The Tribulation & the Wrath of God
Introduction
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I have put together an overview of what I believe the bible teaches about the end
times. I’ll cover several topics in this study but mainly I want to focus on when I believe the
Rapture will take place, and the difference between the Tribulation and the Wrath of God. I
know many of you reading this, are born again believers that may see things differently
concerning this important doctrine, than I do.
My goal is not to persuade you to see this my way, but rather to show you what I believe
the scriptures plainly teach. I am a watchman and I am doing what I’ve been commanded to do,
and that is to warn the people of God. I pray that the Holy Spirit opens your eyes to the truth. It is
my sincere hope that this study will better prepare you the reader for the last days, and the
coming persecution of the saints.
I strongly believe that if you will take the time to read through the following
information, God will give you a deeper understanding of the end times. At the end of this study
if you have come to the same conclusion as I have, it’s now your turn to share this information
and warn the saints.
The Three Views of the Rapture
As you may know there are three views regarding the return of Christ. They are the (PreTrib, Mid-Trib, & Post-Trib views).
1. Pre-tribulation View= is the most popular view today among mainline Christianity.
Believed by over 85% of the Christian world. Most of which are evangelical Christians.
2. Mid-tribulation View=least popular view held by many smaller churches and several
Independent Fundamental Baptist churches. Also known as the Pre-Wrath/Post-Trib view
(My view as well)
3. Post-tribulation View=also a very popular view but not amongst Christians. Many false
religions hold to this teaching. The biggest of which is the Roman Catholic Church.
Obviously I do not subscribe in the least bit to the traditional Post-Tribulation view. It is a
heretical teaching which has its basis in works salvation and contradicts manifold scriptures. I
would be classified as a mid-trib believer by the modern world. I prefer to use the term Prewrath/Post-Trib. The reason for this terminology is that the bible nowhere indicates in scripture
that “the tribulation” is 7 years. But it does tell us that there is a 7 year time period in the last
days.

Daniel 9:27
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week
he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations
he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured
upon the desolate.
The bible divides that time into two 3 ½ year periods in (Daniel 12:11-12) and elsewhere in
scripture. I believe the first 3 ½ years is the “tribulation of the saints” or persecution if you
will. The last 3 ½ years is the “Wrath of God” being poured out upon the earth. I believe that
we will be raptured before the wrath of God begins to be poured out, but that we will be here for
the first 3 ½ years to be persecuted, for the testimony of Jesus Christ. So that is why I use the
terminology Pre-wrath/Post-trib.
The Rapture
The word rapture is not used in the bible but the concept of the rapture is clearly
expressed in multiple scriptures. The bible makes it clear that the first time that Christ comes
back he does not touch the earth, but instead we go to meet him in the air. The second time that
he comes he will bring all of the saints back to the earth with him, and we will rule and reign
with Christ a 1,000 years, Praise God! The question we all have is when exactly is the rapture
going to take place? Let’s start by taking a look at what I believe we would all agree is the
clearest scripture concerning the rapture.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that
ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto
the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
There are three elements in this passage that I would like to bring to your attention.
1. The Lord Descends
2. The Trumpet Sounds
3. Caught up in the Clouds
Notice that there is no promise of escape from any persecution in this passage. Instead the
consolation spoken of here is that believers will see their loved ones that died in the faith again.
That is the comfort spoken of in this passage. We are not to mourn as others which have no hope,
because we will see our loved ones again that have died in the faith, God will bring them with
him.
Now by comparing scripture with scripture let’s take a look at two other passages of scripture
and you’ll see the exact same elements mentioned in (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Matthew 24:29-31
29 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:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all 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.
31 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.

Mark 13:24-27
24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall
not give her light,
25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and
glory.
27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four
winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
First I would like to bring to your attention the words After the Tribulation. Again
notice many of the exact same elements in these two scriptures when compared with (1
Thessalonians 4:13-18).
So I know what you’re probably thinking, “Brother don’t you realize this passage is
talking to the Jews”. But that is simply not true and I’ll prove it. Jesus knew that men would say
one day this passage is only referring the Jews. That is why our Lord Jesus made this statement
in the last verse of Mark 13.

