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Pre Tribulational Rapture versus Pre Wrath Rapture II How does a Pretribulational rapture position explain / reconcile the
following: The 5 primary issues addressed are: Tribulation (testing) versus God’s wrath (judgment) defined.
When does the “Day
of the Lord”; aka God’s wrath begin. The parallels of Matthew 24:5-31 and Revelation chapters 6 to 7 as chronological prophecy.
The fulfillment of prophecy regarding the Feasts of Trumpets; and it’s role of a call to repentance, before
the day of Judgment; at the Feast of Atonement. Who are the “elect” raptured in Mth. 24:31. Prophecy Both Pre-Tribulation Rapture, and Pre Wrath
Rapture agree that Scripture states: “man will not be subject to God’s wrath” I Thes. 5:9, and that the “Day
of the Lord” in Scripture is clearly identified with the “end of the age”; a time of God’s
wrath. However it is not possible, for the Lord’s
return and rapture of His “elect”, per Mth. 24:5-31, & Rev. 6 and 7, and Joel
2:31 & Acts 2:20 at the beginning of the last days 7 year
period, before the “Beginning of Sorrows”, and the “Great Tribulation occurs for 5 reasons:
First:
There is a significant difference between
“tribulation” in this world, and “God’s wrath” to be unleashed in the “Day
of the Lord” as repeatedly, & only, identified as “God’s wrath” in the 7th
Seal. Doesn’t
all of Old Testament scripture show God’s repeated calls for repentance by His “elect”, before
his judgment is given? Is the church so pure today, to not need a call for repentance, before being
raptured into His holy presence? Or is the church today, exactly like the seven churches in Revelation
1 thru 4 with a need to repent, before being raptured / or judged? See Rev. 6 & 7 Seals 1 thru
4 “Beginning of Sorrows / Birth Pangs”. Isn’t the period between the Feast of Trumpets and Feast of Atonement
called the “Days of Awe”; aka the last 10 days chance to repent before God’s Judgment exercised
at the Feast of Atonement. Didn’t Jesus fulfill the prophecies of the first 4 feasts?
Will He not also fulfill the last 3 feasts of Trumpets, Atonement & Tabernacles; as God’s proven calendar
of redeeming grace? Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace
of affliction / tribulation. Isa. 48:10
Tribulation to purify through repentance; i.e. "Days of Awe" between Feast of Trumpets & Feast of Atonement / Judgment, Versus, God’s wrath on the unrepentant wicked! Isn’t the first 3.5 years identified
by Jesus in Mth. 24:5-8 as the "Beginning of Sorrows" or “Beginning of Birth Pangs", also
match the first 4 seals of Revelation (i.e. antichrist , wars, famine & pestilence)? Are
the activities of the Antichrist with his false religion, and man made wars God’s wrath, or
God’s permissive will to cause repentance through the tribulation Satan causes? Isn’t
persecution a call to repentance, typical of God’s dealings with people all through the Old Testament?
See Isa. 48:10 (refined through furnace of affliction). The primary difference is that Pre
Tribulation rapture sees NO difference between the terms: “tribulation” and “wrath”.
Therefore, the entire 7-year period must be “God’s wrath”, consequently requiring the rapture to occur at the start of the 7 year period.
Unfortunately, this results in an incorrect definition of terms as synonymous, followed
by a hermeneutically faulty assumptions and conclusions contrary to scripture. The
term “tribulation” is defined as a time of testing by trial
of the elect. (Testing or Tempted is translated from the Greek word “Peirasmos”
as used in Rev. 3:10) “Wrath”
is defined as God’s judgment upon the unrepentant. (Wrath translated from Hebrew word “
'Ebrah”; Strong’s #5678 connotes the “overflowing fury of God” and is only
used in conjunction with "Day of the Lord" wrath) Is the entire 7 year period “The Day of the Lord” (Pretrib), thereby mandating
the rapture occur at the beginning of the 7 year period,
OR,
Is it as Jesus described
in Mth. 24:5-31, and reflected in Rev. 6 &7: The 7 year period broken down to “The beginning of
Sorrows”, the “Great Tribulation”, "Jesus’ return
to gather the elect", and the “Day of the Lord” (wrath)?
