LEE BRAINARD'S THREE QUESTIONABLE ARGUMENTS FOR A PRETRIB RAPTURE

Will Christians See the Seven Seals? | Lee Brainard

In this post I will debunk Lee Brainard’s three proposed reasons for the rapture before the first seal of Revelation. 

Brainard's first reason: 24 elders are the redeemed church in heaven

The twenty‑four elders appear as enthroned figures clothed in white and crowned with gold. (Revelation 4:4). Although pre‑tribulation commentators assert that the elders represent the redeemed community, the claim is exegetically weak. It relies on inference rather than demonstrable textual evidence, and therefore cannot be treated as a provable conclusion. Revelation offers no explicit identification of the elders as the church. Their identity is left undefined, and any assertion equating them with the church is relies on eisegesis. 

Brainard argues that  the elders must be human because the text refers to those purchased by the blood of Christ. (Revelation 5:9). However, the elders do not place themselves within the redeemed group by using any first‑person pronoun. There is no “we” or “us” in their statement, which indicates that they are not identifying themselves as part of those redeemed by the blood of Christ. Brainard misinterprets the verse by rendering it as “you have redeemed us to God by your blood”, a translation unsupported by reliable versions. The Codex Sinaiticus text of Revelation 5:9-10: καὶ ᾄδουσιν ᾠδὴν καινὴν λέγοντες· Ἄξιος εἶ λαβεῖν τὸ βιβλίον καὶ ἀνοῖξαι τὰς σφραγῖδας αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐσφάγης καὶ ἠγόρασας τῷ θεῷ ἐν τῷ αἵματί σου ἐκ πάσης φυλῆς καὶ γλώσσης καὶ λαοῦ καὶ ἔθνους. καὶ ἐποίησας αὐτοὺς τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν βασιλείαν καὶ ἱερεῖς, καὶ βασιλεύουσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Forensic translation: And they sing a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and you purchased for God with your blood people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And you made them a kingdom and priests for our God, and they reign upon the earth.'"

note: αὐτοὺς (them)— third‑person plural, not first‑person (“us”)

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:9-10 ESV).

 This translation is taken from the later Byzantine tradition

Brainard: "Go right to the apparatus in the UBS text. Go right to the apparatus in the Nestle-Aland text and you're going to quickly determine if you know how to use the apparatus that the best attested reading by far is the US reading of the King James Bible and the New King James Bible. It should read, 'For you were slain and have redeemed us to God by your blood.'" 

For academic study, textual criticism, and reconstruction of earliest attainable readings, the Alexandrian text is preferred. The later Byzantine text is useful for devotional reading and for understanding the history of transmission, but it is not typically used as the primary base for critical reconstruction.

Logos: "The Nestle-Aland, Novum Testamentum Graece (28th ed.) and the United Bible Society, Greek New Testament (5th ed.) are often considered the best for scholars due to their comprehensive textual apparatus and editors' confidence in their decisions. For pastors and students, the United Bible Society, Greek New Testament (5th ed.) is recommended for its smaller apparatus and helpful letter grades. The Society of Biblical Literature Greek New Testament is a textbook example of reasoned eclecticism and is edited by Michael W. Holmes. The Theological Greek New Testament (THGNT) is a modern edition that represents a departure from many modern printing conventions and focuses on the textual traditions of the first five centuries.. The editors purposefully limited their manuscript base, leaving the vast majority of what are generally considered later, Byzantine-text manuscripts out of the apparatus."1 

The earliest manuscript evidence keeps the elders distinct from the redeemed. In Revelation 5:9–10 the decisive variant—αὐτούς versus ἡμᾶς—is settled by the oldest witnesses, The textual weight lies entirely with the early Alexandrian manuscripts, not the later Byzantine expansion.

Sinaiticus: them / they reign
Alexandrinus: them / they reign
Vaticanus: does not contain Revelation
Byzantine tradition: us / we shall reign (a later development)
UBS5 / NA28: follow Sinaiticus and Alexandrinus2   

Brainard's second argument about the twenty four elders: "They must be resurrected because they are rewarded". 

Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns (στεφάνους) on their heads. (Revelation 4:4).

Brainard’s constricted reading is yet another instance of the same pattern—interpretations shaped less by the text itself than by his own distorted framework.

White is the typical colour associated with angelic beings in scripture and can simply signify purity. The white garments of the twenty‑four elders therefore do not automatically correspond to the white robes given to the saints. In Revelation 6:11 the saints receive white robes yet are instructed to wait; they are not depicted as already enthroned or crowned. The resurrected saints do not appear in their white robes until Revelation 7:9–14, when "the great multitude" is finally seen before the throne.

