Thoughts on the End Times [16]: Tribulation and Wrath
Early in my ministry I was speaking with a missionary about my views of the end times. He was surprised when I said I believed Christians would go through the tribulation. I was surprised when he said, “If I believed we could suffer persecution, I would never have gone to the mission field!”
“In the world you will have tribulation,” Jesus said. “But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16.33b). Jesus told us to expect tribulation, not that we’d escape it.
Pretribulationists believe we’ll escape the Tribulation by the rapture because they believe the Tribulation isn’t ordinary persecution, but rather seven years of divine wrath poured out on the world, and “God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5.9).
But what if tribulation and wrath are two different things? In the book of Revelation, the Tribulation is the wrath of man (or the devil, Revelation 12.12) against other men. God’s wrath is the retribution God pours out upon those who persecute His people. The wrath of God is not tribulation; the wrath of God avenges the tribulation and ends it.
In Revelation, God’s wrath is mentioned at the end of each line of ugly events: the sixth seal (Revelation 6.16-17) and the seventh trumpet (Revelation 11.15-18). The final judgments, the seven bowls, are poured out as the culmination of God’s wrath, not during the tribulation, but at the end of it, to bring it to an end (Revelation 15.1-16.21). The nations rage, and afterward God’s wrath punishes that rage (Revelation 11.18).
Paul encourages the Thessalonians with the same perspective amidst their suffering persecution (i.e. tribulation):
…God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when He comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. (2 Thessalonians 1.6-10)
We must patiently endure persecution for the name of Jesus from people. Those who make our lives difficult will eventually suffer God’s wrath.
We must affirm the following truths to be faithful to the Scriptures:
1) Christians should expect to be persecuted by men who oppose God.
2) The wrath of God will eventually punish those that oppose Him and persecute us.
3) Christians will escape that wrath (i.e. be resurrected and raptured)
If you equate “tribulation” and “wrath” in Revelation (i.e. the pretribulationist view), I disagree with that equation, but we can agree on the truth that we will escape wrath.
If I see the tribulation as persecution from man, but the judgment after the tribulation as the wrath of God which we will escape by resurrection or rapture, I hope we still agree that we should expect persecution (unlike the misinformed missionary) but will escape wrath.
In this way, we can differ on trivial details but agree on the overall principles regarding the end times. And rather than call each other ‘heretic’ or ‘false teacher’, we can work together to encourage each other to faithfulness when wickedness comes against us.
“In the world you will have tribulation,” Jesus said. “But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16.33b). Jesus told us to expect tribulation, not that we’d escape it.
Pretribulationists believe we’ll escape the Tribulation by the rapture because they believe the Tribulation isn’t ordinary persecution, but rather seven years of divine wrath poured out on the world, and “God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5.9).
But what if tribulation and wrath are two different things? In the book of Revelation, the Tribulation is the wrath of man (or the devil, Revelation 12.12) against other men. God’s wrath is the retribution God pours out upon those who persecute His people. The wrath of God is not tribulation; the wrath of God avenges the tribulation and ends it.
In Revelation, God’s wrath is mentioned at the end of each line of ugly events: the sixth seal (Revelation 6.16-17) and the seventh trumpet (Revelation 11.15-18). The final judgments, the seven bowls, are poured out as the culmination of God’s wrath, not during the tribulation, but at the end of it, to bring it to an end (Revelation 15.1-16.21). The nations rage, and afterward God’s wrath punishes that rage (Revelation 11.18).
Paul encourages the Thessalonians with the same perspective amidst their suffering persecution (i.e. tribulation):
…God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when He comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. (2 Thessalonians 1.6-10)
We must patiently endure persecution for the name of Jesus from people. Those who make our lives difficult will eventually suffer God’s wrath.
We must affirm the following truths to be faithful to the Scriptures:
1) Christians should expect to be persecuted by men who oppose God.
2) The wrath of God will eventually punish those that oppose Him and persecute us.
3) Christians will escape that wrath (i.e. be resurrected and raptured)
If you equate “tribulation” and “wrath” in Revelation (i.e. the pretribulationist view), I disagree with that equation, but we can agree on the truth that we will escape wrath.
If I see the tribulation as persecution from man, but the judgment after the tribulation as the wrath of God which we will escape by resurrection or rapture, I hope we still agree that we should expect persecution (unlike the misinformed missionary) but will escape wrath.
In this way, we can differ on trivial details but agree on the overall principles regarding the end times. And rather than call each other ‘heretic’ or ‘false teacher’, we can work together to encourage each other to faithfulness when wickedness comes against us.