The title of this article would make it appear that I do not espouse a rapture at all, but that is far from the truth. There is a rapture, but it does not occur where the ore-trib, mid-trib, pre-wrath, or post-trib say it will, according to Scripture, although post-trib is the closest, but they have a misunderstanding that keeps it from being completely accurate. One of the problems with all of these views is that terminology is faulty and faulty terminology leads to error. Another is making unsubstantiated assumptions and drawing erroneous conclusions from them.
One of the first differences between the beliefs is that they do not agree as to what God's wrath is when it comes to the occurrences within the 70th week. To determine where God's wrath begins, we must understand what it is, and what clues we are given as to pinpoint it's commencement.
So what is the Day of the Lord? It is God's wrath upon the nations. Isaiah 13:6 “Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
Isaiah 13:9 “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.” Isaiah 34:8 “ For it is the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.” So we have established that it is God's wrath. And in the N.T. we are told that we are not appointed to wrath. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.” So it can be agreed that we will not go through God's wrath. The question is where does God put the start of His wrath according to His Word. Not man's word, but HIS Word.
To establish why a theory is wrong, we merely have to show where God's wrath begins, for while we are not appointed to wrath, nowhere does it say we are not appointed to suffer tribulation in this world, including that directly aimed at us by Satan. Satan has been persecuting and martyring God's people since Abel. We are not exempt from tribulation, only wrath. Noah was removed at the moment God's wrath began, by being shut into the ark by God Himself. Lot was removed at the moment of God's wrath by having angels pull him and his family by force, out of the city. Deliverance was immediately followed by wrath. Immediately. This is important.
Now we must look to God's Word to see what clues He gives us. And we MUST pay attention to them to get to the truth. Changing His Word to suit our preferencs is not seeking truth, it is seeking to have our own way.
God gave us some very specific signs to know when His wrath will be coming and when it will start. We will begin by looking at the signs that he gives us as an omen or warning that His wrath is coming soon. Not necessarily at the moment of the omens, but soon.
Joel 2:30-31 “And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.” Acts 2:19-20 “And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:”
Note that the above verses tell us that before God's wrath can begin, we must see certain signs that portend its coming. Those signs are the sun going dark and the moon turning to blood which means it also goes dark. These signs are simultaneous, for simple eclipses happen all the time and so are not recognizable as specific unique signs that can only be the signs of the coming Day of the Lord. The peculiar thing about both going dark is that this would only happen in a dual eclipse which is normally impossible. Impossible that is, unless there is a third object in the solar system which comes between the sun, moon, and earth in such a way that it causes an eclipse in both the sun and moon at the same time. As these signs must come before God's wrath can begin, we can determine where God's wrath cannot begin.
To help us further determine where it begins, we find that Isaiah gave us some further signs that accompany the sun and moon going dark. By having all these multiple signs to be a road sign, we can be sure of not putting God's wrath too early.
Isaiah 2:19-21 “And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.”
Isaiah 13:9-10 “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. ….Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.”
Isaiah 34:4 “And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.”
Malachi 4:5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD,”
So according to God's Holy Word, before His wrath, the Day of the Lord can begin, the sun and moon go dark, the stars or host of heaven will dissolve or fall down like a fig or leaf falling from a tree, the sky will roll up like a scroll, the earth will be shaken and moved out of its place, and men will flee to the rocks and caves out of fear of the coming wrath of God. And on top of that, Elijah or the two witnesses will appear before God's wrath. While it says just Elijah, we know from Revelation there are two witnesses. All of these signs will precede God's wrath or the Day of the Lord. So if we have not seen these signs. God's wrath is not near at hand.
So now we look to the various beliefs. Pre-trib says that the reason for the rapure being at the beginning of the 70th week is that the 70th week is God's wrath, and because we are not appointed to God's wrath, we must be taken out. They also say that it is imminent because there are no signs. No signs? What did all these verses just tell us. There are a lot of signs. The once in a lifetime signs in the heavens, and the appearance of the two witnesses. These must occur before God's wrath, so clearly, the Day of the Lord and the rapture are not imminent. Does God's wrath begin at the start of the 70th week? We will soon see.
The mid-trib belief says that we will be taken out at the time of the abomination of desolation, because that is when the great tribulation begins with antichrist's declaring himself God, and this will be God's wrath. So we are taken out at that time. Is the great tribulation God's wrath? We'll see.
Pre-wrath says that God's wrath does not begin until the seventh seal trumpet judgments begin, becaue the sixth seal are the signs mentioned in the above passages which must come before the Day of the Lord. Revelation 6:12-16a “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne.” They are correct that these are the Day of the Lord omen signs, but that is as far as it goes. Those signs must occur first, but does that mean that God's wrath begins immediately? We will determine that shortly.
Post-trib, at least those whom I know who are post-tribbers, say that God's wrath occurs at the seventh and last trumpet, but that the last trumpet sounds at the last bowl judgment. They believe that the trumpets and bowls overlap each other and are concurrent. That they both end at the seventh trumpet. I am not totally familiar with how that is laid out, but I am guessing that the firsts go together, the seconds go together, etc. up to the seventh ones. Is this what the Bible really teaches? Well, let's now delve into it.
To get everyone on the same page, we first have to agree on definitions, which seems to be one of the biggest problems. It isn't just God's wrath that needs to be defined, there are a few other terms as well. The distinction must be made between the phrases “Daniel's 70th week”, “tribulation,' “great tribulation” and “Day of the Lord/wrath.” All of these must be defined by Scripture, not by our own opinions. We have already defined God's wrath or the Day of the Lord above and listed the signs which must occur before it can commence.
Daniel's 70th week is another one which is easy one to define. In Daniel 9 we are told about the seventy weeks or seventy, seven year periods, a week being defined as seven years. I am going to assume the reader's familiarity with this concept. Dan. 9:24 “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.” That amounts to 490 years.
