Beyond Prewrath: End-Time Prophecy

The pretribulation view of end-times prophecy states that a silent rapture will occur before the seventieth week of Daniel, which is believed to start the wrath of God. This commonly held perspective is reflected in the popular books and videos from Tim LaHaye's Left Behind series and in the Scofield Reference Bible.

The prewrath view claims that believers will not be raptured until after Satan's great tribulation. This book presents a new prewrath position where the rapture occurs in Revelation 8:5 with a great eschatological theophany of "peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake" and the same day is the wrath of God in Revelation 8:6-7ff. These three back-to-back verses seem to form a strong rapture position. As a consequence of the rapture the multitude in heaven will arrive with Revelation 7:9-17. Supporting this position are four Scriptural reasons that not all Scripture is chronological among many other supporting reasons. Two other theophany's in Revelation 11:19 and 16:18 with similar eschatological implications will be discussed.

The rapture of the church will be presented as possibly occurring on either the seventh or eighth day of the seventh open seal. This is based on Jesus' analogy to Noah as recorded in Luke 17:26-27, Genesis 7:4, and Revelation 8:1-5. This position is in agreement with Scripture that no one will know the day (Matthew 24:36) since it is over a two day window (seventh or eight day). A narrow range of durations of the sixth open seal will be determined based in large part on the holy one asking the question in Daniel 8:13 and the other holy one answering the question in Daniel 8:14. This then forms an equation of equality which can be solved. Parallels among Daniel, Matthew 24 and Revelation 6 will provide believers advance notice to the start of the seventieth week of Daniel. There will be shown to be several separate eschatological days of the Lord and days of Christ.

The relationship with the man of lawlessness, Antichrist, the beast, son of destruction, little horn, Satan, and other names will be made. There will be shown to be two types of beasts. One beast rises from of the sea (Revelation 13:1-10) will be proposed to be the ten kings (Revelation 17) and the second beast rising out of the sea (Revelation 13:11-18) to be the Antichrist. The Antichrist being a man (the man of lawlessness) who is empowered (by Satan) on Day 1. Three eschatological campaigns of Jesus will be discussed: Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat, and Armageddon. The eighth head (revived fourth kingdom) is proposed to be a multi-kingdom. The sixth head is proposed to be both Roman and Jewish. The 70 AD Jerusalem attack appears to have eschatological implications.

One prevalent misconception is that Acts 2:17-21 is associated with the sixth opened seal, though nowhere is blood and fire mentioned in Revelation 6:12-17. Darkness, blood, and fire will be Scripturally shown to only be found in the Jehoshaphat campaign which is part of the sixth blown trumpet. A new simplified nomenclature is proposed where the middle of the seventieth week is Day 1, which would align with the counting of Daniel 12:12. It will be proposed that there are many events occurring on Day 1 in Israel with the epicenter of the conflict is Jerusalem.

The first eschatological day of the Lord will be proposed to probably occur on Day 1. This day of the Lord is associated with 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2. Many think the first eschatological day of the Lord will not occur until the day of the rapture and God's wrath. This new understanding seems to move the chronology of the fourth opened seal (tribulation of Revelation 6:9) to the first half of the seventieth week of Daniel. Other supporting reasons will be provided.