The bible obviously and directly conflicts with that idea. Luke 21:36 clearly tells us that 1. there is an escape from all and 2. we must pray to be counted worthy of that escape. Rev 3:10 tells that faithful remnant that is the church at Philadelphia that they shall be kept from the hour of temptation coming on the entire world.
To drive this point home further today, I'd like for you to consider the lie now being espoused by so called christians all over the world. They tell us there there will be no escape from all. To fully expose how ridiculous their lie is, let us consider these things:
1. Noah: When the Lord told Noah to build an ark, what would have happened if Noah had said "uh, sorry Lord but nobody around here thinks you are going to save me from anything, much less the entire flood." What would have happened? Was Noah spared from the entire flood or not? Yes, Noah was spared from the entire flood, not the last half of it, not 75% of it, he was spared from ALL of the flood. Is that a biblical precedent? Yes. Will the Lord do again what He has already done in the past? Yes. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be again when the Son of Man returns.
How will the Son of Man return? He will return once in the clouds (1 Thes 4:17) and once on the mount of olives (Zech 14:4). You can count those returns however you want. You can call them a "return" or you can call them whatever you want. The fact of the matter is, the Lord will come back for us in the clouds, and he will come back with us to stand on the mount of olives.
2. Lot: What would have happened if the angels came for Lot and Lot would have told them "uh, sorry guys, the people around here are all telling me there is no escape from all the destruction that is coming so I need to stay here and tough it out through the fire and brimstone.." Open your eyes and understand how utterly ridiculous this is. That is what todays so called "pre-wrath" and "post-trib" believers are telling us.
Today's "other tribbers" are telling us that Noah could not have been saved from all the flood. Today's other tribbers are telling us that Lot could not have been spared from all the fire and brimstone. How are they telling us this lie? By telling us their version of the lie that the Lord our God does not save from hardship and suffering. They tell us we "need" to go through part or all of the tribulation to somehow "shore up" our belief or faith or redemption or whatever their lie happens to be today.
Was the Lord's redemptive work on the cross complete or not? Are we fully "in Christ" today or not? If you are "in Christ" today then you are in the ark prepared for the world today. Nowhere have we been told to build and ark for ourselves like Noah did. Why not? Because the Lord is our ark just like He is everything else we need today. He "is" period. He is our Savior, our Redeemer, our Creator, our Provider, our Healer, etc etc etc.
Today's other tribbers tell us that it is escapist to pray for an escape. Well, they can direct that complaint to the Lord himself because HE is the one who told us to pray that we may be counted worthy to escape ALL of what is coming. Was it "escapist" for Noah to build an ark? Yes, it was. Was is "escapist" for Lot to leave Sodom? Yes, it was. Was it "escapist" for the Israelites to leave the bonds of slavery in Egypt? Yes, it was. Why didn't the Israelites tell the Lord that they needed to stay in Egypt awhile longer so they could "shore up" their faith and belief?
I hope by now you can see what a ridiculous lie the "other tribbers" are trying to sell you. They are trying to sell you that the Lord does not deliver his own from "all" the judgement and wrath that He will deliver on the heads of the wicked. If He did it for Noah will He do it for us? Yes. If He did it for Lot will He do it for us? Yes. If He did it for Israel will He do it for us? Yes.
If judgement and wrath were defined as the sword and famine and death in the books of the bible before Revelation, is it reasonable to define them that way in the book of Revelation? Yes.
Eze 6:12 He that is far away will die of the plague, and he that is near will fall by the sword, and he that survives and is spared will die of famine. So will I spend my wrath upon them.
Are the sword and famine and death judgement and wrath? Yes. Where can we find the sword and famine and death in Revelation? Seals 2,3,4 in Revelation 6? Yes. Is that before seal 6 in Revelation 6? Yes.
Conclusion
What's the point of all this? The Lord did a small review with me this morning about the coming escape from all and what He has done in the past. If you take the lie people are trying to sell us today (there is no escape from all) and put it into context in the past it sounds utterly ridiculous to the point where it verges on stupidity. But we are supposed to believe that as truth today? No way. Noah escape all, Lot escaped all, we will escape all if we are found worthy. That is a fact. Not because I said so but because the bible says so. There is no need to 'spiritualize' the bible to arrive at this conclusion.
As if all the proof that has already been provided has not been enough, can you show me where in the bible the Lord judges the righteous with the wicked and unbelieving? You can't find it because its not in there yet the "other tribbers" would have you believe that we will all be swirling around in one big pot of judgement and wrath during the time of Jacob's (not the church's) trouble. The believing remnant (us) will be taking the judgement and wrath (sword, famine, plague, death) on the chin right there along with the wicked. I would be hard pressed to come up with a more un-biblical doctrine or bald faced lie if I tried.
grace and peace
