The Peri-Wrath Rapture Theory

The Peri-Wrath Rapture Theory

I am personally developing this one, and I try to be thorough, original, and concise. I am practically going it alone though, which makes the development of this theory rather difficult or impossible. Rather than making it a priority to further discredit the Pre-trib rapture theory or attempt to explain why I think Pre-wrath theories have weak timelines, my focus will be to try and explain what I think are valid points on the Peri-wrath rapture theory.

The Peri-Wrath Rapture theory submits that the Lord's faithful, (first the martyred of the Great Tribulation and then the survivors of the same), will meet Jesus in the air around the time that he comes to cut short the terrible reign of the beast, his armies, and those who took the mark of the beast. These events will occur very soon after the completion of the final seven years, (the 70th week), of Daniel's prophecies. Although the Great Tribulation is going to be worse than any other time in human history, it will be condensed into a relatively short period of time.

For the first several years of the seven year peace, everything will be a superb improvement over the years preceeding it. Israel will be a major victor of the Global War on Terrorism, (I am taking the liberty to continue using that terminology), and one of her spoils of victory will be the right to have a new temple; the threats of terrorism will be thoroughly squashed, in order that the temple be constructed without delay or hindrance from enemies. The last time they built a temple, it was in the face of opposition and for that reason it took almost half a century to complete it, but the next temple must come to near completion in a handful of years. Men will bask in the glow of this new era, and it will be a time of tremendous change and growth. Those who like to call it "false peace" may want to reconsider their position. We cannot go from peace and prosperity in the first half of the seven years into instant Great Tribulation in the second half. The noteable falling away foretold by the apostle Paul ( ) will occur on a slippery slope.

There is a widely accepted unwritten pause between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel, yet there is a precise written pause ( ) between the removal of the daily sacrifice and the setting up of the abomination of desolation (AoD), which is unfortunately not accepted. During this pause in the second half of the seven years, the beast, in the form of an organized world government, will conduct a 42 month campaign of persecution and oppression to strip people of certain faiths of their powers ( ); although it will be troublesome to some, it will yet for the world remain a period of growth and peace. At the end of the 42 months though, which will coincide with the end of the seven years, the beast will become embodied within one charismatic leader, at which time he will require a higher form of worship ( ). Now the seven years of peace are over as the entire human race is faced with a terrible dilemma, for they will perceive the cost of continuing on with their business as usual lives, and their peace of mind will utterly vanish; society itself will become an entirely desolate place as far as inner peace is concerned. Those who refuse to worship the beast will either be martyred ( ), or they will flee to the wilderness to escape ( ).

Most of the seven plagues of God's wrath ( ) are reserved solely for those who take the mark of the beast. These plagues can occur rapidly and in quick succession to one another. The two or three plagues that might effect survivors in the wilderness could be somewhat lessened with adequate shelter and preparation. After spending a little time in the wilderness, men will scarcely be able to look up to heaven anymore for the struggle to survive will require so much attention. Yet people of faith will find deliverance when the Lord comes to destroy the beast, his armies, and those who took his mark ( ). Around the time that the Lord comes to destroy his enemies, ( ) he will resurrect those martyred in this time period ( ), and he will then catch-up those who remain and were faithful to him ( ). Also, he will mercifully spare those who survived without taking the mark, even though they did not recognize him as their Lord and Savior. These "left-behind" will be the first generation of the nations that repopulate the earth during the Millenial Reign; their families will be required to come up to Jerusalem year by year to honor him with the Feast of Tabernacles: to bring to remembrance how he kept them alive in the wilderness, but those families who do not come up will experience drought ( ).

45 days ( ) from the time the man sets himself up in the temple ( ) is ample time to bring about the climax of the worst trouble that the human race has ever seen. Consider Hurricane Katrina, how it took only a few days for those trapped in the stadium in New Orleans to feel that their lives had become a living hell. In the Great Tribulation, it will be like that terrible storm on a global scale, only instead of a hurricane, it will be men and armies at the beck and call of evil that will be causing the catastrophe. The loyalty and dedication of these men and armies to the beast does not come about overnight. It takes years and years of purging and pruning, times that will not be easy, and we should remember to pray always for those in authority ( ) as long as there might be the slightest hope that they can make the right decisions; and we ought to be standing by to accept those who fall ( ) for listening to their consciences.

Further points to consider in developing a rapture theory:

Deduction #1:
It is a scriptural fact that there is no rapture before there is a resurrection from the dead ( ).
It is scripturally accurate to say that the first resurrection from the dead is for those martyred in the Great Tribulation ( ).
Therefore, it is in line with scriptures to conclude that there is no rapture before the Great Tribulation.

Induction #1
We have a promise that the days of the Great Tribulation will be cut short ( ). But:
The seven year peace (the 70th week) cannot be cut short;
The 1,290 days ( ) between the removal of the sacrifice and the setting up of the AoD cannot be cut short;
The 1,260 day ministry of the two witnesses in Jerusalem ( ) cannot be cut short;
The 1,260 day feeding of the land of Israel ( ) cannot be cut short;
The 42 month campaign against people of faith ( ) cannot be cut short;
There is reason to believe that the first 45 days of the Great Tribulation ( ) may not be cut short; it would at least make sense to prepare for this length of time if one intends to make a go of it in the wild.
With these points in mind, it makes perfect sense that the Great Tribulation cannot occur before the end of the seven years.

The fact that there is no rapture before the Great Tribulation and that this Great Tribulation does not come before the end of the seven years should be to a large degree comforting ( ). First of all, it gives us more opportunity to partake in the blessing that comes from being a part of the going forth of the gospel, which is a major aspect of the last days ( ); it can take the edge off of a daily existence that comes from the expectation that Jesus could come at any second now. Also, it gives us the sense that we have more time to prepare and equip--both physically and spiritually--for the time of trouble; we do not have to fear being suddenly caught up or taken by surprise from a period of peace that the world is desperately seeking, for in both phases of that prophecied peace, we can strategically maneuver and do exploits ( ) for the furtherance of God's kingdom. Granted, the second half or phase may prove a bit more challenging, and it is not too soon to begin making a strategy and a plan right now. Finally, it gives a specific season in which to watch for our Lord's return; we cannot know the day or the hour, but we can know in what watch of the night the proverbial thief will come ( ), and in knowing that, we are much more apt to be ready for ourselves and for those who have been put under the care of our watch.