It's a Little Confusing to Understand?

 Within the past week I've heard Bible-believing folks say, "God's already on the throne, Israel in the news has NOTHING to do with eschatology."  Or, "The Bible simply doesn't teach that Christians will be whisked away to escape the tribulation coming on earth!"  Or, "Pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib, it's not a salvation issue so I'll let you figure it out on your own!", was what one well-known pastor on the radio said.

While I agree with the fact that it's NOT a salvation issue, what kind of confusing message would that be to your confirmation kids who ask, "Tell me about the return of Jesus?"

I really appreciate Dr. David Jeremiah when he says, "Here at Shadow Mountain church we are unapologetically Pre-trib.  We preach it and we teach it from Sunday school through adult ed.  Our staff will all be in agreement that the Pre-trib rapture is what we all believe." (that's a paraphrase)

As most of you probably know I was raised ELCA Lutheran and the return of Jesus was never spoken of or taught in any class I ever attended.  When I would hear a verse about Jesus returning as we read, "The Gospel reading for the day", from the pulpit, I might ask my Sunday school teacher to explain and would get an answer like, "humans have been here for millions of years and most likely we will be here for millions more."

So where is our "blessed hope!", in that explanation?

Once I started digging into all this for myself, (I was spurred on to find out for myself after reading a few LEFT BEHIND books), it became obvious to me that we ARE NOT going to incur God's wrath, all of prophecy HAS NOT been fulfilled, God IS NOT done with Israel and the Jews, Jesus is going to come like a thief in the night for the unsuspecting world BUT WE ARE CHILDREN OF THE LIGHT SO THIS DAY WILL NOT SURPRISE US!  

Today I'm just going to give you a few verses that confirm followers of Christ WILL NOT SUFFER the wrath of God.  If we do have to suffer it, then what purpose did Jesus accomplish on the cross by taking all the wrath of God meant for us??  It seems so obvious...but yet it clearly isn't to millions of other Christians.

1 Thessalonians 1:10

and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

1 Thessalonians 5:9

For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:9

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!

So yes, we may suffer the wrath of men and the torment of Satan, but the Great Tribulation is FILLED WITH GOD's WRATH AGAINST AN UNREPENTANT EARTH!  So let's encourage each other (as Paul exhorts us to) with the blessed hope that Jesus is soon coming for us to take us to the place He went to prepare a place for us!  If it wasn't true HE wouldn't have told us so!