By COGwriter
Is disaster coming?
Do Christians have to have any concerns about what will happen?
Does Jesus promise to physically save some or all Christians?
If only some, which?
As far as a disastrous time coming, Jesus said the following related to its timing and its severity:
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. 15 Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 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. (Matthew 24:14-21)
Notice that right after Gospel of the Kingdom of God is, to God's satisfaction, preached to all nations as a witness, then the end, meaning the Great Tribulation will shortly follow. Fleeing, when the most faithful understand events happening according to what Daniel spoke, will be a trigger for Christians to flee.
This will be a terrible time, worse than any other time according to Jesus.
The prophet Jeremiah pointed to this coming upon many suddenly:
8 ... A plunderer at noonday; I will cause anguish and terror to fall on them suddenly. (Jeremiah 15:8)
The Book of Habakkuk points to destruction coming to the highly indebted, also suddenly, at the appointed time of the end--which is to happen near the start of the Great Tribulation:
2 Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. ...
6 "Will not all these take up a proverb against him,
And a taunting riddle against him, and say,
'Woe to him who increases
What is not his — how long?
And to him who loads himself with many pledges'?
7 Will not your creditors rise up suddenly?
Will they not awaken who oppress you?
And you will become their booty.
8 Because you have plundered many nations,
All the remnant of the people shall plunder you (Habakkuk 2:2-3, 6-8)
The above is NOT a reference to the tiny nation of Israel as it has no enemy creditors. Consider that the USA is the most indebted nation of all time, and its Treasury bills and notes are pledges.
When the Great Tribulation starts it will not be a good time for the USA nor its Anglo-Allies (see also Anglo - America in Prophecy).
The late Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong, wrote the following in 1979, about how he thought the Great Tribulation would begin:
What is this abomination? This refers to Daniel 11:31 and Matthew 24:15...That will be a time when the UNITED Europe shall appear--the revival of the medieval "Holy Roman Empire." We shall then be warned, and readied to be taken to a place of refuge and safety from the Great Tribulation. Forty-five days later "the beasts armies" will surround Jerusalem. Thirty days later the Great Tribulation will probably start with a nuclear attack on London and Britain--and possibly the same day or immediately after, on the United States and Canadian cities. The GREAT TRIBULATION, we shall fully then realize, is the time of "Jacob's Trouble," spoken of in Jeremiah 30:7. And Jacob's name was named on Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (Gen. 48:16). At that time a third of the people in our nations will die, or shall have died, by famine and disease epidemics; another third will dies of the war--our cities being destroyed (Ezek. 6:6), and the remaining third will be carried to the land of our enemies as slaves (Ezek. 5:12). (Armstrong HW. The Time We Are In, Now. Pastor General's Report-Vol 1, No. 15, November 20, 1979, Page 2).
Related to Anglo-American survivors, the Bible states:
33 I will scatter you among the nations and draw out a sword after you; your land shall be desolate and your cities waste (Leviticus 26:33).
Nuclear and other high-tech weapons (as well as emp, electromagnetic pulse, bombs), as well as devastating solar flares, are ways to make land desolate and modern cities waste (for more on emp-weapons and solar flares see Nuclear EMP Attack on UK Called ‘Quite Likely’).
Events that resembles nuclear or similar devastation are part of the prophesied curses mentioned in the Bible:
23 'The whole land is brimstone, salt, and burning (Deuteronomy 29:23).
19 Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts
The land is burned up,
And the people shall be as fuel for the fire; No man shall spare his brother.
20 And he shall snatch on the right hand
And be hungry;
He shall devour on the left hand
And not be satisfied; Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm. 21 Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; Together they shall be against Judah (Isaiah 9:19-21).6 In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste (Ezekiel 6:6).
Nuclear and certain other modern attacks tend to burn land up and make waste cities.
It remains likely that many of the Protestants that survive the tribulation (whether or not they believed in a pre-tribulation view of Christ’s return) will be part of the great multitude of those converted during the tribulation (c.f. Revelation 7:9) through the Continuing Church of God message which will mainly then be brought to the world by The Two Witnesses (a lot of Greco-Roman Catholics and those of non-biblically-claimed faiths will be as well; cf. Revelation 7:9-10).
How do we know that the Anglo-nations in general, and the USA in particular, and not just the land of Judea are the initial target of the great tribulation?
One reason is Daniel 11:39 which is fulfilled at the start of the Great Tribulation:
39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain. (Daniel 11:39)
The "he" is the final King of the North, the Beast of Revelation 13. The "strongest fortresses" in the world belong to the USA, and to a lessor degree, its Anglo-allies (see USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses also and/or watch Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?). The strongest fortresses, by the way, cannot be referring to China or Russia as they do not get involved until verse 44 of Daniel 11 (for more details, see King of the North). Nor the Arab lands, which do not get invaded until verses 40-43. The current nation of Israel, of course, does not have the strongest fortresses. Plus. dividing the Anglo-lands would bring much more gain, than the land of Judea (see also Will the Anglo-Nations be Divided?). Thus, this is pointing to the Anglo-nations, which currently harbor many in the faithful church.
Now, hardly any of the Laodicean churches realize that the Great Tribulation starts with Daniel 11:39. Many oddly point to verse 40, which will be too late. I believe that God has allowed the Laodiceans have some many errors in prophetic understanding (see list in the article The Laodicean Church Era and/or watch the video 50+ Laodicean Prophetic Errors) that the bulk of them will not realize when they should flee prior to the Great Tribulation until it is too late.
Many Christians will die just before (Daniel 11:30-35), and many more in (Daniel 7:25), the great tribulation which begins around the time that the fifth seal of Revelation 6 is opened:
9 Then 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)
9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. (Revelation 6:9-11)
Notice that the fifth seal is open and is related to persecutions. For more on persecution, please check out the article Persecutions by Church and State.
The old Worldwide Church of God taught the following:
The fifth seal pictures a time of great tribulation — including a martyrdom for religious convictions. The New Testament, along with Revelation, emphasizes its impact on the spiritual people of God — his own Church. The great tribulation also falls on what was God's physical nation — the House of Israel, or the descendants of Jacob's 12 sons. Jeremiah wrote of this period and the events that immediately follow. He cried out: "Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it; and it is the time of Jacob's trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7). Daniel called it "a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation" (Daniel 12:1). It is the same time described by Jesus in Matthew 24:21. This distress would climax in the death of mankind if Christ failed to intervene in human affairs (verse 22). Immediately following the great tribulation of the fifth seal come the cosmic disturbances of the sixth seal. These herald the beginning of the very last days. As Robert H. Mounce put it, this is the "grim announcement that the end of the world was at hand." (Inside the Book of Revelation Ambassador College Production)
Despite what Bible prophecy teaches, many will be complacent and not really think it will happen. Yet that will be a mistake:
9 Rise up, you women who are at ease, Hear my voice; You complacent daughters,Give ear to my speech. 10 In a year and some days You will be troubled, you complacent women; For the vintage will fail, The gathering will not come. 11 Tremble, you women who are at ease; Be troubled, you complacent ones; Strip yourselves, make yourselves bare, And gird sackcloth on your waists. 12 People shall mourn upon their breasts For the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine. 13 On the land of my people will come up thorns and briers, Yes, on all the happy homes in the joyous city; 14 Because the palaces will be forsaken, The bustling city will be deserted. The forts and towers will become lairs forever, A joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks — (Isaiah 32:9-14)
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid;
Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites:
"Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?
Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? (Isaiah 33:14)
The "sinners in Zion" looks like a reference to Laodicean Christianss and/or descendants of Israel. It is against "an hypocritical nation" that God will send the European Assyria to punish (Isaiah 10:6, KJV. Note: The same root Hebrew word is in both Isaiah 10:6 and 33:14 for 'hypocrite').
Notice what happens during the “great tribulation” according to Jesus:
22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened. (Matthew 24:22).
Notice the following from Jeremiah:
1 How lonely sits the city
That was full of people!
How like a widow is she,
Who was great among the nations!
The princess among the provinces
Has become a slave! (Lamentations 1:1)5 Her adversaries have become the master,
Her enemies prosper;
For the Lord has afflicted her
Because of the multitude of her transgressions.
Her children have gone into captivity before the enemy. (Lamentations 1:5)17 Zion spreads out her hands,
But no one comforts her;
The Lord has commanded concerning Jacob
That those around him become his adversaries; (Lamentations 1:17)2 The Lord has swallowed up and has not pitied
All the dwelling places of Jacob.
He has thrown down in His wrath
The strongholds of the daughter of Judah;
He has brought them down to the ground;
He has profaned the kingdom and its princes.3 He has cut off in fierce anger
Every horn of Israel;
He has drawn back His right hand
From before the enemy.
He has blazed against Jacob like a flaming fire
Devouring all around.4 Standing like an enemy, He has bent His bow;
With His right hand, like an adversary,
He has slain all who were pleasing to His eye;
On the tent of the daughter of Zion,
He has poured out His fury like fire. (Lamentations 2:2-4)11 My eyes fail with tears,
My heart is troubled;
My bile is poured on the ground
Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people,
Because the children and the infants
Faint in the streets of the city.12 They say to their mothers,
“Where is grain and wine?”
As they swoon like the wounded
In the streets of the city,
As their life is poured out
In their mothers’ bosom. (Lamentations 2:11-12)19 “Arise, cry out in the night, At the beginning of the watches; Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift your hands toward Him for the life of your young children, Who faint from hunger at the head of every street.” (Lamentations 2:19)
21 “Young and old lie
On the ground in the streets;
My virgins and my young men
Have fallen by the sword;
You have slain them in the day of Your anger,
You have slaughtered and not pitied. (Lamentations 2:21)8 Now their appearance is blacker than soot;
They go unrecognized in the streets;
Their skin clings to their bones,
It has become as dry as wood.9 Those slain by the sword are better off
Than those who die of hunger;
For these pine away,
Stricken for lack of the fruits of the field.10 The hands of the compassionate women
Have cooked their own children;
They became food for them
In the destruction of the daughter of my people.11 The Lord has fulfilled His fury,
He has poured out His fierce anger.
He kindled a fire in Zion,
And it has devoured its foundations. (Lamentations 4:8-11)15 The joy of our heart has ceased;
Our dance has turned into mourning.
16 The crown has fallen from our head.
Woe to us, for we have sinned!
17 Because of this our heart is faint;
Because of these things our eyes grow dim; (Lamentations 5:15-17)
Since Jesus said this will be the greatest tribulation of all time, it will be at least as bad as what Jeremiah was inspired to write.
Although many in the Church of God have experienced economic and social persecution in their walk with Christ, future severe persecution, beginning first with the Philadelphia remnant of Christians, is expected (Daniel 7:25a, 11:28-35), it is then followed by persecution on all Christians once the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21) begins.
Is all hopeless?
No!
Jeremiah also wrote:
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord. (Lamentations 3:25-26)
Although your nation probably will not repent (Anglo or otherwise), you can.
Some, but not most, Christians will be protected (cf. Revelation 3:7-17; 12:14-17)
While many like to focus on the idea that the Philadelphians will flee to a place of protection, it needs to be understood that there will apparently be a time of severe persecution just prior to the fleeing and the start of the Great Tribulation. This will result in most non-Philadelphian Christians attempting to distance themselves from the Philadelphians in an effort to protect themselves. That will turn out to be a mistake (cf. Daniel 7:25b).
This will be also be a time of demonic signs and lying wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:7-12; Revelation 16:12-16; 13:13-15; 18:23; 19:20) that will deceive non-Christians and apparently confuse the non-Philadelphian Christians.
Notice some other accounts of events that will happen:
47 “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, 48 therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you. 49 The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand, 50 a nation of fierce countenance, which does not respect the elderly nor show favor to the young. 51 And they shall eat the increase of your livestock and the produce of your land, until you are destroyed; they shall not leave you grain or new wine or oil, or the increase of your cattle or the offspring of your flocks, until they have destroyed you. (Deuteronomy 28:47-51)
16 Moreover He said to me, "Son of man, surely I will cut off the supply of bread in Jerusalem; they shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and shall drink water by measure and with dread, 17 that they may lack bread and water, and be dismayed with one another, and waste away because of their iniquity. (Ezekiel 4:16-17)
1 "And you, son of man, take a sharp sword, take it as a barber's razor, and pass it over your head and your beard; then take scales to weigh and divide the hair. 2 You shall burn with fire one-third in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are finished; then you shall take one-third and strike around it with the sword, and one-third you shall scatter in the wind: I will draw out a sword after them. 3 You shall also take a small number of them and bind them in the edge of your garment. 4 Then take some of them again and throw them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire. From there a fire will go out into all the house of Israel.
5 "Thus says the Lord God: 'This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations and the countries all around her. 6 She has rebelled against My judgments by doing wickedness more than the nations, and against My statutes more than the countries that are all around her; for they have refused My judgments, and they have not walked in My statutes.' 7 Therefore thus says the Lord God: 'Because you have multiplied disobedience more than the nations that are all around you, have not walked in My statutes nor kept My judgments, nor even done according to the judgments of the nations that are all around you' — 8 therefore thus says the Lord God: 'Indeed I, even I, am against you and will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations. 9 And I will do among you what I have never done, and the like of which I will never do again, because of all your abominations. 10 Therefore fathers shall eat their sons in your midst, and sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments among you, and all of you who remain I will scatter to all the winds.
11 'Therefore, as I live,' says the Lord God, 'surely, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, therefore I will also diminish you; My eye will not spare, nor will I have any pity. 12 One-third of you shall die of the pestilence, and be consumed with famine in your midst; and one-third shall fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter another third to all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them. (Ezekiel 5:1-12)
The bolded portion is consistent with Jesus' comments in Matthew 24:21 and Mark 13:19, hence much of the above has to do with the Great Tribulation. This article is also part of the "Ezekiel warning" (see also What is the Ezekiel Warning?).
