The Post Tribulation - Pre Wrath Rapture
Bill Weather
What many of the pre-tribbers do, is lump the tribulation and the wrath into one and the same time period and fail to discern the separation of the two. As the scriptures declare, we are not appointed unto wrath, but we must not ignore what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 24, that he is coming after the tribulation of those days (Matt 24:29)... to gather his elect.
I have heard pre-tribbers say this "elect" means the 144,000, but they fail to provide any solid bible reference that defines that. With a google research of terms in bold below, anyone can see, the pre-tribulation rapture doctrine was conjured up in the 1830's by John Nelson Darby and then wide spread through Cyrus Scofield with his Scofield Reference Bible.
The new end time 7 year tribulation doctrine was also coupled with this. Many prophecy teachers are making the mistake of using Daniel 9:27 for a 7 year tribulation, but as proven earlier (pg 69), Daniel 9 has nothing to do with an Antichrist or "end time tribulation," but we do have some evidence to believe in a 3.5 year end time tribulation from Revelation chapters 11, 12 & 13. However, I caution the reader to not take too hard a view on that. In some parts of the world, tribulation may start sooner than the official biblical start of it. There is no biblical scripture that tells us of an event that kicks off an official start of a 3.5 year or 7 year end time tribulation, for the entire world. Some parts of the world will have a longer tribulation while other parts may experience less than 3.5 years of tribulation.
Another point I want to make is to define "tribulation", because we may be making the mistake of not separating "thee tribulation" from "a tribulation." What if when ww3 comes, it's not the official start of "thee tribulation", but just "a tribulation" for the US. What if the official tribulation starts with some other event. That would then mean WW3 would be "a tribulation" and not "thee tribulation." I find no scripture that states an official time "thee tribulation" starts. If this is the case, then American Christians looking for a pre-tribulation rapture would be wrong. It would then be better to err on the side of a post tribulation, pre wrath rapture, whether that be "a tribulation" or "thee tribulation." It is better to prepare for the worst than to expect the best. This way, people's faith will not be shaken when "a tribulation hits", but is not "thee tribulation."
So a possible end time scenario that no one has thought of yet, is we could see "a tribulation" start with ww3 for the US, then the official start of "thee tribulation" (which is really "the wrath") with the resurrection immediately after the tribulation of those days, as Jesus sited in Matt 24
My prejudice of a post tribulation, pre wrath rapture is backed by some strong scriptural foundation. Scripture declares there are 7 trumpets to sound (Rev 8:2) and the Lord to resurrect his saints at the last trump (I Cor 15:52), not before the 5th trump in Rev 9, which says 1/3 of a part of the earth is destroyed, so how the pre tribbers can not see that alot of tribulation occurs before the last trump is a mystery.
Scripture also declares that we will be seeing the mark of the beast, which is a part of the tribulation, before the resurrection (Rev 16:15, 20:4). We read in Rev 14:9,10 of the mark of the beast, then later in Rev 14:14-16, of Jesus coming to resurrect his saints after this. The pre-tribbers would have to reverse the order of these verses in Revelation 14 to make their indoctrination fit.
If you were a coach of a football team, would you take your best players out in the 4th quarter with the score tied? If you were a fireman, trying to save some people trapped in a burning house, would you turn off the hose when you were just about to be able to save them? My point being, God wouldn't remove his church during the tribulation when it is the tribulation that is going to bring many people to repentance more than at any other time and he is going to need us here to be a support of faith, encouragement and discipleship to those coming to Jesus. Think! How wise would it be to remove your shepherds in the midst of a massive harvest?
The pre tribbers combat this by saying the 144,000 of Rev 14 will be sent throughout the earth to bring in the harvest, but there is no scriptural reference of the 144k doing that. So where does that leave us? It leaves us with the more solid biblical references of a last trump, after the tribulation, pre wrath resurrection (Matt 24:29). The pre tribbers also have trouble explaining where the Rev 6, 5th seal martyrs come from, since the 144k are not even mentioned until after the 6th seal in Rev 7.
There is a confusion in the pre trib camp of there possibly being 3 resurrections, the pre trib rapture, the post trib rapture for those rejecting the mark of the beast but die in faith and then the 3rd rapture for after the 1000 year reign of Christ. However, scripture teaches that there will only be 2 resurrections.
Revelation 20:5 says
v5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the 1000 years were finished. This is the first resurrection
v6 Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection, on such, the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him 1000 years.
The devastating blow to the 3 resurrection hypothesis is in verse 5, where it says the rest of the dead lived not again until the 1000 years were finished. So then, all those who came to faith during the tribulation and gave up their lives for Jesus would remain dead for 1000 years, until the 2nd resurrection, if it's a pre trib rap? Or are they raised in another resurrection, some type of 3rd resurrection? To keep tribulation saints, who gave their lives for Jesus, dead for a 1000 years, seems illogical to me, but I guess some things need to be stretched for the pre trib hypothesis to work. And keeping them dead, wouldn't that make the blood of Jesus of no effect?
Another witness is the account of the prophet Jonah Ben Noah in his amazing wonder of prophecy given by the Lord. Therein, he describes much tribulation of saints dying by fire and torment, but God giving supernatural power to rise above it all at that time, so who are you going to believe? The words of the prophet who freely gives the word of God away or some tele-evangelist who charges money for it all and has zero miracles, signs & wonders backing his end time eschatology? We have a witness of over 40 others of these terrible events to come, given direct from Heaven thru signs and wonders and not one of them couples it with a pre tribulation rapture but rather, warns us to endure unto the end. So who will you believe, big time tele-evangelists with lots of money and bi tv productions, or will you believe what Heaven is declaring?
Details differ some between all of the views, but ignoring the minors, we must realize, that it is only the pre-tribbers who pose a serious danger to this topic and at the most vulnerable time coming to us all, WW3! When the rapture does not happen when so many Christians are expecting it, some will loose faith and or be shaken by the pain of what's to come. It will mess with the faith of the weak!