I sat down to write this to help give assurance to the people of God.  There are many opinions, varied and wide.  I wanted to share with you some of the reasons I believe in the imminent return of our Lord.  Whatever you believe, we know that God’s plan will take precedence over all of our opinions.  I only seek to relate some of what I believe and why I believe it and hopefully, it will be an encouragement to you.  Again, this is not a thorough treatment of this subject, but I only offer it to you for your reading.  Please read all the way to the end or you will miss some important information.

1. The Tribulation is referred to as “the time of Jacob’s trouble.” Jeremiah 30:7 It is a time of judgment for Israel and the Jewish people for rejecting their Messiah when He came the first time. Keep in mind how God dealt with Israel over and over again in the Old Testament, blessing them and then rebuking them. The purpose of the Tribulation is not about nor for the Church.

2. Judgment for the believer was settled at the cross. Romans 8:1 “There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” The Tribulation is a time of judgment on the world. The believer’s judgment was paid for at the cross, therefore there is no further judgment for the Christian. The judgment seat of Christ, known as the Bema Seat is about rewards for service, not punishment for sin. We will then be judged on the opportunities we were given to serve Christ and the ones we took advantage of.

3. “Looking for that blessed hope” does not lend itself to the punishment and suffering of the Tribulation, the likes of harshness the world has never seen. What kind of hope is it IF we are looking forward to going through the Tribulation and its judgments. It would make God’s judgment on believers illogical. Jesus coming to take us home is joyful and exciting to look forward to, to be watching and waiting because He could come at any moment.

4. There is a time for Christ to come “for” His saints” (I Thess. 4:16-18), the saved ones, and a time for Him to come “with” His saints” (I Thess. 3:13; Jude 1:14). The first time He comes, only believers will be caught up and it is never spoken about as a time of judgment or Tribulation. It is when we lose those old sinful bodies and receive new resurrected bodies, known as “glorified bodies” which are like Jesus body when He was resurrected.

If one puts the Rapture after the Tribulation, it infers that Christians are to go through this time of punishment meant for the Jewish nation and the nations that have rejected Christ and blasphemed His name. If one believes in Post-Tribulation Rapture, then believers would be caught up and then immediately brought right back down to the earth, which doesn’t seem logical.

If one places a mid-tribulation point for the Rapture as in Revelation 7:14 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. (only rapture reference I see during the Tribulation), so, that does not make sense because those who are raptured Tribulation saints have come out of the Great Tribulation, which is the last 3 ½ years of that period, rather during the middle of it.

5. The mention that people in the Tribulation will have to endure to the end (Matthew 24:13) and be faithful in order to go into the Millennial Kingdom is analogous to a “works” salvation which is foreign to Ephesians 2:8,9.

6. The Chronology of the Book of Revelation. Rev 1:19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.. In the first 3 chapters, we see the church on earth, representing the church age. Chapter 4 the scene is in Heaven and 4:1 says “I will show you what must take place after this.” After what? After the church has been removed. AFTER CHAPTER 3 OF REVELATION, THE CHURCH IS NOT MENTIONED ANYMORE!!! Mainly the Jews and godless nations are suffering judgment during this time of Tribulation.

7.There are no instructions to the church on how to participate in the Tribulation which is an indication that the church will not be there.

8. If you believe that Christ’s coming is imminent, meaning that He could come back today, then you are pre-millennial, pre-tribulation in your thoughts. I believe it is the most Biblical, logical, chronological and joyful belief we Christians possess.

9. The Church “was the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints.“ (Colossians 1:26). We only see the Church being active from the cross (realistically Pentecost) to the Rapture. It is a special time for Gentiles to be saved as well as Jews and all people and it would become the “body” of Christ. It was kept from the prophets of old and begun after the death, resurrection, and Ascension of Christ. We are living in that time-period now. If one reads his Bible carefully that should become evident. God chose and used Paul and the Apostles to spread the Good News throughout the world.  That’s what we seek to do as believers in Christ Jesus.

Rejoice, your redemption draws near. The final part of our redemption is when Jesus comes at the Rapture and we are changed from mortal to immortality, from corruption to incorruption. Our old earthly corrupt and sinful bodies get a new body like the Lord Jesus and “we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is.” (I John 3:2) We will be changed in an instant and receive our resurrected bodies, free of sin and its oppression and disease and changed into eternal, holy, and glorified bodies.

I wish you could hear me as I shout Hallelujah to my King. I long to see Him. I wait for Him. Come quickly Lord Jesus! The tears flow down my cheeks as I ponder the moment that I will see Him.

If through belief one is looking toward to the Tribulation Period that comes on the world to try everyone, how can one rejoice? What is there to hope for? The Tribulation would always be looming ahead which would not bring joy. Only His coming again to meet us in the air and take us to be with Him forever brings joy.

Take heart, your salvation is nearer than you think.

God bless,
Ken Lewis, Th.D.