Prewrath Rapture of the Church [Paperback]

Marvin Rosenthal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1990

In a readable, informative style, (complete with twenty-five charts), Rosenthal takes a fresh look at the biblical prophecies concerning end-times events and helps us understand what impact they should have on our daily Christian lives.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (July 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0840731604
• ISBN-13: 978-0840731609
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #240,916 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rosenthal does a fine job of interacting with the Scriptures, May 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Prewrath Rapture of the Church (Paperback)

I was raised to believe in the Pre- trib rapture. But my reading of the Bible gave me many questions. After reading this book I have changed to Rosenthal's position. For example, one of the strong points of the Pre- Tri. stand is the removal of the 'One who restrains' in ll Thes. 2:7. They say this is the removal of the church/ Holy Spirit. But this book's explanation( that Daniel 12:1 is the O.T. background, and not that Michael 'arises' but he 'stands aside') is more compelling. Then when God tells Michael to get back in the battle for Israel he will give a victory shout (l Thes.4:16). It is sad how we tend to read our views into the Bible, rather than let it dictate to our views. It appears to me that the Pre- wrath position is the right view. I hold to this view of the rapture now even though it is hurting my attempts to find a church to pastor again. But the Bible holds my conscience captive. Thanks, Marv. You make all the Biblical data hold together.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent critique of pre-tribulationism, unconvincing case for pre-wrath rapturism, May 23, 2008

By 

Robert Hawes "Author: One Nation, Indivisible... - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prewrath Rapture of the Church (Paperback)

Of all the doctrinal topics that divide evangelical Christians, the study of Eschatology ("last things" or end-times prophecy) is surely one of the most polarizing, particularly where it touches on the rapture of the church.

All but a minority of Christians agree that Jesus Christ will return to the earth someday, and that He will rapture, (i.e., physically "catch-away") His believers at some point; however, there is a great deal of disagreement as to exactly when these events will take place or, indeed, whether they truly are separate events at all. Pre-tribulationists insist that Christ will rapture His church prior to the beginning of the seven-year "Tribulation period," also known as the "70th Week of Daniel." Mid-tribulationists, as their name implies, see the rapture occurring in the middle of the 70th Week. Pre-wrath adherents see the rapture taking place at some point during the last three-and-one-half years of the 70th Week, just prior to the period of time when God will begin pouring out His wrath on Antichrist's world kingdom. Finally, post-tribulationists see the rapture taking place at the same time as the glorious appearing of Christ, which all four viewpoints agree takes place at the very end of the 70th Week.

Like many Christians, including myself, Marvin J. Rosenthal was once a card-carrying member of the pre-tribulationist school, the viewpoint which has dominated evangelical Christianity for the last century (see the best-selling "Left Behind" books for a fictionalized version of this eschatological timeline). In time, however, as he studied the topic in greater depth, Rosenthal came to believe that pre-tribulation rapturism was fatally flawed, and he began to re-evaluate prophetic teachings in search of the truth behind the rapture question. The "Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church" is the culmination of that effort; and, while I do not agree with Rosenthal's conclusions in total, I would argue that he has made a valuable contribution to the rapture debate.

Points of agreement:

The most effective aspect of "The Pre-wrath Rapture" is Rosenthal's critique of pre-tribulation rapturism, and this alone is enough to recommend the book.

Rosenthal brilliantly debunks pre-tribulation rapturism. He demonstrates that the "Day of the Lord" (the final out-pouring of God's wrath on Antichrist's kingdom) is not the entire 70th Week of Daniel (nor the Millennial Kingdom, as some contend). He does so by citing Joel 2:31, in which the Day of the Lord (DOTL) is described as beginning with very specific cosmic signs: the sun is darkened, the moon turns red as blood, and the heavens and the earth are "shaken." Rosenthal shows that these signs are the same as those described by Jesus in Matthew 24:29, and those that follow the opening of the 6th seal in Revelation 6:12, an event that takes place deep within the 70th Week. Additionally, Rosenthal points out the fact that both Christ and the Apostle Paul (see Matthew 24 and II Thessalonians 2:3) taught that four events must precede the rapture of the church, namely the "coming of Elijah," a "falling away" (an apostasy), the revelation of Antichrist (the "man of sin"), and the cosmic signs of the DOTL, thus destroying the central pre-trib pillar of "imminence," (the idea that the rapture could happen "at any moment," with no prophesied events preceding it).

Rosenthal develops these points with excellent exegesis and logic and, in my opinion, utterly devastates pre-tribulation rapturism. Toward the end of the book, he takes the time to evaluate a number of common pre-trib arguments, and does so effectively.

Where Rosenthal fails, I believe, is in his attempt to establish a pre-wrath rapture.

Points of disagreement:

Rosenthal teaches that the rapture will occur at some point during the second half of the 70th Week, immediately following a time of intense persecution known as "the Great Tribulation," and in conjunction with the signs marking the Day of the Lord (the 6th seal in Revelation), but prior to the actual out-pouring of the wrath. This, Rosenthal tells us, is consistent with the promise of scripture that Christians are not "appointed to wrath" (I Thessalonians 5:9). He presents the "great multitude" of Revelation 7 as the raptured church.

