The Spirit of God Commentary Two: The Holy Spirit is God ~ Chuck Smith

The Holy Spirit Is God

Since the purpose of this book is to bring you into a full, personal, and soundly biblical relationship with God the Holy Spirit, we need to first show that the Holy Spirit is one of the three Persons of the Godhead.

The church has accepted throughout its history that there is one God who exists in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the Scriptures we find Them working together in total harmony for the redemption of man. Paul confessed to Timothy that the Godhead was a great mystery; for us to try to fully comprehend it is a futile expenditure of mental energy.

Many cult groups (such as Jehovah’s Witnesses) take advantage of this gulf between the finite and the infinite to attack the triunity of God by denying the deity of Jesus Christ and passing off the Holy Spirit as an essence.

Other groups deny the existence of the Father and the Holy Spirit, and say that Jesus alone is God. One of the common marks of every cult is a denial of the deity of Jesus Christ and the Person of the Holy Spirit.

T h e Tr i u n e G o d

Because this is one of the areas that the enemy constantly attacks, we must affirm not only the fact of the deity
of the Holy Spirit, but also why we believe in His deity. The word trinity is not found in the Bible, but it is a convenient term that theologians use to describe the three Persons of the one God. Perhaps the term triunity would more accurately describe God.

He is not 1 + 1 + 1 = 3, but 1 x 1 x 1 = 1.

In Genesis 1:1 we read, “In the beginning God…” The Hebrew word translated God is “Elohim,” which is plural for El (God in the singular). In Hebrew there is a singular, dual, and plural tense. “God” in the singular is El, in the dual is Elah, and in the plural is Elohim.

There can be no denying that the word Elohim at least suggests the triunity of God.

Continuing in Genesis 1:2 we read, “…the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” The Holy Spirit is the first Person of the Godhead to be identified separately in the Bible.

In Genesis 1:26 we read, “And [Elohim] said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” He did not say, “I will make man after my image.” In other words, the three Persons of the Godhead were speaking jointly.

T h e A t t r i b u t e s o f t h e H o l y S p i r i t

To establish that the Holy Spirit is God, we will first show that attributes which can be ascribed to God alone
are ascribed to the Holy Spirit. One of the divine attributes is the eternal nature of God. He has always existed. In Hebrews 9:14 we read that Christ through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God. If the Spirit is eternal, and this is an attribute that can only be ascribed to deity, then the Spirit is God.

Notice also how the three Persons of the Trinity are linked in the verse.

Another attribute of God is His omniscience. God knows all things, as James said in Acts 15:18: “Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.”

This attribute is also ascribed to the Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 2:10–11 we read, “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.” Here the knowledge of God is attributed to the Spirit of God.
Another attribute of deity is omnipresence.

God exists everywhere in the universe at once.

In Psalm 139:7 David asks, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” God exists in the heavens, in hell, and in the uttermost parts of the sea. The Spirit is with me now where I am, and at the same time He is with you wherever you may be reading this book right now. God is omnipotent.

This is a word used to express that He is all powerful.

When Sarah laughed at the announcement that she was to have a son in her old age, the angel of the Lord asked, “Is any thing too hard for the LORD?” (Genesis 18:14). Jesus said, “With God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27).

In Luke 1:37 He said, “With God nothing shall be impossible.” The angel said to Mary when she questioned him on how she, a virgin, could bear a child, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee” (Luke 1:35).

Here the Holy Spirit and the power of the highest are used synonymously.

T h e Wo r k s o f t h e S p i r i t

Not only are divine attributes ascribed to the Holy Spirit, but so are divine works. One of the divine works is that of creation. The entire Trinity was active in creation. In Genesis 1:1 we read, “In the beginning [Elohim] created the heavens and the earth.” In John 1:1–3 we read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.… All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

The Spirit was also an active force in creation. In Genesis 1:2 the Spirit is described as moving over the face of the waters. The Spirit was in conference with the Father and the Son when God said, “Let us make man in our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). In Psalm 104:30 we read, “Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created.”

Another work of God is that of giving life.

