The Christ in Prophecy Journal

Revelation Panel: Salvation After the Rapture – Part 2

The Rapture and the Left Behinds

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Over the next few weeks we will continue to share with you the opinions of 13 Bible prophecy experts concerning various questions related to the book of Revelation. The members of our panel of Bible prophecy experts will now address:

#7. If the Church is not going to be present on this earth during the Tribulation, will people be able to be saved, and if so, how?

Nathan Jones, Lamb & Lion Ministries
Revelation 7:9-14 clearly says there are going to be people saved during the Tribulation. Two of the verses state, “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation, tribe, people and language standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches. These are they who came out of the Great Tribulation. They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” That’s clearly a reference to people being saved during the Tribulation.

Now, how are these people being saved? Firstly, they are going to witness the Rapture, so they are going to see millions of people disappear. Then secondly, hopefully all the materials and literature and videos we are leaving behind for them will help lead them to the Lord and explain what has happened. Thirdly, there will be the Two Witnesses from Jerusalem as Revelation 11 talks about who will preach to the world from that city. Fourthly, there will be 144,000 Jewish evangelists whom the Lord has set aside for just that time period. Fifthly, there will be the very judgments of God. People will say, “Hey, there’s got to be a God for all of this to be happening.” And finally, there will be an angel of God as Revelation 14:6 tells us. That angel of God is going to circumnavigate the whole world and share the Gospel so that Matthew 24:14 will be fulfilled. So, there will be plenty of opportunities for people to come to the Lord and be saved without the Church having to be there as witness.

Ed Hindson, World Prophetic Ministry
I think the seventh chapter of Revelation makes it pretty obvious there are people who are going to be saved due to the 144,000 Jews, where 12,000 come from each of the 12 tribes. That passage makes it pretty clear those are Jewish people who will be converted. Later in chapter 7, John says an innumerable host of every people, tongue and nation will be martyred, and that sound like Gentiles. So, you have a whole host of people being converted during the time of Tribulation.

The question is often raised, how are they converted then if the Holy Spirit is gone due to the Rapture? Well, the Holy Spirit’s not gone. The Church is what’s gone, because the Church will have been raptured out. The Holy Spirit is God. God is omnipresent. God is in Heaven. God lives in our heart. God is ruling over the whole world. God’s presence was personified on the Ark of the Covenant in the presence of His glory, but when the glory departed from the Ark of the Covenant as the book of Ezekiel reveals, and God departed and judgment fell, that doesn’t mean that God was missing from the world. God was still there dealing with Ezekiel’s heart and Daniel’s heart during the Babylonian captivity. The Holy Spirit will still be here during the time of Tribulation, convicting people of sin, righteousness and judgment, so that when people are saved they are still born of the Spirit. In my opinion, they are not baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ and into a unique relationship with the body of the Church, that is typically just for the Church Age.

Al Gist, Maranatha Evangelistic Ministries
The Church is going to be in Heaven during the Tribulation for sure. But, we’re not saved by the Church. We are saved by the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of God contrary to what some believe will still be active during the Tribulation here on earth. And so, people will be saved during the Tribulation the same way they’ve always been saved, and that is through faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone for their salvation. So, yes, there will be many people saved during the Tribulation.

We are quick to talk about the horrors of the Tribulation, but we overlook the harvest of the Tribulation. In Revelation 6, the Bible speaks of a group of people who have been persecuted unto death for their testimony in God, and we find them in Heaven in Revelation 7. We find the innumerable multitudes of people who are before the Throne of God. The Bible says they came out of Tribulation, and their robes have been washed white by the blood of the Lamb. So, yes again, there will be many people saved during the Tribulation.

Unfortunately, I believe that most of those, not all, but most of those who will accept Jesus as Savior during the Tribulation will also be martyrs for their faith. They will have to die a physical death for their faith. It will be very difficult on people during that time.

