To Allow Unrestrained Evil

THE MOMENT AFTER THE RAPTURE, THE SPIRIT OF GOD WILL REMOVE ANY RESTRAINING INFLUENCE ON EARTH. AS A RESULT, LIFE ON EARTH WILL BE RELINQUISHED TO FLOURISHING EVIL. AS THE TRIBULATION PROGRESSES, EVIL WILL RESULT IN A CLIMAX OF WORSENING CONDITIONS. GOD’S WRATH WILL BE DISPLAYED TOWARD THE WICKED THROUGH THE SIGNS OF HIS COMING JUDGMENT. THANKFULLY, THOSE WHO ARE BELIEVERS AT THE TIME OF THE RAPTURE WILL BE SPARED FROM THIS TERRIBLE TIME.

The hour-hand on God’s time clock is wound up and spinning. We are being swept along the path of history by a swift wind at our backs. Our individual ability to weather the storm will come from our understanding of the Word of God. We need only heed what has echoed through the centuries: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 3:22).

What is the Tribulation?

The Tribulation is a seven-year period described in Revelation 11–18. Approximately the first three and a half years of that time, there will be the climax of worsening conditions, the anger of God against the wicked, and the signs of Christ’s coming. During the last three and a half years, the “lawless one”—the Antichrist—will be empowered to sit at the center of the Tribulation’s evil as he personifies Satan.

What signs will warn of the approaching Tribulation period?

These ten events are the things we can expect in embryonic form in the days preceding the Rapture and the beginning of the Tribulation. These ten things will continue to multiply and progress as the first three and one-half years of the Great Tribulation unfold.

• A Time of Deception—“Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:5).
• A Time of Dissension—“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars . . . Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Matthew 24:6–7).
• A Time of Devastation—“There will be famines . . .” (Matthew 24:7).
• A Time of Disease—“ . . . pestilences . . .” (Matthew 24:7).
• A Time of Disasters—“ . . . and earthquakes in various places” (Matthew 24:7).
• A Time of Death—“They will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake” (Matthew 24:9).
• A Time of Disloyalty—“Many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another” (Matthew 24:10).
• A Time of Delusion—“Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many” (Matthew 24:11). It should also be noted that part of the delusion will be an increase in drug use. One of the characteristics of the end times’ false religion will be what the book of Revelation calls “sorceries” (9:21). The word John uses is pharmakia, from which we get the word pharmacy. It is an ancient reference to the ingestion of drugs. The use of mind-altering substances such as narcotics and hallucinogens will be associated with false religions, doubtless with the approval of the government.
• A Time of Defection—“Because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). People will turn away from God and from one another.
• A Time of Declaration—“This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations” (Matthew 24:14).

Life on earth will be relinquished to flourishing evil.

What will happen on earth during the Tribulation?

I believe the Tribulation is a natural consequence of the Rapture. You may think the world today is degenerating into rampant greed and immorality, and indeed it is. When all Christians are removed from the earth, the restraining ministry of the Holy Spirit will be completely absent. The result will be horrific. Jesus Himself described what will happen next: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved” (Matthew 24:21–22).

What will happen in heaven during the Tribulation?

The Christians are in heaven. God is seated on the throne, which is surrounded by a rainbow of emerald greens. The twenty-four elders representing the church-age saints sit around the throne. Before the throne is a sea of glass. In the midst of the throne are the four living creatures, and giving praise around the throne are the angels and the Church (Revelation 4:3– 4, 6, 8). This is the worship of the glorified Christ, the Creator of the world. God is just about to deal with the physical earth in judgment, and before He does, the Creator of earth is worshiped by the Church in heaven. Thunder, lightning, and voices signify the judgment which is about to fall on the earth.

Will Christians escape the Tribulation?

Christians will escape the seven-year nightmare of the Tribulation.
I believe the Bible clearly teaches that one of the coming great events in the fulfillment of prophecy concerns the Church. This is the personal, bodily return of the Lord in the air to remove His waiting Church from the earth and to reward them according to their works. This will take place before the Tribulation period during which time the judgments of God will be poured out upon the unbelieving world.
I believe there are more Scriptures to support the imminent return of Christ for His Church prior to the Tribulation than during or after it: 1 Thessalonians 4:13– 18; 2 Thessalonians 2:8–12; 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 5:9.

“Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever” (Daniel 12:3 NIV). In the midst of all the difficult times, the horror of the Tribulation, God has some special things that He has reserved for those who serve Him. He says they are to become like stars in His galaxy!

What natural disasters will occur on earth during the Tribulation?

