The Rapture of the Church - Part Three of Eight
Introduction
In Part Three we'll examine the ways in which God's wrath will be poured out onto the earth during the seven-year Tribulation period, and we'll see that these things
only
fit with the pre-trib view of the Rapture.
The "Scroll Deed of Purchase"
Before we look at the ways in which God will pour out His wrath onto the earth, it's helpful to have some background information.
First, notice that when God gave possession of the land of Israel to the Jews, He commanded that the land must not be sold permanently. The reason was because the land was owned by God, and the Israelites were tenants and servants:
"The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants.
Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land.
If one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells some of his property, his nearest relative is to come and redeem what his countryman has sold.
If, however, a man has no one to redeem it for him but he himself prospers and acquires sufficient means to redeem it, he is to determine the value for the years since he sold it and refund the balance to the man to whom he sold it; he can then go back to his own property. But if he does not acquire the means to repay him, what he sold will remain in the possession of the buyer until the Year of Jubilee. It will be returned in the Jubilee, and he can then go back to his property. If a man sells a house in a walled city, he retains the right of redemption a full year after its sale. During that time he may redeem it. If it is not redeemed before a full year has passed, the house in the walled city shall belong permanently to the buyer and his descendants. It is not to be returned in the Jubilee. But houses in villages without walls around them are to be considered as open country. They can be redeemed, and they are to be returned in the
Jubilee...for the Israelites belong to me as servants.
They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God." (Leviticus 25:23-31, 55)
In the above passage, we can see that the Israelites were God's servants who held tenant-possession of the land of Israel, and God gave them instructions to ensure that each piece of land remained within the family or clan that was given that piece of land. Here are some more examples:
"Say to the Israelites, 'If a man dies and leaves no son, turn his inheritance over to his daughter. If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father's brothers. If his father had no brothers,
give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, that he may possess it.
This is to be a legal requirement for the Israelites, as the LORD commanded Moses.'" (Numbers 27:8-11)
"They said, "When the LORD commanded my lord to give the land as an inheritance to the Israelites by lot, he ordered you to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. Now suppose they marry men from other Israelite tribes; then their inheritance will be taken from our ancestral inheritance and added to that of the tribe they marry into. And so part of the inheritance allotted to us will be taken away. When the Year of Jubilee for the Israelites comes, their inheritance will be added to that of the tribe into which they marry, and their property will be taken from the tribal inheritance of our forefathers." Then at the Lord's command Moses gave this order to the Israelites: "What the tribe of the descendants of Joseph is saying is right. This is what the LORD commands for Zelophehad's daughters: They may marry anyone they please as long as they marry within the tribal clan of their father.
No inheritance in Israel is to pass from tribe to tribe, for every Israelite shall keep the tribal land inherited from his forefathers. Every daughter who inherits land in any Israelite tribe must marry someone in her father's tribal clan, so that every Israelite will possess the inheritance of his fathers.""
(Numbers 36:2-8)
The above passages show that God had commanded that each family's land must remain within their tribal clan. If a person needed to sell some land, it was the responsibility of the nearest "kinsman" (the nearest relative) to redeem the land by buying it (Leviticus 25:23-31, above). Here's an example of a "kinsman-redeemer":
"Now Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died,
and she was left with her two
sons...Now Naomi had a relative on her husband's side, from the clan of Elimelech, a man of standing, whose name was Boaz...Boaz
took ten of the elders of the town and said, "Sit here," and they did so. Then he said to
the kinsman-redeemer,
"Naomi, who has come back from Moab,
is selling the piece of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech.
I thought I should bring the matter to your attention
and suggest that you buy it
in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people.
If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line." "I will redeem it," he said."
(Ruth 1:3, 2:1, 4:2-4)
So the kinsman-redeemer had the right and the responsibility to buy the land (if possible) in order to ensure that it remained within the family.
In the following passage, the prophet Jeremiah acted as a kinsman-redeemer for his cousin Hanamel while foreign invaders from Babylon were besieging Jerusalem:
"This is the word that came to Jeremiah
from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.
The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace of Judah.
Now Zedekiah king of Judah had
imprisoned him
there, saying, "Why do you prophesy as you do? You say, 'This is what the LORD says: I am about to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.'"...Jeremiah said, "The word of the LORD came to me: Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, 'Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it.'
Then, just as the LORD had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, 'Buy my field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.'
I knew that this was the word of the LORD;
so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels of silver. I signed and sealed the deed, had it witnessed,
and weighed out the silver on the scales.
I took the deed of purchase - the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy
- and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard. In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions: 'This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
Take these documents, both the sealed and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time.
