More Fatal Flaws in the "prewrath" tribulation view

I find it amusing that "prewrath" believers often accuse the pretib position as being one that is new. Uh, perhaps they should look in the mirror for a second (or years)? how old is the "prewrath" belief? Dave Mcp and his followers DONT want to talk about that do they?

Introduction: Within the last few years a new view of the timing of the Rapture has become popular. This modern view, called the Pre-Wrath View, has been taught by Robert Van Kampen in the 1970's and by Marvin Rosenthal in the early 1990s. This view correctly states that the Rapture of believers, of this present Church Age, will occur before God pours His wrath upon the earth in the Tribulation.
Interestingly, all the views of the timing of the Rapture teach the same biblical truth. Each view accepts that Christians in this dispensation of the Church Age will not go through God's wrath which is poured out on the earth in the coming Tribulation. However, the Pre-Wrath view purports that God's wrath is only directed on earth during the last 3 2 years of the seven year Tribulation or 70th Week of Daniel. (Dan. 9:27) The exact timing of the Rapture varies among the Pre-Wrath advocates from the middle of the seven years to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.


The Seven Year Tribulation
Daniel's 70th Week

Rapture Second Coming
7 years
Begin 3 ½ years 3 ½ years End
|_____________________________________________________________|
Seals Trumpets Bowls
Rev. 6:17-8:60 Rev. 8:7-9:21 Rev. 16:1-21
Rev. 11:15-19

The biblical view of the Pre-Tribulationalists is that the whole of the seven years, called the Tribulation, Daniel's 70th Week, or the Time of Jacob's trouble, is a period of God pouring out His wrath. God will do this in a series of three judgments upon the earth. The Pre-Wrath view is based on the accretion that the Bible does not teach that the pouring out of God's wrath occurs during the whole seven years of the Tribulation. Their view is that the out pouring of God's wrath only occurs sometime after or toward the middle of the first three and a half years.

However, the Book of Revelation teaches the judgments or wrath of God on earth begin at the start of the seven years of Tribulation with the Seal Judgments (Rev. 6:17, 8:1-60) , followed by the Trumpets Judgments (Rev. 8:7-921, 11:15-19) and subsequent and final Bowl (Vial) Judgments (Rev. 16:1-21). As each judgment is released upon the earth they grow in intensity and increasing more devastating. The last 3 2 years of the seven years of the Tribulation will be the worse period and is referred to as the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:21).


FLAWS IN THE PRE-WRATH RAPTURE VIEW

There are many flaws within the Pre-wrath view. One of its major flaws is that it teaches that the Seal Judgments are the wrath of Satan and the Antichrist, and not the judgment or wrath of God. It is their position that Matthew 24:22 is a reference to the "Church" being Raptured thus removing them from the earth and ending the persecution of the Antichrist and Satan.


"And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." (Matthew 24:22)

The first problem with this view is the presumption that Matthew 24:22 is referring to Church Age saints. The Pre-Wrath position is that God will Rapture Church Age saints in the middle of the Tribulation before He begins to pour out His wrath on earth. This view ignores the fact that many people, Jews and Gentiles, will be saved on the earth during the seven year Tribulation. God's purpose in bringing the seven year Tribulation on earth is to fulfill His promises to Israel and purge the earth prior to His setting up the Millennial Kingdom. God will be once again working with the Jews and the Nation of Israel. Matthew 24:20 specifically states that those who are fleeing the persecution of the Antichrist should pray it will not be on the Sabbath.


"But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day" (Matthew 24:20)
Christians do not worship on or keep the Sabbath. Exodus 31:17 states that the Sabbath was a special everlasting sign between God and Israel. Clearly, this passage is addressing the Jews who to this day continue to keep the Sabbath. The primary focus of events of the seven year Tribulation is directed towards Israel and the coming promised Kingdom of the Messiah Jesus Christ. Church Age saints are not in view here.

When Jesus began His ministry, the Gospels record that He presenting Himself to Israel as their Messiah, and that the promised kingdom was "at hand." (See Matt. 3:2, 4:17, 10:7; Mark 1:15, Luke 21:31). He was offering them the promised kingdom promised in the Old Testament. However, the Nation of Israel rejected Jesus as their Messiah. In 70 AD God allowed Titus, the Roman general to destroy Jerusalem and the Temple. Biblical Judaism ceased to exist and the Jews were dispersed throughout the Roman Empire. God's offer of the promised Kingdom was thus postponed. This is a vital truth and must be understood in order to correctly understand what God's plan is for the Tribulation. Many Old Testament prophecies such as Ezekiel 36 predict Israel's regathering into the Promised Land.

