Justification During the Tribulation

In order for someone to feel comfortably convicted about justification during the Tribulation, I’d suggest that you need a good working knowledge about justification throughout the entire Bible. Consider the book of Genesis, which covers about 2,000 years of human history. God could have easily given thousands of books covering in detail so many aspects of the first 2,000 years of human history, but who would have time read thousands of books? We don’t have all the details we might want but we accept what God has given about that period of human history. And God chose to use the faith of Abraham in order to address the matter of justification. Paul, in the first 5 verses of Romans 4, quotes what was said of Abraham in Gen. 15:6 to address justification in time past.

Rom 4:1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? Rom 4:2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. Rom 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Rom 4:4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. Rom 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Paul seems to address Jewish objectors to justification by faith by giving examples of two great men of faith – Abraham and David. And he starts with the illustration of the God-glorifying example of faith in Abraham. Beginning in verse 2, he writes, “For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.”

Both Genesis 15 and Romans 4 tells us that Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Notice that Paul doesn’t say that Abraham believed IN God, which got him saved. What got him saved was that he believed what God had said at the time, perhaps when He said, “I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing…” God talked to people back in those days. It wasn’t a matter of believing in God’s existence. They knew He existed. It was a matter of faith in what He says.

This is Joelology, but I suspect that this is also how everyone got saved before Abraham, including Adam and Eve. After the fall in the garden and God brought the sin curse upon mankind and creation, He then gave hope of a coming redeemer through Eve’s seed, and this redeemer would bruise Satan’s head and Satan would bruise His heel. What was Adam’s reaction? Gen 3:20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. By naming his wife Eve, he was showing his faith in the promise of what God had said. We see the evidence of his faith through his work of naming his wife Eve.

I think it could be said of Adam and Eve as it was said of Abraham that they believed God and it was counted unto them for righteousness.

This would also explain Cain’s banishment. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe IN God. It was that he didn’t have faith in anything God told him at the time.

Back to Paul. He wrote, Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. What does that mean exactly – counted unto him for righteousness? The word, counted, is the same Greek word translated as imputed in 4:22 when Paul says, “it was imputed to him for righteousness.” God’s righteousness was imputed to Abraham because of His faith.

What does that mean? What does “imputed” mean?

To impute something is to write it down, to have it charged to your account. When God imputes righteousness, He writes His righteousness onto your account, which means you are saved and sealed in Him forevermore. The very phrase “imputed to him for righteousness” means that that person has eternal life.

Look at vs. 23. “Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”

Do you see what’s happening here? Even though God was keeping a secret about this age of grace, He still had US IN MIND when He imputed His righteousness to Abraham forever because of His faith. Look at what Paul says here in vs. 4:23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead…

The story of Abraham was written for our sakes, too, because we’re also saved by faith just like Abraham and we’re sealed forever just like Abraham and THAT makes him our father, the father of all who believe. The amazing thing here is that the story of Abraham wasn’t written about us or to us, but it was written FOR US. God had us in mind when He had Moses pen the story of Abraham. God wants us to feel a connection to all the faithful saints of old. Even though God never revealed His grace secret, He always had us in His mind all throughout the OT. He elected to have Abraham saved by faith before he was circumcised so that Abraham could be our father as well, because God wants us to know that we are part of His entire family.

When Paul tells us that we are accepted in the beloved, God wants us to know that we are part of His whole family of beloved saints and that Abraham is our father, too. We believers in this age of grace are not some exclusive group set off to the side in the heavens while the Lord and all of Israel run His kingdom down here on Earth. Even though we’ll be in our heavenly seats, we are as much a part of the administration of God’s kingdom as the Lord Himself and Israel.

The big point is that the same thing that happened to Abraham when he got saved, when God imputed His righteousness to him for his faith, is the same thing that happens to us. Paul shows us that the method of justification has always been the same; however, what Abraham believed to earn God’s righteousness was different than what we must believe today. Abraham simply believed what God told him at the time. Today, we believe what God tells us now that Christ was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification, and we properly respond in faith by believing, by trusting, in His payment for our sins.While the good news to be believed was different, the method of salvation by faith alone was always the same.

Not only that, but Paul tells us in vs. 16, as well as 3 other times in this chapter, that Abraham is the father of ALL who believe. Paul said in Gal 3:7 “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.” Gal 3:9 “So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.” The method of salvation has been true for everyone across all ages as it was true for Abraham. If you believed God’s words, then you would become a child of Abraham, blessed with faithful Abraham in that your faith would be counted for righteousness just as it was for Abraham.

