The Bible tells of terrible calamities that will occur at the end of this age. What will happen to God's faithful flock during the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Will God provide a place of safety for them? And, if there is a promised place of protection and nourishment, are there specific qualifications and attitudes that God expects to find in each of us if we are to be protected there?
While the place of safety is not the primary goal of a truly converted Christian, it is a wonderful and important biblical truth. It is also a promise that is accompanied by vitally important spiritual lessons that apply not only if we desire God's end-time protection, but also if we seek to enter into the Kingdom of God at Christ's return!
Regrettably, there is much confusion about this key promise. What does your Bible really teach? What has the faithful Church of God long understood? Can you be confident in your understanding?
Scripture is clear that war, famine and disease will come together and result in the most awful time the world has ever seen (Matthew 24:21). Scripture also reveals that a zealous, faithful flock will flee these terrors (Matthew 24:20) and will be protected in a powerful and literal way (Revelation 12:14). This is a promise that God makes to those of us living at the end of the age, but it is a conditional promise, and God has recorded very specific guidelines that are required to claim this promise.
Does Scripture Teach a Real Place of Safety for God's Church?
Many prophecies such as Ezekiel 5, Jeremiah 30, and Jesus' teachings in Matthew 24 point to this very severe future judgment on modern-day Israel, which includes modern-day Manasseh and Ephraim (the United States and British-descended nations) as well as other nations primarily in northwestern Europe.
Notice what Christ reveals to the Apostle John in Revelation 12 about this coming time. Here, Christ specifically discusses three historic and future Satanic attacks, and three historic and future flights to a physical place of protection.
First, in Revelation 12:1–4, Christ looks back at events surrounding His physical birth. A woman clothed with the sun is ready to give birth to a Child—who is none other than Christ born in the flesh (John 3:16, Romans 1:3)! Satan the dragon then attempts to "devour" that Child "as soon as it was born" (v. 4). This refers to Satan's attempt to slaughter Jesus through King Herod's decree that all male children under age two from the Bethlehem area were to be killed. But God sent a warning allowing Jesus and His family to be physically removed for their protection (Matthew 2:13).
Then, verse 6 transitions to a time hundreds of years later. Here, the Church flees "into the wilderness" and is nourished for 1,260 "days." This refers to the 1,260 years when God's faithful flock fled severe religious persecution levied by the "Holy Roman Empire." This period began with Justinian's revival (554AD) and concluded with the temporary collapse of that system at Napoleon's defeat in 1814. A second time we see a physical flight into a prepared place on this earth where God again provided protection and nourishment.
Why did Christ record these first two events in Revelation 12? In part, it was to help us understand the third, and yet future event. Just as the physically helpless newborn Jesus Christ and His family were given physical protection by God when they fled from Herod; and just as hundreds of years later God's "little flock" fled the persecutions of the powerful Holy Roman Empire, at the end of this age God's Church will likewise be physically helpless to protect itself from Satan's wrath. But, God will again provide physical escape to a physical location.
Revelation 12:7–12 describes a coming time when war will break out in heaven and Satan will be cast down to earth. Then, verse 13 describes "the dragon's" end-time persecution (but not "war") on the entire Church. After this initial persecution, "the woman" flees into the wilderness "where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent" (v. 14). As with the preceding flights to protection, this third event also refers to a flight to a literal place of safety. Here, a faithful remnant will be protected for 3 1⁄2 years.
The Greek word translated wilderness in Revelation 12:14 (eremos) may also be accurately translated as "desert," or as "desolate place." These passages clearly do not refer to being protected in individual homes during the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord. Rather, as God's Church has long taught, a faithful remnant will be gathered to a specific, physical desert (or wilderness) area.
At this point, it is helpful to review just a few examples of what the Church of God has long taught. Notice this from an article by Mr. Richard F. Ames:
"God will protect His true saints—genuine Christians— from the great tribulation. This is not a secret rapture. There is no such event in the Bible. Notice that the woman [symbolizing the Church] is taken to "her place" in the wilderness. Then the dragon pursues those lukewarm Christians who had not been intently growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ" ("When Will the Millennium Begin?," January-February 2004 Tomorrow's World, p. 10).
