The Three Purposes of the Tribulation
Posted on Nov 29, 2011 in David L Cooper | 0 comments
By David L. Cooper
There have been many calamities and catastrophes that have struck various nations, and groups of nations, and even the entire world. Whenever such a catastrophe occurs, thinking people begin to question and reason as to why an event of such great magnitude has occurred. Men, in times of such crises, instinctively acknowledge that God is responsible, for they naturally accept the proposition the He is the Creator and Controller of all things, even though they might, in a spirit of argumentation and reasoning, often deny this thesis.
All reason and logic show us that there is a Being whom we call the omnipotent, eternal God, the Creator of the entire universe. All men reason that there must be an adequate cause for every result. The material universe is a result: therefore there must be some adequate cause. The impression which one receives from observing the material order is that this adequate cause is an intelligent, rational Being—a personal God. Men instinctively accept these things, though they cannot, by the finite mind, grasp the proposition as to how God could have existed throughout all past eternity.
Believing then that there is a rational, thinking, intelligent Being who is the Creator of the entire universe, and who sustains it by His mighty power, we are led to ask something about His being and His character. From Deuteronomy 6:4 we learn thatJehovah, the Eternal God, is Jehovah a unity. In other words, we are given information concerning the Holy Trinity that constitutes the Godhead. From Exodus 34:6-7 we learn something of God’s character: “And Jehovah passed by before him, and proclaimed, Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving-kindness and truth; 7 keeping loving-kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation.” This statement by God himself is of the utmost importance if we are to evaluate an event that occurs at any time. We cannot understand, or comprehend, any act of the Almighty unless we have a very clear, definite idea concerning this sevenfold statement by God himself of His very nature, attributes, and characteristics.
Another thing that we must understand clearly if we are to approach the investigation of any catastrophic event intelligently, is the scriptural teaching that God controls and overrules all things, directing everything toward a grand consummation that will be for the good of all concerned and for the manifestation of His glory.
A fourth scriptural teaching that we must understand is that God has given to all of His creatures, both celestial and terrestrial, the power of free choice. Of course, in speaking of terrestrial beings, I am not thinking of the dumb animals, but of intelligent, rational, thinking human beings. Moreover, God does not force the will of anyone. He allows each one to make up his mind and to act according to his own preferences and choices.
God, in directing the course of history toward the final goal, acts in accordance with His righteous, holy, just and merciful character, dealing with each of His creatures according to his own nature, and allowing each to exercise the freedom of choice. At the same time, He overrules every situation and makes it contribute to the ultimate goal. In overruling the free acts of men, the Lord cannot always work out what might be termed His “number one plan” for the individual; nor His number two, nor His number three plans, etc. But He brings out the best of every situation that can be developed. It will be seen, then, that the general trend of events is headed in the direction of the great and final consummation. As Tennyson puts it:
“Yet I doubt not thro’ the ages one increasing purpose runs,
And the thoughts of men are widened with the process of the suns.”
When we understand these vital fundamental principles, we are in a position to look at the judgments of the great Tribulation and evaluate them.
One other consideration we must have clearly before our minds: That “. . . God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16); that Christ tasted death for every man: “But we behold him who hath been made a little lower than the angels, even Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God he should taste of death for every man” (Heb. 2:9); and that Christ Jesus “. . . gave himself a ransom for all. . .” (I Tim. 2:6). We must also remember that “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to youward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9). These passages of scripture, and many others that could be given, show us God’s attitude toward all His sinful creatures. He wants to bring the greatest blessing possible into the lives of every one of His creatures in any act that He performs, and that affects them. We therefore conclude that the first purpose that the Lord has in sending the Tribulation is:
The Great Revival
What is meant by “the great revival”? It is that movement back to God on the part of the bulk of humanity in their inner thirst for communion with God, and for the salvation of their souls. The Psalmist cried out to God, saying:
“1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear
before God?” (Psalm 42:1-2)
But I am using the word “revival” here, not in the sense of the Christian’s being revived or renewed, but I the sense of the initial stage of the sinner’s turning from his sins, coming to the Saviour, and being born again according to John 3:5: “. . . Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
That there is to be such a revival is clearly seen in such a passage as Isaiah 24:14-16:
“These shall life up their voice, they shall shout; for the majesty of Jehovah they cry aloud from the sea. 15 Wherefore glorify ye Jehovah in the east, even the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel, in the isles of the sea. 16 From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs: Glory to the righteous . . .” A study of this passage in the light of its context reveals the fact that this mighty turning to God will occur during the time of the great Tribulation, a period of seven years during which God will be pouring out His judgments upon the world. When everything is moving along nicely, man feels his independence of God. Not until some calamity strikes him—as a rule, with few exceptions—does man feel his need of the help of the Almighty. Men take things for granted, going along from day to day, not allowing God to have a chance in their lives.
