70th Week Study
Examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so. Acts 17:11b



See chart of four main views.

The timing of the rapture relative to other prophetic events is a very controversial issue, but it is an important one. Our understanding may determine whether or not we recognize the anti-Christ for who he is and whether we will be easily deceived by false messiahs. In order to sequence the rapture with other prophetic events, we must diligently study the Scriptures and allow Scripture to interpret Scripture.
Let’s start with Daniel 9:27 which describes what many prophecy teachers call the tribulation period. I believe, as do most scholars, that the weeks refer to seven year periods. However it is worth noting that the term, “tribulation” is not used in this passage. The abomination that causes desolation is set up at the mid point of the 70th week of Daniel. The New Testament talks about the time of “Great tribulation” as beginning immediately after the abomination of desolation, i.e. the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week (Matt. 24:15-29; Mk. 13:14-25). For the sake of clarity, I will use the term, “the 70th week of Daniel” rather than “the tribulation” to refer to the entire seven year period.
Several times in Scripture we have seen God rescue His people just before pouring out judgment on the wicked. This was true in the flood when Noah went aboard the ark and the door was shut on the same day that the rain and other upheavals began (Gen. 7:11-13). This was also true for Lot and the destruction of Sodom (Gen. 19:22-24). Not only was this true in the past, but Jesus told us in Luke chapter seventeen that it will be true in the future.
"It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; {29} but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. {30} "It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. (NASB, Lk. 17:28-30)
When Jesus says it will be just the same, he does not mean that every detail will be the same as what happened to Sodom. To understand which ways it will be the same, we need to notice which details Jesus chose to mention. In the verses quoted above we see that the wicked were continuing to live as usual up until the time judgment began. This is certainly one of the major points of comparison with the future judgment. However I do not believe it is the only point of comparison. Notice that Jesus also states that judgment fell on Sodom the same day that Lot left Sodom. Apparently this detail was important to Jesus as the story would have flowed well even without this detail. So when Jesus said the future judgment would be just like the time of Lot, one of the things he was saying is that judgment would immediately follow the rapture.
The anti-Christ will reign and prosper for much of Daniel's 70th week (Rev. 13; Dan. 7:23-26; 9:27). It cannot be said that the anti-Christ or his followers for that matter are being judged by God during this time of prosperity, but they will be judged at the end of this time. Since we know that judgment immediately follows the rapture, we must conclude that the rapture does not occur until just before the end of the anti-Christ's prosperity. Read Second Thessalonians chapter one and two and then re-read chapter two verses one and two.
Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him, {2} that you may not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. (NASB, II Thes. 2:1-2)
These two verses tell us the topic and purpose for writing the chapter. The topic is, “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him” in other words, the rapture. The purpose was to counter the idea that, “the Day of the Lord has come.” The Thessalonians realized that the next event after the rapture was the Day of the Lord, so they became very worried when they thought they were in the Day of the Lord. The Thessalonians were undergoing great tribulation (II Thes. 1:4-7). Because of this tribulation they thought they were living in the Day of the Lord and had missed the rapture. They were equating severe tribulation with the Day of the Lord. Paul's answer in verses 3-5 is very revealing.
Let no one in any way deceive you, for it (the Day of the Lord) will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, {4} who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. {5} Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? (NASB, II Thes. 2:3-5 parentheses mine)
Essentially Paul says, "You have not missed the rapture because the Day of the Lord only begins after the apostasy and after the man of lawlessness sits in the temple claiming to be God". In other words, tribulation and the Day of the Lord are not the same thing. Although the rapture is pre-Day-of-the-Lord, it is not pre-trib. Now remember that Paul's topic was "the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him". Look at verse eight. Here Christ will destroy the lawless one or anti-Christ “by the appearance of His coming.” Paul refers to Christ's coming in verse one where he clearly associates it with the rapture and then he uses it in verse eight where he clearly associates it with the defeat of anti-Christ. Both verses are part of the same explanation. Could the same coming be in view in both verses? I think so. On the surface, my interpretation appears to be a post-trib view. However I think the rapture occurs before the bowl judgments which are directed against the anti-Christ and his followers. These bowls are called the Wrath of God and include but are not limited to the battle of Armageddon. This would place the rapture near the end of Daniel’s 70th week but earlier than the post-trib view. We must examine more verses before the whole picture becomes clear. Return to index
In order to fully understand II Thes. 2, it is important to understand what the Bible says about the Day of the Lord. The term, “Day of the Lord” is found in Isaiah 13:6, 9; Ezekiel 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14; Amos 5:18, 20; Obadiah 15; Zephaniah 1:7, 14; Malachi 4:5; Acts 2:20; I Corinthians 5:5; I Thessalonians 5:2; II Thessalonians 2:2; and II Peter 3:10. The words, “holy day of the Lord” are found in Isaiah 58:13 and is a reference to the Sabbath, not to the Day of the Lord. Notice that all of the Day of the Lord passages talk about a dreadful day of God’s judgment. It is important to note that the "Day of the Lord" passages describe the wrath of God on the earth and not the wrath of Satan. The Bible does talk about a time of Satan's wrath (Rev. 12:12; 13:5-7) but this time is never associated with the Day of the Lord. Furthermore, there are no verses that associate the Day of the Lord with the entire 70th week of Daniel. Return to index
Now read Matt. 24:15-31. Notice that this passage uses sequence markers (Immediately after, At that time etc.) indicating it is written chronologically. The passage starts with the abomination that causes desolation (vs. 15). Then comes great tribulation (vs. 21) and after that comes signs in the sun moon and stars (vs. 30). Finally after the signs in the heavens, Christ returns (vs. 30). Up to this point, we may be tempted to think that this is when Christ comes back to judge but that the rapture had already occurred prior to this passage. However, the next verse clarifies this for us, leaving us no cause for reasonable doubt.
“He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other” (NASB, Matt. 24:31).
The gathering of Christ’s elect from the four corners of the heavens is clearly a reference to the rapture. The rapture is a gathering in the sky which is announced by a trumpet (I Thess. 4:16). Many dispensationalists will contend that only Jewish elect are in view. However I believe this is a misapplication of dispensational thinking. Jesus just got through saying,
“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come” (NASB, Matt. 24:14).
Also five verses earlier Jesus said,
Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name (NASB, Matt. 24:9).
Since Jesus was speaking, "My name" means Jesus' name. This clearly identifies the persecuted ones as Christians.Thus we have clear reason to believe that the elect in this context include both Jews and Gentiles. Matthew 24 seems to confirm what we already saw in II Thess., namely that the rapture occurs sometime around the end of Daniel’s 70th week (the tribulation).
Another thing we must remember is that some Jews are Christians. Jesus disciples were the first Christians of the church age. So when Jesus was talking to his disciples, was he talking to Christians or to Jews? The answer has to be both. Sometimes the line of distinction is not as clear as we would like. God has a plan for the Church and He has a plan for the Jews. Although they are distinct plans, they are not totally separate. Whatever our view on dispensations, we must let Scripture speak for itself and not allow a theological framework to blind us to the context of key Scripture passages.

As we continue to study the Scriptures, we will be able to sequence the rapture relative to other major prophetic events as well. Start by re-reading Matt. 24:29-31 and then read Rev. 6:12-14. Notice the strong correlation between the two passages. The signs in the sun, moon and stars in these two passages appear to describe the same event. In theory at least these signs could happen twice. Yet the extreme nature of these signs makes this difficult to imagine because we are talking about complete destruction of the earth and major changes in the solar system. Now in case you are wondering, I don’t believe that these stars that fall to earth are real stars. Even one star hitting the earth would totally destroy it. I think the falling stars are most likely meteorites. However this does not discount the idea that major devastation is in view. Notice that the Matthew passage says, “the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” Now if you accept that Matt. 24:29-31 correlates with Rev. 6:12-14, we have just established that the rapture occurs at the time of the 6th seal. There are seven seals and by the fact that they are numbered we can have no reasonable doubt that they are sequential. So far we have placed the rapture as near the end of Daniel’s 70th week and as sixth in the series of seven seals. Return to index

A major argument of the pre-tribulation camp is that God loves His children so He would never subject them to His punitive judgement. Therefore the rapture must happen before the tribulation begins. The primary problem with this argument is that it assumes that the 70th week of Daniel is entirely God’s punitive judgement. In Daniel 12:10, in the midst of a description of end time events, an angel told Daniel, “Many will be purged, purified and refined; but the wicked will act wickedly, and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand” (NASB). If many are “purged, purified and refined” as a result of the events in Daniel’s 70th week, it follows that the 70th week has a significant disciplinary element and is not merely punitive in nature. We must also remember that God’s discipline is sometimes very sever. To understand this we need only review the history of God’s people the Jews or read the book of Judges or the story of Uzzah (II Sam. 6). In the New Testament look at the story of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11). Not only does God sometimes discipline His children harshly, but His discipline is a proof of His love (Rev. 3:19; Heb. 12:4-11). I do believe that part of the 70th week of Daniel is punitive and that the rapture will occur before that time begins. The book of Revelation calls that period the “wrath of God.” The important thing to remember is that the wrath of God is only a small part of the 70th week of Daniel. I discuss this time of wrath in the section “Seals, Trumpets & Bowls.” Return to index
Now if the Bible teaches the imminency of the rapture, then my understanding of the timing of the rapture cannot be correct since in my view, there are identifiable events that must occur before the rapture. I have heard various arguments for the doctrine of imminency. The first argument relates to the prophecy that Christ will come back quickly (Rev. 22:20 among others). Because Christ did not come back quickly by human standards, some look for another possible meaning of the word, and they come up with imminency. However, it is not necessary to search for other meanings of the word. Peter said it well when he said, “with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (II Pe. 3:8). Quickly can also mean, once something starts, it will be over quickly. In other words, once the end time events begin, they will continue in rapid succession. To say that quickly means imminently is unnecessary and seems to stretch the language.

Another argument is based on the fact that the New Testament saints expected Christ to return in their life times. I agree whole heartedly with this point. However, expecting Christ’s return in your life time is a far cry from expecting Christ at any moment.

From a practical standpoint, the human heart is not able to cope with the emotional stress of an any moment expectation over a long period of time. If we are expecting something big at any moment, we soon become very tired. In the New Testament we are repeatedly told to watch for Christ’s return (Matt. 24:42-43; 25:13; Mk. 13:33-37; Lk. 12:37; 21:36; I Thess. 5:6). If that watching is to be for Christ’s any moment arrival without warning, then make reservations for me at the insane asylum. Some think I should not be so easily driven insane. They say that we may die at any moment and yet most of us do not go insane anticipating our death. However, we are not commanded to be watching for our imminent death. Most of us realize that we could potentially drop dead at any moment but we do not expect an imminent death. While we acknowledge the potential of an imminent death, we reasonably expect some warning prior to our death. Those who for years continually anticipate their imminent death will most likely go insane.

Furthermore, we usually structure our everyday lives around what is probable, not what is technically possible. It is only with the greatest of difficultly that we structure our everyday lives around the imminent possibility of an event that has been just as imminently possible for the past almost 2000 years. If however that coming event was announced 2000 years ago, but will follow certain signs, it is imperative and possible for us to structure our lives around that coming event and stay watchful for the signs leading up to it. In other words, we should not structure our lives around imminency, but around the certainty and inevitability of Christ's return.

At this point we must take a fresh look at the watchfulness parables (Matt. 24:42-44; 25:1-13; Mk. 13:33-37; Lk. 12:35-37). These watchfulness parables have been used to support the idea of an any moment rapture. However none of these parables teach an any moment event. Rather they emphasize the fact that Christ has not marked His return on a calender for all to see. Take the parable of the ten virgins for example, all ten virgins were asleep and their wicks were all in need of trimming when the bridegroom's approach was announced.
"Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. {6} "But at midnight there was a shout, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' {7} "Then all those virgins rose, and trimmed their lamps (NASB, Matt. 25:5-7).
The bridegroom did not actually arrive until some time latter after the virgins had time to trim their lamps and five of them had left.
"And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut (NASB, Matt. 25:10).
We see two things here: a warning sign preceded the arrival and all 10 virgins would have been equally prepared if the bridegroom had not delayed. The difference between the five foolish and the five wise virgins was their preparedness for a delay. If Jesus was trying to teach an any moment rapture, He could have shown this much more effectively by having the bridegroom arrive unannounced and having the five wise virgins stay awake while the five foolish virgins fell asleep. The message of this parable is clearly not that we should expect the rapture at any moment. Rather the message is that we should be prepared ahead of time.
Others argue that the rapture must be imminent because it will come like a thief (I Thes. 5:2; II Peter 3:10; Rev. 16:15). There are two problems with this argument. First is that the Day of the Lord not the rapture is the subject in these passages. Second, we are also told that the Day of the Lord will not come as a thief to obedient believers (I Thes. 5:3-5; Rev. 3:3). Now if coming as a thief refers to an any moment rapture as many believe, then it would seem that His return would be unavoidably like a thief. Coming like a thief does not mean coming at any moment without any signs, it means coming when people are not prepared. We should see the signs and know, not the day or the hour, but the general time of His return.
Some would argue that there have been signs in every generation and I would agree. The fact of the matter is that God wants us to be watching. If we see some signs, we will stay alert for more signs. Today we have more signs than ever before, so it behooves us to keep watching, though we will go crazy if we are anxiously waiting for an any moment return. Return to index
I believe in dispensations, but I do not believe that this doctrine supports the idea of a pre-trib rapture. Dispensationalism sees a time period or dispensation sandwiched in between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel. This time period is called the dispensation of grace or the church age. Dispensationalists are correct when they say that the 70 weeks of Daniel are all about Israel (Dan. 9:24). Where they go wrong is when they assume that the church cannot be present during the 70 weeks just because they are not the focus of the 70 weeks. By that same logic, temple worship and the Jewish nation should not exist during the Church age. We know that temple worship and the Jewish nation continued for more than thirty years after the beginning of the Church age. Of course the Jewish nation was also re-establish in 1948 and continues to this day. Not only is the Jewish nation present in the Church age, but the Church was present in Daniel's 69th week. Most believe Daniel's 69th week ended with the death of Christ and it could not have ended any earlier (Dan. 9:26). However, long before His crucifixion, Jesus offered people forgiveness apart from the law (Lk. 5:20f; 7:47f). Also Jesus called the apostles three years before His crucifixion. These apostles were the first followers of Christ and the leaders in the early Church (book of Acts). These apostles were also used to symbolize the entire Church in the book of Revelation.
And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (NASB, Rev. 21:14).
The city being described is the bride of Christ, the New Jerusalem. This city also bears the names of the twelve tribe of Israel (Rev. 21:12). Together these 24 names represent the bride of Christ. So these apostles who were following Jesus during the 69th week of Daniel are representative of the Church. Clearly the Church came into existence during the 69th week of Daniel. Why should it surprise us that the Church will be present for part of the 70th week of Daniel as well. Return to index
‘Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth (NASB, Rev. 3:10).
First we must consider what is being referred to as, “the hour of testing.” The word translated “testing” means to test or tempt, but it does not mean to judge. Some believe that the “hour of testing” refers to the Day of the Lord. We know that the Day of the Lord is a day of judgment. Could it be that this time is also meant to test or demonstrate the true character of unbelievers? It certainly will reveal their true character because they will respond with fear and rejection of God rather than repentance towards God. In other words, they will show by their actions that they actually do believe in God but they don’t like Him. However testing usually involves the idea of separating the good from the bad. The Day of the Lord is primarily retribution on the wicked. Christ could have said, “I will keep you from the hour of trouble that will come on the whole earth to punish those who dwell on the earth.” Why did He say “hour of testing” instead of “hour of trouble”? Why did He say “to test” instead of “to punish”?
The “hour of testing” could also easily apply to the Great Tribulation/persecution. It is important to remember that “testing” may or may not involve hard times for the one being tested. Many verses in the Bible talk about people testing God by their sin and people testing Jesus with questions. Unbelievers don’t need to be having trials to be tested. We know that during times of severe persecution two things happen. Many people who were not Christians become Christians and many people who previously professed to be Christians become cruel and violent enemies of the gospel. In other words, there is nothing like severe persecution to bring out the true character of both professing Christians and non-Christians. The Great Tribulation will be a defining time for many people (Matt.24:10; Daniel 12:3, 10). During the Great Tribulation everyone on earth except the true Christians will change who they worship. They will either worship Anti-Christ or worship God and pay the price (Rev. 13:7-8). By contrast, the Day of the Lord will be a time when people dig in their heals and refuse to change (Rev. 6:16; 9:20-21; 16:9, 11). Therefore, in my mind, “the hour of testing” seems to fit best with the Great Tribulation.
The pre-trib argument usually goes something like the following. The believers in the Philadelphia church were promised exception from the hour of trial because they have endured patiently. Since there are individuals in every generation who have endured patiently, this is a blanket promise that the church will not enter the hour of trial. However, this passage was addressed to the church in general, not individuals within the church. In verse twelve, Christ addresses specific members of the church of Philadelphia who will overcome.
‘He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name (NASB, Rev. 3:12).
Individual believers can each claim this promise if they fulfill its condition. However, we as individuals cannot meet the condition of the promise in verse ten because the condition is a corporate one. It is not addressed to those who overcome, but to the church in general. Now read verse sixteen which was written to the church of Laodicea.
‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth’ (NASB, Rev. 3:16).
Notice that the condition is again a corporate one, but the promise is of judgment. Down in verse twenty-one Christ addresses the individual believers by saying that “He who overcomes” will sit with Christ on His throne. Again we as individuals can meet the conditions of verse twenty-one and thus receive the promised reward. However if we are part of a church age that is lukewarm, then we are headed for a time of testing on this earth before we receive our throne. Return to index
looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus (NASB, Titus 2:13).
The “blessed hope” is often considered to be the any moment rapture. The context clearly shows that the “blessed hope” relates to end time events, but it does not say that it is the rapture much less an “any moment” rapture. If the “blessed hope” is an any moment surprise rapture, many engaged couples and newly weds would not consider it a blessed hope. On the other hand, if the “blessed hope” is eternal life with Christ for both the living and dead, then it is truly a blessed hope for all who love Christ. For all those who have gone through difficult times hoping for an any moment rapture, the “any moment rapture” has become a great disillusionment. Our blessed hope is not hope of imminent rescue, but hope of ultimate victory, joy and bliss in the presence of our Savior. Return to index
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way (NASB, II Thes. 2:7).
Who is the restrainer who will be taken out of the way? The passage does not tell us, so we are left to guess. Many believe the restrainer is the church or the Holy Spirit. Therefore they believe, “be taken out of the way” refers to a pre-70th week rapture. However, we have already seen evidence that the church will be present for more than half of Daniel’s 70th week. If the restrainer is not the church or the Holy Spirit, who is it? Do we have a reasonable alternative? Daniel 12:1 seems to indicate that the restrainer is Michael the archangel. Here Michael’s arising is associated with the beginning of the time of distress. Michael is the angel charged with protecting God’s people the Jews. As soon as the anti-Christ is revealed (sets up the abomination in the temple and demands to be worshiped), the Jews in Judea are told to flee to the mountains (Matt. 24:16-22). The revealing of the anti-Christ marks the beginning of the destruction of Israel. Therefore it is natural to think that the restrainer is Michael. Michael must protect Israel by holding back the anti-Christ until the appointed time. Whatever the case may be, the identity of the restrainer cannot be used as proof of any time line, since the Scripture is not clear on this issue. Return to index
While this is true, it is not significant for the following two reasons.
First, the word “church” and it’s Greek counterpart do not appear in many other key New Testament passages. It does not occur in the great commission passages for example, nor does it appear in the books of Mark, Luke, John, II Timothy, Titus, I & II Peter, I & II John and Jude. In some other books it is mentioned in the greeting section rather than the teaching section of the book. It is abundantly clear that the word “church” does not have to be used every time the church is being addressed.
Second, the word “church,” as used in most of the New Testament, is not a theological word as we think of it today. It means an assembly or congregation and is even used of Jews in the Old Testament (Acts 7:38; Heb. 2:12) and a mob gathered in a riot (Acts 19:32, 40). Although the English word “church” does not appear in these passages, the Greek word is the same one translated “church” in other passages. Return to index
Bibliotheca Sacra featured two articles criticizing the pre-wrath rapture doctrine. The first was “A Review of The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church” by Gerald B Stanton in the January-March 1991 edition. The second was “Another Look at Rosenthal’s “Pre-Wrath Rapture” by John A McLean in the October-December 1991 edition. Although I agree with these authors on a few points, I take issue with their argumentation. I will illustrate the problem from the concluding statements of each article. Consider this quote from the closing statements of Stanton’s article.
It is reasonable to inquire about the effect of these new prophetic views on their author as he prepared them in written form for the Christian public. For this, it is essential to return to the opening chapter, perhaps the most dismal portion of the entire book. Rosenthal testifies that the writing of his book caused him “the most difficult, tension-filled, heart-wrenching two and a half years” of his life. He speaks of sleepless nights and excruciating tension, of strained and somber board meetings, of agony of soul and the trauma of lost friendships and a lost job.

While readers respond to this agony with deep regret and empathy, it is hardly the mark of being taught and led by the Spirit. One would think that a new clarification of a divisive problem of eschatology which has troubled the church for more than a hundred years, with the Spirit finally fulfilling the promise of Daniel 12:4 and shedding new light and understanding, would be accompanied by the joy of illumination and the peace of divine guidance. Such was evidently not the case. (Gerald B Stanton, p.111)
It should be clear to any honest Bible teacher that great new insights into the Scripture frequently come with great soul wrenching and not initially with joy and peace. The Biblical examples are numerous; the nation of Israel at the coming of Christ, Saul after encountering Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-9; 23-26), Daniel after receiving a vision of the future (Daniel 7:15, 28; 8:27) to name a few. In history we have the example of Martin Luther among others.
We also see false claims in the concluding statements of John A. McLean. He writes,
Rosenthal’s basic thesis is that the rapture must precede the wrath of God, and that the rapture will follow the tribulation. ...But can the tribulation and God’s wrath (which he says involves only the seven trumpet judgments) be separated in this way? ...Tribulation can be seen as a part of God’s wrath. First Thessalonians 5:9 and 1:10 clearly state that God has not appointed believers to wrath ... and He will deliver them from it (John A. McLean, p. 397).
McLean goes on to claim that the promise of deliverance from wrath is a promise of deliverance from the entire tribulation period, a period he claims is being refered to in Matthew 24:9 (John A McLean, p. 389, 397-398).
“Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name (NASB, Matt. 24:9).
It is precisely believers that this passage predicts will receive tribulation during this time. McLean also seems to forget about John 16:33.
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (NASB, John 16:33).
Although we are not appointed to wrath, we are appointed to tribulation! Tribulation and God’s wrath are not the same thing. It is true that wrath involves tribulation. However tribulation is not the same thing as wrath. Return to index
Understanding that the anti-Christ will come before the rapture should affect our everyday life in several ways. First, it should change our expectations in life. Knowing that the anti-Christ will take over the world before the true Christ returns should make us expect persecution and hard times rather than imminent rescue. Just knowing that the trials and persecutions we are going through are to be expected can help us have a better attitude. Realizing that our trials will probably get increasingly worse during this life will help us seek God’s strength to endure rather than merely seeking a way out. It is amazing how much worse our trials seem when we are expecting a bed of roses. If we are expecting a brier patch, we are much more capable of dealing with a brier patch. We are also much more thankful for the roses God places in our path.
Second, understanding that the anti-Christ will come before the rapture should make us less susceptible to Satan’s lies. Many false prophets will arise in the last days offering escape from our trials. If we are expecting God to rescue us from our trials, we will be very susceptible to the lies. There have been many martyrs throughout history. Maybe we will not be martyred, but how dare we expect an easy life when many others have suffered so much even to the point of death. Don’t run to every spiritual leader promising quick easy solutions. Our hope in not in this life! This life promises to be full of trouble. Accept it and live your fleeting earthly life for eternity. To expect bliss is to invite deception.
Third, understanding that the anti-Christ will come before the rapture should make us study the Scriptures diligently. Our faith will most likely be put to the test. The better we know God and His word, the better off we will be. The Scripture tells us a lot about what to expect. If we study the Scriptures, we will not be caught off guard. We can also watch for the signs in the sun, moon and stars. When we see them, we will know that our rescue is truly imminent. When we read the Scriptures, we have much to be hopeful about, but “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied” (NASB, I Cor. 15:19).
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All Scripture quotations are from:

New American Standard Bible ., electronic edition. (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1986; Published in electronic form by Logos Research Systems, 1996).






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