We are told in verses 25-26 that there are first seven weeks during which time the commandment is given to rebuild the temple and city, and that work begins, and then it is followed by sixty-two weeks, which end with the death of Christ. The break in the weeks may be due to the fact that the work was stopped by a couple of kings during that time. So the countdown probably also ceased. “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Following the death of Christ, which comes at the end of or after the 62 weeks, the city and sanctuary are destroyed. We know historically that this was not immediate, but occurred forty years after Christ in 70 AD. Since then there has been 2000 years with nothing happening as far as being a sign that God has begun the last “week” of the seventy weeks, but as it says there will be desolations going on. The Jews can attest to that. But we are given something to tell us when we will be in that week. Daniel 9:27 “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”
Now, we are told that a covenant which must already be in place, must be confirmed (you can't confirm something, if it doesn't already exist) and that will begin the seventieth week of which Daniel was told. In the middle of that week, there will be a forced ceasing of the sacrifices and oblations. These two things can only occur if there are sacrifices and oblations being offered at a temple site. This doesn't necessitate that the temple be up for these to start, for the Jews will start them before the temple is finished being erected, but these things must be going on in order to cease. Since they are not going on as of yet, we know that we are not in the 70th week. One thing that is up for debate is who is the one confirming the covenant. Usually the rule is, look to the text to define the passage. The only covenant mentioned previously in the text, that is already in place, so it can be confirmed, is the one God made with Israel for the seventy weeks. And it has one week left on it, just as the covenant that is being confirmed has. Most people look to the previous verse to define who the “he” is that confirms the covenant, and take it to mean the prince that was mentioned. I am not going to dispute that there must be some sort of agreement to enable the Jews to start sacrificing on the Temple Mount, but I do not believe it must be a previous agreement which is confirmed, nor seven years in length for them to do that. However God's covenant demands that it be seven years long, and it would include the start of sacrifices, because that is simply what will happen. It does not mean God is asking for sacrifices, but that God is telling us that they will occur when He starts to deal with Israel again, because that is what the Jews feel must occur, to be in line with God's Law. Some would argue that God does not stop the sacrifices therefore it cannot be referring to Him. Does He not? What causes the abomination? Satan is tossed out of heaven by Michael, who is then told to stand back or up (the Hebrew indicates a ceasing of action) and stop fighting him. Dan. 12:1 “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.”
Revelation 12:7-9, 12 “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.....Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”
What does Satan do when he is cast out of heaven? He comes down with great wrath and enlists the beast to do his bidding, who then abominates the temple and declares himself God. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” Revelation 13:15 “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” Here we have the beast who sits in the temple as God, declaring himself to be God, and the false prophet sets up and image of the beast for people to have to worship. And many people are killed. This is Satan's wrath, not God's. This is very reminiscent of what Antiochus Epiphanes did when he set up the first abomination of desolation, by slaughtering a pig on the altar and setting up a statue of Zeus in the temple for people to worship. This is spoken of in Daniel 11. He was a foreshadow of the beast and what he would do.
So when we look at this order of events, what initially caused it all to begin? It really starts with God, when He tells Michael to throw Satan and his ilk out of heaven, and then to stand up and quit fighting Satan, for Michael is usually Satan's nemesis when it comes to battle (think Moses' body) and God is letting Satan have full reign, as it is his last roundup. God is actually the one who causes the sacrifices and oblations to cease by His initiating the sequence of events. Now it can be seen how God can answer to being the “he” in that verse, as His covenant is being confirmed or being put into effect again, and it is He who causes the sacrifices and oblations to cease by initiating the actions which bring about the result. This might make some of you think back to the passage in 2 Thessalonians about the restrainer being removed. It is not the Holy Spirit. It is Michael. It is Michael who keeps Satan in check, not the Holy Spirit. Satan is not God's equal, but he is Michael's.
All of this has been gone through merely to say that by calling the seven year period “the tribulation” we have assigned a term to it that God has not assigned, and it can lead to some faulty hypotheses. It is never called the tribulation anywhere. The word “tribulation” is in Greek “thlipsis” and means persecution. In particular the persecution of the saints by the wicked, whether by Satan or his followers. The words for wrath are “thumos” and “orge”, both of which mean vengeance and anger and in particular God's vengeance and anger. The two words “tribulation” and “wrath” are not interchangeable. They are not synonymous. They are distinctly different in defintion and they come from two different sources. Nowhere do we find the Bible referring to the 70th week as God's wrath. Nor do we even see the entire seven years being referred to as tribulation. So here we will call it what God has called it, the 70th week.
This then gets rid of the term “tribulation” to cover the entire seven years, for that again implies a preconceived idea that has led to a theory that is not Scriptural. So we will eliminate that term altogether, except to use it as Scripture uses it, meaning that it is what the saints or Christians are told they will and even must suffer and endure, if they are to follow Christ. In this article the word “tribulation” will mean Christians suffering persecution and martyrdom. It will never be used as a term alone to refer to the seven year period.
The next term is “great tribulation”. Now the term “tribulation” has been given an adjective by Jesus, in the Olivet Discourse. This gives it the authority to call a period of time beginning at the abomination of desolation and ending at some unknown point by this term. It is only when the word “tribulation” is coupled with the word “great” which only happens a couple of times in the Bible, that it can be used to describe a period of time, not a state of suffering. In fact, Jesus divided the time of the end into two different phases and gave them two different names. The time period leading up to the mid-point of the 70th week is called “the beginning of sorrows.” Matthew 24:4-8 “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
Christ then gives us a sign which marks the mid-point of the seven year period according to Daniel 9;27. Matthew 24:15 “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand).” We know that the previous abomination, which the disicplies would very clearly understand the reference to, as it resulted in Hanukkah or the Feast of Dedication as mentioned in John 10, is what is being referenced. It was not a reference to the destruction of the temple forty years later, which is what some say it refers to. How could the disciples understand that? It had not occurred yet in their time, as that occurred in 70 AD, so it would be meaningless to them. And while we don't know the death date of all the apostles, we know that two lived after 70 AD(one of them by only two years) to see the destruction. Most of the apostles were probably dead by then. So when Matthew and Mark reference Daniel, they mean that they understood it to reference the event of Antiochus Epiphanes. Daniel 11:30-31 “For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.”
This is the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, as Matthew tells us. This is what the discples understood it to mean, which is why Matthew refers us to that event in Daniel. Just as a side note, the continuation of Daniel 11 is a dual prophecy which then also, in the text, begins to describe the antichrist. And Daniel 9:27 is a reference to the future abomination by antichrist. So there are several clues in Daniel that help us understand what the abomination is. 1) There is a real temple and real sacrifices that must cease (some say there will be no temple, for we are the temple now, but the disciples did not understand this concept yet as the giving of the Holy Spirit hadn't happened yet, but they did understand a real temple), 2) it is the mid-point of the seven years, and 3) it is a repeat of what was done before, that resulted in the holiday of Hanukkah. This time, however, when the temple is cleansed, it will be the millennial temple.
