The
Church in Great Tribulation
These are the definitive
verses from the book of Revelation which clearly reveal a portion of the church
in great tribulation:
After these things I
looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every
nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and
before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands
. . . Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "These who are
clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come
from?" I said to him, "My
lord, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones who come out
of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white
in the blood of the Lamb. (Revelation
7:9, 13-14)
As to what portion of the
church this might be, we gain understanding of that from Jesus’ warning to the church at Thyatira:
'I gave her time
to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. 'Behold, I will
throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into
great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. 'And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the
churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will
give to each one of you according to your deeds. (Revelation 2:21-23)
So we see the church
finds herself in great tribulation if she does not repent. Notice that Jesus says that each one in the
churches will receive in that time according to their deeds.
Jesus teaches more about
the great tribulation in Matthew 24. He
is speaking here to His disciples and saying “you” will see and experience
these things. There is only one
definition of elect, and that is those who are the elect in Jesus Christ.
"Then they
will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by
all nations because of My name. "At that time many will fall away and will
betray one another and hate one another. "Many false prophets will arise
and will mislead many. "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's
love will grow cold. "But the one who endures to the end, he will be
saved. "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as
a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. "Therefore
when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel
the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those
who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. . . "For then there will be a
great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world
until now, nor ever will. "Unless those days had been cut short, no life
would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut
short . . . "But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN
WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL
from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. "And then the sign of the Son of Man
will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and
they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and
great glory. "And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and
THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the
sky to the other. (Matthew 24:9-16, 21-22,
29-31)
The church experiences
great tribulation to the extent needed to be purified into a bride without spot
or wrinkle. When the process is
complete, and the bride is made ready, then He comes back for her and gathers
her in the rapture.