First, what is the Tribulation?
Matthew 24:21- For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
This is what we call the time period where God removes His people from this world and gives it over to humans and spiritual darkness to govern. This time will be proceeded by a disappearance of millions of people who have asked Jesus Christ to save their souls and wash their sins in His blood- Christians.
The time of the Tribulation is also known as Jacob's trouble. It's when the Lord God Almighty turns from dealing with Gentiles and again begins to deal mainly with the nation of Israel.
Romans 11:25- For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
The Lord will be dealing with the nation of Israel, but anyone can be saved throughout this time period. The details are a little fuzzy because God hasn't completely revealed them to us through His Word. But, anyone who is living during this time needs to get themselves a King James Bible and really study and pray and ask God to help them understand exactly what he expects of them.
The entire Bible is written for men to learn from, but not the entire Bible is written for everyone doctrinally. A person in the Tribulation should really focus on the Old Testament Books from Exodus through Deuteronomy, Job, Psalms, and Isaiah through Malachi and the New Testament Books from Hebrews through Revelation- these contain a lot of prophecy and doctrine for the Tribulation. Christ also talks some about this time in the four gospels- Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
God shows men what His will for their lives are during the times in which they live (we call these time periods dispensations):
Adam wasn't suppose to eat the fruit.
Noah had to build an ark.
Moses had to keep the law.
As the dispensations changed, so also did the requirements for a soul's salvation. The salvation is what determines where your soul goes after your body has died.
The Tribulation will be divided into two time periods, each about three and a half years long. This is significant to know because the salvation of the human soul is different for each of these time frames because different things happen during these two times periods even though they are both considered the Tribulation.
The Tribulation (part 1)
The first part is usually referred to as just the Tribulation. It is where a one world leader will arise and a one world government will be implemented. The Bible calls this leader the man of sin. This could happen quickly or take a few months to be completed, but it will happen- it's prophesied in Daniel and Revelation and many other Old Testament books. One of the main things that happens will be a peace agreement with the nation of Israel- often referred to as a covenant or a league.
Zephaniah 3:8- Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
Revelation 16:14- For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Daniel 11:24- He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.
Natural disasters will surge around the globe, and crazy things will happen. It will seem like the world is turning upside down! But, in reality, it is God judging the inhabitants of the earth for their rejection of Him. Anyone who really looks at what is going on will see that God is pouring out His wrath on the different things that people are worshiping instead of Him- nature, astrology, animal activists, etc.
During this first part of the tribulation, a person must do three specific things to have his soul saved:
1) Ask Christ to save him.
2) Keep the commandments of Moses in the Old Testament.
3) Look for Christ's coming.
First, the gift of salvation is still available to people, however it is not just by faith- now you have to work to keep it. If you lose your salvation during this time, you must ask for it again, and again, and again- that's why there are verses in the Bible about people losing their salvation (it's for a specific people at a specific time).
Second, you must keep the commandments of Moses in the Old Testament. If you look up each time "keep the commandments" is mentioned in the Bible, you'll find it is said 10 times in 10 different places (Deu. 4:2; 6:17; 7:11; 8:6; 10:13; 28:9; Ps. 119:115; Mat. 19:17; Rev. 12:17; 14:12). If you break any of the commandments you will lose your salvation, and need to ask Christ to save your soul again.
Deuteronomy 32 is known as the song of Moses- Study it!
James 2:14,20, 24 - What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
Revelation 15:3- And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
Revelation 14:12- Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Your salvation during this time is dependent on your works- especially on how you treat others.
Matthew 25:44-46- Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Third, you must be looking for Christ's return. There will be a mid-tribulation rapture where Christ will again take out the believers who are looking for Him. The story of the wise and foolish virgins in Matthew 25 helps you understand this mid-tribulation rapture. The ones who have the oil (are saved and have the Holy Ghost of God dwelling in them) go with the Bride and Groom into the marriage supper (they will be spared the next part of this time period), the others who have wasted or used up their oil (lost their salvation and didn't work to maintain it) will be left behind to go through the next part- the Great Tribulation.
Matthew 25:13- Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
It's called the Great Tribulation because it makes the last few terrible years seem pretty mild.
Daniel 11:20-23-Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant. And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.
The Great Tribulation (part 2)
The Great Tribulation will happen sometime after the mid-Tribulation rapture and during the time that the one world leader gets assassinated. This man of sin will then rise from the dead three days later, but he won't be the same person! He is now referenced as the AntiChrist, or Son of Perdition, in the Bible.
Revelation 13:3, 5- And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
II Timothy 2:3-4- Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Daniel 11:36-39 - And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.
This time is absolutely unimaginable! The disasters that have been going on globally will intensify- Luke 21 prophesies of this and of a war against the Jewish People (especially Jerusalem). The peace agreement will be broken and the AntiChrist will demand obedience and worship. There will be mutant monsters, cannibals, and a death penalty to anyone who defies anything the AntiChrist declares.
A "mark" will be offered to humanity, possibly with a seemingly impossible promise of immortality. Accepting this mark will meet absolute damnation of your soul- you will not be able to get saved. Refusing this mark could very well mean your death.
Revelation 13:15-18- And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Revelation 19:20- And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Again, this is a future time and God will reveal to those who search and study the King James Bible what it is that they must exactly do to be saved. During this terrible time, however, a person must again do three specific things to save his soul, but they won't be easy.
1) Ask Christ to save him.
2) Keep the commandments of Moses in the Old Testament.
3) Not take the mark of the beast.
The first two are the same as the previous Tribulation time period, but it's so much harder now! You either hunt and gather to survive or you take the mark to be able to buy your food. But, with the global disasters destroying the vegetation and seas it's going to be difficult to get food.
Malachi 4:4- Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
The mark is an immediate death sentence. It has a lot of bad consequences built into it and there will be a special kind of torture that will be endured by all who take it. The alternative is death. But, you must make certain that you've asked Christ to forgive you and cover your soul in His blood and make certain you haven't broken any commandments right before you are killed.
Or, you must "endure til the end". Survive until the end of the Tribulation time period without taking the mark and without getting killed. It will be very hard!
Matthew 24:13- But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
This isn't talking about the salvation of your soul, it's talking about the salvation of your life. If you endure til the end you will be allowed to live on the earth during Christ's rule, when he conquers the AntiChrist and sets up His kingdom on the earth. You will be given a chance to live under Christ's rules and then the way to gain salvation for your soul during that time period will change again.
Isaiah 34:16- Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.
II Timothy 2:15- Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
John 5:39- Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
If you find yourself suddenly stuck in the Tribulation, Search the Scriptures, Study the Bible, and Seek God's understanding so that your soul isn't damned!
