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The Biblical Command to FLEE 
The Great Tribulationis coming upon the earth. Those who refuse to take the Mark of the Beast will face many challenges. Image: Lot flees Sodom By Ken Raggio The vast majority of Christians today believe that the Church will be called away in the Rapture BEFORE the Tribulation. I have proven again and again by the scriptures, in several of my articles, that the Rapture will NOT take place before the Tribulation, but AFTER. I am not the first to believe this. Prior to the nineteenth century, NOBODY believed in a "PRE-Tribulation" Rapture. The popular C.I. Scofield Study Bible contained notes that were based on the teaching of Clarence Larkin, who was one of the first well-known teachers of the "Pre-Tribulation" doctrine. Before Larkin, however, essentially all the teaching on this subject was from the "Post-Trib" perspective - that Saints WILL go through the Tribulation. "God Has Not Appointed Us To Wrath" The biggest point of misunderstanding is the argument that God has not appointed us to Wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9). People think that since God has not appointed us to Wrath, that we will not go through the Tribulation. They do not understand that the Great Tribulation is NOT the Wrath of God. The Wrath of God will begin to be poured out immediately before the Battle of Armageddon, when the Seven Vials of the Wrath of God are poured out on those who have taken the Mark of the Beast. The Saints will NOT be harmed by any of the Seven Vials, or by God's Day of Wrath. They WILL, however, be subjected to the persecution of the Saints during the seven years (known as Daniel's Seventieth Week) leading up to Armageddon. In Matthew 24, Jesus specifically taught that the Great Tribulation will begin in the middle of that seven years, and will last 42 months. Jesus also clearly taught that the SAINTS will be gathered by the angels at the END of that Tribulation period. If you don't understand this "Post-Tribulation" doctrine, please see my earlier article When Will The Rapture Take Place?" The Post-Tribulation Rapture doctrine says that the Rapture will take place after the Tribulation. The Mark of the Beast will be imposed all around the world BEFORE the Church will be caught away in the "Rapture" of the Church, which is also called the First Resurrection. From the time when the Mark of the Beast will be introduced, there will be a period of 42 months when the Saints of God will be forced to survive "off the grid." Why? Because the prophecies say that those who refuse to take the Mark of the Beast will NOT BE ABLE TO BUY OR SELL. Think about that. Saints will not have money, because the Mark of the Beast will have replaced all monetary currencies. Dollars and other currencies will be canceled. ONLY the Mark will serve as currency. There can be no doubt that some will indeed die, yet some will live. The scripture is clear that many will die (Revelation 20:4). Yet many will still be alive when Jesus returns (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17). I want to illustrate something. The global computer dilemma that occurred on January 1, 2000 threatened to cause calamitous conditions around the world. Governments and industry were seriously threatened. Approximately ONE TRILLION DOLLARS were spent to fix the problem. That is TWICE the amount of money that has been spent on the entire IRAQI WAR at the time of this writing in 2008. You cannot truthfully say that the Y2K problem was a "non-event." The calamity did not happen, but it was ONLY because of the LARGEST REMEDIATION EFFORT in the history of mankind. Nevertheless... Another global economic collapse is still threatening the world, even as you read this. If you are a Bible believer, then you have to face the truth that God gave us terse warnings about the state of the world economy just prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The prophets warned us about a global monetary currency that will be based on a MARK implanted in the human hand or forehead. We have already seen the evidence that this system is close at hand. In order for this system to be introduced, the entire globe will be converted to a single currency. This requires the collapse of all national currencies, and their replacement by a world money system. The Mark of the Beast will force the collapse of all other currencies. At the time this event finally happens, Christian believers will be forced to choose between taking the Mark, or living completely disconnected from the system, without money. How could it be otherwise? This choice will effect their living arrangements and lifestyles for the following 42 months - until Jesus comes to take them, immediately before Armageddon. The Bible says that no man will be able to buy or sell without the Mark during that period (Revelation 13:17). First of all, I want to emphasize that our faith in God will be the key to our survival. The scriptures clearly teach us that God will provide all our needs according to His riches in glory, and He surely will. The just shall live by faith. In every age, saints of God have survived incredible hardships and difficulties. Still, the Bible teaches us that a wise man foresees the evil and prepares himself. but the simple pass on, and