WHY I DO NOT CALL CHRIST’S COMING “PRE-TRIBULATION” Pastor Art Watkins of Coden Bible Church (Coden, Alabama) October 13, 2015 Right now all over the Middle East 1000’s of Christians are being imprisoned, kidnapped, families separated, tortured, beaten, children raped, burnt alive, cut to pieces, heads cut off and buried alive. This has been going on for years and yet we still say that Christ’s coming for the church is “pre-tribulation”. Tell that to these Christians in the Middle East! IF THESE CHRISTIANS ARE NOT SUFFERING TRIBULATION, EVEN GREAT TRIBULATION THEN WHAT DO YOU CALL THIS? According to VOM (Voice of the Martyrs) there are more Christians being tortured now, than at any time in history. That is saying a lot when you consider how the Catholic Church brutally murdered nearly 1 million Bible believing Christians in Europe in the inquisition. (150,000 in one day in the St. Bartholomew Massacre) The fact is, the church has suffered tribulation, even great tribulation in the past (Read Foxes Book of Martyrs) and is suffering tribulation now (Read the Voice of the Martyrs) and will suffer tribulation in the future (Read Acts 14:22) till Jesus comes again. So, there is no such thing as a “pre-tribulation” coming of Christ for the church. How can it be “pre-tribulation”, which means “before tribulation”, when the church has always suffered tribulation and will always suffer tribulation till Jesus comes again? Jesus himself said in John 16:33: These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. Jesus said that as long as we are in the world we will suffer tribulation. When Jesus spoke of tribulation he did not speak of a period of time 2000 years in the future. He did not put tribulation in a box and mark it future. He spoke of tribulation in the nasty now and now! Did he mislead us? Was he mistaken? Didn’t Jesus have a Scofield Bible? Didn’t he see all of Clarance Larkin’s charts? (LOL) According to the word of God and not the word of men, when Jesus comes for the church he will come for a church suffering tribulation. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure this out. And so if you are not suffering some type of tribulation in your life for Christ’s sake then maybe should ask yourself this question: Am I living godly in Christ Jesus, for Paul said: Yea and all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. (2 Tim. 3:12) Also, don’t buy into the false hope that what is now happening to Christians in the Middle East will never happen to Christians in America. If you have this false hope you are in for a rude awakening.