• The sun will turn black, the moon will turn red, and great earthquakes will be common.
Revelation 6:12 says, “Behold, there was a great earthquake.” It also says, “The sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.” When Jesus died on the cross, the whole earth became dark at midday. When Egypt was judged, there was a blackness of night. When the Lord came down at Mt. Sinai, the mountain was shrouded in black clouds. The prophets, as well, said darkness would occur at the beginning of the Tribulation period.
• The stars will fall out of the sky.
“The stars of heaven fell to the earth” (Revelation 6:13). The word star here is the Greek word aster and it refers to luminous bodies in the sky other than the sun and moon. Clearly these stars are not the distant stellar objects we know as stars but more like a group of asteroids.
• The mountains and islands will move.
“Every mountain and island was moved out of its place” (Revelation 6:14). When the asteroids hit the earth, the possibility is that the earth’s crust will be so disturbed by the impact that great segments of it will actually begin to slip and slide over the earth’s mantle. According to Dr. Henry Morris, those living in the regions above such shifting will observe the heavens appearing to move in the opposite direction, as if they are being rolled up.
• The ocean will become blood.
As Revelation 8:8–9 explains, a great mountain burning with fire will be cast into the sea. One-third of the sea will become blood, and one-third of all sea life will die. There will also be the destruction of one-third of all the ships. The far-reaching implications of these judgments are beyond our understanding. Someone has reasoned that the oceans occupy about three-fourths of the earth’s surface, so the extent of this judgment will be staggering. The pollution of the water and the death of so many sea creatures will vastly affect the balance of life in the ocean. This will happen to one-third of the saltwater bodies of the world.
• The water will become poisoned.
Then the freshwater supplies will be affected. They will become bitter, with the result that many people will die (Revelation 8:10–11). The instrument of judgment will be a great star that is labeled “Wormwood.” This literal star or meteor hurtling through space will approach the earth. Sweeping along the surface of the earth, it will turn one-third of the water of the earth into a deadly poisonous liquid. It will affect the rivers, springs, and wells.

This is a time of the greatest suffering and persecution the world has ever seen.

Will people be saved during the Tribulation?

Yes, there will be a great harvest of souls for Christ during the Tribulation. In this harvest of souls, we see fulfilled the prophecy contained in Matthew 24:14—“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come,” then the Second Coming of Christ!

People from every nation, tribe, and language will be part of the great redeemed multitude. This is a time of the greatest suffering and persecution the world has ever seen, and it will also be a time when the greatest wave of genuine conversion ever takes place. This multitude of redeemed ones will come from those who were still unsaved at the time of the Rapture.

Today there are at least two billion people who have never heard or understood enough of the gospel to accept or reject it. Those who will be saved during the Tribulation will come from this great number. Those who are saved during the Tribulation will be saved on exactly the same basis as those before the Tribulation, which is by faith in the life, death, and justifying resurrection of the Son of God.

The condition of the Gospel going to the whole world is a condition not of the Rapture, but of the Second Coming of Christ.

How will people be saved during the Tribulation?

I f there are no believers on earth at the beginning of the seven years of the Tribulation, this is a good question. As we will discuss in upcoming pages, there will be two witnesses and 144,000 sealed Israelites (Revelation 11:3, 7:4). In addition, Dr. Henry Morris suggests a “silent witness” because “millions upon millions of copies of the Bible and Bible portions . . . will not [be] remove[d] and multitudes will no doubt be constrained to read the Bible in those days . . . [and] will turn to their Creator and Savior.” These blood-bought believers will begin to warn others of even more severe judgment to come. They will preach repentance and judgment and they will be killed for their message.

If people become Christians during the Tribulation, what will happen to them when they die?

The Lord sends an angel for their own special blessing: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord” (Revelation 14:13). Just as the New Testament begins with the Beatitudes of Jesus for the living, it ends with the Beatitude of Jesus for the dying. This is the second of the seven Beatitudes found in the book of Revelation. Even though these words are particularly written for those who die during the Tribulation, they are also written for the saints of every generation, for the dead in Christ of all ages. Believers do not die in the sense of death being the end; they are simply waiting for the coming of the Lord. Blessed are those who have gone to sleep in Jesus.

If I can be saved during the Tribulation, why should I change my life now?

Just as death terminates the day of possible salvation for those who reject Christ, so does the Rapture. Those who have heard the Gospel message and have rejected it will be given a “strong delusion” during the Tribulation. Second Thessalonians 2:10– 12 tells us, “they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God shall send them a ‘strong delusion,’ that they should believe the lie.” Revelation 13 tells us it will be the lies of the Beast and the Antichrist, who counterfeit the life of Christ and bring deception. Believing these deceptions, the people who have rejected the Gospel before the Tribulation will go to hell without opportunity to receive Christ. The day of grace will be over for them. There is no second chance.

