Compiled by Apollos from the writings of David Brandt Berg with further editing by the webmaster.
Back in the last century, some dear Christians, nice churchy Christians, decided that they shouldn't have to go through the Tribulation--the Lord couldn't possibly be that mean and cruel to them and that hard on'm as to cause a little testing and trying of their faith to bring out the pure gold, to see who really has faith and who hasn't! (1Pe.1:7.)
LET ME ASK YOU, WHAT DOES A GOOD FIGHTER LIKE?--A GOOD FIGHT! And what does a good runner like?--A good race! But the majority of the Church, being as lazy as it is today, as unconcerned and as scared and as fearful and everything else, doesn't want to fight, doesn't want to race, doesn't want any challenges, doesn't want to have to stand any tests, trials, afflictions or tribulation!--So they cooked up a nice little theory to get them out of it all, the "pre-Tribulation Rapture" doctrine, which has gained wide acceptance with many Christians today. The adherents of this doctrine believe that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to resurrect and rapture His Church will occur before the 3-1/2 years of the Great Tribulation.
They think the Lord should waft them off upon flowery beds of ease and roses, into the arms of Jesus!--Before the Tribulation and before they have to do any suffering for their faith, before they have to really be tested for their testimony, before they have to really be tried in order to triumph, before they have to have any battles in order to gain a victory! They hope to be wafted off into Heavenly places, out of their comfortably cushioned pews and organ lullabies and sweet music in their lovely church buildings, right on up into the Heavenlies!--"Preferably, Lord, on Sunday morning, right at the end of the service, when I am really ready and I've been to the altar and I've made my weekly confession and made everything right and I'm really ready to go!"
WEll, I'm afraid this false doctrine is not going to get them out of it! If the Bible doesn't say so, it ain't so!--And the Bible says just the opposite! I don't care how much you want to get out of the Tribulation, just wanting to doesn't make it so! I don't care how much you logicalise and reason and try to explain why the Church should escape the Tribulation, and use all kinds of hazy generalities to try to prove it, that still doesn't make it so! What the Bible says is what counts!--That's what counts!
Jesus himself, when speaking of His second coming, said, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from Heaven, and the powers of the Heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in Heaven: and then shall all of the tribes of the Earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory! And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of Heaven to the other!" (Mt.24:29-31.) There it is, as plain as day, clear enough for any child to understand: Jesus is coming to rapture or "gather together" his "elect"--which means all of His saved, set-apart children who have received Him into their hearts--immediately after the Great Tribulation period! (Part seven of this book will cover the Second Coming of Christ and the Rapture and Resurrection in much greater detail!)
So, contrary to what many Bible prophecy teachers and false prophets and false Bible teachers have taught, contrary to their soothsayings and their peace-prophesyings, the Church is still going to be here during the Tribulation! They're going to have to go through it. Daniel said so, Jesus said so, John said so, they all said so!--The Church, the Saints, the Christians, the people of God, are certainly going to be here during the Tribulation! The Lord may protect you in it and keep you through it, because He needs a witness, lots of witnesses, to tell the World what's happening!--Even to tell the Church what's happening, because even the Church will be mystified as so many of them have gotten into this false doctrine that Jesus is going to come for them before the Tribulation!
Let's look at some more Scriptures describing this great tribulation period and the "Dragon's" persecution of the Church through the Antichrist: "I beheld, and the same horn"--the "little horn" of Daniel 7, the Antichrist--"made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of Days came"--Jesus Christ in His Second Coming. "And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time"!--The 3-1/2 years of Great Tribulation! (Dan.7:21,22,25.)
What?!--You mean to say this Antichrist "prevails" against the Saints?--he wins? Well, does it look like the Communists have won, have actually "prevailed against" the Church in Russia ? Does it look like the Communists have prevailed against the Church in China?--In East Germany? Does this mean the Church is absolutely dead and gone?--No! Only the temporal power has been destroyed! Only the political and economic power has been destroyed! But it's been good for them because it strengthens them spiritually and brings revival, and this is why the Lord allows it to happen!
"And his"--the Antichrist's--"power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people . And when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished!" (Dan.8:24;12:7.) The temporal power of God's Church on Earth is going to be destroyed before Jesus comes! The Lord is going to allow the Devil, in the person of the Antichrist, to destroy the temporal power of the Church and to destroy all the strength and the riches and the wealth of the professing Church and Christianity and Christendom throughout the World. He's going to allow it all to be destroyed!--The Catholic Church, Protestant Church, whatever church!
The description of the backslidden Laodicean Church in Revelation 3:14-19 is a perfect picture of the Church System today: Lukewarm and self-satisfied, saying, "I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing!"--Not even seeing or knowing that it is "wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked" in the eyes of God!--Materially rich and powerful in the eyes of the System and in her own eyes, but spiritually sickeningly sick, weak and dead! Therefore she will be rebuked and chastised by the Lord in His infinite love and mercy!
God is going to turn the whole world completely over to the Devil for awhile, and he is even going to have power over the Saints and overcome them! "And there was given unto him"--the Beast, the Antichrist--"a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations." (Rev.13:5,7.)
(Continue on to part 10)
If you'd like more inspirational material,