Ken Humphries, Treasured Truth Today Ministries
Yes, I do actually believe that based on Revelation 7. That’s another passage I would just love to read. Revelation 7:9 really reveals to us the truth that, “And this I beheld, and lo a great multitude which no man could number of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues stood before the throne and before the Lamb clothed with white robes and palms in their hands. Crying with a loud voice saying, ‘Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the Throne.'”

I suppose the question arises, “Who are those people?” Obviously they are not the Church as the Church saints are in Heaven. They’re not Israel because they are from every tribe and kindred and nation. These surely are Gentiles who after the Church has been raptured and have left and who may never have heard the Gospel beforehand and who don’t know what it means to be saved will be born again. But, because the waited until after the Rapture, they are now faced with living during the period called the Tribulation, or the Great Tribulation and may want to call out upon the name of the Lord. Having rejected Christ as Savior in their earlier days, they may now want to call upon the name of the Lord and be saved.

August Rosado, Today in Bible Prophecy Ministries
Matthew 24:14 tells us, “And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached unto all the nations and then shall the end come.” So, even during the Tribulation period you will have those who will be preaching the Gospel. Well, how do we know that? Revelation 7 reveals God raises up 144,000 male Jewish Israelites consisting of 12,000 each from the 12 tribes of Israel. These guys are going to be prophesying during the Tribulation period, and I believe multitudes are going to get saved due to their witness.

Then we jump to Revelation 11 where God raises up these Two Witnesses. Revelation 11:3 says, “And I will give power unto my two witnesses and they shall prophesy thousand two hundred and threescore days in sackcloth.” That’s 1,260 days the first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation period! Agai,n I believe multitudes are going to become saved due to their witnessing.

Then we jump to Revelation 14:6 where John says, “I saw an angel preaching the everlasting Gospel to them who dwell on the earth.”

So, the Church isn’t going to be here preaching the Gospel during the Tribulation, because we are going to be in Heaven for that seven year period of time. God is going to raise up these three groups to preach the Gospel, and unsaved people will be getting saved during that time.

In the next part of this series on reading and understanding Revelation, the remaining members of our panel of Bible prophecy experts will continue to answer the seventh question, “If the Church is not going to be present on this earth during the Tribulation, will people be able to be saved, and if so, how?”

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Dr. Nathan E. Jones

As the Internet Evangelist at Lamb & Lion Ministries, Nathan reaches out to the over 4.5 billion people accessible over the Internet with the Good News of Jesus Christ. He also co-hosts the ministry's television program Christ in Prophecy and podcast The Truth Will Set You Free.

24 CommentsLeave a Comment

  • If very few people get saved during the Tribulation as Ed Hindson proclaims then what do we do with Rev.6:9;7:9;20:4? Also look at the wording "the lie". It is a definite article. I believe the lie that those will believe is that the Antichrist is God.

  • With all do respect after reading all of these points of view, my mind has become confused on what it takes to be a Bible prophecy expert. As Ken Humphries states grace is over after the rapture. According to my Bible grace will never be over. Salvation will be the same after the rapture as it was before the rapture by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. There are only 3 qualifications in the Bible of points of no return regarding salvation.1)Dying lost.Heb.9:27, 2)Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.Mat.12:31, and 3)Taking the mark of the beast and worshiping him. Rev.14:9-11. All though I don't recommend waiting until someone is on their death bed to repent, I believe there is going to be death bed salvation even at this time. God Bless

  • The Bible states that the Antichrist will go after the believers. So there have to be saved people during the tribulations.. The Angels fly through the air preaching and also the 2 prophets that live for 3 years also preach.. That is what it might mean.

    I do wonder if you accept the mark, If you can change your mind, but I guess the delusion has taken place and no one will listen. Speaking of the delusion, sometimes I think if is already happening. Obama seems to have a lot of them in a trance and unable to see exactly what he is doing, when it is as plain as the nose on your face.

