Have you ever wondered why the apostles considered themselves and their contemporary first century Christians “destined for afflictions” (1 Thessalonians 3:3)? Or, why they taught that their sufferings and persecutions would make them “worthy of the Kingdom of God (1 Thessalonians 1:4-5)? The fact is, the “tribulation” which Jesus told his disciples that they would endure (Mathew 24:9), was the “refining” of the remnant of Israel, as prophesied in the Old Testament (Zechariah 13, Malachi 3:1-4, 4:1-2), prior to the Day of the Lord in AD70. To place the tribulations of Mathew 24:9 in our future not only ignores audience relevance, but misses the entire purpose of those first century tribulations.
The Institute Of Fulfilled Eschatology