We continue with the proofs that the martyrs of the Tribulation period tell us. In Part I, we concluded that ALL who become Christians during the Tribulation will die. It is a key view. Why? There are two streams of Christians—those who are raptured, and those who become believers in the Tribulation. The question of the fate of the Tribulation Christians critically affects some versions of the Rapture debate, as we will show.

Were it proven that ALL who become Christians in the Tribulation become martyrs, it makes a serious dent in the case for a Rapture occurring at any other time than before the Tribulation. For example, were there no Christians alive on earth as of the early stages of the second half of the Tribulation, there could be no Mid- or Post-Tribulational Rapture. It wouldn’t be logical. The Great Multitude (see Revelation 7:9, these all martyrs) are shown to be already in front of the heavenly altar at the time of the fifth and sixth seals.

If ALL Christians are indeed martyred by the mid-point of the Tribulation, who would be left to be raptured either at the midpoint, the end of the Tribulation, or the beginning of the Millennium? There would be no point, as there would be no living humans on earth who would be eligible at that time.

As the case may be, Tribulational martyrs are expressly promised to participate in the First Resurrection—in their case, this occurring at the beginning of the Millennium. For a Rapture to occur at any other time than before the Tribulation would not align with Scripture, the proofs of the Tribulational martyrs, or the character of God.

But what of the view of Rapture naysayers, who say that there is no Rapture to be expected at all? To take this position means that ALL Christians will go into the Tribulation period. More Christians would then be added to their number through conversions during the earlier stages of the Tribulation. The question arises: Why would God allow that ALL Christians (“holy ones”) in the world be killed during the Tribulation? As we have shown and will further prove in this article, all Tribulational Christians will be martyred.

First Thessalonians 5:9 states that “God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Therefore, if ALL Christians (from the time of before and during the Tribulation) will be annihilated on earth, this is a “wrath” of a different gospel. This is not congruous with the character of what God has said.

A naysayer’s view must endorse a very non-sensical sequence of events. ALL “Church Age” Christians must go into the Tribulation, so that ALL will be slain, so that they ALL can be given a resurrected physical body (first resurrection), so ALL will come back to life in the Millennium.

This sequence of events seems unnecessarily cruel … and inefficient. Could these be the actions of our Lord? It seems not. The Rapture is therefore compelling. He says: “My reward is with me” (Revelation 22:12). What about the saints that have died before the Tribulation period? The Rapture naysayer must take the position that these saints of the Church Age need to wait another thousand years for the Second Resurrection, as they will not be eligible for the First Resurrection, nor will be able to celebrate the Lamb’s Supper.

Scripture doesn’t support these confused perspectives. Rather, it expressly says that “the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16b). To be sure, the “dead in Christ” will rise first, and those who are living thereafter. A Pre-Tribulational Rapture is the clearest, most sensible and most Scriptural view.

More Arguments from the Dead

Our understanding—that ALL Tribulational Christians will be martyred—is such a critical factor in the Rapture debate that we want to further prove the veracity of this position. There are other additional proofs and deductions from the Bible for this case. We next present five of these arguments.

1. The Meaning of “All.” The Second Beast shown in Revelation 13 only offers two options—a binary choice … one or the other. Worship the image of the First Beast or die. No other option is given. There is no allowance for exceptions. “All who refused to worship the image [are] to be killed” (Revelation 13:15; again, see Revelation 20:4). All means all … not some. The Bible also says this about these Tribulation saints: “They triumphed over him [the Dragon] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death” (Revelation 12:11).

What happens to those that do worship the image? Could they change their minds at some later date? Revelation 14:9-11 is clear: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”

Once having made the election to worship the image of the Beast and to take the mark, there is no recourse nor recanting. To believe otherwise would be inconsistent with the character of God. Once He unleashes His wrath, it is too late to repent. After all, His wrath only comes after repeated entreaties and warnings. Then comes the point of no return … of no further grace. His patience is not endless.

As the case may be, just before the curtain goes down at the time of the sixth seal being removed, multiple worldwide evangelistic efforts are initiated. The 144,000 servants are sealed and an “[…] angel flying in midair […] had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people” (Revelation 14:6).

Stark as our determination may be, we must conclude that ALL who refuse to worship the image will die. This is in line with the pronouncement of Daniel that the “holy ones” will be destroyed—not just one or more, but all of them. Said again: It is a binary outcome … one or the other.

