SUMMARY
To comment on what has been written so far, I would like to note that I have endeavored to use as much Biblical references as possible in order to not present an opinion, but rather find out what the scriptures say about the Lord's return. There are many who disagree with this view, but as the saying goes, ”We are allowed to disagree agreeably”. If there is one piece of information I pray you hang onto from reading this book it would be that you remember this: “There will be no divine wrath poured out upon this earth before the Day of the Lord!” The Day of the Lord is the time for divine wrath. If you can grasp this fact then most of the other puzzle pieces should fall together when you begin your own investigation and study into end times events. Below I have summarized the reasons for believing in the position presented in this book, and the chronological order presented with this view.
1) The Old Testament speaks of the Day of the Lord as a time when the nations will be judged and the return of the Lord will take place upon the earth.
2) There are no distinctions is scripture of a separate incident involving the Church being raptured apart from the return of Jesus.
3) The persecution of the Church has been, and will again be, a means for God to purify and strengthen the faith of the believers.
4) The simple explanation given by Jesus comparing the coming of the Son of Man with the days of Noah and of Lot (i.e. the righteous removed and those remaining destroyed) are not in amity with complex explanations required to make a pretrib view feasible, and the multiple returns of Jesus, indicated by a pretrib doctrine.
5) In determining a time frame for when the Rapture occurs we know that it will take place almost simultaneously (just following) the first resurrection of the dead, a fact that Rev 20:4-5 says is also for those who did not receive the mark during the Great Persecution by the Antichrist.
6) The scriptures mentioning the chosen ones and the saints who are persecuted by the Beast harmonize with the concept of the Church residing on earth during this period, and it is only from a presupposed theory of the Church being gone, before the Great Persecution occurs, that the invention of implausible explanations occur (i.e. the Tribulation Saints theory).
These are some basic reasons for my belief that we Christians as the Church, (either we or our children), will go through the greatest time of persecution the world has ever seen. The fact that I believe in a Church tribulation period, however, should not panic the brethren and cause them to sell all they have and buy a desolate and remote piece of property where no one can find them. It is not that far fetched of an idea to believe in the position outlined above. The fact that the Church will undergo great persecution, I’ll admit, is not the most pleasant thought, but remember that God has a special blessing for us because of our martyrdom (see II Thess 1:5 and Rev 14:13) and we should have the strength, through Christ, to endure.
The final point I want to make concerns the believer's attitude during this holocaust that will be inflicted upon us. As I just stated, I hope this doesn’t make people start thinking about running off to remote regions and hide out like a terrified animal. Or, when the Great Persecution is in full swing, to become like the Christians in the 3rd century A.D., under the Diocletian persecutions, and “run into the flames” of martyrdom. When it first dawned on me what the Church would endure under the Antichrist’s tyranny my initial reaction was to find a big cave, pack in supplies to last roughly 3 1/2 years, and to hide until the rapture. But during a Bible study I came across Revelation 19:10 which says, ”Worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesy.” This verse stuck in my mind, and since we know that believers have the testimony of Jesus I believe there is a purpose we need to fulfill during these last years before the end of the age. Jesus tell us in Luke 21:
“But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth of wisdom..."
We know that this gospel must be preached to the entire world before the end comes, but I believe the greatest time of evangelism should be during the last 3 1/2 years of this earth’s history. The two witnesses in Revelation 11 are good examples of the testimony of Jesus and the spirit of prophesy. The greatest message to give to this world is what we as Christians have, and what we know will come quickly upon this earth. Before the opportunity arises for the unbelievers to take the mark we must proclaim Jesus and His impending return, preaching with the utmost zeal and fervor we have ever had. We must occupy (and prophecy) until He comes. And, according to Joel chapter 2 (speaking of a time right before the day of the Lord), God will pour out His Spirit and empower us with this ability to prophesy and evangelize. When the Lord returns we need to be about our Lord’s business and to hear, “Well done thou good and faithful servant”, instead of following the example of the unfaithful steward (see Matt 25:24-25) and go bury ourselves in the ground.