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REASONS THE CHURCH WILL
NOT ENTER THE TRIBULATION
Today, the thinking prevails that the church will go
into the first half of the tribulation, if not all of it. What are the facts?
1. THE CHURCH AND ISRAEL ARE TWO MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE
GROUPS
God has two
entirely different plans for each of them. Not revealed in the Old Testament
(OT), the church is a mystery and because of Israel’s rejection of the
Messiah’s first advent, God calls a halt to his prophetic 70 week program for
Israel (at the end of 69 weeks Dan 9:26) and inserts a 2000 year mystery
church program. This plan for the church will be completed and then she will be
taken out of the way, before God resumes his remaining week or seven year
program for Israel. The church and Israel are like ‘chalk and cheese’ and never
the twain shall meet except in Jesus (Gal 3:28). The 70th week (7 year)
covenant is ushered in by the antichrist (Dan 9:27) after the church is raptured (2 Thessalonians 2:3).
2. THE
70 WEEKS FOR ISRAEL ONLY
“Seventy weeks
are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city…”
(Dan 9:24). This period of 490 years refers entirely to Israel, being Daniel’s
people, and to Jerusalem, being Daniel’s holy city. As the church
has not been involved in any of the first 69 weeks which are only for Israel,
it has no part in the 70th week (7 years).
3. A ONE WEEK COVENANT WITH MANY
The word
“covenant” of Dan 9:27 is never used in connection with
the church and therefore signifies a Jewish dispensation on earth. Again the
church will have been taken away before God starts his 70th week
with Israel.
4.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE 70TH WEEK.
The following
words are used to describe the nature of this week and they refer to these
seven years in its entirety and not just a part of it. (a)
darkness (Zeph 1:14-17,18) (b) trouble
(Jer 30:7) (c) judgment (2 Pet 2:9) (d) destruction (Joel 1:15) (e) wrath (Rom 2:5) (f) indignation (Is 34:1-3) (g) hour of temptation (Rev 3:10) (h) punishment (Is 24:20-21).
5. THE
ANTICHRIST’S WORLD PEACE IS GOD’S WRATH IN DISGUISE
The facts are
that God’s seven year wrath includes, and starts with, the deception of the
antichrist’s ‘white peace horse’ of Rev 6:2 which appears immediately after the
church’s rapture. This temporary peace brought in by the antichrist, is the
“strong delusion” (2Thess 2:11) that is sent
by God which is called the “beginning of sorrows” (Matt 24:8). This period includes wars,
famines, earthquakes and pestilences (Matt 24:7) and all end up in great
tribulation (Matt 24:21). “…as they
did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a
reprobate mind…” (Rom 1:28)
6. ISRAEL AND
THE CHURCH ARE CHALK AND CHEESE
There are many
examples but let’s consider a few: 1. Israel receives earthly promises
while the church has heavenly promises. 2. Israel are the physical
seed of Abraham while the church is the spiritual seed of Abraham.
3. Israel is called an unfaithful wife while the church is called
the bride. 4. Israel only ever had a temporary indwelling of the Holy
Ghost while the church has the permanent indwelling. 5. Lastly,
Israel’s head was Abraham while the church has Christ as its head.
7. THE WHOLE
EARTH SUFFERS THE WRATH OF GOD
While the
scriptures make this very clear (Rev 3:10) Jeremiah 30:7 also refers to
this period as the time of “Jacob’s trouble” – for Israel. This 7 year period
on the earth is a Jewish dispensation from which the church will be absent.
8. THE
REASON FOR THE 70TH WEEK.
The scripture
“…I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all
the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” (Rev 3:10), will be a ‘trying’ for those who
dwell on the earth. God’s wrath is for those who have been left behind and
consider the earth, with its commerce and religion, as their real home. Note:
The current persecution against the church is from the world and not from God.
9. A
CHRISTIAN PURAGTORY
As the church
steams through the fog toward Rome, a Christian tribulation purgatory becomes a
possibility. But this church ‘purification’, negates a being “..washed from our
sins in his own blood.” (Rev 1:5). Only God’s blood, not his
Trib-ulation wrath, can ever cleanse the church.