2. No Survival Outside the “Buy-Sell” System. Despite the clear message of Revelation 13, some still imagine that Christians could survive the Tribulation period. If only they would buy the right survival goods and pursue cunning evasive strategies, they would stand a chance, they reason. However, they ignore this perspective: Outside the “buy-sell system” in that future tribulational world, it will not be possible to live without the “mark.” If one is not able to “buy or sell” at a time of a pervasive global economic crisis and a closed worldwide financial system, one cannot obtain food or shelter. With no transactional access to the financial system, a Christian will die of starvation if not first persecuted and martyred.

A recognition of the limits of a closed financial system should lay to rest any notion that all who refuse to worship the image will not be martyred.

3. A Deduced Absence. At the fifth trumpet blow (first Woe, Revelation 9:1-6: this event occurring perhaps midway into the second half of the Tribulation), “[…] out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth […] They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes.”

Only those that did not have the seal of God were allowed to be tormented. The only group that has a seal placed upon them at this point are the 144,000 servants. As such, were Christians still on earth at the time of this judgment, they must expressly be allowed by God to be tortured.

Any Christians on earth during this Woe would be selected to face God’s wrath. Shown here is that God can and does exclude one group to be protected from His wrath (namely, the 144,000). Then, why would He choose not to do so with His children? “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for […] an egg, will give him a scorpion?” (Luke 11:11-12).

Thus, we can draw one of two conclusions. That there are no Christians on earth at the time of the first Woe; or, if yes, then God must expressly choose to torment them. Only the former perspective aligns with the character of God and Scripture.

4. Can Christians Curse God? At the call of the sixth trumpet, says the Bible, one third of the world’s population is wiped out; two-thirds remain, who then ALL curse God. Says Revelation 9:20-21: “The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols […] Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.”

Could Christians be counted in this number of survivors? Not if ALL the survivors are said to “curse God,” “refuse to repent,” and keep “worshiping demons and idols.” True Christians would not do this. Clearly, then, there can be no Christian survivors at this point upon earth. (We maintain that they have been martyred already some time before.) After all, salvation is impossible without repentance. Conclusion? Either no Christians are upon earth at the time of this Woe, or God expressly made sure that when one-third of the earth’s population dies, ALL Christians would die at this time.

But, again, it would be absurd to believe that God in His wrath would wipe out ALL remaining Christians at the juncture of the sixth seal, favoring instead other godless earth-dwellers. We can reasonably deduce that no Christians exist upon earth at the time of the fifth and sixth trumpet judgments.

5. Appearances of Christians Throughout the Tribulation. Following the sixth seal (that being the time point that we are shown the great multitude of martyred Christians in front of the heavenly altar), the topics of “holy ones,” “saints,” “servants,” “Christians,” or “multitudes” are never mentioned again in the Tribulation timeline. Only once the Millennium begins, do we again encounter “servants” and the “holy.”

Crucially, no mention or picture is made of any more Christians having arrived in front of the heavenly altar during the Tribulation period, for any other reason than of being slain by anti-Christian forces. Any reference to “souls” that did not “worship the image” refers back to its occurrence which, in our view, is at a time near to the sixth seal. As such, this would be consistent with the view that all Christians will be martyred in the Tribulation period—in the first half.

We believe the above arguments (as well as others) conclusively prove that no Christians will survive the Tribulation period … all becoming martyrs (most likely by its mid-point). Daniel 7:25 says that “The ‘holy ones’ will be delivered into his [Antichrist’s] hands for a time, times and half a time” (see also Daniel 12:7). We see this three-and-a-half-year period coinciding with the first half of the Tribulation.

Thoughts to Ponder: Great Rewards to All Saints

Glorious is the fact that raptured Christians who are on earth are spared the First and Second Death. They are also spared “the hour of trial” (Revelation 3:10) and will be in heaven with the Lord while the Tribulation takes place upon earth. A room has been prepared for us (John 14:2-3), and the door is shut for a brief time. “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).

Raptured saints “will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:17) in their translated, resurrected, incorruptible bodies. Whether on earth or in heaven, wherever Jesus is, that is where the raptured Christians will be. They “will be with the Lord forever.”

Surely, the Tribulation is a terrible period … as none ever before in mankind’s history. Nevertheless, there is good news to celebrate: For ALL Christians (whatever their sojourn), there will be no Second Death. All will be given eternal life.

Wonderfully, after the Tribulation, the Lord “will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

The Pre-Tribulation Rapture view, as we have shown, is the most consistent with Scripture. There is no incentive for Christians to survive the Tribulation. In any case, since all will be killed in the first half, all are then resurrected at the start of the Millennium. Why prolong physical suffering, if one can look forward to the First Resurrection after the Tribulation?