Notice also the following from Dr. Roderick C. Meredith's Tomorrow's World telecast T057, "Secret Rapture or Place of Safety?":
"The Bible does clearly explain that there will be a place of safety during the Great Tribulation. The true saints of God, those who are part of the true Church of God, the little flock, that keeps God's commandments, that has Christ living in them through the Holy Spirit the same kind of life He did live 1,900 years ago, an obedient life, they will be taken to a place of safety—and that place will be on this earth!"
This is not a new teaching. Note this excerpt from Lesson 32 of the Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course (1965 edition):
"Jesus Christ promises that His own people, the OBEDIENT MEMBERS of His one True Church performing His work on this earth, will be taken to a secret place of hiding— a place of protection and safety—to keep them from the Great Tribulation Satan will bring upon the earth!"
These are just three of the many examples where God's true servants have long taught the biblical truth that at the end of this age, when the entire world is embroiled in the most intense upheaval, disease and warfare ever known, and when Satan again attacks the Church, God will dramatically intervene. However, not all of God's Church flees to a place of safety. Revelation 3:10 shows that Philadelphian Christians will escape, while Revelation 12:17 shows that Laodicean Christians will be left behind, along with those of the other remaining eras. Why?
Why Are Some Protected and Some Not?
Daniel 7:25, Daniel 12:7 and Revelation 12:14 all use the phrase "time and times and half a time" referring to the Great Tribulation. Briefly reviewing these passages provides some vital insight into the type of persecution Satan will unleash on God's Church as well as why some are protected and some are not.
Daniel 7 refers to an end-time revival of the same Holy Roman Empire mentioned above. This empire will once again persecute the Church of God. Notice in Daniel 7:24– 25 that this "Beast" system will "persecute the saints" before the saints are "given into his hand for a time and times and half a time."
The "persecution" in Daniel 7:25 is the Aramaic bĕla' which means "to harass constantly" or "to wear away." This is almost identical in meaning to the Greek diōkō of Revelation 12:13, which means "to be mistreated" or "to be worn out." These verses apply to the Church of God in general, before the Great Tribulation begins. However, this bĕla' and diōkō "persecution" prior to the Great Tribulation is very different from what happens during the Great Tribulation.
Clearly, all of God's faithful Church will again be harassed at the end of the age. But, prior to the onslaught of the Great Tribulation, God will separate His flock. The Philadelphian Christians will be protected from this coming war (Revelation 3:10; 12:14), but the Laodiceans will not. Daniel 12:7 and Revelation 12:17 show an all-out "war" against the saints during the Great Tribulation— those who "keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Here we see brutal, Satanic war waged against true Christians who were not taken to a place of safety (Revelation 12:17).
The "war" waged against those left behind is the Greek word polemos. It is violent, hateful, merciless and overwhelming. It is far more terrible than the "persecution" endured prior to the Great Tribulation.
Polemos is also used in Revelation 13:7 where it is "granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them." In this terrifying time of world war, the Laodiceans will suffer and many will be martyred because of their spiritual apathy (Revelation 3:16; 12:17). God allows them to be overcome, taken captive and killed, by the authority of the "Beast," in order to be spiritually refined and prove themselves worthy of entering God's Kingdom!
While we understand that Philadelphian Christians are more zealous and that Laodicean Christians are more lukewarm, they are all part of God's Church. The horror of this warning should drive us to our knees in prayer for ourselves, and for all of God's people, including those estranged from our fellowship. Pray that God may still grant a repentant and humble heart to His sheep, and that none of us become infected with apathy, arrogance, or bitterness (Psalm 34:18)!
Refining Now, or During the Great Tribulation?
