Should I or Should I Not Prepare for the Great Tribulation?

By Tony Pearce
Used with permission.

Rapture or Tribulation—Are We Prepared?

When considering the question of the timing of the Rapture, some have brought forward objections including the accusation that the pre-Tribulation view is not preparing people for the time of trouble that is coming. 

It is said by some that those who believe in the pre-Tribulation Rapture will find themselves in time of trouble instead of being raptured away to paradise. As a result, many will lose their faith, deny the Lord, or even take the Mark of the Beast. Therefore, they say, this is a dangerous doctrine which could lead people to Hell. Some go so far as to say that those who teach the pre-Tribulation Rapture are heretics and will leave Christians vulnerable and likely to lose their faith when they find themselves up against the Antichrist in the Great Tribulation while being persecuted for their faith.

Is this the case? I agree there are dangers in some pre-Tribulation teachings if they are implying that we will be whisked out of the way, taken to be with the Lord, before anything really bad happens such as persecution and will be spared all suffering. And we see already that people all over the world are suffering now some terrible things in wars, diseases, famines, natural disasters; and many Christians are being persecuted for their faith.

In my view, we should be ready for both—either a sudden end to our life on Earth (either by death or by the Rapture) or for the possibility of suffering for our faith in the Lord. In either case, the one preparation that matters is that we repent of our sins and believe the Gospel—that Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day—and that we commit our lives to following Him, no matter what other people think of us or what happens to us in this life. 

Having Christ in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27), we trust Him to help us through our troubles (both present and future), and we look forward to the eternal state in which we will be with Him forever. We are assured of salvation from eternal death and suffering in Hell.

In which case, we can know the peace of God in all circumstances as Paul wrote in Philippians 4:

Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:6-13)

If we learn how to do this now, we will be well prepared for whatever is to come in our lives, for good and for evil.

The big issue with the Great Tribulation is that it is a time when those who believe in Jesus face severe persecution at the hands of the Beast / Antichrist and even death for their faith.

Revelation 7 says:

After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. (Revelation 7:9-17)

Regardless of what camp one falls in on the timing of the Rapture, most pre-, mid-, and post-Tribulation believers can see that current events are leading the world towards the time of the Antichrist (which will be a time of incredible deception, which we see already mounting). So, this is not just an academic debate as we literally see that time approaching.

Facing Such a Time of Trouble

How would we face such a time of trouble? First, the question does not just affect Christians. According to the literal reading of Revelation and the Olivet discourse, the last days trauma will affect everyone on Earth as wars, famines, plagues, and earthquakes devastate the Earth as the world comes under the control of a dictator known as the Beast or the Antichrist.

At least half of the world’s population will die at this time, based on figures in Revelation 6:8 (a quarter of the population die) succeeded by Revelation 9:15 (one third of mankind killed). That’s the very least. It won’t be a nice time to be around (to say the least).

Specifically, for believers in Jesus, at the midpoint of the tribulation, 3 ½ years into it, they will have to make a choice over taking the Mark of the Beast and being able to participate in society or refusing it and becoming outcasts, unable to buy or sell. The Bible says that those who take the Mark will be damned (Revelation 14:9-11). So when it becomes clear what this is, if you are here, don’t take it.

How Will We Prepare for This?

The question came to me and my first wife Nikki back in the 1970s. Suppose we do find ourselves in a time when such evil men have taken over. How would we cope? Nikki became quite worried that under persecution, she might crack and deny the Lord. She was actually a very courageous and bold Christian, and had she lived, I am sure she would have endured. We prayed about it and decided that the Lord’s wisdom was in Jesus’ words:

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (Matthew 6:33-34)

In other words, get on with life now, invest in God’s Kingdom, and trust Him for what is to come.

There are enough troubles in the here and now. God will provide what is needed at the right time.

At the time, we watched the movie The Hiding Place, a movie concerning Corrie Ten Boom and her family, their arrest for hiding Jews during WWII, and their deportation to a concentration camp. As they contemplated what was before them, Corrie recalled an incident as a child when she asked her father:

“What is it like to die?”

He said, “When I take you on the train from Haarlem to Amsterdam, do I give you the ticket days before we go or just before you go through the ticket inspection?”

“Just before,” she answered.

“So with our Heavenly Father, He will give us what we need at the time when we need it and tells us not to worry about the future or about dying.” (from The Hiding Place)

Sadly, as it happened, my wife Nikki died at a relatively young age in 1998 from multiple myeloma, a form of bone marrow cancer. So, she did not live to see either the Rapture or the Tribulation. But I am confident that she will be there at the resurrection, when the dead in Christ are raised and met by the those who are caught up in the Rapture event.

