Conservative, evangelical Christianity (and planet Earth) is in grave crisis at this present hour. This celestial ball is on a collision course with its Creator. Man has activated the self-destruct button of rebellion. Foundations of godliness have crumbled; things sacred have been thrown overboard. We have reached the day which the prophet must have had in mind when he said, "...woe unto them who call evil, good, and good, evil" (Isaiah 5:20). The church, which was called to be a royal priesthood, a peculiar people, is at present, neither royal nor peculiar. Rather, it has stooped in character to commonality with the world and in lifestyle to similarity with the unregenerate. Pulpits are weak and vacillating. The fire has all but gone out. Apart from a few notable exceptions, the church has become cross-rejecting, carnal, materialistic, humanistic and impotent - while global ecumenism and heresies flood in unhindered.

 If there is any hope for the church in this day, any catalyst that can turn the tide, it is right thinking and correct theology concerning the events of the seventieth week of Daniel, which includes the emergence of the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, the Rapture (the gathering or "catching away" of the true church from this earth to be with Jesus), the Day of the Lord, and Christ’s physical return to the earth. In the year of 1830 the church took into its midst a "Trojan Horse" - a new teaching or view on the Rapture (which can be traced back to John Darby and the Plymouth Brethren) - called Pretribulation Rapturism. This new view then made its way to the United States in the 1880’s, thus began an exciting new theology which appeals to the flesh and upon which multitudes pin their hopes. Pretribulation Rapturism provides a false sense of security, however sincerely proclaimed - an escape before the Seventieth Week of Daniel begins. Like sugared water, it may taste good, but it has no medicinal value. Even worse, it will keep the church from what can truly help - the urgent admonition to watchfulness (Matt. 22:42-44; Matt. 25:13), faithfulness (Matt.24:45-47), preparedness (Matt. 25:1-13), and fruitfulness (Matt. 25:14-30). It will prove to be the church’s Achilles Heel. This generation of believers could find itself inside the Seventieth Week, there to have occasion to resist the Antichrist and stand true to the King of Glory.

 Soldiers are not tested in the comfort and safety of the rear echelon. They are tested in the thick of conflict. When the Antichrist is personally present - empowered by Satan (Rev. 13:4) and demanding that the world bow down and worship - the true church will be given its greatest opportunity to demonstrate unfailing love to her sovereign Lord, by refraining from bestowing upon a false lover the glory due only to her true Bridegroom. To preach Rapture before the consummate battle of the ages is to suggest, in military terms, being absent without leave (AWOL). And, somehow, however well-intended, men have developed a theology to justify that absence. The analogy of a soldier is not inappropriate for the believer. Paul wrote to Timothy, "Thou, therefore, endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ... If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him" (2 Tim.2:3-4; 12). A good soldier knows he is never to underestimate the enemy. It is a cardinal rule of warfare. To do so is to invite death. To tell the church that it will not be present during a significant part of Daniel’s Seventieth Week is to court disaster. Such an attitude will result in a church totally unprepared for the conflict, labouring under the misconception that they will not be present. Convinced of an imminent Pretribulation Rapture, the consequences will be calamitous. The church will enter that period unprepared, spiritually naked, vulnerable, and ripe for the Antichrist’s deception. The psychological implications will be disastrous. A questioning of the trustworthiness of the Word will follow. It will be a spiritual catastrophe - a Pearl Harbour of incalculable proportions - a satanically planned and master-minded sneak attack.

 Some will attempt to counter the charge that the church will be ripe for Antichrist’s deception and wrath by suggesting that the church is called upon to live holy and righteously at all times, and that, therefore, she should be prepared for any eventuality - even entering the Seventieth Week of Daniel, if that should occur. This is wishful thinking! Such arguments are idealistic but not realistic. It is impossible to effectively train an army for a major battle if the soldiers are told they will never have to participate. Reservists who see little likelihood that they will ever see combat will never prepare like those knowing they may soon be sent to the front lines. The implications of the Pretribulation Rapture Trojan Horse will become evident when the Truth on this crucial issue dawns - it is then that the subtle enslaving power and the enormity of a most sophisticated lie are revealed. With this light and insight comes a price tag that some have found themselves unwilling to pay. To put it simply - when the issues concerning Daniel’s Seventieth Week, the Rapture and the Day of the Lord’s Wrath become clear - will you be prepared to take a stand on the Truth of God’s Word, at the cost of possibly being criticised by your fellow Christians, falling out with revered fellow leaders, losing many of your readers or constituency, begin correcting the message previously conveyed on tapes, tracts and articles? Will the price of standing up for God on behalf the true church be too high? If this proves to be the case, then one will not be ready to face the Antichrist (when the stakes are at their highest), let alone be ready to meet the Lord of Glory.

