Chapter 4

Chapter 4
Who’s Right?

“Hopefully we will be raptured before . . . “ Have you ever heard anyone talk that way? Back in college, I remember we used to wish the rapture would come so we would not have to take our finals. Many people are looking for and believe that the Lord will return and that the rapture will occur before the tribulation, or 70th Week of Daniel. This is commonly known as the “pre-trib rapture” theory. This theory teaches that the rapture could occur at any moment—imminence—which will be followed by the revealing of the antichrist, signing of the peace treaty, and the other events of the seven-year, so-called “tribulation period.” In the last chapter, we showed why the rapture will not occur until after the sixth seal is opened. In this chapter, we will show why the pre-trib rapture belief cannot be correct.

One of the main arguments cited in defense of the pre-trib view reasons that since God has promised to not allow the Christian to be subject to His wrath; and since His wrath starts at the first seal, thus Christians will be removed before the 70th Week begins. It is true that God will not allow the righteous to be subject to His wrath. Verses that clearly bring out this principle are 1 Thessalonians 1:10: “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come”; and 1 Thessalonians 5:9: “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.” We also see it in Romans 5:9: “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”

The reasoning that God will not allow a Christian or any righteous person to be subject to His wrath is correct. This principle is illustrated in God’s actions with Noah, Lot, the Israelites in Egypt, and others, and applies to Christians alive today. However, this does not mean that Christians will not go through trials and sorrows like those that occur during the first part of the 70th Week. The wrath of God does not start until the Day of the Lord, which occurs after the opening of the sixth seal. We have already defined the Day of the Lord as a time of wrath (Amos 1:14–15, Rev. 6:16–17). Therefore, the period before the Day of the Lord precedes God’s wrath. Jesus Himself only called the first part of the 70th Week “sorrows” (Matt. 24:8).

We have already listed what will most likely occur during the first five seals:

First seal (white horse): Establishment of a world religion and or government through deception.

Second seal (red horse): War and/or anarchy on the earth.

Third seal (black horse): Famine due to crop failures and/or a worldwide economic collapse.

Fourth seal (pale horse): Death of one-quarter of world’s population by various means, possibly culminating from the first four seals.

Fifth seal: Persecution and martyrdom of saints.

If you consider these events, you will realize that there have been localized instances of these things occurring throughout history. There have been conquering powers, famines, pestilence, persecution, financial collapse, and martyrdom. And yes, some Christians and saints of God have gone through all of them, and some are going through them now. Since these sorrows are not part of God’s wrath and since God’s people have gone through these types of sorrows before, why shouldn’t they go through them during the 70th Week? Even the Israelites were subject to the first three plagues in Egypt. They were only protected from the last seven.
From the sixth seal on, after the Christians are raptured, only then is God’s wrath poured out. The first five seals are not described as being God’s Wrath, just as sorrows.

When Is God’s Wrath?
Some disagree, believing that the first six seals are part of God’s wrath. However, this is impossible because we know that God’s wrath does not include persecution and martyrdom of Christians. Martyrdom and persecution is an action of satan and men. God allows it, but it is an action of satan, not God. The story of Job is a clear example. The persecution, sorrows, and tribulations that Job experienced were allowed by God, but were caused by satan. When Saul was persecuting the early church, God allowed it, but satan was behind it. It would make no sense for Jesus to appear to Saul and ask why Saul was persecuting Him if God was the one responsible for it. “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks” (Acts 9:4–5).

How does this principle that persecution and martyrdom of believers is an action of satan and not of God apply to the 70th Week? The fifth seal is the persecution and martyrdom of believers:

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 fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled” (Rev. 6:9–11).

Jesus also spoke about this persecution, as recorded in the gospels of Matthew and Mark: Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another” (Matt. 24:9–10).

But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. And the gospel must first be published among all nations. But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost” (Mark 13:9–11).

Since the fifth seal is the persecution and martyrdom of believers, it cannot be part of God’s wrath. God’s wrath starts during the Day of the Lord, which starts with the rapture after the sixth seal is opened. That is why men cry out and say, “hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne,” because the rapture has just occurred and men have seen Christ and go into hiding. That is also why they say, “For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” It is at this time that God’s wrath has begun.

This verse tells us precisely that God’s wrath does not start until after the sixth seal is opened and the rapture occurs. To say that the wrath of God starts at the first seal would require God to be the one persecuting and martyring Christians, which is impossible. God would never pour out His wrath on His children. Therefore, we must conclude that God’s wrath—at the very least—cannot start until after the fifth seal, and that is exactly what we see. It starts at the sixth seal after the rapture. Thus scripture confirms that the Christian will be subject to the sorrows and tribulations of the first five seals and be raptured out of the great tribulation before God’s wrath is poured out.

