When Andy Woods talks about the "tribulation" he refers to the entirety of the 70th week of Daniel. In contrast, the prewrath view employs the scriptural designations that relate to the 70th week in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Revelation 6:17, i.e. birth pains, tribulation, the day of the Lord. Matthew 24:21 specifies that the tribulation begins at the half way point of the 70th week i.e. At that time there will be great tribulation.. Mark sets this particular period apart as a time of unmatched tribulation. (Mark 13:19 cf. Daniel 12:1). The tribulation therefore begins at the event known as the abomination of desolation at the mid point of the 70th week and lasts for 3.5 years (cut short).
The special designation the day of the Lord applies to unprecedented wrath (orgé) not previously known on the earth, and never to ever be repeated. This is not to suggest that God's wrath has been absent on the earth prior to this point. (Genesis 6:13-17, 7:4; 19:13; Deuteronomy 29:28; 1 Chronicles 27:24 etc.)
..a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been before, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations. (Joel 2:2).Andy Woods presents an either/or scenario as the reason that both Israel and the church cannot exist on the earth simultaneously during the 70th week of Daniel. Andy Woods: "You cannot have any scenario where the church is in faith simultaneously with Israel being in faith.. The church and Israel cannot exist together in faith on the earth. The point of the 'tribulation' is to bring Israel to faith. God never leaves the earth without a witness of Himself .. You can't have the church on the earth when Israel is in faith as well.. that is one of the main reasons that we don't think the church can be in this time period.. Israel and the church are separate, they are not just separate people, they are separate programs.."
Is God limited to single-tasking?
Andy Woods either/or scenario does not stand up to close scrutiny.
According to the pre-trib view there will be so called "tribulation saints", who come to faith during the 70th week. These "tribulation saints" allegedly constitute a worldwide revival during the 70th week after the church is raptured. In effect Andy Woods debunks his own argument, since even by their own admission, the pre-trib camp recognizes two groups of believers on the earth during the 70th week; Israel and non-Israelite believers from the nations who allegedly are not "the church". The prewrath view teaches that the church will remain on the earth until the tribulation is "cut short". (Matthew 24:22). There is no evidence for a "worldwide revival" during the 70th week. The great multitude that no one could number in Revelation 7:9-14 are those who came out of great tribulation. The sudden appearance of the innumerable multitude before the throne does not correlate well with a worldwide revival. However, this scene does correlate with the rapture and the appearance in heaven of innumerable saints of all time. (2 Timothy 3:12).
During the great tribulation, Satan (the dragon) becomes enraged with the woman (Israel) after attempting and failing to destroy her. He then turns his attention to the church i.e. he goes off to make war with those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. (Revelation 12:12-17).
The prophet Daniel was aware from the writings of Jeremiah that the 70 year desolation of Jerusalem was about to come to an end, and that the exiles from Jerusalem would be restored to their land. (Daniel 9:2 cf. Jeremiah 25:11-12, 29:10). In response to Daniel's prayers and repentance, the angel Gabriel came to give him insight and understanding, not only with regard to the immediate situation of the exiles, but also regarding the time of the end. (Daniel 9:20-27). When Daniel sought further clarification about the outcome of the visions he had received, he was refused. No further enlightenment was possible for him at that time: I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. (Daniel 12:89 cf. Daniel 8:26; 12:4; Acts 1:7). What was sealed until the time of the end in Daniel, John is told not to seal: And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. (Revelation 22:10). Andy Woods takes his either/or understanding of Israel and the church during the 70th week from Danie 9:24. However, we do not get a complete view of the time of the end exclusively from Daniel. A progressive/wider application is seen in the book of Revelation, and Revelation concerns both Israel and the nations. The book of Revelation unseals Daniel.
It appears that God can and does multitask in that he does work with both Israel and the church simultaneously during the 70th week. It is very dangerous to presume how God will operate during this period using convoluted pre-trib arguments that do not align with the scriptures. (2 Timothy 2:15; 1 John 4:1).
