You Can't Prepare To Endure The Tribulation

"And as it was in the days of NOAH, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of LOT: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed." Luke 17:26-30 Noah wasn't put into the ark halfway through the flood. He went into the ark a week before the first drop of rain fell. "So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood... And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth." Genesis 7:7-10 Furthermore, it wasn't during threatening times that he went into the ark. At the time, people were going about life as usual, buying, selling, marrying, giving in marriage. The flood came when they were just enjoying life. There was no warning except the words of Noah as he preached to that generation throughout the time it took him to build the ark. "Noah, one of eight people, a PREACHER of righteousness..." 2 Peter 2:5 He PREACHED and he was SCORNED for his warnings. And they all perished. Just as today, as it is written, "knowing this first, that scoffers will come in the last days..." (2nd Peter 3:3). And as we bring the message, we are scorned. The scorners will suffer the same fate. Likewise when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah "When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, 'Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.' And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, 'Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.''' Gen 19:15-17 Lot wasn't moving fast enough so the angel prevailed on him to hurry, because he couldn't bring the judgment UNTIL LOT WAS OUT OF THERE: "Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there." Genesis 19:22 Jesus said of the time of the Tribulation of the last days, that they will be worse than anything mankind has ever seen upon the earth. Worse than the flood. Worse than the fiery destruction of Sodom. "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be." Matthew 24:21 Many believe that the first half of the Tribulation will be relatively calm, and some are even stocking up in preparation for it. No, the entire seven-year period will be times of increasingly terrible judgments beginning from the opening of the first seal of judgments that will be poured upon the earth. We are not to prepare ourselves to outwit the Tribulation. We are not to be looking for the Antichrist intending to outwit him. We are to be looking for Jesus Christ and those who are looking for him, he will take from this earth before his wrath upon the earth begins. At no point at the beginning of the Tribulation will it be a time of relative peace. Horror begins at the beginning, with the first seal. What are the first judgments that fall? 1. The Antichrist goes forth conquering, he takes control over the world 2. Great warfare breaks out 3. There is great famine 4. 1/4 of the earth's population is killed by famine, plague, and wild beasts 5. Martyrdom. The Antichrist beheads all who won't take his mark 6. Devastating earthquake, sun turns black, moon as blood, "the heavens recede as a scroll," possibly the result of nuclear war. Every mountain and island removed from its place. Survivors are so horrified that they cry out to the mountains and rocks to fall upon them. 7. An angel takes a censer fills it with fire from the altar, and hurls it on the earth; and there comes peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake...” These are only the SEALS, the first judgments. Don't be deceived - the first part is beyond terrible. Next come the Trumpets, then the Vials, in increasing severity, if you can imagine that! The entire seven years are called "the wrath of God almighty." There is no place in which the wrath begins other than in the beginning, in the Seals. The Rapture precedes all of the tribulation of the last seven years, but only born-again believers who eagerly watch for him will be taken, those who aren't trying to prepare themselves to survive the Tribulation, but who are watching for Jesus's coming in the Rapture: "TO THOSE WHO EAGERLY WAIT FOR HIM he will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation." Hebrews 9:29 If you understand this, it will become clear that no part of the first judgments are mild enough that anyone could prepare for them. The 7-year period STARTS with unbearable suffering. Those who understand this realize that there is no way anyone could "comfort one another with these words." MORE: The Rapture

Our Blessed Hope

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep (died), lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 Paul is saying that we are not to sorrow over lost loved ones as though we had no hope of seeing them again. And then he reveals the doctrine of the Rapture which he called "a mystery" (1 Corinthians 15:51 ), something that was not revealed in the past but is being revealed now. It is the hope that no other religion can give. Vs 16: “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.” Imagine it. Jesus Christ himself is going to descend from heaven and all those who died believing in him are going to rise from their graves. Interestingly, when Jesus himself rose from the dead, saints of old also rose and were seen by many:

