The “Gospel”
During the Great Tribulation
The
Righteous Will Live by Faith
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The
Great Tribulation and the first Message of the
Gospel
To
describe the power of the gospel during the Great
Tribulation, it might be best to briefly
“walk through” the scenario. I have
presented in previous studies why I reject the
idea of a pre-tribulation rapture, so this topic
will not be addressed again in this article.
However, other matters need to be discussed as
they relate to the gospel during the Great
Tribulation:
A. ..My
understanding is that the Great Tribulation will
be a time-period of 1,335 days (Daniel 12:11,12)
that will be divided into two phases: God’s
wrath mixed with mercy (seven first plagues
(trumpets) – Revelation 8 &9),
God’s wrath without mercy directed at the
wicked (seven last plagues (bowls)-Revelation 15
& 16). This represents a total of 14 coming
judgments.
B. ..The
seven first plagues (seven trumpets) are
judgments from God that will destroy much of the
Earth and its delicate infrastructures.
Communication, travel, commerce, manufacturing
and distribution are types of
infrastructures. According to the Bible,
about 50% of the world’s population will
perish before the seventh trumpet sounds (yes
this includes many saints). The rest of
Earth’s population will be destroyed at the
Second Coming (excluding those saints who live
during the 75 days of the seven last plagues).
C.
..Right after the great earthquake and other
phenomenon mentioned in Revelation 8:3-5, but
right before the sounding of the first trumpet,
the 144,000 will be empowered by the Holy Spirit
to speak for God, much like Elijah, Moses and
John the Baptist were empowered. The first gospel
message to be proclaimed is recorded in
Revelation 14:7. John describes the gospel
message as carried on the wings of an angel.
Notice what he saw: “Then I saw another
angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal
gospel to proclaim to those who live on the
earth-to every nation, tribe, language and
people.” (Italics mine)
Revelation
14:7 reveals three important things:
1. ..An
angel flying in midair suggests a rapid
transmission of this message to the whole world.
(See Daniel 8:5 for parallel language on the
swiftness of the Grecian empire.)
2. ..This
angel has possession of the eternal gospel.
The emphasis on eternal is given because the
gospel preached during the Great Tribulation
will not be new and improved. On the
contrary, something eternal also means
unchangeable and ancient. Indeed, the way to
salvation has never changed. Salvation comes by
faith - always has - always will. (Ephesians
2:8,9; Genesis 15:6; John 22:16; 2 Chronicles
20:20; Revelation 14:12) From the death of Abel
in genesis 4 to the seventh trumpet in Revelation
11, the gospel that leads to salvation includes
joyful obedience to the King of kings. Joyful
obedience can only occur in a born again heart.
True, tests of obedience are not often joyful
(Daniel 3 & 6; Hebrews 11), but a great peace
fills the hearts of those individuals who stand
firm in their faith. (Psalms 119: 165; Exodus
14:13; Isaiah 7:9; Ephesians’ 6:14; 2
Corinthians 11:10-12)
3.
..Notice that the eternal gospel identified in
this verse is sent to every nation, tribe,
language and people. No worldwide church or TV
ministry can accomplish this objective in the
given time-period. (The entire Christian
communities, with divergent views on the gospel
have not accomplished this task during the past
2,000 years, nor can they accomplish it during
the Great Tribulation.) This flying angel is not
symbolic of a denomination or a silver-tongued
orator. Actually, this angel (Greek word for
angel means “messenger”) represents the
proclamation and work of the 144,000. They will
be “spokespersons” for God during this
hour.
The
First Message of the Gospel
“He [the
flying angel] said in a loud voice, “Fear
God and give him glory, because the hour of his
judgment has come. Worship him who made the
heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of
water.” (Revelation 14:7)
The contents of the first
message of the gospel during the Great
Tribulation will not be hard to understand –
especially if are living then. So, picture the
setting this gospel message will be proclaimed
in: The first four trumpets have just sounded.
Meteoric showers of burning hail have burned up
one-third of the Earth great costal cities and
their mega-populations have entirely disappeared
because of an asteroid impact in the ocean.