Smoke and Mirrors!
Andy Woods' attempt to show that Psalm 50:5 and Psalm 149:1 refers to "saints" is disingenuous. The Hebrew word is chasid which, according to Brown Driver Briggs, is kind, pious. {2} The King James Version translates chasid as "saints". The ESV has "faithful ones", and other versions have "holy ones" or godly ones". The Greek word ekklēsia (church) does not transliterate to, and is not synonymous with, chasid (kind, pious). On this basis, we can disregard Andy Woods' argument that "saints" does not refer to the church in the book of Revelation.
Regarding Zephaniah 1:14-15
The great day of the LORD is near, Near and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of the LORD! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. That day is a day of anger, A day of trouble (tsarah ) and distress, A day of destruction and desolation, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness.. (NASV)
According to Andy Woods, the Septuagint translation of Zephaniah 1:15 debunks the prewrath concept of thlipsis/tribulation and orgé/wrath as separate periods, since it translates tsarah ~ thlipsis in the specific context of the day of the Lord. Firstly it should be noted that the Septuagint has its limitations. The Hebrew word tsarah = straits, distress.. tsarah is not strictly trouble since trouble can mean all sorts of things apart from distress. {3} Even if trouble were the correct translation, which is is not, this would not make any difference to the prewrath view ~ thlipsis in a general sense is persecution, affliction, distress, tribulation. The Greek word thlipsis can apply to any situation that involves distress or affliction e.g. Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction (thlipsis), and our fathers could find no food. (Acts 7:11).
..the great day of their wrath has come (ηλθεν/ēlthen).
And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come (ηλθεν), and the time of the dead, that they should be judged.. KJV (Revelation 11:18 cf. Revelation 16:21).
Various commentaries agree on the interpretation of ηλθεν (ēlthen) in this particular context. {5}
Matthew Poole: And thy wrath is come; now it is time for thee to show thyself angry, and thou hast begun to do it.
Pulpit Commentary: And thy wrath is come; thy wrath came. This verse points conclusively to the judgment day, the events of which, however, as before remarked (see on ver. 15), are merely indicated, not fully described. This is the last final infliction upon the wicked, the seventh of the trumpet plagues. And the time of the dead, that they should be judged; to be judged.
The proclamations of the three angels in Revelation 14:6-13 precedes the harvest of the earth, the great winepress of the wrath of God. (Revelation 14:14-20). This verse is yet another confirmation of the imminent aspect of ηλθεν/ēlthen.
And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come (ηλθεν), and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” (Revelation 14:7).
After hearing the above bogus arguments from Andy Woods, I was so grieved that I found it very difficult to continue writing this post due to my growing conviction that he is a deliberate deceiver. Woods accuses the prewrath camp of being "intellectually dishonest with the data", and yet he provides us with glaring examples of "intellectual dishonesty" in his own sermon. I find it hard to imagine what it must feel like to waste ones not inconsiderable talents on teaching false doctrines. I often wonder how pre-trib teachers will face the Lord after leading many believers astray in this respect. (Romans 14:12).
The prewrath view focuses on the endurance of the saints during the tribulation in contrast to an unsubstantiated escapist pre-trib rapture mentality. (Revelation 14:12). Pre-trib is a highly irresponsible and dangerous catalogue of misinformation and eisegesis. It has the potential to leave many believers unprepared and unwilling to face the persecution of the Antichrist. (Matthew 24:9-10).
2. Strong's Hebrew: 2623. חָסִיד (chasid) -- kind, pious (biblehub.com
3. Strong's Hebrew: 6869a. tsarah -- straits, distress (biblehub.com)
4. (62) Rapture Sermon Series 33. Mid-Trib View: Analyzed, Refuted, and Exposed, Pt 1 - YouTube
5. Revelation 11:18 Commentaries:
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