After mentioning the abomination of desolation, Christ tells us that it is followed by the next phase which is called “the great tribulation.” This term means great persecution including martyrdom, and we see it mentioned in Daniel 12:1a “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time..” as well as Revelation 12:12, 17. 11 “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time....And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ......And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
Daniel tells us that there was never such a time of trouble for the world since time began, as this time will be. John tells us that the devil will have great wrath against God's people, and that they will overcome him by their death. This will be the worst holocaust of God's people since time began. It will mainly be Christians, but also some Jews, although those whose names are in the book of life will be protected. Daniel 12:1b tells us that the Jews will be delivered from the persecution. At least those whose names are in the book of life, “and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.”
The next phase begins when Jesus tells us that the great tribulation is cut short or shortened. Matthew 24:21-22 “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.” He further tells us what cuts that time of great tribulation short. Matthew 24:29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” But wait, those signs are the very ones we saw in Isaiah, Joel and Acts that we were told must come before the Day of the Lord's wrath. So God's wrath cannot begin until sometime after the great tribulation is shortened or over. Which means Christians are not exempt from it. It is not God's wrath.
Now the question becomes, shortened how? Some people say the days won't be twenty-four hours long. I do not believe that is to what he refers. It is indicated, when we go to Revelation, that there is much more to occur before the end of Daniel's 70th week. The days are shortened or rather the persecution is stopped short of 1260 days due to the need to have time for the trumpet judgments. Why would it stop? Let's look and see what occurs in Revelation.
In the fifth seal, we see martyrs under the altar asking God when He will begin His vengeance or His wrath, as they have been waiting for Him to pay back those who killed them. God tells them that He is not ready to do that yet, that they have to wait a while until everybody that is meant to be killed, is killed as they were. In other words, martyred. Revelation 6:9-11 “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.” This seal is part of the great tribulation holocaust. If we look at seals 1-4, we see that they correspond almost exactly to the beginning of sorrows in Matthew 24. The readers can compare them themselves. And while we are at it, does it not seem odd that if the seals were God's wrath, that this one seal is aimed not at the wicked, who are appointed to wrath, but at Christians who are not appointed to God's wrath. That is a problem nobody can get past. There are no tribulation saints per pre-trib belief, for then that would mean that some Christians are appointed to wrath, which would make God a liar.
Now we come – after the great tribulation of seal 5 - to seal 6 and see what is says. Rev. 6:12- 15 “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;”
Where have we seen these unique signs before? In Isaiah, Joel, and Acts. They are the signs that God has told us must come before the Day of the Lord's wrath. They are the signs that Jesus puts after the great tribulation is shortened or ended. This explains why the persecution is stopped. People are running scared for their lives. They no longer are worried about Christians, for it appears as if the end of the world is coming and they are hiding in the caves and rocks to try to survive. And God's wrath will come, in time, so they are not completely wrong about that. There is much more horrot to go yet, though, before God's wrath begins.
So at this point, we can stop and see what the problem is with a pre-trib and mid-trib rapture. God does not remove His people years before His wrath begins. He removes them immediately before His wrath begins. This precept has Scriptural precedence. I do not care how many people feel they do not deserve to suffer, nowhere in Scripture did God ever tell His children that they would not suffer. Peter tells us this about Christ's Second Coming in 1 Peter 4:12-19 “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.”
What does this say? We are not to consider it strange if we are to undergo a fiery trial. Now why do some of you say, “Jesus wouldn't let us suffer, because He doesn't want a battered and bruised Bride.” Really? Where do you read that in Scripture? Where do you see that in the 2000 year history of Christianity? You don't. Not anywhere. Read Foxe's Book of Martyrs. Read the international news about Christian martyrdom. Hundreds of Christians (And those are only the reported numbers. It is probably more) are being killed for Christ every day. And yet some of you think Christ won't let it happen to you? Are you something special? Are you so righteous you are better than the apostles, who all but John, died a martyrs death? I don't mean to be cruel, but seriously? Stop and think straight. Do not deceive yourself. Christ warned about deception.
Peter then says we are to rejoice that we can partake of Christ's sufferings. We are not only to partake of Christ's sufferings, but to rejoice in it. Yes, REJOICE. How's that for putting a damper on your enthusiasm of escaping it all? Why rejoice? So that when His glory is revealed (that's the Second Coming, folks) we may glad with exceeding joy. Not just be glad, but be glad with EXCEEDING joy. We are to glorify God for it. Why? Not because of the rapture, but because of the resurrection. People have listened to those who preach safety for God's people (which we are warned in the O.T. to not listen to them) and have said that the blessed hope is the rapture, where we can escape any persecution or martyrdom. NO, NO, NO!!!! The blessed hope is the resurrection. The rapture is merely the resurrection for those who manage to still be alive and remain after the great tribulation and endure to the end and get to be transformed without death. The blessed hope is the resurrection, for that is the blessed hope for ALL the saints, not just those few who remain and are still alive after the great tribulation. What hope is there for the dead, if the only blessed hope is the rapture? People are focusing on the wrong thing.
And lastly, God says that judgment begins at His own House. That's us, folks. We are His House. It begins, BEGINS with us. Not with the wicked. Why? Read the letters in Revelation. We have become apostate. Oh, there is a remnant of overcomers in each church, but five of the churches are threatened by Christ. One is completely martyred, and the other must fulfill certain prerequisites to be kept within (this word “tereo” means guarded, not removed from) the trial, testing or temptation (not wrath, but a testing “peirasmos” which means being put to the proof through a trial to prove your faith, as was Abraham) that comes upon the earth. And worse what does it say about our judgment? The righteoius will scarcely be saved. Scarcely?! I certainly don't like that statement. It smacks of “Depart I never knew you.” And if we are scarcely saved, what happens to the unbelievers is Peter's next question. Instead of beinhg told that we will not be a bruised and battered Bride, we are told that we WILL be a bruised and battered Bride. It is God's WILL that we suffer. It is a test of our faith. That's what Peter says.
So now Scripture has shown us that we will not be removed to avoid being persecuted or martyred, that indeed it is God's WILL that we suffer, and that this suffering occurs before the signs that must precede God's wrath. It is clear that Scripturally there cannot be a pre-trib or mid-trib rapture. Not to mention has anyone seen Elijah around? I didn't think so. He won't show up until halfway through the seven years, as we will see.
