OUT OF AFFLICTION

Jesus told us that in this world we would have tribulation.  But we are to be of good cheer because He had overcome the world.  (John 16:33)  As Christians we are not promised a life without difficulties.  Psalm 34:19 states, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.”  We can be assured of God delivering us out from the difficulties, but not to keep us from entering into difficulties. 

We see in the situation recorded in Daniel 3, in which Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the furnace they were not in there alone. There was a fourth person in there with them.  They came forth from that fire that had killed the men who threw them in, without even the smell of smoke upon them.  They were not alone, nor will we be left alone in our time of affliction.  (Hebrews 13:5)

Isaiah 43:2-3a When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. ³ For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour:

The Seal Of God

I personally am not convinced of a pre-tribulation rapture (catching up of the church). During the time of the tribulation, I believe we will see God's supernatural protection of His people over and over again. Just like in the book of Exodus, as the plagues/judgments were poured out, the Hebrew people in the land of Goshen were protected.

One of the reasons I believe this is because of what is recorded in Revelation 9:1-12. At the sounding of the fifth trumpet an angel, probably a fallen angel, opens the bottomless pit and releases a horrible, monstrous horde of creatures that will torment people on the earth for five months. But these creatures have limits put on them by God. One of those limits is that they are not to hurt the people who have "the seal of God in their foreheads."

Concerning end time things we hear much about the mark of the beast, but we seldom hear about the seal of God placed on His own people.

Revelation 9:1-12 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. 5And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. 6And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. 7And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. 11And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. 12One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.