Romans 3:4 God forbid: yea, {let God be true}, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

Limited space requires that we dive in at the deep end while tact must take a back seat, so the focus will be on what the Word of God spells out in clear, simple and irrefutable terms - for this, there can be no apology. The Lord expects us to take Him at His Word - not to blindly accept all the teachings and, at times, strained, out of context, inferences made to certain verses (by reason that such have been expressed by highly respected scholars, theologians and great God-fearing men). Due to the fact that the calibre of the "human factor" behind a particular teaching is so highly regarded, it becomes unquestionable, and, therefore must convey the true meaning of what God has said. Not so! (This statement is not meant to be taken as arrogance - the writer has a deep and humble respect for the many great men of God). The issues herein are of the utmost importance to those within the true church who seek to be faithful, overcomers, and be ready to meet their Master. It would be wise to follow the example of the Jews of the synagogue at Berea (Acts 17:10-11), who, for themselves (not on hearsay or via some authoritative human source) "checked out" what the apostle Paul was teaching. We are told that they "searched the scriptures daily" to see whether the things he said, were so. With the Word alongside, please read the passages quoted in this brief document - in their fullest context. It will be shown from the Word of God that the Rapture does not occur before (Pretribulation Rapturism), or after (Posttribulation Rapturism), or in the middle (Midtribulation Rapturism) of Daniel’s Seventieth Week. ("Partial Rapturism" is not scripturally supported either). It actually occurs after the Sixth Seal of the great cosmic disturbances and just before the opening of the Seventh Seal (that period called the Day of the Lord’s Wrath), sometime within the second half of the Seventieth Week (Rev. 6:12-17; Rev. 7:9-17; Rev. 8:1-13). That the "Day of the Lord’s Wrath" occurs after the great cosmic disturbances of Rev. 6 (a fact of utmost significance) is not only borne out by the Old Testament prophets - the Olivet Discourse of Matt. 24 (which is sequential in progression, logical in argument, runs parallel to the seals of Revelation in nature and covers the 70th Week of Daniel in scope), also confirms this to be so.

BIBLICAL FACT : The day of the Lord’s Wrath begins after the cosmic disturbances of the 6th Seal and commences with the opening of the 7th Seal (in the latter half of the 7 year period), this is some time after the opening of the 5th Seal, not at the start of Daniel’s 70th Week as taught by pretribulationists.

 NOTE: The positions of the Sixth & Seventh Seals in the diagrams which follow - are merely to illustrate that these seals are opened some time after midpoint (the 5th Seal), by which time the Antichrist has been clearly revealed in Israel, because he causes the sacrifice in the Temple to cease ("The Abomination of desolation" - Dan. 9:27) and sets himself up as God, demanding worship. The placing of the 6th & 7th Seals in the diagrams must not be seen as indicating the exact point when the Lord intervenes in the Great Tribulation. How long the Day of the Lord’s Wrath will be - only He knows.

 Seals: The first five seals differ in a very unique sense from the Seventh Seal. In the first five seals the prophesied events are enacted by depictions of earthly creatures, namely: men on horses and, the man of sin himself , the Antichrist. The Seventh Seal, in contrast, describes heavenly beings, God’s Holy Angels as heralds and agents of God’s Wrath and His Divine Judgement. (Rev. 6:; Rev. 8: to Rev. 11:).

Grave Error 1: The first Five seals do not constitute God’s Wrath. To attribute the emergence of Antichrist to God is not only preposterous, it amounts to blasphemy. He who decreed .."Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God" .. "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.." (Matt. 4:10; Exodus 20:3-5), could never be party to the Antichrist who sets himself up in opposition to God and dares to extract global worship. It is to have a house divided against itself (Luke 11:14-19). The first five seals reveal man in utter rebellion - it is not God’s Wrath.

