Prewrath
Encyclopedia
The Prewrath rapture
is one of several premillennial views on the end-times events among evangelical Christians, and states that Christians will be raptured at the end of the great tribulation, and before the day of the Lord's wrath (God's wrath), sometime during the second half of the seventieth week of Daniel. The prewrath position emphasizes the biblical distinction between tribulation (which Christians have been promised) and the wrath of God (which Christians have been promised deliverance/salvation from).
According to the Prewrath perspective, the great tribulation begins 3.5 years after the Antichrist
"makes a covenant with the many" (Daniel 9:27), in the middle of "Daniel's 70th week." The 70th week is a reference to Daniel 9:24, where each day of the week corresponds to a year (for a total of seven years). After the first 3.5 years, the Antichrist
will make himself known with the abomination that causes desolation, and he will reign for 3.5 years (42 months or 1260 days). The latter half of the 3.5 years is characterized by the Antichrist deceiving the world and persecuting the church.
Although the exact timing of the rapture is not known, one of the key points to the Prewrath view is that the rapture comes after the sixth seal is opened (Revelation 6:12), when the moon is turned into blood. The tribulation of God's people will then be cut short (according to Jesus
in Matthew 24, Mark 13) with the second coming of Christ and the rapture, and those who are left behind on Earth will face the trumpets and bowls of God's wrath (Rev 16:1); hence the term "Prewrath."
God's wrath against the ungodly will follow for the remainder of the seven years in what is known as the Day of the Lord.
falls under the larger umbrella of premillennialism
—was formally named and publicized by Marvin Rosenthal in his book The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church, published by Thomas Nelson
in 1990, at the prompting of his friend Robert Van Kampen
, who went on to write The Sign and The Rapture Question Answered: Plain & Simple.
Much of the Prewrath view is based on a linear, chronological interpretation of Jesus’ account of the end times in Matthew 24. In contrast to the traditional Pre-Tribulation view, for example, the moon turning blood red only occurs once according to the Prewrath perspective. Events subsequent to the rapture are based on face-value interpretations of the books of Revelation and Daniel.
According to Prewrath, this passage clearly indicates that the coming of the Lord and the Day of the Lord are part and parcel of the same event, the coming of the Lord. First, Jesus arrives in the sky at His Second Coming, at which time He raptures all Christian believers, then His judgment during the Day of the Lord falls upon those who have disbelieved and rejected His lordship.
This is justified, according to Prewrath, by the fact that Jesus places His return (Matthew 24:30-31) after the abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15), which occurs at the midpoint of the 70th Week (cf. Daniel
9:27, Daniel 11:31). Thus, if the Second Coming and rapture occur after the sixth seal, this places this event after the midpoint but before the end (seventh trumpet).
However, such differences of how specific events within the 70th week still fall under the framework of the Prewrath timeline.
Rapture
The rapture is a reference to the "being caught up" referred to in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, when the "dead in Christ" and "we who are alive and remain" will be caught up in the clouds to meet "the Lord"....
is one of several premillennial views on the end-times events among evangelical Christians, and states that Christians will be raptured at the end of the great tribulation, and before the day of the Lord's wrath (God's wrath), sometime during the second half of the seventieth week of Daniel. The prewrath position emphasizes the biblical distinction between tribulation (which Christians have been promised) and the wrath of God (which Christians have been promised deliverance/salvation from).
According to the Prewrath perspective, the great tribulation begins 3.5 years after the Antichrist
Antichrist
The term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...
"makes a covenant with the many" (Daniel 9:27), in the middle of "Daniel's 70th week." The 70th week is a reference to Daniel 9:24, where each day of the week corresponds to a year (for a total of seven years). After the first 3.5 years, the Antichrist
Antichrist
The term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...
will make himself known with the abomination that causes desolation, and he will reign for 3.5 years (42 months or 1260 days). The latter half of the 3.5 years is characterized by the Antichrist deceiving the world and persecuting the church.