Therefore, whether among the raptured or those saved during the Tribulation, there are no physical preparations to be made … nothing to buy … or escape. There is no need to pay for survival supplies, nor to build an underground bunker.

For now, given that the Rapture still lies ahead, may we remain part of the generation that “continue in him, so that when he appears, we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming” (1 John 2:28).

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done” (Revelation 22:12).

Maranatha!

—————

Wilfred J. Hahn is a global economist/strategist. Formerly a top-ranked global analyst, research director for a major Wall Street investment bank, and head of Canada’s largest global investment operation, his writings focus on the endtime roles of money, economics and globalization. He has been quoted around the world and his writings reproduced in numerous other publications and languages. His 2002 book The Endtime Money Snare: How to live free accurately anticipated and prepared its readers for the Global Financial Crisis. A following book, Global Financial Apocalypse Prophesied: Preserving true riches in an age of deception and trouble, looks further into the prophetic future.

Contact Wilfred at: staff@eternalvalue.com

 

Many people, Christians and non-believers alike, often pooh-pooh the notion of a Rapture. Apparently, they reason that an “up-up-and-away” is the easy way out … leaving a messed-up world in abandonment behind them. But that is a gross mischaracterization of the environment of the earth at that time. The Bible says that faith will run cold in the last days (Matthew 24:12). This implies that there will be relatively few saved souls on earth at that time. (Disclosure: We do not subscribe to the Partial Rapture Theory.)

The last-day world is taken up with merriment, hedonism, humanism, wickedness, and self-determination. Believers will be persecuted. It will be a very difficult time for born-again Christians. Christ even asked rhetorically: “[…] when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). Thus, right up until the time of the Rapture (shortly or immediately followed by the Tribulation Period), these souls will be prepared and ready. They will not have succumbed to the lures of the world.

Of course, no one knows when the Tribulation will start. Without a doubt, it would indeed be all so much easier if the Rapture were predictable. Waiting for the Rapture, therefore, requires much faith, separateness from the world, and perseverance. Later—once the Tribulation starts, of course—future events will no longer be secret … readily observable by all earth-dwellers at that time, according to Scripture. Many people will realize that God’s wrath and the end is near.

Those that come to Christ during the Tribulation period will be called to stand and overcome the pressures to worship the image of the first Beast. Those that accept Christ as their Savior will pay with their blood to stand firm to the end. Before the Tribulation begins, all Spirit-filled souls will be raptured … all of them undeserving of both salvation and a Pre-Tribulational Rapture.

In the next several issues, we will examine a number of unusual controversial issues that involve the Rapture and the saints of the last days. To be sure, this raises conundrums, debated chronicles and, hopefully, some insights. We begin with the following conundrum: Why does God seemingly allow the “wicked” to triumph over His people?

Rapture Conundrum

Should we not expect to be delivered by our Lord, who says that our smallest care is His concern? Isn’t He the one upon whom we are to “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7)?

Yes. Yet, we also read about a situation in the Bible where the “holy ones” are given over to be defeated by the Antichrist, also known as the “little horn.” This statement is found in the 7th chapter of Daniel. He tells us: “As I watched, this horn [the ‘little horn’] was waging war against the ‘holy ones’ and defeating them […]” (verse 21). Again, not to miss this … it says, “defeating them.” We may wonder why this is allowed to happen to the “holy ones,” as it seems unjust.

Any doubt on this topic is quickly expelled, as this defeat of the “holy ones” is described at least five more times.

A few verses later (Daniel 7:25), it states that the Antichrist “will speak against the Most High and oppress his ‘holy ones’ […] They will be delivered into his [Antichrist’s] hands for “a time, times and half a time.” Here we learn that this ordeal will last three and a half years in the Tribulation Period.

But that’s not all. There are yet additional and similar prophecies in the book of Daniel, which state that the “holy ones” would be overcome. A later vision, interpreted by an angel, informs us that: “He [the Antichrist] will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the ‘holy ones'” (Daniel 8:24).

Lastly, in Daniel 12:7, it says: “It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the ‘holy ones’ has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.” Even though the “holy ones” are said to be “mighty,” they will be destroyed. These above-mentioned statements all align with prophecies written in the Book of Revelation. However, “[The Beast] was given power to wage war against God’s ‘holy ones’ and to conquer them” (Revelation 13:7).

And again: “The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. It was given power to wage war against God’s ‘holy ones’ and to conquer them” (Revelation 13:5-7).

Daniel and John the Revelator are in perfect alignment. The time period over which the defeat will take place is 42 months, and the Beast mentioned is the same … the one that blasphemes and speaks against the Most High.