Grave Error 2: All true Christians are not appointed unto God’s Wrath. (1 Thess. 5:9 "For God hath not appointed us to wrath,..."). To suggest otherwise - is to say that His Word is not true. But what of the Fifth Seal? It depicts the martyrdom of a believing remnant who have not bowed to the Antichrist. If these seals are God’s Wrath, then, He is responsible for the martyrdom of His own faithful children. Impossible, you say. That is correct. The very testimony of the martyrs settles the matter. They pleaded for Divine retribution against their persecutors (Rev. 6:10) - not for God to punish Himself for causing their suffering. That is another reason why the first five seals cannot be God’s Wrath, and the Day of the Lord cannot begin at the beginning of the tribulation period. Pretribulation Rapturism is built on these erroneous and unscriptural foundations.

The vast body of Pretribulational teachers rightly realise that the Rapture must precede the day of the Lord. Nevertheless, it is boldly affirmed that they erred in starting the Day of the Lord at the beginning of Daniel’s Seventieth Week. The Word of God teaches that the Day of the Lord will commence immediately after the church is raptured. Thus, if the Day of the Lord occurs after the cosmic disturbances (which is sometime within the second half of the seven years) - it logically follows that the Rapture of the true church cannot occur before, in the middle or at the end of Daniel’s Seventieth Week of years.

 In a classic Second Coming text, the Lord taught, "For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day" (Luke 17:24). The phrase "in his day" is a clear reference to the Day of the Lord. In this connection the Lord said, "And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all" (Luke 17:26-27). The point of the Lord’s teaching is clear. Noah entered the ark, then the judgement began - on the same day. For emphasis, the Lord gave another illustration of the same truth: "But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all" (Luke 17:29). On the same day that Lot fled Sodom, the Lord judged Sodom. That this deliverance of the righteous and immediate judgement of the wicked are used to illustrate the Second Coming there can be no doubt. The Lord’s next words were, "Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed" (Luke 17:30). To postulate a period of time between Rapture (deliverance) and Wrath (judgement) is to contradict the scriptures. (Some Pretribulationists, realising that the day of the Lord does not start at the beginning of the seven years - but at or beyond the middle of the 70th Week - have tried to do this by placing at least three and one half years between the Rapture and the Day of the Lord). If the Day of the Lord begins with the opening of the Seventh Seal, the Rapture cannot be Pretribulational - scripture teaches that the Rapture occurs on the same day that the Lord’s Wrath commences. Jesus spoke in clear, simple terms, there can be no doubt as to what He meant.

The Lord’s coming is consistently portrayed in The Bible as a singular event: "And what shall be the sign of thy coming?" (Matt. 24:3); "so shall also the coming of the son of man be" (Matt. 24:27,37,39); "afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming" (1 Cor. 15:23); "we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:15); "the coming of the Lord draweth near" (James 5:8); "Where is the promise of his coming?" (2 Pet. 3:4); "Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God" (2 Pet. 3:12). These are just a few of the many examples. In every case, His return is is in the singular; not comings but coming. Nowhere in the Word of God is there even a hint of two separate comings. That is unadorned, biblical fact.

Coming is the translation for the Greek word parousia. Parousia is derived from two Greek words, para meaning with and ousia meaning being. Parousia, then, denotes two things: an arrival and a consequent presence with. The often-heard-suggestion that Christ will come first for his church and then return a second time seven years later with His church is an assumption with no biblical evidence to substantiate it. This argument totally ignores the fact that Christ’s coming (parousia) includes both His coming and consequent presence to accomplish His purposes. Some texts which speak of Christ’s coming are emphasising the Rapture and the Day of the Lord; others His return in power and glory. But these events are part of one composite whole - The Second Coming.

The phrase end of the world (Matt. 24:3) is more accurately translated end of the age and is speaking of the completion of this era in preparation for entrance into the next (the Millenium). the Day of the Lord will be the transition period from this age to the kingdom age. The end is clearly defined as the final harvest. Jesus taught, "the harvest is the end of the age" (Matt. 13:39). The final harvest is the separating of the wheat and the tares. The wheat are the righteous, who are to be harvested into God’s barn; the tares are the unrighteous, who are to be harvested and burned (Matt. 13:36-43). ("Partial rapturism" is not supported here - when wheat is harvested there are no "firstfruits" - the whole crop is harvested all together - once and for all - and that event occurs after the 6th Seal). (See also Matthew 24:27-31).

