Prewrath Rapture Dot Com

Contend for the Faith that Was Once for All Delivered to the Saints

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:15:41 -0500

Roger Best exhorts us from the book of Jude to live holy in these godless days. This is a session from the 2009 2nd Annual Prewrath Conference in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

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The Thought of an Asteroid Hitting the Earth Reveals Human Fear of Finiteness

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:13:41 -0500

Recently in the news, there was trepidation about an asteroid that just missed the earth by a few thousand miles. The scientists talked about the vast devastation that would occur if just a single one hit depending on its size. It revealed how the ungodly react to their finiteness and puniness. Their only concern is self-preservation---not having peace in their Creator no matter what happens. Imagine when this will actually happen at the sixth seal. It will not be a single occurrence:

"and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale." (Rev 6:13).

The ungodly's self-preservation will not be to find refuge in their Creator, but to flee from Him to the caves:

"Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, (16) calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb," (Rev 6:15-16).

The Rapture in Matthew 24:31

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:42:08 -0500

Here are my slide presentation notes in pdf format on the rapture in Matthew 24:31. I very much enjoyed the fellowship at the conference.

Pretribulationists believe that "gather his elect" is a reference to the regathering of Israel at the end of the 70th week of Daniel. Preterists, on the other hand, interpret it as the Christian mission beginning in AD 70 to gather in God's people to the Kingdom through evangelization. I showed, instead, that the Prewrath position is the most natural and consistent reading, demonstrating that this is indeed the rapture.

Prewrath Conference this Saturday!

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:18:47 -0500

I am looking forward to meeting all of you who will be attending the conference in a few days. We will have wonderful prewrath fellowship. If you are staying until Sunday, you are welcome to visit for Church at Conquering King Fellowship, where Ryan Habbena pastors. I will be giving a talk on responding to common prewrath objections from 9:00 am - 10:00.

What Will be the Sign to Christ's Second Coming?

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:21:51 -0500

"As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age? (27) For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (28) Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. (29) "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. (30) Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (31) And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." (Matt 24:3, 27-31)

I have read scores of commentaries on Matthew 24, and I am always baffled that there are so many different interpretations of this question (preterists have the most strained readings). The most natural reading is that the sign is the lightning, which represents Christ's Shekinah glory --- his divine presence-glory.

"Parousia" (Coming) means presence. Ezekiel sadly witnessed the inverse of the sign of God's presence departing from the Temple.

"And the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD. Then the glory of the LORD went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim. And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city." (Ezek 10:4, 18; 11:23)

Prewrath Conference Next Week!

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:39:21 -0500

November will soon be here, which means the Prewrath conference is upon us -- November 7. Click here for information concerning the conference.
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Schedule

Session 1: Learn
Understanding and Applying the Parable of the Fig Tree (Matthew 24:32) - Ryan Habbena

Session 2: A Compelling Connection
Understanding the Significant Relationship Between the Olivet Discourse and the Thessalonian Epistles - Alan Kurschner

Session 3: The Two Signs
Understanding the Sign of the Antichrist's Coming (Parousia) and the Sign of the Lord's Coming (Parousia)
- Charles Cooper

Session 4: Watch and Pray
Hearing our Lord's Instructions for Preparation and Faithfulness in the Last Days - Ryan Habbena

Session 5: Hall of Faith Lessons
Learning Faith and Perseverance from the "Cloud of Witnesses" - Charles Cooper

Session 6: Stand
Heeding the Lord's Call to put on the "Full Armor" for the "Evil Day" - Ryan Habbena

Session 7: Questions and Answers
Ryan Habbena, Alan Kurschner and Charles Cooper

Absolute Abandonment to God

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:41:01 -0500

Zephaniah is noted for having one of the most graphic portrayals of the Day of the Lord in the Bible found in chapter one. But we must not stop there for then he gives a call for anguished confession of sin and humble devotion to God so that we may escape the horrible Day of the Lord coming on this world:

"before God's decree becomes reality and the day of opportunity disappears like windblown chaff, before the LORD's raging anger overtakes you- before the day of the LORD's angry judgment overtakes you! Seek the LORD's favor, all you humble people of the land who have obeyed his commands! Strive to do what is right! Strive to be humble! Maybe you will be protected on the day of the LORD's angry judgment." (Zeph 2:2-3).

