DEALING SPECIFICALLY WITH MIDTRIB. POST TRIB. AND PREWRATH.

tyBook Review, FROM THE PASTOR'S DESK

MIDTRIB. & POSTTRIB. Views arose in the late 1950’s early 1960’s. In debates the were soundly refuted and abandoned! Both fail to recognize the distinction between God’s program for Israel and God’s program for the NT church.

The same is true for the new PREWRATH Rapture view. But it still has become popular in this Laodicean Age. It was first espoused by Marvin Rosenthal in, The Prewrath Rapture of the Church 1990. His view divides the 70th week of Daniel into 3 parts (The only division in Scripture is half, “in the midst of the week” Dan. 9:27, “time, times and the dividing of time” (or 3.5 years) Dan. 7:25 and forty and two months 3.5 years) Rev. 11:2 & 13:5) and has the last quarter as the wrath of God. (Hence, it is sometimes called, “The 3/4 rapture view”).

The basic thesis of the book is that the Church will be removed from the earth by the rapture just before the fourth quarter of the 70 th Week of Daniel. Rosenthal divides Daniel’s 70 th Week into three distinct periods: “The Beginning of Sorrows,” lasting 3 ½ years, the “Great Tribulation,” involving the first half of the last 3 ½ years or 21 months, followed by the Day of the Lord, spanning the second half of the 3 ½ years or final 21 months. Rosenthal belabors the point that the rapture will be after the Great Tribulation and before the Day of the Lord, the time of God’s wrath, which begins with the opening of the sixth seal (Rev. 8:1, pp.60, 61).

In Rosenthal’s scheme, the Church must endure Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, and after 64 months into the 70 th Week, it will be raptured.

On page 161 he has Elijah preaching for only 21 months, Scripture says 42!

Post-trib. And Prewrath proof texts:

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. 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. (Matthew 24:29-31)

Jesus here speaks of what follows after the tribulation of those days. Verse 31 is believed to be the rapture. His elect, here, are said to be Christians.

Christians ARE said to be elect. There are TWO elect bodies!  The Bride AND Israel.

To some, since Jew and Gentile are one then ONLY one elect group exist.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)

They are one elect body only when they are in Christ. Does a gentile/Greek outside of Christ stop being a Gentile? No. A Jew and a Gentile when they are in Christ make a new Creation called a Christian.

Israel (Jews) outside of Christ are also an elect body!

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. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. (Romans 11:25-29)

How do we know which group is being referred to in a passage of Scripture? Context!!!

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:) (Matthew 24:15)

DANIEL’S PROPHECY IS ABOUT HIS PEOPLE ISRAEL! NEITHER DANIEL NOR HIS PEOPLE ARE IN CHRIST!

But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: (Matthew 24:20)

CHRISTIANS DO NOT KEEP SABBATH!

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. (Matthew 24:30)

TRIBES refer to the tribes of Israel!

Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: (Matthew 24:32)

FIG TREE REPRESENTS ISRAEL!

Prewrath advocates assert that The wrath of God is different that the other judgments of Revelation! Their view is that THE wrath of God does not begin until the opening of the 6th seal Rev 6, because verse 17 says, For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? (Revelation 6:17)

Verse 17 is the concluding verse of chapter 6 and follows after the opening of the 6th seal. However, this is a chapter concluding statement not a beginning statement! “Is come…” is a past tense in the Greek NOT future tense!

Prewrathers say that the first seals are “the wrath of Satan and man” and not the wrath of God. (Marvin Rosenthal, Prewrath Rapture of the Church 1990).

But who is unleashing the wrath of “Satan and man”? The Lord Jesus Christ!

The prewrath view becomes problematic considering 1 Thess 5:3;  For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3). Peace is taken from the earth with the SECOND seal!!

The wrath of God MUST begin with the opening of the FIRST seal!

THE LAST TRUMP:

Since 1 Cor. 15:52 says, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump… (1 Corinthians 15:52) Posttrib. And Prewrathers assert that the last trump is the seventh trumpet judgment of revelation 11:15.

Rosenthal is confused when he says the 7 trumpets and the 7 bowls are the wrath of God, but then says the 7th trumpet is the “rapture”. Without realizing that would put Christians through 6 trumpets worth of God’s wrath!!!

First trump and trumpet are not the same thing. Trump is a verb trumpet is a noun! A trump is a sound a trumpet is an instrument.

Next, The trump in 1 Cor. Is referring to Rosh Hashanah or the FEAST OF TRUMPETS. In the 7 Feasts prophecies it is BEFORE THE DAYS OF MOURNING (Yom Kippur) and The Feast of Tabernacles (The Lord shall tabernacle with His people (Millenium).

Paul would not be referring to Revelation because it had not yet been written and no one to whom he was writing to would know what he is talking about!

On the other hand, the last tump (of several) blown during Rosh Hashanah would have been well known to his readers.

NOAH AND THE FLOOD.

But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (Matthew 24:37-39)

According to Rosenthal the day that Noah and his family entered the ark, on the same day God’s judgment fell (p. 196 &220). However, Scripture says they were in the ark for 7 days before the rains began! (Gen 7:4 &10)

PREWRATHERS GREAT TRIBULATION IS DIFFERENT FROM THE DAY OF THE LORD’S WRATH!

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. (Matthew 24:21-22)

Here is a time so unprecedented that there never was nor ever will be a day like it! Yet the rapture the wrath of God supposedly comes AFTER IT!

Prewrath and Post-tribbers claim Matt. 24:31 is the rapture of the Bride of Christ.

First See reasons above as to why the elect is Israel.

That this is the ingathering of Israel people fulfilling the Feast of Tabernacles prophecy is shown in the following scriptures:

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem. (Isaiah 27:13)

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. (Isaiah 11:11-12),

WHY PRETRIB.

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The different schools of thought of when the “rapture” occurs in relation to the 70th week are as follows:

PRETRIB. OR BEFORE THE 7 YEARS.

MIDTRIB. OR IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.

POSTTRIB. OR AT THE END.

AND THE COMPROMISE BETWEEN THE LATTER TWO: PREWRATH.

WHY BEFORE:

The event called the rapture is distinct from the 2nd coming! Christians are caught up to meet the Lord in the air and return WITH Him at the 2nd coming. This alone disproves post (after) the “trib” (or Daniel’s 70th week)!

The seventy weeks (sevens) deal with Daniel’s people (Israel) not the NT church!

Clearly, the Bible teaches us to expect Him to come for us at any moment. This is called the Doctrine of Imminency!

Promise of Rev. 3:10: kept from the hour of trial.

NT church is not the object of God’s wrath (Rev. 6:16, 1 Thess. 5:9)! (The wrath begins with Jesus opening the seals in Rev. 6!

Prewrath advocates argue that the first 5 seals are the wrath of man and Satan not of God. However, God’s wrath is unleashing Satan and evil men!  When God was angry with Israel for wanting a human king, He gave them Saul. When God brought judgment upon Israel by David numbering the people, the Bible says it was both God and Satan that moved David to do it! (compare 2 Sam. 24:1 and 1 Chron. 21:1).

When war begins all Ambassadors are called home. (2 Cor. 5:20)

In John 14 Jesus illustrates the “rapture” with the Jewish wedding.

In Rev. chapters 2&3 refer to churches. Then 4:1 John is “caught up”! Christians are seen in heaven witnessing the opening of the seals. Church is never mentioned again until we see Jesus’ Bride returning with Him in Rev.19!