"The end of the age" occurs when the ministry of Jesus, and logically, the church’s great commission ends , and the "day of vengeance of our God" begins. We have seen that both occur on the same day. If we read the much sermonised passages: (Luke 4:16-20 and Isaiah 61:1-2) - it will noted that, Jesus, in reading from Isaiah, was announcing His prophesied mission, but, that He cut short the reading at a comma (,) - and closed the book. That awesome pause embodies "the day of grace". When the worthy Lamb opens the book again, it will be to effect or enact that unread portion which follows that comma (,) namely:- (,) "and the day of vengeance of our God:" "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." The church remains until "the end" (Matt. 24:13-14). There will be no AWOL. "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations ...and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age" (Matt. 28:18-20). The age closes at the opening of the 7th Seal, which, in effect, means that the church not only enters the Seventieth Week of Daniel, but the Great Tribulation as well. (Matt. 24:3-4) "...the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the age? [aion] And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you".

 If the Bible is the verbal, plenary, inspired Word of God, if it is to be interpreted literally and normally, if men can comprehend it, then this is patently clear: cosmic disturbances precedes the Day of the Lord. Cosmic disturbances occurs with the opening of the Sixth Seal (which is the prelude to the Rapture of the true church and the Day of the Lord’s Wrath). To deny or ignore that fact is to force the scriptures to conform to a pre-conceived pretribulation rapture mold, which, in turn, will distort the meaning of other clear passages.

2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

2 Thessalonians 2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

The Thessalonians were greatly disturbed by false teachers who were communicating erroneous doctrine concerning end-time events. This false teaching, according to Paul, was being propagated in three ways: "by spirit" (prophetic utterance), "by word" (spoken teaching), and by forged documents attributed to the apostle Paul (by letter as from us). The core of that false teaching was embedded in the statement "that the day of the Lord is present". To correct that error, Paul wrote, "Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition". In clear, unmistakable, nondebatable terms, the apostle Paul identified two events which must precede the Day of the Lord. First, the great apostasy (the falling away) must occur. And second, the man of sin, (the Antichrist) must be revealed.

If, as pretribulation rapturism maintains, the Day of the Lord starts at the beginning of the Seventieth Week and if, as they normally teach, the Rapture begins the Seventieth Week, then it must be concluded that these two events (the apostasy and the revealing of the man of sin) occur before the Rapture of the church. That glaring anomaly simply cannot be denied. One of two things should be conceded: either the doctrine of imminency, which maintains that no prophesied events can precede the Rapture , is invalid; or the proposition that the Day of the Lord starts at the beginning of the Seventieth Week must be rescinded. There is no legitimate escape from either conclusion. But those difficulties, as major as they are, only begin the impossible-to-resolve problems that pretribulation rapturism faces when examined in the light of 2 Thessalonians 2. This larger difficulty is related to the following demonstrable facts:

1) The apostasy and revelation of the "man of sin" occur within, not before, the Seventieth Week of Daniel;

2) the Day of the Lord must, according to Paul, occur after the apostasy and revealing of the man of sin;

3) the Rapture immediately precedes the Day of the Lord; and therefore,

4) the Rapture cannot possibly be pretribulational.

First, as has been repeatedly pointed out, the Day of the Lord does not commence with the beginning of the seventieth week of Daniel. Its approach is said to be heralded by cosmic disturbances (the sixth seal, Rev. 6:12-13), and it begins with the opening of the seventh seal.

Second, the hinderer, or restrainer (whoever he may be for the moment) is not removed until the middle of the seventieth week with the occurence of the abomination that makes the temple desolate. Paul makes that patently clear. Speaking of the Antichrist, he wrote, "Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Remember ye not that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?" (2 Thess. 2:4-5).

It is in connection with that event which occurs in the middle of the seventieth week, not at its beginning, that Paul teaches concerning the one who hinders. (2 Thess. 2:6-9). The hindering is associated with the events of the Great Tribulation, not with the entire seven year period.

Third, of paramount importance is the identification of the one who restrains or hinders the Antichrist until "he (the restrainer) be taken out of the way." The restrainer is neither the Holy Spirit nor human government. Evidence is strained to support either of those contentions. There is, however, substantial evidence to identify the restrainer. He who restrains until "he be taken out of the way" is the archangel Michael. The following evidence will substantiate that fact.