Now, let's look at the following prophecies from the Old and New Testaments:
23 ‘Make a chain,
For the land is filled with crimes of blood,
And the city is full of violence.
24 Therefore I will bring the worst of the Gentiles,
And they will possess their houses;
I will cause the pomp of the strong to cease,
And their holy places shall be defiled.
25 Destruction comes;
They will seek peace, but there shall be none. (Ezekiel 7:23-25)23 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. 24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Luke 21:23-24)
The USA and its British-descended allies were initially not Gentile-dominated (see also the free online book:Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? ). What will happen will be horrific as Jesus, Jermiah, and others have warned.
Jesus warned His followers:
20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. (Matthew 24:20)
So, His endtime followers would be keeping the Sabbath, need to pray about end time matters, and would need to take flight.
The flight may or may not literally include flying.
Notice something from the Old Testament:
9 For the Lord's portion is His people;
Jacob is the place of His inheritance.10 "He found him in a desert land
And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness;
He encircled him, He instructed him,
He kept him as the apple of His eye.
11 As an eagle stirs up its nest,
Hovers over its young,
Spreading out its wings, taking them up,
Carrying them on its wings, (Deuteronomy 32:9-11)
The children of Israel had a place in the wilderness (see also Exodus 15:22) of the desert, and the way God took them up like the wings of an eagle was to have them walk.
There are similarities that apply to the place of protection, which also includes a place in the wilderness.
Christians are to pray to God to be able to escape:
9 Keep me from the snares they have laid for me,
And from the traps of the workers of iniquity.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
While I escape safely. (Psalm 141:9-10)2 Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape;
Incline Your ear to me, and save me.
3 Be my strong refuge,
To which I may resort continually;
You have given the commandment to save me,
For You are my rock and my fortress. (Psalm 71:2-3)
Jesus, Himself, warned:
34 "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." (Luke 21:34-36)
Notice that Christians are to pray to be worthy to escape. Hence, this is not all Chrisitians.
Is there Great Tribulation protection for Philadelphian Christians?
Yes.
But, let this be perfectly clear, there are two groups of God's people mentioned in Revelation 12--one which goes to a place of safety and one which does not. It states:
13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child.
14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 12:13-17).
The above shows that after persecution of verse 13 (this would be the persecution of Daniel 7:25a and 11:29-35) the church (symbolized by a woman) has to "fly into the wilderness to her place."
Being in heaven with Jesus is not the same as being in any wilderness--hence this is not some type of "rapture" as many Protestants believe in.
Also notice that the church "is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent."
Notice also that since a flood of water is used to try to destroy the church, but is helped by the earth, that the church is NOT in heaven, but on the earth.
Carefully notice that just keeping the commandments of God and having the testimony of Jesus Christ is not enough to insure that one will go "into the wilderness," be "nourished," and protected "from the presence of the serpent."
The dragon, through the Beast power, will “make war” with those who do not go. For "the saints shall given to his hand for a time and times and half a time" (Daniel 7:25)--again the time period the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.
Whether you believe that the churches mentioned in Revelation 2 & 3 are prophetic church eras or conditions that exist within the Church throughout history (or both), the Bible is clear that some will be protected and others will not.
Regarding the letter to the angel of the Church of Philadelphia, Revelation 3:10-11 states:
10 Because you have kept my command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 Behold I come quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
The Philadelphians are the only ones that God promises to keep “from the hour of trial that comes upon the whole world.” They are the ones protected during the Great Tribulation.
Revelation 12:14-16 helps point out is how Jesus is intending to keep His Philadelphia Church "from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world" (3:10)--this "hour of trial," this "time and times and half a time" includes the period of the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord (cf. Revelation 13:5-8).
Notice also the following from a former WCG member:
1) In Matthew 24:37-39 the discussion is still somewhat general. The two groups in this context are:
A) those who are protected at the place of safety;
B) all the rest of mankind who are not protected.
After this general comment, Jesus Christ became more specific. From here on He repeatedly contrasts TWO groups. But neither of those two groups represents the world at large. Both of those groups represent people who really SHOULD BE His "servants"; they both should be doing God's work, and they both should be protected from the end time events, but only one group actually is protected.
The two groups that Christ repeatedly contrasts in the next section appear to represent:
A) the Philadelphian Christians
B) the Laodiceans.
In repeatedly referring to the same people, who are alive at the time of His return, Christ is highlighting different aspects about these two groups. So notice:
2) In Matthew 24:40 the Philadelphians are taken to the place of safety, and the Laodiceans are left behind.
3) In Matthew 24:41 this is repeated, the Philadelphians are taken to the place of safety and the Laodiceans are left behind.
... In Luke 17:37 the disciples are, in effect, asking: WHERE is the place of safety? WHERE are they taken?
And they answered and said unto him, WHERE, LORD? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body [is], thither will the eagles be gathered together. (Luke 17:37)Regarding this section of Scripture I have often pointed out that they asked the wrong question, but it is the same question that most of us would also have been inclined to ask. We want to know WHERE the place of safety is, as if that was somehow important. What they really should have asked is: "WHY LORD?" Why are some left behind?
What is the difference between these two groups? Why are some who are seemingly in the Church not going to be protected? Because it was the wrong question, the answer to which Christ did not want to divulge, therefore Christ gave a rather cryptic answer. It was a polite way of saying: "I am not going to tell you that right now". However, this cryptic clue appears to be a reference to Petra, more than to any other place. (Nelte, Frank W. But If That Evil Servant Shall Begin to Smite His Fellow Servants ... April 1995. http://www.franknelte.net/article.php?article_id=161&print=yes viewed 08/02/14)
Let me add that Jesus did make it less cryptic. He praised the work of the Philadelphians and condemned that of the Laodiceans as lukewarm--the Laodiceans do not get protected because they do not repent as they should.
Understand that it is ONLY the Philadelphian Christians that are promised a way of escape from the coming Great Tribulation. If all Christians were to be granted protection, there would be no reason to give Christians instructions as Jesus did.
Regarding the letter to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans, notice that it shows they walk a different path: "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent" (v.19).
What are the differences between those groups? To the Philadelphians, Jesus said,
8 I know your works. See I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have have a little strength, kept My word, and have not denied My name. (Revelation 3:8)
The message starts out the same for the Laodiceans, "I know your works...” but it certainly does not end the same--
15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' -- and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked -- 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. (Revelation 3:15-18).
The Philadelphians are promised to be kept from the hour of trial because they kept God's "command to persevere" or as the AV says "kept the word of my patience" (v. 10). If the Philadelphia era of the Church existed while Herbert W. Armstrong was alive (as he believed it did), could this possibly mean that the remaining remnant of the Philadelphia era are the ones who still believe, teach, and practice what Jude referred to as "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3)? (Click here for the article What is a True Philadelphian?) Would this not include the 18 truths that HWA restored to the Church of God without adding extrabiblical requirements?
Would not this Church also have the same priority of proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom of God (in the Continuing Church of God, we have a book on this translated into over 1oo0 languages--see Preaching the Gospel in Over 1000 Languages) to the world? Remember Jesus said, "Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes" (Luke 12:43).
