When Does God’s Wrath Begin?

 

 

Over the years I have heard many prophecy sermons and read prophecy articles that have put forth the idea that the rapture occurs before God’s wrath is poured out. I agree with this premise, for it is clearly stated in scripture that Christians will not be subject to God’s wrath and thus, the rapture must occur before God’s wrath.

 

For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Thes 5:9.

 

Where I differ with most other preachers is the timing of when God’s wrath begins. Most preachers believe that the wrath of God begins with the opening of Seal 1.

 

That is impossible.

 

Here is why; If God’s wrath begins at Seal 1, as they believe, then Seal 5 would be part of God’s wrath too. But Seal 5 is the persecution of Jews and Christians. God’s wrath does not include the persecution of Jews and Christians.

 

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. Rev 6:9-11

 

Therefore, God’s wrath cannot begin until after Seal 5, because God’s wrath cannot be poured out upon His children. And that is exactly what scripture tells us, that God’s wrath begins after Seal 5 at the opening of Seal 6.

 

And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal…For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Rev 6:12,17

 

So, I pretty much believe exactly the same as the pretribulation preachers, I just differ on when God’s wrath begins and thus when the rapture occurs. 

They say God’s wrath begins at Seal 1, which I showed was a scriptural impossibility. I say that since Seal 5 includes the persecution of Jews and Christians, God’s wrath cannot start until after Seal 5 because God’s children cannot be subject to His wrath. 

Therefore, the rapture which occurs before God’s wrath must occur after the opening of Seal 6. And that is exactly what God’s Word tells us—that the rapture occurs after the opening of Seal 6, that is why the people of the earth hide in the dens and caves, because they see Jesus in the sky at the rapture event.

 

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, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

 

For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Rev 6:12-17

 

Here is a summary:

 

Pretribulation: God’s wrath begins at Seal 1 and continues to Armageddon.

 

Prewrath: God’s wrath begins at Seal 6 and continues to Armageddon.

 

Since Seal 5 is the persecution of Jews and Christians, it cannot be part of God’s wrath. Thus, God’s wrath cannot begin until after Seal 5.

 

Thus, the pretribulation rapture theory creates a contradiction and is not correct.

 

And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal…For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Rev 6:12,17

 

Scripture clearly tells us when God’s wrath begins and the rapture occurs—after Seal 6 is opened—why do so few believe it?

 

So, when does God’s wrath begin? God’s Word clearly states it begins after the opening of seal 6—For the great day of His wrath is come. The fact that Seal 5 is the persecution of Jews and Christians supports that fact.

 

Why do so few believe what God’s Word clearly states and continue to adhere to their false pretribulation theory?

"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." — Luke 21:36

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Moved by a deep conviction regarding the imminence of major prophetic events, my heart is burdened for those who do not yet understand the path to salvation. I was compelled to write Escape God’s Wrath: A Beginner’s Guide to the End Times, a concise book designed to clarify the prophetic events on the horizon and explain how one can find refuge from God's coming wrath. 

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God's Wrath Is When!?

 

Many Christians believe that the rapture will occur before God’s wrath is poured out upon the earth. This is absolutely correct, the rapture will occur before God’s wrath is poured out upon the earth and its inhabitants. This fact is clearly taught in scripture and illustrated in the example of Noah’s flood.

 

For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Thes 5:9

 

They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Luke 17:27

 

Thus it is a clear principle of scripture that God will not allow the righteous to be subject to His wrath. And thus during the end times Christians will be raptured before God’s wrath is poured out.

 

Now the question is; during the end times, when does God’s wrath start? Most say at the opening of Seal 1. But what does God say? God specifically tells us when the great day of His wrath begins.

 

For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Rev 6:17

 

That’s right; in Rev 6:17 God specifically tells us that the great day of His wrath begins after the opening of Seal 6. And it is also at that very moment that God tells us the entire world will see Jesus in the clouds, which is a perfect description of the rapture, at which people flee in fear.

 

12 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;

 

13 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.

 

14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

 

15 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;

 

16 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:

 

17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Rev 6

 

 

 

Thus God clearly tells us His wrath starts after the rapture and the opening of Seal 6. Now the question is; why don’t many Christians believe this?

 

There are many reasons. For one, as already mentioned, many Christians believe Seals 1-5 are part of God’s wrath. I contend that Seals 1-5 are not part of God’s wrath because God’s wrath starts at Seal 6 and furthermore if you think about, Seals 1-5 are only actions of evil forces which God permits to occur. Here is a quick summary.

 

Seal 1: World takeover—there have been several world kingdoms in the past. In fact several are listed in scripture and detailed in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.

 

Seal 2: World War—there have already been 2 of these.

 

Seal 3: Financial collapse—there have been many of these, the last being the Great Depression.

 

Seal 4: Pandemic—there have been many of these in history. One memorable one was the Bubonic plague.

 

Seal 5: Persecution of Jews and Christians—has happened in the past many times.

 

All of the above are actions of evil forces and are permitted by God. It is the devil that will be orchestrating these events for the purpose of taking over the world and trying to destroy God’s remnant. These are not part of God’s wrath. Could God’s wrath include persecuting His own children during Seal 5? NO! Therefore Seals 1-5 cannot be part of God’s wrath. God’s wrath starts after the opening of Seal 6 and the rapture, at which time the people of the earth see the Lord in the sky.

 

Another reason why Christians do not want to believe the rapture occurs after the opening of Seal 6 is because they are afraid of what other Christians will think of them. In some Christian circles those who do not believe in a Pre-tribulation rapture theory are ridiculed, looked on as heretical, removed from leadership and or teaching positions, etc. In some cases you cannot even be hired by a Christian ministry if you do not believe in a pretrib theory.

 

I was personally faced with this conflict but I determined that it was more important to be pleasing to God and true to His Word than to be pleasing to man.

 

Here it is in a nutshell; Seal 6—rapture—God’s wrath begins. The only question that remains is when are you going to believe this? Now, so you can prepare for the Seals, or after you see the Seals opened, when it is too late to prepare?

 

There is much scriptural evidence to support the theory that God’s wrath and the rapture occur after the opening of Seal 6, and in fact it can be proven. The scriptural evidence is presented in The Coming Epiphany—FREE Download.

 

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