The belief that Christians will not be subject to God’s wrath in no way necessitates a “pre-trib” rapture, because the seals are not part of God’s wrath. It does, however necessitate the rapture occurring before the wrath of God is poured out, which occurs after the start of the sixth seal.

What About Revelation 3:10?
Some pre-trib adherents make further claims, citing Revelation 3:10 as evidence that God will not only keep the Christian from His wrath, but will also keep them from the hour of temptation—that is, the entire 70th Week: “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” However, a careful examination of the Greek used in this passage actually shows that the passage supports the view that believes that the rapture will occur at the sixth seal.

Robert Van Kampen, in The Rapture Question Answered Plain & Simple, has made a thorough analysis of this verse. Let us examine a few excerpts from that section.

When the underlying Greek text is studied carefully, comparing Scripture with Scripture, we will discover that the “hour of testing” refers specifically to that time associated with antichrist’s persecution. . . . More importantly we will see that the Greek words underlying our English translations argue that this terrible time of testing cannot be the wrath of God, but must be the wrath of satan. . . . If the Greek word peirasmos, as used in the Revelation 3:10 passage, is compared to its use in other New Testament passages, we will see that the “hour of testing” cannot refer to the wrath of God but, quite the opposite, to the wrath of satan. . . . They all say the same thing: satan is the source of all peirazo, not God. Like the logical argument, the biblical argument from scripture demonstrates that the “hour of testing” in Rev. 3:10 cannot refer to the wrath of God but, by definition, must be the wrath of satan.[1]

Another phrase in Revelation 3:10 that we need to consider is “will keep thee from.” The Greek phrase used here is tereo ek. Van Kampen has this to say about that phrase:

Tereo ek, is used in conjunction, can only refer to guarding or protecting those who persevere while they are within the sphere of danger, and then bringing them safely out from the midst of that danger. Thus the meaning of the text is clear. Tereo ek should be translated, “a watchful protection within the sphere of danger, with a safe deliverance out from the midst of it.[2]

Combining the analysis of the Greek into a translation of Revelation 3:10 yields a rendering that shows that the Christian will not be spared from the great tribulation, but will be rescued out of it:

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will rescue you out of the midst of the hour of satan’s temptation, the great tribulation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

So the analysis of the Greek in Revelation 3:10 does not support a pre-trib view, but supports a pre-wrath view of the rapture.

Revealing of the antichrist
Another argument presented by pre-trib adherents against the rapture occurring during the 70th Week is that they assert that the rapture occurs at the same time or immediately following the revealing of the antichrist. They reason further that since the antichrist is revealed at the signing of the peace treaty (the event that starts the 70th Week), the rapture must occur at the beginning of the 70th Week.

Proponents of the pre-trib rapture formulate this belief from two passages:

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. (2 Thess. 2:3)

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. (Dan. 9:27)

2 Thessalonians 2:3 does, indeed, tell us that the antichrist is revealed before the rapture will take place, but Daniel 9:27 does not necessitate that the antichrist be involved in the initial signing of the peace treaty. When you examine the Hebrew, the true meaning becomes clearly evident. Roy Reinhold, author of The Day of the Lord and an expert in Hebrew, has this to say about the verse:

The “he” is the same person throughout the verse. Higbir is a hifil 3ms perfect verb, and the Qal root verb is gavar meaning “to be strong, to conquer.” A Hifil is “causative,” and so in this case the usage is “and he caused to be made strong” a covenant for the many for one period of seven. In no way does this imply that the “he” the antichrist originates the peace treaty. What it clearly shows is that the antichrist comes along after the peace treaty is in effect and he agrees with it and enforces its provisions.[3]

So an analysis of the Hebrew brings out the fact that, when the antichrist is revealed and comes to power in the midst of the 70th Week, the peace treaty will already be in effect and “he,” the antichrist, will merely confirm and or strengthen it. Thus, a more accurate translation of the verse would read: “And he will strengthen the covenant that was made with many for a week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.”

So if the antichrist will not be the one to make the peace treaty, who is? The Hebrew rendering of this verse tells us the peace treaty will be made with “the many.” This suggests that the treaty will probably be the result of an effort by many nations—like we see now with the “Road Map”—to bring peace to the tumultuous Middle East situation.

Scripture tells us that the antichrist does not come to power and reign until the last 3.5 years of the 70th Week of Daniel after the Abomination of Desolation has occurred. In reference to the antichrist, Revelation 13:5 says, “and there was given unto him a mouth speaking great blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.” His reign starts shortly after the occurrence of the Abomination of Desolation in which he deceives the world into thinking that he is God and his reign continues until he is thrown in the lake of fire at the conclusion to the battle of Armageddon.