are punished. Proverbs 22:3 The upcoming Sixth Trumpet War prophesied in Revelation 9:13-21 will be a war emanating from the Euphrates River that will destroy one-third of mankind. That war is already being staged in the Middle East. The US had over 140,000 troops stationed along the Euphrates River at the end of 2007, and the Bible foretells that war escalating into the worst war of all times. With a nuclear Iran threatening the region, and radical Islamists in Syria, Turkey and even Lebanon, big trouble is brewing for a global conflagration between a Russian-Chinese-Islamic coalition against the West. This portends a global calamity of the proportions that none of us can imagine. And that is essentially what is prophesied to occur before Jesus comes. IT'S IN THE BIBLE! I am reminded of a biblical story of a STERN WARNING from God of certain calamity that never materialized. Jonah went down to Nineveh and told the people of Nineveh, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown," Jonah 3:4. Nowhere in Jonah's message was there a call to repentance, nor a promise of deliverance - only a promise from God that they would be destroyed in forty days. But the people became alarmed, took action, went to prayer, repented, and asked God to spare them. He did spare them. Forty days passed, and Nineveh was NOT destroyed. Was Jonah a false prophet? Of course not. Nineveh was saved because they took protective actions following the warnings. The Word of God is now warning us of the coming Tribulation that will certainly bring about unprecedented hardship on those who refuse to participate in the New World Order's numbering system. The fact that the Church is going through the Tribulation (though not the Wrath of God) is a warning and a reminder that we will be forced to refuse the Mark of the Beast. Saints will not be able to buy or sell through regular monetary channels for about three and a half years. This also calls for advance preparation. Prepare for hard times. In this article, I want to address the subject of FLEEING. You may be shocked to know exactly what the Bible says about FLEEING. If you face a life-threatening risk, it is PERFECTLY scriptural, even advisable to FLEE FROM IT! I have received many thousands of letters from people who have visited my website and read my articles. The vast majority of them are favorable and supportive. I am encouraged by the responses from so many people. However, I have received one particular criticism from some who say, "I BELIEVE YOU SHOULD TRUST GOD, AND DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE TRIBULATION!" (Some are much harsher.) First of all, that statement infers that I do not trust God. It implies that to take any protective measures is a lack of faith, or even worse – FEAR! I deny the charge! I have been an ardent student of the Word for most of my life, and am well aware of the God's great displeasure with our FEAR and FAITHLESSNESS. Let me take you to several Bible stories and show you a number of great and godly people who found themselves in life-threatening circumstance, and see what they did. We should be able to learn from their examples. I will only make a brief reference to some because they are very familiar stories. 1. NOAH – Hebrews 11:7 - "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." Noah was MOVED WITH FEAR, and consequently spent 100 years building one of the largest ships in all ancient history, at the age of over 500 years old. God forewarned him of a coming calamity (the great flood) and Noah spent the following CENTURY making preparations to "flee" the flood. 2. ABRAHAM was WARNED of God that Sodom and Gomorrah would be destroyed. Abraham wanted to save the lives of his relatives, so he interceded with God. Consequently, God sent angels who COMPELLED Lot and his family to FLEE for their lives – all by the will of God! 3. JACOB FLED from Esau. After prevailing over his brother in the pursuit of the coveted blessing of God, Jacob was urged by his mother to FLEE for his life. Jacob's flight from Esau is one of the great stories of the Bible. His life was spared and he became a great nation. (Genesis 35:7) 4. JOSEPH FLED from Potiphar's wife to avoid being entrapped by her seduction, (Genesis 39:12). 5. The CHILDREN OF ISRAEL fled the famine in Canaan to go to Egypt where they found food. God ordained their flight many years before, when he foretold young Joseph of those days which were to come. 6. JOSEPH was forewarned by God that there would be seven years of worldwide famine, so for SEVEN YEARS, Joseph PREPARED FOR FAMINE by laying up in store. His tactics not only saved HIS life, but the lives of all his family and all of Egypt. 7. MOSES mother, Jochabed, HID baby Moses from Pharaoh, (Exodus 2:3). She wanted him to ESCAPE execution, and because of her efforts, Moses was saved. 8. Young MOSES learned that Pharaoh had sworn to kill him, so MOSES FLED for his life, (Exodus 2:15). 9. The CHILDREN OF ISRAEL FLED from Pharaoh and Egypt across the Red Sea, (Exodus 14:5). 10. God provided CITIES OF REFUGE for accused murderers to FLEE to for safety until their case could be heard, (Numbers 25:35). 11. DAVID FLED from King Saul many times (I Samuel 19:10), and was a fugitive for 15 years. Jonathan urged David to HIDE from his father. David's prayer was "HIDE me under the shadow of thy wings," (Psalm 17:8). 