Clear evidence that the the seven year Tribulation is God's plan to complete His promise to Israel is seen the prophecies of Daniel. Daniel prophesied that the Messiah would be cut off in the 483rd year (week), but that God's covenant with Israel would be confirmed in the seventh week. Jesus was "cut off" being crucified in the 483rd year as Daniel foretold which leaves seven years of his prophecy unfulfilled. The coming seven Tribulations, or Daniel's 70th Week is the period when God will once again offer the promised Kingdom to Israel again and many Jews will be saved. God will complete His plan; purge the earth and Israel of unbelievers which will usher in the thousand year reign of Christ on earth. Christ will be the King of the Jews and of the world and rule from Jerusalem. Christians saved since Pentecost until the Rapture are not in view in this final seven years of the Old Testament dispensation. The Church Age will end before the seven year Tribulation and the last seven years of the Old Testament period will begin until God has completed His purposes for the nation of Israel. The current dispensation of the Church Age will end with the Rapture of all believers, both dead and alive, before God begins to renew His covenant with Israel. There is nothing in Matthew 24 that refers to Church Age saints. Those saved in the Tribulation are a different group of believers.




THE FLAW OF PURPORTING THE FIRST PART
OF THE TRIBULATION IS NOT THE OUT POURING OF GOD'S WRATH.
The another mistake of the Pre-Wrath view is in purporting that the first part of the seven year Tribulation, the Seal Judgments, are not the wrath of God, but the wrath of Satan and the Antichrist. However, the Pre-Wrath view ignores a vital truth clearly stated in Revelation 5:12 and 6:1f. At the beginning of the seven year Tribulation, as Revelation 6:1 states, the wrath of God begins with the opening of the Seal Judgments by Jesus Christ (the Lamb of Rev. 5:12, 6:16).

Revelation 5:1-14 is the prelude to the Tribulation in which Jesus Christ is presented as the Lamb, who is the only worthy One, who has the authority and position to open the seven sealed book. The Pre-Wrath view says that the beginning of the Tribulation is the wrath of man, or of the Antichrist and Satan, and not of God. However, Revelation 5:3 states, "And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon." The book that no man could open is the seven sealed book of the wrath of God which He will unfold in the seven year Tribulation. The opening of the book begins the seven year Tribulation. What is about to unfold is plainly not the work of any man, but of the Messiah, the work of "the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David." This event is Almighty God fulfilling His plan for Israel and the world in this final stage before the Millennium.

It is the Lamb, Himself, who opens the first seal (Rev. 6:1) and thus initiates the beginning of the seven years of the Tribulation. Revelation 5:4 says that no man could open the book. Further, Revelation 6:3, states that "he" referring to the Lamb of verse 6:1, and verses 5, 7, 9, and 12, continues in opening each of the subsequent Seal Judgments. Clearly, these are not judgments initiated by man or Antichrist, but by the Worthy Lamb of Chapter 5. It is Jesus Christ who opens each of the seals in the first half of the Tribulation and brings God's wrath on the earth. Yes, it is the Antichrist who persecutes God's people and all peoples on earth, but he does so at the discretion of Jesus Christ. God will be using the Antichrist as the instrument of His wrath. Many times in biblical history God used the enemies of Israel to chasten and judge them. The Antichrist could do nothing unless he was allowed by God to do so. The Pre-Wrath view is fatally flawed in its assumption that it is not God who is pouring His wrath on the earth at the beginning of the Tribulation and though out the seven years and until the three sets of God's judgments are completed. It is Almighty God who is using the Seal Judgments begins His plan to purge the earth of sin. It should be recognized that if the Seal Judgments are the wrath of God, the Pre-Wrath position is refuted.

There can be no mistake the New Testament says in this dispensation of the Church Age, which began at Pentecost (Acts 2) and will continue until the Rapture, believers will not go through wrath of God. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 deals with instruction concerning the end times and verse 19, gives Christians the promise of God, "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:9).