I perhaps should add that groups and independents that misunderstand prophecy (such as those concerning The King of the South and Zephaniah 2; see also Do You Hold to Any of These Laodicean Prophetic Errors?) will probably rationalize themselves away from flying/fleeing when it will be time to go--and they will be refined (it is also possible that God may somehow use some of them to assist The Two Witnesses).
John Ogwyn had some interesting insights on some of the differences between the Philadelphia Church and the Laodicean Era as he wrote the following prior to the formation of the United Church of God:
In Revelation 3, we read of two final phases of the history of the Church of God. The Church of Philadelphia was to be characterized by a zeal to do the Work. God promised to set before them an 'open door' as well as to protect them from the future Great Tribulation. However, there is a final seventh stage of the Church described, as the Church at Laodicea. This church was to be described by spiritual lukewarmness and lethargy. It is described as a worldly church, and certainly one which fit in with the spirit of these permissive, modern times ... Some of God's people have been overwhelmed by the cares and problems of this life or by personal problems and have dropped by the wayside. Others have been deceived by false prophets and have gone into apostasy. Still others have become so lethargic and softened by comfort that they have lost their vision and merely wish to maintain local churches, no longer caring about doing the Work ... Will you be one whom God uses to finish his end-time Work? Do you have that true Philadelphian spirit that reaches out to the whole world in genuine love and concern to share God's message of Truth and hope? Do you consider it important that the House of Israel be warned of the impending time of Jacob's trouble?
Sadly after John Ogwyn's death, the group he had been part of no longer had that true Philadelphian spirit. (but that does exist in the Continuing Church of God.)
Interestingly, the late WCG evangelist Dean Blackwell taught that the work would need to be revived and cited the following scripture:
2 O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy. (Habakkuk 3:2)
Here is some of what he wrote:
Why do you think in Habakkuk, God said that He’d “revive His work in the midst of the years”? Would this be said if they were doing the work in all the time of the New Testament Church? ...
Habakkuk ... You might note that in Habakkuk 3:2, he says:
O Eternal, I have heard thy speech and was afraid: O Eternal, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.
He is referring to God reviving His work in the midst of man's last century. He said that God would make known what is happening and what's going to happen in man's last years, in the day of His wrath. He requested that God remember mercy and hide His people in a place of safety. Notice that he mentions this will be in the last years in the midst of the last years. But your Bible says the church was going to go to sleep. They weren't going to be doing the work of God, and He would have to revive His work in the midst of those years. ...
What did we just read there in Habakkuk 3? Did He say, of the Sardis Church, that He gave them an open door; that they were small in number, and that yet He opened the doors that no man could close? He didn't say that at all about them. He didn't open a door getting the work done until the Philadelphia church. That's what your Bible says! No one knew the key of prophecy. No one even knew about Israel. Why, the Sardis church never could have preached the gospel around the world as a witness. (e.g. Blackwell D. A HANDBOOK OF CHURCH HISTORY. A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Ambassador College Graduate School of Theology, April 1973, p. 17)
Sardis does not get protected either.
As far as wrath goes, various pre-tribulation rapturists sometimes cite the following:
9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, (1 Thessalonians 5:9)
But that does not state that all Christians will receive physical protection--only that Christians have the opportunity of salvation through Jesus. Of course, if all Christians took Jesus' warning to those of Thyatira (some of which He warned could go through the Great Tribulation), Sardis, and Laodicea seriously enough, plus became Philadelphian, then they would not suffer like the rest in the Great Tribulation.
Notice also from Psalms:
7 In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God. 8 Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah. (Psalm 62:7-8)
11 God has spoken once, Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God. 12 Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; For You render to each one according to his work. (Psalm 62:11-12)
This Psalm ties in items that Dean Blackwell saw in Habakkuk 3 related to work and mercy. It also mentions a place of refuge and that there are some who here and accept God's power--which non-Philadelphians have problems with during this end time (see also Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18?). The trusting in God at all times is also a tie-in with proper church governance (The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government).
That said, the work has been revived during this time of Laodicean prominence and truths restored (including those related to Habbakuk) in the Continuing Church of God (see also Continuing Church of God, Elijah, and Restoring All Things and The Final Phase of the Work).
Looking at the meanings of the names of the different churches seems to help reveal some characteristics of each. According to Strong's Greek concordance, Philadelphia means "fraternal affection," "brotherly love," "love of the brethren," "fond of the brethren."
Sardis seemingly means "that which remains" (Bunch, Taylor G. The Seven Epistles of Christ. Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing Assn., 1947 as cited in The Seven Cities of Asia Minor, Ambassador College Study Guide, pre-1987, pp. 7-8).
Also according to Strong's, Laodicea is a combination of two words, laos which it defidikenes as "people" and , which is defined by Strong's as "right," "judgment," "punish," and "vengeance." Bible Dictionary defines Laodicea to mean "justice of the people." Might the term Laodicean convey that the predominant characteristic of this Church is the carnal view that people rule, the people judge, or, in fact that the people are judgmental?
I personally feel that the term Laodicea conveys a difference in governance and that most Laodiceans have rejected the restored truth about governance (The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government), which results in a lukewarm attitude about doing the work. As well as the fact that the Laodiceans do not recognize sins and other problems in their midst (they tend to rely on themselves or certain leaders even if they have conflicts with portions of scripture) or faithfully accept what the Bible prophesies related to dreams and prophets in the last days (see also Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18?).
There are heretical leaders who have misled true Christians what they are to hold fast to.
I feel that most of the true COG leaders that are not basically supporting the two criteria that I believe the Bible, as well as clearly Herbert W. Armstrong, set for the Philadelphia portion of the Church are men whose actions are contributing to the taking of crowns of those that could be Philadelphian. Plus, let me add that the Sardis remnants and Laodicean churches have so many prophetic misunderstandings that they will NOT know it is time to flee until it is too late (e.g. watch  50+ Laodicean Prophetic Errors).
Many also contribute to diluting the efforts to get the gospel to the world as a witness. And that is part of the reason why the COGwriter website has articles on two dozen Church of God of the scores of such groups (those articles can be found at the COGwriter home page).
The Book of Revelation shows that there will parts of four Churches of God at the time of the end (Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea) and I believe that those that are actually part of the Church of God, but are not actually Philadelphian are almost all in the Thyatira, Sardis, and/or Laodicea churches. And those non-Philadelphian groups have so many prophetic misunderstandings that they will NOT know when the Great Tribulation will start until it is too late.
Notice what Jesus says happens to many those that follow them in the end:
Thyatira...22 Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. 23 I will kill her children with death, (Revelation 2:18,22-23).
Sardis...Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you (Revelation 3:1,3).
Laodiceans... As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent (Revelation 3:14,19).
Yet notice that there is a difference for the Philadelphians who were not deceived into following false or heretical teachings:
Philadelphia...Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth (Revelation 3:7,10).
While it is possible that some in the Thyatira, Sardis, and/or Laodicea churches may repent, only the Philadelphians are promised protection from the great tribulation, "the hour of trial."