Fuzzy Chronology

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:31:39 -0500

Pretribulational John F. Walvoord writes:

"'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 terrible day of the Lord come.' What is meant here is not that the day of the Lord will begin after these wonders in heaven, but that it will come to its climax when the judgment is actually executed" (emphasis mine). Posttribulationism Today, Part IX: The Rapture and the Day of the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 5," p. 7

Apparently for Walvoord, "before" means "after." And 2 + 2 = 5

The reason why Walvoord interprets it this way is because his pretribulational system requires this. That is, in Walvoord's mind, the Day of the Lord must start at the beginning of the 7 year period, so having the Day of the Lord occur after the cosmic disturbances would place the Day of the Lord for him much further into the 7 year period; hence, his blind spot when he comes to the explicit text of Joel 2:30-31.

Incidentally, it is interesting as a spectator watching the pretribulational vs. postribulational debate between Walvoord and Gundry in the 70's and 80's. Since pretribs place the starting point of the Day of the Lord at the beginning of the 7 year period, and (most) post-tribs place it at the end, both are two extreme errors. Prewrath solves this whole dilemma by recognizing that Scripture teaches that the Great Tribulation is cut short, which naturally allows for the Day of the Lord to unfold for the remaining part of the 7 year period. And it is the only view that can provide a non-strained reading of the cosmic disturbances.

So problematic is Joel 2:30-31 for pretribulationists, one professor has basically written an entire dissertation attempting to refute the prewrath interpretation of this passage! (Dr. Alan Cole, "A Critique of Prewrath Rapturism's Terminus A Quo of the Day of the Lord" (Th.D. diss., Central Baptist Theological Seminary, 2004). By the way, I provide a response to his thesis in my forthcoming book.

Archeologists Find 'Joseph-era' Coins in Egypt

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:58:14 -0500

"Archeologists have discovered ancient Egyptian coins bearing the name and image of the biblical Joseph, Cairo's Al Ahram newspaper recently reported. Excerpts provided by MEMRI show that the coins were discovered among a multitude of unsorted artifacts stored at the Museum of Egypt. Read more here..."

A Response to J. Dwight Pentecost on the Day of the Lord

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:59:20 -0500

Pretribulational teacher J. Dwight Pentecost asserts,

If the Day of the Lord did not begin until the second advent, since [the second advent] is preceded by signs, the Day of the Lord could not come as a "thief in the night," unexpected, and unheralded, as it is said it will come in 1 Thessalonians 5:2. The only way this day could break unexpectedly upon the world is to have it begin immediately after the rapture of the church (Things to Come, p. 230).

According to Pentecost the Day of the Lord is not preceded by any signs. How can such a noted prophecy teacher in his day get it so wrong? The Scriptural evidence refutes such an assertion:

"The sunlight will be turned to darkness and the moon to the color of blood, before the day of the LORD comes- that great and terrible day!" (Joel 2:31)

"Look, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the LORD arrives." (Mal 4:5)

"Now regarding the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to be with him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, (2) not to be easily shaken from your composure or disturbed by any kind of spirit or message or letter allegedly from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here. (3) Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not arrive until the rebellion comes and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction." (2 Thess 2:1-3)

Yes, the Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, but not for believers. Perhaps, Pentecost should have read a little further:

"But you, brothers and sisters, are not in the darkness for the day to overtake you like a thief would." (1 Thess 5:4)

Tsunamis as a Sign to the Day of the Lord? Yes!

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 23:53:48 -0500

The sixth seal informs us that there will be this "huge earthquake" accompanied by a cluster of celestial signs:

"Then I looked when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and a huge earthquake took place; the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the full moon became blood red;" - Rev 6:11-12

And I don't believe this will be some regional earthquake; instead, it will be global (pole shift possibly?), since "every mountain" will be moved from its place.

Given the magnitude of this earthquake, it makes perfect sense why the Bible suggests tsunami language in two passages on the sign of the Day of the Lord:

"And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth nations will be in distress, anxious over the roaring of the sea and the surging waves" - Luke 21:25.