That this primary objective of bringing men to their senses and causing them to turn to the Lord is the first purpose of God’s sending the Tribulation upon the world is seen in the following passage of scripture: “With m y soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee earnestly: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. 10 Let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness will he deal wrongfully, and will not behold the majesty of Jehovah” (Isaiah 26:9-10). In these verses we see that the prophet is speaking for men who have been touched and influenced by the judgments of the Tribulation. This is evident from the statement that the writer will seek the Lord earnestly, “for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.” From this statement it is obvious that the judgments upon the world are the things that cause the inhabitants of the earth to learn righteousness, to listen to the message of righteousness, and to accept it, and thus to become righteous through the merits of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
A classic passage that deals with the great world-wide revival is found in Revelation, chapter 7. In this passage we see the sealing, near the beginning of the Tribulation, of 144,000 Jewish servants of God, who are shown to be from the twelve tribes of Israel, 12,000 from each tribe. This group of servants of God is not in existence now. No one can claim to belong to that group yet. Only Jews will be members of it, as we are told that there will be 144,000, 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Immediately after this vision John saw another, in which he beheld an innumerable host of people from every nation, tribe, tongue, and language, who washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Naturally, John became very much interested in this vast throng of people that he saw in his vision. One of the elders—one of the celestial beings whom we see in Revelation, chapters 4-7—asked John if he knew who this host of people were. John replied, “My Lord, thou knowest.” Then the elder informed him that this great company of people are those who come out of the Tribulation, the great one, and who wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. This statement shows that these people are not saved before the Tribulation, but are savedduring that period of wrath. They wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. They are saved by the precious blood of Christ during the Tribulation the same as people are saved now by the blood of Christ. All who are saved before the Tribulation, and who are alive immediately before that period of great judgment, will be raptured by the Lord, as we see in I Thessalonians 4:13-18. It is clear that this vast innumerable host of people, referred to in Revelation 7:9-17, come out of the great Tribulation. In this connection, let us note that the language does not state merely that they come “out of tribulation,” for all who live godly in Christ Jesus suffer tribulation and persecutions. John is not talking about the same thing of which Paul spoke when he was “confirming the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts ). On the contrary, John is speaking of the Tribulation, the great one. The idiom used by John lays emphasis upon the Tribulation and its being a great one. Thus equal emphasis is laid upon each word by the employment of this special idiom. There can be but one “great Tribulation,” which is the period of seven years with which this Age of Grace closes. We may conclude from the statement, “. . . when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness,” that the major portion of the inhabitants of the world really and truly are evangelized and brought to a saving knowledge of Christ during the Tribulation. It is therefore no wonder that John was amazed by the vast company of those who will be saved by the preaching of the Jewish evangelists during the Tribulation Period. The Almighty God knows what He is doing in sending the great Tribulation. Instead of its being simply an expression of His wrath and indignation against sin, it is rather the manifestation of His over whelming, yearning, passionate love for the souls of men. Thus the first purpose that God has in sending the Tribulation will find a very full realization.
The Destruction of the Wicked
There are those who spurn truth, and who prefer to engage in works of unrighteousness. Such people center their minds upon things of a low nature and love that which is immoral and degrading. They, by a deliberate choice, prefer these things. At the same time, they spurn every thought and idea of God’s love and of His marvelous, matchless, saving grace. The Lord never forces anyone’s will, nor does He coerce anyone. Since these people refuse to accept the Lord Jesus Christ, preferring to hold on to their evil ways, naturally they are not fit to enter into the great millennial kingdom of our Lord. There is, therefore, but one thing that a wise, loving, just, righteous, omnipotent, God can do, which is to destroy them out of the land of the living. David in his swan song (II Sam. 23:1-7) declared:
“6 But the ungodly shall be all of them as thorns to be thrust away,
because they cannot be taken with the hand;
7 But the man that toucheth them must be armed with iron and the
staff of a spear: and they shall be utterly burned with fire in their place”
The ungodly, those who spurn truth, and who delight in unrighteousness, are compared to thorns that cannot be handled by the hand. Hence men must handle them with metal tools. These are to be “utterly burned with fire in their place.” In this vivid comparison David meant to tell us that God must deal drastically with these wicked reprobate sinners and remove them out of the world.