And do not forget the idea of imminence. It does not exist. There are lots of signs that precede God's wrath, so pre-trib is totally wrong on that count.
Now we come to pre-wrath. They believe that Christ's Second Coming is at the sixth seal. Why do they believe this? Because of a misunderstanding of a few verses in Revelation and in the Olivet Discourse. Revelation 6:15-17 “And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” Verses 16 and 17 mention the wrath of the Lamb. The people, who see the signs that Joel and Peter said are the ones that signal that the Day of the Lord's wrath is coming, state that they need to hide from God's wrath, for His wrath has come. Well, every time there is a natural catastrophe, what do people call it? They call it the wrath of God. Floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, tsunamis, earthquakes. You name it, if it is a natural catastrophe, people call it God's wrath. And of course with these signs signifying an existential event, that is truly Biblical in nature, for these are the signs given to us that God said would signify that His wrath is coming down the road, people are going to assume God's wrath is here.
In the Olivet Dicourse (Matt. 24:29-30) Jesus said the following: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: …...... And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” He jumps right from the Day of the Lord omen signs to the Second Coming. People think because it says “immediately after” when referring to the relationship between the great tribulation and the signs, that the subject which follows, the Second Coming, is immediate too, but it doesn't say that. It says, “then.” Then does not have to imply imminence and in fact when we go to Revelation we see that it does NOT imply imminence. Just the opposite. There is quite a gap between the two. But Christ did not say to the disciples that anything came in between. Of course He didn't. They were not ready to hear of such things at that time. They were not even comprehending His coming death yet. God does not reveal everything all at once at the beginning. The Church was a mystery not known in the Old Testament. There are a couple of implications when it implies that God will turn to the Gentiles, but that is the extent of it. Christ knew they weren't ready for all the information found in Revelation. He gave them the condensed version they could handle. Even John, who was given the task of giving us the rest of the information, was not given it until years later. And it is our job to study it and put it together like a puzzle, but some don't think the book of Revelation is for Christians, so they don't study it.
When Jesus said “then” He used the word in the way I will in this example. If my spouse were to ask me what my plans were for the day I might say, “I'm doing some cleaning, some baking, THEN I've got Bible study.” Those are my events for the entire day. He is assuming that I will do those things in the order given with no time in between, but that is not the case. I will finish those first things, by noon, THEN the next real event is that I will go to Bible study. But I'm not going to Bible study until after dinner. What I didn't say was that I'm teaching the Bible study and have to prepare during the afternoon, but as I consider that preparation as part of the Bible study, I didn't mention it. Those things are what I am doing over the course of the entire day, which answers his question, as much as he needs to know at that moment. Jesus gave the events that they needed to know at that time, which all occur within the seven year period, but there are things in between when we read Revelation. John was the only apostle to know the rest of the information, as it was given to him to give to us, but the others never knew a thing about it, because by the time John received it they were all dead. They did not need to know. It is our job to insert this information where it belongs. We must adjust our understanding to fit the Scriptures, not force the Scriptures to fit our desire.
One thing that pre-wrath completely ignores is 2 Thessalonians 2:8 “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:” This says that when Christ returns, the brightness of His Coming, His Second Coming, will destroy the beast. Not destroy in the sense of kill, for the beast is a demon out of the bottomless pit, and he is later thrown in the lake of fire, but Christ destroys his power to do anything, and destroys his reign of terror. We know that this cannot happen until the 42 months or 3 ½ years are over for the beast has that long to reign by God's decree. Daniel 7:25 “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” Revelation 13:5,7 “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”
He reigns for 3 ½ years, and if he is destroyed by Christ's Second Coming, Christ cannot come until the end of Daniel's 70th week. That is just logical sense.These verses alone destroy a pre-wrath rapture, for they put the Second Coming somewhere in the middle of the second half of the 70th week. This cannot be by Scriptural exegesis. Oddly enough the phrase pre-wrath is accurate at face value, for the rapture is before God's wrath, it is simply that they have put the wrath of God in the wrong place, for they assume the verses in Rev. 6 declare the start of it. But who is the authority of when it begins. Men? Or God? Men claiming God's wrath has begun in the sixth seal is not the same as heaven announcing it later on. I go with God. And where does God put it? He puts it at the seventh and last trumpet. Now this is where the post-tribbers put it, and just as the phrase pre-wrath is accurate at face value, for the rapture is pre-wrath, so too post-trib is accurate, because it does happen after the great tribulation is over, but again, they conflate the trumpets and bowls, and this can be shown to be incorrect.
Now let us go to the seventh and last trumpet and read what it says. First we must acknowledge that it is known as the third woe. What are the woes? The woes are the 5th, 6th and 7th trumpets. (See Rev. 9) They are progressively getting to be worse and worse situations. The 5th is demonic persecution of horrific pain for five months without the ability to die, even if people seek it. The 6th is just death by the army of non-humans that come and destroy a third of mankind that is left from all the previous disasters. The seventh and last trumpet is the third woe. It is the worst. It is God's wrath. But if the seventh trumpet is the end of everything, then how can it be a woe? It would just be the finish, with nothing more to come in the way of wrath. It is only a woe, if the seventh trumpet involves something even worse.
Christ's coming initiates God's wrath. We see that in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.” This is trying to allay the fears of the people that believe God's wrath has begun. Paul assures them it hasn't. He associates the wrath with the Second Coming and gathering. They are all happening at the same time. They have not missed the Second Coming when the gathering will occur. They have not been “left behind.” They are not in God's wrath. Note that this does not separate the Second Coming from the rapture, but says “and” which is a conjunction, meaning the two go together. They are not separated by seven year or any length of time. And the coming precedes the gathering in Paul's words. And it is not speaking of a pre-trib rapture, for when does Paul put this threefold event? He puts it sometime after the antichrist is revealed, as shown below.
