The Time of Jacob's Trouble

by Donna VanLiere

  Jesus will return, and according to His own words, there is a worthiness attached to escaping the things that will come to pass. When He spoke to His disciples about the kingdom of heaven in Matthew 22, He said,

  The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son…[The king] said to his servants, “The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.” So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, “How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?” The man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, “Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” For many are invited, but few are chosen (verses 2, 8-14).

  All have been invited into the kingdom, but not all have accepted the King’s invitation. Only the worthy, those who are in Christ and wearing wedding clothes, are permitted to stay. Not everyone who claims to be a Christian truly is one. In Matthew 7, Jesus said,

  Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (verses 21-23 NASB).

  Again, there’s more to entering the kingdom of God than merely believing in Jesus. That’s easy. We must be in and remain in Christ. That’s the mark of a true believer, one who walks a life of surrender. All those who are in Christ will escape the hour of trial that will come upon the whole world and stand before Him in His kingdom.

  When Jesus steps into the clouds to snatch up His followers, will He find you in Christ?

  WHERE IN THE WORD?

  AFTER JESUS GATHERS HIS BRIDE

  A friend once said that he wasn’t making a commitment to Christ now because he felt he could be a leader during the tribulation period and point others to Christ then. But if he isn’t willing to live and make a commitment to Christ before the tribulation, then there’s little chance he will choose to follow Christ during “the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world” (Revelation 3:10).

  Again, the tribulation will begin when the Antichrist confirms a peace covenant with Israel (Daniel 9:27). He will break that covenant with Israel three-and-a-half years into the seven-year treaty—as Daniel says, “in the middle of the seven,” or three-and-a-half years into that time frame. At this time the Antichrist will desecrate the temple in Jerusalem and declare himself to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:4), and this will thrust the world into the final three-and-a-half years of the tribulation, which is known as the great tribulation. When Jesus spoke of the abomination of desolation that would take place at the temple, He said, “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be” (Matthew 24:21 ESV).

  Among the terms used in Scripture to speak of the tribulation are “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7 NKJV), “Daniel’s seventieth week” (see Daniel 9:27), “a time of trouble” (Daniel 12:1 NKJV), “the hour of his judgment” (Revelation 14:7), “a day of wrath” (Zephaniah 1:15), “the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14), “the hour of trial” (Revelation 3:10), and “the day of the Lord” (Revelation 5:2).

  WHAT IS THE DAY OF THE LORD?

  Concerning the Day of the Lord in Scripture, Mark Hitchcock says, “The Day of the Lord is anytime God intervenes directly and dramatically in history either to judge or to bless.”1

  WHEN IS THE DAY OF THE LORD?

  The Day of the Lord isn’t one day, but a period of time beginning with the snatching away of all those in Christ and continuing to Christ’s second coming, His millennial kingdom on Earth, and the creation of the new heavens and Earth. So the term the Day of the Lord doesn’t speak of just one particular day, but rather a period of time, or a season. It’s somewhat like saying, “I remember the day when an ice cream cone was a dime,” or “Back in my day…”

  Earlier, we looked at 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, where Paul spoke to the Thessalonians about the snatching away of both dead and living believers in Christ. Then in 1 Thessalonians 5 he talked to them about the Day of the Lord. Keep in mind that this comes after the teaching in 1 Thessalonians 4. In chapter 5, Paul referred to two sets of people: believers and unbelievers. You can see this as you read along:

  Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness (1 Thessalonians 5:1-5).

  A CLOSER LOOK

  Many misunderstand 1 Thessalonians 5:1-5 to mean we can’t know the general season of Christ’s return because He will come “like a thief in the night” (verse 2). But two verses later we read, “You, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day” (verses 4-5). That day won’t surprise the believer, the person who is in Christ. Notice how Paul changes personal pronouns from we and you (representing believers) to them, they, and people (representing unbelievers).

  •When Paul speaks of “them” and “they,” he’s referring to the sudden destruction that will come on these “people.” “They” will not escape the Day of the Lord (verse 3).

