"Wars and rumors of wars"

Are you prepared for what is coming?

If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. - Jn. 14:3

As I sit down to write this, I realize I think more about religion than politics, but I seem to write more about politics than religion. Sometimes the two cross paths, which is not surprising as, despite the desire of many people, religion and politics are inextricably linked. Thinking about all that is going on in the world, much of it political, I can not help but ponder eschatology. Similar to previous generations, there are wars and rumors of wars - Ukraine/Russia , Israel/Palestine, Iran, Afghanistan, Libya, Ethiopia, Africa, Yemen, Myanmar, Taiwan/China with potential U.S. involvement, and more. Famines are not yet happening, but food shortages are looming around the globe. Crime is on the rise. Many retail chains shuttering stores in cities across America due to theft, and to read in the news of violent attacks is a regular occurrence. G20 leaders agreeing to implement a global vaccine passport that would affect peoples’ travels. Governments seeking to implement Central Bank Digital Currencies whereby all transactions may be controlled and tracked. False prophets and teachers lead tens of thousands of people astray. In several countries, people are killed for their religion, many of them Christian. In the United States, despite the faith of many of the founders and their expectation of the country being populated by a “moral and religious people,” more and more people are turning against Christianity. It is not difficult, then, to understand why my mind might turn to apocalyptic prophecy.

Despite all this, my primary purpose in this article isn’t necessarily to make connection between current events and end-time prophecy, though to do so would not necessarily be mistaken. What I would like to do, in light of global goings on, is to look at a particular aspect of apocalyptic prognostication that is often misunderstood.

The Bible teaches us that, one day, Christ will return to gather His followers from the earth and take them to live eternally with Him. Jesus says He will “come again” in order that he might “receive [us] to [Himself].” Many today teach, and many Christians believe, that there will be an invisible return of Jesus to rapture us out of this world before the great tribulation. Believers will just disappear and those left behind will wonder what happened. Others teach and believe that Christians will remain through the tribulation and be taken sometime after. Some of these may also apply logic similar to Pascal’s wager to this concept. These argue that if one thinks the Church will be taken before the tribulation, but they are not, they will not only be sorely disappointed, but completely unprepared; however, if one believes the Church will be taken after, but is taken before, then such a person will be pleasantly surprised.

Why should there be such confusion around this issue? Why the lack of understanding? From where do these teachings come and why are they so disparate? Both sides would claim to have Scriptural support, but both cannot be correct. The Bible is clear on this subject, if we are willing to read passages in context and accept what they say. 

There are two main (though not only) Scriptural points underlying the belief that Christians will be raptured prior to the great tribulation:

1. “Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.” - Mt. 24:40-41

2. “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.” - 1 Thes. 5:9-10

While it is true Christians will be spared from God’s wrath, this is not necessarily so of the Great Tribulation. Confused? For a long time in evangelical circles, the Great Tribulation has been conflated with the wrath of God. From a Biblical perspective, however, the two are distinct. To understand how the Tribulation, God’s wrath, and the catching up of the Church all fit together, one of the first passages we must consider is Matthew 24. Jesus’ disciples question Him as to what signs would precede and herald His return:

As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” - Mt. 24:3

Jesus, not one to shy away from such questions when His disciples asked, lay out a sequence of events. First would be the rise of false christs, wars, and rumors of other wars. There would be food shortages and natural disasters. As Christ Himself put it:

And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. - Mt. 24:4-8

Notice, that Jesus warns His followers to not be misled by false Christs. He also says to them that they will hear of wars and rumors of wars. He indicates His disciples will be around for these events and that these are just the start. These events appear to mirror much of what we see happening today; that we may be witnessing “the beginning of birth pangs” is neither beyond possibility nor reason.

Christ continues:

Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. - Mt. 24:9-14

Again, Jesus here addresses His disciples directly stating that they will be delivered to tribulation and to death, and that they would be hated. He also claims the gospel will be preached - the gospel is preached only by Christians. All of this so far requires the presence of believers. I will point once again to the similarity between this passage and the current events I mentioned above.

