VIEWPOINTS--21

When we look at the book of Revelation, we see more than one viewpoint.
For instance, when Jesus spoke to the church at Philadelphia, He says in Rev. 3.10--I will also keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth.

But to the church in Smyrna Jesus does not say the same thing. He tells them--you are about to suffer. Behold the devil is about to cast some of you into prison that you may be tested and you will have tribulation ten days, Rev. 2.10.

One church will be kept from testing, the other church will be tested.

We have different opinions. Some say the church will be raptured out of this world before any tribulation comes--as those in Philadelphia--and some say the church will go through the tribuation--as those in Smyrna.
We would expect to go through tribulation, if we have read of the prophecy in Daniel 7. There, in verse 25, Daniel says of a king--he will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One...and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. So we see that the saints go through the tribulation (time, times, and half a time) at the hands of that king.

Peter seems to agree with that. He says in 1 Peter 4.12--Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, 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 also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation.

But when Paul addressed the church at Thessalonica, his tone is one of escape just like the church at Philadelphia--For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout..we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord...1 Thes. 4.16,17.


So we have to see that prophecies of the end will show more than one viewpoint concerning the tribulation and Christians.

We might think of this as John writing of the churches as a whole in Rev. 1-3 and John writing of individual Christians in chapters 5-19.
In Rev. 5.9 John writes of--men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation... In Rev. 6.11 they are called, fellow servants. In Rev. 11.9, John writes of--those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations... Are they the same ones as in Rev. 5.9? They may be.

Then in Rev. 11.18 the saints are mentioned again, and in Rev. 12.11 as--they did not love their life even to death. Then in Rev. 13.10 there is the--perseverence and the faith of the saints.

Of course there are other references to individuals, as saints. Why is the church mentioned in Rev. 1-3 but individual saints mentioned after that? It may be that God knows each saint indivudually who will be raptured, live in the tribulation and endure to the end. If God knows the 144,000 who were sealed in Rev.7, even to the point of John writing that--I heard the number of those who were sealed...then we might conclude God has individual saints in mind.

God knows who He knows