- Warning!
This might be one of the most controversial videos
that you will watch on my channel.
The topic I'm going to address is a topic that is
highly contested and argued over in Christianity
but let's start from the beginning.
The three things we all agree on as Christians:
That there will be a tribulation, coming of the Antichrist
the false prophet, the false teacher
There will also be a second coming of Jesus Christ.
the Bible is very clear about it.
And number three is there will be a rapture of believers
where believers will be caught up to meet the Lord.
What many people disagree on is when that will happen,
meaning the rapture of the believers.
There is really three main positions on the topic of
the rapture of the believers.
The first one is the pre-tribulation.
This is the most common view today
although it's not generally been taught until the 19th century.
So, up to 19th century people didn't necessary uphold this view
but today it's the common view.
Those who hold this view believe that the Bible
does not prophesy that the church will be a part of
the tribulation.
That the church is no longer mentioned
after Revelation chapter 3.
Therefore, Christ will return prior to the tribulation
to rapture all the believers in heaven.
And the wrath of God is the big issue here
since the tribulation is the season of the pouring of
the wrath of God that this view believes
that God saves us from the wrath to come.
Therefore, He will not allow us to go through tribulation
since it will be a time of the pouring of His wrath.
The second view is the mid-tribulation.
This is the least commonly held position today.
It teaches that the Church will go through the first
three-and-a-half years of the tribulation
and then it will be raptured prior to the great tribulation
of the last three-and-a-half years.
And then there is the post-tribulation.
Post-tribulation. This is the longest held position
in the Church history.
It teaches that the church will go through the entire
seven years of the tribulation
after which the believers will be raptured
and then immediately return at Christ's second coming.
In other words, the rapture and the second coming
is pretty much similar events.
Now I want to probe and mention seven things
and we will look at few Scriptures why I think that
we will have rapture after the tribulation
and that second coming of Jesus and the rapture
are pretty much same events.
From the beginning, I don't want that. I want to stick with
most of the believers including some of my friends
who believe that rapture will happen first
and then the tribulation.
But studying the history of the Church,
seeing that for 19 centuries, Church didn't uphold that view.
They went through very difficult times.
And therefore I believe that as a Christian I have
to be prepared to go through the tribulation
but I hope I don't have to.
So, this video is me saying, "I hope I'm wrong 100%."
But as we will look at few verses right now
you will see and I hope that you will lean toward that as well
not so that you can start expecting tribulation
but that you prepare for tribulation
because bad things are going to come.
Before things get better, things will become worse.
And people who are especially in Western countries
who uphold the view that before the world goes crazy
we are all going to be taken
and we will go into this secret rapture,
and we are going to avoid that.
The problem is that that's the luxury of the Western Christians
to believe in that.
The rest of the world who is going through persecution
who is getting killed, slaughtered and destroyed,
they actually don't hold that view.
Not because they don't know the Bible, it's because to them
persecution is a normal part of Christian life.
And so, God wants to build strong, stable Christians
not snowflakes.
And people who-- I don't want it to be disappointed that
if you end up going to the tribulation and you believe that
you shouldn't go through the tribulation
and take the mark of the beast because you think that's not
the mark of the beast because should be existing
after you are gone.
And so you don't become deceived.
And so, I just want to prepare you.
Perhaps, maybe we are going to have to go
through the tribulation.
Some of us are going through hardships right now
and we need to cheer up and be of good cheer because
Jesus has overcome the world and we will overcome as well.
That doesn't mean that God will protect us from death
but God will be our deliverer even in death.
So I want to explore seven things concerning the idea that
tribulation will happen before-- that rapture will happen
before tribulation.
And I want to pretty much want to kind of explore
some of the things that even a lot Christians hold on today.
This popular view.
And I want to put some needles into that balloon. Okay?
So those of you who disagree, be nice in the comments below.
Don't get nasty, okay? So be kind.