  •There will be “people” who will talk about “peace and safety” because “they” are in darkness (verse 3).

  •The other group—“you” and “we”—know that the Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night (verse 2).

  •Paul says that “you” are “children of light and day” (verse 5).

  •“We” don’t belong to the night as “they” do (verse 5).

  •Others are asleep, not like us, who are awake and sober.

  •“You” and “we” are “brothers and sisters” and “children of the light and children of the day” (verses 1, 5).

  Two Different Groups of People

  First Thessalonians 5 speaks of two different groups of people when it comes to the Day of the Lord:

  1. those doomed for sudden destruction who won’t escape the tribulation, and

  2. the children of light and day, brothers and sisters who don’t belong to the night or the darkness

  The second group will be ready for Christ’s coming. They will have known that things are looking up and would have been waiting, watching, and preparing, and they will be snatched away prior to the pouring out of God’s wrath during the tribulation (remember, God hands the scroll to Jesus, and He is the one who opens the seal judgments beginning in Revelation 6:1, beginning the fall of God’s wrath).

  Not Just Any Wrath

  In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul confirms that believers are not destined for the tribulation when he goes on to say, “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ… Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (verses 9, 11).

  And remember Christ’s words in Revelation 3:10: “I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.” This is good news! Jesus promises to keep His faithful ones, all those who are truly in Christ, from the time of trial that will come upon the entire globe.

  In 1 Thessalonians 1:10, Paul
encourages us to “wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” In the Greek text, the word translated “delivers” means “to draw or snatch out to oneself, to rescue, to save, to preserve.” Wow! Before God pours out His wrath in judgment of sin on the earth, He will send Jesus to rescue, save, snatch us away to Himself. Greek scholar Marvin Vincent, the author of Word Studies in the New Testament, says the word “deliver” literally means “to draw to one’s self” and refers to deliverance from some evil or danger or enemy.2

  Paul also uses the definite article “the” in 1 Thessalonians 1:10 to indicate that he wasn’t speaking in general about God’s wrath, but “the wrath to come.” He was speaking of a specific time of judgment.

  ENCOURAGING NEWS

  Look at and compare these two scriptures:

  …the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

  He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing (1 Thessalonians 5:10-11).

  1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

  1 Thessalonians 5:10-11

  The dead in Christ

  Asleep

  We who are still alive

  Awake

  Encourage one another

  Encourage one another

  with these words

  and build each other up

  Someday, there is coming a generation of believers who will never walk through the valley of the shadow of death. They will be hard at work, eating dinner, laying in a hospital bed, running drills on a basketball court or football field, shopping for groceries, sitting in a classroom, fishing from a boat, painting their house, laughing with friends, returning books to the library, and simply walking through life when their mortal bodies will be snatched from Earth and made immortal in an instant. This isn’t doom-and-gloom or wring-your-hands-together news. It is awesome and encouraging news! Things are looking up with the soon return of Christ, and we must encourage one another with these words.

  WHERE IN THE WORD?

  HOW WILL BELIEVERS BE GATHERED UP TO JESUS?

  As a reminder, this snatching up of all those who are in Christ is mentioned in John 14:1-3, 1 Corinthians 15:51-55, and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. So that we can better understand how this will happen, let’s take a closer look at the 1 Thessalonians 4 passage:

  Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death…For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words (verses 13-18).

  Here, Paul is addressing the Thessalonian believers who are concerned about their deceased loved ones. In an earlier visit to the Christians in Thessalonica, Paul had taught about the Lord’s return. This time around, they have questions as to what would happen to those who had already died. Would they miss out on the Lord’s return? Paul didn’t want them to be “uninformed” (verse 13), so he explains the Lord’s return in steps.

