Page 54 - Eschatology - Student Ebook

3. The church is not of the night (I Thess. 5:4-5), but the Tribulation is a time of gloom and darkness
(Zeph. 1:15).

1 Thessalonians 5:4–5 (NIV84)4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should
surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the
night or to the darkness.

Zephaniah 1:15 (NIV84)15 That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of
trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness,

4. There is not one reference to the church in Revelation 6 - 18, the chapters that deal with the
Tribulation. If the church of Jesus Christ would be on the earth during that time period, Revelation 6-18
would seemingly mention it. Instead, Revelation 2-3 contain seven letters to seven churches. And in
Revelation 19:7-8 the bride of Christ is described in the scene in heaven as having made herself ready
for her wedding to Jesus Christ. This seems to be clear evidence that the church is not on earth during
the seven-year tribulation.

5. The Tribulation is the "time of Jacob's trouble" (Jer. 30:7), Daniel's 70th week (Dan. 9:24-27). This will
be a time of trouble for "your (Daniel's) people" Israel (Dan. 9:24; 12:1). The tribulation pertains to
Israel (Matt. 24:15-16, 20; Rev. 7:1-8; 12:1-6, 13-16) and the Gentile world, but not to the church.

Jeremiah 30:7 (NIV84)7 How awful that day will be! None will be like it. It will be a time of trouble
for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it.

Daniel 9:24 (NIV84)24 “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish
transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness,
to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.

Daniel 12:1 (NIV84)1 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise.
There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then.
But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be
delivered.

Matthew 24:15–16 (NIV84)15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that
causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let
those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Matthew 24:20 (NIV84)20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.
Revelation 7:1–8 (NIV84)1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth,
holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the
sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the
living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the
land and the sea: 3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the
foreheads of the servants of our God.” 4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed:
144,000 from all the tribes of Israel. 5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe
of Reuben 12,000, from the tribe of Gad 12,000, 6 from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of
Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000, 7 from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the

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