I realise that for some, the idea that we, the Church go through the time of tribulation does not sit well because they understand that time to be a time of punishment for unbelievers.
Tribulation is pressure, not punishment. It is pressure designed to bring people to their senses and open their hearts to their Saviour who is waiting for them to turn to Him. For the Church it will be as pressure too. Pressure to make us reconsider what is most valuable in our lives. What are we relying on and clinging to that is worthless and gets in the way of us being fully who we are called to be.
We can make those choices now, before the pressure comes, and I think that’s a big part of what God wants to say to His people. He will have for Himself a pure, spotless and victorious bride. It will be a bride who has been tested and not found wanting.
If we look back on our own lives, often the times of greatest growth and the times that we have learned to walk closest to the Lord, have been times of difficulty, opposition or testing. Who allowed that to happen to us, and what did He want to produce in us?
The other reason for the Church being present through tribulation is that our purpose will be to lead to Jesus those who want to turn to Him. How else would that happen? That was always our primary purpose. For the sake of the lost we have to be there. (It’s interesting to note that believers are present right through the book of Revelation).
I hope that helps.
Church is out there 