1. The archangel Michael has long been recognised by both Jewish and Christian scholars as having a special guardian relationship to Israel (Dan. 10:21). His name means Who is like God? almost as if in contrast to Satan who desires to be "like the Most high" (Isaiah 14:14). Daniel is told that Michael is "the great prince who standeth [present continuous tense; that is, he continuous to stand] for the children of thy people" (Daniel 12:1).

2. Revelation 12 describes a war that occurs in heaven. The time for that conflict can be pinpointed at precisely the middle of the seventieth week of Daniel (Rev. 12:6, 13-14). It is described this way:

And there was war in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels, and [the dragon] prevailed not, neither was their place found anymore in heaven .... And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman who brought forth the male child. (Rev. 12:7-8. 13.)

The woman represents Israel, who gave Christ (the male child) to the world Rev. 12:5) and who will be severely persecuted during the Great Tribulation (Rev. 12:13-17).

3. Speaking of this one who will hinder the Antichrist, Paul said, "only he who now hindereth will continue to hinder until he be taken out of the way" (2 Thess. 2:7). The word hindereth means to hold down, and the phrase taken out of the way means to step aside. Therefore, the one who had the job of hindering the Antichrist will step aside; that is, he will no longer be a restraint between the Antichrist and those the Antichrist is persecuting.

4. The Bible is explicit that the archangel Michael is the personage who will step aside. Daniel records that event this way: "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince who standeth for the children of thy people, and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time" (Daniel 12:1).

It is important to note when this event occurs. The preceding verse says, "And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas and the glorious mountain" (Daniel 11:45). This can only refer to the Antichrist, who will establish his headquarters between the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea on the glorious mountain - Jerusalem. This occurs in the middle of the seventieth week in connection with his desecration of the temple and erection of a statue of himself.

Further, that unprecedented time of trouble can only refer to the Great Tribulation. Since Daniel is told that this great trouble relates to his people - and his people are the Jews- this can only be "the time of Jacob's trouble" (Jer. 30:7), which is a synonym for the Great Tribulation. It is at that time that the archangel Michael will stand up.

But what does the Hebrew word for stand up (amad) mean? Rashi, one of Israel's greatest scholars and one who had no concern regarding the issue and timing of the Rapture, understood stand up to literally mean stand still. The meaning , according to one of Israel's greatest scholars, would be to stand aside or be inactive. Michael, the guardian of Israel, had earlier fought for her (Dan. 10:13,21), but now this one "who standeth for the children of thy [Daniel's] people" would stand still or stand aside. He would not help; he would not restrain; he would not hold down. The Midrash, commenting on this verse, says, "The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Michael, 'You are silent? You do not defend my children'."

Other biblical instances of stand up (amad) meaning to be still or desist are "they... stood still (desisted), and answered no more" (Job 32:16), and again, Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people (for he was above all the people); and when he opened it, all the people stood up" (Neh. 8:5). Commenting on this verse, Rashi indicates that the people kept quiet (stood still) while Ezra read the Torah.

It is clear that the restrainer is neither human government nor the blessed Holy Spirit of God. The restrainer is not taken out of the world; he simply ceases restraining. The restrainer does not cease his activity at the beginning of the seventieth week but at midpoint. Interestingly, the identification of Michael as the restrainer is by no means a new and novel idea. Michael is mentioned as the restrainer of Satan as early as the first or second century A.D. in Greek magical papyri. (Who knows better than Satan himself?)

If one finds it hard to stand up against popular error now - imagine what it will be like when true christians will be up against an apostate church - deluded by signs, lying wonders, craving wierd unscriptural gifts, extra- biblical revelations and mega manifestations etc. How difficult it will be to resist that global mass of deceived humanity being shepherded by (false) "apostles and prophets" who will jubilantly receive (and expect you to bow down and worship) the Antichrist as if he were the True Messiah. The "church" today is already a long way down that tragic path of deception.

Finally Brethren, as we see that day approaching, let us earnestly beseech our Lord to raise up fearless, faithful overcomers on behalf of His beloved Blood-Redeemed Bride. If ever there was a time when true Christians were called upon to "come out from among them, and be ye separate (2 Cor. 6:17)", and, to enthrone Christ above all else in their lives "that I may know Him (Phil. 3:7-10)" - that moment is now!

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