Introduction
In a recent article (click
here to read it), I argued that the Jewish believers to whom the letter to the
Hebrews was written did not belong to what the apostle Paul referred to as “all the ecclesias of
the nations” (Romans 16:4), and thus were not
members of the called-out company of believers that Paul (and
Paul alone) referred to in his letters as “the body of Christ” (Rom. 12:4-5;
1 Cor. 6:15-19; 10:16-17; 12:12-27; Eph. 1:22-23; 4:4, 12-16; 5:23-24, 30; Col.
1:18, 24; 2:19; 3:15).
In this article, I’ll be making a similar case with regard to
the saints whom Christ referred to as “the chosen” in Matthew 24 (and who will
be on the earth during the future time of “great affliction”). I’ll be arguing
that the company of saints to which the chosen will belong will be a
continuation of the company of saints that was being formed during Christ’s
earthly ministry (i.e., the “little flock”), and will thus be distinct from the
body of Christ.
The
saints of the “great affliction”
In Matthew 24:29-31 (CLNT) we read that Christ declared the
following to his disciples:
“Now immediately after the affliction of those
days the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not be giving her beams,
and the stars shall be falling from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall
be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Mankind in heaven, and
then all the tribes of the land shall grieve, and they shall see the Son of
Mankind coming on the clouds of heaven with power and much glory.
“And He shall be
dispatching His messengers with a loud sounding trumpet, and they shall be
assembling His chosen from the four
winds, from the extremities of the heavens to their extremities.”
When Christ declared that the eon-concluding events referred to
in the above passage would be occurring “immediately after the affliction of
those days,” he was referring to the time of “great affliction” mentioned earlier
in this prophetic discourse. After describing certain events that will be
occurring before this time begins, we read the following in verses 20-22:
“Now be praying that
your flight may not be occurring in winter, nor yet on a sabbath, for then shall be great affliction, such
as has not occurred from the beginning of the world till now; neither under any
circumstances may be occurring. And, except those days were discounted, no flesh
at all would be saved. Yet, because of the chosen, those days shall be
discounted.”
In my two-part refutation of the “preterist” understanding of
Matthew 24 (click
here for part one), I defended the view that the time period Christ had in view in
these verses (i.e., the time when there “shall be great affliction”) is still
future, and will be occurring at the start of the final 3 ½ years of this eon. Further
confirmation of the futurity of the great affliction to which Christ was
referring is found in Revelation 7:14. In this verse we’re told by a celestial
messenger that a great multitude of people seen by John (Rev. 7:9-10) are “those coming out of
the great affliction.” It’s evident from the immediate context that “the great
affliction” referred to by the messenger is a future event, for the throng of
people who we’re told will be “coming out of” this event were seen by John
immediately after he was provided with information concerning a group of 144,000
Israelites who will be sealed shortly before the occurrence of the future
judgments associated with the sounding of the seven trumpets (see Rev. 7:1-3;
cf. Rev. 8:1-11). Since the 144,000 Israelites will be alive on the earth
during the time of the calamities described later in Revelation, it’s
reasonable to conclude that those comprising the great multitude described
immediately after we read of the 144,000 will be alive on the earth during this
future time as well. [i]
But what more can be said concerning the time of great
affliction that the chosen of whom Christ spoke will be going through during this
future time? One passage that I believe sheds further light on the time period
that Christ had in view is Jeremiah 30:4-9. In these verses we read the
following:
Now these are the words which Yahweh spoke concerning Israel and
Judah:
“For this is what Yahweh says:
‘I have heard a sound of terror, of fear, and there is no
peace. Ask now, and see if a male can give birth. Why do
I see every man with his
hands on his waist, as a woman in childbirth? And why have all faces turned pale? Woe, for that day is great, there
is none like it; and it is the time of Jacob’s distress, yet he will
be saved from it.
‘It shall come about on that day,’ declares Yahweh of hosts, ‘that
I will break his yoke from their necks and will tear to
pieces their restraints; and strangers will no
longer make them their slaves. But they shall serve Yahweh their
God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.
