[Tuscaloosa Goldfinch]

It is kind of the default position. I wish it were true, but what about the Christians in Iraq being slaughtered -we tend to think as Americans we won’t face the tribulation or persecution but historically believers have faced terrible trials.

[Smittie]

We face human persecution and slaughter, but The Tribulation is God’s wrath, which if you’re a christian you have been saved from;which is why I believe in a pretrib rapture.

[spetznaz]

A very important point. A lot of pre-tribulation doctrine is very America-centric. Why? Because it is largely in the US that Christians do not face real persecution. By 'real' I am not talking about a 'war on Christmas' or bakers getting sued for not making a cake for a gay couple. By real I mean a real chance of getting killed for your faith ....that is the default position for Christians in some countries, and ranges from a risk of getting arrested and harassed in places like China to getting thrown in prison in places like Iran to getting killed (in horrible ways) in places like Syria. In Egypt, Orthodox Christians will often tattoo a small cross on the gap between their thumb and index finger. Why? So that, even under pain of death, they can never be able to deny their savior.

My point?

Christians in several countries around the world are already going through the tribulation, and it has gotten significantly worse for those in the Middle East and North Africa in the last four years. Their men are killed. Their women raped. Their children sold into slavery. Some are given a choice to convert to Islam (and they refuse and get matured for Christ), most just get directly slaughtered.

Which makes me wonder what doctrine is this that makes American Christians believe that their lot is to magically vanish, leaving behind empty clothes, dental fillings and jewelery, when it is obvious around the world that other Christians are not going through a Star Trek experience.

I am not willing to go as far as saying that American Christians are getting deceived, but I will most definitely say that a large number will get a very nasty surprise.

[primrose]

we will have tribulations and persecution and there will be rapture of the church all over the world for the body of CHRIST these scriptures might help,1 THESSALONIA 4;17, AND 1 THESS,4;16 and 1 Corinthians 15;51-53..