Is there still a chance for the left behind Christians living on the earth to be raptured to the throne of God during the 3½ years of the Great Day of God’s Wrath? The answer is YES, but it will be extremely difficult with no guarantees.
The Bible shows that God will only take a faithful remnant before the start of the Great Day of God’s Wrath. Revelation 12 reveals that the Man-Child, the smaller but stronger and faithful part of all of God’s people who have died, will be immediately raptured to the throne. Then Revelation 14 shows that only the firstfruits, those Christians, living on the earth, who have prepared themselves and have matured early, will be redeemed from among men (v. 4), raptured to Mount Zion at the throne of God (v. 1). The vast majority of Christians will remain on the earth for the 3½ years of the Great Day of God’s Wrath and will suffer under the reign of the beast, the Antichrist.
The Beast – the Antichrist
In Revelation 13 the beast will be the one to whom the dragon, Satan, will give his power, his throne, and great authority (v. 2). The whole world will marvel and worship both the dragon and the beast (vv. 3-4). The beast will rule over the earth for 3½ years, speaking “blasphemy against God…” (v. 6), requiring everyone living on the earth to worship him and his image (v. 12), and those who do not will be killed (v. 15). The beast will have full control over the earth and will require everyone to receive the mark of the beast to buy and sell anything (vv. 16-17).
The Beast Wars Against the Christians
It will be a time of extreme suffering for the Christians during the rule of the beast. Because the Christians will not take the mark of the beast, they will not be able to buy water, food, clothing, and medicine; some will be thrown into prison (Matt. 25:35-36). On top of that, all of the people, including the Christians remaining on the earth, must go through the terrible calamities brought on by the 6 trumpets (Rev. 8:7-9:21). Many Christians will not survive these calamities. Not only that, it was granted to the beast “to make war with the saints and to overcome them” (Rev. 13:7).
Martyrs – Raptured to the Sea of Glass Before the Throne of God
As the beast persecutes and makes war with the Christians, some will be “beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands” (Rev. 20:4). These martyrs “who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name” will be taken to stand on the sea of glass mingled with fire (Rev. 15:2), also before God’s throne (Rev. 4:6). During this terrible time, to be beheaded as a martyr is only one way to be raptured. Many Christians will also die, but not in this specific way, and will then join the woman in the wilderness to wait for the Judgment Seat of Christ at the end of the 3½ years.
Do not think it will be easy to be a martyr during the time of the beast. If today you are not bold to speak and live as a faithful Christian, it will be much harder under persecution during the Great Day of God’s Wrath. When you are captured by the beast, he will torture you in every imaginable way to force you to worship him. May the word of God wake us up to prepare today to grow and mature early, to be qualified to be the firstfruits and be raptured by God before the last 3½ years!
What happens to Christians who are not martyred? To find out, click HERE.