Stephanos (στέφανος) has a broader semantic range than simply denoting a crown of reward. It can denote any wreath‑type crown, including one used for honour, festivity, suffering, or mock coronation, depending on context:

Bible Hub: "a. properly, as a mark of royal or (in general) exalted rank (such passages in the Sept. as 2 Samuel 12:30; 1 Chronicles 20:2; Psalm 20:4 (); Ezekiel 21:26; Zechariah 6:11, 14 (yet cf. 2 Samuel 1:10 Complutensian, Lagarde LXX), perhaps justify the doubt whether the distinction between στέφανος and διάδημα (which see) was strictly observed in Hellenistic Greek): Matthew 27:29; Mark 15:17; John 19:2, 5; Revelation 4:4, 10; Revelation 6:2; Revelation 9:7; Revelation 14:14; with a genitive of the material, ἀστέρων δώδεκα, Revelation 12:1; the wreath or garland which was given as a prize to victors in the public games (cf. BB. DD. under the word ): 1 Corinthians 9:25, cf. 2 Timothy 2:5.
b. metaphorically, α. the eternal blessedness which will be given as a prize to the genuine servants of God and Christ: ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανος, the crown (wreath) which is the reward of righteousness, 2 Timothy 4:8;"3

At best, this reflects sloppy research on Brainard’s part; at worst, it is another instance of disingenuous handling of the text. In reality, the identity of the twenty‑four elders is not disclosed, and any attempt to specify who they are rests on speculation rather than evidence.

Brainard’s interpretation provides no account of “the great multitude” (Revelation 7:9-17), yet Revelation presents a multitude that appears abruptly after the sixth seal is broken. John had not observed them earlier; they emerge suddenly, and the angel identifies them as those who have come out of the great tribulation. By contrast, the twenty‑four elders remain a distinct group positioned around the throne, aligned with the angelic host and the four living creatures. This structural separation carries far greater exegetical weight and yields a more defensible interpretation than collapsing the elders into the multitude.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
“Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them,
nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. (Revelation 7:9-17).

Brainard's second reason: The Antichrist is the preeminent sign that the world has entered the Day of the Lord.

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to be easily disconcerted or alarmed by any spirit or message or letter seeming to be from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has already come. Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness—the son of destruction—is revealed. He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).

Brainard fails to acknowledge that "the Day of the Lord " is the day of God’s wrath, not the tribulation. I have addressed this distinction extensively in earlier posts. When scripture differentiates between thlipsis (tribulation) and orgē (wrath), responsible research should preserve that distinction.

Brainard's third reason: The great delusion of the Antichrist is sent by God as a judgement.

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.(2 Thessalonians 2:8-12).

Brainard removes these verses from their context in an effort to argue that the rapture occurs before the Antichrist’s persecution. The fact that the great delusion is a judgement against unbelief does nothing to exclude the presence of believers during the Antichrist’s period; the text simply does not support his conclusion. The New Testament maintains a rigid distinction between satanic tribulation and divine wrath, consistently placing the Antichrist’s persecution before the Day of the Lord. Jesus and Paul frame the final crisis as a period of human and demonic hostility against the saints. Believers are promised exemption from wrath but never from tribulation; 1 Thessalonians 5:9 guarantees deliverance from divine wrath, while the broader New Testament witness affirms the church’s experience of tribulation (John 16:33; Acts 14:22; Revelation 7:14). The recurring call for believers to “overcome” in Revelation presupposes endurance through the tribulation associated with the Antichrist. The Day of the Lord begins only after the cosmic disturbances that signal the arrival of divine wrath. (Revelation 6:12–17; Matthew 24:29). The sequence is clear: Antichrist’s oppression comes first, followed by the Day of the Lord’s judgment.

Matthew 24:15–18 presupposes that believers are still present on earth when the abomination of desolation occurs. This directly excludes any model that places the rapture before that event.

So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. (Matthew 24:15-28).

Brainard claims that his aim is “truth”, but that claim is open to serious challenge. His pretribulational readings repeatedly compromise the integrity of the text through eisegetical manoeuvres that cannot be sustained by the Greek or by responsible exegesis. His selective interpretation of Revelation 5:10 shows us that he is desperate to define the twenty-four elders as the church. One wonders whether he has considered the consequences scripture assigns to those who alter the book of Revelation. (Revelation 22:18–19). Mistranslating scripture—and also misrepresenting the writings of the church fathers—is a dangerous pattern in his work. It reflects a consistent willingness to distort sources rather than submit to them. 

1. The Greek New Testament: 3 Most Common Editions & Which You Should Use
2. Revelation 5:10 Greek Text Analysis
3. Strong's Greek: 4735. στέφανος (stephanos) -- Crown

7 Pretrib Problems and the Prewrath Rapture (Full Movie)

Prewrath - Early Church Fathers

LEE BRAINARD AND TOM HUGHES: PRETRIB DISHONESTY

Pre-Trib Rapture EXPOSED? The Debate That's Shaking The Church! | with Pastor Tom & Lee Brainard

Lee Brainard and Tom Hughes 'Hope For Our Times' exhibit further evidence of Brainard's bizarre thought process and flawed interpretation of the scriptures. Brainard's notions should be very concerning to students of eschatology no matter what view they hold about the rapture.    