"...and the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after his resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many." Matthew 27:52-53 At the Rapture, believers who have died are resurrected, and then ...believers in Jesus who have not died, those who are alive on earth at this time, will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air and from that day to never be separated again. “THEN …we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:17 This is such an astonishing teaching that many reject it because it sounds preposterous. But the same God who parted the waters of the Red Sea, the same God who brought forth his Son through a virgin, the same God who gave sight to the blind and healed the infirm, the same God who himself was Raptured when he ascended to heaven after his resurrection ― this same God will once again do something that defies science and all that is known to man. He will gather all born-again believers together to himself before the great Tribulation that will be unleashed upon the unbelieving world. Paul said our “blessed hope” comforts us when we lose our loved ones. We will see them again, and rejoice with them in the presence of the Lord. It is such a wonderful promise that he continued: “THEREFORE …comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:18 Some say believers will be here during the Tribulation. If that were true, no way could we “comfort one another." Don't tell us we're going to experience the horrors of the Tribulation, and then tell us to comfort one another with those words. Jesus said the Tribulation will be the worst time the earth has ever known or ever will. You couldn’t comfort one another if that were the case. "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be." Matthew 24:21 We are accused of being "escapists." And we say a resounding YES! Why? Because Jesus TOLD US TO BE: "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy TO ESCAPE all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Luke 21:36 Those who believe are: “...looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ...” Titus 2:13 MORE: The Rapture

Multitudes In The Valley Of Decision

"For behold, in those days and at that time, when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of my people, my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also DIVIDED UP MY LAND." Joel 3:1-2 This is the generation in which God has brought back the Jews who were scattered throughout the world for 2,000 years. And in this generation he is going to gather Israel's enemies to war in the Valley of Jehoshaphat which is just outside Jerusalem, and there the enemies of Israel who come against Jerusalem are going to be destroyed. There are three last-days wars coming which we know of. There may be others, but the Bible specifies three. First will be the Psalm 83 war. Psalm 83 names the peoples who will come against Jerusalem, and these are the countries immediately bordering Israel. In this great war God will bring an end to the so-called "Palestinians" who have caused terror in the land of Israel. These are the peoples who are loudly declaring that they will drive Israel into the sea and take her land. But God has news for them. In this war THEY will be destroyed and Israel's territory will be greatly increased. vs:19 “Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom a desolate wilderness, because of violence against the people of Judah, for they have shed innocent blood in their land." In the second war, foretold in Ezekiel 38, there will be a coalition of nations under Russia (Gog of Magog), Iran (Persia), and Turkey (House of Togarmah.) Iran has been boasting for years how they are going to eliminate Israel forever. Well, God has news for them also! Surely they will come against Israel, but in this war God himself is going to destroy them. The third war will be the war of Armageddon in which all the remaining nations who hate Israel will come against her, surround Jerusalem, and come to their end. Until then, the subject of Israel is the great subject which polarizes the entire world. On the one hand are those who have no interest in God's Word, along with those who support the enemies who are determined to create their Islamic state within the borders of Israel. Yes, they want to create their country WITHIN Israel's borders; if that's not obvious, nothing is. This includes the Arabs and other Muslims, the Palestinians, the UN, and most of the world. On the other hand are the believers - those who know God's Word and who have refused to believe the lies that Satan has created against God's people Israel and her land. It all comes down to one thing: one's response to the Word of God and what he has said about "the last days." vs 14: "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision." Believers in the Bible are proclaiming to all who will hear that these are the days prophesied from the ancient Scriptures concerning "the last days," because all the signs mentioned are right now on the scene. The multitudes will make their choice - whether to accept the Word of God, or whether to side with the deception concerning the Satanic AGENDA behind these things. Most of the World will reject what God has to say on the subject, and they will go into the Great Tribulation where the wrath of almighty God will be poured out upon an unbelieving world. Make your choice for the Word of God - or against it - now while there is still time. But know this: refusing to make a choice, is a choice. There will be terrible, terrible judgment upon those who have ignored or refused the Word of God. "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be." Matthew 24:21 Their defiance will reap its reward then, and hell will follow. All the signs of the times are declaring that that time is about to begin. If you are not sure about your eternal state, it's time to turn to Jesus Christ and surrender your life to him. If you do, you will be saved and these judgments will not be yours. More: God's Covenant With Israel