We can agree to disagree. None of us know 100% for sure
but we can speculate and we can look at the Scripture
and let the Scripture speak to us. Okay?
I ask you that you look at the Scriptures that I'm going to
present to you not with your perspective that you were taught
but let the Scriptures speak to you instead of imposing
your own Western comfort-driven snowflake Christianity
where a lot of us have them.
And so, we always think that somehow God did not rescue
for thousands of years, Christians from persecution;
being slaughtered and being killed, and now in the last days
somehow He will take all of us from all of that bad
because we are somehow super-special.
Unfortunately, that's the farthest thing from the truth.
So the first thing that I want to highlight is that
the Bible talks only one second coming of Jesus Christ.
If rapture happens seven years before the second coming of Jesus
and the Bible clearly states that during rapture
we will meet the Lord in the air,
that means that the Lord will come, okay?
If He will come, that means that His second coming
will happen twice which contradicts the Scripture.
There is no one instance in the Bible concerning Jesus'
two comings. You will not find one Scripture.
Therefore I lean towards that there will be only
one second coming.
And if we are going to meet Him in the air
and He will be coming down already,
then that's the coming of Jesus where we will be raptured.
The second truth that I want you to consider
or fact I want you to consider
the following verses indicate that our rapture to the Lord
and His coming are the same event.
So, not only do we not see two comings of Jesus,
two second comings of Jesus;
we see His first coming to die, His second coming to reign
but we don't see two second comings.
We don't see it nowhere in the Bible.
And the second thing I want you to notice is how the Scriptures
tie our rapture to Him and His coming,
the second coming of the Lord as the same event.
Let's look at 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.
"For the Lord himself will come descend from heaven,
with a loud shout."
Now I have another video that deals with 10 truths
about the second coming of Jesus.
And in that video I go into details concerning the trumpet
the sound, and the lightning. And all of that will accompany
His second coming.
So this is describing not a secret rapture.
"With a shout", that means that there will be a noise.
"with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God."
So there will be a trumpet sounding,
there will be a voice of an archangel,
and there will be a shout at the Lord descending from heaven.
Okay? So He is coming already.
Have you noticed it does not specify that we are going to heaven?
It means that we will be with Him
which is consistent with 1 Corinthians 15:51-52.
So we see the sound again.
So this is not some kind of a quiet secret--
we are talking about a trumpet in here.
The last trumpet will sound.
So this is talking about a sound of a trumpet.
It's talking about His descending from heaven
and us meeting Him halfway.
The fact number three is Jesus' second coming
is happening after tribulation, not before.
It's obvious in Matthew 24:29.
Have you noticed that the Bible gives us only one
second coming of Jesus?
And if He is going to descend as it says in 1 Thessalonians
that is talking about His coming, okay?
There is no verse in the Scripture that indicates
He's coming halfway; He is coming all the way.
Second time He is coming, He's coming all the way
and we are meeting halfway. We are meeting Him in the air.
And this coming as Matthew 24 indicates
is after the tribulation, not before.
Number four, there is not one clear Scripture that indicates
that the Church will skip the tribulation.
Now unless you bring pre-tribulation view into certain Scriptures
and take it out of context, then you make it mean
what you want it to mean.
For example, even the idea that we will not be here for
tribulation because in Revelation chapter 4
John is asked to go up to heaven. That's not very clear.
That's not a clear indication.
That's like saying you know, blind Bartimeaus,
that story speaks of spiritual blindness being removed.
Now you can use different applications for blind Bartimeaus.
But the literal interpretation of blind Bartimeaus is
he was blind.
And the literal interpretation of that is that John was taken
into the spirit realm to see what's going to happen.
Now, could John represent the church? Yeah.
And John could also represent your time in the secret place
with God where God takes you and shows you His love.
And so I wouldn't base the fact that the Church will skip tribulation
because John was taken up to heaven.
It's not a clear indication.
And the Church is no longer mentioned during the times
of tribulation. That's not very clear indication.