Despite the pretrib view being relentlessly promoted by certain teachers, it is a highly problematic doctrine and fails the test of the scriptures. (1 John 4:1). Pretribulationism is based on the teachings of cult leader John Nelson Darby and defective "Left Behind" theology. Regardless of repeated claims by Lee Brainard and others, the pretrib view originated and became popular in the 18th century. There is no evidence that any early church father taught the pretrib rapture. Lee Brainard's amateurish attempts to reinterpret the writings of various church fathers have been debunked in every instance.1 

Lee Brainard's faulty definition of parousia

The noun parousia is explicitly applied to the coming of Christ in Matthew 24:27; 1 Corinthians 15:23; 1 Thessalonians 2:19,3:13,4:15,5:23; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8; James 5:7-8; 2 Peter 1:16,3:4,12; 1 John 2:28. Prewrath scholars define Christ's parousia as a multifaceted extended event beginning with the rapture. 

Alan Kurschner: "The rapture, along with the resurrection, are the first events that will happen when Christ’s Parousia begins. Similarly, as the birth of Christ was the first event of his first Parousia, the rapture and resurrection will be the first events of the second Parousia."2 

Primarily the noun parousia refers to the coming of the Lord Jesus. It refers to Jesus coming to rapture (harpazó) His church following the great tribulation. (1 Corinthians 15:23; 1 Thessalonians 2:19; 5: 23; James 5:8; 1 John 2:28), and also to Armageddon. The context determines whether parousia refers to the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) or Armageddon. 

Brainard has taken it upon himself to redefine parousia by applying it exclusively to Armageddon. Brainard claims that the Greek word apantésis refers to the rapture and that parousia refers to Armageddon. 

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet (apantésis) the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Strongs: "ἀπάντησις: the act of meeting, to meet (a phrase seemingly almost technical for the reception of a newly arrived official)."3  Specific references to the rapture where parousia is applied are found in Matthew 24:27, 1 Corinthians 15:23, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:1. The word apantésis is found three times in the New Testament. (Matthew 25:6; Acts 28:15; 1 Thessalonians 4:17).  Brainard's misinformation is either staggeringly ignorant or staggeringly dishonest. To make matters worse, Tom Hughes unquestionably accepts and reinforces Brainard's false assertions. (1 John 4:1).

Brainard: "We talk in a pragmatic way about the Lord descending from heaven twice. The Bible gives us the typology of the Day of the Lord. It presents the rapture as the morning star of the day of the Lord, it presents the tribulation as the dawning of the day of the Lord, and it presents the second coming as the sunrise of the day of the Lord.."   

Matthew 24:29 and Revelation 6:12-17 give a specific time frame "after the tribulation" for the day of the Lord: Immediately after the tribulation of those days. (Matthew 24:19). 

The dawning of the day and the morning star 

2 Peter 1:19 gives interconnected metaphors of the dawn and the morning star. This correlates with the prewrath view that the parousia is an extended event beginning with the rapture rather than the disjointed pretrib view presented by Brainard.

And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. (2 Peter 1:19).  

Revelation 5  

Hughes "When we look at Revelation 5.. we have all these voices in heaven..  including those who have been redeemed from the earth, that's us.. pre the first seal.." (26:00 mark)  Where are "the redeemed" in this passage? Revelation 5 identifies the living creatures, the elders and the voice of many angels numbering myriads etc.  

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”
And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” (Revelation 5:11-13).

According to Brainard, those who miss the redeemed in Revelation 5 are "loose and sloppy". Brainard: "Basically they have to be loose and sloppy and ignore the clues in the passage. We see in Revelation 5:9 that the 24 elders are bought with the blood of Christ.. they are sitting on thrones and wearing their stephanos crowns.."

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:6-10). 

The book of Revelation is far too important to make careless assumptions. The twenty-four elders are often interpreted as representing the full number of the redeemed and glorified saints, symbolizing the culmination of God's redemptive plan and the exaltation of believers in the heavenly realm. However, there is no evidence that the entirety of the redeemed are present in this passage. Brainard argues that the "stephanos crowns" and "white robes" worn by the elders in Revelation 4:4 definitively identify them as the redeemed. The "stephanos crown" often, but not always, refers to a victor's crown. (Revelation 2:10,3:11). John also used the expression "stephanos crown" to describe a crown representing authority. (Revelation 6:2,9:7,12:1,14:14). White apparel is the characteristic dress of angels. (Matthew 28:3; Mark 16:5; John 20:12; Acts 1:10). Those who overcome will be dressed in white (leukois). (Revelation 3:5), and bright (lam-pros') linen is given to the bride of Christ in Revelation 19:8. Brainard's argument is inconclusive and by no means settles the matter. The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures perform identical roles i.e. both groups are holding golden bowls of incense (the prayers of the saints), and both groups sing the new song. The four living creatures are identified as angelic beings whereas the twenty-four elders are not identified. The identity and symbolism of the twenty-four elders have been the subject of much theological discussion and we would be wise not to be dogmatic about their identity. Interestingly, the diverse multitude from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages do not appear until Revelation 7:9. Far from being "loose and sloppy", prewrath scholars have been careful not to read anything into the passage that would distort its meaning. (Revelation 22:18-19). If we think we find a "hint" of something in a passage then we should seek to verify our theory with other scriptures. (1 John 4:1; Psalm 119:160). 