And while Rosenthal gets very close to the truth, unfortunately, certain assumptions cause him to deviate into theologically indefensible territory.

Scripture very clearly teaches one, visible second coming of Christ in glory. Rosenthal gets it right when he says, "Not once does the Bible speak of two comings -- not even by hint or implication," (p. 229); nevertheless, he maintains that the second coming includes the rapture, the DOTL, and Christ's final appearance in the clouds, all of which, in his view, necessitate a "coming" that lasts for an extended period of time. However, just as there are no passages that teach multiple comings, there are no passages that teach a prolonged coming or a coming in stages. Rather, the Bible teaches that the rapture will take place when Christ appears in glory, at which point He will be visible to the whole world.

In Matthew 24, the famous "Olivet Discourse," Christ's disciples asked Him, "What will be the sign of Your coming [singular], and of the end of the age?" (NASB) Christ proceeded to answer their question without correcting their assumption that He would come only once more. Indeed, He tells them not to be deceived but to watch for the DOTL signs (verse 29), which He says will come, "after the tribulation of those days" (if you read the passage, you'll see that this is a reference to the "Great Tribulation," the persecution that will follow Antichrist's desecration of the Jewish Temple and his demand to be worshiped as God).

Matthew 24:30-33 - "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other." (NASB)

Notice that Christ says He will gather His elect at His visible coming, and notice how this language compares to that of the Apostle Paul in I Thessalonians 4:15-17 -

"For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord." (NASB)

And in II Thessalonians 2:1-3 -

"Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him...Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction." (NASB)

Consider that, in both of his famous rapture passages, Paul refers to a singular coming of Christ, and how he attaches our "catching-up" and "gathering to Him" with that one event. The language of II Thess 2:1 is especially telling in its reference to "the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering to Him." According to the rules of Greek grammar, when you have two nouns of the same case (in this instance, "coming" and "gathering"), connected by the word Kai ("and" in English), and the first is preceded by a definite article but the second is not, the nouns should be grouped together (for another example, see Titus 2:13-14, where "the great God and our Saviour" both refer to Jesus Christ).

Clearly, the glorious appearing of Christ and the rapture are simultaneous events, meaning that the rapture must take place at the end of the 70th Week (thus it is post-tribulational). To argue otherwise, one has to obscure or twist the very plain meaning of the passages in Matthew 24 and II Thessalonians. For further evidence, consider that, in the account of Christ's ascension into heaven in Acts 1, the angels that appeared to His disciples told them, "This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven." (NASB) And in Revelation 1:7, John tells us: "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him." (KJV) These important scriptures also support one visible, physical return of Christ to the earth in glory.

In regard to the wrath of God, I fully agree with Rosenthal that Christians will be exempt from it (I Thess. 5:9); however, I cannot find any teaching in scripture that says that Christians will be removed from the earth during it. Scripture teaches one, visible second coming of Christ in glory and connects the rapture with that event; no secret coming or coming in stages is taught. Nor does this promise for deliverance require the removal of Christians in order to be valid. God is able to protect His people from the effects of His wrath during the 70th Week, just as He protected Noah and his family from the great flood, and just as he protected the Hebrews living in the land of Goshen from the plagues of Egypt.

I must also disagree with Rosenthal where the great apostasy of II Thessalonians 2 is concerned. Rosenthal states that this will be a Jewish apostasy in that the nation of Israel will place its faith in the promises of Antichrist (as it once turned to Antiochus... Read more ›

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Message That Everyone Needs To Hear !, June 23, 2002

By 

M. D Roberts (Gwent, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prewrath Rapture of the Church (Paperback)

This book is extremely well written and so easy to read. The author's message is easily understood and one is personally free and able to examine it fully in context with the Scriptures from beginning to end.

Whether the author is correct or not in his interpretation of the Scriptures, I do not feel qualified to say, but his intent is openly sincere.

I have read many, many books on Biblical prophecy over the past twenty years. Many of the interpretations offered in these books have confused me and have left me with doubts which have bred fear and uncertainty.

This book has in many ways clarified all my uncertainties. The author's interpretation of the Rapture/Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the Great Tribulation puts everything into a clear context. His studies of Daniel and the Old Testament prophets, the Book Of Revelation and the rest of the New Testament present a clear portrayal of the last days.

Whether all elements of the Church follow the author's line is perhaps secondary to making sure that they are all personally aware of the possibilities of the events occurring as outlined in this book. It would be folly to find the Church and oneself proceeding headlong into the Great Tribulation without being aware of what the author has portrayed here with great clarity.

The author remains utterly steadfast in his fundamental Christian beliefs, although his interpretation of the timing and events surrounding the Rapture/Second Coming and the Great Tribulation has changed. Thus prompting his writing of this book.

I recently read another similar book by Michael John Rood, also available on Amazon, entitled 'The Mystery Of Iniquity'. I highly recommend this book too.

The events described are not far away. This is clear to even those with only a passing interest. We need to study the Scriptures relating to our times and be aware of what could possibly be facing us in a very short time. Kindest regards.