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by Christine Peters
I would like to begin by stating that I am not telling people that they don't need salvation today. However, I am a realist, not an idealist. Reality dictates that after the Rapture, people will be left behind. The point of this article is not to reassure people that they can wait to believe in the Lord until after the Rapture happens. It is simply a look at what the scriptures have to say about salvation during the Tribulation. Those people 'lucky enough' to actually live through that time of wrath will have the opportunity to repent, but they also need to know that they will likely be martyred for their faith. It will be one long hard road.
The mainstay of our relationship with the Lord is faith, not proof. (Hebrews 11:1) The Lord asks us to have faith in Him, and to trust Him by faith alone. It is my belief that the Rapture will be a wakeup call and will be the proof in the pudding. Many people will be shaken out of their 'prove it to me' mode and will run to faith in the Lord. If a person chooses to wait for this proof, the Lord's door of salvation will still be open to them, but they will have a heavy price to pay for their previous lack of faith.
As described by Jesus in the book of Matthew, the Tribulation will be a time that has never been seen by this world and never will be seen again (24:21). The Rapture, in itself, will be a major calamity unlike anything the world has ever seen. There is no guarantee that those who are unsaved at the time of that great event will live through it long enough to repent!
Lately I have seen some differing opinions on the issue of salvation during the Tribulation. Some people believe that only the Jews in general will be saved. Others believe that only the 144,000 Jews mentioned in Revelation will be saved. Still others believe that no one will be saved during the Tribulation.
I cannot find scriptural support for those positions and during my study on this topic, what I did find was actually contrary to all of these ideas.
Lets take a look at what the Good Book has to say about this issue. (All following emphasizes are mine.)
1. What does God want?
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
God is not an ever-changing God. He is now as He was and as He will be.
2. Can people repent during the Tribulation?
Revelation 9:20
And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
Revelation 16:9
And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Revelation 16:11
And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
From these passages we can see that mankind will be given the opportunity to repent during the Tribulation. John wouldn't have mentioned it if the opportunity will not exist. These are but a few references found in Revelation. That book is replete with verses showing repentance and the lack thereof during the Tribulation period. God's offer of salvation and forgiveness will still be available.
3. Who are the Tribulation Saints?
Revelation 7:9
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
Revelation 7:13
And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
Revelation 7:14
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Well, this completely destroys the above-mentioned theologies, now doesn't it?
First you have the multitude from all nations. Therefore the Tribulation saints will not be limited to only the Jews or the 144,000. Then you have the fact that they will come out of the Great Tribulation, therefore they can not be the Old Testament saints or the Church. This 'multitude that no man can number' will have to be the people who become saved during the Tribulation.
4. What is the purpose of the two witnesses?
Revelation 11:3
And I will give [power] unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred [and] threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
If there is no repentance during the Tribulation, why will the Lord see fit to send his messengers to proclaim the gospel?
5. Is there a point of no return?
Revelation 20:4
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
This passage clearly states that the Tribulation Saints who will be martyred for proclaiming the name of Christ will live and reign throughout the millennium. The Mark will be a blasphemous choice that those in the Tribulation will have to make. It will be a willful action and direct rejection of the Lord.
6. Who will populate the Millennium?
Zechariah 14:16
And it shall come to pass, [that] every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
At the return of Christ, there will be a separation of the wheat from the tares and the sheep from the goats. Only those in Christ will remain to populate the millennium.
7. What about the great delusion?
2 Thessalonians 2:7-14
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way and then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
[Even him], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ
One argument I have seen on this passage is that the Holy Spirit, being the restrainer will no longer be on earth and therefore salvation won't be possible. Really? Well, let's take a look at the Tribulation from Joel's viewpoint.
Joel 2:28-29
And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
Joel 2:32
And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
This passage shows us not only that the Holy Spirit will remain on the earth, but also that the Lord is now and will be willing to forgive those who repent. I have also seen it written that the restrainer will be either the Archangel Michael or the influence of the Holy Spirit in the church. While I am not dogmatic about either of those positions, I am dogmatic about it not being the general presence of the Holy Spirit.
