Major Doctrinal Differances Between the Present Age and the Future Tribulation Period (part 2)

The Lord Jesus Christ plainly said that the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world and then the end shall come. The gospel of Christ went into "all the world" in the first century (Col. 1:6) and the end still hasn't come! The only way to truly believe what the Bible says, as it says it, is to rightly divide it (2 Tim. 2:15). If you think that the gospel of the kingdom and the gospel of the grace of God are the same gospel... I am sorry, but you are making Christ out to be a false teacher.

 

(Matthew 24:9-21) Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.  {10} And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.  {11} And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.  {12} And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.  {13} But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.  {14} And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.  {15} When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)  {16} Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:  {17} Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:  {18} Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.  {19} And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!  {20} But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:  {21} For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

 

Have you ever noticed in this passage that Christ was preparing His disciples to go through the tribulation ("you", "ye")? Why would He do such a thing? Because the revelation of this present dispensation was not yet given (Eph. 3:1-12; Col. 1:24-29)! The revelation of the mystery given through the apostle Paul is the explanation as to why v.14 has not been fulfilled. We are living in a parenthetical age that was a mystery hid to the prophets and when it ends with the mystery of the rapture, THEN the 70th week of Daniel will be fulfilled.

 

If you believe the Body of Christ is going through any part of the tribulation period, what are you going to do with what Paul said to the Body of Christ in the following passage in light of the FACT that the gospel of the kingdom (which requires baptism and works) will be preached in the tribulation period?

 

(Galatians 1:6-12) I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:  {7} Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.  {8} But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.  {9} As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.  {10} For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.  {11} But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.  {12} For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

 

In the book of Galatians the apostle Paul rebukes and corrects the churches at Galatia for allowing legalizers to bring them back under the law. The apostle Paul is the ONLY writer in the Bible who says, "for ye are not under the law, but under grace" (Rom. 6:14). That is a unique truth for the Body of Christ in this present age. We are not to keep the sabbath in this age (Gal. 4:9-11; Col. 2:16). The sabbath days are for Israel (Ex. 31:12-17). Did you ever notice what Christ said about the sabbath in Matt. 24:20? The tribulation saints will be observing the law in the tribulation period (Rev. 12:17; 14:12). That will not sound wrong to you if you understand that "out of Zion shall go forth the LAW" in the kingdom age (Isa. 2:3). The law will not be a "yoke of bondage" to the kingdom saints that will be filled with the Spirit (Jer. 31:33; Ezek. 36:25-28).

 

2. Justification by the Faith OF Christ versus by a Man's Faith

Israel receives remission of sins AS A NATION at the second coming of Christ (Acts 3:19-21; Rom. 11:25-27) when God puts them under the New Covenant (Heb. 8:7-13). The baptism of repentance (Acts 2:38) was not looking back to the cross (John preached it BEFORE the cross) but ahead to the second coming of Christ when His blood will be APPLIED to the nation on the Day of Atonement. The gospel of the kingdom requires water baptism, keeping commandments (Matt. 3:7-12; 7:21; 19:16-22; Jn. 15:10), and enduring to the end (Matt. 10:22; 24:13-14) to be saved. Tribulation saints will have to overcome in order to have right to the tree of life and not be hurt of the second death (Rev. 2:7, 11). If they take the mark of the beast they will be eternally damned (Rev. 14:9-13). That is why James, writing to the twelve tribes scattered abroad (Jam. 1:1), taught that justification was by faith that works (Jam. 2:14-26). Faith is believing what God says. If a Jew really believes the gospel of the kingdom he will DO what that gospel requires. In the tribulation period God will test the faith of Israel (Jam. 1:1-4; 1 Pet. 6-9). God will not accept works without sincere repentance and faith (Matt. 7:22-23). So, salvation under the gospel of the kingdom is not by works. It is by a faith that works. They will need the mercy and grace of God to make it.

 

God has not always told men NOT to do any works but to simply trust the finished work of Christ alone for salvation as He does in this age (compare Acts 10:35 with Titus 3:5). In times past He required works of men to prove their faith and He will do so again after this age. If God requires works, real faith will seek to do those works. But the works in and of themselves have never and will never save a sinner. Why doesn’t God require us to do works to prove our faith for justification in this age? Why is our justification instant and permanent? We receive justification by faith but we are justified by the faith of Christ (Gal. 2:16; Phil. 3:9) and His faith is perfect and proven!

 

(Habakkuk 2:2-4) And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.  {3} For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.  {4} Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

 

(Romans 1:16-17) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.  {17} For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

 

Notice that Paul omitted "his". We must never omit, add, or change the word of God (Prov. 30:5-6). But Paul was writing by inspiration of God! The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to omit "his" when quoting Hab. 2:4 because the book of Romans teaches that the Body of Christ is justified by the faith OF Christ (Rom. 3:21-22).

 

The Body of Christ is not told to "endure to the end"! Consider what Paul wrote to the carnal Corinthians:

 

(1 Corinthians 1:8) Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Every member of the Body of Christ has the same perfect and complete standing in Him (Col. 2:10). We are blessed with "all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3) the moment of salvation but the tribulation saints must overcome in order to obtain the blessings that are promised to them (Rev. 2-3).