And that is another reason that understanding church eras is important.
(The main reason, however, is that seven times related to the seven Churches of Revelation 2 & 3, Jesus states, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" Revelation 2:7,11,17,29;3:6,13,22. More on Church eras can be found in the article The Churches of Revelation 2 & 3.)
Although Jesus said to watch world events (Mark 13:32-37), many are watching the wrong events, misinterpret certain key prophetic passages, will not accept essential instruction from a true prophet (see also 21st Century Church of God Prophets), and misunderstand what Jesus wants His most faithful to do in the 21st century that they will not know when the Great Tribulation will begin until it is too late and hence will not flee (Matthew 24:15-21) or fly (Revelation 12:14-17) to the place of protection when they should.
Some have wondered HOW the Philadelphians will get to the place.
There are different ideas of this.
At risk of repeating comments and scriptures already in this article, let's start out with the following from the late Dr. Herman Hoeh:
On the Wings of an Eagle
Eagle God brought the ancient Israelites out of Egypt on symbolic "eagles' wings." This symbolizes the loving care and protection of God for His own children. Notice, now, an amazing prophecy. It is about the same Church of God addressed in the promise of protection we have just read in Revelation 3.
"And to the woman [the Church) were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time from the face of the serpent" (Rev. 12:14), In this end-time prophecy, John writes of the last, end-time REMNANT Church which is to ESCAPE the terrible WAR and tribulation that will soon strike our heedless people, They are, just as the ancient Israelites, carried to a place of SAFETY ... in the wilderness by the supernatural power of Almighty God, their Banner, their Shield, their Prorector! ...
He promises spiritual, supernatural, MIRACULOUS shelter!
Does this sound fantastic? Does it sound incredible? Have we strayed so far from our RULER and our SAVIOUR that we think Him UNABLE to save us? Is it ridiculous to most today to really believe in God above and His supernatural protection — His divine INTERVENTION in our own personal lives?
Of course not!
He is our Fortress! He is our Rock! He is our GOD! He will supernaturally bring His people to a place of safety! (Hoeh H. If World War III Comes--There is a Way of Escape. Plain Truth, June 1963)
Yet, consider that when God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt on eagles' wings, they walked. Oh yes, God supernaturally intervened, but they physically walked.
Now Revelation 12:14 states that they will fly to the wilderness. And in Matthew 24:20, Jesus said to pray that our flight would not be on the Sabbath or winter. But He also mentioned about physically fleeing (with the implication being walking/running), at least for some, in Matthew 24:16-19.
In Jeremiah 12:5, physically running/walking is implied in the departure.
Isaiah 16:3 calls God's people in the wilderness "outcasts." The implication is that at least some governments will push them out. Recall that the Egyptians urged the children of Israel to leave (Exodus 12:33) and gave them money to do so (Exodus 12:36):
33 And the Egyptians urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, "We shall all be dead." 34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. 35 Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. 36 And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. (Exodus 12:33-36)
God will intervene. Scriptural indications are that some will walk and some will fly to go to the place in the wilderness. It may be that the governments of the world will want us out of their countries, and be willing to bus us out or otherwise help us leave.
God gave the children of Israel favor from the Egyptians. He will make it so the Philadelphians will be able to travel to the place of protection in the wilderness.
It is likely that a combination of methods, differing by nation and sometimes by individual will occur.
We have seen that God will not keep those in the Laodicea portion of His Church from entering the tribulation. So what, specifically, will happen to those who are not in a place of protection? Some of the answers may lie in the book of Lamentations, which details that time:
4 The tongue of the infant clings To the roof of its mouth for thirst; 5 The young children ask for bread, But no one breaks it for them...9 Those slain by the sword are better off Than those who die by hunger; For these pine away, Stricken for lack of the fruit of the field. 10 The hands of the compassionate women Have cooked their own children; They became food for them In the destruction of the daughter of my people...19 Our pursuers were swifter Than the eagles of the heavens. They pursued us on the mountains And lay in wait for us in the wilderness (Lamentations 4:4-19).
This book, written by the prophet Jeremiah, foretells what will happen to the modern-day descendants of Israel, and indications are that it may include "spiritual" and not just physical Israel (i.e., Lamentations 1:4,2:20,4:7,5:21-22). Even if you believe that these prophecies were fulfilled around the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. (as preterists do), remember Jesus said:
21 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 (Matthew 24:21).
Thus, we can look at the most horrifying events that have happened in the past and yet realize that the coming Great Tribulation will be worse.
Since a portion of God's people have fallen in the past (1 Corinthians 10:1-11), many things were recorded "for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stand take heed lest he fall" (1 Corinthians 10:11-12).
Matthew 24:22 states, "And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved" yet, though the situation appears bleak--almost hopeless--notice the conclusion of the verse, "but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened."
Similarly in Jeremiah 30:7 it says, "Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob's trouble, But he shall be saved out of it."
Yes, God will deliver some of His Spirit-begotten children from the the physical terror of the Great Tribulation. He'll deliver the remnant of the Philadelphians. For Jesus says, "But not a hair of your head shall be lost" (Luke 21:18).
Just prior to the time of the Great Tribulation, the arch-angel Michael stands up to help God's people:
1 "At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book. (Daniel 12:1)
The expression "At that time" is the same Hebrew expression that is in Daniel 11:35. This suggests that Michael will likely provide protection to God's people when they fly/flee (more on prophetic sequence in Daniel can be found in the article Who is the King of the North?).
Are most of God's people going to go to a place of protection or most going to go through the Tribulation?
The Bible give us clues. The three places where the NKJ Bible uses the expression "time and times and half a time" are Revelation 12:14, Daniel 7:25, and Daniel 12:7. They seem to be referring to the same time period. Daniel 12:7 states "a time, times, and half a time, and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished." This suggests that nearly all of the "holy people" are affected. This is also consistent with Revelation 13:5-7, regarding the Beast persecuting the saints for 42 months.
In Daniel 7:24-25 it states:
24 The ten horns are ten kings Who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; He shall be different from the first ones, And shall subdue three kings. 25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time.
Note that some of the saints will be persecuted before they are "given into his hand"; perhaps that particular persecution means all of God's people, or more likely at least many of the Philadelphians, will be persecuted before the period "time and times and half a time" begins (Daniel 7:25a ). Then the Philadelphians will flee and escape the sword:
50 0 You who have escaped the sword,
Get away! Do not stand still!
Remember the Lord afar off,
And let Jerusalem come to your mind. (Jeremiah 51:50)
So, the above talks about God's people who escape--but not all will.
Getting back to Daniel, the expressions "completely shattered" and "Then the saints shall be given into his hand" seem to show that most of the saints will be in the tribulation (Daniel 7:25b). We know this cannot mean all because the book of Revelation says the Philadelphians will be kept from the hour of trial (Revelation 3:10)--protected "from the presence of the serpent" (cf. Revelation 12:14). God will in some way separate Christians then living when these terrible calamities finally come to be. The Philadelphia Christians will be protected from the Tribulation--most of the rest of the real Christians, however, will not be! (Revelation 3:16).
