Tribulation To Come

Tribulation to Come (by David Peterson of Jesus The Rock Church)

Jesus is in the middle of His “Olivet Discourse” and He is speaking of the end times and a future seven-year tribulation period. He says in Matthew 24:15-21; “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. Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get things out of his house. And whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. But woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days! Moreover, pray that when you flee, it will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again.”

Parallel scripture is found in Mark and Luke and they all point to God’s judgment on non-believers and His discipline of Israel. These will be times of distress for those who remain on earth (Christian followers of the church excluded) and Jesus warns them of the ensuing wrath.

The popular preacher, Billy Graham, had spoken about the end times often in his life. Graham once said; “The Bible tells us that the state of the world will grow darker as we near the end of the age.” But he also concentrated on the positive when he said; “History is going somewhere. And we know full well that He who does all things well will bring beauty from the ashes of world chaos. A new world is being born. A new social order will emerge when Christ comes back. A fabulous future is on the way.”

The year 1911 saw the hymn “Our Coming Lord” published by Edward S. Fogg. His second verse reads;

Patiently we’re trusting, waiting not in vain,

Knowing that our Savior soon will come again,

In the blessed Bible God has made it known,

That someday He’s coming back to claim His own.

Let us pray: Father God, your grace and mercy promise us that we will be spared of the horror of the tribulation. Thank you for saving us! Amen.