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I would like to comment on another segment of
Todd Strandberg's article, "God Hath Not Appointed Us to Wrath":
"In 1 Thessalonians 5:9 Paul assures
us that God has not appointed His people to wrath. This wrath is plainly God's
anger that will be poured out during the Tribulation. Pre-Trib believers
interpret this as meaning that Christians will be removed from the earth. Post-Trib
believers tell a different story. They describe this as meaning that God will
protect Christians during the Tribulation and pour this wrath out on the
unbelievers only. This idea runs against the statement made in Rev. 13:7, where
the Antichrist is given power to make war with the saints and to overcome them.
A post-Trib view would make God's promise of protection from wrath into a lie.
In years past, it was possible to think of being protected from the guns and
swords of that day. Today, when any major war would involve nuclear and chemical
weapons, it's impossible to expect that same kind of protection. When Nagasaki,
Japan was bombed during W.W.II, the bomb exploded over a Catholic church.
Everyone that was in the center of the explosion died, both Christians and
non-Christians. The only way to validly interpret God's promise of protection
from wrath, is by viewing I Thess. 5:9 as the bodily removal of the Church from
this world."
My comments:
Strandberg's statements, "A post-Trib view would make God's promise of protection from wrath into a
lie" is not true.
God's wrath and Antichrist's wrath are entirely
different
things. The purpose of the tribulation is for Antichrist to have his time to
pour out his wrath on the inhabitants of the earth who will not bow worship him
and take his mark. (Rev. 12:12) God's wrath
comes later, after the Lord Jesus Christ returns for His church.
Making the words tribulation and wrath mean the
same thing is not honest when one honestly checks the context of scripture. The words are not interchangeable.
Jesus promised that we would have tribulation in this world
(John 16:33 and Rev. 2:10). He also prayed to the Father that we would not be
taken out of this world during tribulation but that we would be kept from evil
(John 17:15).
We are also told to wait for "his Son from heaven,
whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivered us from the wrath to
come." We must wait for the Lord Jesus, who has already delivered us
from the wrath to come.
The Lord Jesus Christ has already delivered each Christian from the wrath
to come! This verse does not say "will deliver." It says delivered. The Bible tells us
plainly what "the wrath to come" means. The wrath of God is directed toward those who refuse to repent and receive His
mercy: the children of disobedience. The wrath of God is His punishment on unbelievers. (See Luke 3:7, Eph.
5:6, Col. 3:6, Rev. 6:17)
The saints of God are appointed to tribulation.
The children of disobedience are appointed to God's wrath.
In Greek, the word wrath (ogre--3709) means punishment God
executes against the wicked.
The word tribulation (thilipsis--2347) refers to the
sufferings that Christians go through in this world for Christ.
God allows his children to endure
tribulation.
Matthew 13:21,
24:9, 21, 29
Mark 4:17, 13:19, 24,
Acts 7:10, 11, 11:19
Romans. 2:9, 5:3
2 Thessalonians 1:4
God pours out his wrath upon
those who refuse Him (unbelievers)--not his own children.
Mathew 3:7
Mark 3:5Lk 3:7, 21:23
John 3:36
Romans 1:18, 2:5, 8
Ephesians 2:3, 4:31, 5:6
Colosians 3:6,8
1 Thessalonians 1:10, 2:16
1 Timothy 2:8
Hebrews 3:11
James 1:19, 20
Revelation 6:16, 17, 11:18
We must purpose to not be offended in Christ if things don't turn out the way we hope
and the way we have been told they will. When Christians find themselves on earth when
the New World Order is in full swing and God's people are being sought after for
elimination, we need to understand that we are suffering the wrath of Antichrist, not the
wrath of God!
God will not leave us or forsake us even during
the Tribulation if we keep his word and obey him unreservedly and
endure to the end. He has no difficulty protecting His people from nuclear explosions,
biological warfare, etc. but that is for another article.
We need to understand and keep the difference between
tribulation and wrath in our hearts and minds so we will not be offended with
the Lord Jesus Christ and be spiritually set up to look for another Christ.
This is exactly what Satan is using his agents
to condition Christians to do. He wants them to embrace a false Christ right now (a Fantasy "Christ" that will let you do whatever you want in the way of sin and
still bring you to heaven when you die). If Satan fails to entice the Christian
into following a false Jesus he could very easily use the following plan.
Satan knows the Christian will probably look for another
Christ (Antichrist will seek to fit that bill) if he finds himself in great
Tribulation and actually thinks God is pouring out his wrath upon his
own dear child.
Now understand the Christian knows the bible says he has not
been appointed unto wrath, so if he finds himself under conditions that seem
"wrathful" he could and most likely will have his faith destroyed. The Christian
would perceive this to be an incredible betrayal, and Antichrist will be all too
ready to feed and shelter and care for that Christian If he will take his
Luciferic Initiatition and confess him as the supreme
potentate who will offer him
food and shelter in a world spinning out of control.
We need to study the difference between tribulation and
wrath carefully so we do not set ourselves up for the fall Antichrist's
followers are hoping and planning for if circumstances wind up being contrary to our
hopes. We must not ever allow ourselves to think these apostate thoughts:
"Jesus betrayed
me. He could not have been the Christ. I will look for another."
The Lord Jesus Christ will never leave us or forsake us.
However, we
can become offended and fall away from him if we do not obey his command to not
become offended in him! (See John 16:1)
Promise: Keep us from evil;
Condition: Be Not of this World
The Lord Jesus prayed to
the Father: "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world,
but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil." Jn 17:15
"They are not of the world, even as I am not of the
world. Sanctify them through they truth: thy word is truth." Jn 17:17
God is quite capable of keeping us from the evil during
tribulation, but are we willing to be like Jesus prayed that we would be?
This is the condition to being protected in the times to come. The condition
is that we would not be of the world even as Jesus is not of the world, and
the promise (if this condition is met) is "I pray not that thou
shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the
evil."
Also see our articles about Todd Strandberg's
Rapture Ready message board:
A
"Christian" Message Board Run By Satan's Workers
Rapture
Ready Administrators and their backers: Anti-Christ and Pro New World
Order Posts
Rapture
Ready and the Left Behind Series: Mixes Up Serving God and Serving SatanWhy
Are Pretrib Promoters Trying to Control the Thinking of
"Not-Disappeared" Christians? |