IT IS JESUS CHRIST, THE WORTHY LAMB WHO OPENS EACH OF THE SEAL JUDGMENTS
AND INITIATES THE BEGINING OF POURING OUT OF THE WRATH OF GOD.
As show above, it is Jesus Christ who begins the seven year Tribulation and the outpouring of God's wrath as Revelation 6 reveals. The beginning of God's wrath is in His allowing the Riders of the Four Horsemen to rain their various destructions on the earth. In the beginning it is the Lamb who opens the first seal and unleashes the Antichrist, the first horseman riding a white horse upon the earth. The first rider riding a white horse and wearing a crown is allowed to go forth to conquer the world. This is a picture of the Antichrist who will rise to power on earth as a great political leader and present himself as a savior to the world. He will represent himself as a man of peace in his deceptive strategy. Represented as a "little horn," the Antichrist comes with a crown on his head and as Daniel 7:8, 8:8-12 prophecies and takes control of the world's governments. He comes offering peace but by military and political might, and his actions will bring havoc and death on the earth. The Pre-Wrath advocates say this will be a time of peace on the earth. As Revelation 6:2 states, the Antichrist will be "going forth to conquer and conquering," and this is clearly not a picture of a period of peace. The timing of the events of the Tribulation is clearly presented in the Book of Revelation as beginning in with the initial heavenly events of Chapters 4 and 5. The scene then shifts to the earth beginning with Chapter 6 and the unfolding of the seven Seal Judgments. The peace the Antichrist proclaims is an illusion. As the Seal Judgments are unleashed by the Lord Jesus Christ the earth enters a period of turmoil.

Further it is God, who after the Rapture, stops the present retraining work of the Holy Spirit and allows Satan to go forth bringing destruction on humankind through his control of the Antichrist. In our present dispensation of the Church Age, the Holy Spirit is preventing or restraining Satan from unleashing his destructive wishes on the earth.

Further it is God, who after the Rapture, stops the present retraining work of the Holy Spirit and allows Satan to go forth bringing destruction on humankind through his control of the Antichrist. In our present dispensation of the Church Age, the Holy Spirit is preventing or restraining Satan from unleashing his destructive wishes on the earth.

Paul reveals this in 2 Thessalonians 2:7-15,


"For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (2 Thessalonians 2:7-12)
God's plan is that He will use Satan and the Antichrist to bring His judgment on the earth during the seven year Tribulation. The restraining work of the Holy Spirit, which keeps him in check presently, will end and Satan will be allowed to rein destruction on the earth through the Antichrist. It is God who initiates the destruction on earth by allowing Satan and the Antichrist to work unrestrained. It is God who is now restraining Satan and this clearly shows that is the action of God that allows him to rise to power and thus bring destruction to the earth.

Revelation 6:3-4 states again that "he, Christ, opens the second seal and initiates the second horsemen of red. Once again this is the action of God as power is "given" to this horseman by God to take peace from the earth and allow men to kill one another. 2 Thessalonians 2:6 reveals that the One who is restraining evil today is the Holy Spirit, but when the Antichrist is revealed, the restraining work of the Holy Spirit will be withdrawn. The "son of perdition" referred to as the lawless one and beast will be allowed by God to bring havoc on the earth. Once again it is God who is in full control and carrying out His plan.

This Second Seal Judgment clearly removes peace from the earth by allowing the Antichrist to bring havoc on earth. The Pre-Wrath position is that the first three and a half years of the seven year Tribulation will be a time of peace. Certainly, Revelation 6:4 refutes that false assertion. The third horseman described in Revelation 6:5-6, rides a black horse. He is allowed to bring famine on the earth by Jesus Christ when He opens the third seal judgment.

The third horseman described in Revelation 6:5-6, rides a black horse. He is allowed to bring famine on the earth by Jesus Christ when He opens the third seal judgment.

The forth horseman rides a pale horse and death and hell follows him. Once again the Bible says that Jesus Christ gives the pale horse rider the power to bring a tragic judgment on earth in which a fourth part of the earth is killed. One must note that each of these Seal Judgments are being opened in the first half of the Tribulation and the killing a fourth of the earth with the sword, hunger and death which includes even the animals of the earth cannot be viewed as a time of peace on earth. God is pouring out His wrath on the sinful and unbelieving of the earth. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 is God's promise that believers in this dispensation will not go through His wrath, thus the timing of the Rapture must be before these events.

When Christ opens the fifth seal, John sees under the altar the souls of those killed for the word of God which they refused to reject. These believers whom the Antichrist will slay are in the first part of the Tribulation. Like the persecutions of the past and even those going on in the world today, God allows some believers to be killed for the testimony of Jesus Christ. True believers through out history had died rather than deny the word of God. In every persecution, God always reaps a harvest of souls as the testimony of God's children allows men to see the truth of the life changing power of God in salvation. Because of the testimony of these slain saints of God many will be saved. Again, this is clearly the work of God and the Pre-Wrath view is grossly wrong in assuming that what is happening on the earth is the work of men. Yes, the Antichrist and evil men are the ones who perpetrate this evil attack on those saved during the Tribulation, but it is only done as God allows it to happen.


