Tribulation Theory

People need to be warned about the coming satanic deception on the earth, for there will be strong delusion (2Th 2:11). However, I think we all may have misunderstood the form and nature of the deception that is going to happen during the tribulation. It will be more than the delusion that the antichrist is ‘god’ or the ‘messiah.’ People are not at all ready for what is going to be unleashed, especially given all the media that has been prepping people to believe the deceptions. Even most Christians are too skeptical of the powers of demons and have no concept of the full extent of their abilities, many of which are revealed clearly in Exodus and other places in the Bible. What follows is a list of what I think may happen, as radical as it may seem.

• IF the pretribulation rapture happens, there will be a massive display of UFOs in the skies (cf. Lu 21:11) shortly after the rapture. The rapture will be explained away as UFOs taking the most radical troublemakers out of the picture. In other words, the aliens were helping clean up the earth.
• The Son of Perdition will reveal himself (2Th 2:3), which will be a far more dramatic thing than most realize. He will make unbelievable claims that will be backed by video footage, intel communities, etc., and work incredible, lying signs (2Th 2:9). He will, I think, deceptively claim to be an alien deity. (It may be someone who already is very prominent in the world.)
• There will be a claim that aliens have been walking among people since the beginning of the human race in order to guide people. Other ‘aliens’ will come forward and show signs and wonders and have proof that they are not simply humans. They will have advanced technologies, some of which are real and some of which are spiritual trickery. These technologies will be offered to humanity as a gift.
• Furthermore, it will be claimed that the Bible, Koran, Book of Mormon, etc., all contain truth that was conveyed by the aliens in order to help destructive and wayward humans to keep in line and from completely annihilating each other. No religion, it will be said, is completely right or completely wrong. Superstitious humans were not ready and could not handle the whole truth.
• As said already, the antichrist will claim to be more than just an ordinary alien. He will claim to be the reincarnation of Jesus and the Buddha, the Mahdi, and the savior of humanity (2Th 2:4; Rev 13:6). In line with New Age beliefs, he will claim that he has great powers because he has reached a much higher level of godhood than any other being. All the aliens will claim that he is their god and that they worship him. The antichrist will brazenly claim that the true Jesus has been distorted. The Pope will reveal that he has already known about the aliens and has been coordinating with them. In fact, he accepts the aliens’ religion—at least to a point.
• All this new revelation will be too much for society and naturally cause an unraveling of economies, religions, the fabric of society, and massive riots, and so forth. The chaos will be terrible, and people will be desperate for order and peace. However, the self-proclaimed alien deity will propose solutions and bring calm and order (1Th 5:3).
• Because of the great chaos and the fact that they have been secretly prepped for over a hundred years (cf. Rev 20:3), the world govs will quickly unite and appoint the antichrist as a king over the world (Rev 17:13).
• Another part of the lies will be the inversion of the truth about angels. The demons will claim that they are the good aliens, but that there are bad aliens that are attempting to thwart their plans. All the disasters and judgments on the earth they will claim to be the work of the bad aliens trying to hinder them.
• The proposed ‘solution’ to the world’s problems will be:
• Politically: A universal gov to bring order and promote peace. A capital will be formed in Iraq, Iran, or somewhere in the Middle East. This becomes Mystery Babylon.
• Economically: A universal currency. There may be three ways to do transactions: A permanent mark of allegiance for the poor to obtain food and goods without money, an implant that will allow electronic transactions (perhaps with the number of the beast), or a card with the name of the beast on it (Rev 13:17). No doubt, a solution for hunger will be given. Since demons can cause a proliferation of insects or creeping things (Ex 8:7), they will likely show their powers and suggest that more bugs need to be eaten.
• Religious: A universal religion where the antichrist is worshipped and all people are allowed to obtain powers and increase in levels of ‘godhood’ by growing in their zeal (i.e., demonic gifts). ‘Love’ will be defined as accepting people for who they chose to be and helping people realize their true selves and divinity. Anyone who stands in the way of that will be labeled hateful and deserving of death.
• Overcrowding (a faux problem): Strict rulership and laws, requiring the elimination of the unfaithful. There will be the perception that the antichrist is rules with his own rod of iron. There will be many executions beyond just those who don’t take the mark. There will be wars, as some nations will not accept the “alien overlords.”
• God’s judgments will target the beast’s primary bases of operation and countries especially loyal to the beast. This will seem to confirm the antichrist’s deception that bad aliens are trying to stop him. This will also give greater opportunity for Christians to escape the direct wrath of God coming in the form of judgments.
• Many of the judgments and the societal upheaval will result in a sort of Dark Age, where there will great disruption of modern technology. There is even an apparent solar blast (superflair) that could do much damage to electric grids during the tribulation (cf. Is 30:26; Rev 16:8). This Dark Age will help believers and a remnant of Jews survive. It will also present an opportunity for the antichrist to display his powers and “advanced technologies” that defy understanding of science. This will give the appearance of unexplained, alien technology. Yet, God will supernaturally preserve His people in some cases (cf. Rev 7 & 14) and send angels to aid them.
• One advanced alien technology will be the “image of the beast,” where a machine will be made to have what appears to be general AI, but may in fact be a demonically influenced/controlled machine. It will be presented as a sort of clone of the beast that represents him faithfully in all his intelligence and personality and powers (Rev 13:14-15). This image will be replicated in many places and people will worship it as a divine being. Additionally, people who are faithful enough, it will be claimed, will be given the opportunity to ascend and become immortal in this form of AGI. Their consciousnesses will be transferred to machines, supposedly.
• When Jesus finally comes back, the antichrist will rally his deceived followers to go against God. The antichrist, certainly, will invert the truth and claim that they are the bad aliens coming to interfere—“The Last Battle.”