2 Thessalonians 2:4 confirms when the revealing takes place:

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.

That verse tells us that the man of sin will not be revealed until he sets himself up as God, and he does that at the Abomination of Desolation: “and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition . . . so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” The verse further tells us “that day shall not come,” in reference to the Day of the Lord and the rapture, until after the antichrist sets himself up as God. As we have just pointed out, that does not happen until after the Abomination of Desolation.

Daniel 7:24 further confirms that the antichrist does not arise until after the peace treaty is signed, showing us that the antichrist (little horn) comes after the New World Order (NWO)—the “ten horns”—is established. “And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.” The establishment of the NWO does not begin until after the first seal is opened, which we will discuss in detail in another chapter. Thus, Daniel 7:24 confirms that the antichrist arises after the establishment of the NWO, which comes after the peace treaty is signed.

Therefore, to say that the antichrist will be revealed before the rapture is correct, but to say that he will be revealed before the 70th Week, or that the rapture occurs before or at the same time that he is revealed, has no scriptural support. In fact, the scriptures make it clear that the Day of Christ will not come until after he is revealed at the Abomination of Desolation.

‘No One Knows the Day or the Hour’
Another argument pre-trib adherents put forth to support their view is that they say if the rapture does not occur before the 70th Week of Daniel, then you will know the time of Christ’s return, and as Jesus said, “no one knows the day or hour.” Believing that the rapture occurs during the 70th Week after the opening of the sixth seal does not mean that one knows the “day and hour” of His return. Even though I know that the rapture will not take place until after the sixth seal is opened, I still do not know the “day or hour” because I do not know exactly when the sixth seal will be opened and I do not know how long after the opening of the sixth seal that the rapture will occur. We know the name of that day as the Day of the Lord, but no one can give you an exact date for when that will occur. We only know that it will begin sometime between the Abomination of Desolation and Armageddon, but that’s a very broad period of time.

Only after the 70th Week starts and we see the signs will those who have not been deceived by the devil be able to recognize and believe that the day is iminent—but they will still not know the exact time. Christians are to watch for that day and should be able to sense that the day is near so that the day will not overtake them as a thief:

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. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. (1 Thess. 5:2–4)

Thus, the Day of the Lord will only overcome the unbelieving as a thief, not the saved. Christians who know their scriptures will be able to recognize the signs and realize that it is very near. So the argument that “if the rapture does not occur before the 70th Week of Daniel, you will know the time of the rapture” is invalid.

What About Imminence?
Yet another argument put forth by pre-trib adherents is their belief in the doctrine of the imminent return of Christ. They reason that since the apostles were awaiting the return of Christ with great expectancy—and that they may even have believed that Christ could return and the rapture could occur at any time—that nothing has to occur prophetically before the rapture can take place. This includes the peace treaty or any parts of the 70th Week of Daniel.

This is a doctrine that was shown to be false by the apostle Paul himself. In 2 Thessalonians 2:1–3, Paul had to address the Thessalonians concerning a doctrinal problem they had regarding the timing of the Second Coming:

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. 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.

The Thessalonians falsely believed that the Day of the Lord and the rapture were ready to occur (or had already occurred) and that they missed it and were in the Day of the Lord period. Paul told them that they did not miss it. He also told them about two signs that must occur beforehand, namely the great falling away and the revealing of the antichrist.[4] We have also elaborated on three other signs that need to occur before the Day of the Lord or the Day of Christ: the moon being turned to blood, the sun being darkened, and the prophet Elijah returning to earth. Therefore, since God has made it clear that certain things must occur before the rapture occurs at the Day of the Lord, and since those things have not happened yet, there can be no doctrine of imminence. Christ’s return will not be imminent until the signs mentioned above have first occurred. Van Kampen elaborates on this point:

The return of Christ has never been truly imminent and will never be imminent until the great tribulation of antichrist begins and the surrounding Gentile nations come together against Jerusalem in the valley of Jehoshaphat. Only then are the elect of God told to look for the sign of Christ’s coming which will be seen in the heavens, but only after the earth is first plunged into darkness by the sign of the end of the age.[5]

So while the first-century church, as recorded in the New Testament writings, showed a great expectation and anticipation of the return of Christ, the scriptures themselves tell us that the rapture cannot occur at any time, but only after the signs are fulfilled.

