Saturday, September 3, 2011

NOT APPOINTED TO GOD'S WRATH


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?