Secondly, it has been argued that these verses tell us that anyone who has heard the love of the truth and rejected it in turn will not be saved. It is my contention that this has nothing to do with the Rapture. Will those whose hearts have been hardened to the message of salvation today still be hardened to it tomorrow? Romans 1:28 tells us that God is patient but He has his limits.
This passage also clearly shows that the rise of the Antichrist will precede the delusion sent by the Lord. Nowhere in scripture is there any indication that the Rapture and the beginning of the Tribulation (rise of the Antichrist) are the same event. A careful study of Revelation 4-6 seems to suggest that they are indeed not the same event.
Revelation 4 opens as John is 'called up hither'. While in Heaven, he sees the sea of glass, which is a reference for the Church. In verse 5, the Lamb is given the scroll and in verse 6, the seal judgments begin. The first seal will be the rise of the Antichrist. The Rapture references seen in this passage indicate a time lapse of unknown length between the Rapture and the first seal judgment.
Lastly, to the critics of this position, heard what is what I'd like to know. Lets not put God in a box for a minute and take a look at the situations of 5 people in my world.
Case 1: This is an Orthodox Jew with an MBA from Yeshiva University (Jewish College). He knows all about Jesus, but from a historical perspective. He believes that Jesus was just a man that the Gentiles elevated to god status. Out of the blue, I asked him one day what he would think if the Messiah came and it turns out to have been Jesus all along. His response? "If he shows up with holes in his hands, I'm not buying it."
Case 2: This is a devout Muslim. He knows about Jesus too as Islam teaches that Jesus was one in a line of great prophets. Islam also teaches that Jesus (not Mohammed) will return at the end of days and gather the faithful to Allah. He also believes that Jesus was not God but just a man.
Case 3: This person knows the story as well. Her deal is that she is a scientist and rejects the need for God in her life. She can see the benefit for others, just not for herself.
Case 4: A former co-worker of mine is a self proclaimed Druid. He outwardly rejects the notion of God altogether. His take on it is that he wants nothing to do with a God that will allow bad things to happen. Case closed; end of discussion. When his wife went into the hospital for surgery, he was asked 'priest or rabbi' by the admitting nurse. He told her to "bring me a bush to hug".
Case 5: This is the 'all paths to God' person. This person believes that, just as the Lord confused the tongues at the tower of Babel, he also sent different messengers to different people at different times. Jesus, Buddha, and Mohammed are all a part of the Godhead as well as the coming Jewish Messiah whose role it will be to wrap it all up into a nice neat little package. Two years ago, this described me. Sadly, this is also the fastest growing 'religion' on the planet today and is sweeping college campuses like a storm under the name Baha'i.
Assuming these cases are symbolic of the prevailing mentalities in the world today, and representative of people who do not come to repentance prior to the Tribulation, are they all damned? That sure is a lot of people now, isn't it?
No one knows what God's litmus test is regarding the 'what did you really know about the gospel' question. During the tribulation He will send a deluding influence which will allow people to be fooled to then indulge in their own desires, but only if their hearts remain hardened to the truth.
If you are reading this and the Rapture has already happened, do not be fooled! Earnestly pray and ask the Lord to show you the truth. Keep your heart open to the answer. If you honestly want to know, just ask Him and He'll tell you.
Here is some additional information that will explain this in greater detail.So what's the bottom line? This is why it is so important to come to belief in God now. Better safe than sorry. Trust me on this one-hedging your bet by waiting on the Rapture is a risky proposition. I can assure you that you don't want to be driving down the highway being followed by an 18-wheeler driven by a born-again Christian when the Rapture happens. By the time you realize what hit you, it will be too late.
Are you really willing to gamble on the odds that you will live long enough to get a second chance?
Questions and comments are encouraged. Feel free to Email me with your thoughts.
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