And people talk about, what about 70 weeks of Daniel?
We will dive into that in just a moment.
But we just don't see a very clear indication that the Church
will skip the tribulation.
Number five, the first resurrection happens right before
a thousand year reign of Christ, not before the tribulation.
Now listen to me very carefully.
Those of you who still hold on to that strongly
you have one big big problem with one Scripture.
And this is the problem that honestly there is no way
to explain it. That's Revelation 20:4-6.
So during tribulation people are going to be saved
who are going to refuse the beast and his image, okay?
So people will die for Christ during tribulation.
Some people say, "Well, these are the people who got saved
during tribulation." But it's the same people who say that
the Church will be taken and the Holy Spirit will be gone
as well with the Church to heaven.
And so, how will they be saved without somebody witnessing
to them and without the Holy Spirit?
And so, that already has weak arguments
but that's not what I'm trying to say here.
It's what it says further on what it says. It says:
So these people after tribulation, they get slaughtered
they live and they reign with Christ.
And the Bible says:
So first resurrection happens, these Christians get raised
from the dead.
And then the Bible says, "this is the first resurrection." Okay?
So people who lose their lives will not worship the beast
or his image and will not take his mark. Okay?
They will rise again and reign with Christ for a thousand years.
And guess what kind of resurrection this is? First one.
So that has-- then I have a problem.
If there is a resurrection that is happening with rapture
seven years before that, Bible clearly states we will be changed
and those who are dead will be raised from the dead.
So which resurrection is that then? Not the first one.
If the first resurrection is right at the coming of Jesus
before His thousand-year reign, of people who died
then which resurrection are people going to experience
seven years prior to that? It's not the first then.
And so then that becomes a problem because the first resurrection
does not happen until Jesus will set up
His one thousand year reign on the earth.
So that tells me that there will be only one first resurrection
at His second coming, not before then.
The sixth thing I want you to consider is the wrath of God
factor during the great tribulation.
We know that 1 Thessalonians 5:9 says that;
But this is not talking about the wrath on the earth.
It's talking about the eternal outpouring of God's wrath.
We know that there is certain levels of consequences
of sin we all as Christians are currently suffering under
even those who are saved.
Like for example, we are still dying, we still get sick
and we still get certain attacks like, somebody who is evil
can attack us and even take our own lives.
So just because we are saved from the wrath of God
that does not mean that we are no longer under no effects of
this evil and the consequences.
Some of that is God punishing things on this earth.
And the wrath of God that will be poured out during tribulation
on the throne of the beast and on the throne of the Antichrist
and everything, it won't be poured out in His fullness.
The Antichrist, Satan and the whole of the unholy trinity
will still go to the lake of fire.
So the three-and-a-half years is not going to be
the pouring of God's wrath alone. It will be a small appetizer.
And I believe that as Christians God is able to keep us
from that wrath while even we go through the tribulation.
[Revelation 3:10] says, "He delivers us from the hour of trial
that is to come on the earth."
This could mean two things.
That either Christ will protect believers in the midst of trials
or He will deliver believers out of trials.
And we see both things happening in the Bible.
Like for example, we see God taking Lot out of Sodom and Gomorrah
when He is pouring out His wrath. Fire and brimstone
on Sodom and Gomorrah. And people use that and say
"Well, this is an example that that's exactly what God
"is going to do with all the believers.
He is going to take us out of harm's way."
But there are so many instances for example like Noah.
God didn't take Noah out, He took the bad people out
through His wrath.
He kept Noah right in the middle of it on the earth.
In the flood, Noah was here on this earth.
Or for example, Israel. We see that God didn't take Israel
out of Egypt when He was bringing 10 plagues on Egypt.
In fact, the first few plagues Israel suffered
the same consequences that Egypt did.
And then as the plagues intensified, God started to protect
Israel in Egypt. He didn't take them out of Egypt yet
as the wrath of His, plagues and punishments were coming
upon the gods of Egypt.