Although the exact timing of the rapture is not known, one of the key points to the Prewrath view is that the rapture comes after the sixth seal is opened (Revelation 6:12), when the moon is turned into blood. The tribulation of God's people will then be cut short (according to Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
in Matthew 24, Mark 13) with the second coming of Christ and the rapture, and those who are left behind on Earth will face the trumpets and bowls of God's wrath (Rev 16:1); hence the term "Prewrath."
God's wrath against the ungodly will follow for the remainder of the seven years in what is known as the Day of the Lord.
Origins
This view—which like pretribulationism, midtribulationism, and posttribulationismPost Tribulation Rapture
In Christian eschatology, the Post-Tribulation Rapture doctrine is the belief in a combined Resurrection and Rapture of all believers coming after the Great Tribulation.-Doctrine and implications:...
falls under the larger umbrella of premillennialism
Premillennialism
Premillennialism in Christian end-times theology is the belief that Jesus will literally and physically be on the earth for his millennial reign, at his second coming. The doctrine is called premillennialism because it holds that Jesus’ physical return to earth will occur prior to the inauguration...
—was formally named and publicized by Marvin Rosenthal in his book The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church, published by Thomas Nelson
Thomas Nelson (publisher)
Thomas Nelson is a publishing firm that began in Scotland in 1798 as the namesake of its founder. Its former US division is currently the sixth largest American trade publisher and the world's largest Christian publisher. It is owned by the private equity firm Kohlberg & Company...
in 1990, at the prompting of his friend Robert Van Kampen
Robert Van Kampen
Robert D. Van Kampen , was a businessman and member of various organizational boards in the business world and Christian ministry.Van Kampen's business career took him into the investment banking world, and he became one of the wealthiest men in the United States after founding the investment...
, who went on to write The Sign and The Rapture Question Answered: Plain & Simple.
Timeline
- The "beginning of birth pains" start with wars, famines and earthquakes around the world (MatthewGospel of MatthewThe Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
24:19). This duration is thought to cover the first 3.5 years of Daniel's 70th week, which starts when the Antichrist confirms or strengthens a seven year "covenant with the many" (Daniel 9:24). - The Antichrist starts his reign with the “abomination of desolation” (Matthew 24:15) at the midpoint of the 70th week, putting an end to sacrifice and offering (Daniel 9:27). His reign, along with the false prophet (Revelation 13:11), lasts for 3.5 years.
- The Antichrist's rule begins the great tribulationTribulationThe Great Tribulation refers to tumultuous events that are described during the "signs of the times", first mentioned by Jesus in the Olivet discourse...
, a worldwide distress unequaled to any across history (MatthewGospel of MatthewThe Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
24:21). At this time the believers of God face persecution. - Prior to Jesus' return, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, stars will fall from the sky (Matthew 24:29). In Revelation 6:12, this coincides with the opening of the sixth seal, when the sun turns black and the moon turns blood red.
- Jesus appears coming on the clouds of the sky to all, and angels will bring about the rapture of the Church (Matthew 24:30-31, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52). In Revelation, his appearance is signified by the people calling out, "hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!" (Rev 6:12)
- God's wrath falls on the remaining unbelievers. Since the Second Coming and the rapture of the Church occur immediately before the Day of the Lord, they occur before God’s wrath—hence, the “Prewrath rapture” of the Church. The 7th seal encompasses the wrath of the seven trumpets (Revelation 8:2); the seventh trumpet may represent the seven bowls of wrath, which complete the mystery of God (Revelation 11:15).
- Since the Antichrist’s reign lasts for 42 months (or 3.5 years) according to Revelation 13:5, the Antichrist’s rule ceases at the end of the 70th week.
- At the battle of Armageddon, the Antichrist and the false prophet are defeated and cast into the lake of fire. Since the time of the Antichrist is 1290 days according to Daniel 12:11 (30 days longer than his 42-month reign), his end is then placed 30 days after Daniel’s 70th week.
- 45 days after the destruction of the Antichrist, Christ’s millennial reign is established. This is based on Daniel 12:11, which states, “Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.” The 45 days is derived from taking 1335 and subtracting 1260 days (42 months of Antichrist's reign) and 30 days (the end of the Antichrist), or 1335-(1260+30)=45.