  PAUL’S BREAKDOWN OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN

  Paul said that if we are alive on Earth at the time of Christ’s coming in the air, that “according to the Lord’s word,” this is what will take place:

  1. Jesus Will Step Out of Heaven into the Air

  •With a loud command (verse 16): Only Christ’s sheep will hear that command. Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” In John 18:37, He said, “Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (ESV). Second Timothy 2:19 says, “The Lord knows those who are his.” Only Jesus’s followers know and believe that what He said in John 14:6 is true: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

  •With the voice of the archangel (verse 16): Michael is the only archangel specifically named in the Bible (Jude 9), but there appear to be others (Daniel 10:13). At the rapture, the voice of an archangel will be heard.

  •With the trumpet call of God (verse 16): This is the same trumpet sounded in 1 Corinthians 15:52, when believers will be removed from the earth.

  2. Then the Dead in Christ Will Rise

  First Thessalonians 4:16 tells us that “the dead in Christ will rise first.” The spirits and souls of those who have been in heaven will be reunited with their bodies at that very moment.

  The phrase “in Christ” lets us know that not just any dead will rise, but only those who had put their faith and trust in Jesus. As mentioned earlier, Old Testament believers will be raised later—they lived before Christ. At the rapture, no matter what condition a corpse is in—whether a grave, an urn, sprinkled remains, or at the bottom of the sea—every person in Christ will be resurrected.

  It’s hard to wrap our minds around the idea of corpses bursting out of graves, but God has already proven Himself able to raise the dead:

  •In John 11:17-44 Jesus called Lazarus from the tomb where he had been laid four days earlier. The Lord was very specific and called out only the name of Lazarus. Otherwise, all the dead inside that tomb would have come racing out of it! Similarly, Jesus will call only those who are in Him out of their graves when He steps out of heaven and into the air on that coming day.

  •When Jesus died on the cross, the veil in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, tombs broke open, and “the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.” These resurrected people then went strolling through the holy city, appearing to many (Matthew 27:51-53).

  •After three days, God raised His own Son from the tomb.

  Opening graves and bringing people to life may seem impossible for some to believe, but it’s a nonissue for God. The empty graves following the catching up of those in Christ will be a deep, gaping testimony of the true Word of God and the power of Christ.

  3. Then Those Who Are Alive Will Be Caught Up

  •After that, we who are still alive…will be “caught up” (Greek, harpazo) together with them (the dead in Christ who have already been raised) in the clouds (verse 17)

  •To meet the Lord in the air (verse 17)

  •Then we will be with the Lord forever (verse 17)

  •We must encourage one another with these words (verse 18)

  Christ’s coming for His own isn’t a dark and depressing event of which to be terrified. With regard to Jesus’s return, Paul said that we must “encourage one another with these words.” How could we comfort or encourage each other if this event is horrific and petrifying?

  Jesus said in John 14:1, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” He was saying, “If you are one of Mine, you shouldn’t be dreading this day or frightened of it.” In this topsy-turvy world, it’s tempting for us to walk through the day afraid of what’s going to happen next. But that’s not how those who are in Christ are to live. Jesus said in Luke 21:28, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

  All around us we see the signs of the times taking place, yet we’re not supposed to crumple and fold. We’re to stand up. We’re to lift up our heads. We’re to encourage one another. We’re to tell people the gospel message because things are looking up; our redemption is drawing near!

  WHERE IN TH
E WORD?

  WHAT’S NEXT?

  The happenings in chapter 41 of this book will be explained in the next book, and I look forward to joining you again so that we can see how God’s great plan for the future will unfold, according to Scripture.

  WHAT NOW?

  I’m so honored you took the time to read The Time of Jacob’s Trouble. My prayer is that this book has encouraged your faith, answered some nagging questions, or piqued your desire to know more about Christ so you can walk in a personal relationship with Him. If you don’t know Him, you can, and upon receiving Him as your Savior and Lord, He will guide and lead you for the rest of your life.

  The Bible says,

  If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:9-13).

  God knows our hearts and whether we’re truly repentant; He knows when we are honestly seeking Him. If you want to know Him, tell Him that. Tell Him that you believe that He raised Jesus from the dead and proclaim with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and you will be saved.