Paul reminds them that he already told them the order of events. 2 Thess. 2:3-5 “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?” Paul reminds them that that day (what day? The day of Christ or the Day of the Lord which is when Christ returns and gathers His elect) will not come until what occurs? The falling away. Of late someone has twisted this word which in Greek is “apostasia” into meaning a departure from a place or the rapture. The Greek word has nothing to do with departure from a place. It has nothing to do with a place at all. It means the same thing in Greek as its English translation. The word is normally translated as apostasy. I don't know why it was translated as falling away, maybe they thought people wouldn't understand the word “apostasy” but apostasy means a departure from truth. That is its English definition as well as the Greek. Not departure from a place. We would never use the word “aposasty” to mean someone left a place. It only means a departure from truth. If the falling away was the rapture listen to how nonsensical the verse becomes. “The rapture (that day) will not come except the rapture occurs first.” Does that make any sense? No, it does not. So stop saying it, if you are saying this.
The Day of the Lord will not occur until after the apostasy or departure from truth takes place, and after when the man of sin or the beast, reveals himself as to who he really is by sitting in the temple declaring that he is God. That puts us at the abomination. So the Day of the Lord cannot occur until after the abomination at the very earliest according to this passage. But this is not the only passage we must look at. This also puts the Second Coming and rapture at the same time. So again, this does not indicate the wrath of God starting at the beginning of the 70th week. However, we need more information to place the Day of the Lord accurately. That is why you compare Scripture to Scripture to get to the truth. When we go to the seventh and last trumpet, we find these three simultaneous events which Paul references here.
Revelation 11:15-19 “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.”
What does this passage tell us. First it announces that the kingdoms of the world have reverted back to Christ's ownership. Satan is no longer the prince of the world. We know this only occurs when Christ returns, so Christ must be returning here. We see Christ claiming this ownership in the previous chapter when the “angel” which appears to be Christ, plants His feet on the earth, one on the sea and one on the land. Rev. 10: 2-3, 5-7 “And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.....And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.”
The world is being claimed by and for Christ. It is stated that when the seventh trumpet sounds, time will be no more. No more the time of Satan and man ruling. Christ will now rule when this trumpet sounds. And when the seventh angel sounds the last trumpet, the mystery of God is also finished. What is this mystery of God? And why is it finished here?
Mark 4:11 “And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
Romans 11:25 “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”
1 Corinthians 15:51 “Behold, I shew you a mystery We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,”
Ephesians 5:32 “This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”
Colossians 1:26- 27 “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”
Revelation 1:20 “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.”
From these verses what do we conclude is the mystery of God? It would seem to be the gospel of the kingdom of God, the giving of it to the Gentiles to take to the world, the Church being born as the start of the kingdom of God and the finish of the Church at the close of this age, the Church's relationship with Jesus, and the resurrection/rapture event. This is all the mystery of God, and it is finished at the seventh and last trumpet. That means that the Church is finished at the seventh and last trumpet for we are part of that mystery. More will be discussed about the Church's end and the beginning of Israel again further on.
Getting back to Rev. 11, the twenty-four elders now announce Christ's ascension to power as the King of Kings and Ruler of Nations. They then announce that God's wrath has now come. HEAVEN is now announcing - God through His Word is announcing - that it is at this point, the seventh and last trumpet, that His wrath has come. Christ has just been crowned King, It is the time of His Second Coming, for it is at His Second Coming that the beast's reign ends, and His begins. While here at this passage it does not overtly show Christ's coming, it will soon be shown where it is described. Then the elders announce that it is the time for the dead to be judged and rewarded, both the prophets and the saints. First, note that this says “the dead”. If people had already been resurrected, they would no longer be dead. So this must be the time of resurrection, when they will come alive. Christ returns at the Second Coming at the end of the 70th week, or I should say 3 ½ years, 1260 days, or 42 months after the abomination of desolation. It is the time when everyone is rewarded. But that is the Bema Seat Judgment. That is supposed to happen right after the resurrection is it not? Why would the rapture occur seven years, three and a half years, or a couple years or months before the Bema Seat? Why all that time waiting? It would make no sense. They are dead, they must be resurrected, so that they can be rewarded. This verse only works if the resurrection occurs here. And Christ can only become King, if the Second Coming is here. Therefore the Second Coming and resurrection/rapture are here, and the announcement that God's wrath has now come is here too. That matches perfectly with what Paul said in 2 Thess. 2;1-2. God's Word agrees with itself, when it is understood correctly without twisting or manipulating its meaning.
Again it says that it is time for God to destroy those who have been destroying the earth. It is time for God's wrath to begin. And then for the first time, John sees the temple open up and he can see inside to the ark of the testimony or as it says, the ark of his testament. We always refer to it as the ark of the covenant, but this is a misnomer. Scripture never refers to it this way. It is always called the ark of the testimony or testament. So why the difference? We have renamed it to fit our theology. To call it the ark of the covenant is to refer to God's covenant with Israel, and disassociate ourselves from its contents, the Ten Commandments. But the Ten Commandments are not a covenant with Israel. They are the testimony against all of us showing us our sin. Scripture is clear on what the Ten Commandments are for. They are there to show us our sin and separation from God, and our need for a Savior.They were never given as a means to achieve or earn salvation by keeping them, for we cannot keep them perfectly. Only Christ could do that. They are there to show us how far short we fall of perfection and why we need a Savior who could keep them. Romans 3:20 “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” To break even one is to be guilty of breaking all of them. To break one is to sin against God. James 2:10 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”
As a child I would hear Christians say that we are under grace, not under the Law. I assume by that they meant that we didn't have to keep the Law including the Ten Commandments, as Israel did, but that is to not understand the Law of the Ten Commandments. The Law of God, (vs. the Law of Moses which were the rules for ruling the nation), or the Ten Commandments, were not given to save anyone, they were given to indict us. So yes, we are still under the Law. It still indicts us. It is the Law of condemnation. They testify against us and show us we are worthy of death. They never gave anybody life. We are to keep them, if we don't want to sin against God. So while we are under grace, as has everybody been since Adam, (Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, Abraham was justified by faith), we are still under the indictment of the Law and are expected to keep the Law of God or the Ten Commandments. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” He meant try to keep the Ten Commandments to express our love for Him. Not to earn salvation, but to demonstrate our love, our faith and our fidelity, so that we can walk with Him in holiness.
