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Is the Tribulation in the book of Revelation Satan’s wrath or God’s wrath? Will the church or believers be judged along with the world ? We need to understand that the Tribulation period has as much Scripture about it in the Old Testament as the New Testament. The reason for this is that its focus is on Israel. It is specifically called the time of Jacob’s trouble. In the New Testament Mt.24, points out the middle period, of Israel’s flight on the "Sabbath," the temple and the "holy place," the land of Judea, the city of Jerusalem, the twelve "tribes of the children of Israel," "signs" in the heavens, the "sanctuary," the "sacrifice and the oblation" of the temple ritual and the one who defiles it. Which all are to take place in the land of Israel, which is now possessed by the Jewish people again since 1948. Jesus described in Mt.24 a new temple (the 3rd one) is to be built, of whom the false Christ will occupy before he, Jesus returns (Rev.19; Jn:14:3) Matthew 3:7 When the Pharisees and Sadducees came to John’s baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” He then tells them to repent. The New Testament begins with this and ends with this. This warning echoes to all today. Peter told the people to “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:19-21). And this is what the Tribulation is ABOUT, for the world and God's people of the old covenant to repent. Daniel is the prophet given a vision of the conditions that will be for his people in the latter days, during the tribulation. In Daniel 12:5-7 a question is asked on how long this period will be: v.7 “the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time ; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.” This refers to the middle of the tribulation to the end, 3 ½ years. The Bible teaches in 1 Thessalonians 1:10 “to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come .”Clearly, the wrath that is to come is speaking of the tribulation period. The ‘us’ he speaks of is the believer’s deliverance. "For God appointed us not unto wrath, but unto the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ " (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10). This is not about the judgment that comes in the afterlife, but as Paul sums up, about a time on earth that God will punish the inhabitants for their wickedness and rebellion against God. The Lord promises the church Revelation 3:10, "I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. " This period has in view all, “on the earth.” While the time of this deliverance coming is debated, one thing is clear we are removed before it ends, not at the end, going through all the wrath that is sent on planet earth. Entering the time of Jacob’s troubles the whole world will be tested to see whose side they are on. The Bible teaches that the tribulation is a time of preparation for Israel's restoration and conversion (Deut. 4:29-30; Jer. 30:3-11; Zech. 12:10). Daniel 9:24 says that all 70 weeks are for Israel to repent. The true Church has repented is already saved. God's plan is for Israel at this point in history to come back to God. The first will be last, and that is exactly what happens, all of Israel is saved at the end of the tribulation. Many of the statements, prayers and prophecies will be answered in the Tribulation period. Psalms 79:5-7 “How long, LORD? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire? Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You, And on the kingdoms that do not call on Your name. For they have devoured Jacob, And laid waste his dwelling place.” Psalms 110:5-6 “The Lord is at Your right hand; He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath. He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill the places with dead bodies, He shall execute the heads of many countries.” Isaiah 9:19 “Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts The land is burned up, And the people shall be as fuel for the fire; No man shall spare his brother.” And of course this famous statement from the prophet Isaiah, 13:9-12“Behold, the day of the LORD comes, Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, To lay the land desolate; And He will destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon will not cause its light to shine. "I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir.”(many of the same descriptions can be found in Joel 2-3 (Other Scriptures are Isa.13:13; 14:4-12,15:8-10; Jer.10:10; Ezek.38:19; Dan.11:36; Zeph.1:15-18) As Jesus said “and unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.” (Matt 24:22) God’s Wrath The 1st seal of 7 seals are just as much part of God's wrath as the 1st trumpet or the 1st bowl judgment! It is all the wrath of God against a godless, wicked, Christ rejecting world. In the 4th seal judgment 1/4 of all the world’s population will die - it is the wrath of God. The 4th seal judgment alone will kill over a billion people! The 6th trumpet-1/3 of the population of the world will be killed! By Satan? No, by God and his angels that he sends to judge mankind. Revelation 6:15-17 “And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" Revelation 11:18 “The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come.” The "wrath of God" is clearly seen in the second half as the "hour of his judgment" (Rev.14:7) Scripture calls it “The wrath of the Lamb” (Rev. 6:16 Instead of worshipping Christ, "the earth and those who dwell in it . .. . worship the first beast" (Rev. 13:12). Instead of repentance they, "blasphemed God" (Rev. 16:21). Finally, "all the nations were deceived" (Rev. 18:23.) There is one place where it mentions Satan, the devil and ‘His wrath,’ Revelation 12. V.12 ‘Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time." Even the devil with his unrestrained anger against mankind it is still under God’s ultimate control. The Devil’s wrath is specific, to destroy people. Whom DOES HE DO THIS TO? The Devils wrath: Dan. 7:25 “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.”That being 3 ½ years. Here we find around the middle of the tribulation period the Devils wrath comes upon a certain people in the world. Rev. 13:7 “It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.”The Saints are the target of his wrath, not God's. Who participates in this persecution? The false church, the new world religion. Rev. 17:6 “ I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.” Revelation 14:8 “And another angel followed, saying, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication ." V.9-10 " If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation.” Referring to his second coming which is Armageddon. Rev. 14:19-20 “So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.” Revelation 15:1 “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete .” Rev. 16:1"Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth.” God controls the events of judgment on earth - his holy angels do his bidding. Wrath: (Revelation 6:16-17; 11:18; 14:19; 15:1, 7; 16:1, 19; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; 5:9; Zephaniah 1:15, 18); punishment (Isaiah 24:20-21); hour of trouble (Jeremiah 30:7); destruction (Joel 1:15); darkness (Joel 2:2; Zephaniah 1:14-18; Amos 5:18). Ephesians 5:1-7 “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience . Therefore do not be partakers with them.” Eph. 2:2-3 Paul explains it is the “prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,” also spoken of in Col.3:6. the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience This is why we are admonished in the end “For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication…And I heard another voice from heaven saying, " Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.” (Revelation 18:2-5). Jesus made it clear that all will stand in judgment and receive an exact justice for their works. Those who received Gods son will have rewards, “ He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him ." (John 3:36) Because we have received the gospel of his Son we are removed from this judgment upon the sons of disobedience. Romans 5:9 “ having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”
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