For this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.'"" (Jeremiah 32:1-15)
In the above passage, the redemption price (to redeem the land) was 17 shekels of silver, which gave Jeremiah the right to possess his cousin Hanamel's land. After a deed was signed in those days, the scroll was then rolled up and sealed with drops of wax to protect it from tampering. Then the scroll was signed on the outside by witnesses as in the above passage. Sometimes an exact copy of the deed was left unsealed so that the terms and conditions of the sale could be read. If someone suspected that the unsealed copy of the deed had been altered, the purchaser (Jeremiah in this case) was the only person who was authorized to break the seals on the deed and reveal its contents.
In the above passage, notice that when Jeremiah purchased the land, he did not immediately take possession of it. Since he was a prisoner, and since the land had been invaded by the Babylonians, Jeremiah ordered that the copies of the deed be kept in a safe place so that they would last a long time. When Jeremiah returned to take possession of the land, if an invader who occupied the land wanted to challenge Jeremiah's right of ownership then Jeremiah could break the seals on the scroll and prove his ownership.
With this background information in mind, recall that God owns the entire earth. God gave the right of tenant-possession of all the earth to the human race through Adam and Eve:
"Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness,
and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.""
(Genesis 1:26)
However, the devil managed to gain possession of the earth through deceit when Adam and Eve were swayed by the devil and rebelled against God's authority. This is why the devil said that the kingdoms of the world had been given to him (which Jesus didn't deny), and why the devil is called "the prince of this world" and "the god of this age":
"If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can
his kingdom
stand?" (Matthew 12:26)
"The devil
led him [Jesus] up to a high place and showed him in an instant
all the kingdoms of the world.
And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor,
for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.
So if you worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'"" (Luke 4:5-8)
"I [Jesus] will not speak with you much longer, for
the prince of this world is coming.
He has no hold on me" (John 14:30)
"The god of this age
has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (2 Corinthians 4:4)
"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of
the ruler of the kingdom of the air,
the
spirit
who is now at work in those who are disobedient." (Ephesians 2:1-2)
"For he has rescued us from the
dominion of darkness
and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves" (Colossians 1:13)
"We know that we are children of God, and that
the whole world is under the control of the evil one."
(1 John 5:19)
"The great dragon was hurled down - that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads
the whole world
astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him." (Revelation 12:9)
So Adam and Eve (and the human family) were given the right of tenant-possession over all the earth, but through their sin the devil was able to gain control over the world (for more details on how this happened, see my article called
Understanding Jesus - Part Two).
When Jesus was born on the earth, He became a part of the human family. As our relative, He was in the position to be our kinsman-redeemer. The purchase price that He paid was His blood, and the scroll deed of purchase belongs to Him. As in Jeremiah's case (Jeremiah 32:1-15), Jesus did not immediately take possession of the land, but instead He's in heaven while the land is occupied by the devil and his angels. Seven years before Jesus returns at the Second Coming, the scroll deed of purchase will be opened to begin bombarding the devil's kingdom through a series of 21 judgments before Jesus takes full possession of the earth.
After the Second Coming, the human servants of the devil (the Antichrist and his armies) will be killed right away (which is described in detail in my article called
The Second Coming),
and the devil will be locked away in "the Abyss" for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1-3). Then Jesus will take possession of the earth and rule on earth for 1,000 years.
Here's a description of Jesus' scroll deed of purchase:
"Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals.
And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice,
"Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.
Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep!
See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."
Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.""
(Revelation 5:1-9)
In verse 1 (above), we see God holding a sealed scroll. Since God is holding this scroll, there must be something very special about it. In verse 2, a mighty angel asks in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" Only the rightful person can open the scroll, but at this point there's no rightful person to be found, which caused the apostle John to weep (verses 3 and 4). This is clearly a very important scroll. Then we learn that Jesus has triumphed and is able to open the scroll and its seven seals because with His blood He purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. Jesus is our kinsman-redeemer, and not only does He have the rightful ownership of the earth, but He has purchased
us
with His blood as well. The sealed scroll is a "deed of purchase" (Revelation 5:1-2, 9, above), just as a sealed scroll was Jeremiah's "deed of purchase" in Jeremiah 32:1-15 (above).
As we will see, seven years before Jesus returns at the Second Coming to take possession of the earth, He will first open the scroll deed of purchase by breaking all seven seals, one at a time. Each time a seal is opened, we see that something terrible takes place on the earth, which are judgments of God's wrath being poured out on the earth. For this reason, pastors and Bible teachers refer to these events as "the Seal Judgments." When the seventh seal is opened, then a new round of judgments is unleashed as seven angels sound their trumpets, one at a time. Pastors and Bible teachers refer to these as "the Trumpet Judgments." When the seventh trumpet is sounded, then a new round of judgments is unleashed as seven angels pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth, one at a time. Pastors and Bible teachers refer to these as "the Bowl Judgments."