Identifying the Restrainer
Yet another argument put forth by pre-trib adherents is that they say that the Holy Spirit is removed before the antichrist is revealed; and since the Holy Spirit indwells Christians, they will be removed also. They draw this conclusion from 2 Thessalonians 2:6­–7: “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.” They have made the assumption that it is the Holy Spirit who is the restrainer and that when He is removed—and Christians with Him—the antichrist will be revealed.

This is an incorrect assumption, for the Holy Spirit is recorded as still being on the earth indwelling believers during the last days of the 70th Week. This is clearly evident in Joel 2:

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. 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. (Joel 2:28–31)

To those of you that think the restrainer is the Holy Spirit, I would like for you to ponder a couple of questions. How can the Holy Spirit still be on earth during the 70th Week if the verse says the restrainer (Holy Spirit) is removed? And if He is removed, will He leave and come back? One individual told me that the Holy Spirit is not really removed, but just His restraining power; and after His restraining power is removed, that is when the rapture occurs and the Holy Spirit reverts back to His Old Testament mode. In responding to this, I would like to call your attention to Acts 2:16–21:

But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith 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: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 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: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

After Pentecost, the apostles were indwelt with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in foreign languages. Peter likened this to what the prophet Joel said would happen during the 70th Week. Therefore, Peter establishes the fact that believers will be indwelt with the Holy Spirit during the 70th Week in the same way that they were after Pentecost. Thus, we can conclude that the Holy Spirit will be on the earth during the 70th Week and will indwell believers in the same way that the apostles were indwelt. In fact, the scripture passages above indicate that not only will the Holy Spirit be here and indwell believers, but He will manifest His power in a greater way than He is being manifested today, working signs, wonders, and miracles through believers.

So who is the restrainer that is removed before the antichrist is revealed? I suggest that the restrainer is the Archangel Michael. Consider these two passages:

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. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 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. 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 when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. 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. (Rev. 12:7–14)

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. (Dan. 12:1)

After the war in heaven, satan will be thrown down to earth and will indwell the antichrist and begin persecuting the saints during the great tribulation. This is when the restraining power of Michael the archangel will be removed. Marvin Rosenthal describes it like this:

Speaking of the one who will hinder the antichrist, Paul said, “only he who now hindereth will continue to hinder until he be taken out of the way” (2 Thess. 2:7). The word hindereth means to hold down, and the phrase taken out of the way means to step aside. Therefore, the one who had the job of hindering the antichrist will step aside; that is, he will no longer be a restraint between the antichrist and those the antichrist is persecuting.

. . . Further, Daniel has already said that Michael will stand up during “a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time.” The unprecedented time of trouble can only refer to the Great Tribulation. Since Daniel is told that this great trouble relates to his people—and his people are the Jews—this can only be “the time of Jacob’s Trouble” (Jer. 30:7), which is a synonym for the Great Tribulation. It is at that time that the archangel Michael will stand up.

But what does the Hebrew word for stand up (amad) mean? Rashi, one of Israel’s greatest scholars . . . understood stand up to literally mean [to] stand still. The meaning, according to one of Israel’s greatest scholars, would be to stand aside or be inactive. Michael, the guardian of Israel, had earlier fought for her (Dan. 10:13, 21), but now this one “who standeth for the children of thy people” would stand still or stand aside. He would not help; he would not restrain; he would not hold down.

The Midrash, commenting on this verse, says, “The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Michael, ‘You are silent? You do not defend my children.’”[6]

So when “the restrainer” Michael removes his restraining power, then the antichrist will be revealed and the great tribulation will begin. The great tribulation and rule of the antichrist begins after the Abomination of Desolation. Thus, 2 Thessalonians 2:6–7 does not support a pre-trib rapture, but shows that the rapture will occur after the great tribulation.

Rapture in Revelation 4?

Finally, another very weak argument put forth by pre-trib adherents is that they say that the raptured saints are clearly seen in Revelation 4 and 5: “And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands” (Rev. 5:11). The scene depicted in Revelation 4 and 5 occurs before the seals are opened. Therefore, they conclude, the rapture occurs before the 70th Week.

They also claim that Revelation 4:1 is the trumpet that sounds at the rapture and John who went up to heaven at the time is symbolic of the rapture: “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.” Scripture does not support these assertions. First, scripture tells us that the voice only sounds like a trumpet, not that a trumpet is sounding. If it were a trumpet sounding, scripture would have said that. Secondly, nowhere does it mention any saints in this scene besides the 24 elders. All listed as being present in this scene are angels, beasts, and the 24 elders. That is it. One cannot assume that the 100 trillion are made up of raptured saints. God tells us who is present, and to conclude otherwise is an assumption that is not supported by the text. Therefore, scripture in no way supports the notion that raptured saints are present in Revelation 4 and 5.