People are all too prepared to believe many of these lies. After seeing the response to the pandemic in 2020, it is clear that too many will easily go along with a leader who claims to have a solution in incredibly anxious times. They will easily forfeit their rights and liberties to stay alive and safe. A majority in the U.S. (65%) already believe in aliens, so a demonic deception like this one proposed will be readily accepted. Many will sadly feel a sense of confirmation of their long-held beliefs in UFOs and aliens.

More can be said, but I think this is enough. We who are believers need to be standing against the demonic deceptions that are already creeping into churches and into the media. We need to be protecting our young children. We are close to the end, I fully believe. Let us watch, pray, and keep looking up (Mar 13:33; 26:41; Lu 21:28). We have a Blessed Hope, and His name is Jesus Christ.

The Rapture of the Church

Recently, I have been contemplating whether the rapture of the Church will happen before the Tribulation or at the end of the Tribulation. This is a reevaluation for me, since I was taught the pre-tribulational rapture, but later felt there was no biblical justification for it and believed in the post-tribulational rapture. What follows is a summary of what I believe are the very best arguments for the pre-trib rapture, although it is certainly not a definitive answer to this age-old question. Likely, I will continue to ponder these things for years to come.

(I’m starting from the assumption that premillennialism is correct in this blog post. The question of premillennialism vs. amillennialism vs. postmillennialism is not something I’m prepared to tackle right now.)

Wrath of God is Never Poured Out on His People

A well-established biblical teaching is that God does not judge the wicked with the righteous. He does not pour out His wrath on His people. In fact, Genesis 18:25 teaches that God considers this principal a matter of His integrity and righteousness. In the case of Lot, God was unwilling to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah if there were believers there in the city. Lest we think that this was an unusual thing for God to protect His people from His judgment poured out on the wicked, we have the examples of Noah and Rahab, also. Noah and his family were spared from the wrath of God coming on the world in the form of the Flood. Rahab and her family were spare from the judgment of God that fell on the city of Jericho. We could also consider the apocalyptic judgments sent on the Egyptians before the Exodus. The chosen people, the Israelites, were untouched by these judgments.

The New Testament says that God delivers us who are believers from the wrath to come (1 Thes 1:10; 5:9). We are saved from wrath through Jesus (Rom 5:9). Certainly, the pinnacle of His wrath is eternal hell, but, consistently, the Bible teaches that the Tribulation is a period of God’s intense wrath coming on the earth and world of unbelievers. Revelation mentions wrath over and over again in relation to the judgments on the earth: “The wrath of the Lamb,” (Rev 6:16 NKJV); “the great day of His wrath has come,” (Rev 6:17); “Your wrath has come,” (Rev 11:18); “the wine of the wrath [of God],” (Rev 14:8, 10, 19; 16:19; 18:3); “in [the last seven plagues] the wrath of God is complete,” (Rev 15:1); “seven golden bowls of the wrath of God,” (Rev 15:7; 16:1); “He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God,” (Rev 19:15). Would not the “judge of all the earth do right,” and deliver His bride from “His wrath” to be poured out on the earth? It is hard to imagine otherwise.