In a moment we'll examine all 21 of these judgments of God's wrath.
Scriptural Names or Designations for the Seven-Year Tribulation Period
According to The Footsteps of the Messiah (Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, p.121-122), here are a number of names or descriptive designations for the seven-year Tribulation (or parts of it):
The Time of Jacob's Trouble - Jeremiah 30:7
Jehovah's Strange Work - Isaiah 28:21
Jehovah's Strange Act - Isaiah 28:21
The Day of Israel's Calamity - Deuteronomy 32:35; Obadiah 12-14
The Tribulation - Deuteronomy 4:30
The Indignation - Isaiah 26:20; Daniel 11:36
The Overflowing Scourge - Isaiah 28:15, 18
The Day of Vengeance - Isaiah 34:8; 35:4; 61:2
The Year of Recompense - Isaiah 34:8
The Time of Trouble - Daniel 12:1; Zephaniah 1:15
The Day of Wrath - Zephaniah 1:15
The Day of Distress - Zephaniah 1:15
The Day of Wasteness - Zephaniah 1:15
The Day of Desolation - Zephaniah 1:15
The Day of Darkness - Zephaniah 1:15; Amos 5:18, 20; Joel 2:2
The Day of Gloominess - Zephaniah 1:15; Joel 2:2
The Day of Clouds - Zephaniah 1:15; Joel 2:2
The Day of Thick Darkness - Zephaniah 1:15; Joel 2:2
The Day of the Trumpet - Zephaniah 1:16
The Day of Alarm - Zephaniah 1:16
The Day of the Lord - 1 Thessalonians 5:2
The Wrath of God - Revelation 15:1, 7; 14:10, 19; 16:1
The Hour of Trial - Revelation 3:10
The Great Day of the Wrath of the Lamb of God - Revelation 6:16-17
The Wrath to Come - 1 Thessalonians 1:10
The Wrath - 1 Thessalonians 5:9; Revelation 11:18
The Great Tribulation - Matthew 24:21; Revelation 2:22; 7:14
The Tribulation - Matthew 24:29
The Hour of Judgment - Revelation 14:7
As we saw in
Part Two,
the seven-year Tribulation is a period of time in the future when God will complete His 70 Weeks plan for Israel. His wrath will be poured out during this period, and He will turn the hearts of the Jews to Jesus so that at the end of the Tribulation every surviving Jew will receive salvation (which is described in detail in my article called
The Second Coming).
Is the Church Meant to Suffer God's Wrath?
Notice that before God poured out His wrath on the earth by killing all of the unrighteous people in the Flood, He removed the righteous people (Noah and his family) out of harm's way:
"Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark
of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit high all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks.
I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark - you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you.""
(Genesis 6:11-18)
"The LORD then said to Noah,
"Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.
Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth.
Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made."
And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him. Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. And
Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood.
Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah. And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth. In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month - on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.
On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark.
They had with them every wild animal according to its kind, all livestock according to their kinds, every creature that moves along the ground according to its kind and every bird according to its kind, everything with wings. Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark. The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah.
Then the LORD shut him in. For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth."
(Genesis 7:1-17)
In exactly the same way, before God poured out His wrath on Sodom and Gomorrah by killing all of the unrighteous people there, He removed the righteous people (Lot and his family) out of harm's way:
"With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, "Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished."
When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and
led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!"
But Lot said to them, "No, my lords, please! Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can't flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I'll die. Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it - it is very small, isn't it? Then my life will be spared." He said to him,
"Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it."
(That is why the town was called Zoar.)
By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah - from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities
- and also the vegetation in the land. But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD. He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.
So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived."
(Genesis 19:15-29)
In exactly the same way, before God pours out His wrath on the earth during the seven-year Tribulation period, He will remove the righteous people (all Christians) out of harm's way in the pre-trib Rapture. The above passages show us how God deals with people before pouring out His wrath. He removes the righteous people so that they don't experience
any
of His wrath, and as soon as they're out of the way then
immediately
He sends His wrath. For example, Genesis 7:1-17 (above) says that when Noah and his family entered the ark,
immediately
(on that very day) the Flood began. Similarly, Genesis 19:15-29 (above) says that the angels couldn't do anything to Sodom and Gomorrah until Lot and his family left Sodom, then
immediately
(after they reached a town called Zoar) the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah. Similarly, when the pre-trib Rapture takes place and the Church (the body of Christ) is safely out of the way, then we can expect that
immediately
(in three and a half days, as described in sign #14 in my article called
End-Times Prophecies Are Coming to Pass Right before Our Eyes)
the seven-year Tribulation period will begin. Noah's leaving (by getting into the ark), and Lot's leaving (by fleeing to another town), essentially ushered in the wrath of God against the unrighteous people who were left behind. In the same way, the Church's leaving (by the pre-trib Rapture) will essentially usher in the wrath of God against the unrighteous Jews who are left behind. Remember, the seven-year Tribulation period will be the final 7 years of Daniel's 70 Weeks prophecy concerning the Jews.