We recognize that God is the giver and sustainer of life. In 2 Corinthians 3:6, as Paul was referring to the letter of the law, he said, “The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” In John 6:63 Jesus said, “It is the spirit that [maketh alive].”

The Bible was written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, yet we properly refer to the Bible as the Word of God.

Second Peter 1:21 tells us, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy [Spirit].” In 2 Timothy 3:16 Paul declares, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God.” Peter says that the writers were moved by the Holy Spirit and Paul says that they were inspired by God. Thus the Spirit is recognized to be God.

This is why many Scriptures in the Old Testament which declare that the Lord spoke are attributed to the Holy Spirit when quoted in the New Testament. In Isaiah 6:8–9 the prophet said, “I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.”

When Paul quoted this passage in Acts 28:25–26 he said, “Well spake the Holy [Spirit] by Isaiah the prophet unto our fathers, saying, …hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive.” Isaiah said the Lord spoke; Paul said the Holy Spirit spoke.

They can both be right only if the Holy Spirit and the Lord are one.

T h e Tr i n i t y Wo r k i n g To g e t h e r

In Acts 5:1–11 we have an interesting account of discipline in the infant church as God was seeking to preserve its purity. Motivated by love, many Christians attempted to establish a Christian community by selling all their possessions and turning the proceeds over to the apostles, so that the Christians might have all things in common. A certain couple, Ananias and Sapphira, sold their property, but together decided to hold back a share of the price for themselves.

When Ananias brought his portion to Peter, Peter asked, “Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy [Spirit], and to keep part of the price of the land? While it remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God” (Acts 5:3–4). Peter said that Satan had filled the heart of Ananias to lie to the Holy Spirit, then declared that he had lied to God, thereby making the Holy Spirit and God one.

Throughout the New Testament we see the Trinity working together or coupled together. When Jesus commissioned the disciples to go out and teach all nations (Matthew 28:19–20), He told them to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

These three names distinguish the three Persons of the one God.
In 2 Corinthians 13:14, in his apostolic benediction, Paul said, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy [Spirit] be with you all. Amen.”

Here again the three Persons of the one God are linked together.

In 1 Corinthians 12:4–6 Paul says, “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.” In verse four he refers to the Spirit, in verse five to the Lord (Jesus), and in verse six to God (the Father).

So, though there may be diversities in the gifts and in their operation and administration, there is a unity because God is behind it all.

A c c e s s T h r o u g h t h e S p i r i t

At this point you may be thinking, “Well, what difference does it all make whether the Spirit is God or just an
essence from God?”

Because the Spirit is a part of the Godhead, it is proper to worship Him, and we are correct when
we sing, “Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.” God has
ordained that we relate to Him through the Spirit.

It is in the realm of the Spirit that man can touch God.

It is my spirit brought into union with the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

Paul also said, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit” (Romans 8:16).

If I am to have communion with God, I must recognize the Holy Spirit and realize that He is the One that makes this fellowship possible.

Man has never had direct access to the Father; this is a common fallacy among people who forget the awesome holiness of God. When God manifested Himself on the Holy Mount to the Jewish people (Exodus 19), He had them set boundaries around the mountain so they wouldn’t get too close to the manifestation of God and be put to death.

When the people saw from afar the awesome demonstration of God, they said to Moses, “You speak to us and we will hear, but don’t let God speak to us lest we die.”

The veil in the tabernacle demonstrated the separation that must exist between the Holy God and an unholy
people. This veil could only be penetrated after an elaborate cleansing and sacrifices by the high priest, and this only one day in the year, and by only one man, the high priest.

Jesus said, “No man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). Jesus told the Jews that they really didn’t know the Father. He also told them that Moses would be the witness against them. They do not follow the prescribed way to God that was given to Moses by God, but today seek to approach Him on the basis of their good works without sacrifice.

Sin has always been the barrier between man and God, and until something is done about man’s sin, there can
be no approach to God.

In Isaiah 59:1–2 we read, “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”

Jesus provided a way to cleanse us from our sins, thus making the approach to God possible.
Through faith in Jesus Christ my spirit is made alive, and thus can be united with God’s Spirit.