The fact that this future time of judgment is referred to as
“the time of Jacob’s distress” indicates that it most directly concerns and
will involve God’s covenant people, Israel (this is further evident from the
fact that, in v. 4, this prophecy is said to concern “Israel and Judah”). And
just as it is Jacob/Israel who will be going through this time of distress, so
it is this same people who will be saved from it (and who, after they’ve been
saved, “shall serve Yahweh their God and David their king”).
Another reference to this future time of distress for the people
of Israel can be found in Daniel 12:1-2:
“Now at that
time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the
sons of your people, will arise. And
there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there
was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is
found written in the book, will be rescued.”
Those referred to as “the sons of your [Daniel’s] people” are
the people of Israel. That this future time of distress will involve a
particular ethnic/national group – i.e., the people of the nation of Israel –
is further evident from the words, “since there was a nation until that time.”
Thus, when we’re subsequently told that everyone among Daniel’s people “who is
found written in the book, will be rescued,” the people who are in view are the
saints among God’s covenant people, Israel.
In light of the above considerations, it’s reasonable to
conclude that “the chosen” whom Christ said will be assembled “from the four winds,
from the extremities of the heavens to their extremities,” will be the saints
among God’s covenant people, Israel. In light of what Christ said about the
chosen being gathered “from the four winds,” it’s significant that, in Ezekiel,
we read that it was “into all the winds” and “toward all winds” – i.e., all
over the world – that God was going to scatter the Jewish people (Ezek. 5:10,
12; 17:21). And in Zechariah 2:6 we read that God scattered the Jews abroad “as
the four winds of the heavens.” But after this scattering, we read that God
will gather his “sons” and “daughters” among the scattered nation “from the end
of the earth” (Isa. 43:5-7). These are referred to as his “chosen” in the same
context (vv. 10, 20). Similarly, in Isaiah 11:12 we read that the “banished of
Israel” and “dispersed of Judah” will be assembled “from the four corners of
the earth.”
That “the chosen” referred to by Christ are Israelites is
further confirmed by those verses in which Israel and the Jewish people in
general are referred to as the “chosen” or “elect” (Deut. 7:6; 1 Chron. 16:13;
Isaiah 45:4; Rom. 11:28), and especially those in which the believing, faithful
remnant within the nation are referred to as such (Isa. 65:7-16). In the
last passage referenced, we find God drawing a contrast between the unbelievers
within the nation and the believing remnant (the latter of whom God refers to
as “my chosen” in v. 9). God goes on to speak of how his chosen among the
nation will be tremendously blessed on the earth in the future, using language
that clearly refers to life during the eon to come (vv. 17-25).
Significantly, we also read in Isaiah 27:13 that the scattered
children of Israel will be gathered to their homeland to “worship Yahweh on the
holy mountain at Jerusalem” in conjunction with the blowing of “a great trumpet” (which is the only
specific reference in the Hebrew Scriptures to a “great” trumpet). This is
likely the same trumpet to which Christ was referring Matt. 24:31 (the sounding
of which we’re told will result in the dispatching of Christ’s messengers to
assemble the chosen from the four winds).
Now, keeping in mind the futurity of the events of which Christ
was prophesying in Matthew 24, let’s now consider Christ’s use of the
second-person pronouns “you” and “your” in this discourse. In Matthew 24:3-6 we
read the following:
Now at His sitting
on the Mount of Olives, the disciples
came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what is
the sign of Thy presence and of the conclusion of the eon?” And, answering,
Jesus said to them, “Beware that no one should be deceiving you. For many shall be coming in My
name, saying, ‘I am the Christ!’ and shall be deceiving many. Yet you shall be about to be hearing
battles, and tidings of battles. See that you
are not alarmed, for it must be occurring; but not as yet is the consummation.”
In verses 15-22 we read that Christ went on to prophesy
concerning the time of great affliction that will begin after “the abomination
of desolation” comes to be “standing in the holy place” (and which, as we read
in verse 29, will end immediately before
Christ’s return to earth takes place):
“Whenever, then, you may be perceiving the abomination
of desolation, which is declared through Daniel the prophet, standing in the
holy place (let him who is reading apprehend!); then let those in Judea flee
into the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not descend to take away the
things out of his house. And let him who is in the field not turn back behind
him to pick up his cloak.
