Selected Articles

I would like to begin by stating that I am not telling people that they don't need salvation today. However, I am a realist, not an idealist. Reality dictates that after the Rapture, people will be left behind. The point of this article is not to reassure people that they can wait to believe in the Lord until after the Rapture happens. It is simply a look at what the scriptures have to say about salvation during the Tribulation. Those people 'lucky enough' to actually live through that time of wrath will have the opportunity to repent, but they also need to know that they will likely be martyred for their faith. It will be one long hard road.

The mainstay of our relationship with the Lord is faith, not proof. (Hebrews 11:1) The Lord asks us to have faith in Him, and to trust Him by faith alone. It is my belief that the Rapture will be a wakeup call and will be the proof in the pudding. Many people will be shaken out of their 'prove it to me' mode and will run to faith in the Lord. If a person chooses to wait for this proof, the Lord's door of salvation will still be open to them, but they will have a heavy price to pay for their previous lack of faith.

As described by Jesus in the book of Matthew, the Tribulation will be a time that has never been seen by this world and never will be seen again (24:21). The Rapture, in itself, will be a major calamity unlike anything the world has ever seen. There is no guarantee that those who are unsaved at the time of that great event will live through it long enough to repent!

Lately I have seen some differing opinions on the issue of salvation during the Tribulation. Some people believe that only the Jews in general will be saved. Others believe that only the 144,000 Jews mentioned in Revelation will be saved. Still others believe that no one will be saved during the Tribulation.

I cannot find scriptural support for those positions and during my study on this topic, what I did find was actually contrary to all of these ideas.

Lets take a look at what the Good Book has to say about this issue. (All following emphasizes are mine.)

1. What does God want?

God is not an ever-changing God. He is now as He was and as He will be.

From these passages we can see that mankind will be given the opportunity to repent during the Tribulation. John wouldn't have mentioned it if the opportunity will not exist. These are but a few references found in Revelation. That book is replete with verses showing repentance and the lack thereof during the Tribulation period. God's offer of salvation and forgiveness will still be available.

Well, this completely destroys the above-mentioned theologies, now doesn't it?

First you have the multitude from all nations. Therefore the Tribulation saints will not be limited to only the Jews or the 144,000. Then you have the fact that they will come out of the Great Tribulation, therefore they can not be the Old Testament saints or the Church. This 'multitude that no man can number' will have to be the people who become saved during the Tribulation.

If there is no repentance during the Tribulation, why will the Lord see fit to send his messengers to proclaim the gospel?

One argument I have seen on this passage is that the Holy Spirit, being the restrainer will no longer be on earth and therefore salvation won't be possible. Really? Well, let's take a look at the Tribulation from Joel's viewpoint.

This passage shows us not only that the Holy Spirit will remain on the earth, but also that the Lord is now and will be willing to forgive those who repent. I have also seen it written that the restrainer will be either the Archangel Michael or the influence of the Holy Spirit in the church. While I am not dogmatic about either of those positions, I am dogmatic about it not being the general presence of the Holy Spirit.

Secondly, it has been argued that these verses tell us that anyone who has heard the love of the truth and rejected it in turn will not be saved. It is my contention that this has nothing to do with the Rapture. Will those whose hearts have been hardened to the message of salvation today still be hardened to it tomorrow? Romans 1:28 tells us that God is patient but He has his limits.

This passage also clearly shows that the rise of the Antichrist will precede the delusion sent by the Lord. Nowhere in scripture is there any indication that the Rapture and the beginning of the Tribulation (rise of the Antichrist) are the same event. A careful study of Revelation 4-6 seems to suggest that they are indeed not the same event.

Revelation 4 opens as John is 'called up hither'. While in Heaven, he sees the sea of glass, which is a reference for the Church. In verse 5, the Lamb is given the scroll and in verse 6, the seal judgments begin. The first seal will be the rise of the Antichrist. The Rapture references seen in this passage indicate a time lapse of unknown length between the Rapture and the first seal judgment.

Lastly, to the critics of this position, heard what is what I'd like to know. Lets not put God in a box for a minute and take a look at the situations of 5 people in my world.

Case 1: This is an Orthodox Jew with an MBA from Yeshiva University (Jewish College). He knows all about Jesus, but from a historical perspective. He believes that Jesus was just a man that the Gentiles elevated to god status. Out of the blue, I asked him one day what he would think if the Messiah came and it turns out to have been Jesus all along. His response? "If he shows up with holes in his hands, I'm not buying it."

Case 2: This is a devout Muslim. He knows about Jesus too as Islam teaches that Jesus was one in a line of great prophets. Islam also teaches that Jesus (not Mohammed) will return at the end of days and gather the faithful to Allah. He also believes that Jesus was not God but just a man.

Case 3: This person knows the story as well. Her deal is that she is a scientist and rejects the need for God in her life. She can see the benefit for others, just not for herself.

Case 4: A former co-worker of mine is a self proclaimed Druid. He outwardly rejects the notion of God altogether. His take on it is that he wants nothing to do with a God that will allow bad things to happen. Case closed; end of discussion. When his wife went into the hospital for surgery, he was asked 'priest or rabbi' by the admitting nurse. He told her to "bring me a bush to hug".

Case 5: This is the 'all paths to God' person. This person believes that, just as the Lord confused the tongues at the tower of Babel, he also sent different messengers to different people at different times. Jesus, Buddha, and Mohammed are all a part of the Godhead as well as the coming Jewish Messiah whose role it will be to wrap it all up into a nice neat little package. Two years ago, this described me. Sadly, this is also the fastest growing 'religion' on the planet today and is sweeping college campuses like a storm under the name Baha'i.

Assuming these cases are symbolic of the prevailing mentalities in the world today, and representative of people who do not come to repentance prior to the Tribulation, are they all damned? That sure is a lot of people now, isn't it?

No one knows what God's litmus test is regarding the 'what did you really know about the gospel' question. During the tribulation He will send a deluding influence which will allow people to be fooled to then indulge in their own desires, but only if their hearts remain hardened to the truth.