Why We Have To Go Through The Tribulation

There are many camps in Eschatology that believe we will not go through The Tribulation mentioned in the Book of Revelation. They cite the verse, "I also will keep you from the hour of testing (tribulation), that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth." (Church of Philadelphia, Revelation 3:10). The Pre-Trib and Partial-Trib camps believe this is their fate, that they shall escape the tribulation and be raptured. The problem is rapture does not exist in the Scriptures, only "After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." (1 Thessalonians 4:17) and that is after Christ returns and is called The Second Coming. The other issue is the verse they cling on in chapter three of Revelation is for the Church of Philedelphia which is spared all tribulation, but look at what happens to two other churches, "Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life," (Church of Smyrna, Revelation 2:10), and "I gave her (woman Jezebel) time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.  Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds." (Church of Thyatira, Revelation 2:21-22). These two churches are plunged into tribulation, one for ten days to be tested, another goes through Great Tribulation because of sinfulness with Jezebel.

I believe all believers will enter into the tribulation because Christ tells us it shall be so, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). Christ promises us tribulation, testing, and trials, they come with the cross we are to bear, "whoever wants to be my disciple must deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow me." (Matthew 16:24). I fear for brothers and sisters in Christ who are certain they shall not incur any tribulation. While certainly there will be a small sect of the Church untouched in case of Philadelphia, certainly those Christians in Syria are not Philadelphia, but actually Smyrna. I worry my rapturist brothers and sisters are in for a rude awakening, when they are not raptured, a term in itself invented by a woman in Scotland, just like millennial or millennium is not used in the Greek, only in Latin translation of Revelation. As a Christian professor said, "I will be glad to be wrong and be raptured up and listen to, I told you so, but I would rather be ready for tribulation and be wrong, then be wrong about rapture and find myself suddenly in the reckoning itself." Part of what causes confusion is that the Tribulation and Wrath of God are not the same thing. Tribulation is a testing of the saints, to see if they will stand firm, and "those who endure to end shall be saved." (Matthew 24:13). The Wrath of God comes after The Second Coming when we are caught up, "For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:9).


Jesus Christ says of the days of tribulation, "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be," (Matthew 24:21), and "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." (Matthew 24:23). Following this the Apostle Paul says, "After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." (1 Thessalonians 4:17). The days will be shortened, but we are must endure until Jesus Christ returns, for we do not know, "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father," (Matthew 24:36) and "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." (Matthew 25:13). Why would Christ say keep watch, and share parable of Ten Virgins, including the five who fall away, and why does Word of God speak of people being left behind like those who, "beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards, The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 25:49-51)? The answer is there will be tribulation and those who go through it will have the option to remain faithful servants of Christ or become faithless and fall way, "At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other.." (Matthew 24:10). Nothing Jesus shares in Matthew Chapter Twenty Four and Twenty Five indicates people being spared trials, testings, and triublations.

I believe the West, particularly America will be Smyrna and Thyatira. The reason is that we have only known favor, protection, and ease in our running the race. While Christians around the world and throughout history won the crown of salvation through persecution, prision, torment, and death, we have enjoyed the Donation of Constantine. Sure there were persecutions during the Protestant Reformation, when Baptists were drowned, and many martyrs like Jan Hus won crowns, but there has not been persecution like the Four Hundred Year Persecution of the Early Church. It is for this reason, I believe Christ will urge us to pick up crosses and go through trial, lest we arrive on the other side we appear as athlethes who are out of shape and incure shame next to the saints who want to speak as Paul, "for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus," (Galatians 6:17). I want to hear Peter and Paul say,"You have finished the race, you kept the faith in the Falling Away from the faith! We knew not such persecution as you, the Beast and Antichrist tore at you, but we did know the same antichrist spirit and torment under cesars." It is persecution that has produced the giants of Christ's Church, not the protective decadence that America has enjoyed. I believe the tribulation will rouse sleeping ritters, and awaken the lukewarm before it is too late, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth." (Revelation 2:15-16).

I believe tribulation, trials, torment, testing, and termination (death) is gift to the tepid West. I do not think all believers will go through such harshness, that some will have the peace of Philadelphia, and be spared the Tribulation, but they are the exception, not the rule. Some will be persecuted and put to death because they are being tested by devil, others because they immoral and will not stop their idolatry and carnal lusts, this I believe is the Church in America, Thyatira which shall know tribulation! The United Stares of America has slept with Jezebel, and committed idolatry against Jesus through Yoga, Zumba, Acupuncture, Mysticism, Medic(s)ine (certain types, like Opiates), and more. The US Church has become proud, honoring "self made religion..," (Colossians 2:23) and "having a form of godliness but denying its power, having nothing to do with such people.." (2 Timothy 3:5). Leaders and lay people in US Churches have fulfilled these verses, "But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come, for men will be lovers of self, lovers of money boastful, arrogant, disobedient to parents, scoffing at God (blasphemy), ungrateful, unholy (they will consider nothing sacred), unloving, unforgiving/irreconcilable, malicious, gossips, without self control, brutal, haters of good,  trecherious, reckless, conceited (puffed up with pride), lover of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding on to a form of godliness but having lost its power, have nothing to do with such men, For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith," (2 Timothy 3:1-8), and "because lawlessness will (has) increase the love of many will grow cold." (Matthew 24:12). For many ministers have become megalomaniacs wanting perpetual attention, and worship has become concerts where only the worship band is worshipped. Worse, immorality, carnality, and sin has seeped into the church that now whistle blowers in world are calling churches to account because they have failed to obey The Holy Bible and walk by the Holy Spirit. Even now, missionaries from other nations arrive to reach the lost on our continent that we have failed to reach for Christ!

Prepare Church of America, for tribulation is upon you! Appeal To Heaven and March in March may spark the last revival in the Coastlands, but I believe it will not stop the Tribulation! For persecution creates purity of faith, and "the pure in heart shall see God." (Matthew 5:8). The cleansing fire is coming to our country and to all nations! And if we are not diligent, our works will be consumed, "If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire." (1 Corinthians 3:14-15). Many will be saved as if by fire, but they should not count on barley making it, for Christ will spew out the lukewarm (Revelation 3:16) and say to many, "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" (Matthew 7:22-23).