I’ve heard it said many times that OT saints really didn’t know how to be saved, which makes no sense to me at all. How could they not know how to be saved when God lifted up Abraham’s faith and showed them that “This is how you are saved!” The Jews could never ever say to God that they didn’t know how to be individually saved. They were all absolutely without excuse. If they knew the story of Abraham, then they knew how to be saved, and what Jew wouldn’t know the story of Abraham?

Let me ask a question. If Abraham is the father of ALL who believe, as Paul repeatedly told us, did this not mean that he was the father of even the Gentiles who believed in time past? Did this not mean that Abraham was the father of those who believed during the Lord’s earthly ministry? Did this not mean that Abraham was the father of those who believed during the Acts period? Or during the age of grace? And does this not mean that Abraham will also be the father of all those who believe during Tribulation as well?

How can it not?

Paul said Abraham is the father of all who believe. Does not the word ALL mean ALL?

The fact that Abraham is the father of all who believe tells us that the means of justification was always by faith in what God says. This is the imputation of God’s righteousness upon that believer because of his or her faith. Saints in time past were positionally righteous before God for faith. That was their position. But their practice, their walk by faith, fell under the if/then principle because of their covenant relationship with God. Depending upon how well they obeyed His Word, they would be blessed or cursed.

For us, He rebukes through His word, not circumstances, but for Israel, they were rebuked through His prophets, and He’d impute their trespasses unto them. He’d charge them for their sins. He’d carry out judgments upon them on the Earth as chastisement. But that’s not how God operates today. Paul told us in 2 Cor. 5:19 that God is not imputing our trespasses unto us. He’s not charging us for our sins by carrying out judgments on us on the Earth. Why? Because we’re not in a covenant relationship with God under the if/then principle. Plus, Christ died for all our sins. Why should He punish us for sins when He’s already punished His Son?

Now we would today make a distinction for us between position and practice. Because of our faith in the gospel of grace, we were spiritually transformed into new creatures, complete in Him, forgiven all trespasses, blessed with all spiritual blessings and already seated in the heavens. That is our standing before God positionally. We are, because of our faith and because of what God made us in Christ, positionally as righteous as Christ in the eyes of God the Father. Christ’s victory has become our victory. Christ’s glory has become our glory.

But we would also be careful to distinguish our position with our practice, or our walk. We would say that we need to align our earthly walk with our heavenly identity. We need to live like the saints God made us in Christ. We need to put off the old man and put on the new man in order to perfect holiness in our walks.

That distinction between position and practice would also need to be made for the saints in time past. Their position before God was one of being perfectly righteous because of their faith. That meant that they had eternal life and they had eternal security.

But their practice, their walk as believers, was a completely different program. Their walk was guided by the laws of Moses. Their walk, or their sanctified living, came under the if/then principle of the OT. It came with blessings and cursings here on the Earth based upon the faithful quality of their obedience to Him.

Moses said in Deu. 6:25, “And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.” Does this mean that they would obtain salvation by obeying the law? How is that possible? ‘For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness’ and Abraham is the father of all who believe! Their works observing the law would only be accepted by God if those works were done out of faith. There were consequences for sin in the flesh on the earth under the law, but nothing could ever unsave them once they were declared righteous for their faith before God. Hebrews 11 is called the Faith Hall of Fame, not the Faith Plus Works Hall of Fame! We say in our church, “that the law was not a means of justification but of sanctification.” This is what Moses meant. If they observed His law, they would exhibit His righteousness in their lives, living rightly as God would have them to live, by which they would be His people set apart from all the nations, a glory to God and a witness to the world of His existence. They could only be true witnesses for God if they lived righteously by faith. Hab 2:4, “The just shall live by his faith.” The just, the justified, the righteous man, is defined by his faith alone!

The Temple

Eph 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Eph 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; Eph 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; Eph 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: Eph 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

I absolutely love this illustration here about the temple, because this perfectly visualizes for us how we fit into the big picture of God’s eternal purpose.

We have this gorgeous, glorious, holy temple in the Lord and this temple is filled with the entire household of God. Imagine that there is a first floor for Israel because they have an earthly hope, and there is a second floor for the Body of Christ because we have a heavenly hope.