Think about
it, would the first 5 seals of false religions, the antichrist and martyrdom of the “elect”
be “God’s wrath”?
Not conceivable! Both Pre-Tribulation Rapture, and Pre Wrath Rapture agree that the 7th Seal contains God’s wrath.
The primary difference, is the explicit question: Is the period from the 1st
Seal to the 6th Seal also God’s wrath, or tribulation? Doesn’t Mth. 24:15 & 21 and the 5th Seal in
Revelation state that once you see the abomination of desolation, that a “Great Tribulation” (for believers)
will be initiated & result in martyrdom of believers? Is "God's wrath" (defined in the 7th Seal) to include the
"antichrist", false religions and martyrdom of believers? Or is the Antichrist & his war
against the saints not God’s permissive will; to encourage repentance & test worthiness to enter
His kingdom after tribulational testing during the 1st 5 seals? Again
see Isa. 48:10. Second:
Joel 2:31, Acts 2:20,
II Peter 3:10, plus Mth. 24:29 all clearly describe the 6th seals declaration (Rev. 6:12-14,17) that the “Day of the Lord” is at hand:
“The sun shall
be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before
the great and notable Day of the Lord come” aka
"God's Wrath". Joel 2:31
Pretrib states that the rapture is at the
beginning of the 7 year period, which would require seals 1 thru 6 to occur before the
7 year period contrary to Mth. 24:24-31 ! Yet Jesus in Mth. 24:15-29 clearly places the 6th seal after the abomination of desolation; 3.5 years into the 7 year period!
The Day of the Lord and His wrath are
clearly after the 6th Seal, and therefore it does not extend to the beginning of the 7 year
period as pretrib theology would try to justify! Third: Isn’t Matthew 24:5-31 chronological? Did not Jesus repeatedly
state that once you have seen this sign, then this will happen, then this will happen, etc. after each “sign”?
Don’t these signs in Mth. 24 5-31, match exactly to the first 6 seals in Rev. 6-7? How can the Revelation signs according to each seal,
not also be chronological, particularly when they match exactly what Jesus stated? If they are chronological
order, than Matthew 24 & Revelation 6 & 7, clearly outline the sequence of event(s) during the last 7 year period. Please take a moment to visualize the scroll with the 7 seals per Rev. 5:1 & 5.
The scroll contains the wrath of God, but is not opened until all 7 seals are broken; opened by “the
Lion of the tribe of Judea”. It is not until the 7th
Seal is broken, and the scroll opened is the scroll with God’s wrath exposed! Upon opening the 7th
Seal; “7 Trumpets and 7 Bowls of God’s wrath” are released upon the earth. The previous 6 seals are representative
of conditions; that must be meet before the last seal is broken, and the scroll of wrath is opened.
Only upon breaking the last seal
(the 7th Seal) is the scroll opened - to release “God’s wrath” with the “7 Trumpets of God’s
of God’s wrath, and the 7 bowls of God’s wrath begin. The first 6 seals broken on the scroll
are preconditions to be meet, before the 7th Seal can be broken, and the scroll opened exposing God’s wrath!
Doesn’t scripture (Rev. 8 to 16) clearly
identify only the actions following the breaking of the 7th Seal as “God’s wrath”, "Day
Of The Lord"? Doesn’t
scripture clearly identify the “Day Of The Lord” as following the 6th Seal, per Joel 2:31 & Acts
2:20? Isn’t
the scroll not opened, containing God’s wrath, until the 7th Seal is broken? Therefore, the first 6 seals are God’s permissive
will; to allow tribulation, for the purpose of encouraging repentance during the hour of testing.
Aka “Days of Awe” call for repentance; between the Feast of Trumpets, and the Feast of
Atonement / Judgment!
The feasts are God’s calendar of redeeming grace and a call to holiness!
