One of the pivotal reasons why many ex-pretribulationists have come to embrace the prewrath position is because they have discovered for themselves that the nature and purpose of the Great Tribulation will be a persecution against believers.
It has been assumed by pretribulationism that the “Great Tribulation” is God’s wrath. Given that Jesus in Matthew 24 clearly states that the object of persecution during the Great Tribulation are believers, and that this persecution is orchestrated not by God, but by an Antichrist figure, it has made many people rethink their pretrib tradition.
The prewrath position teaches that before Christ comes back to resurrect the dead in Christ and rapture those alive, the Antichrist will unleash his persecution against the church. This, Jesus calls a “great tribulation.”
Then we learn that the Great Tribulation against believers is “cut short” (for the sake of believers) by the Coming of Christ to deliver the righteous (resurrection and rapture).
This will then be followed with the Day of the Lord’s wrath against the ungodly.
So, it is imperative for us to recognize two distinct periods of time:
The Great Tribulation: Antichrist’s wrath against believers.
The Day of the Lord: God’s wrath against unbelievers.
The following article by Charles Cooper is a critique of Pastor Chuck Smith’s rapture position.
Cooper starts by saying,
Pastor Smith