In this way God and man are joined in the Spirit.

THE RAPTURE! ~ Chuck Smith

THE RAPTURE!

Death to the Christian is so different than to the non- Christian that it’s incorrect even to use the same term. For the Christian death is really a transition.

Paul said, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain… I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better” (Philippians 1:21, 23). Paul said that we who are in this body do groan, earnestly desiring to be delivered; not that we would be unclothed but that we might be clothed with that body which is from heaven (2 Corinthians 5:2).

Speaking to the Thessalonians concerning their loved ones who had already died in Christ, Paul said, I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not [precede] them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, emphasis added).

Some people would ridicule the idea or concept of the Rapture of the church. They declare that the word “rapture” isn’t even found in the Bible. It all depends on which Bible you’re reading.

The phrase “caught up” in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 is the Greek word harpazo, which actually means “to be snatched away violently.” The Latin equivalent of harpazo is the verb rapio, “to take away by force.” In the Latin Vulgate, one of the oldest Bibles in existence, the appropriate tense of rapio appears in verse 17. Raptus is the past participle of rapio. Our English words “rapt” and “rapture” stem from this past participle. Although “rapture” isn’t in the King James Bible, the basic word does appear in the Latin Vulgate.

What Is Meant by the Rapture?

The Rapture refers to that event where Jesus Christ snatches His church out of this world. It shall happen suddenly without any notice. The Rapture of the church and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ are completely different.

At the Rapture, Jesus is coming for His saints.

In 1 Corinthians 15:51–52 Paul said, “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed [metamorphosis, a change of body], In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.” You won’t even realize it’s happened until it’s all over. Suddenly, you’re in the presence of the Lord with all the church!

We, the church, will be changed. Paul wrote to the Philippians,
For our [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious [image] (Philippians 3:20–21).

Describing the metamorphosis Paul wrote to Corinth,
“For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:53). At the Second Coming we will return with Jesus Christ. Jude 14 tells us, “Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints.”

 

When Will the Rapture Take Place?

Jesus said, “No man knows the day or hour…” For us to presume to declare some date or some hour would be an unscriptural presumption. If we say we know the hour, we’re boasting of knowledge superior to Christ’s when He was upon the earth.

Although we do not know the exact time of the Rapture, in 1 Thessalonians 5 Paul said,
But of the times and seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh…But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as am thief (emphasis added)
.
The Bible is saying that the Rapture shouldn’t come to you as a surprise.

Why Should “That Day” Not Overtake Us as a Thief?

God has given to us the warnings that would precede the coming of Jesus Christ.

One of the greatest signs to the world today is the reestablishment of the nation Israel. For years Bible scholars had looked forward to the regathering of the nation Israel based on many Scriptures (including Matthew 24:32), and applying expositional constancy (fig tree or figs in parables symbolize the nation Israel).

Skeptics ridiculed this prophecy.

Never in history had a nation been born out of the past, but a miracle has taken place and a nation has been reborn. God has reestablished Israel among the family of nations on the earth. God has fulfilled His promise even as He said He would.

Psalm 102:16 declares, “When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.” Because the Lord is building up Zion, the orthodox Jew today is looking for his Messiah. We are too! We’re looking forward to this fulfillment of God’s promise—the coming again of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:…know that it [His coming] is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled (Matthew 24:32–34).

What “Generation”?

Not the generation Christ was talking to, because they’ve passed—but the generation that saw the fig tree budding forth. The coming of Jesus Christ is “even at the doors.” The rebirth of Israel should be a sign to every child of God!

Jesus said throughout the rest of Matthew 24, “Watch… be ye also ready.” That was the constant warning to the church: watch and be ready.

In Luke 21:28 when Jesus was speaking of these same things, using again the parable of the fig tree, He said, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”

Will the Rapture Precede the Great Tribulation?