Daniel 12:10 warns, "Many shall be purified, made white, and refined.…" Isaiah 29:20 instructs that, "All who watch for iniquity are cut off." God expects us to be not merely Christians in name, but to be zealous and refined. Beyond just zealously supporting God's Work, this includes not seeking and not tolerating any "iniquity." Iniquity here is the Hebrew word 'aven—meaning any type of wickedness, idolatry or evil.
Isaiah 33:14–16 powerfully illustrates this point. The question is asked: "Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" The answer is given: "He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, he who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, and shuts his eyes from seeing evil." Then verse 16 alludes to protection and nourishment in a particular location, which the Church has long understood could be Petra, in Jordan.
Rather than speculate about the location, however, consider the admonition. Recorded here are the characteristics God must see in us for us to be protected during the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord. Remember, we must become spiritually refined to inherit eternal life; to survive the "devouring fire." Yes, God makes a collective promise of protection in a place of safety, but for each of us individually it is a conditional promise. Regardless of whether or not we think we know the location, we will not be there if we do not personally meet God's conditions!
Isaiah 33:15–16 shows us that God will grant protection to one who walks and speaks righteously and who despises oppressive gain. This admonition not only includes keeping all of the Ten Commandments; it also, as Matthew Henry's commentary states, refers to a person who "is so far from coveting ill-gotten gain that he despises it. He thinks it a mean and sordid thing, and unbecoming a man of honor, to enrich himself by any hardship put upon his neighbor. He scorns to do a wrong thing, nay, to do a severe thing, though he might get by it. He does not over-value gain itself, and therefore easily abhors the gain that is not honestly come by."
Paul beautifully summarized this attitude in 1 Corinthians 13:4–6. A true Christian has no room for vanity, evil, rudeness, self-aggrandizement, or oppression. A true Christian understands that, "He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who honors Him has mercy on the needy" (Proverbs 14:31).
Individually and nationally, is this our attitude? Or, are financial markets and the world financial system itself established on greed? Do excessive credit card debt, national debt and excessive borrowing drive consumerism? As nations around the world reel from the worst economic recession since the Great Depression, these are also timely questions we need to ask of ourselves, individually.
Individually and collectively, we find again and again that, "The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender" (Proverbs 22:7). This world's financial systems "trust in oppression and perversity," and God says their iniquity will be like "a bulge in a high wall whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant" (Isaiah 30:12–13). Because of this approach, our nations are quickly nearing the days when, "Suddenly, your debtors will rise up in anger. They will turn on you and take all you have, while you stand trembling and helpless" (Habakkuk 2:7, NLT).
What about our political systems? Do our governments strive to do "righteousness" according to God's law? Are our political systems even based on God's form of government?
Speaking of national Israel, as well as how God's true Church should be organized, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong wrote in Mystery of The Ages (page 246, 1985 hardcover edition): "Old Testament Israel, the Church of the Old Testament, was also a nation in the world—though not OF the world as God organized it. Its GOVERNMENT was HIERARCHICAL. It was theocratic government—government from the top down—the very opposite of 'democracy.' The CHURCH is organized under theocratic government, hierarchical in form. The members do not set officials in the Church. God sets EVEN THE LAY MEMBERS in the Church (I Cor. 12:18)."
Rejecting God's government is another manifestation of "Laodiceanism." Laodicea is a conjunction of the Greek laos, meaning "the people" and dike, meaning "decide, judge," and "take vengeance." Instead of continuing in God's hierarchical model, Laodiceans prefer an electoral approach, electing others (or themselves) into position or office. This approach puts preaching the Gospel (Mark 16:15) subordinate to politics.
Isaiah 33:15 also instructs that God will protect one who abhors and shuns bloodshed, violence, lust, pornography and any kind of evil. Do we really shun this type of content in television, movies, all forms of media, and even conversation? If we enjoy this type of entertainment, then we violate this passage and are not "bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). How then can we claim that Christ lives in us (Galatians 2:20)?
