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Hey everyone, I just discovered the Christianity forum here on CD!
First of all, I am a Christian and I have an interest in the future (specifically end-times stuff). I know many debate whether believers will be raptured before/ after/ or during the tribulation and I think its best to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. My question is if the tribulation starts obviously taking place, should Christians fight back or go like lambs to the slaughter? Of course Christ wins in the long run but Christians won't be able to overcome evil until God steps in, so in the meantime what should our actions be if this were to happen?
If you have any scripture to back up your opinion I'd appreciate it. Thanks!
Please report any posts that are off-topic becuae I think this thread will have a tendency to get into a rapture argument, which isn't what you're looking for.
Regarding your question, I think we deal with every day as it's delivered to us.
The Word tells us that today has enough worries of its own and let tomorrow worry about tomorrow(paraphrase).
I think we should focus on the tasks at hand for any given day and not get too caught up in end-time things. What has the Lord given you today to do? Where will you serve? How can you you be the arms and legs of Jesus in the world today?
To me, we as Christians should remember:
Today is a given, a once in a life time opportunity to do something good for the sake of the Kingdom.
Tomorrow is a gift...a privilege....not a right or a promise.
So to me the answer to your OP is we should neither necessarily fight back or go like lambs, we should just follow Christ's example and do all we can for everyone we can today.
Hey everyone, I just discovered the Christianity forum here on CD!
First of all, I am a Christian and I have an interest in the future (specifically end-times stuff). I know many debate whether believers will be raptured before/ after/ or during the tribulation and I think its best to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. My question is if the tribulation starts obviously taking place, should Christians fight back or go like lambs to the slaughter? Of course Christ wins in the long run but Christians won't be able to overcome evil until God steps in, so in the meantime what should our actions be if this were to happen?
If you have any scripture to back up your opinion I'd appreciate it. Thanks!
Both.
(Revelation 13:7) "He" is the anti-christ, "saints" are Christians
7 "He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation."
(Revelation 14:12-13) 12 "This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. 13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their"
Hi decafdave,
I have particular interest in end-time stuff also, but not many people want to talk about it. People like me who are interested in it get told that we are doomsdayers and just waiting in anticipation for it all to end. That's just not true. I have always been a preparer and realist, so to me it's fascinating, especially Revelation and prophecy.
I did something at Christmas 1999 that freaked everyone out, but it was a perfectly normal thing to do to me. There was all the buzz about Y2K and computers crashing at the turn of the century, etc. etc. I wasn't buying into that, but I certainly wasn't going to go into it unprepared or allow my family to do the same.
Instead of normal Christmas presents, I gave everyone a survival bag full of gadgets to help through any situation. I still have mine, and I rotate the contents every so often. If there's a situation and I need to flee, all I have to do is grab the bag. To me, it's just a good thing to have on hand even if we were living in a perfect society.
But my family thought I had lost my mind, and just didn't get it. My sister-in-law started freaking out and thought I knew something that everyone else didn't and it just was not well received. Hey, but a couple years ago my Mother admitted she still has hers also. We have to be bold and brave in what really feel and believe, whether it's well received or not. Chances are folks are going to start thinking about what you say or do and go hmmmmm....maybe not such a bad idea after all.
But I just won't tell her I think so.
I have more to add to your OP, but I'll do so later. Sometimes I just like to tell a story. Welcome to the board! So glad you found us!
I love your response Alpha! Matt 6:34 "Don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today".
Since I believe in the rapture, I don't believe we will be here during the tribulation period. But remember this, in Mark 15:3 "Then the leading priest accused Him of many crimes and Pilate asked Him, aren't you going to say something? What about all these charges against you? But Jesus said nothing much to Pilate's surprise". Jesus is called the Lamb of God, lambs taken to be slaughtered make no noise, there are times we need to be silent.
I believe in the Rapture as well, but we don't really know when the tribulation will begin or if we(Christians) will escape any catastrophe because they can happen anytime, tribulation or not.
My own personal feelings are that it will be soon and I'm not as complacent about it as some of the others. We need to be prepared for anything, especially living in America.
Be ready in season and out, and don't count on supernaturally being delivered from everything. As Christians we should expect persecution from every angle and in it's worst form.
God will take care of His own but we have to be aware that we will be tested and have to go through trials and tribulations. Having to go through "THE tribulation" or part of it may also be part of God's plan. We just don't know.
15When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand Talking about the antichrist defiling the new Temple
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25Behold, I have told you before.
26Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
27For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
28For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Please report any posts that are off-topic becuae I think this thread will have a tendency to get into a rapture argument, which isn't what you're looking for.
Regarding your question, I think we deal with every day as it's delivered to us.
