Saved from Wrath

It is with a holy fear of the Lord that I attempt to share what is my understanding of what the Word of God says regarding the coming time of wrath.  I strive to share the Scriptures honestly. This subject is a crucial one for it determines how we should live!

To begin, it is my belief that the Scriptures make it clear that the true Church is not appointed to wrath:

For God hath not appointed [tithēmi—set; ordained-- G5087] us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,--1 Thess. 5:9

Saved ‘From’ or ‘Through’ the Wrath?

Every verse related to this indicates that believers are NOT SAVED THROUGH THE WRATH but are SAVED AWAY FROM THE WRATH:

Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from [apo—separated from; taken from--G575] wrath through him. Romans 5:9

And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, [even] Jesus, which delivered us from [ek --out of, from, by, away from G1537] the wrath to come. 1 Thess. 1:10

This chart illustrating prepositions makes it look like we are in the middle of the wrath when He delivers us from (ek) the wrath to come in 1 Thessalonians 1:10. It would be contradictory of the Scriptures to say in one place the overcoming Church will be separated from wrath (apo) but in another place say we will be delivered from out of the middle of it!

As I sought the Lord about this, I believe He dropped into my spirit that it was not when we were in the middle of the wrath that Jesus rescued us, but was when he went to the cross that he delivered us from (ek) the midst of the power of darkness and thereby from the wrath to come.

Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver in whom we trust that he will yet deliver [us]; - 2 Co 1:10 KJV

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated [us] into the kingdom of his dear Son: - Col 1:13 KJV

Removed from the Hour

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. - Revelation 3:10 KJV

The words "keep" and "from" are translated from the Greek words tēreō ek. According to The Master's Seminary Journal, page 222 of the PDF:

Thayer says that when this verb [tēreō] is used with en it means “to cause one to persevere or stand firm in a thing”; while when it is used with ek it means “by guarding to cause one to escape in safety out of.” Since ek is used here it would indicate that John is promising a removal from the sphere of testing, not a preservation through it. This is further substantiated by the use of the words “the hour.” God is not only guarding from the trials but from the very hour itself when these trials will come on those earth dwellers.

Which Wrath?

God has promised that He will keep “he who overcomes” from the hour of temptation (Revelation 3:10). He has said we are saved from the wrath to come (Romans 5:9) but when does the wrath He speaks of begin?

The Scriptures indicate that there are 3 types of wrath in the Book of Revelation:

1—The Dragon’s wrath (Revelation 12:12-13)

2—The Wrath of the Lamb (Revelation 6:16)

3—The Winepress of the Wrath of God (Revelation 14:10, 19)

It is my hope and belief that the overcoming Church will escape all three. A harmony of the Scriptures shows that the wrath of the dragon will be occurring simultaneously with the wrath of the Lamb.

At this point in my walk with the Lord, I now believe that the Seven Seals are a synopsis of the entire 7-year period of Daniel's 70th Week [SEE The July 27 Blood Moon is not the Sixth Seal.]

And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:- Amos 8:9 KJV 

And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only [son], and the end thereof as a bitter day. - Amos 8:10 KJV

Wrath=Day of the Lord

Wrath begins when The Day of the Lord begins:

And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Rev. 6:16-17 KJV

So you see how I come to the conclusion that we will be raptured probably at the last atomos before sudden destruction begins—BEFORE the WRATH OF THE LAMB.

Principle of Separation

Pre-Wrath and Mid-Tribulation Rapture believers point to how God kept Noah and his family safely through the Great Flood—that they did not escape off the earth. However, there was a rapture before the Great Flood—Enoch!

Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. Genesis 5:24

By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For, before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. Hebrews 11:5

Another example of a rapture is Elijah:

As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 2 Kings 2:11

I think Elijah, being the only other one raptured, serves primarily as the fulfillment of the “two witnesses” principle where a thing is established by the testimony of two witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15) Enoch and Elijah give witness to the fact that it’s possible to be taken live into Heaven. gracethrufaith.com

Also noteworthy is the example of Lot (and we are in the days of Lot now). Lot and his family were plucked out of the Sodom and Gomorrah area to save them from coming ‘sudden destruction’:

And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. - Genesis 19:15-16 KJV

Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. - Genesis 19:22 KJV

Notice that the angel said sudden destruction could not come until Lot and his family were escaped! So by the pattern of the Scriptures, it would appear that a rapture would be called for before the time of great trouble and that those who are left on earth who seek the Lord wholeheartedly God will keep watch over.

He Will Appear!

Beloved Brothers and Sisters! Please correct me if my understanding of these Scriptures is wrong! If I am wrong, then there is no way to be fully prepared for what is about to come upon the earth for it will be a time of trouble such as never was (Daniel 12:1)! There is nothing wrong with storing up some food and water because it is wise to prepare for emergencies. And we have seen calamity hit warning of even greater travail to come!

But He is faithful!

So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. - Hebrews 9:28 ESV

Updated 8/24/22