Tribulation

[Faith]

What is the tribulation and does the LCMS believe in it?

 

[Faith]

Josiah?

 

[Fritz Kobus]

The Bible speaks of tribulations in many places, and especially in Matthew 24 (and parallel sections of Mark and Luke):

Matthew 24:21 "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."

This, I believe the Lutheran Church, takes to be the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish Nation in about 70 AD.

 

[Lamb]

Doctrine - Frequently Asked Questions - The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Frequently asked questions about LCMS doctrine.

www.lcms.org

Scripture teaches that all Christians will endure varying degrees of "tribulation" until the last day, that Christ will return only once (visibly) to "catch up" ("rapture") all believers, living and dead, into heaven, and that all believers will reign forever with him in heaven.


Lutherans understand the "1,000 years" of Rev. 20:11-15 to be a figurative reference to Christ's reign here and now in the hearts and lives of believers, which will culminate in our reigning with Christ forever in heaven following his return on the last day.

 

[Fritz Kobus]

The "1000" years is figurative and represents the period of Jesus earthly physical presence through his return at the last day to gather up the saints. The Kingdom of God is not of this world (no, it does not spring from this world), but includes all of this world. All people and all governments are within the Kingdom of God as God's Kingdom rules the entire earth. Those governments that do not administer God's laws are in rebellion, which is every government to one degree or another.

The reality is that amillenialsts are really post millennial as they believe Jesus will return after the millennium, they just don't believe the millennium is a specific 1000-year period with Jesus physically ruling from a central office. But amillenialists need to recognize that God's Kingdom is more than a spiritual or Heavenly Kingdom as I described above.

As such, Christians need to be the salt of the earth and work to better society in whatever ways they are gifted in, so to be in government, education, industry etc, making moral decisions where others might be less than moral. If enough Christians had been doing this over the past 100 years or so, we might not be in the mess we are in now. But it seems the Church long ago gave the reins of secular society to the humanists.

 

[Faithhopeandcharity]

What is the sign of the son of man?
Matt 24:30

 

[Fritz Kobus]

What is the sign of the son of man?
Matt 24:30

So Matthew 24:30 "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."

Likely similar to what is meant In Isaiah 19:1 The burden of Egypt. Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. 2 And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. 3 And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards. 4 And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts.

So the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD.

​

 

[Faithhopeandcharity]

Sign of the cross?
Or is it the blessed Virgin Mary?