Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:22—NIV)

The wrath of God is different from the great tribulation. Tribulation works to perfect us. Wrath, however, is not redemptive. It does not make perfect, only destroys. We Christians enter the Kingdom of God through much tribulation. But God has not appointed us to wrath. There is an enormous difference between tribulation and wrath. We can think of tribulation as chastening that is needed for our good.

We have seen, then, that Luke 21:36 is not speaking of escape from physical harm by being carried up to Heaven but escape from spiritual harm by standing firm in Christ.

We have observed also that Revelation 3:10 has nothing to do with being caught up to Heaven but is referring to the Lord protecting us throughout the period of testing so we do not succumb spiritually to the pressures and available sins.

Finally we notice that the "rapture passage," I Thessalonians 4:13-17, has nothing to do with believers escaping trouble by being caught up to Heaven but is speaking rather of the resurrection from the dead of the saints of all history, and our entering the Kingdom of God together with them.

It is my point of view that these three misinterpretations are destructive. I have heard of some Christians who, because of their belief in the any-moment "rapture," strive to live godly lives in order to be prepared.

I do not think such has been the average response. I believe most Christians would live differently if they understood that their protection from evil will not be an escape by "rapture" but an escape by being so filled with the Presence of God and Christ that they are more than conquerors in the midst of every calamity.

As it is written, "We who are God's people are treated as sheep for the slaughter." Christians have endured every form of testing and temptation from the arenas of Rome to the comforts of twentieth-century America. All of Satan's devices are designed to tear us down, if possible, from our high place in Christ at God's right hand.

You and I are going to suffer tribulations and afflictions, just as did the Apostle Paul. You can count on it. But the Ninety-first Psalm will hold true from now until the Lord returns. Heaven and earth shall pass away but the Ninety-first Psalm shall never pass away.

God's Word shall hold true, an anchor during the vicious storms and currents of life on earth. These storms and currents are all designed to purify our faith until it is as refined gold. Problems and sufferings form us in the image of Christ if we respond to them with prayer and faith, and do not become bitter against the tools God uses.

The "escape by rapture" is a destructive doctrine. It turns our attention away from our need for spiritual growth and points us toward what we imagine to be the saving of our personality by carrying it to Heaven. The Christian plan of salvation is not designed to save our life. It is designed to crucify our life so we may be born again in the Life of Jesus Christ.

To be continued.