Conversely, the New Testament teaches that His wrath and tribulation sent as judgment are reserved for unbelievers. “God…will render…to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish…” (Rom 2:6-9 NKJV). “Because of these [evil deeds] the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience,” (Eph 5:6). “Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience…” (Col 3:6). “[God’s] wrath has come upon them,” (1 Thes 2:16). “For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them…” (1 Thes 5:3).

So, we can say emphatically that (1) the Tribulation is a time of God’s wrathful judgment on the world, but (2) God does not judge His people in wrath. This compellingly implies that God will somehow preserve His people from His wrath, coming on the world in the form of many calamities, plagues, and pestilences. The rapture could be how He accomplishes this deliverance for His Church. (Those who are converted during the Tribulation who avoid execution by the beast could be preserved in various, relative safe locations from the judgments of God. In line with this view, we have at least one example in Revelation of believers being kept from the judgment of God in Rev 9:3-4.)

Imminency of Jesus' Return

Another teaching that appears clear to me in the New Testament is the imminent return of Jesus Christ. The early church was expecting Jesus to come back at any time and “without warning.” It was their blessed hope, as it should be ours. The apostles taught that this expectancy of His return was sanctifying. “…We know that when [Jesus] is revealed [i.e. returns], we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1Jn 3:2-3 NKJV). Jesus taught in parables that all should be watching and waiting for His unexpected return (cf. Mt 24:42-44; Mt 25:5-7; Lu 12:40), of which no one would know the day and hour (Mt 25:13; Mk 13:32). As implied by the parables of Jesus, considering He could be returning at any moment is sobering and encourages us to be doing His work and putting to death the works of darkness.

The post-tribulational rapture destroys this imminency. Why would we be expecting His return at any moment if we believed that seven years of extreme tribulation must happen first? Why would we be watching and waiting for Christ to come back if we knew that that can’t happen until the antichrist comes first? It makes no sense to be eagerly awaiting Jesus’ return if there is so much prophecy that must be fulfilled for seven years before He comes back! The doctrine of imminency is destroyed; there is no sanctifying hope to see Him return for His bride, the Church.

The Bible teaches that the coming of Jesus will be like a “thief in the night.” Now, for us who believe, His return will not overtake us as a thief (1 Thes 5:4). That does not imply that His timing will be predictable, but simply that His return will not be an unwelcome surprise as a thief breaking in would be. We will be watching and awake and sober. For unbelievers, He will return “as a thief” in judgment. But, for everyone—believer and unbeliever alike—we are told that His appearing will be at a time when we are not generally anticipating His return.

Symbolism in the Bible Pointing to an Early Rapture

Although I am no expert on ancient customs, I have been told that the Galileans had a very particular way of conducting betrothals and weddings. The bridegroom would get betrothed to his bride (cf. 2 Cor 11:2; Eph 5:25-27), leave her for a long time to prepare a place for her (cf. Jn 14:2), come unexpectedly back to take her to himself and his newly built room (cf. Jn 14:3), and conduct a wedding feast for seven days (cf. Mt 25:10). Three aspects of these weddings may point towards a pre-trib rapture: (1) the bridegroom would return to joyfully surprise his bride, (2) he would take her away to his place, and (3) the wedding feast was a private event held for seven days. In a post-trib scenario, Jesus’ return for His bride would be quite expected by believers, He would return to earth rather than taking His bride away to heaven, and there would be no private feast with Jesus and the Church.

Other biblical symbolism to be considered is the seven feasts of Israel in the Old Testament. Four of these feasts were fulfilled literally and precisely by Jesus when He came the first time. On Passover, Jesus was crucified. During Unleavened Bread, Jesus was in the grave. During the Feast of First Fruits, Jesus rose from the dead. At the end of the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), Jesus sent His Spirit in power on His people. The final three feasts, which had a significant calendar gap from the other four feasts, have not yet been fulfilled by Him. The next one to be fulfilled is the Feast of Trumpets, which fits best with the gathering of the Church to Jesus. (We would assume that this feast will not be fulfilled to the day, simply because Jesus says that no one knows the day of His return.) The one after that is the Day of Atonement, which fits best with the final redemption of the remnant of Jews at Jesus’ second coming. The last feast is the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles, which most believe symbolizes the Millennial kingdom.

