Hello and welcome to our program. We're continuing in the study, Will Christians Go Through the Tribulation? Stay tuned. We've been looking at the question, will any Christians go through the tribulation? In our last program, we looked at Noah, who was a type of those who went out before judgment came on the earth. That was him and his family. Then we saw that Lot, no judgment fell on Sodom and Gomorrah. until Lot was out of Sodom. We saw that there's three doors mentioned in the book of Revelation, and also seven churches. The churches are mentioned, the word churches is there 11 times, and the word church singular is there seven times, but all of those before chapter 4. After chapter 4, the church is not found to be there, In fact, the Bible says, and after this, God sounded a trumpet in heaven. John said, and the trumpet said, come up hither, which was a picture of the rapture of the Christian. Now, we have seen in the book of Revelation that Revelation has to do with the wrath of God. I'm going to read you these phrases. Revelation 6 and 16, the wrath of the Lamb. 6 and 17, the great day of His wrath has come. 11 and 18, thy wrath is come. Revelation 14 and 10, the wine of the wrath of God. Revelation 14, 19, the wrath of God. 15, 1, the wrath of God. 15, 7, the wrath of God. 16, 1, the wrath of God. 16 and 19, talks about the fierceness of His wrath. And Revelation 19, verse 15, talks about the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. Now we read concerning the Christian in 1 Thessalonians 1 10, Jesus has delivered us from the wrath to come. 1 Thessalonians 5 9 says God has not appointed us unto wrath. Then in 1 Thessalonians 2 16, referring to the unsaved, it says the wrath has come upon them to the uttermost. We looked in this series at the two parts of what we call the second coming of Christ. We have the rapture, and then we have the tribulation period, and then we have the return of Christ. The rapture is not to be confused with the return of Christ. There we go to meet Christ in the air. When Christ returns to this earth, that is after the tribulation period. Now I'm reading Revelation 19, verse number 7, and it says, Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, Clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. We read in verse 9, And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not, I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. And then John said, and here's the return of Christ, verse 11, and I saw heaven open, and behold a white horse, and he that sat upon him was called faithful and true, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. Now that's not what he did when he came in Bethlehem, and that's not what he does when he comes back for the believer when we are raptured out of this world. But in Revelation chapter 19 and verse number 11, he's coming back to judge and to make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, it says in verse 12, and on his head were many crowns. and he had a name written that no man knew but he himself and he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood and his name is called the word of God. Now verse 14 says, and the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses clothed in fine linen white and clean. Now if you go back to verse number seven and eight, it says those that are going to be at the marriage supper of the Lamb, it says that they are in fine linen, clean and white, and it says that it is the saints that are mentioned here. And so, those that are coming back with Him are the saints. So, we've been with Him in heaven, and again, the rapture takes place prior to the tribulation period. Following the tribulation period, we come back with Him then we're not here for the tribulation period. Now, the Bible talks about our hope in 1 Thessalonians 4 verses 13 through 18. He says, But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you, by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain under the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord." Now, he talks about this as being our hope. This is what we call the rapture. Then in verse 18, he says, wherefore comfort one another with these words. Now, as we mentioned in previous broadcasts, there's no comfort to look for if we're going through the tribulation period. Now in Titus chapter 2, beginning to read at verse 11, it says, For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts We should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope, looking for the return of Jesus Christ and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. It goes on to say, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works. And then in verse John 3, in verse number 3, it says, And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. It's called the blessed hope. And now in closing this series, I'm going to just give you the conclusions that we have come to. I'm going to give them to you very quickly. If you can jot these down and look at them in your Bible later, it would help you a lot. Number one conclusion. The rapture is the blessed hope. His day is the day to be feared. Two different things. The rapture, it says in the Word of God in Titus 2 and 13, we are to be looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing. Concerning the return, which is the day to be feared, not a day of hope, It says Amos 5 and 18, Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord, to what end is it for you? The day of the Lord is darkness and not light. Also concerning that, it says in Isaiah 13 and 9, Behold, the day of the Lord cometh Cruel, both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate, and he shall destroy the sinner thereof out of it. Number one, the rapture is a blessed hope. His return is a day to be feared. Number two, the rapture During the rapture, Jesus comes for his saints. At the second coming, he comes with his saints. 