Considering the following warning as pertaining to the non-Philadelphia Christians at this time:
7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you will hear His voice, 8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness, 9 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty years. 10 Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.’ 11 So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ” (Hebrewss 3:7-11)
Consider that while Jesus only promises to keep the Philadelphian Christians from the "hour of trial" there is a warning to other Christians not to harden their hearts like happened with the Israelites in their "day of trial." Yet, the bulk of the non-Philadelphian Christians have hardened their hearts related to supporting true hierarchical governance (see also The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government), accepting that God has been confirming last days signs (see Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18?), and that restoration of truth has been happening in the Continuing Church of God (see also Continuing Church of God, Elijah, and Restoring All Things).
Most of the non-Philadelphian Christians will be killed, martyred (see also Persecutions by Church and State). Consider also the following:
12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Write: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.'"
"Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them." (Revelation 14:12-13)
Why would God allow much of the Church to go through persecution? Daniel 11:35 states:
35 And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purge them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time.
Also Daniel 12:9-10 states:
9 And he said, 'Go your way Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed til the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified and made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.
Who is counseled to by gold that has been refined? Who is warned that they will be rebuked and chastened? The Laodiceans (Revelation 3:18,19). Even when Babylon the great is clearly evident on the world scene, it seems that God's people still need to be warned, "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, 'Come out of her my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues'" (18:4). Some, sadly, probably will "receive of her plagues" (or that warning would probably have not been necessary).
It is possible that the following from Ezekiel is mainly referring to protection for those who were God's people:
3 You shall also take a small number of them and bind them in the edge of your garment. 4 Then take some of them again and throw them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire. (Ezekiel 5:3-4)
However, just getting to the place would not be a guarantee one could not have problems per verse 4. Some of those to be burnt could be some who made it to the place, while it may also (or instead) be referring to some of God's people who do not make it (cf. Daniel 11:33).
Now, what about others in the USA and its British-descended allies that are not actually biblical Christians?
Some think there are physical advantages to fleeing to Tennessee, Wyoming, Kauai, mountainous regions, or rural areas (see ).
And thile there can be some advantages there, remember that the Apostle Paul wrote Christians are to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Most people, Protestant or otherwise, do not realize what will happen to the USA and its British-descended allies.
Consider the following prophecy:
39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain (Daniel 11:39)
The above prophecy is showing that the coming European King of the North beast power will destroy the strongest fortresses. In the 21st century, the strongest fortresses, the strongest military, belongs to the USA and to a lessor degree its British-descended allies.
While moving to a less populated part of the USA may help some temporarily, people should not count on that.
Notice part of Ezekiel 5:
1 “And you, son of man, take a sharp sword, take it as a barber’s razor, and pass it over your head and your beard; then take scales to weigh and divide the hair. 2 You shall burn with fire one-third in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are finished; then you shall take one-third and strike around it with the sword, and one-third you shall scatter in the wind: I will draw out a sword after them. 3 You shall also take a small number of them and bind them in the edge of your garment. (Ezekiel 5:1-3)
Those verses are pointing to the descendants of Joseph (the USA and British descended peoples) (see also Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel).
Ezekiel also wrote:
1 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 2 “Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them, 3 and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, to the hills, to the ravines, and to the valleys: “Indeed I, even I, will bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places. 4 Then your altars shall be desolate, your incense altars shall be broken, and I will cast down your slain men before your idols. 5 And I will lay the corpses of the children of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones all around your altars. 6 In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, so that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, your idols may be broken and made to cease, your incense altars may be cut down, and your works may be abolished. 7 The slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord.
8 “Yet I will leave a remnant, so that you may have some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered through the countries. 9 Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols; they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations. 10 And they shall know that I am the Lord; I have not said in vain that I would bring this calamity upon them.” (Ezekiel 6:1-10)
16 ‘Those who survive will escape and be on the mountains
Like doves of the valleys,
All of them mourning,
Each for his iniquity.
17 Every hand will be feeble,
And every knee will be as weak as water. (Ezekiel 7:16-17)
Yes, various ones will flee to the mountains. Yet, destruction is coming (cf. Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 8:24-25; 11:39).
The prophet Amos wrote:
9 ‘Assemble on the mountains of Samaria; See great tumults in her midst, And the oppressed within her. 10 For they do not know to do right, ‘Says the Lord, ‘Who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.'” 11 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “An adversary shall be all around the land; He shall sap your strength from you, And your palaces shall be plundered.” 12 Thus says the Lord: “As a shepherd takes from the mouth of a lion Two legs or a piece of an ear, So shall the children of Israel be taken out Who dwell in Samaria -- In the corner of a bed and on the edge of a couch! 13 Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,”Says the Lord God, the God of hosts, 14 ‘That in the day I punish Israel for their transgressions, I will also visit destruction on the altars of Bethel; And the horns of the altar shall be cut off And fall to the ground. (Amos 3:9-14)
The above indicates that some will be hiding in the mountains and other places in the USA while others are will be taken out of the USA (which is the prophetic Samaria--see Spiritual Samaritans: Old and New). Most of the Anglos that are not killed will be made slaves. Hiding in the mountains may protect a few for a time, but it will be few that survive that way for long. See also Will the Anglo-Saxon Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves?
Years back, the late Irvin Baxter of the End of the Age telecast, essentially said the following on a program titled Jews say, NEVER AGAIN (11/28/19 date ):
The Great Tribulation ... The United States and Israel will be places of safety from the coming holocaust.
In that telecast he gave no scriptural reasons for this.
Biblically, he is in error.
The United States will be destroyed towards the start of the Great Tribulation (Daniel 11:39) and the nation known as Israel will not fair well.
Clues about Where the Place Isn't and May Be
Although some have suggested that the Bible gives no clue about where the place of safety will be, this is inaccurate. First notice that apparently some of God's people will apparently be in the area of Judea and Jerusalem around this time:
5 Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say:
"Blow the trumpet in the land;
Cry, 'Gather together,'
And say, 'Assemble yourselves,
And let us go into the fortified cities.'
6 Set up the standard toward Zion.
Take refuge! Do not delay!
For I will bring disaster from the north,
And great destruction." (Jeremiah 4:5-6)
The above passage is suggesting that there will be a time that will come that those in Judea and Jerusalem will have to flee into a place of defense. This is consistent with what Jesus told His followers to do in Matthew 24 :15-16 when they see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel (which happens right after the sacrifices, which have not yet started, have been stopped--to find out more about when this can be, check out the article When Will the Great Tribulation Begin?). And Jeremiah is basically warning that disaster will come from the north--in this case apparently the King of the North. And this may be because some of God's people have fled to Judea/Jerusalem in order to escape from some of the persecutions from this northern power (for more information on WHEN to flee/fly, please see the article Who is the King of the North?).
In Luke 21:20-21, Jesus confirmed the concept that some of His people would be in the same area and would need to flee:
20 But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her.
It thus appears that the place of safety is not in Jerusalem or Judea. Notice also that the armies surrounding Jerusalem will be a signal that it is time to flee. But, sadly, most Christians will not accept that sign, probably because of lukewarmness and claims that it is being done for peaceful reasons.