The final three feasts are separate events, spread out over multiple days on the Jewish calendar. The Feast of Trumpets precedes the Day of Atonement on the calendar. For that reason, the timing of the feasts implies that the rapture occurs some amount of time before the Jews meet their Messiah and are saved by Him. Arguably, this is not easily reconciled with the post-trib view that puts the rapture at the same general time or same day as the final redemption of the Jewish remnant. There would be too much happening all at once: the rapture, the marriage wedding feast, and the salvation of the Jews.

Finally, we have an interesting picture in Revelation that could point to the pre-trib rapture. Revelation 1-3 speaks about seven different churches, representing perhaps different types and ages of churches. Then, there is a sudden shift in Revelation 4. A door is opened in heaven (Rev 4:1), which is reminiscent of the door that is opened for the bride to enter into the marriage feast (cf. Mt 25:10). A trumpet sound is heard (Rev 4:1), which is reminiscent of the “Last Trumpet” spoken of in 1 Corinthians 15:52 that accompanies the rapture. Then, John is called up into heaven (Rev 4:1), which was a personal rapture event for John. Once in heaven, John saw twenty-four thrones (perhaps symbolic of the Old Testament twelve patriarchs and believers, and the New Testament twelve Apostles and believers) and seven lamps (Rev 4:4-5). These seven lamps may be connected to the seven churches that earlier in Revelation 1:20 were called “the seven lampstands.” So, after the trumpet sound and being caught up to heaven, John saw these lamps and thrones, representative of the believers, there in heaven. The parallels with the rapture are hard to miss. After Revelation 4, where the “church” is no longer mentioned, you have the many judgments of God poured out on the earth during the Tribulation.

Further Hints?

The Bible indicates that there is an escape from the coming Tribulation. Jesus said, “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things [trials] that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man,” (Lu 21:36 NKJV). How do those who God graciously counts worthy escape the judgments? In Revelation, one of the faithful churches is promised to be kept from the “hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world,” (Rev 3:10). How do they escape it? On the contrary, Revelation 2 says that unfaithful people who do not repent will be cast into “great tribulation” (Rev 2:21-22). Why does it say only the unfaithful ones will be cast into “great tribulation”?

2 Thessalonians 2 deserves a whole blog post by itself. But, let me try to summarize it as I understand it. They were afraid that the “Day of Christ had come” (2 Thes 2:2 NKJV), because of false teachers who were teaching that their tribulation was the Tribulation. They were afraid that they could possibly be lost and that God’s wrath had come upon them. But, Paul assured them that certain events had to happen before the wrath of God was poured out: (1) an apostasy of some kind had to happen, (2) the antichrist had to be revealed publicly, and (3) he had to accomplish the abomination of desolation in the temple (2 Thes 2:3). Then, God’s wrath would come on the world. Paul seemed to be showing them that there was no way that the Day of Christ had come already, and that they were not “left behind” as they feared. In the post-trib view, this passage seems to make little sense. Why would they be troubled about the “Day of Christ,” if they were destined to go through it no matter what? In fact, they should be eagerly awaiting the Day of Christ, because it would be the prelude to His return! Furthermore, how would Paul reassuring them that various events would come before the Days of Christ help them feel any better? In fact, they would be much happier if they could know that they were mostly through the Tribulation already, rather than believing that they still had all those awful events to look forward to, followed by the great judgment “Day of Christ.”

A Final Word

One argument that I have personally raised against the pre-tribulation rapture is that all believers of all ages have suffered persecution and trials. None are exempt. In fact, the Bible all but promises that believers will undergo tribulation (Jn 16:33; 1 Thes 3:4), trials (Jam 1:2), persecutions (2 Tim 3:12), and suffering (Rom 8:17). No, we are not to think that there can be any promise of deliverance from tribulations or that tribulations will never be hard. We are not to believe that God promises any kind of deliverance from hardships and general calamities.

However, there is a distinct difference, I have come to believe, between God’s wrathful judgment on the one hand, and persecution and general tribulations of a fallen world on the other hand. God’s wrath is reserved for His enemies; providential trials and sufferings come indiscriminate upon all mankind. The Great Tribulation is a time of the fierceness of God’s wrath on His enemies of which believers shall escape in whatever manner God chooses.