If you recall, in
Part One
we saw that the Church consists of
everyone who receives salvation
after the cross up until the Rapture.
We also saw that the Church is the body of Christ. Just as God the Father holds no wrath against Christ, God also holds no wrath against Christ's body. If you are a member of the body of Christ (i.e., the Church) then you'll never experience any wrath from God, and you are not appointed to suffer any wrath:
"Since we have now been justified by his blood,
how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!"
(Romans 5:9)
"for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead - Jesus,
who rescues us from the coming wrath."
(1 Thessalonians 1:9-10)
"For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath
but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:9)
Again, the seven-year Tribulation is the period of time in the future when God will pour out His wrath onto the earth by means of the Seal Judgments, the Trumpet Judgments, and the Bowl Judgments. As we'll see in a moment (and in Part 5), the
entire
seven years of the Tribulation period will be the time of God's wrath. The Church will never experience any wrath from God, so the Church will never go through any part of the Tribulation period. There's only
one
view of the Rapture in which the Church will be removed out of harm's way before God begins pouring out His wrath, and that is the pre-trib view.
The Seal Judgments, Trumpet Judgments, and Bowl Judgments
Now let's take a look at all 21 judgments of God's wrath that will take place during the Tribulation:
THE SEAL JUDGMENTS
-
The First Seal Judgment:
"I watched as the Lamb opened
the first of the seven seals.
Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was
a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest."
(Revelation 6:1-2)
When Jesus comes down out of heaven at the Second Coming, this will happen at the end of the Tribulation after
all
of the 21 judgments are completed. He will be riding a white horse, and He will be wearing many crowns, and He will have a sword (Revelation 19:11-16). In contrast, when Jesus breaks the
first
seal on the scroll (above) we see someone else on a white horse with only a single crown, and carrying a bow. This is a false Christ, whom we refer to as "the Antichrist." In
Part Two
we saw in Daniel's 70 Weeks prophecy that the Antichrist will be revealed at the very
beginning
of the seven-year Tribulation period when he signs a seven-year treaty or contract agreement of some kind with Israel, so it makes sense that in Revelation 6:1-2 (above) we see the Antichrist being revealed with the very first Seal Judgment at the beginning of the Tribulation period.
Notice that Jesus will release the Antichrist onto the world. During Old Testament times, God sometimes used humans to execute His wrath on the rebellious nation of Israel (see for example 2 Chronicles 36:15-17, Ezra 5:12, Jeremiah 32:28-36), and during the Tribulation it will be the Antichrist and his armies who will be used by God in executing His final wrath on unbelieving Israel. Remember, the seven-year Tribulation will be the 70th week of God's 70 Weeks plan for Israel as we saw in
Part Two.
In the first century and continuing to this day, something or someone has been "holding back" or "restraining" the Antichrist from being revealed:
"Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him,
we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us - whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter - asserting that
the day of the Lord
has already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for
that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.
He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?
And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness." (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12)
In Part Five we'll see that "the day of the Lord" refers to the seven-year Tribulation and beyond. The above passage says that the day of the Lord, the Tribulation, won't come until "the man of lawlessness" (the Antichrist as we've seen) is revealed. In Revelation 6:1-2 (above) we see the Antichrist being revealed with the very first Seal Judgment at the beginning of the Tribulation period, but at the moment something or someone is preventing him from being revealed because it's not yet time for the seven-year Tribulation to begin. This something or someone must first be taken out of the way in order for the Antichrist to be revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, above).
Jesus is the One who will reveal the Antichrist with the very first Seal Judgment, and the
only
thing that could possibly hold back or restrain Jesus is God Himself. But how can God be "taken out of the way"? Recall that every member of the Church has the indwelling Holy Spirit, meaning that God lives inside of each and every Christian as we saw in
Part One.
At the pre-trib Rapture, the Church (the body of Christ) will be taken off of the earth. After the Church has been taken out of the way, only non-Christians will be left on the earth and evil will no longer be restrained. Then it will be time for the Antichrist to be revealed, and therefore the Rapture
must
be pre-trib.
-
The Second Seal Judgment:
"When the Lamb opened
the second seal,
I heard the second living creature say, "Come!"
Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword."
(Revelation 6:3-4)
In this judgment of God's wrath we see peace being taken from the earth, which means that there will be unprecedented war and death and destruction during the seven-year Tribulation.
-
The Third Seal Judgment:
"When the Lamb opened
the third seal,
I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was
a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.
Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying,
"A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages,
and do not damage the oil and the wine!"" (Revelation 6:5-6)
Since food prices are so high, this is an indication of famine. In a moment we'll see why this is another judgment of God's wrath.
-
The Fourth Seal Judgment:
"When the Lamb opened
the fourth seal,
I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was
a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth."
(Revelation 6:7-8)
In this judgment of God's wrath, one-fourth of the earth is killed by sword, by famine and plague, and by wild beasts. The first four Seal Judgments (above) are sometimes referred to as "the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" by pastors and Bible teachers.
-
The Fifth Seal Judgment:
"When he opened
the fifth seal,
I saw under the altar
the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.
They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" Then each of them was given a white robe,
and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed."
(Revelation 6:9-11)
In this judgment of God's wrath we see a terrible martyrdom of saints during the first part of the Tribulation
(the word "saint" in the Bible essentially refers to a holy or righteous person, including
all
Christians as in 1 Corinthians 14:33 NKJV and Philippians 1:1 NKJV -
Easton's Bible Dictionary  ).
-
The Sixth Seal Judgment:
"I watched as he opened
the sixth seal.
There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"" (Revelation 6:12-17)
In this judgment of God's wrath we see convulsions in the earth (and possibly in the heavens). The sun turns black and the moon turns blood-red, perhaps due to thick clouds of smoke or perhaps something will happen to the sun and moon. Some people suggest that verses 13 and 14 might be a nuclear exchange as described by a first-century person. This passage is discussed in my article called
End-Times Prophecies Are Coming to Pass Right before Our Eyes
(see sign #18).
-
The Seventh Seal Judgment:
"When he opened
the seventh seal,
there was
silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.
Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth;
and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them."
(Revelation 8:1-6)
In the Greek, each verse in Revelation 8:1-6 (above) and Revelation 8:7-13 (below) begins with the word
kai
("and"). When this Greek word is used at the beginning of a sentence it means:
"As a continuative in respect to time, i.e., connecting clauses and sentences in the order of time. (1) At the beginning of a sentence where anything is narrated as being done immediately or soon after that which the preceding context narrates. Here
kai
is equivalent to the more usual
tote
(G5119), then, after that" (The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old and New Testaments, Dr. Spiros Zodhiates,
kai)
So the events in Revelation 8 will all take place in sequence, including the seven Trumpet Judgments (below).
In verse 1 we see that the seventh and final seal on the scroll is opened, and there's silence in heaven for about half an hour. Bible commentaries tend to describe this silence as being a hush of awe before the next round of judgments.
In verse 2 we see that seven angels are given seven trumpets.
In verses 3-4 we see another angel, and this one has a golden censer and much incense. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, goes up before God.
In verse 5 we see peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake taking place on the earth.
In verse 6 we see the seven angels (who received their trumpets in verse 2) preparing to sound their trumpets. These angels will sound their trumpets one at a time, in sequence (because of the Greek word for "and"), causing the seven Trumpet Judgments (below).
THE TRUMPET JUDGMENTS
-
The First Trumpet Judgment:
"The first angel sounded his trumpet,
and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth.
A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up."
(Revelation 8:7)
In this judgment of God's wrath, one-third of the earth and one-third of the trees and all of the green grass are burned up. This passage is discussed in my article called
End-Times Prophecies Are Coming to Pass Right before Our Eyes
(see sign #18).
-
The Second Trumpet Judgment:
"The second angel sounded his trumpet,
and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea.
A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed."
(Revelation 8:8-9)
In this judgment of God's wrath, one-third of the sea turns to blood, and one-third of the sea creatures are killed, and one-third of the ships are destroyed. The second Bowl Judgment (below) will be more severe because the
entire
sea will turn to blood and
every
sea creature will die. This passage is discussed in my article called
End-Times Prophecies Are Coming to Pass Right before Our Eyes
(see sign #18).
-
The Third Trumpet Judgment:
"The third angel sounded his trumpet,
and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water - the name of the star is Wormwood.
A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter."
(Revelation 8:10-11)
In this judgment of God's wrath, one-third of the waters are poisoned somehow, and many people die from that. The third Bowl Judgment (below) will be more severe because
all
rivers and springs of water will turn to blood. This passage is discussed in my article called
End-Times Prophecies Are Coming to Pass Right before Our Eyes
(see sign #18).
-
The Fourth Trumpet Judgment:
"The fourth angel sounded his trumpet,
and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark.
A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.
As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice:
"Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!""
(Revelation 8:12-13)
In this judgment of God's wrath, somehow one-third of the day and night are without light. This one-third blackout is different from the blackout described in Revelation 6:12 (above). The fifth Bowl Judgment (below) will be more severe because the Antichrist's
entire
kingdom will be plunged into darkness. In verse 13, an eagle calls out a loud warning to the inhabitants of the earth. This passage is discussed in my article called
End-Times Prophecies Are Coming to Pass Right before Our Eyes
(see sign #18).