12. DAVID also FLED from Absalom his son, (II Samuel 15:14). 13. ELIJAH FLED from Queen Jezebel, (I Kings 19:3). God also warned ELIJAH to HIDE from King Ahab, (I Kings 17:3). 14. JEROBOAM FLED from King Solomon, (I Kings 11:40). 15. JOSEPH AND MARY FLED to Egypt with baby Jesus from the terror of King Herod at the warning of God in a dream, (Matthew 2:13). 16. JESUS FLED from the men of Nazareth when they ran him out of the city, (Luke 4:30). He HID Himself from the unbelieving crowds in Bethsaida, (John 12:36). 17. JESUS FLED to Ephraim, some say for two months, immediately before going to Calvary, (John 11:54). 18. The DISCIPLES FLED the Garden of Gethsemane when evil men took Jesus away, (Matthew 26:56). 19. PAUL AND BARNABAS FLED from Iconium to Lystra because of adversaries of the gospel, (Acts 14:6). 20. JESUS WARNED the inhabitants of JUDEA to FLEE when they see the Abomination of Desolations committed by the Assyrian Man of Sin in the Temple, (Matthew 24:16). 21. JESUS WARNED THE DISCIPLES TO FLEE when their preaching was resisted. Matthew 10:23 - "But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another." Solomon said, "When the wicked rise, men HIDE themselves," Proverbs 28:28. "A PRUDENT MAN foreseeth the evil, and HIDETH himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished," Proverbs 22:3. What conclusion can we make of this? Think about it. Good Christian people trust God. But they also lock their doors and wear seat belts. Safety precautions and survival tactics are by no means a lack of faith. They are prudent. One World Government is here. In 2005, I attended the largest World Summit of Kings and Presidents in the history of the world at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. 153 Heads of State attended a week-long conference in New York. I watched the wheels of world government gain momentum amidst cries for stronger and stronger UN controls over the nations of the world. I sat in the chambers of the UN Economic and Social Council with people who were literally plotting the elimination of fundamental Christianity. At this very moment, democratic republics are being overthrown. Liberties are being forever lost. Nations like Russia and Venezuela are retrogressing into classical totalitarianism, while Muslim nations are steam-rolling toward theocratic Sharia dictatorships. Socialism will soon have its death grip on so many so-called free countries, INCLUDING America. The endtime beast of the Book of Revelation will be a Scarlet-colored Beast - COMMUNIST! New World Order is already asserting itself in unbelievable despotic ways. According to God's Word, the Mark of the Beast will eventually deprive true believers of their ability to buy or sell when they refuse the Mark of the Beast. We are living in treacherous times, but much more treacherous times are ahead. Daniel prophesied that a great DREADFUL BEAST would rule the earth. If you and I truly contemplate the life-threatening circumstances that will unfold when we refuse the Mark of the Beast, we will want to consider the best options and make plans now to minimize our hardship, and avoid unnecessary suffering. Now is the time to pray, and consider what you will do, and begin to make preparations accordingly. Joseph took advantage of seven prosperous years to prepare for seven years of dearth. We will have about three and a half years to prepare for three and a half years of tribulation. The BIG WARNING will be the signing of the Confirmation of the Covenant by the Prince of Rome (Daniel 9:26-27). There will be an agreement between Rome (The Pope) and "with many" (possibly the United Nations Security Counsel) pertaining to the land of Israel. The declaration of a Palestinian State (the project that Tony Blair and the UN Quartet are now working on) seems imminent. Rome will confirm a seven-year covenant with the parties who will rule in that region. The specifics are still unclear. But if and when that seven-year covenant is signed, that should be our sign that the last seven years have begun. Three and a half years later, the Assyrian Man of Sin will commit the Abomination of Desolations on the Temple Mount, and the Mark of the Beast will be introduced immediately after that. The Church will have about 42 months remaining at that point to await the Rapture and First Resurrection. We will be gathered together unto Him, (caught up in the air) and will immediately return with Jesus Christ to the Battle of Armageddon. After that, we will rule and reign on earth as kings and priests under Jesus' rule in Jerusalem for 1000 years. Ken Raggio Written 1998, Updated 11/2007 Here is a short YouTube video that introduces the Post-Tribulation Doctrine: Here is a far more extensive explanation: Here are two additional videos on the subject: I am continually writing new content for this site. Please return often for more material, and tell your friends about www.kenraggio.com , too! THANKS! And God bless you! Ken Raggio 
Click here for BOOKS and VIDEOS by Ken Raggio ALL ARTICLES WRITTEN BY KEN RAGGIO, Copyright 1988-2010 Articles may not be republished on the Internet without express permission. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Thanks for coming by!
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