And so, it's completely possible to be saved from
the wrath of God through the death of Jesus Christ.
It does not mean that there will be no pains on this earth
trials and tribulations and that we will never be affected,
we will never be killed, we will never be persecuted,
abused for the cause of Christ or that we some times
might not experience some kind of light afflictions
that are a result of punishment of sin on this earth.
And if you don't believe in that may I remind you
you are still physically going to die. And what is death?
It's God saying if you eat of the forbidden tree,
you are going to die. That's the consequence of sin.
Certain things are still going to happen.
The wrath of God will still await the ungodly
even after the tribulation.
And we are all experiencing certain measure of God's wrath
or punishment for sin on the earth even today.
Now, Daniel's 70 weeks.
That's another one where people use and say,
"Well, this is an indication that there will be that one week
that will happen during the seven year tribulation
and we will all be taken."
According to Daniel 9:27 there is seventieth, seven seven years
that is still yet to come.
Daniel's entire prophecy of the seventy sevens
is speaking over the nation of Israel.
It is a period of time in which God will focus His attention
especially on Israel.
The seventeenth seven, the tribulation will also be a time
when God deals specifically with Israel.
While this does not necessarily indicate that the Church
could not be present. There is no indication that the Church
will be absent during that time.
We speculate, honestly we hope we won't be here.
So please understand. I'm not in any way trying to tell you
to start hoping for the great tribulation.
I'm saying hope that you are going to escape it but prepare
for you to go through it.
And the last thing that I want to mention concerning this
that we will go through the great tribulation is that
what makes believers so special in the last days
that they will be spared from persecution and death.
You know what makes them so special? Nothing.
If believers for hundreds and 2,000 years went through suffering
death, persecution, believers in the last days are not going
to be spared from that either.
In fact, we as people in the Western countries enjoy freedom
we must understand that for many believers
this is not their experience.
In other words, tribulation is a normal experience of believers
in every age.
"Not experiencing affliction is a blessed exception
"that we should enjoy when we have it but we should not count
"on it as if it was our right in Christ.
"We should always be ready to suffer for Christ.
Always be ready for His return."
And these are the words of Dr. Michael Brown
in his book, Not afraid of the Antichrist.
In John 16:33 Jesus says:
In 2 Timothy 3:12 it says:
So what do you think?
Will Christians go through the tribulation?
If you think that we will skip the tribulation, what is your proof?
Could you share down below? We would love to have that.
Remember, nice discussions.
Not a fight, and don't get nasty or start arguing.
Let's disagree respectfully.
My final words to you is this: Jesus is coming.
Tribulation is coming, and we are going to meet Him.
We don't know exactly. Based on the verses I've shared
and looking at other verses, I think we have to be prepared
to go through the tribulation, but I pray we don't.
Thank you for watching this video.
I hope that you found it encouraging.
I hope I didn't burst your bubble of hope.
And I know that when I started to dive into these verses
it kind of honestly, it first kind of deflated my expectation
because I was really hoping I'm going to escape everything
you know and as I started to dive in, I started to develop
this persistence that I'm not afraid of Antichrist,
I'm not afraid of persecution, I'm not afraid of 666,
or the chip or whatever that is coming.
And honestly looking at this world right now I think that
it's a rehearsal.
I think it's a practice of what's to come
because we have never ever in the world been,
the world has been so united around something like COVID,
like the vaccines, in every country it's pushed on people,
people almost don't have a choice, and people who do not take it
is perceived like, you are bad and everything.
And I'm not saying that the vaccine is connected with the Antichrist
but I do think that the world is being prepared
for one government, for one currency and for one ruler.
And we are a lot closer than we think.
But it could take much longer than we think.
Regardless when that's going to happen,
we have to serve the Lord today.
We have to prepare for tribulation, for persecution
and we have to hope and pray that we escape.