10. CHRIST’S IMMINENT RETURN.
Unlike Israel,
God gives no signs to the church to signal the imminent coming of the Lord. The
believer is warned to be watching for the Lord himself. Conversely, prior to
the 2nd advent, many signs will be given to the nation of Israel as
they will be living in the expectancy of his coming, although knowing not the
day nor the hour (Matt 24:36).
11. THE HOLY GHOST ‘DELAYER’
The ‘delayer’
of 2Thess 2:7 is the Holy Ghost that indwells all believers, and as soon as the
church is removed, this “letteth ‘delaying’)” ministry ceases and the Wicked
one emerges. However, the Spirit does not cease to operate in the Tribulation
but the ‘delaying’ ministry does.
12. THE CHURCH
DOESN’T GO HALF WAY INTO THE TRIBULATION
If Paul
had told the Thessalonian church they would be going half way into the Tribulation, they would have been
rejoicing that at least some of them had died and would miss God’s wrath of
tribulation persecution. The opposite was the case as they were sorrowful for
the dead in Christ.
13. ONE SYSTEM
AT A TIME
God operates
one system at a time on the earth and it is either the 2000 year church program
or the 70 week (490 year) Jewish program. They are mutually exclusive. As there
are no ‘special Jewish deals’ that operate while the church is currently on the
earth, then conversely, the church must be absent when God seals the 144,000.
14. THE
APOSTASY OF THE 70TH WEEK
The only
“church” mentioned in the tribulation period is the harlot jezebel system. If
the true church were on earth, it would be part of the apostate system, but
this is impossible.
15. KEPT ‘FROM’
THE HOUR
“…I also
will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all
the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” (Rev 3:10) is not merely God’s protection but
his exemption. If not, God would have written that the church would be kept
in the hour and not from the hour.
16. LOT AS A
TYPE OF CHURCH
One of
the clearest typologies of the extraction of the righteous before the wrath of
God manifests, is found with Lot who is called a righteous man (2 Pet 2:6-9).
The scripture “Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou
be come thither.” (Gen 19:22) shows the presence of a righteous
man preventing the outpouring of God’s wrath upon Sodom. Similarly, the
presence of a righteous church prevents God’s judgment on the unrighteous.
Remember: The antichist’s peace is God’s wrath in disguise.
17.
ANTICHRIST REVEALED AT THE START NOT HALF WAY THROUGH
Is the
antichrist only revealed when he sits in the temple half way through the
Tribulation? No, he’s revealed when he confirms a covenant for a week (Dan 9:27). As they have been given
over to a reprobate mind (Rom 1:28), he can’t be recognized but
he’s still revealed nonetheless!
18. THE
WHOLE 7 YEARS IS TRIBULATION
Immediately after the rapture, there is “strong delusion” (2Thess 2:11) sent by God and this comes in the form of the antichrist’s ‘white horse’ peace plan (Rev 6:2). This peace is a worldly peace, not being God’s peace, and in fact it is called “the beginning of sorrows” (Matt 24:8). God’s wrath is disguised as ‘peace’, the antichrist’s peace, and is followed quickly by the red (killing), black (famine) and pale (death) horses. Not receiving the love of the truth, God’s wrath lets them believe a lie (2Thess 2:11).
19. THE CHURCH HAS WRONGLY …
a. assumed Israel’s signs and wonders
b. proclaimed itself as spiritual Israel
c. assumed itself as under the new covenant
d. appropriated Israel’s healings and prosperity
HAVING STOLEN SOME
OF ISRAEL’S IDENTITY BY PRETENDING TO BE SPIRITUAL ISRAEL, WE SHOULD NOT BE
SURPRISED TO HEAR, THAT THE CHURCH ALSO THINKS THAT SOME OF GOD’S
TRIBULATION WRATH IS ALSO FOR THEM.
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