Tribulation Saints are "in the Lord"

In our last post, we began an in depth study of the so-called Tribulation saints. We saw that they are indistinguishable from today's members of the Body of Christ. They are saved, blood-bought, and have the righteousness of God.

Their deaths are "in the Lord" (Rev. 14:13).


In today's post, I'd like to take you through a brief Bible study on what it means to be "in the Lord."

First, could we all agree that Jesus Christ is Lord (Phil. 2:11), and there is none other? So, to have their deaths be "in the Lord" is synonymous with dying "in Christ," is it not?

Of course, it is!

Christ is the "saviour of the body" (Eph. 5:23). And he is NOT the Saviour of any other! So, if these Tribulation Saints are praising God for salvation (Rev. 7:10), then they MUST be in the Body of Christ. They MUST be IN HIM.

If they are not in Christ, then they would still be in their sins and under the condemnation of the Law. Remember what Peter said, "There is NONE other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

Did you see that? The book of Revelation explicitly says that the Tribulation saints are "in the Lord" and it implicitly teaches the same thing!


Let's keep going and see where our deductions will lead us.

If the Tribulation saints are in the Lord, then they are in Christ. And, if in Christ, then they are dead to the Law, and free from condemnation.

Only those who have been "crucified with Christ" can be made alive again in him (Romans 6:1-10), and so our Tribulation saints must have been crucified with Christ! And being in Christ is the ONLY place of justification (Romans 3:24), so our Tribulation saints are justified.

And having been crucified, they are also risen; and having been risen, they are also justified; and having been justified, they are also glorified!

There is only one way to be placed "in the Lord" and that is for the Holy Spirit to baptize them into him (1 Cor. 12:13). The same way that we got in!

Listen! No one is ever reconciled with God apart from being in Christ, and ALL who are in Christ are reconciled to God. Christ is the place of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:19, Rom. 5:10, Eph. 2:16).

Are you still willing to say that the Tribulation saints are not members of the Church?

Perhaps they died "in the Lord" but not really "in the Lord"? It would take some major hoop-jumping to explain how a person could be in the Lord but not be a member of his body, the Church!

"If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:" (2 Cor. 5:17), and that applies to them as much as it does to us!

So these Tribulation believers, who are from ALL nations:

• Are called saints
• Are in the book of life of the Lamb
• Are saved from the second death
• Have access to the New Jerusalem
• Are clothed in white robes (righteousness of God)
• Washed in the blood of Jesus
• Are martyred for faith in Jesus
• Die ‘in the Lord’
• Have been baptized by the Spirit into Christ
• Are crucified with Christ
• Are dead to the Law
• Are risen in Christ
• Are glorified in Christ
• Are reconciled, justified, redeemed, and forgiven

AND, if they are in the Lord, then they are also in Abraham's Seed, and they are heirs according to the promise (Gal. 3:29). And if they are heirs, then they are sons (Gal. 4)! And, if they are sons, then God has sent forth "the Spirit of his Son into" their hearts (Gals. 4:6)!

Let's hear the end of the matter: The Tribulation saints are just Church members who are alive during the Tribulation. I could be one of them, so could you - if we live to see that day. Immediately after the Tribulation, AT the time of the Revelation of Christ, they (we?) will be Raptured up to meet the Lord in the air. They (we?) will then escort the Lord on the final leg of his journey to the earth, where his enemies will be destroyed with fire.

Because the Tribulation saints are members of the Church, then the Rapture of the saints MUST follow the Tribulation.


One last passage, from Daniel 7:21-22, and 24-27,

"I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;"

The Antichrist makes war against the saints, that is, the Church.

"Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

The Antichrist makes war against the saints UNTIL the Lord Jesus returns. At that time, the saints will judge the earth (Do you see how these saints are the Church?), and then the saints enter the Kingdom of Christ on earth.


And again:

"And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings."

This is the Antichrist showing up.

"And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time."

The Antichrist fights against the saints of God. That's you and me.

"But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end."

We will sit in judgment of the Antichrist. His kingdom will be destroyed.

"And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him."

The same saints who were persecuted by the Antichrist in verse 25, are the same saints that rule and reign with Christ in verse 27.


The CHURCH goes through the Tribulation.


Are you ready?

The Tribulation Saints are Members of the Church

It's normally taught that after Revelation 4:1, the Church is not seen again until chapter 19 of the book of Revelation. The Church is apparently NOT on earth between these two chapters.

To this apparent absence, the pre-trib Rapture proponent will add that the Tribulation is not focused on the Church. It is the Time of Jacob's Trouble and as such brings focus back to the nation of Israel.

But how does this thinking hold up to a more than cursory examination?

In every instance in the New Testament, including those in Revelation, the word saints is the same Greek word -- hagios. Rev. 5:8, 8:3, 8:4, 11:18, 13:7, 13:10, 14:12, 15:3, 16:6, 17:6, 18:24, 19:8, and 20:9 all use the word “saints.”

Let us examine these saints more closely to see if they look anything like the Church!

There are only TWO groups of people on the earth at the time of the Tribulation. There are the saints, and there are those 'whose names are not written in the book of life.'

"And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." (Rev. 13:7-8)

It may be stating the obvious, but if your name IS WRITTEN in the book of life of the Lamb, you are saved. If it is NOT, you are lost. Therefore, during the Tribulation, there will be both saved and unsaved people on the earth. Same as today.

These saints who have their names written in the Lamb's book of life will be able to enter the New Jerusalem, the city which is the Lamb's wife (Rev. 21:9).

"And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."

So, there are two groups alive in the Tribulation. Those whose names are NOT written in the Lamb's book of life, whose destination is to be cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:15). And, then there are those who are saints, who obviously have their name written in the Lamb's book of life, and who also have access to the New Jerusalem.

Sure sounds like the saints are members of the Church to me!

Could it be that they are not called the Church because the Church is an assembly, and they won't be able to assemble during this time? They will just be scattered saints?

Let's look at the Tribulation martyrs. Who are they? Revelation 7:9-14 says,

"After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;"

The Tribulation martyrs are NOT just of the nation of Israel.

"And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,"

They talk about salvation.

"Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?"

They are arrayed in white robes, which is righteousness! (Isa. 61:10, Rev. 19:8)

"And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

They owe their white robes to being washed in the blood of the Lamb! Christians have been "washed" (Rev. 1:5) in the blood of the Lamb!

Look at Revelation 6:9-11,

"And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?"

More martyrs.

"And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled."

And more white robes.

These Tribulation saints are members of the Church. They have faith in Jesus and are "in" Him!

Look at Revelation 14:12-13,

"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."

"And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them."

Let's summarize what we have so far learned about these Tribulation saints:

• They are from all nations
• They are called saints
• They are in the book of life of the Lamb
• They are saved from the second death
• They have access to the New Jerusalem
• They are clothed in white robes (righteousness of God)
• They are washed in the blood of Jesus
• They are martyred for believing in Jesus
• They die ‘in the Lord’

Those who teach a pre-tribulation Rapture may not realize it, but they are proposing a group of Jesus-believing, blood-bought, New Testament saints who are 'in the Lord' but which are NOT part of the Church!

Their position brings up serious problems regarding the doctrines of salvation, justification, reconciliation, and redemption!