Coming back to the question about the Rapture and the Tribulation: Today, there are already many situations where people are facing enormous trials, Christians facing persecution, and people in general suffering from wars, famines, plagues, and dictatorial governments. In the Western world, we see a growing antichrist agenda, woke ideas, imposing itself on every area of society including parts of the church, with a deep hostility toward biblical Christianity. We have to train ourselves now to discern good and evil, truth and error. Primarily, we do this by knowing the Bible and keeping in touch with the Lord by the Holy Spirit within us.

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” (Romans 15:13)

That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:12-14)

Clearly, the Bible and the experience of Christians down through the ages and today shows us that we are not exempt from facing persecution and suffering in these times. But we do have a great advantage over non-Christians in that we have Someone who has been through it Himself—Jesus and His suffering at the Cross. And let us not forget that He has said He will be with us always and that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

As long as we have grasped these principles, no matter what we face in the days to come, we will be overcomers in the days of evil. If we have been hoping in the pre-Tribulation Rapture and we find that it has not happened and we are in circumstances which line up with the description of the Tribulation (Revelation 6-19), we will have to adjust our thinking and get on with it (by God’s power, not ours). It’s not the end of the world (quite).

If we die in the process, then we die in faith, knowing that a glorious resurrection and future awaits us in Jesus. We know from our study of Scripture that we must not under any circumstance worship the image of the Beast or take the Mark of the Beast (Revelation 13), whatever that may turn out to be.

And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (Revelation 13:16-18)

If we understand the basic principles of the Gospel, the Holy Spirit will enable us to work out and discern what is of Christ and what is of Antichrist. The fact that a lot of the church seems unable to do this is not because of a failure of the Gospel, or God’s Word, or the Holy Spirit but because of the blindness and unbelief of so much of professing Christianity that has not a love of the truth no matter the cost.

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. (2 Timothy 3:12)

But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. (2 Timothy 4:5; see also 1 John 2:18-22, 2 Peter 2.)

A primary way to avoid the deceptions, which are a feature of this age and leading to the greatest deception of all in the coming of the Antichrist, is to know the truth in God’s Word and believe in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross.

Regardless of our view on the timing of the Rapture, may we always be “looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

In closing, let us ponder the words the Lord spoke to the people of Israel, reminding us of the merciful nature of God:

But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee. (Deuteronomy 4:29-31)

Epilogue by the Editors at Lighthouse Trails: While the timing of the Rapture is a disputed topic within Christendom (partly because the Bible does not come right out and tell us the exact timing and partly because related verses are interpreted differently), the Bible provides us with many examples of how we are to live, as believers in Christ, in times of great deception upon the Earth and in the church. A few of these examples are:

1. The Word tells us not to become deceived (Luke 21:8).
2. We are to warn others of impending spiritual deception and danger (Colossians 1:28; Acts 20:31).
3. We are to be watchmen on the wall (Ezekiel 33:6)
4. We are to be aware of false christs and false prophets in our midst (Mark 13:22) (and remember to warn).

In Warren B. Smith’s new book, As Night Comes On, one of the chapters is titled “Beware.” The majority of this chapter contains verses that exhort us to “beware” of evil and deception. It’s quite astounding how many verses on this subject there actually are, yet it seems that most pastors today don’t exhort the church to “beware.” Here are a few of the over 150 verses Warren has included:

Beware of Worldly Oneness
And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. (Genesis 11:6)

Beware of Those With Familiar Spirits
Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God. (Leviticus 19:31)

Beware of Ungodly Spiritual Manifestations
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end. (Psalm 107:27)

Beware of Contrived Unity
Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered. (Proverbs 11:21)

Beware of Change Agents
My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change. (Proverbs 24:21)

Beware of Pastors Who Are Destroying God’s Vineyard
Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. (Jeremiah 12:10)

Beware of Serving Two Masters
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24)

Beware of Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. (Matthew 7:15)

Beware of Undiscerning Leaders
O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? (Matthew 16:3)

Beware of a Light That Is Dark
Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. (Luke 11:35)

While we wait for our “blessed hope,” let us be like the five virgins with the filled oil lamps who were ready to meet the Bridegroom.

Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. (Matthew 25:13)

---

Tony Pearce is the founder and director of Light for the Last Days. He is also the author of the Lighthouse Trails book, The Messiah Factor, as well as four Lighthouse Trails topical booklets.

(photo from istockphoto.com; used with permission)