  • I believe that when they take the Mark of the devil, they will have the chance to decide if they want it. I have heard a lot of people try to use some examples of things being done that maybe the mark of the beast. I personally believe that we will have a choice. I don't believe that we will be fooled or forced to take the mark without knowing exactly what it is. What do some of you think?

  • Acts 2:19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
    acts 2:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
    ] Act 2:21 And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

    Do you think this has anything to do with the tribulations?

  • Thanks, I also think this will be after the rapture, seems a lot of people would have taken the Mark by the last or in the middle. I think those verses mean that after the rapture, people who have heard of it. will realize that is it true, Although, it will be too late to escape the wrath. I just hope the people will be able to be brave enough to die for Jesus. I myself have been praying every night that is the time comes in USA that we have to choose Jesus or Islamic god, I will be able to withstand. The way things are going now in America, we just might have to fight for our beliefs,before the tribulations. Have a blessed day.

  • If no one is saved after the Rapture then why bother with the two witnesses and the angel preaching the Gospel, etc.?

  • Barry said "With all do respect after reading all of these points of view, my mind has become confused on what it takes to be a Bible prophecy expert."

    Perhaps "prophecy expert" should be considered an oxymoron.

  • A Bible prophecy expert is a long-time student of God's prophetic word who is the first to admit they don't have all the answers. That would be in constrast to a Bible prophecy commentor who believes they have all the answers and the experts don't know what they're talking about. 😉

  • Nathan, I guess that makes me a Bible Prophecy Expert, because I am a long-time student of God's prophetic word and I definitely don't have all the answers. As far as the so called experts goes they are the ones that are not being consistent with their answers, thus making them look like they don't know what they are talking about. Just Saying. God Bless

  • Barry, not at all. They are addressing a question that has no biblically definitive answer and giving their opinion based on the pros and cons. That's the mark of an expert.

    I'm sorry if the term "expert" offends you, for in this day and age we all feel we are experts in everything. No prob, I can use "teacher" (as long as that doesn't offend you either?).

  • Nathan, I'm not offended at all, just a little confused on some of the answers, not questions, that does have a biblical definite answer that is not being exercised here. I'm sorry that I seem like a thorn, but I consider us all Bible students that will never know it all until we get to glory. But there are some things that are crystal clear. God Bless

  • Barry said "…but I consider us all Bible students that will never know it all until we get to glory."

    Very true, couldn't agree more.

    As for the "commentators" good natured poke in the ribs from Nathan, I've only heard of one "commentator" claiming to be 100% correct…hmmm…whatever happened to him?

  • Question? How is someone an expert in something they don't have a definite answer to? I always assume some one who teaches a subject knows that subject.
    The saved or not saved situation after the rapture to me has a Prodigal Son parable flavor. The lost son and the son that has always been there. The lost son found and the jealous son reminded he has lacked for nothing. Just saying let us as the Raptured church not fall into jealousy when The Lord finds his lost son. God Bless.

  • Tori, an expert will know all the facets of the subject including the pros and cons of each argument.

    Really, folks, this subject isn't as cut and dry as some of you make it out to be. There's a whole other dispensation going on during the Tribulation, so we have to take our Church-colored glasses off when studying this topic.

  • That makes sense Nathan. I guess our church hearts still have us wishing for all to come to Christ. That is a good thing because it means we have the love for others that Jesus wants for us to have. I am no expert in the very least, just am hoping for the best outcome and don't want us to be thinking we are more in Christ because we will be saved out of the trib. I don't know other dispensations that have bearings on the trib. Hope everyone has time to repent and come to Christ. Time is almost up if I can see the worldly things correctly. The birth pangs are getting closer and harsher. I pity all they will believe the deseption of the antichrist. God Bless.

