that Christ will come for His Church BEFORE the tribulation.

1. Because He has specifically promised to do so. Speaking to the Philadelphian church (which represents the true Church in the close of this church age) our Lord says in Revelation 3:10, "I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation [the tribulation], which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."

2. Because otherwise the full sufficiency of the atoning blood of Christ would, in effect, be brought into question. Romans 8:1 says that "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." The Lord God will, during the tribulation, deal with the world in painful judgment, but for the believer it is unthinkable that God would reopen this matter as if to say the blood of His beloved Son had not been a sufficient sacrifice!

3. Because otherwise Christ Himself would, in effect, be undergoing again the wrath of God. If the Church were to go through any part of the tribulation, it would mean that the Son of God was again suffering the wrath of God, because we are His body (Col. 1:18; Acts 9:4).

4. Because we are to be WITH Christ when He returns to the earth. His saints ("saved ones") are with Him at His appearing—all of them (1 Thess. 3:13; Rev. 19:14). Is it not then evident that, if He is to return with us, He must first come for us? He does that before the tribulation, as Paul writes in 1 Thess. 4:13-18.

5. Because Revelation 4:1 symbolizes the rapture of the Church BEFORE the ensuing chapters unfold the horrors of the tribulation. Is it not most significant that, after our Lord details the Church's prewritten history in Revelation 2 and 3, the true Church, His Bride, is no more seen on the earth until she returns with Christ in Revelation 19? The intervening chapters find her safely in heaven with Christ, as they depict the tribulation on the earth below.

6. Because otherwise where would be the "comfort" of 1 Thessalonians 4:18? Were we not looking for the Lord Jesus to catch us up to meet Him in the air before the tribulation, how could we "comfort one another with these words"? If we are not looking for Him to come for us before this old world begins to rock and reel under the impact of the wrath of Almighty God, then what, indeed, is our "blessed hope"?

7. Because the tribulation is spoken of as "the time of Jacob's trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7)—not the "church's trouble." The tribulation in Scripture always refers to Israel and the world, never the true church composed of believers in Christ.

These lists are by no means complete, but we trust they will serve as a help in understanding the precious truth of the Lord's coming. Be sure to look up in your Bible the references given and also see how many items you can add to each list.