Interestingly, the Greek term for "surging waves" (salos) can mean "earthquake." Also, the text indicates that the nations on the earth are not so much distressed and anxious over the celestial signs as they are with the roaring of the sea and surging waves.

The other text is Rev 6:14b:

"and [every] island was moved from its place." Mere ten foot waves do not accomplish this.

No wonder Scripture prophecies that "people will be fainting from fear and from the expectation of what is coming on the world."

This is a sober truth. Do not fall into the Amos syndrome, in which his audience was deceptively self-assured that they were right with God and that the Day of the Lord was for those "other people."

"Woe to those who wish for the day of the LORD! Why do you want the LORD's day of judgment to come? - Amos 5:18

Today is the day for self-examination.

Corrie's Clues — Thoughts on Tribulation from a European Perspective

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:20:51 -0500

Netherlands' Pastor Ton Verdam gives a moving message on stories and theology by Corrie ten Boom (The Hiding Place) and Brother Andrew (God's Smuggler). This is a session from the 2009 2nd Annual Prewrath Conference in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

I encourage everyone to listen to this entire message—it is highly instructive and edifying for the coming trials for all of us.

Here is a PowerPoint Presentation that accompanies the message.

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"Someone's Eschatology Does Not Affect Their Soul" — Or So They Say...

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:31:49 -0500

And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name." (Rev 14:9-11).

Question: who will be more prepared for this test? the person who is taught that this test will be applied to the Church and thus must have faith to endure; or, the person who is taught that the Church will be swept away in bed's of ease before the Antichrist uses the mark as a test of loyalty?

November 7 - Prewrath Conference!

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:26:37 -0500

The one day Prewrath conference in Minnesota is just over a month away!

For information, click here.

A Prewrath Pastor's Story

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:52:42 -0500

I am typical with regard to end time beliefs. I began as a pre-tribber simply because the literature for that position was widely published and available when I was learning about end time scenarios. Under the influence of the writings of Lindsey, Walvoord, Chafer, LaHaye, Heibert, Weust, Jensen, et al, I accepted the standard line for Christ's return as pre-trib. It was the easy position to believe since the supposed outcome is rapture prior to the 7-year tribulation period. However, when studying the pre-trib position, I was never satisfied with the order of or explanation of events in light of the plain teaching of Scripture.

In 1983 I was called into full-time ministry. After completing undergraduate work at Columbia Bible College, I entered my first ministry in 1986 as a dedicated pre-tribber. I committed to expository preaching at the inception of my ministry. In the process of my teaching and preaching I was isolated with the Bible and all my pre-trib commentaries. In 1989 the crisis moment came. While exegeting 2 Thess 2:1-4, I realized the Bible described two conditions that had to exist before the return of Christ. Further, I realized those two conditions made pre-trib rapturism untenable. None of the pre-trib commentators dealt honestly with what I plainly saw in the Bible. The crisis was this: God seemed to ask me, "Which one is correct? The Bible or the commentators?" From that day I was looking for a better explanation for the return of Christ and attendant events.

While I was going through my dilemma, I was a subscriber to the pre-trib ministry and magazine "Israel, My Glory." At the time the ministry was under the leadership of Marv Rosenthal. I am sure most pre-wrathers know his story. Since I was on his mailing list, I received an invitation for a copy of his new book, The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church. I received the book on June 30, 1990 and read it immediately. Upon completion of his book, I remarked to my wife that someone had finally put together a sensible Scriptural scenario about Christ's Second Coming. Since that reading I deserted the pre-trib position due to the plain truth of the pre-wrath position. What the pre-trib position could not explain became abundantly clear through the pre-wrath interpretation.. In 1992 I also read Robert Van Kampen's book, "The Sign." The study of his book served to solidify my place as a pre-wrath adherent.

As a pastor I advised my congregation of my new position about the timing of the rapture. They heard me openly, and although the church was historically pre-trib, they allowed me to remain and teach the new position without controversy. Since the inception of the pre-wrath position, I have held to this approach concerning the return of Christ. It is the only position which takes into account all portions of Scripture without having to resort to what I call "theological tap dancing." Pre-wrath is an honest appeal to Scripture for understanding of the plain sense of the Bible with regard to end time events.

In His Service,

John Hall
Pastor
CROSS Roads Church