John 6:16-21 as a type of the rapture ?

When evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was already dark, and Jesus had not yet gone out to them. A strong wind was blowing, and the sea grew agitated.
When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the sea—and they were terrified. But Jesus spoke up: “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they were willing to take Him into the boat, and at once the boat reached the shore where they were heading. (John 6:16-21).

Brainard: "The disciples are instantaneously delivered from the storm.. The Lord instead of allowing them to go all the way through the storm comes to them at the beginning of the storm, they receive Him into the boat and they are immediately at the land where they went. This is a picture of the Lord coming to the church at the end of the church age and immediately when He connects with us we are going to be in glory. (38:00 mark) 

If this passage is a type of the rapture, then Brainard interprets it incorrectly. The Lord does not come to the disciples at the beginning of the storm.. It was dark, a strong wind was blowing, the sea grew agitated, they had rowed about three or four miles.. This passage would indicate the prewrath rapture, not pretrib. 

Apart from the theological bankruptcy of the pretrib view, there are many troubling concerns about the teachers/ministries who promote it. (1 Timothy 4:16). Researcher and author Dave MacPherson accused pretrib scholars of dishonesty on numerous occasions. MacPherson: "When I began my research in 1970 into the exact beginnings of the pretribulation rapture belief still held by many evangelicals, I assumed that the rapture debate involved only 'godly scholars with honest differences.' The paper you are now reading reveals why I gave up that assumption many years ago."4  In common with MacPherson, I have also given up on the idea that pretrib scholars have integrity. Below are some recent examples of pretrib dishonesty.

* Lee Brainard has recently denied the core pretrib doctrine of imminence.5

* Lee Brainard's unscrupulous research into the early Church Fathers.6
* Failed marriage counselor and spiritual abuser Jimmy Evans of Daystar infamy has "transitioned" out of XO Marriage and is now channeling his dubious skills into endtimes.com full-time. I have reported on the murky world of Jimmy Evans in previous posts. Evans' uptake of the name Endtimes Ministries is a usurpation of a completely different ministry called Endtime Ministries. Evans' subsequent unethical takeover of Endtime Ministries slot on Daystar is unsurprising given his previous ungodly behaviour.
* Mark Hitchcock is closely associated with Jimmy Evans and has recently endorsed him as an "expert".7
* Mark Hitchcock's recent claim that he has discovered "new evidence" of the pretrib rapture in Irenaeus is a regurgitation of old false claims.8
* Mark Hitchcock openly demonstrates his skewed priorities. He is more interested in promoting his new book coauthored with Jimmy Evans than in the scriptural command to separate from false teachers. (Matthew 6:24).8 

* Mark Hitchcock's "subscribers only" section of his YouTube channel is unbiblical. It is extremely problematic when YouTubers give "special privileges" to those who pay for "exclusive content". (Matthew 10:8; James 2:2-4).

* Prophecy Watchers give a platform to false teachers such as Jonathan Cahn who claims to be "prophetic", "Reverend" Donna Howell, Nephilim "expert" LA Marzulli, "prophecy expert" and speculator Bill Salus, and of course, disgraced spiritual abuser Jimmy Evans.9
* Jack Hibbs' shocking endorsement of NAR "apostolic leader" Che Ahn and his continued support of Daystar.9

* Prophecy Watchers are closely associated with Daystar.9
* Date setter JD Farag predicted that the rapture would occur before the 25th of September 2023.10
*  It is widely known that Don Stewart 'Educating Our World' is in an adulterous marriage. Stewart is a self-appointed "prophecy expert" who continues to churn out "prophecy updates" and is a regular guest of Tom Hughes 'Hope For Our Times'11 

* Tom Hughes' and his dubious guests present a constant barrage of newspaper eisegesis at the expense of sound biblical exegesis. 

* Andy Woods credibility issues! Alan Kurschner's strong rebuttal against Andy Woods' "lies" and "evasion of significant arguments" in 2018.12

* Paul Wilkinson's blatant revisionism of John Nelson Darby.13

Those who oppose the pretrib rapture are concerned for believers in the final generation. (Matthew 24:10). 

False doctrines always damage the church!

1. WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: Lee Brainard

2. The Second Coming (Parousia) Begins with the Rapture | ESCHATOS MINISTRIES
3. Strong's Greek: 529. ἀπάντησις (apantésis) -- Meeting, encounter
4.WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: PRETRIB RAPTURE DISHONESTY BY DAVE MACPHERSON
5. Pretribulation Lee Brainard REDEFINES Imminence to Mean Signs Must Happen Before the Rapture Replying to Audio Clips from Lee Brainard’s “Imminence Under Attack”
6. WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: Lee Brainard
7. WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: PRETRIB RAPTURE: MARK HITCHCOCK'S FAKE DISCOVERY AND ENDORSEMENT OF JIMMY EVANS!
8. Pre-Trib Proof! | Tipping Point with Jimmy Evans
9. WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: MICHAEL GRANT'S QUESTION: WHY ARE "GOOD" TEACHERS STAYING AT DAYSTAR?
10. WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: CRAZED CULT LEADER JD FARAG PREDICTS THE RAPTURE BEFORE 25TH SEPTEMBER 2023
11. Scattered Sheep: January 20, 2012 Show: My Perspective on Don Stewart
12. What Andy Woods Is Not Telling You about 'the Apostasy' in 2 Thess 2:3 - Ep. 121 | ESCHATOS MINISTRIES
13. WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: ANDY WOODS + PAUL WILKINSON: IS THE RAPTURE A SECONDARY ISSUE?

LEE BRAINARD DEMOLISHING THE PREWRATH RAPTURE - NOT!

 (348) Demolishing The Prewrath Rapture - YouTube

Lee Brainard: "Many folks today are rejecting the pretrib rapture and flocking to the prewrath rapture. The main argument for the prewrath rapture claims that the wrath of God and the tribulation are not the same, but rather that the wrath of God arrives during the tribulation, being heralded with the opening of the sixth seal and arriving with the first trumpet. Is this theory correct?"

The reason Lee Brainard keeps banging on about the pretribulation rapture is that his favourite false doctrine is failing and discerning Christians are rejecting it. (1 John 4:1). The pretrib rapture theory has troubled the church since the mid-19th century, and it presents a considerable threat to believers, especially those who will be alive during the 70th week of Daniel. There is no evidence that the early Fathers taught pretribulationism despite Brainard's best efforts to prove otherwise.1 I find increasingly that there is little to choose between NAR false prophets and pretrib "prophecy experts" who speculate and fail to rightly divide the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15). The pretrib camp are not doing the church any favours with their continual misapplication of Old Testament prophecies such as Psalm 83, Isaiah 17, Ezekiel 38 and Jeremiah 49. Although believers are instructed to "keep watch" (Matthew 24:42), some are cashing in on the current world situation by promoting questionable theories about end-time events. The speculators would not take such delight in anticipating the day of the Lord if they knew they would face the Antichrist! (Amos 5:18). False prophets make great boasts and wonderful promises, but ultimately their words lead to false hope and tragedy! (Jeremiah 23:16).     

Defining "the day of the Lord" in the scriptures.  

To clarify the prewrath position: The rapture and the day of the Lord are back-to-back events i.e. the day of the Lord begins on the same day as the rapture after the sixth seal is broken. Brainard's skewed perception of the prewrath view of "the day of the Lord" is incorrect. He claims, it is wrong to view the day of the Lord as "a static chunk of time" separated from the first five seals. Brainard: "It doesn't start small and get big it starts full-blown wrath and it ends full blown wrath." The day of the Lord is distinguished from the previous 70th-week catastrophes during the first four seals (i.e. war famine and death). After the seventh seal is broken there is a pause (Revelation 8:1), and God begins to pour out His wrath directly from heaven via the seven angels' trumpet and bowl judgements. There is a progression as each trumpet judgement unfolds. (Revelation 8:6-13; 9:1-20, 16:1-20).    

Brainard: "Okay we got a three-and-a-half-year tribulation and immediately at the end of that tribulation these signs in the heavens happen. If they happen after the tribulation, they can't happen during the tribulation. They're going to happen at the second coming. there's zero room here to squeeze in one day much less 6 months or a year. This tribulation comes to an end, the Lord descends from Heaven he takes the Antichrist the false prophet throws those foul beings into the Lake of Fire.. " (29:00 mark)

If we accept Brainard's pretrib view, it is impossible to reconcile Matthew 24:29 and Revelation 6:12-17. Furthermore, Brainard fails to take into account that the tribulation will be cut short. (Matthew 24:21-22). We must therefore conclude that the great tribulation ends immediately before, or coincides with, the sixth seal cosmic disturbances if we are to harmonize the scriptures. (2 Timothy 2:15).

Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. (Matthew 24:29).

When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slaved and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:12-17).

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. (Matthew 24:21-22).

The biblical pattern

The symbolism of the plagues of Egypt foreshadows "the day of the Lord". The day of the Lord is not a literal 24-hour day, it will be a period of unknown duration, lasting at least five months. (Revelation 9:5,10), when the Lord will bring ultimate judgement upon the world.