Mark 13:37
37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
Jesus is telling all of us what the signs of his coming will be and he commands all of us
to watch.
What baffles me is that people use Mark 13:32-36 & Matthew 24:36-44 to support their
pre-trib rapture doctrine. But then turn around and say that Mark 13 and Matthew 24 are only
talking to the Jews! What kind of crazy teaching is that? So I guess the next thing we’ll hear is
that the book of Titus was only for Titus, or that the book of Hebrews was only written to the
Hebrews, and we quote so many great scriptures from that book. Maybe some books are geared
toward Jews and Gentiles but brothers it’s the New Testament, every promise is mine, every
word, every line! Thanks be to our Lord Jesus for his holy word!
Yes none of us knows the day or hour (Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:32) but we do know
Jesus Christ returns after the tribulation (persecution of the saints). He’s not going to just show
up and catch us off guard. There will be signs of his coming and we will know when it is close.
(Matthew 24:33, Mark 13:29, Luke 21:28). The saved will be watching and expecting his return.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-6
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the
night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them,
as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor
of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
I’ve also heard it said that the “elect” that are mentioned in Matthew 24:31 & Mark 13:27
are Jews and not believers. A simple word search will reveal this theory to be inaccurate. As you
both know the bible is its own dictionary and we need to go to scripture first to find out what
words mean before we seek to look elsewhere (i.e. commentaries). Below I’ve listed every time
the word “elect” is used and it’s various word forms (elect’s/election/elected) are used in the
New Testament.
*Matthew 24:22 *Matthew 24:24 *Matthew 24:31 *Mark 13:20 *Mark 13:22
*Mark 13:27 *Luke 18:7 *Romans 8:33 *Romans 9:11 *Romans 11:5 *Romans 11:7
*Romans 11:28 *Colossians 3:12 *1 Thessalonians 1:4 *1 Timothy 5:21 *2 Timothy 2:10
*Titus 1:1 *1 Peter 1:2 *1 Peter 2:6 *1 Peter 5:13 *2 Peter 1:10 *2 John 1:1 *2 John 1:13
-Here are some verses I would like to specifically highlight:

Romans 8:33
33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
We are justified by the blood of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:24-26 & Romans 5:9). Those
who have not received Jesus Christ as their savior are not justified. The Jewish nation as a whole
rejects the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore are not God’s elect (1 John 2:22).

Titus 1:1
Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's
elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;
There is “One Lord, One Faith, One baptism” (Ephesians 4:5). The elect are the ones who
have placed their complete trust in Christ and have acknowledged the truth that Jesus Christ is
the Son of God.

1 Thessalonians 1:4
4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.
We are the election beloved brothers.

Romans 11:7
7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath
obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
If this verse were referring to Israel as the election, it wouldn’t make any sense. The
saved are clearly the election spoken of here.
The elect is simply not the Jew. If you study the other verses previously listed, it will
further drive this point home. The elect are the saved.
Now going back to (Matthew 24:29-31 & Mark 13:24-27) and also now looking at (Luke
21:25-28) I would like to point out some additional elements.
1.
2.
3.
4.
The sun and & moon are darkened
The stars fall from heaven
The powers of the heavens are shaken
All the tribes of the earth shall mourn (the unsaved)

Matthew 24:29-31
29 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:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all 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.
31 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.

Mark 13:24-27
24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon
shall not give her light,
25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be
shaken.
26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and
glory.
27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four
winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

Luke 21:25-28
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the
earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are
coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for
your redemption draweth nigh.
By comparing these three passages scriptures with Revelation 6 we will see an uncanny
similarity between them.

Revelation 6:12-17
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great
earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as
blood;
13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely
figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain
and island were moved out of their places.
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief
captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves
in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that
sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Notice “the great day of his wrath is come” meaning it has just arrived. This is when the
Lord comes back to rapture the saints and in the very next chapter of Revelation 7 right
before God begins to pour out his wrath on the earth, we read of “a great multitude which no
man could number” appearing in heaven.

Revelation 7:9-17
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations,
and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed
with white robes, and palms in their hands;
10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and
unto the Lamb.
11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and
fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power,
and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white
robes? and whence came they?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of
great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and
he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor
any heat.
17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto
living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
This passage of scripture makes me want to run a lap brothers, hallelujah to the Lamb of
God! Then in Revelation 8 God’s wrath is poured out upon the world. The same day that
Christ comes back for the church is the same day that God begins to pour out his wrath
upon the earth. The Lord told us that it would be like the days of Noah and Lot, when the Son
of Man appears. What made those days so distinctive from any other time periods in history? It is
the fact that the same day The Lord saved the righteous, he also poured out his wrath upon
the wicked.

Luke 17:26-37
26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day
that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold,
they planted, they builded;
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven,
and destroyed them all.
30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
31 In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not
come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.
32 Remember Lot's wife.
33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall
preserve it.
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the
other shall be left.
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever
the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.
This next point is crucial to understanding end time prophecy. Many people claim that
the book of Revelation is not in chronological order. The truth is that the book of Revelation IS
in chronological order but it is the same story told twice from two different perspectives.
Just like The Lord saw fit to give us the four gospels, 1 Kings & 2 Kings, and 1 Chronicles & 2
Chronicles; which are the same stories told from different perspectives, containing details not
found in some of the other passages of scripture. Revelation chapters 1-11 are in chronological
order and chapters 12-22 are in chronological order. Below is a chart explaining this:
If you read through Revelation using this chronology it flows beautifully. Everything
lines up perfectly. God wants us to understand this book (Revelation 1:3), he loves his children.
He doesn’t want us to be confused concerning the time of his coming (1 Corinthians 14:33)
One final issue that must be addressed in this section is the pre-trib view of the rapture.
Those that hold to this doctrine believe that the saints are raptured in chapter 4 of Revelation. I
will prove why the rapture does not take place in Revelation 4 for three reasons:
1. John singular is told to come up
2. He is in the spirit not the body. Our bodies will literally be changed and raptured up
when Christ returns. (1 Corinthians 15:51-55 & 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
3. The voice speaking to him sounds like a trumpet, but it is not an actual trumpet, nor is
it more importantly the Trump of God. (1 Thessalonians 4:16)