Be warned: You had better not wait to become a Christian. I’ve heard people reason like this before, but I have to wonder about someone’s legitimate desire to know God if it is coupled with a desire to beat the system. Do not let anyone tell you that you can beat the system by waiting to become a Christian until the Tribulation. It won’t happen. You’ll be deceived. The reason more people aren’t saved today is because of deception. It’s amazing, but the more the Tribulation grows in intensity, the more people reject God. You’d think they would turn to Him and cry for mercy, but instead they curse Him who sends judgment on the earth. Those who reject the truth now will be deceived and will never believe the Gospel when they hear it preached.

The Bible says today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Don’t try to get around God’s plan. Don’t think you can beat the system. One day soon the Lord is coming back, and if you have already rejected Him, the day of opportunity will be gone.

Is it true that it will be impossible for people to kill themselves during the Tribulation?

Even though men will seek to die and suicide will be attempted, apparently death will not be possible: “In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them” (Revelation 9:6).

It will be such an awful experience for those who are left to endure the result of countless demons from the pit running unchecked throughout the earth. The only people these demons are allowed to sting are those who do not belong to God (v. 4). The poison from the sting will literally set the nerve center on fire (v. 10). This evil will be stretched out for 150 days (v. 10), and death cannot provide escape (v. 6).

Will promiscuity be prevalent on earth during the Tribulation?

When divine restraint is withdrawn during the Tribulation, human passions will break loose, and morality will be discarded in favor of liberty and “sexual immorality” (Revelation 22:15). The result will be nothing less than rampant immorality.

Who are the two witnesses that will preach the Gospel during the Tribulation?

I believe the two witnesses are Elijah and Moses. In Malachi 4:5–6, we are told that Elijah will come before Jesus returns. In 1 Kings 17, Elijah stopped the rain; and in Revelation 11:6, the witnesses “have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy.” Another reason I believe it to be Elijah is because Elijah didn’t die. Elijah was taken to heaven in a whirlwind of fire.

I believe the second witness to be Moses. In Exodus 7:20 and 21, Moses turned “the water into blood”; and in Revelation 11:6 the two witnesses are said to “have power over waters to turn them to blood.” Moses died, but no one knows where his body is buried (Deuteronomy 34:5–6). The body of Moses was preserved by God so that he might be restored. Finally, it is also significant that Elijah appeared with Moses in the Transfiguration.

It is impossible to prove conclusively who these two witnesses are. But if they are not Moses and Elijah, we can know that they are very much like them and have the same kind of ministry.

In these days of crises, our trust should not rest in a nation that may shortly disappear, but in Him who works all things after the counsel of His own will.

~Herman A. Hoyt

When will these witnesses appear?

In Revelation 11:3, we are introduced to the two witnesses. There is much debate as to when these witnesses appear on the scene. I believe they begin their ministry at the beginning of the Tribulation, at the time the Antichrist makes his covenant with the Jewish people. We can assume they will have a great following.

What special powers will the two witnesses possess?

Revelation 11:5 says, “If anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies.” God has provided them with protection. These witnesses will have power over death, drought, and disease.

They will preach about Christ as Lord of all the earth. They will shut the heavens so no rain can fall during their ministry, and they will have power to cause plagues as often as they desire. They will go about testifying of the wickedness of the people. They will tell the people that God is responsible for all the judgments that have been poured out. If that is not enough, they will tell them of more terrifying judgments to come. They will preach against the Beast of Revelation 13, and men try to destroy them because their witness exposes the wickedness of the earth.

What will happen to the witnesses?

After forty-two months, during which time they cannot be killed, they will be killed by the Beast who ascends from the bottomless pit. The two witnesses are so hated that the entire world will rejoice at their deaths. Their bodies will be put on public display. Their bodies will lie in the street for three and a half days (Revelation 11:7–10). In biblical Jewish society this was an abomination. Their enemies will be ecstatic that someone has finally put an end to these two nemeses.

They are already decomposing, and the next action we see is that they stand up! The whole world will see this because they are looking in on the scene through the news and the papers. While they are the focus of world attention, they are not only resurrected, they are raptured (Revelation 11:12). They go up to heaven in “a cloud.” This cloud is the shekinah glory of God. It is the same cloud in which the angel of Revelation 10:1 was clothed.

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