So, it appears that at the seventh and last trumpet, at the Second Coming, the resurrection/rapture occurs just before the wrath of God is poured out. This now agrees with the Scriptural precedent of being removed just before wrath comes. Paul told us in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” Everyone is in denial as to what this says. They say the last trump can't be the last trumpet. Why not? Simply because they don't want it to be. Is that a valid reason? No. Last means last. God knows what He means. The second argument is that Paul could not possibly know what John was going to write so many years later, therefore it couldn't be the same trumpet. Really? The Holy Spirit can't tell one prophet to prophesy what He is going to later tell another prophet to prophesy? He seemed to do that plenty in the Old Testament. How many times do different prophets from different times say the exact same thing. Almost word for word at times. So that argument is invalid as well. Why not simply accept that Paul showed us exactly where the resurrection and rapture would occur? Or is that too simple?
Daniel 12:1-2 tells us a secret. “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”
This brings us back to the abomination of desolation and the great tribulation “time of trouble” which has never seen the like before in the history of man. But look what else it says. At that time the Jews whose names are in the book of life will be delivered ( think the woman in the wilderness who is protected for 1260 days – Rev. 12:14 “And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.”). And then what occurs? Those who sleep will awake to everlasting life. And then some will awake to everlasting death. Here we see one of those places where God puts two things (as Christ did in the Olivet Dicourse) which appear to happen at the same time, but in fact are separated by quite a span of time. In this case we know the resurrection to life occurs at the Second Coming, but the resurrection to death occurs one thousand years later at the Great White Throne Judgment. The point here though, is that Daniel is told the resurrection will occur after the time of trouble or great tribulation. All of Scripture points to this fact.
Now comes in the post-trib problems. They are correct in that the rapture occurs at the last trumpet, but they conflate the trumpets and bowls making the seventh trumpet occur at the same time as the seventh bowl. So just as the pre-wrathers make the trumpets part of God's wrath, so do post-tribbers. They simply overlap them. But when the first trumpets start to sound, is any announcement made that this is the wrath of God? No. Nothing is mentioned on that fact at all. Why would it not be, given that it is mentioned so many times later on at the timing of the Second Coming? The only thing mentioned, which has already been addressed as to what is said, is in the sixth seal. It is only here at the last trumpet that we see the nnouncement of God's wrath beginning. But then, this creates a problem for those who say that this trumpet is the last thing to occur, for why would heaven announce that God's wrath is finally beginning, if it is all over? Why would the last trumpet be a woe that is worse that the previous two? That makes no sense at all unless something horrible is to follow. And there is. The wrath of God. The bowls.
There is another problem which seems to throw people off the track and creates errors in their understanding. While the narrative in Revelation is interrupted at times to insert other information, it does pick it up again at times to continue where the narrative was broken off. The seals, trumpets, and bowls are consecutive and it is clearly seen that this is the only way they can be taken. The seventh seal IS the trumpets. The seventh trumpet announces the bowls. While the narrative breaks off at the end of chapter 11 to cover other things, it comes back at the end of chapter 14, which starts off the narrative again with the Second Coming and then goes right into the wrath of God. This time, as in chapter 11, it is announced by heaven. A number of times in fact.
Revelation 14:14-15:1 “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.”
This description of the wrath is the condensed version, in the manner that God often gives out information, but now in the next two chapters we will see the details. This is just how God explained creation at the beginning. An overview of the days in chapter 1 in Genesis was presented, then a detailed explanation of day six was given in chapter 2. This is how Jesus did the end times with the disciples. A condensed version at the Olivet Discourse, and now in Revelation He gives to John a detailed explanation. This is how God disseminates information.
In these vials, or bowls, is the wrath of God. ALL of the wrath of God. It is filled up with all His anger for all the years of sin that have been being perpetrated on the earth. It is finally an end of the reign of Satan and the beginning of the reign of Christ. Now what follows this announcement is something that we must carefully consider. The temple was opened for the first time, at the time of the Second Comingm when God's wrath was announced in Rev. 11. John saw the ark of the testimony for the first time at that time. What do we see here, after the rapture in chapter 14 and the announcement of God's wrath, which are the same events as occurred in chapter 11?
Revelation 15:1, 5-16:1, 17 “And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God (a preview of what he will next describe in detail) ......And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled....And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth...(the vials are poured out, then...).. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.”
We see the temple being opened, which is exactly where we left off in chapter 11, but once God's wrath begins, nobody can come in or go out until God's wrath is finished. This is how you know it is a continuation, not an overlapping. And at the last bowl, which is Armageddon and the double wrath on Babylon, God declares that His wrath is done. It is entirely done.The redemption of mankind (at the first coming) and now the redemption of the heavens and earth are complete. Now God's kingdom will reign for eternity. The beast and false prophet are thrown in the lake of fire. Satan will be bound in hell for a thousand years.
Now to cover some questions which I'm sure will arise, in particular from the post-trib camp.
Am I not advocating two comings? One at the last trumpet and one when Christ touches down at the Mount of Olives? This is another reason for post-tiibbers to conflate the trumpets and bowls. They don't know how to deal with the idea of two appearances, one in the air and one touching down, so say it is a U-turn. We go up, we come down. Credit to the pre-wratthers here for realizing that when Christ comes it is a “parousia”. The word indicates a coming and staying. Once Chist comes, He will be staying and can come and go between earth and New Jerusalem, as He needs to carry out all that will be done during this time, for understand, He will bring New Jerusalem with Him, as that is our home. Heaven will no longer be the home of the saints. They will live in the heavenly city of New Jerusalem. That is the home He went to build for us. It is a 1500 mile cube. That is 1500 miles in all directions, height, width, and length. It is too large to sit upon the earth. Hence it is a heavenly city. One that is in the heavens. The second heavens. It appears from Scripure that it will be a satellite city. It will orbit the earth, for we are told that the world will walk in its light.
Revelation 21:23-24a “And the city (those who live there) had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved (those living on the earth, for the saints in New Jerusalem are no longer of the “nations”) shall walk in the light of it:” Isaiah 60:19-20 confirms this idea. “The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.” This is a crystal city with the shekinah glory of God, which no mortal man can look upon and live, shining out of it. It will appear as a sun to those on earth.
In the bowl judgments, we see that something happens to the sun. Revelation 16:8-9 “And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.” In Isaiah we are told what causes this during the Day of the Lord.
Isaiah 30:25-27 “And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound. Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:” We are told that the sun will grow seven times more bright, to the point where the moon will be as bright as the sun. I won't go into the science of what is happening here, but I think the sun. which is classified a yellow dwarf, may expand into a red giant and collapse. It will no longer be needed to shine on the earth as New Jerusalem, the crystal city. will light the world.
