THE SOUND OF FOOTSTEPS: WHY WE ARE SEEING AN INCREASE IN TROUBLES BEFORE THE TRIBULATION PERIOD

THE SOUND OF FOOTSTEPS: WHY WE ARE SEEING AN INCREASE IN TROUBLES BEFORE THE TRIBULATION PERIOD

1 Kings 14:6 And it was so, when Ahijah heard the SOUND OF HER FEET, AS SHE CAME IN AT THE DOOR, that he said, Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to thee with heavy tidings.

James 5:9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

The “tribulation period” is the age from the pre-trib rapture until the second coming of Christ to judge the Antichrist. Specifically it is the whole age prophesied in Mt.24, Mk.13 and Lk.21. It includes the period of
“great tribulation” (Mt.24:21) within it. Notice what the Bible says about the START of this age:

Matthew 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For MANY shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6 And ye shall hear of WARS and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the END is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be FAMINES, and PESTILENCES, and EARTHQUAKES, in divers places.
8 All these are the BEGINNING of sorrows.

The “end” is the second coming of Christ to destroy the wicked. It does not come until the last part of the whole age. Notice the calamities that are said to be at the BEGINNING of the Trib. Mark and Luke teach the same:

Mark 13:6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and TROUBLES: these are the BEGINNINGS of sorrows.

Luke 21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for THESE THINGS must FIRST COME TO PASS; but the end is not by and by.
10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and FEARFUL SIGHTS and GREAT SIGNS shall there be from heaven.
12 But before ALL THESE, they shall lay their hands on you, and PERSECUTE you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.

Putting all of this together, we see that the BEGINNING of the Tribulation period will include:

1. False Christs
2. Wars
3. Famines
4. Pestilences (deadly epidemic diseases)
5. Earthquakes in divers (various) places
6. Troubles
7. Fearful Sights
8. Great Signs from heaven
9. Persecution

All of this occurs before the most horrible period of persecution in history begins later in the Trib. What does all of this reveal? I believe it teaches us to expect some “footsteps” and “rumblings” of these NINE calamities before they actually arrive at the door. Since these nine judgments are at the START of the Tribulation period, it makes sense that as we approach the end of our age (leading into the start of the Tribulation age), we will begin to see the birth pains of these future calamities among us. These nine Tribulation calamities are “birth pains” themselves, which lead up to the second coming and end of the world. Yet, right now, in our age, we are seeing the “birth pains” that are leading up to those birth pains. We are not technically in the so-called “birth pains” (or pangs) in the present; we are in the birth pains of the coming birth pains! This is an important distinction to make. There are signs that a woman is pregnant which are far different than the signs that she is about to actually go into labor. Many prophecy teachers teach that the
earthquakes and other troubles we are now seeing are themselves the “birth pains” (actually “beginning of sorrows”) that are mentioned in Matthew 24. Hal Lindsey, in “The Late Great Planet Earth” taught that we have been experiencing the “beginning of sorrows” ever since 1948. Yet, I believe we have only been experiencing the “final sorrows” of THIS age that lead up to the “beginning of sorrows” of the NEXT age. We are presently in the times predicted by the Apostle Paul, which will include the coming Tribulation, but is not limited to it:

2 Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

The Christian disciples were told to “watch” in Mt.24, Mk.13 and Lk.21 because to start with, it is a “double application” prophecy. Many of those things did happen leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus. However, just as John the Baptist did not COMPLETETLY fulfill the Malachi 4 prophecy concerning Elijah (Mal.4:5, Mt.17:11), neither did A.D. 70 completely fulfill the prophecies in Mt.24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. They all will be completely fulfilled in the age leading up to Daniel’s 70th Week. That this age is AFTER the rapture, and not before, can be seen from Christ’s own words:

Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape ALL THESE THINGS that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

The “all these things,” on the basis of sound, literal, Biblical interpretation, must rationally include the beginning or sorrows mentioned in Luke 21:8-12, unless it can be proven otherwise. If “all” does not mean “all” in verse 26, then what does it mean in verse 32?:

Luke 21:32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till ALL be fulfilled.

Luke 21:36 is therefore one of the strongest proofs in the Bible that we are not already experiencing the “beginning of sorrows.” And that brings up an interesting point. Pre-tribbers” may again be divided into “pre” “mid” or “post” themselves since many believe that Christians will only be translated from the “worst part” of the sorrows. Many pre-tribbers believe we are now IN the “beginning of sorrows”. They are technically “pre-wrath” or “mid-tribbers” and not “pre-tribbers” in regard to the tribulation sorrows, since they do not see the rapture as an escape from all the nine sorrows prophesied to begin the final age.

The final, main reason the Christian disciples were told to “watch” is that the second coming of Christ will include the stage of the pre-trib rapture. Since this has not yet occurred, it is obvious we are not yet in the “sorrows” that will occur subsequent to it. But we do presently hear their footsteps creeping up to the door.

From: KAU #76p.1 (7-29-00)