-
The Fifth Trumpet Judgment:
"The fifth angel sounded his trumpet,
and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace.
The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss.
And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree,
but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
They were not given power to kill them, but only to
torture them for five months.
And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. During those days men will seek death, but will not find it;
they will long to die, but death will elude them."
(Revelation 9:1-6)
In this judgment of God's wrath, "the Abyss" is opened and smoke rises from it to darken the sun and sky. This darkness is different from the blackouts described in Revelation 6:12 (above) and Revelation 8:12 (above) because all of the verses in Revelation 8 and most of the verses in Revelation 9 begin with the Greek word for "and," indicating a sequence of events. Those who do not have God's seal on their foreheads are tortured for five months, and they long to die but death eludes them. This passage is discussed in my article called
End-Times Prophecies Are Coming to Pass Right before Our Eyes
(see sign #18).
-
The Sixth Trumpet Judgment:
"The sixth angel sounded his trumpet,
and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates."
And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.
The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number. The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this:
Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed
by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths." (Revelation 9:13-18)
In this judgment of God's wrath, one-third of the remaining population of the earth is killed from fire, smoke, and sulfur.
-
The Seventh Trumpet Judgment:
"The seventh angel sounded his trumpet,
and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:
"The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever."
And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying:
"We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.
The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great - and for destroying those who destroy the earth."
Then God's temple in heaven was opened,
and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant.
And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm."
(Revelation 11:15-19)
In this passage, God receives praise because Jesus has taken the rightful possession of the kingdom of the world, but notice that this passage doesn't say that Jesus will return to the earth at this point. Similarly, the sixth Bowl Judgment (below) describes Jesus saying, "Behold, I come like a thief," yet He won't actually come back to the earth at that moment because there will still be one more Bowl Judgment to go.
Notice that verses 15 through 19 take place in sequence. Verse 16 sequentially follows the events in verse 15 because of the Greek word for "and" at the beginning of the sentence. Verses 17 and 18 sequentially follow verse 16 because they're the words that the 24 elders said. Verse 19 sequentially follows verse 18 because of the Greek word for "and" at the beginning of the sentence (translated as "then" in the NIV).
In verse 19 we see God's temple in heaven opened up, and the series of Trumpet Judgments ends with thunder and lightning and an earthquake, as well as a great hailstorm. Four chapters later, the apostle John said:
"I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign:
seven angels with the seven last plagues - last, because with them God's wrath is completed.
And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed."
After this I looked and in heaven the temple, that is, the tabernacle of the Testimony, was opened. Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues.
They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests.
Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God,
who lives for ever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed. Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels,
"Go, pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth."...One
of the seven angels who had
the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues
came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."" (Revelation 15:1-16:1, 21:9)
The above passage tells us that seven angels have the seven
last
plagues, and we're told that these last plagues are the seven bowls of God's wrath. These are the Bowl Judgments, which we'll examine below. Revelation 15:1 (above) says that these are "last, because with them God's wrath is completed." Since the seven Bowl Judgment plagues are the
last
judgments, this means that there must be some other judgments of God's wrath that will take place
before
the Bowl Judgments. As we've seen, seven Seal Judgments and seven Trumpet Judgments will take place before the seven Bowl Judgments. In other words, all 21 judgments of God's wrath will take place consecutively, one after the other.
Notice that John saw God's temple in heaven being opened in Revelation 11:19 (above), and he saw the opened temple again in Revelation 15:5 (above). Since there's only one temple in heaven (these verses refer to it as "God's temple" and "the temple"), there are two possible scenarios concerning the opening of the temple:
-
One possible scenario is that in Revelation 15:5 the temple was still opened after having been opened up in Revelation 11:19. If this scenario is correct, then the events in Revelation 15:6-16:1 come
after
Revelation 11:19.
-
The other possible scenario is that the temple was opened in Revelation 11:19, and then it was closed, and then it was opened again in Revelation 15:5. If this scenario is correct, then the events in Revelation 15:6-16:1 come
after
Revelation 11:19.
There's no scriptural evidence or reason for assuming that the events in Revelation 15:6-16:1 will happen
before
the events in Revelation 11:19, so either the temple is opened once as in scenario #1 or it's opened twice as in scenario #2. Notice that no matter which of the above scenarios is correct, the end result is the same. The Bowl Judgments in Revelation 15:6-16:21 (described below) will take place
after
the seventh Trumpet Judgment in Revelation 11:15-19 (above). This is significant because some people wrongly believe that the Rapture will take place at the seventh Trumpet Judgment. In order for their theory to work, they assume that the Seal Judgments, the Trumpet Judgments, and the Bowl Judgments will overlap each other so that they're all completed at or before the seventh Trumpet Judgment. This wrong assumption is discussed briefly below, and more thoroughly in Part Four.
