Surviving the coming Great Tribulation without a Rapture
Published by Rob Skiba February 16, 2015 at 3:04 PM
Once you ditch the delusion of the pre-Trib Rapture and its neccessary crutch of Dispensation Theology, the first thought is one of fear concerning the coming Great Tribulation. Fear not and consider the REASON many of us are turning back to the writings of the Old Testament to support what we believe in the New Testament:
Zephaniah 2:3 (KJV) Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger.
The ISV renders this a lot clearer…
Zephaniah 2:3 (ISV) Seek the LORD, all you humble people of the land, who do what he commands. Seek righteousness! Seek humility! Maybe you will be protected in the Day of the LORD’s anger.
I also like the way the NLT and NASB render it:
Zephaniah 2:3 (NLT) Seek the LORD, all who are humble, and follow his commands. Seek to do what is right and to live humbly. Perhaps even yet the LORD will protect you–protect you from his anger on that day of destruction.
Zephaniah 2:3 (NASB) Seek the LORD, All you humble of the earth Who have carried out His ordinances; Seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden In the day of the LORD’S anger.
As confirmation of this truth, read the book of Exodus, followed by Psalm 91. Consider also the following section from my Rapture Riddle blog:
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Clue #5 Shutting Doors and Places of Safety
The wise (virgins of the parable) fit the description of being righteous, holy and pure. Thus they get to go with the Groom. I believe this brings us back to Rosh haShanah and one of the other names it is known by: Yom HaKeseh, “Day of the Hiding or Hidden Day.” Let’s look at Yeshua’s parable again, this time focusing on the moment the “wise virgins” go with Him:
“And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.”
– Matthew 25:10 (KJV)
When thinking about the previous statement Yeshua made in Matthew 24:37, I believe this reveals something extraordinary. Notice it says “and the door was shut.” Considering the fact that this story follows the Master’s statement that the Last Days will be like the days of Noah, that phrase really jumped out at me!
A male and female of each kind entered, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord closed the door behind them.
– Genesis 7:16 (NLT)
In both cases, the Lord shuts the door. And here’s the kicker! According to verse 10, they were in the Ark for seven days prior to the Flood beginning!
And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
– Genesis 7:10 (KJV)
Here we are told that God’s people went into a place of safety for seven days before His judgment fell on the wicked. The Seven Year Tribulation Period is known as the 70th Week of Daniel; a week consisting of seven days, symbolizing years! Seven days in both cases, followed by the destruction of the wicked. It’s an exact repeat -against the exact same adversaries!
Many try to point to Old Testament Scriptures for proof of Rapture-like scenarios. But most of those examples actually better support this thesis of an “Exodus” to a Goshen-like place of safety for those who are obedient and ready, rather than support any view of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
There really are only two examples of a true Rapture in the Old Testament, and those are Enoch and Elijah’s supernatural removal from the planet. All other examples reference some form of an Exodus to a place of safety on the earth!
For instance, the story of Noah’s Ark shows God’s people in a place of safety, both before the Flood and during it. In both cases, they remained here on the Earth! Noah and his Ark were not Raptured!
Another example often given involves the story of Lot, his family and Sodom and Gomorrah. Even before the destruction of those cities, we see a foreshadow of the same principle at work. When the people of Sodom wanted to impose themselves onto Lot and his angelic visitors, the angels protected Lot. Notice what happened:
But the men [the angels] put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, andshut to the door. And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
– Genesis 19:10-11 (KJV)
Here again we see the same terminology used. God’s people were saved by being pulled inside of something. The door was then shut and a judgment fell on those left outside! As the story progresses we see that Lot and his family were not “Raptured out” before God rained down judgement on the entire cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. No. They were escorted to a place of safety!
At dawn the next morning the angels became insistent. “Hurry,” they said to Lot. “Take your wife and your two daughters who are here. Get out right now, or you will be swept away in the destruction of the city!”
When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city, for the Lord was merciful. When they were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, “Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!”
“Oh no, my lord!” Lot begged. “You have been so gracious to me and saved my life, and you have shown such great kindness. But I cannot go to the mountains. Disaster would catch up to me there, and I would soon die. See, there is a small village nearby. Please let me go there instead; don’t you see how small it is? Then my life will be saved.”
“All right,” the angel said, “I will grant your request. I will not destroy the little village. But hurry! Escape to it, for I can do nothing until you arrive there.” (This explains why that village was known as Zoar, which means “little place.”)
Lot reached the village just as the sun was rising over the horizon. Then the Lord rained down fire and burning sulfur from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah. He utterly destroyed them, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, wiping out all the people and every bit of vegetation.
– Genesis 19:15-25 (NLT)
I believe there are many other Scriptures that support the idea of people going into a place of safety during a time of trial, tribulation, judgement and wrath. Here are some other examples that illustrate this principle:
And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
– Exodus 12:13 (KJV)
For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. – Psalm 27:5 (KJV)
The Lord rescues the godly; he is their fortress in times of trouble. The Lord helps them, rescuing them from the wicked. He saves them, and they find shelter in him. – Psalm 37:39,40 (NLT)
They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. – Psalm 83:3 (KJV) [emphasis mine]
Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by.
– Isaiah 26:20 (NIV)
Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’s anger. – Zephaniah 2:3
Prophetically speaking, the “Day of the Lord” is a reference to the Last Days all throughout the Bible. Therefore, the seeking the Lord and seeking righteousness part sounds like a reference to people who are “prepared” and who will be hid – just like Noah and his family were – in a place of safety during that time. Note also what the Psalmist wrote:
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.” Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
– Psalm 91:1-10 (NKJV)
Listen to the above read by John William Galt (the voice of the movies) put to music: http://www.babylonrisingbooks.com/MP3/Psalm91.wma
Many like to attribute the rest of that Psalm to a prophecy concerning the Messiah. And while verses 11 and 12 did apply to Him, at no time during Yeshua’s ministry did a thousand fall at His left and ten thousand at his right. At no time in the Gospels did we see all of the calamity mentioned in this chapter. So, while some of it did apply then, I believe a reasonable case can be made that the rest will apply to those hidden during the Day of the Lord.
We can not think of this in terms of a Rapture though because no one is going up to meet the Lord in the clouds as Yeshua is not even going to be in the clouds until after the tribulation of those days (see Matthew 24:29-31). Therefore, I submit that we should view this as an “Exodus” for the “wise” or a “hiding away” to a place of safety before it all begins.
To read the rest of this blog, see: http://www.babylonrisingblog.com/RaptureRiddle2.html
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With the above in mind, I challenge you to do a key word search throughout the whole Bible on what it means to be “wise” and to gain “wisdom”. You will find over and over and over again, that it means fearing YHWH and keeping His commandments. This, ladies and gentlemen, I am absolutely convinced, is the key to our survival in the days ahead. See also the benefits of doing so in Exodus 23:20-33, Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 30.
– Rob Skiba
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