“Now woe to those
who are pregnant and those suckling in those days! Now be praying that your flight may not be occurring in
winter, nor yet on a sabbath, for then shall be great affliction, such as has
not occurred from the beginning of the world till now; neither under any
circumstances may be occurring. And, except those days were discounted, no
flesh at all would be saved. Yet, because of the chosen, those days shall be
discounted.”
The use of these pronouns (which are plural) indicates that
Christ considered his disciples to have been representative of the saints who will be experiencing the future
events of which Christ spoke, and that the company of saints that will be alive
on the earth during the time of great affliction will be a continuation of the company of saints to which Christ’s disciples
belonged (and which began to be formed at the start of Christ’s earthly
ministry). Concerning this company of saints, we read in Luke 12:32 that Christ
declared the following: “Do not fear, little flock, for it delights your Father to
give you the kingdom.”
Now, it’s commonly believed among Christians that the body of
Christ is simply a continuation of “the little flock” of which we read in this
verse, and that it became what it is today when the holy spirit came upon and empowered
the twelve apostles on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-12). This would mean
that, throughout the entire duration of Paul’s apostolic ministry, the body of
Christ was divided up between (1) ecclesias that were comprised primarily of
gentiles (i.e., the ecclesias that Paul referred to as ”all the ecclesias of
the nations”) and (2) ecclesias that were comprised primarily (if not
exclusively) of Jews (such as the ecclesias that Paul referred to in 1 Thess.
2:14 as “the ecclesias of
God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea”). I believe that this view is mistaken, however,
and that there was no such ethnically-based ecclesiastical division between the
saints in the body of Christ during the apostolic era.
As already noted, the company of believers that Christ referred
to as the “little flock” began to be formed at the start of Christ’s earthly
ministry (it was this company of saints – which began to grow rapidly after the
events described in Acts 2:1-12 occurred – that came to comprise “the ecclesias of God in
Christ Jesus that are in Judea”). In contrast with when this company
of believers began to be formed, the body of Christ did not come into existence
until after the administration that Paul said was given to him for the nations
– i.e., “the administration of the grace of God” (Eph. 3:1) or “administration of the
secret” (v. 9) – began. It is to this administration that belongs
“the evangel of which [Paul] became the dispenser” – i.e., “the evangel of the
grace of God” (Acts 20:24).
But when did the administration that was given to Paul for the
nations begin? Answer: it began when Paul was made “the apostle of the
nations” (Rom. 11:13). And this occurred when Christ appeared to Paul on
the road to Damascus and gave him his apostolic commission (Acts 9:3-6;
22:6-10). Since the little flock and the body of Christ began at two different
times (with the former company of saints beginning at the start of
Christ’s earthly ministry, and the latter beginning after Paul’s apostolic
ministry began), it follows that these two companies of saints cannot be
identical.
In addition to the fact that the little flock and the body of
Christ began at two different times, another main difference between these two
companies of saints concerns where the saints belonging to each called-out
group of believers will be enjoying their eonian allotment. Let’s first
consider the expectation of the saints who comprised the little flock.
In Matthew 5:5 we read that Christ declared the following to
those who’d gathered to hear him teach (among whom were those whom Christ later
referred to as the little flock): “Happy are the meek, for they shall be
enjoying the allotment of the land.” Similarly, Christ
promised his twelve disciples that they would be judging “the twelve tribes of
Israel” after he returns to earth to sit on the “throne of his glory” (Matt.
19:28). That the allotment of the little flock will be earthly in location
shouldn’t be surprising, since the expectation of believing Israelites has been
terrestrial with regard to the location of their eonian allotment ever since
God promised to give to Abraham and his offspring “all the land of
Canaan for an eonian allotment” (Gen. 17:7-10; 48:4).
Notice, also, Christ’s reference to “the kingdom” in Luke 12:32.
Christ’s disciples had this same kingdom in mind when, in Acts 1:6, they asked
whether the time had come for Christ to be “restoring the kingdom to Israel.” We know from what
Christ declared elsewhere that the kingdom to
which he and his disciples were referring on these occasions is a future reality
(see, for example, Luke 21:27-31 22:14-18, 28-30). We also know that there are
certain prophecies from the Hebrew Scriptures that Christ and his disciples
would’ve undoubtedly had in mind when they referred to this kingdom.
For example, after
being provided with a description of a great metallic image seen in a dream by
Nebuchadnezzar (and which we’re later told represents four successive and
preeminent kingdoms on the earth), we read the following in Dan. 2:34-35
concerning a certain stone that was ”severed
from a mountain, not by hands”:
“…and [the stone] collided with the
image at its feet of iron and clay and pulverized them. Then, all at
once, the iron, the clay, the copper, the silver and the gold were pulverized
and became as chaff from summer threshing sites; and the wind lifted them up,
and not trace at all was found of them. And the stone that collided
with the image became a vast mountain range and filled the whole earth….”
We’re then provided with the following
explanation of this symbolic imagery in Dan. 2:44:
“In their days, that
is, of these kings, the God of the heavens will set up a kingdom that
for the eons shall not come to harm. His kingdom shall not be left to another
people. It will pulverize and terminate all these kingdoms, and it shall be
confirmed for the eons.”
We go on to read
the following concerning this kingdom in Daniel 7:26-27:
“Yet adjudication
sits; and they will cause his authority to pass away, even to exterminate and
to destroy till the terminus. And the kingdom and the jurisdiction and
the majesty of the kingdom under the entire heavens will be granted to the
people of the saints of the Most High. Their kingdom is an eonian kingdom, and
all other authorities shall serve and hearken to them.”
In these passages from Daniel (note,
especially, the words “under the
entire heavens”), it’s evident that
the kingdom in view – i.e., the kingdom that “the God of the heavens will set
up” – will be an earthly kingdom
that will succeed (and permanently replace) the gentile kingdoms that had
previously ruled over the earth.[ii]
That the kingdom prophesied in Daniel will be on the earth – specifically, in the land that God
promised Israel – is clear from a number of other passages from the Hebrew
Scriptures as well (see, for example, Jer. 3:17; 31:1-40;
Isa.
2:1-4; 11:6-9; 14:3-7; 35:6-7, 32:15, 35:1; 51:3; 61:1-62; 65:17-25; Ezek. 36-38; Mic. 2:12-13; Zech. 8:22; 14:4-21; Amos 9:13). Moreover, although Christ will have dominion over the entire earth (with
all other nations and kingdoms being under his authority), the geographical territory
of the kingdom of God over which he will reign will be the land that God
promised to Israel (the boundaries of which are specified in Gen. 15:18-20,
Num. 34:1-15 and elsewhere); for a defense of this view, click here: the-judgment-of-sheep-and-goats-study.
We also know from what we read in the book of Revelation that
the expectation of the saints who will be going through the great
affliction will involve “reigning on the earth” as “a
kingdom and priests to [Christ’s] God and Father” (Rev. 1:6; 5:10; cf. 20:4-6), and
dwelling in “the citadel of the saints and the beloved city” (Rev.
20:9; for some other references to this future city – which will be the capital
city of the kingdom of God on earth – see Isaiah 30:19; 33:20; 52:1-2; Jer.
3:17; 30:18-20; 33:16; Ez. 45:6-7; 48:15-35; Zech. 8:22; 14:4-21). It’s also
worth noting that, in the verses referenced above, the apostle John included
himself among the saints who will be “reigning on the
earth” as “a kingdom and priests to [Christ’s]
God and Father.” This, of course, means that John’s allotment during the eon to
come will be on the earth, and that the “kingdom of God” in which he will be
enjoying his allotment is the kingdom that, in accord with what we read in Acts
1:6-7, 11, Christ is going to be restoring to Israel when he returns to earth.
In contrast with the expectation of the little flock (which,
again, will involve an allotment in the kingdom that’s going to be restored to
Israel and established on the earth at Christ’s return), Paul
revealed that the location in which the saints in the body of Christ are going
to be enjoying their eonian allotment is the location where Christ is,
presently – i.e., “the heavens” (2 Cor. 5:1-2; Phil. 3:20; Col. 1:5). It is in this
location that we will be “at home with the Lord” after we’ve
become “celestials” (2 Cor. 5:4-8; 1 Cor. 15:47-49). In accord with this
fact, it is “among the celestials” that we will be
enjoying “every spiritual blessing” during “the
oncoming eons” (Eph. 1:3; 2:6-7), and it is “[the Lord’s]
celestial kingdom” (2 Tim. 4:18) – i.e., the kingdom of God in which “flesh
and blood is not able to enjoy an allotment” (1 Cor. 15:50) –
for which we are being saved (2 Tim. 4:18). For a more in-depth defense of this
understanding of the location of the eonian allotment of the body of Christ, click here and here.
Another difference between the little flock and the body of
Christ concerns the way in which those belonging to each company of saints are
(or will be) saved. We know from Paul’s letters that the eonian salvation
of the body of Christ does not in any way depend on anything
we must do, obey or live out. According to Paul, God’s grace was “given to
us in Christ Jesus before times eonian” (2 Tim. 1:9), and “reigns”
over every member of the body of Christ. The more we sin, the more God’s grace
“super-exceeds” for us, resulting in life eonian (Rom. 5:20-21; 6:23). In
Eph. 1:7 this grace is referred to as “the riches of [God’s]
grace, which He lavishes on us,” and is such that
works/acts have no part whatsoever in our salvation (Rom. 3:22; 4:4-5; 2 Tim.
1:8-11; Titus 3:3-7). According to what we read in Eph. 2:4-9, the
salvation that every believer in the body of Christ will be enjoying (and which
will involve God’s “displaying the transcendent riches of His grace in His kindness to
us in Christ Jesus”) is “in grace” (cf. 2 Thess. 2:16), and is therefore not “out of” us.
It is God’s “approach present” (or “gift”), and is thus “not of
works, lest anyone should be boasting.”
Upon being given the faith to believe “the word of truth,
the evangel of [our] salvation,” those called by God are
then “sealed with the holy spirit of promise,” which
is “an earnest of the enjoyment of our allotment,
to the deliverance of that which has been procured” (Eph.
1:13-14). No precept-keeping obedience, acts of righteousness or Godly living
is required for any member of the body of Christ to receive the “deliverance”
of which Paul wrote in the above verses (and which, according to Eph. 2:4-7,
will involve being vivified together and seated together “among the celestials
in Christ Jesus”). This salvation is as certain to occur as anything else God
has promised to do. Our having been spiritually baptized into the body of
Christ (1 Cor. 12:13) and thus “sealed with the holy spirit of promise” guarantees our
inclusion in the future event that will involve the saints in the body of
Christ being vivified in Christ and snatched away to meet the Lord in the air
(Rom. 8:15-25; 1 Cor. 15:50-57; Phil. 3:20-21; Col. 3:1-4; 1 Thess. 4:14-18;
5:9-11; 2 Thess. 2:13-14). There is, therefore, nothing that anyone in the body
of Christ could do (or fail to do) that could possibly result in our not
receiving this eonian salvation. Although Paul exhorted believers to “walk worthily of the
calling with which [we] were called,” a failure to do so will not
jeopardize our eonian salvation.
In contrast with what is the case for
the saints within the body of Christ, we know that both faith and righteous,
obedient conduct was required (and not merely optional) in
order for the saints who belonged to the little flock to qualify for eonian
life in the kingdom that’s going to be restored to Israel. In accord with the
words of Habakkuk 2:4 (where we read that “the
righteous shall live by his faith”),
Christ undoubtedly understood faith to be essential to being righteous.
However, the faith by which those comprising the little flock could be regarded
as righteous (and thus “live”) was necessarily a faith that was expressed in righteous, obedient conduct (significantly,
in Luke 1:5-6 – which is where the word “righteous” first occurs in Luke’s
Gospel – we read that Zechariah and Elizabeth “were both righteous before
God, walking blamelessly in all the
commandments and statutes of the Lord”;
cf. Luke 2:25).
For example, Christ
declared that his disciples had to
possess a righteousness that was “super-abounding
more than that of the scribes and Pharisees” in
order to qualify for an entrance into the kingdom of God (Matt. 5:20). And it’s
clear from the immediate context that this righteousness involved keeping
the precepts of the law given by God to Israel (vv. 17-19). It’s further clear
from what Christ declared in Matt. 23:1-3 that keeping the precepts of
the law was the very thing that the scribes and Pharisees weren’t doing;
as Christ made clear on other occasions, the scribes and Pharisees were guilty
of leaving, breaking and repudiating “the precept of God” while keeping their
own tradition in place of what God commanded (Matt.
15:1-9, Mark 7:6-9). It was because of this that Christ commanded
his disciples to do and keep what the scribes and Pharisees said (i.e., when they taught from the
law of Moses), but not to imitate
their lawless, hypocritical acts.
Although the righteousness that made the little flock worthy of
entering into life in the eon to come undoubtedly involved the heart rather
than external conduct only (which is a point we find emphasized throughout
Christ’s teaching), it’s also clear that righteous conduct was inseparable from
being deemed worthy of entering the kingdom of God. According to Christ, it was
not “workers of lawlessness” but rather those who were “doing the will of
[his Father] in the heavens” who would “be entering into the
kingdom of the heavens” (Matt. 7:16-23; cf. vv. 24-27). Notice that Christ contrasted
doing the will of God with “lawlessness” (cf. 1 John 3:4). “Lawlessness” is, of
course, the opposite of keeping God’s law/precepts.
When asked by a young man what one needed to be doing in order
to have life eonian in the kingdom of God, Christ replied, “If you are wanting to
be entering into life, keep the precepts” (Matt.
19:16-17). In other words, keeping the precepts of the law was not an option
for the believers among God’s covenant people if they wanted to “be entering
into life.” It was a requirement. Christ went on to list five of the “Ten
Commandments,” as well as what he considered the second of the two “greatest
precepts” given to Israel: “You shall be loving your associate as
yourself” (vv. 18-19; cf. Mark 12:29-34), which is from Leviticus 19:18.
It was impossible for the believers who comprised the little flock to keep what
Christ referred to as the “greatest precepts” while, at the same time, living
in violation of the very precepts that God delivered to Israel (and which
Christ instructed his disciples to keep).
This understanding is further confirmed from what we read
concerning what these saints must do in order to be saved. According
to Christ, the saints who will be on the earth during the time leading up to
and during the great affliction must be “watching” (rather than “drowsing”) in
order to qualify for an entrance into the kingdom and “stand
in front of the Son of Mankind” after Christ’s return to earth
(Matt. 25:1-13; Luke 12:35-40; cf. 21:34-36). Christ also declared that
these saints must “endure to the consummation” in order to be
saved (Matt. 10:22; 24:13; Mark 13:13; cf. Luke 21:19).
Similarly, when
speaking to John concerning what he was to write to the seven ecclesias in the
province of Asia (which belong to the same company of saints who will be going
through the great affliction), Christ declared that it was those believers who
were “faithful until death” to whom he would “be giving the wreath of life,” and
that it was “the one who is conquering” who would be granted “to be eating
of the tree of life which is in the center of the paradise of God,” and who
would “under no circumstances be injured by the second death” (Rev. 2:7, 10-11). But what did Christ mean by being
“faithful until death” here? Answer: Christ equated this with “conquering,” and
it’s evident from Christ’s words in
Rev. 2:26 that “conquering” involves obediently “keeping [Christ’s] acts until the consummation.” In other words, being “faithful until death” involves
not just the faith but also the conduct of the saints.
In accord with the fact that only those
who are “faithful unto death” will be given “the wreath of life,” Christ
was also clear that the resurrection by means of which those belonging to the
little flock would be able to enjoy an allotment in the kingdom of God – i.e.,
the resurrection that he referred to as “the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:4) – is only for “those deemed worthy”
(Luke 20:35-36). Moreover, it’s also clear that the righteousness of those who
will be deemed worthy to have a part in the resurrection of the righteous is not
a righteousness that is based on “faith alone”; rather, as is evident from Rev.
22:11, the righteousness of the saints during this time is connected with doing righteousness
(instead of doing that which is wicked, such as “worshipping the
wild beast or its image”; see Rev. 20:4). In accord with this fact, the saints
referred to in Revelation – i.e., those who will have a part in “the former resurrection”
referred to in Rev. 20:5-7 (which is the “resurrection of the righteous” to
which Christ referred) – are identified as those “who are keeping the precepts of God and the faith of Jesus” (Rev. 14:12; cf. Rev. 12:17), and who refuse to worship
the wild beast and its image, etc. (v. 9-10).
Consider also the following words of
Christ to the ecclesia in Sardis, as recorded in Rev. 3:1-5:
“I am aware of your acts, that you have a name that you are
living, and are dead. Become watchful, and
establish the rest who were about to be dying; for I have not found
your acts completed in the sight of my God…Yet you have a few names in
Sardis who have not soiled their
clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are
worthy. The one who is conquering will be clothed thus in
white garments, and under no circumstances will I be erasing his name
from the scroll of life. I will
confess his name before my Father and before his messengers.”
Notice that Christ wasn’t merely talking about receiving
something in addition to being saved during the eons of his
reign. He was talking about salvation itself – i.e., having eonian life during
the last and greatest eon (that which pertains to the “new heaven and new
earth”). Walking with Christ in white garments and not having one’s name erased
from “the scroll of life” are undoubtedly about being saved rather than
unsaved.
Thus, the salvation of those who will be alive on the earth when
the events prophesied in Revelation are occurring (and which will include the
“great affliction” referred to in Rev. 7:14) is not such that it will be
received irrespective of what they do or don’t do; rather, to
be worthy of entering into the kingdom that will be established on the earth at
Christ’s return will require continued obedience, diligence and faithfulness
(apart from which one won’t be granted to eat of the tree of life, won’t avoid
the second death, etc.).
Finally, we know from Matt. 24:8 that the time of Jacob’s
distress/great affliction will be preceded
by what Christ referred to as “the beginning of pangs” (in fact, Christ
probably had the words of Jeremiah 30:6-7 in mind when he used “birth pang”
imagery to refer to the events that will precede the time great affliction).
Among the first events that will constitute the beginning of pangs will be a
breakout of warfare between nations and kingdoms. This warfare between nations
and kingdoms will correspond to the peace-removing judgment associated with the
opening of the second seal (Rev. 6:3), and will be one of the earliest
expressions of God’s indignation during the coming “day of the Lord.”
In contrast with the saints who will be going through this
future time of judgment, the saints in the body of Christ have not been
appointed by God to indignation (1 Thess. 5:9-11; cf. 2 Thess. 2:13-14), and will
thus be rescued by Christ from the coming indignation (1 Thess. 1:10). And
since the event referred to by Paul in 1 Thess. 4:15-17 (i.e., the snatching
away) is the means by which God will prevent the body of Christ from going
through the coming indignation, this event must occur before the
start of the earliest judgments that will be occurring during the day of the
Lord. We can thus conclude that the body of Christ is going to be removed from
the earth by Christ before the great affliction begins.
In light of the above considerations, we can conclude the
following concerning “the chosen” who will be going through the great
affliction: (1) they’ll be Israelites; (2) they’ll belong to the same company
of saints that was being formed during Christ’s earthly ministry. In other
words, they’ll be a continuation of the company of saints that Christ referred
to as “the little flock” (and which predated the formation of the body of
Christ). We can further conclude that the saints who comprise the body of
Christ do not have the same calling and expectation as the
saints who will be going through the great affliction (and who will be on the
earth after the saints in the body of
Christ have been snatched away).
[i] In part two of my study on Revelation 12 (Identifying the sun-clothed woman), I presented the view that the great multitude of people seen by John will consist of believing Jews who, at the time of Christ’s return, will be scattered all over the earth among the nations (and who, in contrast with the 144,000 Israelites mentioned earlier, will not be sealed). Some of the Jews of whom this great multitude will consist will already be living in whatever nation they’ll be in before the “great affliction” begins (just as there are many Jews living all over the world today). However, in accord with what we read in Luke 21:24, Joel 3:1-2 and other passages, there will be other Jews who will be among the nations at this time because of what will be occurring during the great affliction (for we read that, at this time, the Jewish people will be “led into captivity into all nations”).
[ii] Although this kingdom is frequently referred to in Matthew’s Account as “the kingdom of the heavens” (or “the kingdom of heaven”), this particular expression is simply another way of referring to the kingdom prophesied in the above passages (which, again, is the kingdom that we’re told “the God of the heavens” shall set up). This expression does not, therefore, inform us of the location of the kingdom about which Christ taught during his earthly ministry (for this kingdom will be set up on the earth); rather, it emphasizes the heavenly source and character of this future kingdom.