There are arguments and Scriptures that people can present for pre-, mid-, and post-Tribulation theories. My personal opinion is that Jesus will come before the Great Tribulation to rapture His church. I don’t believe that the church will go through the Great Tribulation period.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:9 Paul wrote, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul said the same in Romans 5:9—we’ve not been appointed to wrath. Jesus, in the whole context of the Tribulation, said, “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” (Luke 21:36). My prayer is that I will be accounted worthy to escape all of these things that are going to come to pass upon the earth.

The Lord divided the Book of Revelation into three sections:

[1] “Write the things which thou hast seen,

[2] andthe things which are,

[3] and the things which shall be hereafter [meta tauta]”

(Revelation 1:19).

John, in obedience to
the commandment, wrote in chapter 1 the vision of Christ
that he saw on the island of Patmos. In chapters 2 and 3 he
wrote of the church and the message of Jesus to the seven
churches. Let’s look at two of these messages where Jesus
made reference to His coming again.

1. The church of Thyatira had introduced the worship of idols within the church. Jesus said, I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel… to seduce my servants to commit fornication… I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds (Revelation 2:20–22, emphasis added).

The unrepentant church of Thyatira, which had gone into spiritual “fornication” (idolatry and saint worship), was to be cast into the Great Tribulation unless, the Lord said, she repented
.
2. To the church of Philadelphia in Revelation 3:10 Jesus said, “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come…to try them that dwell upon the earth” (emphasis added). The Rapture can happen at any moment—and it’s exciting to realize that as a Christian you may never finish reading this article!

After the close of the messages to the churches, Revelation 4:1 begins and ends with the Greek phrase meta tauta. “After these things,” John said, “…behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was a trumpet talking with me, which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be after these things [meta tauta]” (emphasis added).

After What “Things”?

Jesus spoke of church things in chapters 2 and 3. These must be the things that will take place after the church is taken out of the earth. I believe that 4:1 of the Book of Revelation is the place of the Rapture of the church. That “voice” in heaven and “trumpet” are the same as in 1 Thessalonians 4:16.

With the trump of God and the archangel saying, “Come up hither,” we, the church, will be gathered together
with the Lord in the heavens.

What Happens After Revelation 4:1?

John describes the heavenly scene in chapter 4. In chapter 5 he saw the scroll with seven seals in the right hand of Him who is sitting upon the throne. An angel proclaimed with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals?”

John began to sob convulsively because no one in heaven or earth, nor under the earth was found worthy
to even look upon the scroll (Revelation 5:2–4).

Then one of the elders said, “Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book and to loose the seven seals.”

John turned and saw Jesus as a Lamb that had been slain, “…and he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.” Immediately, they brought forth the “…vials full of [incense] which are the prayers of saints.

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:5–10). Notice the song that is being sung.

Who Can Sing That Song?

It’s not the song of Israel and the covenant relationship with God. People from all the families of the earth, not
just one family of Abraham, are singing. It’s a people who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Only the church can sing that song.

In Revelation 5:11 after Jesus takes the scroll, John said that innumerable multitudes, “ten thousand times ten thousands” worship the Lamb, declaring His worthiness to receive the honor, the authority, and the glory. In Revelation 6, Jesus proceeds to loose the seals of the scrolls.

With the very first seal there comes forth the white horse rider, “…conquering, and to conquer.”

This, I believe, is the entrance of the Antichrist because he’s followed by wars, death, famine, and desolation. Certainly, the Second Coming of Christ isn’t going to be followed by such events, but by the glorious establishment of the Kingdom.

Now, Where’s the Church?

Before the Tribulation ever begins the church is in heaven singing and praising the Lord for His worthiness to take the scroll and loose the seals. The Tribulation doesn’t start until the seven seals begin to be broken.

Then Why All the Confusion Concerning Pre-Trib, Mid- Trib, and Post-Trib Rapture?

In Revelation 13:7, reference is made to the beast, “…making war with the saints,” and he is given power to overcome them during the middle of the Tribulation period.

Jesus in Matthew 24:29–31 said about His Second Coming,

Immediately after the tribulation of those days… they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

By defining “the saints” and “His elect” as being the church you would have the church in the Tribulation period. I believe “His elect” is a reference to the nation Israel, if you read it in context.