Hundreds of millions have died of contaminated
waters because of an asteroid impact on a
continent. (Resulting ground waves from the
asteroid impact cause septic systems and other
buried toxic waste to filter into giant
underground aquifers from which millions of
people get their drinking water.) Hundreds of
volcanoes around the “ring of fire”
have blasted billions of tons of ejecta and
debris into the atmosphere. There is great
darkness. Without sunlight, there will be a
famine, suffering and misery beyond words. The
survivors are in shock and trembling with fear
and terror. Nearly 1.5 billion people are dead
from these judgments. Many survivors will soon
die. Plagues are everywhere. It is in this
setting that the first message of the gospel is
delivered. This message says three things:
- “Fear
God and give Him glory.”
This part of the message
is self-explanatory. The implication is clear,
God has not been feared nor has He received the
glory, honor and respect that He is due
throughout the ages.
- “The
hour of his judgment has come.”
The last moments of
God’s mercy have come, and the kingdom of
Christ is about to be established. Everyone on
earth during the Great Tribulation will have a
chance to be a part of His coming kingdom. God
has come to test the human race – who will
remain loyal to Him above everything else.
(Revelation 3:10) The phrase, “the hour of
God’s judgment” can apply two ways.
First, this is the time when man will consider
the authority of a Sovereign God. On the other
hand, this will also be a time when God tests the
behavior, loyalty and faith of every person.
Remember, the everlasting gospel explains the
relationship that exists between the government
of God, Jesus Christ, Lucifer and fallen man.
- “Worship
Him who made the heavens, the earth, the
sea and the springs of water.”
This phrase identifies
the elements destroyed by the first four
trumpets. The heavens are dark. The earth and its
crops have been burned beyond recovery. The sea
has suffered an asteroid impact and the springs
of water are contaminated. This message commands
everyone to Worship the Creator. Who is the
Creator of the heavens, the Earth, the sea and
the springs of water? The Bible says it is Jesus
Christ. (Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2; John 1:
1-14) How does Jesus want to be worshiped? In His
own words, here are the instructions (this is the
fourth commandment): “Remember the
Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you
shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh
day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you
shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son
or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant,
nor your animals, nor the alien within your
gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens
and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them,
but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the
Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it
holy.” (Exodus 20:8-11)
Understand that this
first message does not go forward without
enormous controversy. This message will not be
widely received at first because it stands
contrary to the claims of nearly all religions of
the world! You might ask how is it contrary?
Catholics and most
Protestants teach that Sunday, the first day of
the week is the Lord’s day. Moslems teach
that Friday is the day of rest. Although Jews
regard Saturday as the holy day, they reject
Jesus as the Son of God and Creator of the
universe, so they will not worship Him. Hindus
also deny that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and
Savior of the world. The few religious bodies
that exist today that regard Saturday as
God’s holy day deny either that the trumpets
of Revelation are in the future or they have no
explanation of the seven trumpets. Incredible as
it may seem, there is no religious body on Earth
prepared to deal with this emergency and explain
it! This being the case, no religious group is
qualified to present the everlasting gospel.
Therefore, just before the trumpets begin to
sound, God chooses 144,000 common people from all
religions and nations to do the work of
proclaiming His everlasting gospel. They will
accomplish the impossible. Jesus said, “And
this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in
the whole world as a testimony to all nations,
and then the end will come.” (Matthew
24:14)
How does this message
relate to “Righteousness by Faith?”
Simple. People, who have open hearts toward God
and His truth, will understand that god’s
revealed wrath (the Judgments) is justified. Our
planet is in open, flagrant rebellion against the
Creator and now the Creator commands all to
render obedience and worship. The observance of
the seventh day Sabbath will again prove to be a
sign between god and His people. (Exodus 31:17)
The observance of the seventh day Sabbath will
defy the laws that demand respect for another
day. To willingly observe God’s Sabbath
during the tribulation and suffer the resulting
consequences will be a powerful test of faith.
