1st
Thessalonians 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain
salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
This is the
cornerstone verse for the pre-trib rapture theory, but what is Paul really
talking about here? Does it mean we are exempt from the great tribulation as
believers ? When interpreting scripture, context is king. If we back up to
verse 2 we see that Paul sets the context..
1st
Thessalonians 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh
as a thief in the night.
Paul is
talking about the wrath that will occur on the day of the Lord!! The day of the Lord is after the great tribulation
as we have already learned from scripture !!!
Paul's point
in 1st Thessalonians 5:9 is that the church is not appointed to the wrath that
will occur on the day of
the Lord, after the tribulation.
The book of Revelation agrees...
Revelation
6:12-13 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a
great earthquake; and the sun
became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the
earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken
of a mighty wind.
Again we
encounter a description of celestial
events that can only take place after the tribulation. What else does
the 6th seal reveal?
Revelation
6:15-17 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and
the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man,
hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the
mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth
on the throne, and from the wrath
of the Lamb: For the great
day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Notice that
his wrath is come and not has come! The wrath of the Lamb is present tense.
This is the time the wrath of God actually begins, after the tribulation on the
day of the Lord!!
The 6th seal continues with a description of a great multitude coming out of
the great tribulation.
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
7:14 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.
This is the
church of Christ being resurrected and raptured/spared from the wrath of God on
the day of the Lord,
just as Paul wrote about in 1st Thessalonians chapter 5! The truth remains, the
wrath of God will not begin until after the tribulation !
A quick study of the
tribulation reveals that God is with holding his wrath during that time. The
5th seal describes events that occur throughout the great tribulation.
Revelation
6:9-10 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls
of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they
held: And they cried with a loud voice,
saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them
that dwell on the earth?
The question
posed by the martyrs proves that God does not pour out his wrath during the great
tribulation. Another clue can be found in
Revelation 13:3-4 And I saw one of his heads
as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world
wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto
the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with
him?
We all know the
answer to that question. God is able to make war with the anti-christ but the
inhabitants on earth during the tribulation have not recognized God as entering
the equation yet!!! Why? God's wrath isn't poured out during the tribulation.
It is poured out after the tribulation on the day of the Lord!
The bible teaches that the church
is to only be spared from the wrath that occurs on the day of the Lord, after
the tribulation!
If the
tribulation isn't a time of God's wrath, then what is it all about ? Satan's wrath!!!!!
Revelation
12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the
inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath,
because he knoweth that he hath but a short time
12:14 And to
the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the
wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and
half a time, from the face of the serpent.
12:17 And
the dragon was wroth
with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep
the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
The
tribulation is a short time set aside for satan to pour out his own wrath against those with
a testimony of Jesus
Christ .It is a time of great persecution for those who love Jesus Christ.
Question: Is there a passage in the bible that says we
will not have to endure the wrath of satan?