Christ said, “Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day…” when fleeing out of Jerusalem (Matthew 24:16–20). How many in the church expect to be in Jerusalem fleeing when the Antichrist sets up his image within the temple? How many of you would be praying,

“O God, don’t let it be on the Sabbath day”? The church doesn’t keep the Sabbath day; that’s God’s covenant relationship with Israel. The fact is that Israel is “His elect.”

He’s going to gather them back into their land for the Kingdom Age at His return.

As Paul said in Romans 11:25–26, …that blindness in part [has] happened to
Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written,
There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. “The saints” of Revelation 13:7 are also the same. They are God’s nation Israel which He has now established again in a priority basis upon the earth during this last seven-year

Tribulation period.

The mistake and the confusion regarding the church’s place in the last times arise out of a misunderstanding of God’s full prophecies concerning the nation Israel. Israel will be going through the Great Tribulation. This will be the time of Jacob’s troubles spoken of in Scripture (Jeremiah 30:7).

This will be the time when, as even Jesus said, “Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 23:39).

After the Great Tribulation period Israel will be saying, “O, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Jesus shall return again with His church at the Second Coming of Christ.

Zechariah the prophet said, “And one shall say unto him; What are these wounds in your hands? Then he shall
answer; Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends” (Zechariah 13:6). Thus, the glorious first recognition of Jesus as Israel’s Messiah when He comes the second time with the church to establish His reign upon the earth.

What Should I Do as a Christian?

In the light of the fact that the Lord might come even today, there are certain things we should do. But first, let
me tell you what you shouldn’t do. Don’t quit your job, sell your house, or see how much money you can borrow figuring you won’t have to pay it back. Jesus said, “Occupy until I come” (Luke 19:13). He intends for us to go right on in our work.

Jesus said, “Watch” (Matthew 24:42).  You should be watching. In Hebrews it says, “And unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time…” (Hebrews 9:28). You should be ready. Jesus said, “Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:44).

Amos cried out, “Prepare to meet thy God” (Amos 4:12). You need to prepare. That preparation is in giving your heart and life to Jesus Christ, receiving His forgiveness and the blotting out of your sins and transgressions. And then wait.

James said, “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth…Be ye also patient; establish your hearts” (James 5:7–8). In 2 Peter 3:3–4 we learn that in the last days there will be scoffers that will come and say, “Where is the promise of his coming?” But God “is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us” (v. 9).

The Question at This Point Is,

“Are You Ready?”

Consider the Lord proclaiming today,

“This is the end forthe church!

You have finished your witness.

Come home!”

Would you be gathered with the church to meet the Lord in the air, or would you be down here scratching your head wondering what’s going on?

How much better to go with the church than to be left behind to face the Tribulation and all the horror coming
upon the earth. Why make it tough for yourself when the Lord wants to make it easy on you? Why not just open your heart and life to Jesus Christ now? Why not just receive Him as your Lord and Savior and, as He said, be ready. What do you need to be ready? Jesus Christ dwelling in your heart and in your life.

What About Those Who Miss?

At times there may be a hesitancy in our hearts concerning the coming of Jesus Christ because of what will happen to our unsaved family members when He returns.

Once we’ve been caught up, many of our loved ones, who have been hassled by our witness and upset with our testimony, will realize that they’ve actually missed the opportunity of being raptured with the church.

As a result, they’ll become dead serious with God and will choose to be martyred during the Great Tribulation period by refusing to take the mark of the beast. They will choose death in preference to the mark and, thus, will be saved (Revelation 20:4).

In Revelation 7:9–14, John saw in heaven “a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kin dreds…clothed with white robes…” singing of salvation.

The elder said to John, “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (emphasis added). In Revelation 6:9–11 under the fifth seal, these souls martyred during the Tribulation period are waiting for their opportunity to enter the heavenly scene.

They are told to wait a little longer until the total number be slain as they were slain.

Being a Tribulation saint is a hard way to come. As Jesus said, “For then shall be great tribulation…” such as the world never has seen before or ever will see again (Matthew 24:21).

Why wait?

Why slough off your chances of being in the glorious excitement of being with the Lord when He
catches up the church?