THE PRE-WRATH VIEW MISTAKENLY CONCLUDES THAT
REVELATION 6:9-11IS REFERRING TO CHURCH AGE SAINTS
The Pre-Wrath view purports that Revelation 6:9-11 is a reference to the Rapture. They preclude that these saints of God are Christians, of the present Church Age, who have been resurrected in the Rapture and are now seen in heaven. This is a serious misinterpretation of this passage. First, verse 9, specifically states that all these saints are ones slain for their testimony of the word of God. These saints are said to be under the altar of God and are crying to the Lord to avenge their deaths on them that are on the earth. Verse 11, says they given white robes and a time of rest as they wait for a short season until their fellow servants and brethren would also be murdered, as they were on the earth. What they are waiting for is the Second Coming of the Messiah Jesus Christ when God purges the world of the Antichrist and sinful men.

This event follows the coming of the pale horse rider to earth. Their deaths are the result of the actions of the rider of the Pale horse who brings death and hell on the earth. This is a picture of events after the Tribulation, during the Seal Judgments, and begins when the Antichrist and his evil forces persecuting and killing believers on the earth. It must be noted the passage states all these have been slain and are crying to the Lord for judgment to come on the Antichrist and those that serve him. Absolutely, nothing in this passage can even remotely be understood as referring to believers in the current Church Age who will be raptured before the Tribulation begins. Revelation 6:9-11 is referring to saints who have believed after the Tribulation has begun. These saints are not part of the current dispensation of the Church Age. These are Jews and Gentiles who believed on Jesus Christ after the Rapture and every one in this group were killed for their testimony for Christ. All believers in this present dispensation have not been killed for their testimony of Jesus Christ. Clearly, this is a different group of believers and not those of the present Church Age. If these are all the raptured saints of God, of this age, it would require that all those who are raptured must be slain. Of course this is not the case and once again the Pre-Wrath heresy is refuted by the word of God.

A carefully and scholarly study of the Book of Revelation shows that between Revelation 3:22 and 19:1 there is no mention of Church Age saints. The events between these two references reveal the progression of the seven year Tribulation until it ends with the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Saints of God are mentioned within these Chapters, but each time it is referring to those who believed within the seven years of the Tribulation and were saved by God.

Another point revealed in this passage and overlooked or ignored by the Pre-Wrath position is that all these saints, both in heaven and on the earth are seen as one group. A part of the group is shown as having been slain and are in heaven. The other part of the group is still on earth and waiting to join the slain saints in heaven, by experiencing their eventual deaths as well at the hands of the Antichrist. Thus the Pre-Wrath view has part of believers raptured and part awaiting the rapture? These cannot be Church Age saints. Throughout history many believers have been persecuted and killed for their testimony for Christ. But most believers in this dispensation have died naturally and were not martyred. This passage says that every one of this group of saints were martyred for their testimony for the word of God. This plainly is not a reference to the Rapture of believers of the Church Age.

When Christ opens the sixth seal there comes a great earthquake on the earth, the sun turns black and the moon to red as blood. Accompanying this catastrophe event is the stars in heaven raining down on the earth. God says the heavens will be rolled up as a scroll and every mountain and island moved out of it presence location. This begs a simple question? How does this fit into the Pre-wrath idea that the Seal Judgments are the "wrath of men?!" The scope of this judgment precludes that any man, even the Antichrist from having the power over the earth, sun, moon and stars. This is plainly the work of God in bring His judgment on the earth and sinful men. This is Almighty God unleashing His omnipotence power over nature and the elements. Revelation 6:17 completely dispels any validity to the Pre-wrath view stating: "For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" The "great day of his wrath is come," clearly is referring to the events just described. The word "to come" means "as appeared, accompanied, entered or be set." After experiencing these Six Seal Judgments people on earth will be terrified, and thus the answer to the rhetorical question "who will be able to stand," is no man could stand against God's wrath which has just been revealed.


THE PRE-WRATH VIEW FALSELY LEAVES CHURCH
AGE BELIEVERS ON EARTH IN A SPLIT RAPTURE
Another problem of the Pre-Wrath view at noted above is that Revelation 6:9-10 shows that part of these saints are in heaven the rest on earth. If the Pre-Wrath view is correct this would mean believers who were alive at the Rapture and had not been martyred would still be on earth and would have to go through the Sixth Seal Judgment and its devastating events. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 plainly refutes this idea as being false.


THE CONCLUSION - NO PRE-WRATH RAPTURE


Another problem of the Pre-Wrath view at noted above is that Revelation 6:9-10 shows that part of these saints are in heaven the rest on earth. If the Pre-Wrath view is correct this would mean believers who were alive at the Rapture and had not been martyred would still be on earth and would have to go through the Sixth Seal Judgment and its devastating events. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 plainly refutes this idea as being false.
9-18-07

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