In Psalm 92:6 we have the following statement:
“6 A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this:
7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of
iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever.”
These wicked ones shall be destroyed from the earth forever. On this same point, see also Isaiah 24:20. Here we learn that the godless civilization of the end time will sink under the judgments of God, never to rise again: “The earth shall stagger like a drunken man, and shall sway to and fro like a hammock; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it, and it shall fall, and not rise again.” Again, the writer of Psalm 37 was carried forward to the end time and saw evildoers flourishing; but he urged the faithful not to be envious of them for, he said, “They shall soon be cut down like the grass.” This is a graphic, vivid picture of the destruction of the wicked at the end of the Tribulation.
Conversion of Israel
When the Messiah is rejected by His people according to prophecy, the Lord invites Him to ascend to heaven and to take His seat at the right hand of the Almighty. He is to remain there until God puts His enemies under His feet:
“1 Jehovah saith unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine
enemies thy footstool.
2 Jehovah will send forth the rod of thy strength out of Zion: Rule thou in
in the midst of thine enemies.” (Psalm 110:1-2)
In fulfillment of this passage when our Lord was rejected, executed, buried, and raised again from the dead, He was invited by God to return to heaven and to remain at His right hand until the Almighty puts Messiah’s enemies under His feet. God’s working providentially and putting the Jewish people under Messiah’s feet will be accomplished by the terrific judgments of the Tribulation Period.
This position is confirmed by a very striking and arresting statement found in Daniel, chapter 12: “6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? 7 And I heard the man clothes in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when they have made an end of breaking in pieces the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished”(verses 6 & 7). The wonders concerning which the query is made are the wonders of the latter half of the Tribulation. How long are they to continue? The answer is: “. . . for a time, times, and a half; and when they have made an end of breaking in pieces the power of the holy people (the Jewish people), all these things shall be finished.” According to this prediction the power of the Jewish people will be broken completely. They have built up, unfortunately, a resistance to the claims of the Lord Jesus Christ, their longed-for Messiah. Of course, they are mistaken in this. In rejecting Him, they are honest and conscientious about the matter. Nevertheless, they have done it. Their opposition to Him has been growing in intensity and rigidity throughout the centuries. It will take the sledge hammer blows of God’s judgments to break the power of “the holy people” and to shatter this built-up resistance against the Messiah. When, however, this result becomes a reality, the whole nation of Israel living at that time will repudiate the action of their leaders in rejecting their Messiah and will plead for Him to return. When they do that, He will come back and fulfill all the predictions of the reign of Messiah upon the earth that are found throughout the Prophets. His coming back will be in response to the heart-cry of sufferingIsrael: “15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me earnestly. 1 Come, and let us return unto Jehovah; for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. 2 After two days will he revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live before him. 3 And let us know, let us follow on to know Jehovah: his going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth” (Hosea -6:3)
Thus the third purpose in God’s sending the Tribulation is a blessing in disguise, especially to the Hebrew people, and also to the entire world.
Let us pray that the will of God be done! “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: They shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6). Let us do all that we can, in every way possible, for God’s Ancient People, Israel—through whom He yet will bring the greatest blessing that the world has ever known, blessings known and foretold by the prophets of God:
“Come, Lord, and tarry not;
Bring the long-looked for Day;
O why these years of waiting here,
These ages of delay?
“Come, for Thy saints still wait;
Daily ascends their sigh;
The Spirit and the Bride say, Come;
Dost Thou not hear the cry?
“Come, for creation groans,
Impatient of Thy stay,
Worn out with these long years of ill,
These ages of delay.
“Come, for Thy Israel pines,
An exile from Thy fold;
O call to mind Thy faithful word,
And bless them as of old!
“Come, and begin Thy reign
Of everlasting peace’
Come, take the kingdom to Thyself,
Great King of Righteousness!”*
*By Horatius Bonar, D.D. Christ in Song (published in 1871).