Who Will Face The Great Tribulation? - Part 1

This is the first part of the explanation on an aspect of the second coming of Jesus. Unfortunately, it has been preached that that there will be a secret rapture of the righteous, followed by several years of tribulation and then the end of the world.

This is a misinterpretation of the Bible and is a teaching that the enemy exploits. Any person who is alive at the end of times will have to endure the time of great trial. In this part we will talk about the time of trouble and in the next part we will analyze how the Coming of the Lord will actually be.

First, I want to emphasize that the Lord Jesus came and died for us. In one of his conversations with the disciples he explained the condition of all those who decide to follow him.

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. John 15:18-21

The Lord reminds His disciples that the world first hated Him, and it should not be surprising if the world hates them as well. The reason for this is simple; all those who follow Jesus are not of this world. Satan is the prince of this world, he makes everything in this world go against God, and he makes his followers hate God.

We cannot preach that the righteous will not have to endure the time of trouble. Could it be that we are greater than our Lord, if he suffered, will we not have to? Let me give two examples of this.

But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the LORD does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.’ Exodus 11:7

God's judgments, the seven last plagues are similar to the plagues that broke out in Egypt before their release. The people of Israel were present during the judgments of God, the difference was that God protected them.

For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. Exodus 12:12, 13

In the last plague, the death of the firstborn, specific instructions were given to God’s people (Passover), including the placement of blood on the lintels of the doors so the angel would overlook their homes and their firstborn would not die.

They were all present during the judgments of God and I assure you that anyone who had not followed the instructions of God also suffered his wrath. The needed the sign at their homes just as we need to receive the seal of God on our foreheads so that we are protected by God as he unleashes His final judgments.

And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Genesis 6:13

And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. Genesis 6:17, 18

Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. Genesis 7:1

Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. Genesis 8:1

In this occasion we see how Noah was present when the land was destroyed by the flood, but God protected Him during this great punishment.

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. Matthew 24:9, 10, 15-22

Note that as a sign of the end, the Lord again speaks about the hatred that the world will feel towards us and the great tribulation that we will face. Also, just as God instructed the people of Israel so they did not face His judgments, and as Noah was instructed to build the ark, we are called to receive the seal of God and that when we see the abomination of desolation (Sunday Laws, we will consider this topic later on) we should leave the cities so that God's judgments don’t fall upon us.

Just as God remembered Noah, He will also spare us because the text concludes by saying if the days were not shortened nobody, absolutely nobody would be saved!

Finally I turn to the Book of Revelation.

After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads. Revelation 7:1-3

These angels were ready to release the winds but because of God’s mercy they were ordered not to release the winds until God's people are sealed.

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Revelation 7:9, 13, 14

We will all have to face the tribulation and then Jesus will come in the clouds of heaven. But we can be assured that if we trust in Him and receive his seal, we will be protected during this time just as the people of Israel were, and just as Noah and his family were.

The enemy wants to deceive you and say that you have a second chance, and that after the rapture, you will have an opportunity to repent. This makes you believe that if you are not taken to heaven the first time, you will be taken the second time. Think about it, if I am not wrong, what would you lose?

You would live your life each day depending on God, believing that there is only one chance for salvation and that you need to prepare to face the great tribulation in which God will protect you and Jesus will finally come in the clouds.

But what if I'm not wrong? What if you did not make the necessary preparations because you thought you would not have to face the tribulation, that you would not be persecuted as Jesus himself was persecuted? What if you thought there would be a second chance and there is not?

All we can do is ask God to help us understand the things that will happen. Ask him to prepare us now for the end is near!

JESUS IS COMING, AMEN, YES, COME LORD JESUS!