GOD'S JUDGMENT IS PROTECTION FOR HIS PEOPLE Although there are many instances in the Bible that speak of God's people undergoing persecution, there are no cases of God pouring out His wrath upon those who serve Him. Discipline is one thing, wrath is another. The effect of God's judgment is in fact consistently beneficial to God's people, in that it frees them from persecution. Consider God's judgment upon Egypt, where devastating plagues destroyed the oppressive nation and freed His people. God not only freed His people, but then supernaturally provided for them in the absence of the society He had destroyed. Jeremiah was persecuted by a corrupt administration in Judah. When God used Babylon to judge that nation, Jeremiah was set free (Jer. 9:11-12). In I Kings 19:17-18, God pronounces judgment on Israel, but He specifically excludes the 7000 who had never worshiped Baal. In Psalms 91:5-8 we are assured: “You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day; Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand may fall at your side And ten thousand at your right hand, But it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes And see the recompense of the wicked.” (NASB) Here again, we see God's people close enough to witness God's judgment, while not being affected by it. This pattern is consistent throughout the Bible, and will not be altered during the final periods of God's judgment on the earth. There are in fact several instances in which God speaks of His protection during this very period. In Dan. 12:1, the beginning of the final 3-1/3 years and the pouring out of God's wrath are announced. But, along with this announcement, the rescue of God's people is mentioned. We also see His protection in Rev. 12:14-16. For whatever you may believe about the rapture, the reason for it is not to protect His people from His own judgment upon the evil of this earth – indeed, as noted repeatedly above, his judgment has been a frequent form of His protection.