Will The Holy Spirit Be Removed During The Tribulation

Mystery surrounds the 144,000 people described in Revelation 7 and fourteen. Who are they? What volition be their objective? How will they touch the lost people of the terminal days? Let'south examine what the Bible says nigh the 144,000. If twelve disciples transformed the world in the showtime century, imagine the revival that volition accept place during the Tribulation!

What Happens Earlier the Lord Returns?

What Happens Before the Lord Returns?

"The Bible says that before the Lord returns to take us to heaven at that place is going to be a falling abroad from the organized religion…"

Perhaps, if y'all get to an evangelical church building you may accept heard your pastor, or some visiting teacher, say that before Jesus Christ comes back to this earth there is going to be a great revival and people are going to come up dorsum to the Lord. Now all of us would like to see that happen, and maybe it will in a pocket-sized way. But in that location is no indication in the Scripture that we should expect such an event.

In fact, the Bible teaches the opposite. It says that before the Lord returns to take the states to sky, people will fall away from the religion. The statistics for mainline churches already show signs of fulfilling that prophecy considering a lot of people who used to get church building, a lot of people who used to be religious, have pushed away, and churches are shrinking.

The Separated Servants of God

"…they are also separated to God—that ways they have a special calling from the Lord."

Joel 2 says, "It shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And too on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days" (Joel ii:28–29).

These 144,000 witnesses are selected from the twelve tribes of Israel—they are Jews. They are marked with seals on their foreheads that place them as servants of the living God. The Bible says they are likewise separated to God—that ways they have a special calling from the Lord. Revelation xiv:4 says, "these are the ones who were non defiled with women, for they are virgins."

Now a lot of people have tried to spiritualize that and talk about the fact that they had non committed spiritual adultery, but that's reading too much into the text. I believe these men will be celibates who devote themselves to preaching the Gospel. And frankly, when you read most what goes on in the Tribulation, at that place won't be whatsoever time for these men to take families. They'll be on a journey and on a mission, and information technology will exist a total–time task. When we empathize the pressures of the Tribulation period, it's piece of cake to encompass why these preachers would have a difficult married life.

The 144,000 Are Spared From Judgment

"…the Bible says no one is going to exist able to touch them considering Almighty God is going to take His arms wrapped effectually them."

They are also spared from the coming judgment. Find it says, "practice non harm the earth, the body of water, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads" (Revelation seven:iii). In other words, these men volition non be able to be taken out. People will be angry with them because of their preaching, just the Bible says no one is going to be able to touch them because Omnipotent God is going to have His artillery wrapped around them.

Y'all know it'southward an interesting matter that even today we can practice that kind of boldness. I'g going to tell y'all a footling secret. When I first started to travel as a young pastor, my kids were young. Each time I boarded an airplane flight out of Fort Wayne, Indiana, I'd take a little pang of fear that would come up into my heart. At present I wasn't afraid to die—I wasn't anxious to dice, but I wasn't afraid to. But I had a smashing fright for my wife and my lilliputian children. One day an older pastor came to me and gave me this lilliputian saying, and I wrote it in my Bible. Here's what information technology says, "God's man, in the center of God's will, is immortal until God is done with Him."

Hope for Our Nation

"I hear people say, 'Do you think God has given up on America?' I don't recall that'due south the correct question. I think the question is, 'Has America given up on God?'"

As devastating as the Tribulation will be, we can discover comfort in knowing that God never removes His hand from this globe. People ask, "Do you lot think God has given upwards on America?" That's not the right question. The question is, "Has America given up on God?" The starting time question can be answered with assurance. Almighty God has non given upwards on our nation. It is very possible that before the Lord returns to take those who have put their trust in Him to sky, He will cascade out His spirit once again on this nation.

Perchance we will accept a quaternary slap-up awakening in America. God could do that—it could happen. Only one of these days, the world every bit nosotros know information technology is going to come to an cease. The Tribulation will begin. And during that Tribulation, when there is and so much evil, God will yet be reaching and begging people to come up to Him and receive His grace.

The Spiritual Revival During the Darkest Time

"The Bible says so many people are going to come up to Christ during that time that you lot don't fifty-fifty have any manner to number them."

Here are John's words in the 7th chapter of Revelation: "Later on these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no 1 could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing earlier the throne and earlier the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their easily" (Revelation 7:9). What a wonderful picture that is!

Then many people are going to come to Christ during that time, there won't be whatever fashion to number them: "A great multitude which no ane could number." They represent all the nations and tribes and the peoples and the tongues from all over the earth. They will be the harvest from the keen revival of the 144,000 witnesses. And we will exist able to observe everything from heaven. This is, I believe, the fulfillment of this promise of Jesus given in His Olivet Discourse. Jesus said the Gospel of the kingdom will exist preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and and so the end will come.

One of these days, there is going to exist this massive spiritual return to God during i of the darkest times on planet earth.