1 Thessalonians 4, 16. The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. That is the rapture. Now concerning when he returns to this world, in Revelation 19 and verse 14, it says, And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And we see here that he doesn't come back like he did the first time to get his own. He comes back with his own, and he comes to make war. Then, number three, the rapture of his saints. At that time, the Christians are taken to heaven. At the second coming, Jesus sets up his earthly rule. Concerning the rapture, he said in John 14, verse number two, in my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also. That is the rapture of the believer. Then, when we return with Christ, it says in Revelation 20 and 4, And I saw thrones, and they that sat upon them, and the judgment was given unto them. And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands, And they lived and reigned with Christ 1,000 years. And so, at the rapture, saints are taken to heaven. When Christ comes back, He sets up His throne. We will reign with Him 1,000 years. Number four, the Rapture takes place before the Antichrist is revealed and before the Tribulation period, while the Second Coming of Christ happens after both of those. 1 Thessalonians 5, 9. Here's the Rapture. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to salvation by our Lord. We saw in a previous broadcast that word salvation has to do with being saved from the wrath to come. 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 3 also speaking about the rapture says let no man deceive you by any means for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first and the man of sin the antichrist will be revealed it says now at the return of christ matthew 24 verse 29 through 39 We read immediately after the tribulation of those days, shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be shaken, and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Then number five, the rapture. At that time, only the Christians will see the Lord coming for them. At the second coming, the whole world will witness it. 1 Thessalonians 4, 17, referring to the rapture, says, Then we, which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. That's the rapture. He comes as a thief in the night. And then again in Revelation 1, 7, at the return, we read, Behold, he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him. And then, number six, at the rapture, there's nothing mentioned about any angels being sent to this world, but at the second coming, angels do all the gathering for judgment. Concerning the rapture, it says, 1 Corinthians 15, 22, we are told, and it will happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump, for the trump shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. That's the rapture. But at the return, we read in Matthew 24 in verse 30, then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, and he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds. from one end of heaven to the other. When it's talking about his elect here, it's talking about Israel. Number seven, the judgment seat of Christ follows the rapture, while the judgment of the nations follow the second coming. 2 Corinthians 5 10 speaking of the rapture says we Christians must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that which he has done whether it be good or bad now again we must all appear we said in our last program he's talking to those carnal Corinthians The saints that were at Corinth, they were very, very ungodly Christians, but he said to them they would all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that everyone might receive the things done in his body. Now if that's happening at the judgment seat of Christ, it obviously then they are not going through the tribulation, they are with him. So the judgment seat of Christ follows the rapture. Then the judgment of all the nations follows the second coming of Christ. We read about that in Matthew 24, verse 44, Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee a hunger, or a thirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer, saying, Verily I say unto you, insomuch that ye did it not unto one of the least of these, ye did it not unto me. And these, at the judgment, the great white throne judgment, he says, these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal. Number eight, we read in the Bible that famine and war and pestilence will follow the Rapture, while a thousand years of world peace will follow the Second Coming of Christ. At the Rapture, we read in Matthew 24 that He told His disciples, He shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, see that ye be not troubled. For all these things must come to pass, the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines and pestilences, and earthquakes in diverse places, and all these are the beginnings of sorrow." That's leading up to the rapture. But then, following the tribulation period, when Christ comes back and sets up his kingdom for 1,000 years, We read in Isaiah, verse 6 through 10 of chapter 11, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them, and the cow and the bear shall feed their young ones, and they shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and the suckling child shall play on the hole of the apse, and the weaned child shall put his hand on a crocodile's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all the holy mountains, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. That is what's going to happen after Christ comes back at the end of the tribulation period. Well, we see in the scriptures that we are supposed to be looking for the blessed hope. It says in 1 John 3 and verse number 3, Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself. Titus chapter 2 verse number 12 says, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, that word simply means desires, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope.