In Trouble Again

I am not really in trouble but sometimes it seems like it.  Yesterday I asked the question whether people would be saved in the tribulation and almost everyone responded that they did.  My pre-trib dispensational upbringing crept in and I was thinking about the rapture taking place before the tribulation.  Now it may but my thinking is that it won't.  I believe that tribulation will continue to increase and during the last seven years before the return of Christ it will be so intense that it will be called the great tribulation.  Yes, people will be saved and at the return of Christ they will be part of the great multitude surrounding the throne.
Why do I no longer believe in a pre-tribulation rapture?  Having lived in the Philippines, traveled to South America and to Africa I can see the suffering that God's people are going through today.  Only in comfort-driven North America are we concerned about having to suffer through the tribulation. Get over it.  Remember that the Scriptures say that we will come through the tribulation not be destroyed by it.

High View of Scripture

One time I observed that the view of a pre-tribulation rapture did not have any Biblical support and especially didn't have any support from non-North American Christians.  A friend immediately got upset with me and informed me that I didn't have a high view of Scripture.  That was a put down to make me be quiet but I don't think he is right.
In Revelation 7 we see a multitude that no man can number standing before the throne and we are told that these are the ones that came out of the great tribulation.  They were saved, they had white robes, palm branches and were crying out that "salvation belongs to our God". 
Now it doesn't seem that these people would be saved during the tribulation that takes place in the seven years following the rapture but rather as you go back to Revelation 6 you see that Christians have been suffering tribulation from the beginning. 
I believe that I have a very high view of Scripture and that is why I cannot accept my friend's point of view.

144000

So who are the 14400 that are referred to in Revelation 7?  Do they represent the church?  They are not Jacob's sons as Dan is not included and Manasseh is included.  They are not the tribes that inherited the land in Canaan as Levi is included and Dan is excluded as well as Joseph is listed rather than Ephraim.  So is the 144000 ethnic Israel who are converted after the Lord returns?  Why is this group on the earth while the great multitude in the rest of the chapter are around the throne in heaven?  Help me, I am confused.  How do we interpret the 144000?

Creation and Redemption Part 3

Continuing with the theme of creation and redemption brings me to the final book of the Bible.  In Revelation 4 we have a scene of worship around the throne in Heaven but the basis of that worship is creation. “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”  Revelation 4:11
When you turn to the next chapter you read, “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.  You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”  Revelation 5:9 - 10  We see the parallel themes of creation and redemption in our worship.  We are called to worship our God because He is both our Creator and our Redeemer.  It is not enough to worship Him because He made us though that is where we must start.  We worship Him because He has redeemed us.

Your God is too Small

A number of years ago J. B. Phillips wrote a book titled, "Your God is too Small." I believe that you cannot worship a God that is too small. People have referred to God as the man upstairs or another such name but this is not a god that you can worship. The God that calls us to worship Him is bigger than the universe as He created it all. There are no words in any language that can describe Him. A domesticated god is not a god that we can worship we can only worship the God who cannot be tamed. When John tried to describe God words failed him.
How big is your God? Is your God indescribable?

Worship and Doctrine

Should a worship leader have a good knowledge of doctrine? Before I go any further with this post I should point out that I just used "worship" as an adjective when it is much more than that but I will get to that in another post.
Jesus told the woman of Samaria that the time was coming when we would worship in spirit and in truth. People love the spirit part but they ignore the truth. What does that mean for our worship?
First, we must know the truth and not just the truth in abstract but the Truth as a person. Jesus is the Truth and the life. Our worship is not just with our emotions but it involves the mind.
Second, it means that the songs that we sing should speak the truth. They should be more than a catchy tune but have meaningful words. My son often said that the choruses we sing are take home theology. It is important that the words speak the truth. It is important that the one that picks the songs we sing also knows the truth.
Some people have said "no creed but Christ" but what does that mean? If you don't have a creed then what do you believe abut Christ? Who is He? The creed "no creed but Christ" is laziness and does more harm to our worship than we could imagine. We must know the truth, we must worship with our minds, we must know doctrine to worship properly.

Hallelujah

A quick quiz. When is the only time the word Hallelujah is used in the New Testament?
Answer: it is in the Hallelujah chorus of Revelation 19 where it is used four times.

Quiz #2. What is the occasion of the outburst of praise?
Answer: The fall of Babylon which represents the world system.