Alan Kurschner: "There is a biblical pattern where God supernaturally rescues his people just before he executes divine judgment upon the wicked. For example, this is memorably portrayed in the story of God’s plagues against Egypt, culminating in the deliverance of Israel from the hands of Pharaoh’s army that was ultimately destroyed in the Red Sea.. The day of the Lord is not a mere literal twenty-four day. It is the unified complex-whole of events starting with deliverance of the saints and followed by an undetermined period of judgment.2  

The locust plague in Joel 1:1-15 is viewed by the prophet as prefiguring the far worse calamity i.e. the day of the Lord. 

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown:"5. day of the Lord—(Joe 2:1, 11); that is, the day of His anger (Isa 13:9; Ob 15; Zep 1:7, 15). It will be a foretaste of the coming day of the Lord as Judge of all men, whence it receives the same name. Here the transition begins from the plague of locusts to the worse calamities (Joe 2:1-11) from invading armies about to come on Judea, of which the locusts were the prelude."3  

Who are the 24 elders?

Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. (Revelation 4:4).

Brainard's attempt to place the rapture before the opening of the first seal and his argument that the twenty-four elders are representative of the church is based on a single verse of scripture. However, there is no mention of "a great multitude" in Revelation 4 and 5, whereas "a great multitude" (the redeemed) appears in Revelation 7. 

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.. Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (Revelation 7:9,13-14).

Revelation 5:8-11 and different interpretations

And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying,“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:8-11). 

The KJV differs from the majority of versions bible versions: ..And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. 

Alan Kurschner argues for the third person as the correct interpretation of the ransomed, as against the first person in Revelation 5: 8-11. Instead of "made us a kingdom" and "we shall reign on the earth", according to Kurschner, the best and oldest manuscripts use the third person "them" and "they".4  If this interpretation is correct, the twenty-four elders are not included in the ransomed people of God. 

Kurschner's argument is confirmed by various commentaries:

Pulpit Commentary: "And didst redeem unto God by thy blood out of every kindred, etc. Though the reading 'us' is supported by various manuscripts, and similarly the first person is used in ver. 10. yet, on the whole, it seems better to omit it, the phrase being taken in a partitve sense - 'Thou didst redeem unto God by thy blood some out of every kindred, etc., and hast made them, etc., and they shall reign.'"5

Cambridge Bible: "us] Should be omitted. The elders probably represent the whole multitude of the redeemed, but they are not here said to belong to their number, and the living creatures certainly do not. The true reading is, 'Thou wast slain, and hast purchased to God by Thy Blood out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nations, and hast made them unto our God a kingdom and priests, and they [shall] reign upon the earth.'”5   

Brainard's argument that the twenty-four elders represent the church fails on a number of levels. As demonstrated above, the majority of bible versions differentiate between the twenty-four elders and the church. Furthermore the KJV describes the four living creatures as "redeemed". However, the four living creatures are angelic beings who are not part of the redeemed church. 

And when I saw the Lamb open the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind. The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?” (Revelation 6:12-17).

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to be easily disconcerted or alarmed by any spirit or message or letter seeming to be from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has already come. Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness—the son of destruction—is revealed. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).

     

1. WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: Lee Brainard (bewareofthewolves.blogspot.com)
2. The Day of the Lord Begins with the Rapture | ESCHATOS MINISTRIES (alankurschner.com)
3. Joel 1 Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary (biblehub.com)
4. Twenty Four Elders Archives | ESCHATOS MINISTRIES (alankurschner.com)
5. Revelation 5:9 Commentaries: And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. (biblehub.com)

THE EVIDENCE: NO PRE-TRIB RAPTURE IN PSEUDO EPHRAEM

I have printed Pseudo Ephraem (Ephrem//Ephraim) below in order to demonstrate that the pre-tribulation rapture cannot be found within this document.

Translated from the text in Edmund Beck, ed., Des heiligen Ephraem des Syrers Sermones III (CSCO 320; Louvain: Secrétariat du Corpus SCO, 1972), 60-71; see also 79-94 for Beck’s translation. The text is based on two manuscripts: (1) Codex Vaticanus Sir. 566, and (2) Codex Dublinensis (Trinity College) B 5.19. Editio princeps: Thomas Josephus Lamy, ed., Sancti Ephraem Syri Hymni et Sermones (4 vols.; Mechliniae: H. Dessain, 1882-1902), 3:187-212.

A discourse (memra) of the holy saint Ephrem, the Syrian teacher, concerning the end, (final) consummation, judgment, and punishment; on the people of Gog and Magog; and about the Antichrist.

O Son who by His grace humbled Himself

And who was pleased to make Himself a human being;

Who willingly experienced death

At the top of the wood(en cross) on Golgotha:

Grant me, my Lord, (the ability) to speak about

The struggles which will take place in the created order;

For peoples will fall upon each other

And nations will destroy one another,

Evil will fortify itself on the earth

And iniquity will increase throughout creation.

Righteous rulers will perish

And lawless ones will arise on the earth.

Then a judgment will arise,

And a weighing on the scale for those humans:

The side (containing) the wicked will sink down;

And that for the elect will rise up.

Then spiritual entities will go forth

And destroy the ends of the created order.

It will happen, my brethren, just as it is written:

A plague in a number of places,

And a famine will occur in the created order;

Terrible struggles and conflicts.

Dust will be saturated with blood;

The created order will be polluted from iniquity.

Regions will be ravaged,

And cities will be consumed by Sheol;

Nation will rise up against nation

And kingdom against kingdom.

Lawlessness will be sovereign on earth

And the defiled will pursue after the saints.

People will openly apostatize

And augment the left side;

The righteous ones will suffer indignities

From those who belong to the side of the sinners.

It is due to this, my beloved ones

That the final age has arrived.

Lo, we have observed the signs,

Just as Christ inscribed for us:

Rulers will arise, one against another;

There will be suffering on earth;

Nations will contend with nations

And armies will fall upon one another.

When the Nile, the river of Egypt,

Overflows (and) floods part of the land,

Certain regions will prepare themselves

Against the country of the Romans.

Nations will contend with nations,

And a kingdom with a kingdom.

They will depart, moving from one land to another;

Those Romans who are put to flight.

And the Assyrians will gain authority

Over the region of the Romans.

The fruit of their loins they will subjugate

And they will also ravish their women;

They will be sowing and also reaping

They will plant fruits in the ground;

They will acquire vast riches

And hoard treasures underground.

But just as the Nile, the river of Egypt

Recedes again from what it flooded;

So too will Assyria recede

Back to their own country.

For the Romans once again will be found

In their ancestral land (i.e., the Assyrians’).

Then evil will increase on the earth

And the land will be defiled with fornication.

The cry of the persecuted and the wretched

Will rise up to heaven.

Then a judgment will arise

To cast them out of the land.

The holy covenant will complain;

A cry will rise up to heaven.

A people will emerge from the wilderness,

The progeny of Hagar, the handmaid of Sarah;

Who hold fast to the covenant with Abraham,

The husband of Sarah and Hagar.

Set in motion, he (Ishmael) comes in the name of the ram,

The herald of the Son of Destruction.

A sign will appear in the heavens,

The one our Lord spoke of in His gospel:

Luminaries will shine among the stars

And the light of His face will gleam.

Rulers will quake and tremble;

The forces arrayed by them will fall.

The peoples of the earth will be terrified

When they behold the sign set in the heavens.

They will prepare for battle and come together,

All peoples and nationalities.

They will wage war there

And the ground will be drenched with blood.

The nations will suffer defeat there,

A marauding nation will prevail.

The marauders will fly over the landscape,

Across plains and over the peaks of mountains.

They will take women and children as captives,

Also men both elderly and young.

The best of the males will be destroyed;

The most desirable women will be removed.

With strong spears and lances

They will impale elderly men.

They will separate a son from his father,

A daughter from the side of her mother;

They will separate a brother from his brethren,

A sister from the side of her sisters.

They will slay the bridegroom in his bedroom

And expel the bride from her bridal chamber.

They will take a wife away from her husband,

And slaughter her as if she were a sheep;

They will cast an infant away from its mother

And drive the mother into captivity.

The child will scream out on the ground:

Its mother hears, but what can she do?

For it will be trampled by the hooves

Of horses, camels, and infantry!

She (tries to) turn toward it, (but) they will not allow her;

The child remains within the wild (?).

They separate children from their mother

As the soul (is separated) from the body.

She watches while they divide them up,

Her beloved ones (taken from) the embrace of her bosom;

Two of her children to two (different) masters,

Her own self to still another master;

She has been allocated, and her children with her;

For they are now slaves to robbers.

Her children cry out with laments,

Their eyes burning with tears;

She turns toward her beloved ones,

The milk flowing forth from her breast:

‘Farewell, my beloved ones!

May God go with you!

The one who accompanied Joseph

In (his) servitude among foreigners:

May He accompany you, my children

Into the captivity where you are going!’

‘Farewell, our mother!

May God go with you!

The one who accompanied Sarah

Into the palace of Abimelech the Gadarite:

May He accompany your own self

Until the Day of Resurrection!’

The son will stand and watch while his father

Is sold into slavery.

The eyes of both of them will burn with tears

While they groan, one in front of the other.

A brother will watch while his brother

Is killed and cast down on the ground,

Whereas he they drive off into captivity

In order to serve among foreigners as a slave.

They even put to death mothers

Who are holding their children to their breasts.

Bitter is the sound of the infants

Who are groaning to satisfy their desire (for milk).

They will prepare roads in the mountains,

Highways in the middle of the plains;

They will maraud until the very ends of the created order.

They will establish rule over the urban centers.

The provinces will suffer destruction,

And they will multiply corpses on the earth.

All peoples will be brought low

Before the marauder nation.

And once the peoples have endured much on earth

And hope that now peace has arrived,

They (the Ishmaelites) start exacting tribute

And everyone will be fearful of them.