  • Nathan, The Bible mentions seven dispensations, and right now we are in the dispensation of grace, # 6. The next dispensation after grace is divine government # 7, and that begins during the beginning of the millennium. So what dispensation then is the Tribulation Period in? It would have to be grace. So what dispensation are you talking about? God Bless

  • Barry, the Bible doesn't mention Dispensations, theologians do. They hover between 4-8 depending on the argument. I'm a Dispensationalist and believe all 8 makes the most sense, with the sixth being the Tribulation.

    The general premise behind Dispensationalism is that God has set up different systems of authority during different time periods in history. Each dispensation God reveals more about Himself to man, and each brings man back closer to the one-on-one relationship God had with Adam before the Fall. For example, the current dispensation is the Dispensation of Grace, where the authority is by the grace of God and our knowledge of Him is by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.

    The Tribulation would be a different dispensation because the Restrainer is removed and the Church as God's messenger is absent, plus God allows Satan more authority.

  • I should of worded that differently. I too am a Dispensationalist and 7 makes more sense to me because 7 is the number of completion. 1. Innocence(Gen. 2:15-3:21), 2. Conscience(Gen. 3:22-8:14), 3. Human Government(Gen. 8:15-11:32), 4. Promise(Gen. 12:1-Exod.12:37, 5. Law(Exod. 12:38; Mat.2:23;11:10-13;Luke 16:16), 6. Grace(Mat.3:1-Rev.19:10), 7. Divine Government(Rev. 19:11-20:15. The Restrainer is the Church. If it is The Holy Spirit as some teach then there would be no salvation at all during the Tribulation Period. It takes the Holy Spirit to draw men to God. Men will still be saved by grace during the Tribulation Period.God Bless

  • Mankind has always been saved by God's grace through faith (see Hebrews), no matter the dispensation. How they receive that knowledge and how much of that knowledge they are given is what makes for a dispensation.

    At the Tribulation, though the Holy Spirit is still working in salvation, the Church who is the Restrainer is not. God's agents become the Two Witnesses, the 144,000 and the Gospel Angel. God has also revealed Himself to the nations due to the Gog-Magog Battle, something He hasn't done during the Church Age. And, people during the Tribulation are forced into a clear choice for God or not, something not evident in today's dispensation. Also, there is a limit to one's ability to be saved, in that recieving the Mark of the Beast ends all chances, not something seen in the Church dispensation. No, the Tribulation is a very different time in God's order of government and revelation.

  • Nathan said "God has also revealed Himself to the nations due to the Gog-Magog Battle, something He hasn't done during the Church Age. And, people during the Tribulation are forced into a clear choice for God or not, something not evident in today's dispensation."

    The "God has also revealed Himself to the nations due to the Gog-Magog Battle, something He hasn't done during the Church Age." is something I personally find EXTREMELY EXCITING! I've always thought the best time ever to live must've been when God had a more direct and obvious hand in the affairs of men on Earth. To actually to have witnessed the parting of the Red Sea or Jesus preaching just to name two examples…WOW! That is incredible.

    Now, we will not be here when God starts His direct interventions again (such as the two witnesses having the power to do amazing things, etc.). I think we will be Raptured. BUT the COOLEST part is WE will get to BE PART OF the action when WE return WITH JESUS in the sky at the end of the Tribulation. The evil ones on Earth will see US coming down with Jesus! INCREDIBLE!!!! CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!

    The "And, people during the Tribulation are forced into a clear choice for God or not, something not evident in today's dispensation." part was something I was curious about. Will Gog/Magog REALLY be a clear sign to those left behind or just to Israel. I always thought Israel would know God destroys Russia, etc. but never thought all the rest of the population would "get it".

  • I think the eight dispensations sound right as Nathan said. I don't know dispensations but I do know that the number Seven can mean "all that is Holy "and the number Eight can mean "what is full in every way" and I also know that 'Trumpets' can mean "Truth" which of course is "all that is Holy" So thank you Nathan for confirmation of the 'time' that is upon us. God Bless!

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