There are disagreements and debates concerning the church and the great tribulation. I will briefly give you my views on "great tribulation and the "wrath of God."
I believe the great tribulation and the wrath of God are two separate events.
There are those who teach that the great tribulation includes the wrath of God. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Before I comment on the great tribulation, let me first say this about the wrath of God.
The wrath of God is appointed unto men and women who have rejected a Holy God and for those who have spurned His plan of salvation and redemption.
The word "wrath" (#3709) means justifiable vengeance, anger, indignation, coupled with a violent passion.
Let me make it absolutely clear that the child of God will have no part in the wrath of God.
The wrath of God is not directed at the redeemed nor at the church of the living God.
We read in Romans 5:8-9, "But God demonstrates His love towards us, in that while were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
Again we read in 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, For god has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who died for us, that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.
I repeat, the great tribulation is one event and the wrath of God is another event.
Let me change my focus now to the "great tribulation."
The phrase "great tribulation" is found only three times in the entire Bible. Those references are found in Matthew 24:21, "For there will be great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall.
Again in Revelation 2:22, "Behold, I will cast her upon a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent their deeds. Lastly in Revelation 7:14, "And 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.
What many Christians misunderstand is that the "great tribulation" isn't centered on the wrath of God, but on the wrath of satan.
Revelation 12:9, 12; "And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Verse 12: "For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea; because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he only has a short time.
So, you may ask, "What is the "great tribulation" about, or what is its purpose?
It is my personal belief that the Lord will use the great tribulation to perfect the church of the living God.
Paul said in Ephesians 5:27, "That He might present to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should it should be holy without blemish.
So, I pose this question to my brothers and sisters here at Living Faith Forum: what will it take will it take to get the church into a glorious posture so that a glorious presentation can be made to our Lord? Remember that the tribulation is a time of pressure and distress. The tribulation period will cause believers to set their affection on the Lord and far from the cares of this life. "Set your affection on things above, not on the things of the earth (Col 3:2).
Where will your heart and affections be as we press further into end-time events as the pressure increases on all fronts?
We all need to be prepared for a time of trials and tribulations no matter what we may have been taught concerning this time period.
"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you might have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world (Jn 16:33). As we all face troubles and trials, and as they intensify as prophetic events unfold, we must not allow hardship, and even suffering detour us form our commitment in our walk with the Lord. We read in 1 Peter 4:12-13, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation. Let me close this out by saying that obtaining our eternal inheritance will require us to remain faithful to Jesus no matter what the cost. But regardless of the cost, "in all these things (hardships) we are more than conquers through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:37-39.