Proposed confirmations
Prewrath adherents believe that scriptures from throughout in the Old and New Testament confirm the timing of rapture:- A side-by-side comparison of the wording of the sixth seal (Revelation 6:12-13) and the signs in Matthew 24:29 announcing the Second Coming of Jesus and the rapture of the Church indicate that they are the same event. Immediately after the sixth seal is opened in Revelation 6:17, the people of the earth cry out, "hide us from the face of the Lamb!” (the Lamb referring to Jesus Christ), indicating that they are viewing Jesus in the clouds. Since all of the people on earth (every slave and every free man) are crying out of the wrath of God, this implies that all those on earth are unbelievers, and that the believers have already been raptured. Therefore, the rapture in Matthew 24:29-31 occurs after the sixth seal of Revelation, but before the seventh seal of God's wrath. The church is described to be in heaven as the great multitude (RevelationBook of RevelationThe Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation"...
7:1 ff.), which has “come out of the Great Tribulation" (Revelation 7:9-11). - Throughout the Old TestamentOld TestamentThe Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
, the Day of the Lord is the term used for the time of God's final judgment and wrath upon earth. According to JoelBook of JoelThe Book of Joel is part of the Hebrew Bible. Joel is part of a group of twelve prophetic books known as the Minor Prophets or simply as The Twelve; the distinction 'minor' indicates the short length of the text in relation to the larger prophetic texts known as the "Major Prophets".-Content:After...
2:31, "the sun will turn dark and the moon into blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord." This combination of sun turning dark and moon into blood is always used to symbolize the same event: the cosmic signs in heaven before the arrival of the Messiah. This places the Day of the Lord immediately after the arrival of Jesus Christ to rapture the Church (Joel 2:31, Revelation 6:12-13, Matthew 24:29). - In 1 Thessalonians, PaulPaul of TarsusPaul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...
puts the Thessalonians' minds at ease that, while the members of this church were experiencing severe testing and tribulation, the Day of the Lord had not come upon them and they had not missed the Lord’s return. Paul writes that those who are alive at the coming of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:15) will be caught up in the sky with Him at the rapture (1 Thessalonian. 4:16-17). Then in Chapter 5, Paul writes that, "but of the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write to you, for the Day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2).
According to Prewrath, this passage clearly indicates that the coming of the Lord and the Day of the Lord are part and parcel of the same event, the coming of the Lord. First, Jesus arrives in the sky at His Second Coming, at which time He raptures all Christian believers, then His judgment during the Day of the Lord falls upon those who have disbelieved and rejected His lordship.
- Prewrath is also distinguished from other premillennial rapture positions as to when, in relation to Daniel’s 70th Week, the Second Coming and rapture take place. Pretrib places the rapture before the 70th Week. Midtrib places it at middle of the 70th Week. Posttrib places it at the end of the 70th Week. Prewrath places it at an unspecified time after the midpoint of the 70th Week, but before the end.
This is justified, according to Prewrath, by the fact that Jesus places His return (Matthew 24:30-31) after the abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15), which occurs at the midpoint of the 70th Week (cf. Daniel
Daniel
Daniel is the protagonist in the Book of Daniel of the Hebrew Bible. In the narrative, when Daniel was a young man, he was taken into Babylonian captivity where he was educated in Chaldean thought. However, he never converted to Neo-Babylonian ways...
9:27, Daniel 11:31). Thus, if the Second Coming and rapture occur after the sixth seal, this places this event after the midpoint but before the end (seventh trumpet).
Issues
The Prewrath view has much diversity with respect to:- the chronology of seals, trumpets and bowls (whether sequential of chronological)
- the timing and nature of Christ's reign
- the fate of Israel during and after the tribulation
However, such differences of how specific events within the 70th week still fall under the framework of the Prewrath timeline.
See also
- Abomination of DesolationAbomination of DesolationThe abomination of desolation is a term found in the Hebrew Bible, in the book of Daniel. It also occurs in the book of 1 Maccabees and in the New Testament gospels....