Yet, we’re all in the same temple, part of the same household, because the chief cornerstone of everything is Christ. This is why Paul can write of those who were in Christ before him, because everyone in that temple is in Christ. Everyone in that temple, both the first floor and the second floor, are all part of the seed of Abraham, the father of us all, because of faith. Everyone in that temple will be ministers for Christ in His kingdom, except Israel on the first floor will be ministers on the Earth and the Body of Christ on the second floor will be ministers from our heavenly seats.

I like to picture that the second floor is made of glass. We can see them, and they can see us, because we’re all part of the same family. And I like to picture that there are all these connections between the two floors, columns, if you will, that tie those two floors together. One column is labeled Abraham, because he is the father of us all. We all, everyone on both floors, had God’s righteousness imputed to us because of faith.

Another column is the blood of Christ. Israel’s Messiah is also our Savior and the blood that lays the foundation for the new covenant with Israel is the same blood that washed away all our sins and reconciled us to God, which also made us heirs of God to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed.

Another column is labeled children of promise. Just as Isaac was a child of the promise God made to Abraham, we are the children of the promise God made to Himself.

Another column is labeled grace. Just as God showed grace to Abraham blessing him because of his faith, so too, God has shown grace to us blessing us because of our faith. And another column is labeled kingdom. Just as Israel will be ministers of His kingdom on earth, so too, we shall be ministers of His kingdom from our heavenly seats. Their kingdom is our kingdom, too.

Justification During the Gospels

In John 3, we have the famous conversation between the Lord and Nicodemus. I love Nicodemus dearly. He was a good Pharisee. He struggled mightily to understand what was going on with Christ and to even grasp the spiritual truths the Lord was teaching. He’d ultimately become a believer and a secret disciple of Jesus. He was also instrumental in helping the Lord be given a proper burial after His crucifixion.

The Lord here famously speaks first of a spiritual rebirth.

Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Joh 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. Joh 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Joh 3:9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Joh 3:10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Joh 3:11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. Joh 3:12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? Joh 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. Joh 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: Joh 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

The Lord is telling Nicodemus that everything has now changed for the Jews with the arrival of their Messiah. There is now a necessity for a spiritual rebirth, both individually and nationally, and that rebirth will only take place if they, each one, place their faith in who Christ is as their Messiah, as the only begotten Son of God.

He says in vs. 18, He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

In God’s eyes, true Jews now will only be those who place their faith in Christ Himself. All the other unbelieving Jews are already condemned along with all the other heathen. Salvation during the gospel period was faith alone in Christ alone just as the Lord had explained here to Nicodemus. The gospel of the kingdom, the good news of the kingdom meant that the kingdom is here because the Messiah is here, and to enter His kingdom, they must have faith in Christ as their Messiah. There was no other way for a Jew to enter His kingdom.

What about vs. 5? The Lord said, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God? I’d suggest He means the living water. Physical water can do nothing to produce a spiritual rebirth – only belief in the living water, the very words Christ was speaking to Nicodemus, only faith in the living water can produce a spiritual rebirth. The Lord would later say that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. John would also write in Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

But after faith, it was a matter of sanctification through obedience to His Word, which meant that they had a responsibility to do the first works, to repent and be baptized, to give up all their possessions and follow Christ, and every other commandment the Lord gave during His ministry.

Then the question people would ask is, “How do you explain water baptism?” Some would point out verses like, Mar 1:4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And they would point out, rightly so, that remission of sins meant to have their sins removed. But again, even during the gospels, one needs to make a distinction between position and practice, between justification and sanctification.

Repent and be baptized was a matter of sanctification, not justification. They were justified by faith alone in Christ alone. Their position before God because of their faith was as perfect and as righteous as Abraham himself. But they were still in a covenant relationship with God under the if/then principle. In order to avoid chastisement through judgment, in order to avoid bearing the iniquity for their sins, they needed to repent and be baptized.

So when would they be chastised? When would they face judgment for their sins? During the tribulation. Water baptism in Scripture was always connected more to judgment during the tribulation than anything else. Look at John says in Mat 3:11 He says, I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Mat 3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Do you see the connection here between water baptism and judgment? John is literally saying that the Messiah is coming, along with the time of Jacob’s Trouble, the Tribulation, and the Lord will baptize them with fire. He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. This means that they had better come to Christ by faith, and they had better get their sins dealt with because judgment is coming. Christ will throughly purge his floor. They don’t want to be unsaved when the judgment comes because they will likely die, which means they’ll die in their sins and face damnation because they had no faith in Christ. If they believed in Christ but didn’t get baptized, they’ll still face judgment and even death, but for them, it’ll be a loss of reward, not a loss of eternal life.

