Will the church go through the great tribulation? Or be exempt from it?

The great tribulation is mentioned in Revelation 7:19-14:  "After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb…. 'These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.' " 

The account of the "great multitude" is given  just after John the Revelator hears about the 144,000, the number of the servants of God who have been sealed on their foreheads.  We read about these 144,000 again in Revelation 14:  "And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elder.  No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.  These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure….  No lie was found in their mouths: they are blameless."  (verses 3-5)  These 144,000 appear to be the Church, the "little flock"  (Luke 12:32), those that "enter through the narrow gate," the "few" that find the narrow way that leads to life.  (Matthew 7:13, 14)  That they "did not defile themselves with women" shows us that they did not          participate with the systems of this earth.

When people realize they are sinners and truly recognize the sacrifice Jesus has made for them, they will be deeply grateful to accept Him as their Savior.  In thankfulness and joy they will want to follow Him. We know that following the Lord is not easy.  Their faith will be tested, and Jesus said, "In the world you have tribulation…"  (John 16:33)   "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him."  (Philippians 1:29)  This kind of tribulation comes as a result of being faithful to the Lord and refines our faith and character.

Upon accepting the invitation to become of the bride of Christ, they are given a "robe" covering all their sins – justification.  This is shown in the picture of the wedding garment of Matthew 22:11, 12.   This justification makes them pure before God; their "robe" is white and clean.  If a Christian would ever renounce that justification and refuse their robe of justification, they would have no more standing before God.

All consecrated Christians want to be of the "little flock."  But the world, the flesh and the devil are their constant foes.  Their robes may become soiled with compromise, cowardice, or partially-willful sins.  However, "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9)  If we go regularly to the Lord for forgiveness, we will have our robes cleansed.  We are instructed to keep ourselves "unstained by the world."  (James 1:27)

However, if we become too distracted by worldly advantages or by our own desires; or if we don't recognize Satan's temptations, we may not realize how soiled our robes are becoming.  We may forget how much we need our Savior and neglect to come to Him for forgiveness.  It is such Christians who will have to experience tribulation which will open their eyes to the hollowness of the world's promises or the deceitfulness of one's own heart.  The consecrated believers at the very end of the age who have failed to give their hearts completely and in constancy to the Lord will apparently have to live through "a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will." (Matthew 24:21; also Daniel 12:1)  This kind of tribulation is meant to bring them fully back to the Lord, similar to the situation where the Apostle Paul speaks about turning a wayward believer over "to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." (I Cor. 5:5)

But to those who give all diligence to make their calling and election sure, the Apostle Peter says:  "For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."   (II Peter: 1:11)

Why were women asked not to preach in church?

The questioner may have the following scriptures in mind when asking this question.

1 Timothy 2:11-13 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. (KJV)

1 Corinthians 14:34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. (KJV)

There are many brilliant women among the Lord’s people, well studied in scripture, and quite able to present, so why would there be a prohibition on women being permitted “to teach” in the church? We do find a clear hierarchal order laid out for us in the Bible. One instance of this can be found in the following text.

1 Corinthians 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. (KJV)

This represents a top down order of authority, God, Jesus, man, woman. The fact that many women would be quite capable to be teachers, yet not permitted to teach, must indicate that there is another lesson that God wishes us learn. These lessons would include; obedience, submissiveness, and humility. These are basic principles that every Christian must learn. (Even Jesus was so proven.

Hebrews 5:8 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. (NAS) While Jesus was always obedient, the test he faced was to maintain perfect obedience under suffering.)

Respecting this order of authority must have been so important for us to learn that God decided to exemplify it in this manner, in the everyday activities of life. This should serve as a constant reminder for Jesus disciples, that God is above all, and we are all under Jesus as our head.

In the case of the Corinthian church the circumstances may have been somewhat unique. This was a church that needed some strong restraints placed over them due to the social setting and typical behaviors that they were accustomed to. That said, if we look at the words “to speak” from 1Corinthian 14:34 we find the following definition.

Strong’s Dictionary on "to speak" #2980  laleo (lal-eh'-o); can have the meaning of “an extended or random harangue.” So Paul is not saying a woman cannot say a word, but rather that the women in Corinth must not take a leading role over the men. Why? Again this would be disruptive to the order of authority that God has established in His creative wisdom.

One final point that should be noted. While there are established hierarchal roles in our earthly lives, the high calling to be members of “the Christ” carries forward no such roles in the resurrection. In other words, once we have finished our earthly life as male or female, if we are found faithful in our walk, and are raised to be with Jesus, there will be no such gender distinctions that carry over from this life.

Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (KJV)

This is teaching us that any that are “called of God” can “run the race for the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14

Observing these Biblical principles is one of the many ways that we can exercise obedience to God.

How many will make it through the last days?

“The earth abideth forever,” Ecclesiastes 1:4. From this we know that the literal earth is never going to be destroyed.  

“There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts (plans).”  II Peter 3:3  This verse informs us that there will be people on this earth in those last days.

“The Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against Him,”  Jude 15 (NIV).

“And He shall turn and reconcile the hearts of the (estranged) fathers to the (ungodly) children, and the hearts of the (rebellious) children to (the piety of) their fathers (a reconciliation produced by repentance of the ungodly).” Malachi 4:6   (Amplified Bible)

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel (and eventually all mankind) after those days (the last days), declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” Hebrew 8:10-12.  (Italicized words are added explanations.)

How many people?  There will be many, many people upon the earth–even children–in those last days.  We are not told an exact number, but enough to require thousands of holy ones to help bring them into reconciliation with God, preparing them for the Restitution blessings of His glorious Kingdom on earth. (See Acts 3:19-21.)