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Session 9 Let us take a moment to discuss the theological perspective of this study. If you hear enthusiasm in this study - it is not arrogance to suggest that the pre-wrath view is correct and anyone who disagrees is wrong. On the contrary, the enthusiasm I feel in this study is because for the first time for me - the pre-wrath view allowed all the prophecies to naturally fit together, it gave me a truly scriptural perspective on the end of time, and it was a watershed issue that caused me to change my own theology - from what I had been taught to what I believe the scripture teaches. Could the pre-wrath view be wrong? Absolutely! I don't believe anyone has God totally figured out! We are trying to understand the infinite with our small finite minds. However, because of the harmony of the scriptures in the pre-wrath view - I feel closer to the truth than I have ever been. But you, the student of the scriptures, must decide for yourself what the scriptures teach. When we ended the last session, we decided that the rapture would occur sometime during the second 3½ years of Daniel's 70th Week (The Tribulation Period).
Jesus told us that no one knows the day and the hour except the Father. But, He said that we will be able to tell by the things that are happening that the time is near - "even at the door." Jesus gave us two clues dealing with the distress that would occur at the mid-point of the 70th Week when the Antichrist will demand the world worship him. First, He said that the days will be shortened for the sake of the elect, and then He said that "immediately after the distress of those days" the rapture would occur. Now if the pre-wrath view is correct, then all the problems we encountered with the other views should be taken care of. We saw that the post-tribulation and mid-tribulation views shared a common set of problems. Post & Mid Tribulation Problems
Conflicts in Timing The book of Revelation records...
We have seen that the seventh trumpet blows at the end of the 70th Week. At this point the saints have already been in heaven for at least a little time. Now the 30 day restoration period beings. These 30 days give God ample time to deal with the judgment of the saints. When must recognize that God is omni-present - which means He can be anywhere and everywhere at the same time. Therefore, He could judge each person all at once. Scriptural Basis for Timing We have already seen that there are various scriptures that support a pre-wrath timing of the rapture.
Predictability About the Day and Hour Jesus warned...
But Jesus also said...
The Apostle Paul wrote...
Therefore...
God's People Endure His Wrath
Do you remember that we said in a post-tribulation view God's people endure the wrath of God, yet the scriptures clearly tell us that God's people will be delivered from God's wrath. This would seem to be a problem for the pre-wrath view also. Is the second half of the 70th Week, also called the "great tribulation" God's wrath?
Do you remember the scriptures about God's people being rescued from God's wrath?
We know that the Day of the Lord is an outpouring of God's wrath, but is God's wrath poured out before the Day of the Lord begins?
The Bible tells us in Revelation chapter 12...
Revelation 12 flashes back to the war in heaven between Satan and the angels. The scripture declares that the Devil has come down to earth having great wrath. God's wrath is not mentioned in the book of Revelation before the 6th seal and the Day of the Lord. But, the seals do tell us the tragic events that will take place on earth under the reign of Antichrist. Therefore, it is evident that God's wrath is poured out after the Day of the Lord begins, but it is the wrath of Satan that takes place before the Day of the Lord.
The Bible teaches...
There is one other passage that seems to interfere with this idea.
This verse tells us that we may escape ALL that is about to happen. Does this mean persecution too? Let us go back to the scripture...
Now we see that in verse 34 we are talking about "that day" and that day IS the Day of the Lord. Those who love Jesus WILL escape all that is about to happen on "that day" - we will have already been raptured! Pre Tribulation Problems
Unmistakable Return of Christ According to the pre-wrath view, when Jesus raptures the church it will not be a secret appearance. When He comes in the clouds it WILL be like the lightning flashes from east to west. People WILL disappear as they are "caught up" to be with the Lord, but everyone will know what is happening. We are told this in the book of Revelation...
Absence of Holy Spirit/Multitude Saved The rapture will take place on the Day of the Lord, rather than at the beginning of the 70th Week. Also, the restrainer is not necessarily seen as the Holy Spirit. The multitude saved are those raptured souls from all generations who have followed Jesus.
The pre-tribulation view teaches that the restrainer IS the Holy Spirit and that He will be removed with the church at the rapture.
There is a scriptural problem here because we are told "our being gathered to Him" will not happen until the Antichrist (Man of Lawlessness) is revealed. But, we are also told that the Antichrist cannot be revealed until the restrainer is taken out of the way. The logic of the restrainer being the Holy Spirit and being removed at the rapture is an impossibility. The scriptural order is 1) restrainer taken out of the way, 2) Antichrist revealed, and 3) the church raptured. This also answers the pre-tribulation problem of "What Comes First?" So, there is still a nagging question - who, then, is this restrainer?
In Daniel there is a verse that identifies this particular episode of the end of time as "a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of the nations until then." This same phrase is also in Matthew 24...
At this time, Michael the archangel is identified as the one who protects "your people." He will "arise." That word is "to stand" or "to cease." Whatever else it means, when Michael "stands" it initiates this time of distress. Could Michael be the "one who holds back?" There are three points we must understand...
Rapture Missing in End Time Passages This problem no longer exists when we identify the Biblical name for the rapture as "The Day of the Lord." It is then found in the Old Testament, the New Testament and the book of Revelation. Matthew 24 Only for the Jews When Matthew 24 is seen viewed as any other prophecy, and as it coincides with the other end time passages, these two problems are answered. There is only one rapture as it appears in Matthew 24. It is one and the same as the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:18ff. No Scriptural Basis
These problems are all solved when we understand that the rapture IS "The Day of the Lord." There is no longer any need for evangelists or revivals to explain the multitude that appears in heaven. The most obvious answer for the multitude is the correct one - the raptured saints. There is no longer any need to justify a rapture or coming of Christ at the beginning of the 70th Week. He will return for His people at the time outlined in Matthew 24, 2 Thessalonians 2, and Revelation 6 and 7. No Scriptural Contradictions The last test of validity is that no scriptural contradictions will be found that bring into question the order of events in the pre-wrath view. In the several years I have been studying the end times, I have yet to find a single verse of scripture that contradicts the teaching of the pre-wrath view. Imminency There is one other issue that needs to be addressed before we leave the pre-tribulational problems. Those who hold to a pre-tribulational rapture promote the teaching that the coming of Christ is an imminent event. Imminency is defined as follows:
Key Elements
Imminency is based upon scriptures such as these...
There are two main arguments for imminency.
We have already shown that the coming of the Lord is equated with the "Day of the Lord."
There is a passage in Zephaniah that states that the Day of the Lord is also near...
This passage was written 400 years before Jesus was born. Using the same reasoning we would have to say that the Day of the Lord is also imminent! But scriptures tell us that there are several things that must happen before the Day of the Lord.
Jesus coming is near in the same way the prophets proclaimed the Day of the Lord is near. There are prophecies that have to take place before the Day of the Lord and so the Day of the Lord is NOT imminent. The second argument is that the New Testament believers were "eagerly waiting" for the Lord to come. If persecution or wrath were involved - why would they eagerly wait?
The point is that we can eagerly await His Appearing even though it might include suffering. Is there anything that has to happen before Jesus comes - "yes!" If His coming is the Day of the Lord then there is a sign in the sun, moon, and stars, and the appearing of Antichrist and the coming of Elijah that must come first - so His coming is not imminent. Could Jesus come now? I also believe the answer is yes. Even though there are events that must come first, I believe these events could fall into place very quickly - maybe without notice. It is interesting that Jesus told us...
What Jesus said to look for was the Abomination of Desolation. That does not happen until the mid-point of the 70th Week - 3½ years into the tribulation period. Is it possible that we may not know what is happening until we are already at the mid-point? |
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