As far as the location to flee, since the Bible also warns that God's people should flee Babylon and go out of Chaldea (Jeremiah 50:8;51:6,44-45; Zechariah 2:7; Revelation 18:4), Babylon and Chaldea apparently are not the places either.
Notice the following,
6 "Flee from the land of the north", says the LORD...7 Up Zion! Escape you that dwell with the daughter of Babylon (Zechariah 2:6,7).
This not only suggests that the place may not be in a northern land, but that some Christians will have need to flee from the land of the north.
Since the Bible seem to forecast near total destruction to the islands of the world (Revelation 6:12-14; 16:17-21), no island seems to be a likely place (more information can be found in the article Islands and Bible Prophecy).
David wrote:
5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. (Psalm 27:5).
This may have a dual meaning. It may be referring to the tribulation and may also be referring to an interesting event in David's life. David was hiding in the woods from Saul (1 Samuel 23:19), and
25 When Saul and his men went to seek him, they told David. Therefore he went down to the rock, and stayed in the wilderness of Maon ... 26 ... So David made haste to get away from Saul ... 28 ... so they called that place the Rock of Escape. (1 Samuel 23:25,26,28)
The word translated 'Rock' is Sela and the word translated as 'rock' are derivatives of the same word. Thus there was a Sela of Escape for David. Let me add that although Petra and Sela basically mean the same thing, currently there is a rocky place in Jordan, north of Petra, that is called Sela. Petra, itself, is at coordinates: 30.3285° N, 35.4444° E, while Sela is at 30°46 N 35.59° E.
Since Jesus taught, "And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath" (Matthew 24:20) which is consistent with Revelation 12:14 which clearly states that it is a place to go to, it is in the wilderness, and it is away from the presence of the serpent. The word translated as wilderness, is translated as desert in the NIV. This word is eremos, which Strong's Concordance defines as lonesome, waste, desert, desolate, solitary, wilderness. Thus, it is not protection in our own houses (as some have erroneously suggested) nor is it protection in a large city nor is it in heaven (which is not a wilderness). It is somewhere in the wilderness.
Petra, the rocky outpost in Jordan has been speculated to be the place. And where is Petra? Southeast of Jerusalem in Jordan. Notice also:
Situated within the harsh desert, Petra’s vitality was dependent upon an intricate hydraulic system fed by a perennial spring. This spring, the Ain Musa (Spring of Moses), is fabled to have been one of the places where Moses struck the rock with his staff to produce water for his wandering people after their flight from Egypt. Not surprisingly, the valley in which Petra is situated, the Wadi Musa (Valley of Moses) is also named after the Biblical patriarch. In addition, Moses’ brother Aaron is believed to be buried atop the Jebel Haroun (Mount of Aaron), a mountain just south of the city. The belief that Aaron was buried so near Petra is especially noteworthy because it played an important role in Petra’s rediscovery by John Burckhardt (Petra: History, Myth, and Earthquakes; Standford.edu website).
In terms of its location from Jerusalem, Petra (Sela on some Bible maps--though technically there is another place called Sela) is mainly south and slightly east of Jerusalem as is the place called Sela. Speaking of Sela(h):
The Edomite city of Selah, whose name in Hebrw translates something like "rocky cliff" is mentioned several times in the Old Testament. (Report on Edomite Selah's Excavation. Artifax, Spring 2019, p. 21).
Also, the tems 'Selah' is a 'pause' in many Psalms. Sometimes it seems to point to a place of protection or aspects possibly related to it.
The place looks like it will be in Jordan, probably near, but not necessarily in Petra (see also There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Near Petra).
During the Great Tribulation, the Beast will control buying and selling:
16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. (Revelation 13:16-18)
Does this mean that the Philadelphian Christians will starve?
No.
Notice some of what the prophet Isaiah was inspired to write:
15 He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, He who despises the gain of oppressions, Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, And shuts his eyes from seeing evil: 16 He will dwell on high; His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; Bread will be given him, His water will be sure. (Isaiah 33:15-16)
20 "Assemble yourselves and come; Draw near together, You who have escaped from the nations" (Isaiah 45:20).
Isaiah thus indicates this place will be a fortress of rocks for those that escape from the nations (note: the escaping from the nations suggests that groups with origins in CGI, such as ICG and CEM, are in error for teaching that God intends to protect people where they are) and those protected will be able to eat (some have wondered if this could be 'manna') and drink. It is likely that they will also have many possessions in common, consistent with what happened in Acts 2:43-46.
It is also of interest to note that those that escape will be assembled--they are not lone independents--this is also consistent with writings in Zephaniah 2:1-3.
God inspired the Prophet Zephaniah to write the following:
1 Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O undesirable nation, (Zephaniah 2:1)
Although it has certain misunderstandings, the Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary realized that the gathering together was intended for a religious group or assembly:
Zephaniah 2:1
Gather yourselves together - to a religious assembly, to avert the judgment by prayers, (Joel 2:16, "Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders," etc.) (from Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
When are they to gather together?
2 Before the decree is issued, Or the day passes like chaff, Before the Lord's fierce anger comes upon you, Before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you! (Zephaniah 2:2)
This gathering is to take place will before the day of the Lord (which happens about 2 1/2 years after the Great Tribulation of Matthew 24:21 begins) and before some type of decree is issued. People who have not gathered together and think they will be able to know what to do at the end are mainly deceiving themselves.
Consider also what the New Testament teaches about the importance of gathering together as we get closer to the end:
We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing. Instead, we must continue to encourage each other even more as we see the day of the Lord coming. (Hebrews 10:23, Gods Word Translation)
Who does God want to gather together?
The end time Philadelphian Christians. Notice what Jesus stated and something the Apostle Peter wrote:
19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. (John 15:19, NKJV)
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10, KJV)
This is a peculiar people. These are people who the world does not desire. These are Philadelphian Christians. Notice what the Apostle Paul wrote:
1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2)
This gathering together before Jesus returns is for Christians.
How else do we know that Zephaniah 2:1-3 is related to Christians? Because the decree is for the end time and because of what else God inspired Zephaniah to write:
3 Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. (Zephaniah 2:3a)
The above is a reference to Christians as they are to be the "meek of the earth" (Matthew 5:5) and to Philadelphians who "have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility." These are Philadelphian Christians who understand that church leaders need to have integrity and are willing to be humble enough to accept the authority of a church led by a low-level prophet in the absence of a clear apostle (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11-15). They are humble enough to not think that they should remain 'independent,' as many who once were part of the old Worldwide Church of God have done.
Why does God tell them they may wish to be gathered together? So:
3 ... It may be that you will be hidden In the day of the Lord's anger. (Zephaniah 2:3b)
Interestingly, the Hebrew words translated as Zephaniah means “Yahweh Hides” or “Yahweh Has Hidden” (Holy Bible: Vine’s Expository Reference Edition, p. 826).
Why have I written that Zephaniah 2:1-3 has to do with Philadelphian Christians?