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To any who should read this during the Tribulation (or before!), as long as you have life and breath, you most certainly have hope of salvation in Jesus Christ. He is able and willing to save anyone who calls upon His name (Rom 10:11-13), whether you have rejected Him in the past or not. All of us are deserving of His wrath, but He promises (and He cannot lie) eternal life to all who flee to Jesus as their only hope of forgiveness and pardon and righteousness—a sure hope that anchors the soul (Heb 6:18-19).

The Last Days are here for the Church, I believe

Loss of Sound Doctrine

"But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for ... for murderers ... for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust." (1 Tim 1:8-11 NKJV)

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables." (2 Tim 4:3-4 NKJV)

Loss of Expediency of Jesus' Return

"...knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.'" (2 Peter 3:3-4 NKJV)

"But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day [of the Lord] should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night." (1 Thes 5:4-7 NKJV)

Mass Apostasy

"Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron ..." (1 Tim 4:1-2 NKJV)

"Let no one in any way deceive you, for [that Day] will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction ..." (2 Thes 2:3 NASB)

Proud Self-Sufficiency

The Last Church of Revelation: "'I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. ... So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, "I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing"—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked...'" (Rev 3:15-17 NKJV)

The Demonic Deception: The Message of NDEs

Satan has many lies for many people. Each kind of person can buy a different lie. One of the most potent lies that the devil has is that God is all about us—humans. If you take the Bible and remove the supremacy of God from it, you could still have the message “love one another” and “love fulfills the law.” Loving other people is important and beautiful and enriching, but loving God is incredibly more important since He alone is the all-worthy Creator. The prevailing, implicit message of NDEs (Near-Death Experiences) is that God cares only that we love other people. The first commandment to love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, and mind (Mt. 22:37-37; Deut. 6:5) is nowhere to be heard. This implied message is a blatant heresy straight from the pit of hell. Do not be deceived: Satan will gladly preach a message of human-to-human ‘goodness’ as long as God does not end up in any of our thoughts.

I’ve heard it again and again in my research of NDEs. People “come back” from their near-death experiences as changed people. They often seem to become so loving and selfless and thoughtful. One could reasonably ask, “If Satan is behind (most) NDEs, why would he make people become so good?” But what does God consider goodness? Jesus said that even the wicked are able to love those who love them (Luke 6:32). There is a natural, human love that is not especially pleasing to God. Even a kind of selfless love is not necessarily unheard of among humankind (Rom. 5:7), but this love is not the essence of goodness, either. Loving other people does fulfill the second tablet of the Law—the laws pertaining to how we deal with other people. Yet, even if we somehow did nothing but good to others (including our enemies), we could still be rotten in God’s sight. How? If we loved others but despised God, we’d be acting unrighteously before Him. (It is notable that despising God means that we wouldn’t fully love other people, since if we loved other people perfectly we’d desire for them to find their true, full joy in Him.) God is the One who deserves our love, worship, and service. You might say that He is infinitely worthy. Speaking in perhaps crude human terms, even if we are finitely good towards other people, we would be ‘infinitely’ unrighteous toward God. All the human goodness we might claim would be nothing compared to the God-ward depravity. So, to claim that people become so ‘good’ after NDEs is to completely misunderstand what is the essence of goodness. The essence of goodness is acts of thankful service to the One God, springing up from fervent love, fear, and worship of Him.

With that in mind, is it any wonder that Satan would love to transform godless, selfish people into godless, ‘selfless’ people? This transformation seems to validate the idea that worshiping and loving God is not critical to being holy. “Surely, a good and loving person is headed for heaven!” That is what the devil would love for people to believe. To reinforce that message, these NDEs often include trips to ‘heaven’ or an embrace of love from ‘Jesus.’ Again, the devil is all too happy to encourage an apparent high sense of morality as long as God isn’t central to it. Apparently Satan knows more about what truly pleases God than the average American. Don’t be impressed by this kind of shallow, human goodness.

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One has to wonder how Satan manages to make NDE-ers become so loving. I have an idea. I believe one of the main reasons that people are naturally so selfish is because they are living for this life and what they can get out of it. In these deceptive NDEs, people end up believing confidently that they have hope beyond this life, that life goes on after death, and that God loves them unconditionally even without repentance (another important point of deception here). This false hope of eternal life—having nothing to do with the precious sacrifice of the Lamb of God slain to atone for the sins of the elect—begets an apparent change of heart to not be so selfishly materialistic. It’s a relatively small, down-to-earth change that is founded on a lie from hell.

