Some
time ago I saw an individual's anti-pretrib comments on various
social media platforms. He wasn't just part of the usual anti-pretrib
police. This man was promoting his new book, claiming to expose the
fallacious pretrib rapture. I finally bit and downloaded the Kindle
edition.
According
to the book, one of the fallacies of pretribulationism is its appeal
to Rev 3:10 as a rapture passage. The book's rebuttal draws from
posttribulationist Robert Gundry's arguments. These include the
meaning of the expression "tereo ek" as used in Rev 3:10
and John 17:15. Gundry argued for protection within the time of
trial.
Note:
Richard Mayhue has responded HERE.
See also Jeffery
Townsend's The Rapture in Revelation 3:10 and Tony
Garland's commentary.
The
book's prewrath author presented a similar conclusion to Marvin
Rosenthal (The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church). Rosenthal contended
that Rev 3:10 wasn't a watershed verse which determined the timing of
the rapture - instead, Rev 3:9-10 dealt with the keeping from the
temptation within the Great Tribulation.
Despite
the claim of fallacy, at least two leaders of the prewrath system
treat Rev 3:10 as a rapture passage. They (Charles Cooper & Alan
Kurschner) agree that believers are raptured out of the world so as
not to experience God's wrath, based on this promise.
Interestingly,
Cooper even agrees with John Niemelä's premises regarding the
grammar of Rev 3:9-10 (though not the timing). Niemelä suggests a
revision of the punctuation, like so:
Verse
9) “Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say
they are Jews and are not, but lie - indeed I will make them come and
worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you because
you have kept my command to persevere.
(The
above underlined part is normally included in v 10 below)
Verse
10) I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon
the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”
Notice
that this revised punctuation removes the condition for being kept
from the hour of trial. Pretribulationism doesn't need this
particular argument. But if correct, it counters the notion that
persevering through the Great Tribulation is a precondition for
exemption from God's wrath.
The
promise to the Philadelphian Church applies to us today. In Niemelä's
second presentation, he writes:
“For
almost 2000 years, physical death has been the means for preventing
Church Age believers from living into the hour of trial. Christ kept
His promise to the first century Philadelphians. In so doing, He has
given a prototype of the way that He delivers the entire Church. The
deliverance is Pre-tribulational. Thus far, death has been the means
of deliverance. However, the final generation of the Church will
receive its deliverance via the Rapture.”
So
the essential difference between Cooper's view and pretribulationism
is a disagreement on what period constitutes God's eschatological
wrath. For Cooper, God's wrath only occurs within a technically
defined period, after "Antichrist's Great Tribulation."
Most
premil posttribulationists see God's wrath only occurring during the
Day of the Lord, just before the millennium. While pretribulationist
Richard Mayhue concurs that the Day of the Lord occurs at the end of
the 70th week, he also acknowledges that God's wrath is present
throughout the seven years.
On
the other hand, some scholars note that the Day of the Lord isn't
always confined to a single, technical, moment. In Central Themes in
Biblical Theology, Paul House writes that the NT writers saw the Day
of the Lord as a possible past event, "potentially in the
present, and future oriented in time." According to William
Dumbrell:
“The
concept of the Day of the Lord, as considered by the prophets, is not
singular in meaning; the connotation can be determined only by
examining each context in which the phrase appears.”~ The Search
for Order: Biblical Eschatology in Focus
This
explains the differences in Joel's and Paul's Day of the Lord
statements regarding the Day of the Lord (Joel 2:31; 1 Thess 5:2-3).
Can anyone be in a state of "peace and safety" after the
2nd and 4th seal judgments?
God's
wrath is present in the elements of the fourth seal. The language
parallels Ezek 5:13-17; 7:3-19; 14:21. Why does John use Old
Testament wrathful language in the 4th seal if such isn't the case?
Or, as Robert Van Kampen asserted, for an event which exclusively
affects the church and the Jews in order to purify them?
This
isn't the kind of tribulation we ordinarily experience in the world
(Rev 1:9). This is God's wrath.
God
uses people and nations as instruments of His wrath. See Habakkuk
chapters one and two as an example. There is no contradiction in God
using Satan as His instrument of wrath. Neither does Satan's wrath in
the 2nd half of the 70th week (Rev 12:12) cancel out God's wrath. Why
would it?
Furthermore,
Satan and the Lawless One are used by God as judgment because of
rebellion and refusal to love the truth. Paul clearly affirms this in
2 Thess 2:7, 9-12.
“The
coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with
all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous
deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the
love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God
will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie...”
Hence,
the Seal Judgments and the Great Tribulation form the trial which
will test the world.
“I
also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is
about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the
earth.” Rev 3:10
For
own their reasons, dedicated critics of pretribulationism strive to
enforce provisos and stipulations to the promise of exemption.
Perhaps it gives some a sense of moral higher ground.
