Tribulation and Tribulations Aren't the Same
Lord, Jesus’ parable says: After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. He who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, “Lord, you delivered to me five talents; I have gained five more talents besides them.” His lord said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” Lord God, like that servant, I must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that I may receive the things done in the body, according to what I have done, whether good or bad. May I truly say: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith; there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which You, Lord God, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved Your appearing. You are coming quickly! May I hold fast what I have, that no one may take my crown.
Help me, Lord, to exercise faithful stewardship: obeying You, fighting the good fight, and keeping the faith!
PROVERBS 11:18; MATTHEW 25:19–21; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:10; 2 TIMOTHY 4:7–8; REVELATION 3:11 Dr. David Jeremiah Life-Changing Moments with God
Many many years ago at the church I was going to, we were going through a book called "Gold Under Fire" or something along those lines. It had much to say on the subject of basically the smelting process that believers go through in becoming more like Christ. Essentially the tribulations of life are meant to teach us to become like our Savior in regards to obedience and life.
It was yesterday when, after some interactions with other's, a very powerful analogy came to mind that the Tribulation referred to in the book of Revelation was not what Jesus was referring to when He said we would have tribulations in this life.
Nobody who's died in Christ to date has suffered under the wrath of God. They were part of the body of Christ and are indeed the Bride of Christ.
There's much being discussed these days in regards to the Rapture of the Church happening before or after the Great Tribulation in the mainly in the book of Revelation and a few Old Testament books. In regards to this, I believe the analogy that was brought to my mind is the right one.
Why would Jesus come to receive His Bride, for them to enter into His rest, only after suffering through 7 years of the wrath of God? Romans says clearly that there is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Further Scripture says that the wrath of God does not rest on the Believers. Jesus is not going to beat and grind to a pulp His Bride only then to allow them into His Heaven. All those who died in Christ to date did not go through that. We who are in Christ, from the beginning of the Church until the Rapture are indeed all part of the same body, all are the Bride of Christ.
Indeed in this life, as this post begins with, we indeed have a responsibility to learn from the Spirit, to grow in Christ. To obey things of the Word of God as written in Romans 12 and other places. Jesus suffered all the wrath of God so that the Bride of Christ would not. The Judgments of God in Revelation are there to put an end to lawlessness, sin and unrighteousness.
We are indeed going to go through our own tribulations on a personal level because when you are indeed being taught of God your life will be personally changed to be that part of the body for which you were meant to be. Putting this in another light, when you go into a rehabilitation center you see many people yet nobody there is going through the exact same process to return to normality. Their personal struggles, personal trials and tribulations are their own.
To be His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works will mean some painful things to go through. Will mean letting go of some things and embracing other things. Will mean putting others before yourself. Will mean sacrificing your time, energy and money to do the Will of God in your life to impact others for the Kingdom of God.
Read in the book of Daniel and you find that the Angel tells Daniel that 70 weeks are decreed for his people. 69 have happened. The 70th week is the 7 year Tribulation period of the book of Revelation. I highly recommend the book by Alva J McClain called "Daniel's 70th Week". The Great Tribulation is not about the Church, it's about Israel if indeed you are looking at people groups. The Spirit steps aside as the restraining one as to why it hasn't occurred yet. People will indeed come to Christ during those 7 years but most all will suffer genocide for their faith. Any who do not worship the AntiChrist are beheaded. Any who do not take his mark cannot buy or sell. You become Public Enemy Number One.
So in this time in which we have left between now and the coming of Jesus to receive His Bride that proceeds the Great Tribulation, we need to live lives that make use of the talents, the gifts, we have been given. We cannot afford to waste time on frivolous things and ideas. Jesus refused to be sidetracked in what we read in the Gospels. We have very powerful reason to be obedient. To hear "Well done" by Jesus at our making use of what we were given for the Kingdom of God.
We will indeed face people's and ideals of this world that conflict with the Word of God. Satan's plan is to take the Throne of God. Satan will try to thwart the workmanship of God in the lives of believers by using false teachers and false ideas that conflict with His Word.
I only write what I am told to write in regards to what you read here. I want to be obedient in my life as much as I am able to be for my Savior and my King. If indeed you believe otherwise in regards to what had been said...go to the author, the REAL Author, ask the Spirit for wisdom in your thinking about things.
My personal views are the same as what I have been told to write. I believe what the Spirit told me over 40 years ago, that my Generation would see the Rapture of the Church. This came after one of my first times reading of Simeon being told he would not see death before he saw the Lord’s Christ in the book of John.
Pray for wisdom in your own thinking. Pray for those around you to be enlightening to the salvation being offered to them. Regardless of your views on Pre-Tribulation or Post-Tribulation, our focus and job is to preach and teach the Word of God to a lost world so that some might be saved. Regardless of views, we are to be found faithful in what we do for Christ Jesus.
Be not discouraged when you go through various trials and temptations for so has happened to those who have gone on before you.
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