Yesterday we spoke of how Jesus said the gates of hell will not overcome His church. Then we spoke of how during the Tribulation the antichrist was allowed to overcome the saints. If the church is gone before the Tribulation, we have no contradiction here. The thing I want to talk about today is that all people that are saved are saved by the blood of Jesus.
The Old Testament people of God were in a holding tank until Christ’s work on the cross was done. Why? Because the blood of animals was a temporary sin offering and was not sufficient until Christ shed His blood.
After Jesus resurrected it appears that these saved Old Testament saints rose with Him.
Matthew 27:52-53 – 52And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
Christ’s blood is what is sufficient to have your sins forgiven. What about those who died before Christ? The people who truly sought after God had to go somewhere special until Christ died on the cross.
It appears in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (click on it to see parable) that the two sides could see each other. Lazarus was by Abraham and the Rich man was in Hell or Hades. I believe both of these abodes are temporary as when Jesus died followers then went to paradise while those still in Hades are still in a holding tank until the White Throne Judgment.
The reason I said all that is because Old Testament believers are not the church, but Jesus’ blood still is what they needed for redemption. The church is saved by the blood of Jesus Christ and accepting Him as Lord. Once the church is gone and is in heaven, those that become saved during the Tribulation will still be doing so by the Blood of Jesus. I believe that is why they are referred to as saints and not the church from Revelation 4 on to the end of the book.
The Gates of Hell will not prevail against Jesus’ church. However, the beast and antichrist will be allowed to overcome the saints. This is another reason why it appears Daniel’s 69th to 70th weeks is divided by the church age. The church was formed after the completion of the 69th week which is when Jesus was crucified and I believe it will be gone before the start of the 70th week. The 70th week is the treaty with the antichrist and Israel also known as the Tribulation. This is just one more reason why I believe in the Pre-Trib position concerning the rapture.