3 To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.
4 Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of from Me;
5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
6 So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?"
7 He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;
Even after Jesus instructed them concerning the Scriptures, after His resurrection, after He was speaking to them things concerning the Kingdom of God ... what did the apostles ask Him? Is now the time you will restore the Kingdom?
They were absolutely expecting Jesus to restore the Kingdom ... He didnt "correct" them and say "OH NO ... the Kingdom is in your heart ... go glorify God and enjoy Him forever" ... but rather, in so many words He simply said "Not now, I have something else in mind until that time comes."
EXACTLY!
When Peter made mistakes before, Jesus rebuked him calling him SATAN! Where is the rebuke here? Where is the "You are the new Kingdom, go out and make it happen for yourselves"
And of course, when talking about the second coming and the tribulation, Paul says:
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. [2] For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. [3] For when they shall say, ‘Peace and safety’; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. [4] But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. [5] Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. [6] Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. [7] For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. [8] But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. [9] For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, [10] Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. [11] Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do"
If the Tribulation comes FIRST, how is that ANY Comfort? That's HORRIFIC. We should all be packing salt, beans and Y2K stuff, or teaching our children how to "take two to the chest" like in the movie "Kick Ass". If the Tribulation, Anti-Christ and Mark of the Beast all happens BEFORE the Rapture... we are as far from Comfort as the heathen are from Salvation.