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Armageddon: Are You Seeking anEscape Route? 
By William Bell
Much of what is taught regarding the end time is fear-based eschatology.The title of this blog post,
“Armageddon: Are You Seeking an Escape Route?,”
characterizes those influenced by the escapist of Rapture theology.At the heart of the Rapture doctrine is fear, fear to face what is believed to be the great tribulationand a coming cataclysmic melt down of the planet.Christians are not spiritual Houdini’s seeking to escape from the world. Rather, they wereassured they had overcome the world by their faith. Thus, Christians do not seek escape butengagement.For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome theworld—our faith, (1 John 5:4
 
).In Revelation, the church would not go around but
through
the tribulation. They were giventwo promises.One, they were to be faithful to death, i.e. suffer persecution and martyrdom during thetribulation in order to overcome the second death, (Rev. 2:10).Two, if they lived, they were to
endure
the tribulation.The 144,000, would in fact come out of the great tribulation, (Rev. 7:14). They could not comeout of what they had never been in in the first place.What is significant is these are “latter-day-saints” of the first century.Why? Because they are called “firstfruits” in chapter 14:1–4.There is no way possible that 21
st
century saints can be the first saints of Christianity.Therefore, for the firstfruits (1
st
century N.T. Christians) to come out of the great tribulationwhich preceded the battle of Armageddon, they had to have experienced it in their day.Enduring the tribulation ensured their entrance into the kingdom.
“Strengthening the souls of the disciples exhorting them to continue in the faith, andsaying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.’ (Acts 14:22).
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