Revelation 4:1-2
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I
heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will
shew thee things which must be hereafter.
2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one
sat on the throne.
For these reasons I simply cannot accept the theory that the saints are raptured in
chapter 4 of Revelation. I feel it’s a weak argument at best, and when compared to the
copious amount of scriptures previously listed in this study, this theory just doesn’t hold
water.
Tribulation
In this last section brothers I would like to cover what “tribulation” is. First I must start
off by saying that Tribulation and Wrath are two completely different things. We as
believers are not appointed unto wrath, Praise God! But as for the unbeliever the “wrath of God
abideth on him”. The word “wrath” is used 128 times in the King James Bible.
-Here are just a few highlights:

John 3:36
36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son
shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

1 Thessalonians 5:9
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus
Christ,

Proverbs 11:4
4 Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.

Romans 1:18
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

Colossians 3:6
6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
These scriptures speak for themselves and it is of certainty that believers WILL NOT suffer
the wrath of God. But the unbelieving world WILL suffer the full wrath of God.
We must understand that it is not the wrath of God that the believer goes through it is the
wrath of Satan (Revelation 12:12). The devil still to this day goes before The Lord to accuse the
brethren (Job 1:7-12, Job 2:1-7, Revelation 12:10). But there’s coming a day when he shall be
cast down to the earth and will never again be able to go before The Lord to bring accusation
against the brethren.
That is why he gives his power and authority to the Antichrist (Revelation 13:2&4). The
Antichrist is Satan’s instrument to persecute and kill the saints of God; and just when he thinks
he has the victory the Lord Jesus Christ will come back and rapture his church, Glory to the
Lamb of God! When the Holy Spirit is gone there will be nothing restraining the wrath of
God, and the world will suffer the full wrath of God, for rejecting The Lord Jesus Christ and for
persecuting the saints.

Revelation 12:7-12
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and
the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were
cast out with him.
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and
the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is
cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their
testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the
earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because
he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Next we must answer the question, does God always promise us an escape from
tribulation or persecution? The answer brothers is NO he does not. In fact the Lord promises us
that we will have tribulation in this life. The word “tribulation(s)” is used a total of 26 times in
the King James Bible. Below is a listing of all 26 verses:
*Deuteronomy 4:30 *Judges 10:14 *1 Samuel 10:19*1 Samuel 26:24 *Matthew 13:21
*Matthew 24:21 *Matthew 24:29 *Mark 13:24 *John 16:33 *Acts 14:22 *Romans 2:9
*Romans 5:3(x2) *Romans 8:35 *Romans 12:12 *2 Corinthians 1:4 *2 Corinthians 7:4
*Ephesians 3:13
*1 Thessalonians 3:4 *2 Thessalonians 1:4 *2 Thessalonians 1:6
*Revelation 1:9 *Revelation 2:9 *Revelation 2:10 *Revelation 2:22 *Revelation 7:14
-Here are some verses I would like to specifically highlight.

Matthew 13:21
21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or
persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
This is the first mention of the word tribulation in the New Testament. Notice how God uses
it synonymously with persecution. Persecution is arising in this verse because of the word! You
see a true believer will take a stand for the word of God no matter what the cost (Revelation
12:11). The false believer will be offended when tribulation arises, because they are not
connected to the true vine (John 15:5). However, if we as believers were not told that we would
suffer such things we also would be offended when persecution arose. That is why Jesus said
“These things have I spoken unto you that ye should not be offended”. (John 16:1)

John 16:33
33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye
shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
This verse couldn’t be any clearer. We as believers shall have tribulation. But again, that is
why Jesus tells us in the opening verse of this chapter “These things have I spoken unto you
that ye should not be offended” (John 16:1). The Lord warns us of coming tribulation, he is not
in the business of leaving his people clueless.

Acts 14:22
22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and
that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
Notice that it’s through much tribulation that we enter the Kingdom of God, not through
escaping tribulation.

Romans 5:3
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh
patience;
This is one of the reasons why it’s necessary for believers to go through tribulation, “it
worketh patience”. We need to have patience in life but especially during the Great Tribulation
(Revelation 13:10). It is also interesting to note that the word “patience” is used more times in
the book of Revelation than any other book in the bible, I find that to be absolutely powerful!

Romans 12:12
12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
Again we must be patient in tribulation brothers.
So why do we have to go through tribulation? Well because it’s only right that we do. Christ
suffered and we as followers of Christ must also suffer with him (2 Timothy 2:11-13 & 2
Thessalonians 1:5). We are not greater than the master who laid down his life for us (John
15:20).

John 15:20
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If
they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they
will keep yours also.
Closing
I hope you now have a better understanding of what I believe the bible teaches about this
important doctrine concerning the return of Christ. Christians as a whole are not prepared for
global persecution at all! The majority of them believe that they are going to be zapped out of
here before anything bad happens. That is why I feel it is imperative to warn the saints of the
coming persecution and that is why I told you my brothers and sisters. I pray that the Holy Spirit
helped me convey this truth in a crystal clear way. God bless.
2015 – Christian C.