Over the last few weeks, we’ve been addressing the issue of the rapture. Like King Belshazzar from the book of Daniel, the rapture has been weighed on the scales and been found wanting. The main scriptures used to support the rapture have been badly misunderstood. Moreover, the idea was completely unknown until the 19th century.
Today, I’d like to continue investigating a closely related topic: what is known as the tribulation. Many churchgoers have been taught that immediately after the rapture, the world will experience a time of severe distress as the wrath of God is poured out upon humanity. The time frame of the tribulation is often delineated as precisely seven years.
What are Christians to make of the tribulation? Where in the Bible does this idea come from? And most importantly, how does this apply to our lives today?
The best place to start is by recognizing two independent concepts: God’s wrath and tribulation. The Bible makes it very clear that those in Christ should have no fear of God’s wrath. But the scriptures make it equally clear that Christians must be prepared to face suffering. As Paul wrote to Timothy, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:12) Jesus himself warned his disciples, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
The Greek word for tribulation is thlipsis (and variants). However, this term can perfectly well be translated as suffering, trouble, hardship, affliction, or distress. Tribulation can apply to anyone; however, the Bible often uses this term in the setting of specifically Christian suffering.
One of the most well-known uses of the term tribulation occurs in Revelation chapter 7. John sees a huge crowd standing before God’s throne, dressed in white robes, praising God for his salvation. A heavenly figure reveals the identity of these people: “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation [thlipseos]. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb.” (Revelation 7:14)
As we’ve noted, many proponents of the rapture believe that immediately following the removal of the church, the world will face a specific time period called the tribulation. Revelation 7:14 is often cited as one verse supporting this perspective. However, this is highly misleading. We’ve already noted that the whole concept of the rapture is foreign to the scriptures. It’s equally mistaken to relegate the tribulation to a specific future time frame.
Here’s a much healthier perspective: the book of Revelation envisions an extended time period when the church will be locked into conflict with the evil forces (Satan and his agents) which seek to destroy God’s creation. This ongoing conflict will result in considerable tribulation/suffering/affliction for God’s people. And yet the endurance of Christians during this time of suffering will not be in vain. Rather, their faithful witness under duress will be redemptive, resulting in many more people being brought to faith in Jesus the Messiah.
John, the author of Revelation, expects the time of tribulation to come upon the churches very soon. In fact, he knows that tribulation has already begun. And his prophesy indicates that the cosmic war between the church and the powers of evil (resulting in tribulation for God’s people) will not end until the final return of the Messiah, when Jesus will utterly sweep away all the malign forces which resist his reign.
Let’s see how this plays out.
In the opening chapter of Revelation, the author introduces himself. “I, John, your brother and your partner in the suffering [thlipsei], the kingdom, and the patient endurance in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” As I’ve indicated above, the word translated above as suffering in many recent versions of the Bible (like the NIV) is a form of our old friend thlipsis. In older translations of the Bible, especially the King James Version, this word was translated as tribulation. “I, John, who also am your brother and companion in tribulation…”
The book of Revelation was most likely written about 90 AD., during the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian (81-96 AD). The letter is addressed very explicitly to seven churches in the Roman province of Asia, which corresponds to the western part of modern Turkey. John’s revelation has allowed him to foresee the coming clash between the Roman empire and the growing Christian church.
Indeed, the conflict between the church and the Roman state had already begun. John’s introduction most likely indicates that he had been banished by the Roman authorities to a penal colony on the island of Patmos because he had been preaching the word of God. In other words, John was already experiencing tribulation.
The early chapters of Revelation includes direct messages to seven churches in Asia. These messages indicate that (a) the Christians in the province of Asia were already suffering on account of their faith and (b) the churches needed to be prepared, because more affliction was on the way.
On behalf of the Lord Jesus, John writes to the church in Smyrna: “I know your afflictions [thlipsin] and poverty…Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution [thlipsin] for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” John clearly acknowledges that for the church in Smyrna, a state of tribulation already exists. Additionally, he envisions more trouble to come; trouble which might cost them their very lives.
Jesus commends the church in Pergamum, “You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city…” Again, we learn that the church has already experienced great pressure to deny their loyalty to Jesus. We even learn the name of one Christian who gave the last full measure of devotion to the Lord.
Equally interesting is the message to the church in Philadelphia. “You have kept my word about patience, and so I will keep you from the time of trial that is going to come upon the whole world, to test out all the inhabitants of the earth.” Once again, this message indicates some initial pressure on the church, requiring patient endurance. There is also the promise that the Philadelphian church would be “kept” from a time of trial which was coming upon the whole earth.
Importantly, there is a clear expectation that this “time of trial” will be pertinent to the Philadelphian church of the late first century. In other words, the time of trial simply cannot refer to some period of tribulation in the distant future. If that were the case, it would be completely irrelevant to the Christians to whom John was writing.
Let’s now try and draw some preliminary conclusions about tribulation. We have thus far found no scriptural evidence for a strictly future time of tribulation following a rapture event, as described by many Christian teachers. What we have discovered is plentiful evidence that the church of Jesus experienced tribulation, suffering and affliction from the very beginning. John had been banished to the island of Patmos. In the city of Pergamum, a Christian named Antipas was put to death because of his faithful witness. And there is every indication that John expects even more intense persecution in the future. Not just the far distant future, mind you, but the near future as it pertained to the Christians living in the first century.
As we shall see in future blogs, John did believe that tribulation would persist into the future, all the way until the time when Jesus returns to establish his kingdom over all the earth. This is wholly consistent with the rest of the New Testament. We cannot remind ourselves too often: the Bible gives us every indication that we must be prepared to face persecution on account of our allegiance to Jesus.
This is particularly important for those Christians in the West who have faced very little opprobrium. We cannot hold the idea of suffering at arm’s length, consoling ourselves that tribulation will only come after we’ve been raptured away. We follow a crucified king, who achieved his victory over sin and death through his own suffering and sacrifice on the cross. Now we must walk down the same road as our savior – our own via dolorosa, if you will. We shall share in the victory of Jesus, but only through suffering and sacrifice, by not loving our lives even unto death.