Therefore, the rapture follows
tribulation, but precedes God’s wrath; after the 6th Seal and before the 7th Seal – Pre
Wrath Rapture. Confirmed by Jesus in Mth. 24:29-31 “Immediately
after the tribulation of those days (5th Seal), shall the sun be darkened and the moon give no light, and the stars fall from heaven (6th
Seal) … Then shall the Son of man come ..… with a great sound of a trumpet …... &
gather the elect (rapture). Fourth: The Pretribulational view of the “elect” in Mth. 24:31, whom Jesus returns to “gather”, are
supposed to be Israel; as Israel is referred to as the elect, in the Old Testament. Some pretrib views
see the elect as being the restoration of the Jews to Israel, but that occurred in 1948, and inconsistent with the purpose
of Jesus 2nd coming to gather “His elect” (Mth.
24: 30-31) (rapture) to heaven. Furthermore, the “elect”
is not the 144,000 remnant “Faithful of Israel” sealed with God's protection, to go through
the wrath of God to come; (as noted in Rev. 7:3-4 where they are sealed; after the 6th Seal).
Other than the “Faithful of Israel”, who would Jesus be gathering (rapturing) the leftover after the 144K;
who would apparently not be the “Faithful of Israel” (the unrepentant)? Additional, those
of Israel that did not accept Him, are certainly not Jesus “elect”, “chosen” are they?
So who are the “elect”, that are left for Jesus to gather?
ANSWER: Rev. 7:9, 13-14 then identifies a
second group, clothed in white robes that John did not recognize, as he had the 144K of Israel.
These he was told, to be: "Those that came out of the Great Tribulation";
i.e. believers right? Believers from the “Great Tribulation”; initiated
at the abomination of desolation, right? They were raptured per Mth. 24:29-31, right?
If not, how else did they get to heaven between the 5th & 7th
Seal? How can the "elect" or "chosen"
believers of Jesus (be they Gentile or Israel) mentioned by Jesus in Mth. 24:30-31 be anyone, other than believers
in Jesus, who just went through the “Great Tribulation”; whom Jesus returns to "gather"?
Isn’t that exactly why the Great Tribulation was “cut short for the “elects sake” in
Mth.24:22, in order to be “gathered” by the “Son of Man” at vs. 30-31 ?
In the New Testament, are not believers of Jesus the only “elect”; “chosen” that Jesus would
be returning to “gather”, before the Day of God’s wrath in Rev. 8 thru 16?
Pre-Tribulation rapture beliefs
state Jesus returns to rapture the “elect” at the beginning of the 7 year period, and after the Great Tribulation
per Mth. 24: 29-31 (which follows the abomination of desolation) for the gathering of the "elect" being Israel (contrary to Rev. 7:3-4), then returns again at the end of the 7 year period;
All scripturally unsound wishful thinking faulty hermeneutics.
Does not Jesus in Mth. 24:22, 29-31 specifically state that
the “Great Tribulation” will be cut short for the “elect’s” sake, and immediately after
the tribulation of those day shall the sun & moon be darkened and stars fall from heaven, then
shall the Son of Man come … with a great sound of a trumpet … and gather the elect?
Does not the next; 6th Seal in Rev. 6:12-17, also state, that the same cosmic disturbances
following the “Great Tribulation”, culminates with the declaration at the 6th Seal:
“For the great day of His wrath has come”, right ? Does
not Revelation, from chapters 8–16, then go on to describe the 7th Seal of “God’s wrath”?
Isn’t both the word “wrath”, or “God’s wrath” only used to describe
the 7th Seal in Revelation in Rev. 6:17 & repeatedly in chapters 8 thru 16 with the “7 Trumpets of
God’s wrath” and “7 Bowls of God’s wrath”? Believers are not to be subject to God’s
wrath, right? So when does “tribulation” brought on by man stop, and “God’s
wrath” start - between the end of the 6th Seal and start of the 7th Seal, right?