Suffering and Death For Those Who Are Forgiven - Part II

4. Death Destroys the Body of Death

“O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom. 7:24). The human body is corrupt (Rom. 7:18). It is defiled by sin and incapable of being perfect. Yes, death was intended primarily for judgment on the sin of mankind (Gen. 2:16-17), but for believers it serves an important role in removing the “body of death.” The flesh, as the Bible repeatedly calls our fallen nature, is filled with sinful desires (Rom. 13:14). The only way we can be rid of our sinful desires once and for all is to shed our mortal bodies and obtain new bodies in the Resurrection of the Just.

For the believer, we have already died with Christ (Gal. 2:20). I believe part of what that means (though secondarily) is that the judgment aspect of death is removed, since Jesus was judged in our place for our sins. So, death is no longer a horrible curse for the believer. The day of one’s death is better than one’s birth (Eccl. 7:1). As Paul said, “to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). Our corrupt bodies are as defiled temples. We cannot have perfect fellowship with God when our flesh is soiled with sinful desires. (Don’t get me wrong, our “flesh” is not just physical. It has mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions, no doubt. Our flesh is still “us.” We cannot excuse our fallen nature by saying it’s just our flesh—as though our flesh is just a physical part of us that can be amputated. No, it’s central to who we are as people.)

Our bodies are decaying. There is something intrinsically imperfect with something that is decaying. We are “corruptible” creatures, but we look to put on incorruption (1 Cor. 15:53). Death is the primary way in which God appointed this exchange to happen: the sinful, decaying body breaks down, and God eventually replaces it with an immortal body, free from sin.
 
5. God Intentionally Provides No Proof of Himself

It is taught in the Bible that God is not desperate to win people to Himself. He will save those He chooses without blasting them with proof of the Bible. As seen by how Jesus interacted with the crowds, God sometimes conceals the truth from those who are “indifferent” (really more like hostile) to know the Truth.

What does this have to do with death? Well, if Christians were not subject to death, what would be the alternative? Would we be raptured? Would we be suddenly changed to be perfect beings? All the alternatives to death would virtually prove the Truth of the Bible. Thus, it seems reasonable that one reason God would not keep His children from death is that He does not want to prove Himself to the world in this age. Believers and unbelievers die alike, so that skeptics are left with their skepticism about the reality of the Messiah, eternal salvation, and the resurrection. Can you imagine what scientists would do if we believers were suddenly given glorified bodies? They would have no choice but to acknowledge that something extraordinary—or supernatural—was happening for Christians. (Additionally, God does not desire to provide instantaneous proof to all people of the reality of someone’s faith in Him, but expects believers to bear fruit worthy of repentance such that they are known to be “good trees.”)

Instead, we are left here on earth to witness to others. We are left to carry on for the benefit of others. Paul said that to remain on earth “in the flesh” was for the benefit of others (Phil. 1:23-24).

6. Salvation is Not Intended to be the “Easy Way Out” of Life’s Problems

Everyone would like an easy way out of this life that does not involve suffering or death. Yet, if there were no death it would distract from part of the message of the gospel—that one must be willing to abandon all things for Jesus’ sake, including one’s own physical pleasures and benefits and life (Mt. 16:25; Lu. 14:26,33), to claim Him as the eternal reward. We must consider Him more valuable than anything else. If we are willing to lay down our lives for His sake (both figuratively and literally), then we show the world the great value of our God. When a believer is able to overcome the fear of death (Heb. 2:14-16) and to say that death is gain, they display the all-surpassing worth of the Lord. This opportunity to clearly display the infinite worth of God would be missed if there was no death for the believer. It seems clear to me that if faith in Jesus allowed us to bypass death it would cheapen the gospel.

If death could be escaped by belief in Christ, then the masses would rush to Him in a false hope of escaping death, with no true belief or repentance. Twice as many fake Christians would be running around everywhere. It would be the health-and-wealth, prosperity gospel on steroids.

For all these reasons, I believe God has appointed all men to die. Nevertheless, those of us are in Christ will never die (Jn. 11:26), for Death has been put to death by the work of our Savior on the cross.

