From Genesis to Revelation = the Righteous are delivered from God's wrath while they are in Tribulation.
The easiest and simplest way to look at wrath and tribulation is wrath is death and tribulation a 2nd chance. The flood was pure wrath there was no tribulation at all. If we look in the old testament even into the new. Like I pointed out before in Romans 2 wrath and tribulation are used in conjunction.
Wrath is final why we do not face wrath. When we look at different spots in the bible such as when Moses came down from the mount and the children of Israel worshipping the calf. The earth split open and folks died yet some where spared. God who claims absolute authority that he alone can read a mans heart and see it's very intents. He knows alone who will repent and who will not, who will get the second chance and who will not.
To me the biggest difference and why we have at least here in our discussion is just that the wrath. Really the whole crux of our arguments stems from how we view wrath.
As a fellow believer such as yourself in the divinity of Christ and he alone as our sufficiency. What makes me ultimately pretrib is my view on wrath. Which for me is the opening of seal one. I come to this conclusion when I read of past judgement by God. How he brings about a person to be that judgement. How in the old testament he even says that nations will bow to the will of that person. Nebuchadnezzar is a example.
The next seals opened we can also see is the wrath of God because he says so in Ezekiel 14. He says it is his wrath and his foursore judgements. The 4 sore judgments which he calls his wrath are the seals he opens in 2-4. Which ultimately one quarter of mankind will be wiped out or 2 billion people by todays worldwide population numbers. So this is wrath definitively because it keeps with the the language and the way the bible shows wrath. Wrath is final it brings physical and eternal death.
Tribulation is being between a rock and a hard place it is used to force a person into a position to either reject or repent. If you reject ultimately you face wrath. If you repent you do not face wrath because Christ has tasted that wrath for us.
So we never face wrath period. We face tribulation. Which the bible promises we will face trials and tribulations on this earth. However, the bible lets us know we face them because we are led away of our lusts. We face them because we have chaff yet to be burned up in our lives. The ultimate goal for us is to be presented as a bride without spot or blemish. Which our trials and tribulations serve as that for us a fire that burns away the chaff in our lives.
Seals 1-4 are the wrath of God as well as tribulation. 2 billion will die they will see physical and eternal death. Others will repent as they were forced to make a decision of rejection or repentance.
Seal 5 then to me makes sense and this is not doctrinal nor will I ever claim so. I fall upon history here and look at what history has shown. In times of great distress folks who have been spared or it passed by them they were scapegoated and persecuted till the point of death. The Jews period are a good example of this and their world history. However, we have other examples in history a famine hit and newcomers who it does not seem to effect have been scapegoated and persecuted and killed. Many different examples from different angles but ultimately we do see that yeah those who seem to not be facing it do get persecuted and killed.
So ultimately I conclude seal one, the opening, the wrath falls as a whole on a unbelieving world, some will stay rejecting and 2 billion of them will be removed and the earth purged of them. Some during the wrath it will be a tribulation as it forces them to make a decision, for them it brings forth repentance. Those still under the wrath scapegoat and kill them. Like I said for this can't prove it doctrinally but can do so historically.
So ultimately as a whole it is the wrath of God but individually it is wrath and tribulation based upon the individual and whether they will repent or reject. Then further wrath falls in the trumpets, bowls, and vials as some will again die while others will repent. Whoever falls upon the rock shall be broke into pieces but whoever the rock falls upon shall be ground up. Some of us need more of a falling onto the rock before we are broke and come to a place of brokenness so we surrender. Others they never will.
