In Dave Hunt’s The Berean Call, in the Q&A section of this past month’s newsletter titled, “Artificial Milk,
Michael Newnham at his Phoenix Preacher Study Hall has posted several brief articles on the Seven Churches of Revelation. I find them exegetically instructive and devotional.
Steve McReynolds
When asked which signs would indicate His return, Jesus said,
15″So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel�let the reader understand� 16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now�and never to be equaled again. 22If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. (Matt. 24:15-22, NIV).
Matthew emphasizes the Lord�s return in the context of an unexampled time of �great distress,� which is initiated by ��the abomination that causes desolation.� This is almost universally understood as an attempt by someone to demand worship of himself rather than of God in the temple.
Immediately after the great distress Jesus will return, but no one can know exactly when:
29″Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 30”At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other�36″No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Matt. 24:29-31, 36, NIV).
Please refer to the figure below for clarification:
The Problem of a 3-1/2 Year-Long Great Distress
An apparent contradiction arises, however, which all views attempt to reconcile: On the one hand, Jesus said His return will be immediately at the end of the great distress. Some have concluded that the distress lasts precisely 3-1/2 years. Some texts appear to say it lasts for 42 months, or 1,260 days, which equates to 3-1/2 years in prophetic years (Rev. 11:2-3; 12:6). However, Jesus also said His return would be at a time at which �no one knows the day or hour,� thus, it cannot be 3-1/2 years from the abomination that causes desolation, or one could tell the exact day and hour. Thus, the problem:
a. Jesus� return is after the great distress, which is apparently 3-1/2 years.
b. Jesus� return is after the great distress, at an unknown time.
So, which is it? The solution may lie in a peculiar phrase used in Daniel and Revelation. Although some texts seem to assign the equivalent of 3-1/2 years in either days or months, other texts seem to state that the time of great tribulation will last for �a time, times, and a half a time� (Dan. 7:25; 12:7; Rev. 12:14). Confident that point �a� above must be true�that the great distress lasts for 3-1/2 years�many conclude that �a time, times, and a half a time� is precisely 3-1/2 years. However, this assumption is problematic for several reasons.
First, it ignores the Lord�s explicit statement that �If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.� Second, �it ignores �b� above, whereby Jesus� return must be at an unknown hour, and yet immediately follow the great distress. Third, the Greek word kairos used in Revelation 12:14 does not mean any specific length of time, per se.
So, how are points �a� and �b� reconciled?
A Possible Solution�The Pre-Wrath Rapture Model
Others (John Calvin, John Goldingay, Theodor F.D. Kliefoth, Carl F. Keil, et. al.)(1) have proposed that �a time, times, and a half a time� does not represent 3-1/2 years. Rather, it indicates a period that would seem to go on without end, and then will suddenly be ended�a perfect paraphrase of how Jesus described His return in Matthew 24, by the way. It is as if 3-1/2 years was granted to Satan during the great distress, but then God decides to cut it shorter than 3-1/2 years after all. Incidentally, Jesus said of that time:
�For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now�and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened� (Matt. 24:21-22).
So, the solution appears to be that, what was originally intended to last 3-1/2 years is shortened to a lesser amount. How short? Only God knows�Jesus� exact point:
“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father� (Matt. 24:36, NIV).
As for the length of the great distress in The Book of Daniel, Daniel himself was also told that he could not know its length,
5 �Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. 6 One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?” 7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.” 8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?” 9 He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end� (Dan. 12:5-9, NIV).
The reader should not be discouraged that the length of the great distress cannot be known; Jesus did not know how long it was, and Daniel was not able to discover its length, either. Rather, we should be encouraged, because the fact that we cannot know the length further ensures that Scripture lines up with other Scripture. You cannot know how long it will last, so that you cannot know when Jesus will return. Problem solved.
(1) For instance, see John Goldingay, f.n. 1; John Calvin, Commentaries on the Book of Daniel, trans. By Thomas Myers (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1948), 68; Carl F. Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Daniel (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1949), 244; and Theodor F.D. Kleifoth, Das Buch Daniels (Schwerin: A.W. Sandmeyer, 1868), s.v. �Daniel 7:7,� cited in Keil, 244.
By Alan Kurschner
First, an Outline of the Prewrath Rapture
In this article I would like to make a case for the Prewrath Rapture and trust that you, the reader, will consider it thoughtfully and Biblically. I will be making my case by examining what are called the “Cosmic Disturbance” passages, which will be explained below. It is my contention that tracing this pivotal eschatological theme, the student of prophecy should grasp coherence and consistency of the key “end-time” Scriptural texts, as well as the events surrounding the immediate framework of our Lord’s Coming.
But in this first part, I want to say something about the Prewrath Rapture as a whole. The reason why this position is called “prewrath” is to stress the truth that believers are promised deliverance from the eschatological Day of the Lord’s wrath (1Thess 5, 1Thess1:10). But this is not the point of contention. This blessed promise is agreed by all viewpoints.
How is the Prewrath position distinctive vis-à-vis the traditional premillennial views such as pre-trib, mid-trib, and post-trib?
First, it begins with the fundamental truth that the “Great Tribulation” is initiated at the midpoint of the 7 year period, or what is commonly called the “70th week of Daniel” (Dan. 9:27, Matt. 24:15, 21-22). The Great Tribulation is in no way to be viewed as “God’s wrath,” but rather “Antichrist’s” wrath. The object of persecution during this time of great distress are believers—not unbelievers (Matt. 24:22).
