive at the first rapture will be taken up "before the throne" (7.9) because they keep the word of His patience (3.10), were watchful (Matt. 24.40-42) and prayerful (Luke 21.36) to escape all these things that are to come upon the whole world, avoiding the hour of trial. First rapture is conditional. These are conditional statements. There are advanced parties and harbingers in every sphere.
Once the first rapture takes place, Satan knows his time is short so after the peace treaty of 7 years, as the Restrainer he unrestrains Nero Antichrist (Rev. 9.1) from the pit to break the 7 year covenant peace treaty between Israel and Islam. Nobody is hurt in the first 5 months of the Great Tribulation (1st woe), but in the 2nd woe (13 months) many will die then even more in the 3rd woe. Before the 3rd woe though, we see the saints in heaven at Rev. 11.15 before the 7th trumpet containing the 7 bowls of wrath. The bowls are God's wrath specifically. Before the bowls those who are "alive" and "left" (1 Thess. 4.17) are taken to the air. Those alive obviously are left, so what is meant by "left" is those who were not raptured at the first rapture are left to pass through the Tribulation and if alive at the last trumpet will not see death, but be raptured alive at the last trumpet with those who are asleep.
So the Tribulation saints in the general rapture and resurrection will avoid the 24 months of the 7 bowls (3rd woe or 7th trumpet), but they will not escape trumpets one through six. They were not accounted worthy to be raptured up at the first rapture because they love the world too much, tied down to it like a balloon unwilling to be released.
Some observers ask, is it not rather cruel to take away hope from the church? To which we must answer that in the Scriptures there is no such false hope given; and therefore it is better to alert people to this fact. If you think just because you are born-again, a member of the body of Christ, that no matter what you do from here on out that you will be raptured at the first rapture, think again! My only warning to you is since you exclude yourself from the first rapture, because you don't treat it according to readiness but as a forgone conclusion, please don't be like Satan accusing the brethren day and night (Rev. 12.10 when you discover in the news perhaps 2 or 3 million vanished across the globe on Sept. 14, 2015. The Tribulation is from Sept. 14, 2015, Feast of Trumpets to Aug. 7, 2022, Tisha B'Av.
Hope that helps.
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