Suffering and Death For Those Who Are Forgiven - Part I

If Christ Jesus died for the sins of us His people and suffered the judgment of death and hell in our place, why must we still suffer and die? Have you ever wondered that? I certainly have. Death’s “sting” has been removed (1Cor 15:55-56), but why not death itself? How can we be assured that death’s power is removed for us if we still face the prospect of death? Let’s see if we can deduce the answers by reasoning from the Bible. (In points 1-3 we will address the question of suffering, and in points 4-6, posted later, we will address the question of physical death.)

1. Sinners Need Suffering for Sanctification

As sinners who are still in the flesh we must be continually reminded of our fallen nature and the blackness of our sin. One of the ways that God disciplines His erring children is to bring out the “rod of correction” (cf. Heb 12:5-7). The pain of guilt itself serves as a corrective agent in the life of a believer (cf. Ps 32:4-5), and this guilt can subsequently serve to bring physical suffering (Ps 32:3; 89:7-9).

Physical suffering from illness, disease, and injury may not be direct punishment for any particular sin—as is shown from the story of Job who suffered much physically—but it certainly is a means by which God sanctifies His children. Job spoke of that sanctification through trials (Job 23:10). Paul spoke of the sanctifying work of suffering when he spoke of his “thorn in the flesh” (2Cor 12:7-10). Such thorns teach us to rely more upon the strength of God in our lives.

Yet, the Bible makes clear that sometimes God disciplines His children physically directly because of sin: 1Cor 11:29-32 and James 5:14-16. When necessary God physically judges His own children in order to wake them up to their sin and bring them back to repentance. This is a fearful thing.

2. Our Sufferings Bring Endurance and Unite Us More with Christ

Remarkably suffering can be a great blessing. The Bible indicates this quite clearly in regard to “trials” (e.g. James 1:2-3), and we may apply this to all pain and suffering in general. Trials produce patience, or “cheerful endurance.” No doubt any suffering can accomplish this work of endurance where the grace of God abounds.

But even beyond this, the Apostle Paul recognized that suffering unites us to Christ in a very special way. “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things; . . . that I may know Him . . . and the fellowship of His sufferings” (Phil 3:8, 10). Thus, for Paul, physical trials were a unique way in which he could taste of the unspeakable sufferings of his Savior and know Him better. Make no mistake about it: this suffering is a one-time opportunity to know Christ more fully. In the New Earth there is no more pain or sorrow (Rev 21:4).

Now, enduring physical maladies with joyfulness also provides an opportunity for the greatest witness from humans of God’s infinite value. For, consider that if we endure trials with patience and deep abiding joy it is inexplicable to the unbelieving world. It shows the lost world that Eternal Reward awaits those who hope in God’s mercy. It shows them that a person’s faith is genuine, meaningful, and powerfully sustained by God. It shows them that Jesus Christ is worth it all. God uses afflictions in life to display the glory of God to the world (cf. John 9:1-3).

God is pleased to test our faith, like with Abraham and Isaac. Who could deny that Abraham loved the Lord more than his precious son whom God asked to sacrifice? His son was the only son of his wife, born to him in the waning years of his life, and it was certain he could not have another. The more precious his son the more obviously more precious God would appear in his trial. So, too, the greater the pain or the harder the trial we endure with faithful endurance the more obviously glorious the Lord appears.

(Aside: Why does God not audibly speak or appear to us? Perhaps it is for the same reason of testing our faith.)

3. This Life Provides a Unique Opportunity for Attaining Heavenly Treasure and Spiritual Growth

The Bible teaches that the trials in a believer’s life may build an eternal weight of glory in the hereafter (2Cor 4:17-18). Again, this life is a one-time opportunity for affliction. This is the only time in all of eternity that afflictions may build for us a weight of glory.

Let that sink in, believe it, and consider if you seriously do not want any affliction in life. Do you want to escape the chance to build an eternal weight of glory? It’s interesting how the Bible can show us how our fallen thinking is often completely opposite of the truth.

Sufferings and persecutions allow us to attain heavenly treasure that may not be attainable in eternity. And trials somehow allow us to grow spiritually in a special way. Perhaps this way is because of that unique chance to know Christ. Perhaps endurance through fiery trial is God’s primary means of testing His children and giving them the opportunity to exercise their faith and declare His worth to an unbelieving world. We know that the greatest Treasure is Jesus Himself, so certainly knowing Him to deeper degrees lets us love Him and treasure Him more. It might just be that the degree of suffering we endure in this life forever limits our ability to “vicariously” know Jesus in that particular way.