Some
time ago I saw an individual's anti-pretrib comments on various
social media platforms. He wasn't just part of the usual anti-pretrib
police. This man was promoting his new book, claiming to expose the
fallacious pretrib rapture. I finally bit and downloaded the Kindle
edition.
According
to the book, one of the fallacies of pretribulationism is its appeal
to Rev 3:10 as a rapture passage. The book's rebuttal draws from
posttribulationist Robert Gundry's arguments. These include the
meaning of the expression "tereo ek" as used in Rev 3:10
and John 17:15. Gundry argued for protection within the time of
trial.
Note:
Richard Mayhue has responded HERE.
See also Jeffery
Townsend's The Rapture in Revelation 3:10 and Tony
Garland's commentary.
The
book's prewrath author presented a similar conclusion to Marvin
Rosenthal (The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church). Rosenthal contended
that Rev 3:10 wasn't a watershed verse which determined the timing of
the rapture - instead, Rev 3:9-10 dealt with the keeping from the
temptation within the Great Tribulation.
Despite
the claim of fallacy, at least two leaders of the prewrath system
treat Rev 3:10 as a rapture passage. They (Charles Cooper & Alan
Kurschner) agree that believers are raptured out of the world so as
not to experience God's wrath, based on this promise.
Interestingly,
Cooper even agrees with John Niemelä's premises regarding the
grammar of Rev 3:9-10 (though not the timing). Niemelä suggests a
revision of the punctuation, like so:
Verse
9) “Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say
they are Jews and are not, but lie - indeed I will make them come and
worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you because
you have kept my command to persevere.
(The
above underlined part is normally included in v 10 below)
Verse
10) I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon
the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”
Notice
that this revised punctuation removes the condition for being kept
from the hour of trial. Pretribulationism doesn't need this
particular argument. But if correct, it counters the notion that
persevering through the Great Tribulation is a precondition for
exemption from God's wrath.
The
promise to the Philadelphian Church applies to us today. In Niemelä's
second presentation, he writes:
“For
almost 2000 years, physical death has been the means for preventing
Church Age believers from living into the hour of trial. Christ kept
His promise to the first century Philadelphians. In so doing, He has
given a prototype of the way that He delivers the entire Church. The
deliverance is Pre-tribulational. Thus far, death has been the means
of deliverance. However, the final generation of the Church will
receive its deliverance via the Rapture.”
So
the essential difference between Cooper's view and pretribulationism
is a disagreement on what period constitutes God's eschatological
wrath. For Cooper, God's wrath only occurs within a technically
defined period, after "Antichrist's Great Tribulation."
Most
premil posttribulationists see God's wrath only occurring during the
Day of the Lord, just before the millennium. While pretribulationist
Richard Mayhue concurs that the Day of the Lord occurs at the end of
the 70th week, he also acknowledges that God's wrath is present
throughout the seven years.
On
the other hand, some scholars note that the Day of the Lord isn't
always confined to a single, technical, moment. In Central Themes in
Biblical Theology, Paul House writes that the NT writers saw the Day
of the Lord as a possible past event, "potentially in the
present, and future oriented in time." According to William
Dumbrell:
“The
concept of the Day of the Lord, as considered by the prophets, is not
singular in meaning; the connotation can be determined only by
examining each context in which the phrase appears.”~ The Search
for Order: Biblical Eschatology in Focus
This
explains the differences in Joel's and Paul's Day of the Lord
statements regarding the Day of the Lord (Joel 2:31; 1 Thess 5:2-3).
Can anyone be in a state of "peace and safety" after the
2nd and 4th seal judgments?
God's
wrath is present in the elements of the fourth seal. The language
parallels Ezek 5:13-17; 7:3-19; 14:21. Why does John use Old
Testament wrathful language in the 4th seal if such isn't the case?
Or, as Robert Van Kampen asserted, for an event which exclusively
affects the church and the Jews in order to purify them?
This
isn't the kind of tribulation we ordinarily experience in the world
(Rev 1:9). This is God's wrath.
God
uses people and nations as instruments of His wrath. See Habakkuk
chapters one and two as an example. There is no contradiction in God
using Satan as His instrument of wrath. Neither does Satan's wrath in
the 2nd half of the 70th week (Rev 12:12) cancel out God's wrath. Why
would it?
Furthermore,
Satan and the Lawless One are used by God as judgment because of
rebellion and refusal to love the truth. Paul clearly affirms this in
2 Thess 2:7, 9-12.
“The
coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with
all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous
deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the
love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God
will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie...”
Hence,
the Seal Judgments and the Great Tribulation form the trial which
will test the world.
“I
also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is
about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the
earth.” Rev 3:10
For
own their reasons, dedicated critics of pretribulationism strive to
enforce provisos and stipulations to the promise of exemption.
Perhaps it gives some a sense of moral higher ground.
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