THE BOWL JUDGMENTS
-
The First Bowl Judgment:
"The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image."
(Revelation 16:2)
In this judgment of God's wrath, ugly and painful sores break out on those who take "the mark of the beast" and worship the image of the Antichrist. See
sign #11
and
#12
in my article called
End-Times Prophecies Are Coming to Pass Right before Our Eyes
for more on "the mark of the beast."
-
The Second Bowl Judgment:
"The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died."
(Revelation 16:3)
In this judgment of God's wrath, the sea turns to blood and every sea creature dies.
-
The Third Bowl Judgment:
"The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood."
(Revelation 16:4)
In this judgment of God's wrath, the sources of drinking water turn to blood.
-
The Fourth Bowl Judgment:
"The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire.
They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him." (Revelation 16:8-9)
In this judgment of God's wrath, the heat from the sun is intensified somehow so that it scorches people. Consider that the ozone layer "absorbs almost all of the sun's harmful ultraviolet light"
(education.nationalgeographic.org ),
so perhaps something will happen to the ozone layer that will cause the heat from the sun to scorch people.
Another
possibility for this intensified heat is that a number of "climate tipping points" are currently in danger of being triggered, such as the loss of much of the Amazon rainforest, the thawing of permafrost peatlands in northern Europe and Siberia, and the collapsing of ice sheets around the world. When these tipping points are reached then these systems will collapse and will not be able to bounce back. Huge amounts of carbon dioxide will be released into the atmosphere, dramatically increasing global temperatures (and likely triggering the tipping points in other systems).
For the details on these tipping points, see sign #22 in my article called
End-Times Prophecies Are Coming to Pass Right before Our Eyes.
-
The Fifth Bowl Judgment:
"The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness.
Men gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done." (Revelation 16:10-11)
In this judgment of God's wrath, the Antichrist's kingdom is plunged into darkness. This is a different blackout from the blackouts described in Revelation 6:12 (above), Revelation 8:12 (above), and Revelation 9:2 (above).
-
The Sixth Bowl Judgment:
"The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East.
Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.
"Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed."
Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon."
(Revelation 16:12-16)
In this judgment of God's wrath, the Euphrates river dries up, and demons perform miraculous signs. These demons gather the Antichrist and the armies of the nations to the place called Armageddon in preparation for the so-called "Battle of Armageddon" (see my article called
The Second Coming
for a detailed description of what they will do and what will happen to them immediately after the Second Coming). We see Jesus say "Behold, I come like a thief," but He won't actually return to the earth at this point because there's still one more Bowl Judgment to come. This passage is discussed in my article called
End-Times Prophecies Are Coming to Pass Right before Our Eyes
(see sign #22).
-
The Seventh Bowl Judgment:
"The seventh angel poured out his bowl
into the air, and
out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, "It is done!"
Then there came
flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake.
The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath.
Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found.
From the sky
huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds
each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of
the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible."
(Revelation 16:17-21)
The Bowl Judgments end with a loud voice from the temple saying, "It is done," followed by lightning, thunder, the worst earthquake in human history, and a "plague of hail" consisting of "huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds." Something happens to every island and mountain, which a couple of Bible commentaries suggest might be referring to human powers being brought down so that Jesus alone is exalted. However, this interpretation sounds strained and implausible because many of the 21 judgments of God's wrath describe convulsions and upheavals in the earth and possibly in the heavens, so there's no clear reason for taking "Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found" as being symbolic.
Now that we've looked at all 21 judgments of God's wrath that will take place during the seven-year Tribulation period, let's consider the implications for the various views of the Rapture.
Implications for the Mid-Trib Views
The mid-trib views of the Rapture are based on people's honest and sincere opinions about the timing of when God's wrath will
start
to be poured out onto the earth during the Tribulation because we've seen that the Church was not appointed to suffer God's wrath. For example, some people believe that God will start pouring out His wrath at the sixth Seal Judgment in Revelation 6:16-17 (we'll examine this view in Part Five), so they believe that the Rapture will take place before the sixth Seal Judgment. Other people say that God will start pouring out His wrath at some other point(s) during the Tribulation, but what these mid-trib views all have in common is the belief that the Church (the body of Christ) will go through part of the seven-year Tribulation period before being raptured.
However, we've seen that God's wrath will start being poured out with the very
first
Seal Judgment at the beginning of the Tribulation, and in Part Five we'll see further evidence that the
entire
seven-year Tribulation period will be the time of God's wrath. Therefore, all of the mid-trib views are wrong. The pre-trib view is the
only
view of the Rapture that has the Church being raptured before God's wrath starts to be poured out at the beginning of the Tribulation, which fits
all
of the scriptural facts.
