Are we in the "Great Tribulation"?
Many believe in an allotted time which is described as "the great tribulation" towards the time right before Christ returns. Again, the distinction between tribulation and "the great tribulation".
I try not to debate eschatology too dogmatically because I believe that the theology and the prophetic writings found in end times prophesy needs to be approached differently than the rest of theology.
There indeed is certain theology which will be affected by ones eschatology and vise/versa but among brothers, this needs to be a respected in-house debate, and the only way to do that is through respect and spiritual maturity.
However, many Christians believe that unless you can say that "Christ can come at any time", you would be drawing a bit too close to arguing against immanency...
To say that The Lord's return is not immanent is to step too close to a worst position of "time setting"... Most Christians don't want to be accused of time setting the coming of Christ. No way!
And so, we've now stepped into MY position on the matter of whether there is a distinction between tribulation and "the great tribulation".
If The Lord can come at any time... then God's church is either in tribulation NOW or there's no immanency of Christ's return, and we can say,....."Christ can't come yet"...
Get it?
So Christian, where are you on this matter?
What do you think?
Are we in the great tribulation or not?
My Pre-Trib brothers will say we're not because the bowl and seal judgments in the book of Revelation haven't started.
Unfortunately, by believing this, inevitably, they make themselves "time setters" and can't believe in Christ's imminent return. (That's how I see it)
As an Amillennialist, I believe that those bowl and seal judgments are as SYMBOLIC as much of what's written in Bible end times prophesy, and therefore, those judgements are happening now!
*Consider that the persecution of Christ's Church has NOT stopped since Christ ascended.
*Consider that the spirit of antichrist as been at work since the days of Christ.
These are the two distinctions The Apostle Paul revealed to the Church of Thessalonians on the question of, "has Christ already returned" which they were dealing with at that time.
Paul was admonishing them to continue in their faith and hold down their patience as they were experiencing persecution.
Persecution of the Church and the work of antichrist has ebbed and flowed throughout the last 2000 years and as it is written in 2 Thessalonians 2:6 ---
"And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed"
It would take a lot to unfold how those seal and trumpet signs as well as the bowl judgements are understood symbolically but that's for a later and longer blog.
But the moral of the story is that we should NOT consider that these prophetic happenings are just things for the future ... I believe they're happening NOW.
I believe the hearts of men (the world system); the globalization and the climactic signs in earthquakes, mudslides, wildfires, tornados, hurricanes, etc. are ....
THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
God's chosen people were expecting the coming of their Messiah
but they completely missed the signs of the times....
Let's not make that same error in our time and receive the same rebuke from The Lord!
On the issue of "natural disasters" we've seen in 2023 so far...
Hurricane Idalia rips through Georgia reportedly killing 1 person..
The Maui wildfires killing approximately 100 people...
Illinois tornados causing much damage and reportedly killing 4 in Texas...and many tornados killing approx. 32 people across 8 US states...
Papua New Guinea hit by a 7.0 Magnitude earthquake...
7.8 Earthquake in Turkey and Syria which left thousands dead..
Deluge in California US which reportedly swept away a 5 year old boy in January...
"And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. 2But He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? 4An evil and adulterous generation eagerly seeks for a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away."
Matthew 16:1-4