And we see that what follows this tremendous amount of light from the sun, is total darkness. Meaning it must have died. Rev. 16:10-11 “And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.” As New Jerusalem will be in orbit, this darkness will not remain indefinitely.
So now that we see that Christ is not leaving the vicinity, but is simply taking the saints from the resurrection and rapture to New Jerusalem up in the outer atmosphere for the Bema Judgment, while the angels pour out His wrath. He hasn't left, He is still here. We can see that this Bema Judgment will transpire during those days of God's wrath. Then at the end, at Armageddon what happens?
Revelation 19:6-9 “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mightythunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.” The Bride has made herself ready. She has gone through the Bema Judgment and gotten dressed for the marriage supper. This will not be the marriage supper that we are thinking of, for this is for the beasts and fowl of the air.
Revelation 19:11, 14-19 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war........And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.”
Revelation 16:12-21 describes the battle that Christ is now going to fight. The battle of Armageddon. “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.”
Zechariah tells us a lot more about this time. One of the things that I have discovered in studying the prophets is that God has a tendency to use prophecies as dual prophecies, and often that may confuse some of the timing on the events depending on whether it is a near or far prophecy. It is up to us to study to be able to rightly divide the word by comparing text to text. Isaiah 28:10 explains how we should do this. “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.” Prophecy is a lot of work and hard to understand, but hard work can pay off. In Zechariah this is what we find happening. One has to put it all together with passages from other pertinent passages to get a correct chronological timeline of events.
Zechariah 2:2-14, 8-11 “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness....In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.”
Iit is not just that Christ will smite the armies at Armageddon, but the people in the city will be empowered by God, even the weakest and oldest of them, and they will defend the city. Note something very important here. In this passage, it would appear that the armies of the world are already congregating, which will culminate in Armageddon. But it is at Christ's return that the Jews will look upon Christ, whom they have pierced, and mourn for Him as an only child. It is at that moment that they accept that Jesus is their Messiah and turn to Him. We see this repeated in Revelation 1:7 “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”
The significance of this is, pre-trib says that the 70th week is for the Jews. That this is their time of accepting Jesus and the 144,000 are evangelists taking the gospel to the world. No, the bible does not say that. The Bible says that the Jews do not accept Christ until the Second Coming at the end of the 70th week when they see Him and mourn. This can be proven another way.
Paul tells us in Romans 11:25 “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” He tells us that the blindness of the Jews will be lifted when the fulness of the Gentiles comes in. Scholars agree that the fulness of the Gentiles is the completion of the Gentile Church or the Church age, which ends when they are removed by the resurrection/rapture. And we know that this occurs at the Second Coming of Christ. Another way of saying the fulness of the Gentiles is to say the time of the Gentiles being fulfilled. And we see it spoken of this way in Luke, in the Olivet Discourse. Beginning at the abomination of desolation, we are told the following.
Luke 21:20-24 “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”
In this passage we are told that Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles starting at the abomination, until the times of the Gentiles is fulfilled. But Paul had told us that when the fulness of the Gentiles comes in, when the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled, then all Israel will be saved. So these two passages together tell us that Israel cannot be saved until after the abomination and after the time of the Gentiles, which begins at the abomination, is fulfilled. So we need to know, when does the time of the Gentiles get fulfilled? When we discover that, we will know when Israel is saved. We find the answer to that in Revelation.
Revelation 11:1-2 “And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.”
John tells us that the temple of God which will stand in Jerusalem again, will not have a courtyard. It will at most be just the holy place or building. The reason being, the court is given to the Gentiles which they will tread underfoot for forty-two months. As we know from Luke that this begins at the abomination, that means it ends at the end of Daniel's 70th week. So the fulness of the Gentiles, the completion of the Gentile Church occurs at the seventh and last trump, when the mystery of God, already discussed, is finished. So all Israel will be saved when they see Him at the Second Coming, at the last trumpet, when the time of the Gentiles or the mystery of God is complete. This is when their blindness is lifted. Not before. The exception being those few remnant who have been becoming a part of the Church since its inception. So the 70th week of Daniel is not about the Jews coming to the Lord and evangelizing the world. It is about the Church going through a time of testing to prove their faith after having become totally apostate. This is what God did to Israel, and this is what He will do to us. In Daniel 11 while relating the prophecy of both Antiochus Epiphanes and the antichrist, during the time of trouble after the abomination, this is said. vs. 35 “And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.” The purpose is to try us, to purge us, and make us white again, for our (meaning the Church universal) walk with God has gotten very dirty. We need to be cleaned up and get right with God before He calls us home. This isn't about salvation, it is about holiness.
The next few verses also verify that the last trumpet is at the end of the 70th week. John tells us that the prophets (one in the spirit of Elijah) will prophesy during that latter half of the 70th week. So the prophecy about God sending Elijah before the Day of the Lord is fulfilled. Revelation 11:3-4 “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.” These two have 1260 days to witness. This will occur during the second half.while Jerusalem is being trampled underfoot. How do we know? Because, the two witnesses are killed and resurrected at the time that the seventh trumpet is to be sounded. Revelation 11:11-14 “And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.” Remember the second woe is the sixth trumpet and the third woe is that seventh and last trumpet. So there is no doubt that the last trumpet is sounded at the end of the 42 months or 3 ½ years after the abomination as it is sounded when the witnesses are resurrected after the 1260, plus 3 ½ days period.
Now returning to Christ standing on the Mount of Olives, we return to Zechariah and Armageddon. Zechariah 13:8-9 “And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.” One third of the Israelites (not just the Jews, but the lost tribes as well) who are left from everything that has occurred up to the Day of the Lord will make it through. Two-thirds will perish. Only those who have accepted Christ when they see Him come at the Second Coming have their names in the book of life and so will make it through to the millennium. Those who reject Christ will not. This is how all Israel is saved. It is not all the Jews or Israelites, but only all those who accept Jesus will be saved through the Day of the Lord. That is how ALL Israel is saved.
Note also that in Isaiah 30:26 it tells us that when this is occuring, which is during the Day of the Lord, God will be binding up the wounds of the people and healing the breach between Him and them. “ in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.” Everyone believes the time of Jacob's trouble is the 70th week or at least the great tribulation, but a closer look shows otherwise. Jeremiah 30:7-9 “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him: But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.” The term “that day” is another way of referring to the Day of the Lord. They will have “his” yoke broken off their necks.
