Will Christians go through the tribulation?
Maybe you’ve heard that terrible times are coming before Jesus returns, and you’re wondering if you and your family will have to go through them. It’s a question that can bring fear, so let’s look at what God actually promises.
No. Become teaches that Jesus will catch up His people before the tribulation, the seven years of God’s judgment on the earth. Scripture promises, “God has not appointed us to suffer wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Jesus is “our deliverer from the coming wrath” (1 Thessalonians 1:10), and He promised His faithful church, “I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world” (Revelation 3:10). In plain words: if you belong to Jesus, you will not be here for the tribulation. Believers will still face hard times in this life (John 16:33), but not those seven years of God’s wrath.
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Noah was carried through the flood
Before God judged the earth with the flood, He told Noah to build an ark, and when the waters came, Noah and his family were safe inside while the judgment fell around them (Genesis 7). Jesus said His return would be “as it was in the days of Noah” (Matthew 24:37). God has a way of removing His people from His judgment.
In plain words
When Jesus says He will keep His people “from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world,” He means exactly that: believers will be taken out before it starts. The people left on earth for the tribulation are the people who have not trusted Jesus.
What the tribulation is
The tribulation is a future period of about seven years (Daniel 9:27) when God pours out His judgment on a world that has rejected Him. Jesus called it a time of “great tribulation, unmatched from the beginning of the world until now” (Matthew 24:21). Revelation 6–19 describes it.
Why believers are taken first
The tribulation is God’s wrath on sin, and believers have already been rescued from wrath through Jesus (Romans 5:9). So the catching up of believers (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17) comes first, and then the seven years begin.
What about the crown of life?
The crown of life isn’t earned by going through the tribulation. It is promised to every believer who perseveres through trials in any era (James 1:12) and stays faithful even to death (Revelation 2:10).
What the Bible says
- 01
Not appointed to wrath.
“For God has not appointed us to suffer wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Thessalonians 5:9 - 02
Our deliverer from the coming wrath.
“and to await His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.”
1 Thessalonians 1:10 - 03
Kept from the hour of testing.
“Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”
Revelation 3:10 - 04
Saved from wrath.
“Therefore, since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from wrath through Him!”
Romans 5:9 - 05
Be ready.
“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. And they were oblivious until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come.”
Matthew 24:36–42 - 06
The blessed hope.
“as we await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Titus 2:13
Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.
Don’t live in fear of the end. Live ready: is there anything between you and God today? Settle it now.
Common questions
Is today the tribulation?
No. The world is broken and hard, but the tribulation is a specific future period of God’s judgment that begins after believers are taken up.
Can people still be saved during the tribulation?
Yes. Revelation describes a great multitude who come to faith during it, often at the cost of their lives (Revelation 7:9–14).
What if my family isn’t saved?
Pray for them, love them and tell them about Jesus now. Today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Take your first step with us.
If you prayed today, or you’re close, Become will walk with you: your first days with Jesus, step by step, with people praying for you.