The Word tells us that today has enough worries of its own and let tomorrow worry about tomorrow(paraphrase).
I think we should focus on the tasks at hand for any given day and not get too caught up in end-time things. What has the Lord given you today to do? Where will you serve? How can you you be the arms and legs of Jesus in the world today?
To me, we as Christians should remember:
Today is a given, a once in a life time opportunity to do something good for the sake of the Kingdom.
Tomorrow is a gift...a privilege....not a right or a promise.
So to me the answer to your OP is we should neither necessarily fight back or go like lambs, we should just follow Christ's example and do all we can for everyone we can today.
Thanks for the reply. I agree that it is important to keep your feet grounded in everyday affairs but I also think we should give the future serious thought. We look (notice I say look, not worry) about the future for our careers, family, retirement, and college football so I think not considering the spiritual future is like burying our heads into the sand.
Also, the very fact Revelation and huge amounts of Old Testament pophecy exists supports this idea, because what is there in the Bible is meant for us to read and study. If the Lord fully wanted us not to discuss the future I don't think he would have given us so much prophecy-imo.
Prophecy is in fact a spiritual gift, but it seems to us that the gift is either dormant or unrealized in modern society. According to Acts 2:17 (referring to an OT prophecy) "In the last days...Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams." This makes me think that prophecy will once again be a major part of the church.
I do agree that our main focus should be advancing the kingdom today though. However, there's no harm in being interested in the end-times.
Hi decafdave,
I have particular interest in end-time stuff also, but not many people want to talk about it. People like me who are interested in it get told that we are doomsdayers and just waiting in anticipation for it all to end. That's just not true. I have always been a preparer and realist, so to me it's fascinating, especially Revelation and prophecy.
I did something at Christmas 1999 that freaked everyone out, but it was a perfectly normal thing to do to me. There was all the buzz about Y2K and computers crashing at the turn of the century, etc. etc. I wasn't buying into that, but I certainly wasn't going to go into it unprepared or allow my family to do the same.
Instead of normal Christmas presents, I gave everyone a survival bag full of gadgets to help through any situation. I still have mine, and I rotate the contents every so often. If there's a situation and I need to flee, all I have to do is grab the bag. To me, it's just a good thing to have on hand even if we were living in a perfect society.
But my family thought I had lost my mind, and just didn't get it. My sister-in-law started freaking out and thought I knew something that everyone else didn't and it just was not well received. Hey, but a couple years ago my Mother admitted she still has hers also. We have to be bold and brave in what really feel and believe, whether it's well received or not. Chances are folks are going to start thinking about what you say or do and go hmmmmm....maybe not such a bad idea after all.
But I just won't tell her I think so.
I have more to add to your OP, but I'll do so later. Sometimes I just like to tell a story. Welcome to the board! So glad you found us!
Right on NorthSouth! I also think the Bible teaches us to be prudent regarding the future. Regarding the rapture, Matthew 24:42 says- "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come". I think this passage does indicate that there will be a rapture before the tribulation but if it doesn't happen that way I think we should apply the same forward-thinking to the tribulation.
Fascinating stuff really, but alpha was right in emphasizing the present. The only way we can prepare for the rapture (if it comes before the trib) is by living our day-to-day lives for the God.
So, if we have to face the tribulation, will we do so as lambs or warriors? Fighting back sounds like more fun but I'm not sure there's any biblical evidence backing it up.
Hey everyone, I just discovered the Christianity forum here on CD!
First of all, I am a Christian and I have an interest in the future (specifically end-times stuff). I know many debate whether believers will be raptured before/ after/ or during the tribulation and I think its best to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. My question is if the tribulation starts obviously taking place, should Christians fight back or go like lambs to the slaughter? Of course Christ wins in the long run but Christians won't be able to overcome evil until God steps in, so in the meantime what should our actions be if this were to happen?
If you have any scripture to back up your opinion I'd appreciate it. Thanks!
Hi decafdave,
Well you may add to that debate that there are those who do not believe in a "rapture" and that most of Revelation is past. Though I too at one time believed it was future.
If you consider that Christianity has been around for 2000 years even if the future position is correct you will probably be dealing with something more generic. Paul when he was in danger secretly left the city lowered in basket, not with a pair of Colt six shooter Peacemakers. I do wonder if Jesus would have dropped the hammer on a money changer though. I think running is a good option. As much as it is in you power repay evil with good.(Romans 12).
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Welcome
We have to be bold and brave in what really feel and believe, whether it's well received or not. Chances are folks are going to start thinking about what you say or do and go hmmmmm....maybe not such a bad idea after all.
Welcome to the board! So glad you found us!
Talking about the antichrist defiling the new Temple 