Given these confirming references from both Testaments, there can be no doubt. For a period of 3 1/2 years (in our interpretation, this being the first half of the Tribulation period), “holy ones” are going to fall prey to the Antichrist.

They will not only be defeated; the Bible also says that they will be destroyed (Daniel 8:24). A plain interpretation would, therefore, suggest that ALL are destroyed.

We still grapple with this question: Why should the “holy ones” all become martyrs … all be destroyed? We again come back to our earlier question at the outset: Why does God seemingly allow the “wicked” to triumph over His people?

We must first confirm the answer to this question: Just who are these “holy ones” that are being overcome in the previously quoted texts? The answer provides an important key.

We must note that the concept of the church was yet hidden at the time of Daniel and other OT prophets. The Messiah had not yet appeared nor had been rejected by the Jews.

However, the identity of the “holy ones” seems fairly clear, as it is referring to a future time when the “holy ones” would exist. We identify them as the Tribulational Christians. There is an ironclad case supporting this conclusion, which we will show.

To re-phrase, all of the “holy ones” that are being shown as vanquished and destroyed in Scripture are Tribulation Saints. This means those that have come to recognize Jesus as the Messiah and Savior once the seven-year Tribulation began … in other words, after the Rapture has taken place.

None of the six aforementioned prophecies apply to the saints of the Church Age. Post-Rapture saints have a much different timeline than the saints that are taken up in the Rapture.

Many misinterpret these accounts of saints being destroyed as evidence that the Church-age Christians will not be raptured and, therefore, be required to go through the Tribulation. We believe this to be an incorrect conclusion on several accounts.

First, the proofs of the Rapture occurring stand on their own. Several New Testament texts confirm it. As well, the Rapture is an event that is entirely consistent with the character of God.

The fact that there are people who will repent during the Tribulation has no direct connection to the Rapture. These references to “holy ones” found in Daniel and Revelation refer to those (earth-dwellers) who become believers in Christ during the first half of the Tribulation.

Gloriously, there will be many … a veritable multitude. The accounts of Daniel and Apostle John (the Revelator) are in alignment on this point.

Apostle John says that “[…] a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, [was] standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9). These were Tribulational Christians. How do we know this?

First, of course, this scene takes place in heaven before the throne at the time of the sixth seal. This event, therefore, occurs in the Tribulation Period. “They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands” (verse 9). The white robe signified that they had received salvation, and the palm branches represented victory. This could only apply to a Christian. Therefore, to again conclude: These “holy ones” are all Christians that come out of the Tribulation.

Second, this “multitude” that is identified at the time of the sixth seal is, in fact, the fulfillment of the prophecy given at the time when the fifth seal was opened (found in Revelation chapter 6). The slain saints at that time (shown under the altar in front of the great throne) are told to wait until the remainder of brethren on earth are killed and emerge “out of the Tribulation.” They are shown as the souls who had been slain, waiting under the altar in heaven. They had been killed in the Tribulation because of the Word of God and the testimony that they had maintained.

“They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?'” (Revelation 6:10). They were told to wait a while longer, “[…] until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been” (verse 11). Those that had been killed already upon earth were given a white robe.

Then later, after the sixth seal had been removed, the “multitude beyond count” is seen in heaven (Revelation 7:9), as already mentioned. “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev 7:14).

We can deduce here that many, many Christians were martyred from before the time of the fifth seal until after the sixth seal. Just as Daniel prophesies, they will all have been “destroyed” (martyred). This writer concludes that there will be no “fellow servants” remaining (these being the “holy ones”… Tribulational saints) upon the earth once the seventh seal is about to be removed. In the following sequel, we will review the evidence for this view, as well as its decisive implications for various Rapture theories.

In the next issues, we delve into yet more conundrums and chronicles. Why can the Rapture happen at no other time than Pre-Tribulation? Who passes through the Tribulation into the Millennium? Will all Christians die at the hands of the Antichrist? What are the most glorious promises to the Church?

—————

Wilfred J. Hahn is a global economist/strategist. Formerly a top-ranked global analyst, research director for a major Wall Street investment bank, and head of Canada’s largest global investment operation, his writings focus on the endtime roles of money, economics and globalization. He has been quoted around the world and his writings reproduced in numerous other publications and languages. His 2002 book The Endtime Money Snare: How to live free accurately anticipated and prepared its readers for the Global Financial Crisis. A following book, Global Financial Apocalypse Prophesied: Preserving true riches in an age of deception and trouble, looks further into the prophetic future.

Contact Wilfred at: staff@eternalvalue.com