Implications for the Post-Trib View
According to the post-trib view, Jesus will descend from heaven down toward the earth at the Second Coming, and when He reaches the clouds then we'll be raptured up to meet Him and accompany Him down to the earth.
One argument that people make in favor of the post-trib view is that Paul said that the Rapture will take place "at the last trumpet" (1 Corinthians 15:51-52), which they believe is the seventh Trumpet Judgment (above). But when they use this argument, it creates an interesting dilemma for them. When we examined the seven Seal Judgments and the seven Trumpet Judgments and the seven Bowl Judgments, we saw that those 21 judgments will take place in sequence, one at a time. This means that all seven of the Bowl Judgments will take place
after
the seventh Trumpet Judgment. Therefore, the Second Coming won't happen at the seventh Trumpet Judgment because at that point only 14 judgments will have taken place. As we saw, the Second Coming will happen after
all
21 judgments have been completed in sequence.
Here's how they resolve this dilemma. Since they need the Second Coming to happen at the seventh Trumpet Judgment (due to their interpretation of 1 Corinthians 15:51-52), they have no choice but to place the Bowl Judgments in such a way that God's wrath will be completed at the seventh Trumpet Judgment. They do this by saying that the Seal Judgments, the Trumpet Judgments, and the Bowl Judgments will "overlap" each other so that they're all completed at or before the seventh Trumpet Judgment. This "overlapping" idea doesn't come from the scriptural descriptions of these judgments (above), but instead this idea is their attempt to reconcile the seven Trumpet Judgments in Revelation with Paul's statement that the Rapture will happen "at the last trumpet" (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).
However, in Part Four we'll see that 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 does not refer to the seventh Trumpet Judgment. Therefore, this argument for the post-trib view is in error.
Again, the pre-trib view is the
only
view of the Rapture that has the Church being raptured before God's wrath starts to be poured out at the beginning of the Tribulation, which fits
all
of the scriptural facts.
Conclusion
Since Jesus was born as a human, He was able to be our kinsman-redeemer to buy back what the human race had lost. Because of His blood that He shed on the cross, He's the rightful owner of the earth and its people. When He begins breaking the seven seals on the scroll deed of purchase, this will unleash judgments of God's wrath on the kingdom of the foreign invader (the devil) who is occupying the earth. When the final seal is broken, then seven angels will be given trumpets for a new round of judgments to take place. When the seventh trumpet is sounded, then seven angels will be given bowls that contain "the seven last plagues," and these last judgments will complete God's wrath.
When we looked at the Seal Judgments, the Trumpet Judgments, and the Bowl Judgments, we saw that God's wrath will start to be poured out onto the earth with the very first judgment at the beginning of the Tribulation period. Therefore, God is not pouring out His wrath during the Church Age (e.g., through hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.). Since the Church (the body of Christ) was not appointed for God's wrath, and since the entire seven years of the Tribulation will be the time of God's wrath, this means that the Church will not go through any part of the Tribulation period.
We also saw that Jesus is the One who will reveal the Antichrist with the very first Seal Judgment, but at the moment something or someone is preventing him from being revealed because it's not yet time for the seven-year Tribulation to begin. This something or someone must first be taken out of the way in order for the Antichrist to be revealed. Recall that every member of the Church has the indwelling Holy Spirit, meaning that God lives inside of each and every Christian. At the pre-trib Rapture, the Church will be taken off of the earth. After the Church has been taken out of the way, only non-Christians will be left on the earth and evil will no longer be restrained. Then it will be time for the Antichrist to be revealed, and therefore the Rapture
must
be pre-trib.
The pre-trib view is the
only
view of the Rapture that has the Church being raptured before God starts to pour out His wrath at the beginning of the Tribulation. Multitudes of people will receive salvation during the seven-year Tribulation period, but they will not be members of the Church because the Church will be removed from the earth before the Tribulation period begins. Later we'll see what the Church (the body of Christ) will be doing in heaven while the Tribulation is raging on earth.
Back to
Part Two.
Continue on to
Part Four.
For the glory of the Lord Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, who came in the flesh, was delivered over to death for our sins, and was raised to life for our justification.
Dave Root
home page and email: https://www.vividchristianity.com
"Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and
no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit."
(1 Corinthians 12:3)
"Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ.
Such a person is the antichrist - denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father;
whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also."
(1 John 2:22-23)
"If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God."
(1 John 4:15)
"Dear friends,
do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God,
because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world." (1 John 4:1-3)
"And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. I say this because
many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world.
Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist." (2 John 1:6-7)
"He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification."
(Romans 4:25)
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