God has everyone’s attention during the
Tribulation and millions of people will be
awakened for the first time to knowledge of
God’s commandments. On the other hand, God
will reveal how religious systems of the world
are bankrupt of truth. If, as they claim, they
had the truth about God, why didn’t the
religious leaders warn and prepare the people
about God’s plans written in Revelation?
We must note that the
fourth commandment is the only commandment in the
Ten Commandments that require man to do nothing
– at the right time each week. If God
required man to do something to be saved, then it
would not be righteousness by faith – it
would be salvation by works! However, the Sabbath
commandment is a command to rest on God’s
holy day, the seventh day of the week. This is
why I call this first message the announcement of
the “Sabbath rest test.” This test will
quickly separate those who put their faith in God
from those who do not.
The
Second Message of the Gospel
The survivors of the
first four trumpets will scramble for
understanding and information about the
overwhelming wrath of God. Religious leaders will
suddenly “figure out” that (a) God has
wrath, and (b) God is responding to the
world’s corporate evil and degenerate ways.
Religious leaders will suddenly call for reform
and seek laws demanding respect for God because
of this crisis sent from God. They will form a
world organization and each religion system, will
in its own way, attempt to appease God so that
His judgments will cease. Religious leaders will
see that laws are quickly passed requiring all
men to worship and honor God, including laws to
respect His holy day. However, the problem is
that Moslems, Jews, Catholics and Protestants do
not agree which day is holy!
In this setting, a second
message from God will be sent through out the
Earth. Do not allow the brevity of this second
message to mislead you. This is a very important
message and it is an extension of the first
message. This message reveals certain matters
about “Righteousness by Faith” that
every Christian needs to know: “A second
angel followed and said, “Fallen! Fallen is
Babylon the Great, which made all the nations
drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”
(Revelation 14:8)
This message declares two
things:
1. “Fallen!
Fallen is Babylon the Great” A crisis
government (Babylon the Great) will quickly form
in response to God’s judgments. This
government will be lead by the world’s
religious leaders – with political
following. This message from God declares that
the worldwide government is corrupt and
blasphemous (or fallen). God has nothing to do
with the global endeavor to appease His wrath.
The whole system and theology upon which the
crisis government is built is false. It is the
work of the devil. Do not yield to its authority,
have nothing to do with it for God will destroy
it and all who obey its blasphemous laws.
2. “Made all
nations drink the maddening wine of her
adulteries” The crisis government
(Babylon the Great) will demand cooperation from
all nations. This message declares that all
nations will drink (buy into) the lies advocated
by the world’s religious leaders. The
resulting laws will be conflicting and maddening.
This crisis government is called adulterous and
immoral because religious leaders will be
“in bed together” for a common cause.
(See Jeremiah 25:15,16, for parallel language on
this maddening wine.)
This message, like the
first message, will reveal all who place the law
of God above the laws of men. No one can hide
from this test. People will demonstrate where
their loyalties lie when tested with severe
penalties for disobedience. The greater the
penalties, the clearer the outcome of the test.
Just as winter strips the trees in the forest of
their leaves, leaving the evergreens to stand out
in contrast to the forest’s barren limbs, so
the hardships of tribulation will strip away the
pretext of religion, and faith in God will be
revealed. The Great Tribulation is a time for
wrath for everyone. If we obey God, we will
suffer at the hands of men. If we obey men, we
will suffer torment and eternal death from God.
This is the great vortex coming upon the Earth.
This is the great testing time of faith. Those
who love God and His truth, those who render
obedience as He commands, will have to live by
faith – there is no other way to remain
faithful to God.
The seriousness of the
second message can only be understood within the
context of the stringent laws and severe
penalties imposed upon the nations. Anyone who
disobeys, rebels, opposes or aids and abets
people opposing the crisis government’s laws
will suffer greatly. The devil is the force
behind the sudden and powerful rise of the crisis
government. (Revelation 13:2-4) The Bible
indicates that all inhabitants of the Earth will
submit to this government, all except those
having their names written in the Book of Life.
(Revelation 13:8)
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