Feeding the Sheep - The Great Tribulation
Matthew 24:21-22
[This is the 9th message of this series]
This lesson is intended for mature believers (or adulting believers). For a more orderly study, if you haven't gone through all the previous messages yet, please do so first.
The (Great) Tribulation
Because we already spoke about the rapture in the previous message, we should also touch, although just briefly, on the period known as the Great Tribulation (generally believed as a seven year period that is still to take place in the future, as of this writing).
As we have mentioned in the previous message, believers have been divided over the event we call as the rapture as well as to when exactly this event will take place.
The terms pre-trib, mid-trib and post-trib would coincide with the three main timetables that believers hold on to as regards to when they think the rapture will occur. Meaning it will either be pre (before) the tribulation period, mid (in the middle) of the tribulation or it will be post (at the end) of the tribulation.
The Great Debate
Well meaning believers have been debating about this for a long time. There are even those who are convinced that there will be no rapture of the church or that the tribulation period have already taken place.
But as we have already said, these debates and also the prevailing attitudes of those who are pushing their beliefs on others who have a different belief are merely a waste of time and a means of the enemy to take them away from what they should be doing instead -- loving on people by sharing the love they have received from our Lord (that is if they even really believed and have accepted God's amazing love). Believers are called to love believers and non-believers.
In an incident recorded in Mark 9:38, the disciples were telling Jesus how they were trying to stop a man who was doing work in the Name of Jesus because he was not following them.
The Lord rebuked them, telling them not to stop that man. Funny how these disciples taught so highly of themselves that they feel that those who follow Christ, should also follow them. Now if they do not, then they have the authority to step in to stop them.
They should be teaching to follow Christ not them, less they become like scribes and Pharisees themselves. If anything, they should know this.
What We Know
What we do know is that Jesus Christ is coming back a second time and sadly there are still many people today who have not even heard of the first time He came -- so if ever that would be what we should be doing with our time, instead of debating or fighting with other believers or telling them they have to follow what they say.
We also know that the second coming of Christ is known as the Day of the Lord.
Understanding The Day of the Lord
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