As Jamieson, Fausset & Brown observes, "The senses are avenues for the entrance of sin." And as Psalm 119:37 records, each of us must turn away our eyes from looking at worthless things so that God may revive us in His way.
We should ask God to strengthen us in these areas, and we should prayerfully consider these admonitions along with the warning to the Laodiceans to buy "gold refined in the fire" (Revelation 3:18). Simply stated, God's people have the opportunity to refine themselves now individually and collectively—and for those who do not take the opportunity now, God will allow them to be refined in the polemos of the Great Tribulation.
Location Less Important Than Attitude
Many have combined the prophecies in Matthew, Revelation and elsewhere with scriptures such as Isaiah 16:1–4, Isaiah 33:10–16, Isaiah 42:11–13, Jeremiah 48:28 and Jeremiah 48:40 to indicate that Petra is the likely place of safety. References in these Scriptures such as, "fortress of rocks," and "Sela" (also translated "Petra"), and instructing the Moabites to "hide the outcasts; do not betray him who escapes" are just some of the reasons why the Church has long understood that these scriptures may indicate Petra as the promised place of safety. Others emphatically contend that Petra cannot be the location because the original Hebrew is inconclusive in these passages, and because Scripture reveals that intense warfare will consume the general area of Petra at the end of the age.
Petra may or may not be the place of safety. And while we hope to claim this promise, it is by no means a Christian's primary focus. But, while we cannot say that Petra will be the place of safety, neither can we reject that possibility because the Hebrew text is not clear enough for our liking, and we must be careful not to doubt God's power by assuming that He could not protect His people from physical violence prophesied for that area. As we read in the January-February 2009 Living Church News, "'God rules supreme!' Yes, God is El Shaddai, God Almighty. He has all power in the universe" (Trust in God's Power in 2009, Richard F. Ames, p. 6). God can protect us in Petra—or in another location—regardless of human or Satanic attack!
While there are clues that Petra may be the physical location of the place of safety, God's Church has not insisted dogmatically on that location. Notice what Mr. Armstrong wrote in a letter to the Church on July 16, 1982: "Brethren, I HAVE NEVER said that Petra definitely is the place of protection where God will take us." Similarly, Dr. Meredith stated in his sermon titled "Servant Leadership" (April 12, 2008) that "Petra may be the place of safety." As Mr. John Ogwyn nicely summarized: "While the details of how and where God will protect His people are fascinating, we must all keep in mind that in the ultimate sense our protection does not come from any place—it comes from God" ("Is There a Real Place of Safety?," July-August 2001, Living Church News).
Just as the Israelites were not sure exactly how they would escape Egypt, or exactly where they would go, or even exactly what path they would take, but followed Moses as Moses followed Christ, we do know that God will make clear to His Church where the place of safety is, and will lead His Church to that place when the time is right. More important than discussing "where," is understanding the lessons we discussed and practicing living righteously.
We know that we will never be perfect in this lifetime (Romans 3:23). Even so, with heartfelt commitment, we are justified by the redemptive grace of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:24). Keeping the commandments is required (1 John 5:2–3), but is not sufficient . We must also love God's law, and we must love good and noble things. These thoughts must be our meditation all the day (Psalm 119:97; Philippians 4:8).
Although we will occasionally stumble, this must not stop us from getting back up and continuing to be living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). Although imperfect, a living sacrifice will zealously support preaching the Gospel (Mark 16:15) and will earnestly contend for the "promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come" (1 Timothy 4:8). Such living sacrifices will humbly and enthusiastically "labor and suffer reproach, because [they] trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe" (1 Timothy 4:8–10). A Christian who is truly a living sacrifice is one who takes seriously the scriptural descriptions of those whom God will protect during these cataclysmic events, and to whom He will grant eternal life!
God desires for each of us to "escape all these things" (Luke 21:36), and for each of us to make it into His Kingdom (John 6:37–40)! He has given us the warning. He has given us the instructions. It is up to us to respond.