For they are the only ones who will actually 'gather together' as they should.
Why?
Because it is only to the Philadelphians that Jesus promises to protect from the coming hour of trial, also referred to as the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord (Revelation 3:7-13).
Notice also:
6 Gather the people,
Sanctify the congregation,
Assemble the elders,
Gather the children and nursing babes;
Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber,
And the bride from her dressing room.
17 Let the priests, who minister to the Lord,
Weep between the porch and the altar;
Let them say, "Spare Your people, O Lord,
And do not give Your heritage to reproach,
That the nations should rule over them.
Why should they say among the peoples,
'Where is their God?'" (Joel 2:16-17)
Joel was inspired to write that the most faithful needed to gather together so that the 'nations,' apparently those led by the end-time King of the North, would not rule over them. Between Jeremiah 4:5-6, Zephaniah 2:1-3, and Joel 2:16-17, etc. God's people are told to gather together before it is too late (see also 2 Thessalonians 2:1).
DO NOT DECEIVE YOURSELF THAT GOD WILL MAKE A SPECIAL EXCEPTION FOR YOU AND SAVE YOUR LIFE BECAUSE SOMEWHAT YOU WILL KNOW AT THE LAST MINUTE TO FLEE. THAT IS THE WRONG ATTITUDE. JESUS WARNED:
35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. (Mark 8:35)
It is the Philadelphians who have gathered together while properly supporting the gospel proclamation leading to the fulfillment of Matthew 24:14 that will be saved from the coming hour of trial. Do not deceive yourself otherwise. Remember: MOST REAL CHRISTIANS WILL NOT BE PROTECTED!
It remains my prayer that those who are Philadelphians and are scattered in groups will soon assemble together, before it is too late. Sadly, because many COG groups do not understand key aspects of end time prophecy (see, for three examples: Is the Future King of the South Rising Up?, Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?, and The 'Peace Deal' of Daniel 9:27)
Getting back to Zephaniah, he continues by suggesting that the place will not be in Gaza, at the seacoast, nor Canaan, the land of the Philistines:
For Gaza will be forsaken, And Ashkelon desolate; They shall drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron shall be uprooted. Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast; The nation of the Cherethites! The word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, the land of the Philistines (Zephaniah 2:4-5).
According to the commentary at Nelson's Study Bible on these verses Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod and Ekron are major cities of the Philistines and Cherethites is simply another name for Philistines. The land mentioned is currently primarily occupied by the Palestinians. (More on Gaza and the Palestinians can be found in the article Gaza and the Palestinians in Bible Prophecy)
Since people are to leave Judea, are not to go to Gaza, nor Canaan, nor to various places in the north, which direction can they go? Well, they cannot go west because the Mediterranean sea is in the way. This would seem to suggest going east, south, or possibly southeast (southwest would take one to Gaza).
(There is a sermonette-length video available titled: Zephaniah's 'Gather Together' Prophecy.)
Southeast of Jerusalem is Jordan including mountainous cave-filled region of Petra and its environs.
Getting back to Zephaniah, notice that book is teaching that a decree is issued, apparently by a church leader--and I believe that the leader will be part of the Continuing Church of God. This would seem to happen after the gospel has been preached enough to the world as a witness (Matthew 24:14), Jewish sacrifices are stopped, and the abomination is set up (Daniel 9:27; 11:31; see also The 'Peace Deal' of Daniel 9:27) per Jesus' statements in Matthew 24:15-16.
What kind of decree will be issued?
A decree that may allow those who are gathered together and who listen to it an opportunity to be protected (Zephaniah 2:1-3). A decree that the Philadelphians will listen to and then fly/flee.
When is a decree to be issued? After an event that Jesus told of that He tied to the writings of the Prophet Daniel:
15 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), (Matthew 24:15)
14 "So when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not" (let the reader understand), (Mark 13:14a)
What did Jesus say happens next?
16 "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 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. (Matthew 24:16-21)
Why a decree?
Apparently, to make it easier for people who read what Jesus said to better be able to understand that Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14 and Daniel 9:27b and Daniel 11:31 had been fulfilled.
By whom will the decree be made?
The Bible says:
7 Surely the Lord God does nothing,
Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.
8 A lion has roared!
Who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken!
Who can but prophesy? (Amos 3:7-8)
The prophet may make the decree personally and/or pass it on to another authority in the church to make.
Who is the only Church of God in the 21st century to teach all of this?
If you are not with the group that is leading the final phase of the work will you not be able to fly/flee if you wait until the last moment? While that may be remotely possible for some, remember that God inspired Zephaniah to admonish God's people to 'gather together...before the decree is issued.'
Most will discount this and many will scoff. Most COGs do not have any when considered to be a prophet, and those other than CCOG who claim to, have prophets that have been proven to be false (e.g. PCG, CGPFKG, TPM).
Furthermore, I let me mention that I read a post from a CCOG scoffer who picked at the very idea that one should suggest that a COG is Philadelphian and those part of such a COG will have be subject to being protected in a place of safety.
He and many others do not realize how important Jesus taught paying attentions to world events and prophecy is. Notice something Jesus taught:
34 "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." (Luke 21:34-36)
Notice Jesus said to watch and pray ALWAYS. He was referring to prophetic matters. THIS CAME FROM JESUS, BUT MANY SCOFF AT PROPHECY for differing reasons (cf. 2 Peter 3:1-7)--yet being a prophetic scoffer is a mistake (cf. 2 Peter 3:8-9).
Jesus realized that if people did not pay attention to prophecy and pray alway, they would not properly take the steps to "be counted worthy to escape all these things." Yes, God uses prophecy as a motivator for people. Remember that God used Jonah to warn Nineveh (Jonah 3:1-4) and they repented (Jonah 3:5-9), and they did not get the punishment they were going to get then (Jonah 3:10).
Yes, the Great Tribulation is coming.
It is likely to come relatively soon (see When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2024, 2025, or 2026?).
The Bible is clear that Christians will face persecution.
The Bible is also clear that not all Christians will be protected.
Actually, only the Philadelphia Christians are promised protection from the coming Great Tribulation, and they are the minority of Christians.
Most Christians WILL NOT be protected from the coming destruction and horrors of the Great Tribulation.
Most Christians will not properly gather together in time.
Most will somewhat distance themselves from the Philadelphian Christians once the prophesied pre-great tribulation persecution affects mainly the Philadelphians.
Most will think that is safe, but they will be in deadly error.
They will not heed a prophetic decree to leave.
They will not realize that the Great Tribulation will begin until it is too late for most non-Philadelphian Christians to flee.
That said, the likely place in the wilderness will be in the mountainous cave-filled region of Jordan, which is southeast of Jerusalem, which is consistent with various other prophecies.
Do not harden your heart. Heed the word of God, support the end time Philadelphian work, pray, and it may be that God will protect you from the coming hour of trial that will try the entire earth.
It will come.
Thiel B. Philadelphian Christian Great Tribulation Protection. COGwriter (c) 2024 https://www.cogwriter.com/great-tribulation-protection.htm