The raptured saints do, however, appear in scripture in Revelation 7:

After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands . . . And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. (Rev. 7:9–15) [italics mine]

These are the raptured saints, not the elders, beasts, and angels of Revelation 4 and 5.

Where Is the Church?
Another argument used by pre-trib adherents is that they say that the word “church” is not used in any of the passages in Revelation after the first seal is opened because the church has been raptured. I admit that the word “church” is not mentioned in any of the Revelation passages after the first seal is opened. But one cannot assume that because the word “church” is not mentioned that it has been raptured. 2 Timothy, Titus, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, and Jude all do not use the word “church.” But clearly, all those books were written to people who were part of the church and were not raptured. Revelation contains several references to Christians being present during the 70th Week: Rev. 8:3; 13:7,10; 14:12; 17:6; 18:24. So just because the word “church” is not used in Revelation after the opening of the first seal, you cannot assume that it is because the church has been raptured.

In fact, I believe that there is a reason that the word “church” is not used; it is because the church age has ended and the 70th Week has begun. This is the same reason that gatherings of believers were not called a “church” during the 69 weeks. During the time of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, a called-out assembly of believers followed Him. What did He call this group of believers? Did He call them or refer to them as a church? No, He called them “disciples” or “saints.” Why did He not refer to them as a church? The answer is simple: because the historical church period had not yet begun. The called-out assembly of believers was not called a church until after Pentecost.

Jesus did use the word “church” in two instances: Matthew 16:18 and 18:17; but it was in reference to the church that was soon to be. So I contend that the reason Jesus did not refer to the called-out assembly of believers that followed Him as “church” is because they were in the 69th week—the historical church period had not begun. I also contend that the reason that believers are not referred to as “church” in Revelation is because the historical church period has ended and the 70th Week has begun.

Too Many Scriptural Contradictions
A pretribulation rapture view requires that the return of Christ is imminent. As we have shown certain signs must occur before the Day of the Lord and the rapture occurs. Some of those signs will not occur until after the sixth seal has been opened during the 70th Week of Daniel; therefore, the rapture will not occur before that time and cannot occur until the signs are fulfilled during the 70th Week. Thus there is no doctrine of immanency. Since the pre-trib rapture view contradicts this scriptural fact, it cannot be correct.

The pre-trib rapture belief necessitates that the wrath of God begins with the first seal. Scripture is clear that the wrath of God does not start until after the sixth seal is opened. Again the pre-trib rapture belief contradicts this fact. An exegesis of Revelation 3:10 shows that the Christian will be rescued out of the midst of the great tribulation. The pre-trib view says that the Christian will be rescued before the 70th Week starts. Again the pre-trib view contradicts scripture.

Many of the other tenents that the pre-trib rapture view stands on such as; the antichrist will be revealed before the rapture, no one knows the day or hour, etc. do not necessitate a pre-trib view. For instance pre-trib adherents state that the rapture occurs before the antichrist is revealed. An examination of the essential scripture passages shows that the antichrist is indeed revealed before the rapture but that the rapture occurs after the Abomination of Desolation. Again, this scriptural fact does not necessitate a pre-trib rapture. Pre-trib adherents state that if the rapture does not occur before the 70th Week, then you will know the “day and hour” of Christ’s return. However, Christ can return to rapture his bride after the opening of the sixth seal during the 70th Week and you will still not know the “day and hour” of His return. Thus, in light of the discussions above, the pre-trib rapture is not necessitated by scripture, and, furthermore, contradicts some scriptures and thus cannot be correct.

The next time you hear someone say, “Hopefully we will be raptured before . . . ,” realize that the rapture cannot occur until after the sixth seal is opened and that the pre-trib view is therefore not correct. I pray that all of God’s children would be awakened to these facts.

[1] Robert Van Kampen, The Rapture Question Answered Plain & Simple, (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Revell, 2002), 173–174.
[2] Ibid., 177.
[3] Unpublished personal correspondence.
[4] Some, in their attempts to bolster the pre-trib position, have claimed that the phrase “falling away” comes from the Greek word rapturem and is better translated “rapture.” Thus, they argue that the verse says that the rapture must precede the coming of the antichrist. In my opinion, this is nothing more than an attempt to make the Word of God say something that it does not. The word used in the Greek New Testament is apostasia, or “falling away,” from which the English term “apostasy” is derived. “Falling away” means to backslide. Backslide from what? From the truth.[4] Thus, the phrase “falling away” means just that—a falling away from the truth; and the verse tells us that this must take place before the rapture and the Day of the Lord.
[5] Robert Van Kampen, The Sign (Wheaton, Il.: Crossway Books, 1992), 315.

[6] Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church, 257–258.