In addition Jesus informs us that the Great Tribulation is “cut short” with his Coming. The “70th week of Daniel” is not cut short, but rather the persecution is cut short. When will this “cutting short” occur? We don’t know. Jesus says that no one knows the day or hour; but Jesus does place it after the midpoint after an unknown duration of time.
So to understand the distinctive position of the Prewrath rapture, it is important to distinguish two events:
1) The “Great Tribulation” which begins at the midpoint (the object of wrath are believers, the persecutor is an “Antichrist” figure); and after an unknown duration of time those days will be ‘cut short” with his Coming (Parousia).
2) The “Day of the Lord’s wrath” which will commence when Christ returns (the object of wrath will be the ungodly). After the Great Tribluation is cut short, the Day of the Lord’s wrath will be poured out for what remains left of the 70th week of Daniel.
One other point should be noted. Most would agree that on the same day when the Lord comes back and raptures the church and resurrects the dead, he immediately begins to pour out his Day of the Lord’s wrath. Just so that we do not make any unwarranted assumptions the following texts demonstrate this truth in which deliverance/judgment occur back-to-back on the same day (Luke 17:22-35, 2 Thess. 1:6-10, 2 Peter 3:12)
To recap, the Prewrath rapture view teaches that at the midpoint of the “70th week of Daniel” the “abomination of desolation” will initiate the Antichrist’s Great Tribulation (this is not God’s wrath; rather the object of persecution during this time will be the church, not the ungodly). Then according to Jesus, at some unknown duration or time (no one knows the day or hour) the Great Tribulation will be cut short (not the 70th week cut short, rather the Great Tribulation is cut short) with the Coming of Christ to deliver the righteous (rapture) and resurrection, then the subsequent Day of the Lord’s wrath against the ungodly will follow for what remains left of the 7 year period. (Click here for a comparison chart)
That is the contour of the Prewrath Rapture. Let us now consider if the Biblical evidence provides us with a strong, viable, defense for this perspective.
The Day of the Lord’s wrath
In most studies on end times and the rapture question, the default or the presupposition is to simply assume a timing of the rapture and then attempt to fit all the events (no matter how awkward) around that presupposed timing.
This is not fair to Jesus’ teaching, and it does not allow a natural reading of the flow of the events–further, it is indicative of someone protecting a traditional view without an openness to challenge one’s own viewpoint.
I will argue that the real question to ask is not the timing of the rapture, but the timing of the “Day of the Lord.” As will be demonstrated below, once the timing of the Day of the Lord is established, the rapture question is naturally answered.
by Alan Kurschner
Hollywood is at it again…feeding off the fears and ignorance of many Christians–mostly nominal Christians who would have a lack of discernment to see such a movie that glorifies the dark world.
“The Omen,” which is a remake of the 1976 horror classic, will be coming out on…you guessed it… 6/6/06. And so they are hoping that it will be profitable to have a promotional campaign with the association of the number “666,” the number identified as the Mark of the Beast.
“The Omen” is the story of an adopted infant son, Damien, in which the father learns that the son has a 666 birthmark on his skull, and who is a reincarnation of Satan. Consequently, death surrounds the boy. The prophecy and the signs in the story point to the near future of the end of the world with Armageddon.
What should concern the Christian is not what Hollywood has to say about Biblical themes, but what Scripture actually teaches. Our key text, Revelation 13:14-18 reads,
14 Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17 so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.
The context of this text is the Great Tribulation (Satan’s wrath, not God’s wrath). We know this to be the case because after the “abomination of desolation” the beast (a.k.a. Antchirst) is given 3.5 years of authority (Rev. 13:5), which during much of that time, his energies will be spent going after the object of his persecution: believers.
In this text, we learn that the instrument by which the beast will use is twofold: There will be an image in the likeness of the beast that will have religious significance. It is to be worshiped. Those who refuse to give it loyalty and acknowledge its meaning will be killed.
This image will not be an inanimate object, but will be given “breath…so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.” One could speculate about what the nature of this image involves. The text does not give us information of how all of this will unfold, possibly demonic activity could animate the image, but we are not sure. The main point is that it will function as a symbol of religious loyalty toward the beast. This is reminiscent of some periods of the Roman Empire in which one was obligated to offer incense to Caesar to pay honor to his divine cult–if someone chose not to give honor, they could not function in society (work, food, entertainment, social status, etc).
If the image was bad enough, we are introduced to “the mark of the beast,” which will go on the forehead or the right hand so that it can be seen and accessible. As the image functioned religiously, the mark will function economically because one will not be able to buy or sell without it. This will be the instrument by which Antichrist will control consumerism, and consequently control the livelihood of that person. As it is stressed in the text, there will not be any preferential treatment for those who want to opt out of his program, “he forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave.”
Here is the choice: Starvation and loyalty to Chirst or Serve Antichrist.
A few verses later an angel gives us a severe warning,
A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, 10 he, too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.” 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. 13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”Revelation 14:9-13
That text is self-explanatory. These events will be Biblical future realities. They are to be taken with the most solemnity because God will call individuals to “remain faithful to Jesus.”
Three more texts on the mark of the beast. The first text provides us with what will happen to those who will take the mark; the second text will be the result of the beasts who deluded the world with the mark; and the third teaches us what will be the physical consequences to refusing the mark, but the spiritual eternal rewards as well,
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
But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. Revelation 19:20
I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Revelation 20:4