The teaching goes further:

Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. - Mt. 24: 15-21

One might think that after the previous section Christians would be taken up, but this passage indicates otherwise. Paul as well admonishes the Thessalonians to not be shaken by false reports, noting that these things must happen before Jesus returns to gather His flock (2 Thes. 2). Jesus issues further warning that things will continue to worsen: Flee! Depart the cities, and pray that “your (Christians’) flight” will not be “in the winter, or on a Sabbath.” It is then that the great tribulation will begin, and Scripture yet makes no mention of the Church being removed. This passage explicitly suggests His followers will be here when the great tribulation begins, and Christ asserts that this time of tribulation will be shortened on account of His chosen ones:

Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you in advance. So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. - Mt. 24:22-28

These days, as Jesus said, “will be cut short” for “the sake of the elect,” for believers who will be here. Jesus a second time cautions His disciples directly regarding false christs, instructing that they (believers) should be wary if anyone says to them the Christ has come, and not to believe such a report. Christians will be here and must remain diligent to not be misled. Then the Lord avers something quite interesting - just as lightning brightens the sky from east to west, so will His coming be. There will be no mistaking His arrival. All of this will be in plain view. His appearing will be seen by all. His return will be accompanied by other signs in the heavens:

But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And 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. - Mt. 24:29-31

He is coming “after the tribulation”, with the sound of “a great trumpet” to gather believers, and everyone will see. This will not be a secretive or invisible return. For believers, Jesus appearance will be magnificent, glorious, joyous; for unbelievers, this same event will be terrifying as seen in a parallel account from Revelation:

I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” - Rev. 6:12-17

This passage unmistakably mirrors Matthew 24:29-31. The sun, the moon, and the stars all being changed, the sky being split and the heavens shaken - all perfectly analogous to Jesus’ words in Matthew. God’s wrath, at which unbelievers shudder in terror, comes after these signs, after Jesus’ predicted return. Here we reach the crux of the matter. The evidence is incontrovertible: only after the sixth seal is broken will these signs, enumerated by Christ in Matthew’s gospel, occur, therefore, only at some point after the sixth seal is broken will the Church be removed. The Church will remain on Earth for the tribulation, then Christ will return to gather His elect. Immediately thereafter, God’s wrath will be poured out. Thus, the Church will be spared from God’s wrath. Peter, Paul, and Jesus all liken the tribulation to the account of Noah who was preserved through the flood, not taken out of it. There is no reason to believe otherwise regarding the body of Christ.

I personally still question whether Christ will harvest His crop between the sixth and seventh seal, or after the seventh trumpet of the seventh seal. Revelation 7:9-14 references “a great multitude” whom “one of the elders” in John’s heavenly vision describes as “the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation.” The “continuous” coming out depicted here makes me think those describe are being martyred during the great tribulation. I also reason this from Jesus, and Paul, mentioning Christ descending at “the last trumpet”:

Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. - 1 Cor. 15:51-52

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. - 1 Thes. 4:16-17

If this “last trumpet” refers to the seventh trumpet in Revelation, then the Church will still be here for a time. Some may argue that Christians could not remain until the seventh trumpet because the first six are part of God’s wrath, but Revelation is not clear on that. It is true that the first six trumpets bring horrible tribulation upon the earth, perhaps unlike any seen before (sound familiar?); much of it is corollary to the Israelites’ experience in Egypt when Pharaoh would not release them. God sent ten horrible plagues upon Egypt while Israel yet remained. His chosen people were in the midst of the terrible tribulation that beset Egypt, and God protected them through it. It wasn’t until after all of this tribulation had passed that God brought Israel out of Egypt and then the Egyptians, who pursued God’s people, were destroyed. In that light, the rapture can be seen as the Church’s exodus after the tribulation to come.

Whether after the sixth seal but before the trumpets, or after the trumpets we are received unto Him, one thing is abundantly clear: the Church will be raptured before God’s wrath is poured out, but not before the tribulation. With this in mind, I urge you to heed Jesus’ words in Matthew following His portrayal of His return: be prepared.

Christ did not leave us uninformed as to the signs preceding the tribulation and His return. We cannot know the day or time, nor should we try to predict it, but make no mistake - we will be here. There are already wars and rumors of wars, food shortages, lawlessness, and a multitude of other converging events. Whether or not these portend “the beginnings of birth pangs,” let us not be caught unaware or taken by surprise. Be ready to experience times when Christians cannot buy or sell. Anticipate great persecution. Be sure your family will have their needs met. Most importantly, get your spiritual house in order. If you do not yet know Jesus, understand, you are a sinner standing under God’s judgement (Jn. 3:18,36; Rom. 3:23). Only God, through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, provides atonement for that sin (Jn. 3:36; Acts 4:12; 1 Pet. 3:18). Only receiving Jesus, who rose from the dead as evidence of His deity, can give you peace with God and strength to endure the great tribulation those remaining will experience (Rom. 10:9:10). Only in Him can we have assurance of salvation (1 Jn. 13). Without the forgiveness offered in the shedding of Jesus’ blood, there is no redemption. We all will stand before His throne and be judged (Heb. 9:27; Rev. 20:12-15). Paul said it, perhaps most concisely: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4). The question that remains, will the judgement you receive be condemnation, or will you receive a verdict of innocent because of the ransom Christ paid on your behalf? Will your name be found written in the book of life? I urge you, be prepared.