PRO501 WK3 DQ#4 Will the Church go through the Great Tribulation? Defend your position.

There is the church lower case c, the building and the Church upper case, the believers in salvation through grace. These believers, and I count myself as one, will not go through the Great Tribulation. I also believe that the Church will not even go through the first half of the Tribulation.

The Seven churches of the Book of Revelation reflect a time-line of the churches.
1. Ephesus - The Apostolic Church
2. Smyrna - The Persecuted Church
3. Pergamos - The Married Church
4. Thyatira - The Medieval Church
5. Sardis – The Denominational l Church
6. Philadelphia – The Missionary Church
7. Laodicea - The Apostate Church

Thyatira is tied to “that woman Jezebel”. I’m reading “The Woman Rides the Beast: the Roman Catholic Church and the Last Days” written by Dave Hunt and referred to by Dr. Missler. It is both an interesting book and very controversial, so my kind of reading.

Many who call themselves Christians are in a modern day Laodicea church, lower case c. These are the churches that Jesus will spit out. 2 Timothy 4:3, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” Jude had much to say about the apostate church as well. We sure don’t want to be counted as a church member in a Laodicea church.

The Blessed Hope known as the Rapture, or Harpazo, involves Jesus coming for His Church in the clouds. The Second Coming is when Jesus actually comes to the earth to establish His kingdom. Those of us who believe that the Church will be removed prior to the seven-year period (the 70th Week) are known as pre-tribulationalists. References to the Rapture are found in John 14:1-3, 1 Thess. 4:13-18 and 1 Cor. 15:51-53. If the Church were to go through the seven year Tribulation, we would meet ourselves in the clouds as Jesus called us to him as He descended to earth. No, the Church will not go through the Tribulation!

The purpose of the "time of Jacob's trouble, the Great Tribulation is to drive Israel to return to God: Hosea 5:15, "I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.”

Those left behind who become believers and survive the tribulation will be blessed with quite a sight. Matthew 24:30, “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.”