Andy Woods (Sugar Land Bible Church) is quite defensive when it comes to the prewrath rapture view. Of the various rapture theories he has critiqued over the last few months, the prewrath rapture is the most challenging. I think to use the derogatory term "three quarters rapture" is deliberately provocative as it obviously has upset some prewrath proponents in the past. Andy Woods claims claims to be "pre-wrath" himself, in that he believes that the wrath of God applies to the entirety of the 70th week of Daniel. It is critical that we allow the scriptures to define our theology rather than our presuppositions. The prewrath position applies the scriptural designation "the beginning of birth pains" to the first half of the 70th week. (Matthew 24:8). It is also important to distinguish the terms thlipsis (tribulation) and orge (wrath) during the 70th week, since the scriptures make these distinctions. The specific period designated as the wrath of God in this context is the day of the Lord, i.e. the day of his wrath. (Amos 5:18; Joel 3:14 Revelation 6:17, 14:10 etc.) This term refers to the final period of the seventh seal judgements leading up to the battle of Armageddon spoken of by the OT prophets and confirmed in the book of Revelation as the great day of His wrath. (Revelation 6:17).
I find nothing confusing or deceptive about the term "prewrath". When I first began to consider this view after leaving the AOG some years ago, I had no problem understanding the term. It is true that there are some variations within prewrath camp regarding the exact position of the fourth seal, vis-à-vis the the great tribulation. Nevertheless, in my view, the defining principle of the prewrath position is the timing of the rapture.
Regarding the other two rapture views critiqued by Andy Woods: The mid-trib view is no longer popular or considered viable by most bible scholars these days. The post-trib view also has its problems, but unfortunately, no-one within that camp is willing to discuss or address the inconsistencies associated with this view. I have previously contacted two post-trib ministries. I did receive an initial response from Good Fight Ministries, but regrettably they have never followed up on the issues raised in that conversation. Sam Adams (Independence Baptist Church) has completely ignored me. (See further links).
For the most part, Andy Woods seems to understand, and he has correctly described, the main points the prewrath position as a three part structure i.e. the beginning of birth pains, the great tribulation and the day of the Lord. (Matthew 24:8, 21-30). Andy Woods' comprehension of prewrath will ultimately make it much more difficult for him to give an account for his own teaching. (Hebrews 4:13). I should clarify that the prewrath rapture will occur immediately after the tribulation as per Matthew 24:29-31, following the cosmic disturbances of Revelation 6:12-17. Andy Woods teaches that the tribulation continues for the entirety of the 70th week, whereas the scriptures inform us otherwise. The great tribulation begins at the mid point (the abomination of desolation) and is "cut short" for the sake of the elect. (Matthew 24:22).
The history of the prewrath rapture view is nothing to be ashamed of. Robert Van Kampen (1938–1999) was a pioneer in the business world and he was also involved in Christian missions and missionary organizations. Van Kampen developed the prewrath rapture position from the scriptures during the 1990's and he authored three books on the subject. As one of the wealthiest men in the US, Van Kampen had no particular agenda, and he had nothing to gain personally from the prewrath rapture position. He sought the help of Marvin Rosenthal who subsequently changed his own view from pre-trib to prewrath. It is very unfortunate that Van Kampen's private collections of rare antique bibles and manuscripts have fallen into the hands of TBN. In June 2007, eight years after Van Kampen's death, the Holy Land Experience Board of Directors sold the property to TBN for an estimated $37 million. {1}
I own a copy of Van Kampen's book The Rapture Question Answered. It is a straightforward book that gives a clear and concise presentation of the prewrath position. This is more than I can say for Darby's abstruse writing style, his bewildering doctrines and his violation of the scriptures. Charles Spurgeon commented: "If the author would write in plain English his readers would probably discover that there is nothing very valuable in his remarks." {2} If Spurgeon and other learned men of that time had difficulty with Darby's obfuscations and cultish behaviour, then I think there is no shame in admitting that I have similar difficulties.
Andy Woods has referred to the teaching of Robert Van Kampen and Marvin Rosenthal some thirty years ago. He has not yet referred to modern scholars, such as Alan Kurschner in particular. He briefly referred to Charles Cooper whose prewrath articles are useful, although his hyper-charismatic tendencies are a cause for concern. {3}
Andy Woods tells us that he has six arguments against the prewrath rapture view that he intends to address in the coming weeks. The first of these arguments is the assumption that the 70th week concerns Israel exclusively, and he cites Jeremiah 30:7 and Daniel 9:24 as proof texts. The pre-trib camp are adept at making unsubstantiated assumptions where the scriptures are silent. (Proverbs 30:6). As well as presuming that the 70th week applies exclusively to Israel, Andy Woods claims that a worldwide revival amongst the Gentiles will occur during the 70th week resulting from the preaching of the 144,000 Jewish "evangelists". The scriptures are silent about a worldwide revival during this period, and furthermore, there is nothing to indicate that the 144000 Jews are evangelists. In addition, the doctrine of imminence is pure fantasy, and there is nothing in the scriptures to indicate that the Holy Spirit is the restrainer. (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7). In fact the whole pre-trib view is based upon eisegesis! The inclusion of the church in God's ultimate plan is a progressive revelation. Even the disciples had difficulty in understanding that the Gentiles were also included in God's plan. (Acts 10:9-16, 44-48, 11:18).
Alan Kurschner: "The New Testament through its progressive revelation reveals the overlay of the church during the final seven year period of Daniel’s prophecy, viewing God working with Israel and the church simultaneously to accomplished his purposes. God’s revelation of Daniel’s prophecy is augmented with more information from the New Testament, just as Old Testament prophecy is described more in detail in the New Testament (e.g. who the Messiah is and what he does). Robert H. Gundry (First the Antichrist, 135) rightly notes, 'So progress in the biblical history of salvation makes the situation in a future seventieth week different from what it was during the past sixty-nine weeks. You can’t legitimately argue from one to the other.'” {4}
For Andy Woods, the discussion is over and he has dismissed the possibility of a debate. I really don't know if his comments about debates and locations are germane. Certainly any man who is willing to travel to a pre-trib stronghold to debate the prewrath position is very brave. As for the accusation that prewrath teachers seek to proselytize pre-trib believers; surely the point of any discussion or debate is to establish truth from the scriptures in order to give believers the opportunity to test the spirits. (1 John 4:1). It is almost as though Andy Woods perceives views of the rapture at variance with pre-trib as another religion!
1. Holy Land Experience - Wikipedia
2. Commenting & Commentaries—Catalogue (spurgeon.org)
3. WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: Charles Cooper (bewareofthewolves.blogspot.com)
4. ANOTHER GLARING Inconsistent Pretrib Interpretation on Daniel's 70 Weeks Prophecy | ESCHATOS MINISTRIES (alankurschner.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment