Time of Tribulation

Many speak, teach and preach about the time of Great Tribulation. The problem is that when we speak of the Great Tribulation we speak of a specific event or time that will come to pass that this world has never seen as Jesus mentions in Matthew 24:21 “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” Jesus also speaks of tribulation in verse 29 “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 the heavens shall be shaken:” These are two distinct times are not one and the same.

Even Revelation 7:14 speaks of the Great Tribulation and those that come out of it, “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.” And this is talking of that time that Jesus had spoken of earlier about a time that the world has never seen nor ever will see again. Then you can see in Revelation 2:10 “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” and 22 “Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.” that there are differences between tribulation and Great Tribulation.

The main reason that I am making a comparison between the two is because we are facing one of them now and the majority of those that call themselves Christians have no clue of it happening. Tribulation can come in two different forms as well and I believe that this could be why so many are not seeing it now. The easiest form to see is the physical form of tribulation, but it is the spiritual one that we are undergoing at the moment more than the physical. Satan is attacking God’s people spiritually by having the churches and its members begin to compromise on the truth and to become more morally relaxed in their beliefs.

The church is slowly being compromised in areas of homosexuality (Leviticus 20:3 “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.” This also applies to women that lay with women), same sex marriages, drugs (slow excepting of marijuana), even cross dressing (Deuteronomy 22:5 “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.” This goes for the men as well, so don’t think you can get away with it either) and even the relaxing on the thought of cohabitation. Though abortion seems to be one issue that brings up strong emotions but even that seems to have been affected. Of course these are the biggest issues that face the church today it seems, though it is the teaching of the truth and having the back bone to stand up for it come hell or high water that is undermining peoples foundations.

We being God’s people will face times of tribulation. You will find in Deuteronomy 4:30-31 “When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.” that we are to call upon God in these times, but we are also to keep what He has asked of His people in verse 40 “Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever.”

If those that God has blessed continue on their course they will eventually face a time when God will not save them and that they will reap exactly what they have sown, Judges 10:13-14 “Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.” God is both patient and loving, but He is not some push over that will continue to put up with His blessings being misused.

We are and have been in a tribulation that just continues to get worse and it will eventually become manifested in the physical world when this nation that has been blessed by God regardless of our own wonderings away from Him and He sends another to punish us for disregard to His Law willing disrespect to Him and all that He is. There are too many that fulfill 1 John 2:4 “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” That it has corrupted the body of Christ so much that God will have to eventually step in and do something about it.

Let us pray that God will deliver His people few as they may be, from what will come to pass and let us continue to strengthen our relationship with God and that we may be found worthy to escape the things to come. This does make me think of another study I could turn into a sermon dealing with the “rapture” that I may do another time.