I’ve written in previous posts on the subject of the Pre-Tribulation view of the Rapture, and the idea that many American Christians have concerning the wrath of God. “God is too loving to let us suffer through the Tribulation” they will say, and we are “not appointed to wrath”.
Well, if this is the case, why, I ask, are Christians around the Muslim world being killed and persecuted? Why are they being blown to pieces? Here’s a BBC news headline from today, Sunday 22nd September:
“PAKISTAN CHURCH BLAST KILLS DOZENS
A twin-suicide bombing outside a church in Peshawar in Pakistan has killed at
least 75 people, in one of the worst attacks on Christians in the country.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24193734
And in many parts of the Middle East (except Israel) militant Islamists, funded and trained by the West (note 1) are killing Christians and burning down their churches:
“EGYPTS’ COPTIC CHRISTIANS FEAR EXTREMIST BACKLASH
As fears grow in Egypt that there might be more bloodshed, the country’s Coptic Christians are dreading further backlash.
Since the Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsi was ousted, extreme Islamists have targeted Egypt’s Christians, saying they hold them partly responsible.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23683035
“SYRIA CRISIS: CHRISTIANS FLEE TO DAMASCUS CATHEDRAL
Rebel forces have taken control of the historic Christian town of Maaloula, north of Damascus, with Christians fleeing to the Greek Catholic Cathedral in Damascus for help.”
Is the wrath of God falling upon these Christians? Of course my rhetorical question demands a “no” answer, because God does not pour out his wrath upon his own people. But what we see happening to our brothers and sisters around the world does serve to blast out of consideration the myopic, selfish view that we are all going to be whisked away in the Rapture before anything bad will happen to us. If you will look, you will see that the prophesied “wrath of God” is not even due to fall until some time during the last three and a half years before the return of Christ. But the wrath of man, and the wrath of Satan will. Get real! Get prepared! Get informed!
NOTE 1 http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/12/politics/syria-arming-rebels/
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/07/09/what-egyptians-think-obama-after-morsi-disaster/
Fuel for Faith 
The word of God tells us that we are not appointed or assigned to wrath. 1 Thess. 5:9, but it is important that we don’t leave out verse 10. This verse tells us that we are appointed to salvation and to forever live with Him. It has nothing to do with the temporal, but he eternal. See also Rev. 14:9-11 this passage defines to us what God’s wrath is. It is Hell. Here again it’s eternal, not temporal. God’s judgements complete His wrath Rev. 15:1. In other words, His judgements bring about the eternal assignment or appointment…. Heaven or Hell. We need to understand that the harvest at the end of the age that Jesus told us about in Matt. 13, is prophesied in Rev. 14:13,14. Both the wheat and the tares, that is believers and the wicked are harvested at the time of His bowl judgements. Blessed are those who die in Christ after this time… vs 13. The words in the Greek for wrath is not the same that is used concerning the bowl judgements and the fact that we are not appointed to wrath. The bowl judgements usage of the Greek word is also translated anger. The key word to remember here is appointed or assigned. This is our eternal appointment or assignment. .. “to live forever with Him.” 1 Thess. 5:10 Any tribulation or persecution on earth is temporal… it is but a vapor and has no real value except to concrete our decision of whom we serve. That is the real question. Who do we serve. Jesus address the storm that comes to test this decision in Mark 4:17 Those who are not prepared for “tribulation or persecution immediately stumble”.
This is the great falling away or apostasy (Greek word apostasia) that Paul says must first happen before we are gathered together with Him 2 Thess. 2:1-3. Consider the significance of this: Before the rapture can happen, there must be a great apostasy or turning away from the faith. Jesus tells us how people turn away, by having stony soil rather than fertile. It’s from not being prepared for tribulation and persecution Mark 4:17. The pretrib rapture doctrine teaches that the word for falling away is not apostasy, bur rather being raptured. Consider the context of these verses: Before we are raptured these things must first take place… one of them being the rapture.. say what? The event cannot happen until the event already has happened? Sorry but the twisting of scripture to change apostasy into rapture is a very blatant misrepresentation. We are specifically warned of the deception surrounding verse 3 (2 Thess. 2) “Let no man deceive you.” We are later told who the deception falls on… those who do not love the truth. 2 Thess.9-12. Let us remove the stones of the pretrib doctrine so that fertile soil remains and God’s people embrace the coming tribulation and persecution that He promised His people John 16:33, 2 Tim 3:12.
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Yes, and actually study the Bible. http://textsincontext.wordpress.com/2013/05/11/second-coming-rapture-vs-scripture-christian/
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