Prewrath

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The prewrath rapture (also “pre-wrath” rapture) is one of many different views on the timing of end-times events among evangelical Christians.

The prewrath view is that the tribulation of the church begins towards the latter part of the seven-year period, being Daniel's 70th week, when the Antichrist is revealed in the temple. The great Tribulation, according to this view, is of the Antichrist against the church at this time. The duration of this tribulation is unknown, except that it begins and ends during the second half of Daniel's 70th week. According to Jesus (in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21), this tribulation will be cut short by the second coming of Christ to deliver the righteous by means of rapture, which will occur after the sixth seal is opened and the moon is turned to blood. All these events occur just before God's wrath of trumpets and bowls (a.k.a. "the Day of the Lord") begins, hence the term prewrath. [1] The Day of the Lord's wrath against the ungodly will follow for the remainder of the seven years. [2]

Contents

[edit] Origins

This view -- which like pretribulationism, midtribulationism, and posttribulationism falls under the larger umbrella of premillennialism -- was formally named and publicized by Marvin Rosenthal in his book The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church, published by Thomas Nelson in 1990[3], at the prompting of his friend Robert Van Kampen, who went on to write The Sign and The Rapture Question Answered: Plain & Simple.

Although the prewrath rapture was formally named and publicized in the 1990s, the nature of this approach to interpreting the end-times scriptures is such that it was held by believers long before it had a name [4].

A common denominator among all prewrath adherents is the belief that the end-times scriptures are to be taken literally and by comparing end-times scriptures side by side, the prophecies can be put together like a jig-saw puzzle. When this occurs, the scriptures fall into a clear time-line and a logical picture of the end-times events begins to emerge.

[edit] Prewrath View

Primary tenets common to the prewrath view:

  • In Matthew 24, Jesus gives believers a timeline for when the Second Coming and the rapture of the Church will occur.
  1. First, Jesus describes the “abomination of desolation,” when the Antichrist reveals himself in the temple (Matthew 24:15).
  2. Jesus then describes the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21),
  3. the signs in the heavens that precede His return (Matthew 24:29),
  4. then His return itself, along with the corresponding rapture of the Church (Matthew 24:30-31, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52), which occurs as part of the same event.
  • Adherents to the prewrath view hold that the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments in Revelation are chronological.
  • Prewrath also holds that a side-by-side comparison of the wording of the sixth seal (Revelation 6:12-13) and the signs in Matthew 24:29 that announce the Second Coming of Jesus and the rapture of the Church indicate that they are the same event. Therefore, the rapture described in Matthew 24:29-31 can be placed after the sixth seal of Revelation. This timing is confirmed in Revelation 6:17, when immediately after the sixth seal, the people of the earth cry, "hide us from the face of the Lamb!” [a scriptural reference to the Lamb of God, or Jesus Christ], indicating that they are viewing Jesus Himself in the clouds of the heavens. This event is followed by a description of the raptured Church in heaven (Revelation 7:1 ff.), which is stated to have “come out of the Great Tribulation (Revelation 7:9-11).
  • The seventh seal brings the trumpet and the bowl judgments, which comprise Christ’s judgment during the Day of the Lord, which contains God’s wrath. Since the Second Coming and the rapture of the Church occur immediately before the Day of the Lord, they occur before God’s wrath — hence, the “prewrath rapture” of the Church.

[edit] Proposed confirmations of this timing

Prewrath adherents believe that several factors confirm this timing:

  • Throughout the Old Testament, the Day of the Lord is the term used for the time of God's final judgment and wrath upon earth. According to Joel 2:31, "the sun will turn dark and the moon into blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord." This combination of sun turning dark and moon into blood is always used to symbolize the same event: the cosmic signs in heaven before the arrival of the Messiah. This places the Day of the Lord immediately after the arrival of Jesus Christ to rapture the Church (Joel 2:31, Revelation 6:12-13, Matthew 24:29).
  • In 1 Thessalonians, Paul puts the Thessalonians' minds at ease that, while the members of this church were experiencing severe testing and tribulation, the Day of the Lord had not come upon them and they had not missed the Lord’s return. Paul writes that those who are alive at the coming of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:15) will be caught up in the sky with Him at the rapture (1 Thessalonian. 4:16-17). Then in Chapter 5, Paul writes that, "but of the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write to you, for the Day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2).

According to prewrath, this passage clearly indicates that the coming of the Lord and the Day of the Lord are part and parcel of the same event, the coming of the Lord. First, Jesus arrives in the sky at His Second Coming, at which time He raptures all Christian believers, then His judgment during the Day of the Lord falls upon those who have disbelieved and rejected His lordship.

  • Prewrath is also distinguished from other premillennial rapture positions as to when, in relation to Daniel’s 70th Week, the Second Coming and rapture take place. Pretrib places the rapture before the 70th Week. Midtrib places it at middle of the 70th Week. Posttrib places it at the end of the 70th Week. Prewrath places it at an unspecified time after the midpoint of the 70th Week, but before the end.

This is justified, according to prewrath, by the fact that Jesus places His return (Matthew 24:30-31) after the abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15), which occurs at the midpoint of the 70th Week (cf. Daniel 9:27, Daniel 11:31). Thus, if the Second Coming and rapture occur after the sixth seal, this places this event after the midpoint but before the end (seventh trumpet).

William Frederick in his book The Coming Epiphany presents a formal logic proof showing that the rapture does not occur until after the sixth seal is opened which clearly shows and confirms the validity of the pre wrath position. The proof proceeds as follows:

  • The rapture occurs during the Day of the Lord.
  • The moon is turned to blood before the Day of the Lord.
  • The moon is turned to blood after the opening of the sixth seal.
  • Therefore the rapture occurs after the sixth seal is opened and the moon is turned to blood.

Frank Morgan, M.D. in his book "The Watchmen's Cry" makes a case for the timing of the rapture in the last half of the Great tribulation based on the prophetic significance of the fall biblical feasts.

[edit] Summarization

In summary, the prewrath view holds to the following chronological timeline of events:

  1. Antichrist revealed at the midpoint of the future 70th Week (“the Abomination of Desolation”)
  2. Great Tribulation starts at the midpoint (or 3/12 years into 70th Week)
  3. Cutting short of the Great Tribulation by the coming of the Lord (Matthew 24:22)
  4. Coming of the Lord announced by cosmic signs in heaven (the sixth seal)
  5. The Second Coming and the rapture of the Church (sometime after the midpoint but before the trumpets and the bowls).
  6. Immediately following is the Day of the Lord, which is made up of the trumpets and the bowls and contains God's wrath.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Frederick, William: The Coming Epiphany: Because You Need To Know The Truth About The End Times. Lulu Press (2007)
  2. ^ Rosenthal, Marv: "The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church: Is It Biblical?", Regular Baptist Press (1991)
  3. ^ Rosenthal, Marv: "The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church: Is It Biblical?", Regular Baptist Press (1991)
  4. ^ Frederick, William: "The Coming Epiphany: A Guide to Understanding End Times Bible Prophecy", Lulu Press (2007)

4. "Talkin' Rapture," columns on the prewrath rapture, www.strongtowerpublishing.com.

5. "Before God's Wrath: The Bible's Answer to the Timing of the Rapture," by H. L. Nigro, classic text on the prewrath rapture.

6. "Who Will Be Left Behind and When?" by Dave Bussard, introductory text on the prewrath rapture.

7. "Prophecy's Architecture: How to Build an End-Times Doctrine," by Cameron Fultz.