Who is the one whose yoke is broken? The one who is served by “strangers,” another word for Gentiles? Satan of course. And the beast, his puppet. When is Satan's power broken? When Christ returns and God's wrath is poured out at the Dayof the Lord. It is this time which is Jacob's trouble, for they must endure it even though those in the book of life are protected through it. They are protected during the great tribulation according to Daniel 12:1 (see above) and Rev. 12:14 “And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.” They are protected during the 5th trumpet judgment. Revelation 7:3-4, 9:3-4 “Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.......And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.”
Nowhere does it say these Israelites are evangelists. That is simply made up. They are sealed for protection. They receive protection in the great tribulation, they receive protection from at least this one trumpet, and they receive protection during the Day of the Lord. so as to be saved to enter the millennium and repopulate the earth for the fulfillment of the covenant God made with them to be a nation of priests under the Messiah's rule.
We now see where Christ stands on the Mount of Olives and it splits in two. The description indicates that it is Armageddon at which this occurs, which is the time when Christ rides down on the white horse with the saints following Him.
Zechariah 14:1-4, 12 “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south...... And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.” This is reminiscent of the first Indiana Jones movie when they found and opened the ark of the testimony (covenant). We are told in Revelation that out of Christ's mouth will come a sword which will smite them. They will be the supper that the birds and beasts feast on.
Revelation 19:20-21 “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. ”
So we see how Christ can both come at the last trumpet, and yet stand with His feet on the Mount of Olives and it does not require that there are two Second Comings, nor that these events happen at the same time, forcing post-trib to conflate the trumpets and bowls. The trumpets and bowls are sequential. The trumpets are not God's wrath. There is no need to force something which Scripture does not imply. Nor is the return to earth with the saints a Third Coming. He came, He stayed, He conquered. He never left, He was just in New Jerusalem, above the earth.
Another question is: If the last trumpet sounded the end of Daniel's 70th week of 3 ½ years, 42 months, and 1260 days, where do these bowls fit it? I'm glad you asked. Daniel 12:8-11 “And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.”
Notice that we are given a time period and a number of days. From the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away and abomination set up – that's the mid-point of the 70th week – there will be 1290 days. That's a period of time that goes beyond the 42 months that bring us to the last trumpet. That is 1260 days. People try to figure out what these extra 30 days are and where they go, but now that we have established that the wrath comes after the seven years are over, after Christ returns, we can see that God has shown us what to do with those 30 days mentioned here. It is asked what shall be the end of these things. In other words, when does it all end? It ends at day 1290. It ends at Armageddon which is at the end of that extra 30 days after the close of the Church age. Just as the priests cleaned the temple just before the Sabbath started at sunset, getting rid of the food on the showbread table and replacing it with fresh, and doing other things to make all clean and new for the Sabbath and next week, so too God will clean His world so that He can start with it fresh and new at the beginning of the millennium, the millennial Sabbath week. A day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day, the Bible tells us. The world is 6000 years old according to its chronology. God gave Israel a week of seven days and a week of seven years. Why not a week of seven days that are 1000 years long? That is why Christ reigns for 1000 years before the final judgment of the wicked. It fulfills the week of God. The Day of the Lord is the seventh day (of a thousand year days). It is the Sabbath day. The old age, the time of the Gentiles is over and the torch is being passed back to Israel. But between those two things, there must be a cleansing, hence the extra 30 days. Just as an added note, from Adam to the covenant made with Abrham was roughly 2000 years. This was the time of the Patriarchs. From then to Christ was 2000 years. This was the time of the Law. From Christ to now is 2000 years. This is the age of grace and the Church. The last one thousand years is the reign of the Messiah. The Kingdom of God not jut in spirit, but in physicality.
Another question the post-tribber might ask is, if Christ has already come, then why in the midst of the bowls of God's wrath does He say in Rev. 16:15 “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” He is saying He will come as a thief. That is what He says about the Second Coming. There is an easy answer to this. A lot of people think Revelation was written for the Jews. It was written for Christians, but stop and think. Where does it stop applying to the Church and start applying to Jews? At the Second Coming. When they see Him whom they pierced, they will mourn. Not only because they have missed Him over the past 2000 years, but because they will see Him come, gather the elect, and leave, not stay on earth to destroy the enemies of Israel, which is what they expect the Messiah to do. They will be shocked, they will mourn. They do not yet know the ending. He is going back with us to New Jerusalem to have the Bema Seat and to pour out His wrath. The Jews no doubt will run as fast as possible to find a New Testament to read the book of Revelation. And when they read it they will see all the things which have already transpired written there and how they are now going to enter into God's wrath. How devastating for them. But God gives them hope. What does He tell them? That He isn't completely gone. He is coming back to reign over them. They will be encouraged by the words that He will come like a thief again, this time for them. And that they should be ready for it. Then they will read further on to chapter 19 and see that Christ will return with all the saints to slay their enemies. This warning is the one warning in Revelation that is not for the Church. It is for Israel. That is why it is there. They will also go to Zechariah and see what is in store for them.
As can be seen, all problems can easily be resolved with “difficult” Scriptures when one has everything in their proper place. It is a very difficult and laborious puzzle to assemble, but if we simply believe what it says and do not try to force our preferences upon Scripture, but let Scripture show us what it says we can end up with the truth.
Here is a list of events in order.
The beginning of sorrows (Seal 1-4)
The abomination of desolation (mid 70th week)
The witnesses begin their ministry (2nd half of 70th week)
The great tribulation (Seal 5, unknown length of time)
The Day of the Lord omens (Seal 6)
The Trumpets (1-6)
The crowning of Christ as King and His claiming the earth
The two witnesses are resurrected
The seventh and last trumpet is blown (end of 70th week)
Christ Second Coming
Christ destroys the beast's reign
Christ's reign begins
All Israel is saved
Christ resurrects the dead and raptures those remaining alive
The wrath of God begins (bowls 1-7, end of 70th week to day 1290)
The Bema Judgment
The return of Christ and the saints at Armageddon when He stands on the Mount of Olives and slays the armies. He then throws the beast and the false prophet in the lake of fire.
Clearly there is much more than just what is listed, but the point of this was to show where the resurrection./rapture occurs, not to give every detail of the 70th week. Hopefully it is shown how it can be no other place but the last trumpet, as Paul pointed us to, where this occurs.
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