Some may point out Mar 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Again, one needs to make a distinction for the Jews between position and practice, between justification and sanctification. Their justification in this verse is faith alone. The Lord said, he that believeth not shall be damned. That is a positional truth. They had to have faith alone in Christ alone to avoid damnation. But there is also a practical application in the first half of this verse. He said, He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. The question we have to ask ourselves is “saved from what?” They’d be saved from the very thing John the Baptist talked about in Matt. 3:12. They’d be saved from judgment during the tribulation. They would avoid the imputation of their sins during the Tribulation because those sins were not removed through the process of water baptism, their first works after faith.

If they believed in Christ but didn’t get baptized, they’ll still face potential judgment and even death, but for them, it’ll be a loss of reward, not a loss of eternal life. The Lord said, whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Justification During the Tribulation

Again, let me reiterate that in the kingdom program, if a Jew placed his faith in Christ as the Son of God, as their Messiah, he’s saved. He has already overcome the world, and he has already overcome Satan.

Remember 1 John 5:4-5? “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” How did they become an overcomer? They get saved by having faith in Christ. Faith in the fact that Jesus is the Son of God. They have already overcome the world because of their faith in Christ.

What is the key to overcoming the Tribulation? Faith in Christ and obedience to His Word.

What is the gospel that will be preached during the Tribulation? The Lord told us in the Olivet Discourse. Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations. How did someone get saved under the gospel of the kingdom? Faith in Christ as the Son of God. Remember how we quoted before Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. Remember how we quoted Lord saying in Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

They were to believe that Christ was all He said He was, the Messiah, the Son of God. That was the reality of their justification during the Lord’s time and it’s also the reality of their justification during the Tribulation. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

Remember how Jude wrote in the first verse of his letter that all the saints are “preserved in Jesus Christ.” John opens the book of Revelation with a proclamation of grace and peace from the entire triune Godhead. Peter would do the same thing in both of his letters.

Grace and peace wasn’t about the very hard circumstances they’d be going through during the Tribulation. Grace and peace was about their standing before God. You cannot be in a state of grace and peace with God without being justified by faith and if you’re justified by faith, you have eternal security. John also in the first chapter spoke of Jesus and wrote (vs. 5), “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood… If all their sins are already washed by His blood, they are not only justified by faith, but they can never become unwashed. They can never lose that perfect work that was already accomplished for them at Calvary. They can never be hurt of the second death. They can never have their names blotted out of the Book of Life. They can never lose their salvation.

Consider also, the everlasting gospel in Rev 14:7. This angel flies over the entire earth preaching to every soul that dwells on the Earth, to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, and he says with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. What is he preaching in this everlasting gospel, this everlasting good news to the world before those final seven judgments? He’s preaching faith in Christ, faith in the God of the Bible, faith in who He is as the Son of God, faith in the One who created Heaven and Earth. Fear Him! Revere Him! Worship Him! And in that living faith in the living God, they’ll receive eternal life. This is why that gospel is everlasting. This is everlasting life by faith, which was the means of justification throughout all time in all ages.

For me, the everlasting gospel is synonymous with the gospel of the kingdom because both gospels come down to the same point – faith alone in Christ alone.

This brings us back to where we started, Abraham’s salvation. What saith Scripture? Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness. When Abraham believed God, he obtained eternal life. God imputed His righteousness upon Abraham. God declared him righteous in His eyes and that was based upon the future death of Christ, who would pay for all his sins. But during the Tribulation, salvation is faith in His name, in which God would impute His righteousness upon all believers based upon the past death of Christ, who paid for all their sins. So even though we’ve returned to the prophetic program for the Tribulation, all the saints can still declare that Christ loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and that sacrifice would lay the foundation for the new covenant, which will be established at the Lord’s Second Coming. Faith in His name gets them saved.

After that, it’s just a matter of obeying the words of the Lord Jesus Christ to stay in His divine protection through all the judgments and persecution until they ultimately overcome the Tribulation whether it’s to the end of their lives or surviving until His Second Coming. Then they’ll be richly rewarded. Again, Abraham is the father of ALL who believe, including ALL during the Tribulation.