While it is true the “elect” are not subject
to God’s wrath, only the 7th Seal is scripturally identified as “God’s wrath”.
Therefore,
the rapture follows tribulation, but precedes God’s wrath; after the 6th Seal and before the 7th
Seal – Pre Wrath Rapture. Note: Noah and family told to get into the ark 7 days
before the doors closed (Gen.
7: 1,4,10,13 & Mth. 24:37). It is interesting to consider that 7 years
from the start of the 10 years “Days of Awe”, could align with the approximate 7 years of opportunity to repent,
before the doors are shut and the “wrath” of God is pronounced upon the wicked
during the 7th Seal. Fifth: Prophecy The 7 feast of the Lord per Lev. 23 are God’s Calendar of Redeeming Grace.
Note: Jubilee is every 50 years.
Jubilee could be 50 years from the time Israel regained the ability to “restore and rebuild Jerusalem”
in 1967. Significant in Jesus 1st coming as prophesied by Daniel 9:24-27: See
web page: http://www.feastsofthelord.net/id18.html And also significant in Jesus 2nd coming: See also Possible “Last
Days Prophetic Data and Calendar” at: http://www.feastsofthelord.net/id42.html The above questions are not just academic, but critical for the church to be prepared
for the “Hour of testing” aka Tribulation
during the first 5 seals of Rev. 6 & 7 ! REFERENCED
SCRIPTURES: END OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION: Joel 2:1-2, 10, 15, 30-31 : 1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound
an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD comes, for
it is nigh at hand; 2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick
darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither
shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. 10 The earth shall quake
before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call
a solemn assembly: 30 And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into
darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come. 32
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion
and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call. Zec.
9:14-16: And
the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the
Lord GOD shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of
the south… And the LORD their God
shall save them in that day as the flock of his people.
Zec. 14:1-4 : 1 Behold, the day
of the LORD comes, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst
of thee. 2 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.
3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against
those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 4 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.
Acts
2:17-21 : 17 And it
shall come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters
shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days
of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 19
And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke:
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness,
and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day
of the Lord come: 21 And
it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. II Peter 3:10-12
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the
which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt
with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of
persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being
on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
6 Howl ye; for the day of
the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. 7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows
shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travails: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces
shall be as flames. 9 Behold,
the day of the LORD comes, cruel both with wrath and fierce
anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the
sinners thereof out of it. 10 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. 11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the
arrogance of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. 12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the
golden wedge of Ophir. 13 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. Isa. 34:4-8 :
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 falls off from the
vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. 5
For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to
judgment. 6 The sword of
the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys
of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea. 7 And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the
bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness. 8 For it is the
day of the LORD's vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion. Zep. 1:14 thru 2:3
: 14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hastens greatly, even the
voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. 15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of waste and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess,
a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.
17 And I will bring distress
upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured
out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. 18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD's
wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy:
for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land. 2:1 Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired;
2 Before the
decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day
of the LORD's anger come upon you.
3 Seek ye the
LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be you shall be
hid in the day of the LORD's anger. Believers Delivered
From Wrath Scriptures: Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through
Him. Rom. 5:9 For God hath not appointed
us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, I Thes. 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to
obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon
him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my
God: and I will write upon him my new name. Rev.3: 10-12 Post-Tribulation
Rapture - “Last Trumpet” primary scripture: In
contrast to Post-Trib rapture view of the last trumpet as the 7th Trumpet in 7th Seal as being the
“last trumpet” of God: 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. Rev. 11:15 But
the following scripture contradicts the above note Post Trib primary scripture: Note
an angel blows the trumpet, contrary to the following scripture: And
the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord GOD shall
blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south. The LORD of hosts shall defend
them; … And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: …
Zech. 9:14-16 For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first: Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air:
and so shall we ever be with the Lord. I Thes. 4:16-17 And
then shall appear the sign (6th Seal, Matt. 24:29) 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.
And He shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect
from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matt. 24:30-31
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