Discerning the Times

1. There are no passages in either the Old or New Testament that say the church will go through the Tribulation Period.

2. The Tribulation is called the “Time of Jacob’s Trouble” , but it is never called the Church’s Trouble (Jer. 30:7).

3. In the book of Revelation, the Rapture occurs at Revelation 4:1 since the book of Revelation is chronological. The Tribulation does not begin until Revelation chapter 6. The Rapture is show as occurring before the horrible events of the Tribulation occur.

4. The church is mentioned more than 20 times in the first three chapters of the book of Revelation, but the church is never mentioned in the description of the Tribulation in Revelation 4:1-19:1.

5. The Tribulation is called a Day of Wrath in the Bible (Zeph. 1:15), but the Bible says, “God has not appointed us to wrath” (1 Thess. 5:9).

6. The Tribulation is called a Day of Wrath in the Bible (Zeph. 1:15), but the Bible says that Jesus has “delivered us from the wrath to come” (1 Thess. 1:10).

7. Jesus told the church at Philadelphia in Rev 3:10 “I also will keep you from the hour of tempation that shall come upon all the world”. God promises to keep the obedient church out of the Tribulation.

8. The end of the age will be like the days of Noah (Matt. 24:37). Noah and his family were removed from the earth before the judgment in the form of the flood came. 

9. The end of the age will be like the days of Lot (Luke 17:28). Lot and his family were removed from Sodom before the destruction and judgment came from heaven.

10. The Antichrist will prevail against the saints during the Tribulation, but the gates of hell won’t prevail against the church (Rev. 13:7; Matt. 16:18). Therefore the church will not go through the Tribulation period.

Finally, the pre-tribulation Rapture is more consistent with God’s love, mercy and grace than the mid or post tribulation since they are more focused on God’s wrath.