Blessed Hope or Judgement of Wrath
From a reader:
"I appreciated MANY things about your web pages, but obviously disagree with some others. Just because one does not accept a pre-tribulation view doesn't mean we reject the "Blessed Hope" mentioned in Titus 2:11-13. I DO look for the return of Christ at the last day when He comes on the clouds and EVERY EYE WILL SEE HIM (Rev. 1:7 no secret rapture here)! My Savior's coming on the clouds is VISIBLE TO ALL! I look foreward to that day!"
Here we see a very common mistake that is made often. When Jesus comes at the end of the Tribulation. This is not the Blessed Hope because at that time He comes with wrath and judgement. At that time there will be the separation and judgement of all nations that will now be subjected to Him. Let's take a look at Titus.
Titus 2:13-14
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Here we see at the time of the Second Coming that He will redeem us. To be fully redeemed means that our bodies will be changed from mortal to immortal. Our spirit now belongs to God, but our flesh is still open to satan's attacks. Our spirit is redeemed, but not our flesh. This redemption of the flesh comes at the time of Rapture when the Lord comes to the clouds to snatch us away before the great time of judgement begins. At this time God will begin to serve judgement on all mankind. We can't be part of the Tribulation because we are no longer under condemnation.
John 3:18-19
"He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
(KJV)
Here we see that believers are not condemned. So what does condemned mean?
1 Cor. 11:32
"But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world."(KJV)
Now during the Tribulation God will condemn and punish mankind for what they have done. And at the time of the Second Coming, it will be a time of great wrath. This is not a time of hope, but a time of horror! Some say that we will be protected from the Tribulation as we go through it. Well common sense dictates that if we are forced to witness all the massive horror that is coming, that is not the blessed hope. When Christ returns, this will be a time of the wine press off His wrath.
2 Pet 2:6-9
"And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished"
So how did God deliver Lot from temptation? Was Lot's house protected from the fire? Did the people burn to death before him while he remained "protected?" No! He was taken "completely" out of the city. And in fact He was told not to even look back! He had nothing to with God's judgement and wrath against the wicked. Lot was completely REMOVED from the city FIRST, then the judgement began. This is also like Noah. Did God give Noah the ability to breath under water? No. He placed him in the ark FIRST then the judgement came. What is most interesting is that the word for the boat is ark. Remember the Ark of the Covenant that represented the presence of God Himself. Could it be that Noah was a example of being sealed in God Himself as protection from judgement and wrath?
1Thes 1:10
"� wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come."
Rom 2:5-6
"But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds.
Here we see that there is a peticualr time when the Lord comes to judge the world. This judgement begins when the scroll of God's judgement is opened for the first time in the book of Revelation thus starting the Tribulation period known as the time of Jacob's Trouble.
As seen with Noah and Lot, we won't be here. To the Churches Jesus says,
Rev 3:10
"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."
Some say, well this is the wrath of hell that we are protected from. Sorry, but in the Greek there is only one wrath, not two. Wrath is wrath if it is in hell, or if it is during the Tribulation. There is only one form of wrath, and that is poured out on the wicked.
John 3:36
"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." Now to continue on.
Acts 1:11
"Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."
Here we see that Jesus will return the same way, yet when He was taken up, only the believers saw Him ascend to heaven. So when He returns in "like manner," only the believers will see Him. Why is this? Because ONLY the believers will be Raptured to the clouds to meet Him in the air. This is the Blessed Hope. This is why the Rapture is a secret event
Now 7 years later when He returns with His bride, us the Church, He will come to the earth and His feet will touch the earth.
Zech 14:4
"And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south."
When Christ comes this will mark the time of the grapes of wrath. This will be the final and most horrifying wrap up of the Tribulation judgement and wrath. At this time every eye will see Him come on clouds of great power.
Rev 1:7
'Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen." This does not sound like the Blessed Hope to me, but rather the not so blessed hope of judgement.
Like Lot and like Noah, we will be taken completely out of the earth to heaven. There too we will not look back and we will not endure the horror. Yes we will be gone to see the Lord and never look back.
Richard Vizzutti