- AntichristAntichristThe term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...
- ApocalypseApocalypseAn Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
- ArmageddonArmageddonArmageddon is, according to the Bible, the site of a battle during the end times, variously interpreted as either a literal or symbolic location...
- Book of DanielBook of DanielThe Book of Daniel is a book in the Hebrew Bible. The book tells of how Daniel, and his Judean companions, were inducted into Babylon during Jewish exile, and how their positions elevated in the court of Nebuchadnezzar. The court tales span events that occur during the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar,...
- DispensationalismDispensationalismDispensationalism is a nineteenth-century evangelical development based on a futurist biblical hermeneutic that sees a series of chronologically successive "dispensations" or periods in history in which God relates to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants.As a system,...
- which posits a "parenthesis" between weeks 69 and 70 in the historic fulfillment. - Olivet discourseOlivet discourseThe Olivet discourse or Olivet prophecy is a biblical passage found in the Synoptic Gospels of Mark 13, Matthew 24, Luke 21. It is known as the "Little Apocalypse" because it includes Jesus' descriptions of the end times, the use of apocalyptic language, and Jesus' warning to his followers that...
- Premillenialism
- Post Tribulation
- Progressive dispensationalismProgressive dispensationalismIn evangelical Christian theology, progressive dispensationalism is a variation of traditional dispensationalism. All dispensationalists view the dispensations as chronologically successive. Progressive dispensationalists, in addition to viewing the dispensations as chronological successive, also...
- Prophecy of Seventy WeeksProphecy of Seventy WeeksThe Prophecy of Seventy Septets appears in the angel Gabriel's reply to Daniel, beginning with verse 22 and ending with verse 27 in the ninth chapter of the Book of Daniel, a work included in both the Jewish Tanakh and the Christian Bible; as well as the Septuagint...
- Summary of Christian eschatological differences
- The RaptureRaptureThe rapture is a reference to the "being caught up" referred to in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, when the "dead in Christ" and "we who are alive and remain" will be caught up in the clouds to meet "the Lord"....
Further reading
- Rosenthal, Marvin. The Pre-wrath Rapture of the Church. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1990. ISBN 0840731604. This is the must-have book concerning the timing of the rapture. Rosenthal, a former pretribulationist, followed the biblical evidence and ended up with the posttribulation/prewrath position.
- Van Kampen, Robert. The Rapture Question Answered: Plain and Simple. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Revell, 1997. ISBN 0800756312. This is another must-have book on the prewrath position. It is a more plain and simple presentation than his book The Sign.
- Van Kampen, Robert. The Sign. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 2000. ISBN 1581342322. This book is long (536 pages), highly detailed in places, and highly speculative in some places. The large color chart that comes with the book is amazing. For the avid reader, dive in and read, read, read. For those who do not want to wade through the 500+ pages, go with Van Kampen's shorter work, The Rapture Question Answered: Plain and Simple.
- Nigro, H. L. Before God's Wrath: The Bible's Answer to the Timing of the Rapture, Revised and Expanded Edition. Milesburg, Pennsylvania: Strong Tower Publishing, 2004. ISBN 0970433077. Another important prewrath work.
- Bussard, Dave. Who Will Be Left Behind and When?. Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Strong Tower Publishing, 2002. ISBN 0970433026. A primer on the prewrath position that challenges the pretribulation rapture position of Tim LaHaye's Left Behind theology.
- Cooper, Charles. God's Elect and the Great Tribulation: An Interpretation of Matthew 24:1-31 and Daniel 9. Milesburg, Pennsylvania: Strong Tower Publishing, 2008. ISBN 0981527620. The first scholarly defense of the prewrath position.
- Cooper, Charles. Fight, Flight, or Faith: How to Survive the Great Tribulation. Milesburg, Pennsylvania: Strong Tower Publishing, 2008. ISBN 0981527639.
- Fultz, Cameron. Prophecy's Architecture: How to Build an End-Times Doctrine. Milesburg, Pennsylvania: Strong Tower Publishing, 2005. ISBN 0970433069.