Lawlessness will intensify on the earth

And even obscure the clouds;

Wickedness will enclose the created order

And waft up like smoke to the heavens.

Then since wickedness will be rampant upon the earth,

The Lord’s wrath will then stir up

Kings and mighty armies.

For when He seeks to expunge it from earth,

He sends out humans against humans

To annihilate one another.

Truly at that time He will summon

The kings and mighty armies

Who are behind those gates

Which Alexander fashioned.

Many rulers and peoples

Remain behind the gates.

They look toward heaven

And call on the name of God,

That the Lord send His sign

From within His heaven of glory

And the Divine Voice

Summon them who are by those gates;

So that they suddenly break down and collapse

At the command of the Divinity.

Numerous armies issue forth,

As many as the stars which cannot be counted.

As multitudinous as the sand by the sea,

And exceeding (the number of) the stars in the sky.

A full span was consumed

From the lower crossbar;

And from the upper crossbar

Another full span was consumed

On account of the great quantity of their sharp spears

With which they lacerated it. They issued forth,

Moving, spilling forth from there;

Kings and large armies

And every people and language group

Emerging from (behind) those gates.

Gog and Magog and Nūl and Agag,

Kings and mighty armies!

Togarmah and Ashkenaz and Daypar,

Pūìayē with Lūbayē.

Amzartayē and Garmēdō‘,

Talab with helmet-covered heads,

Azmurtayē and Kūshayē,

Hunayē and Parzayē,

Diqlayē and Tūbalayē,

Mūshkayē with Kūshayē.

Allied to and coming with them

Were both the Medes and the Persians,

Armenians and Turks

And Namrūhayē and Mūshhayē;

The descendants of Ke’wan and Serug;

The progeny of Yaqtan and the Mahūnayē;

Numerous armies and nations

Whose number cannot be calculated.

They will burst forth and flood the earth,

Shaking the walls of the created order.

A dust cloud will rise up over the earth,

Obscuring the sun above

And covering creation

With clouds and dark fogs,

In accordance with what Ezekiel prophesied,

The son of Buzi in his prophecy.

For when the Huns come forth

To wage war and to do battle,

They will take hold of pregnant women

And heap fire on top of them;

They will come closer and mutter incantations over them,

While roasting their children inside them!

Splitting them open, they extract their fetuses

When they are finished cooking inside of them.

They draw near: then place them in basins,

And pour water over them

And dissolve their corpses there

In those enchanted waters.

They immediately take their swords

And their bows with their spears

And dip them in those waters

For their arrows and their weapons.

Every weapon to which are applied

Those magical potions

Appears as if there are hundreds, even thousands

Of cavalrymen who wield them.

Moreover those hundreds of horsemen

Who set out (and) traverse the whole of the earth

Appear as if they are accompanied

By six thousand myriads.

If one of them should fall off during battle

While engaging in the fight,

Wherever he extends his hand

Suddenly a knife emerges!

They eat the flesh of children

And also drink the blood of women.

Clothed in tanned skins,

They mount the winds and tempests;

And rapidly, in the blink of an eye,

They lay waste to cities,

Topple their walls to the ground,

And destroy the strong citadels.

Moving quickly, they bind the swift

And slaughter the vigorous men.

They are quicker in motion

Than winds and tempests.

Whenever news of them is heard on earth (to wit)

‘The Huns have set out (and) are coming!’

They blanket the whole of creation.

Because they are sorcerers,

They fly between heaven and earth.

Their chariots are like the winds,

And their swords and their lances

Are like terrifying bolts of lightning.

Holding straps in their hands

And two or three horses,

Each one of them leads with him

Some fifty or sixty men,

Traveling behind and in front of him

Like winds and tempests.

The sound of the battle-cry of just one of them

Is like the roaring of lions.

Indeed dread of the Huns

Will overpower the entire earth;

They will cover the whole earth

Like the waters during the days of Noah,

And they will overwhelm the edges of the created order:

There is no one who can withstand them.

These are the ‘numerous peoples’

About whom Ezekiel spoke

Who will cover the whole earth

As if they were clouds.

‘Fish will shudder before them,

(As will) the birds of the sky

And wild beasts and vermin of the earth

And every species in creation;

High mountains will be thrust down

And fortified towers will collapse,

Even the walls of the cities.’

On the earth will be a wasteland.

For Ezekiel has prophesied

That it will come to pass in the End of Days:

They will burst out (and) come up from the land

And cover the created order;

Gog and Magog will prepare itself

And arrive at the ‘hill country of Israel.’

Between the sea and Jerusalem

He will place his encampment.

Riders will fly off, descending

Upon Egypt and opposite India;

Leading away so many captives they cannot be numbered.

People and riches,

Cattle and property

Which have now become his prey.

Then Righteousness will summon

Michael, the one who is leader of the host,

To come down (and) destroy his encampment

Just as (he destroyed) the encampment of Sennacherib.

The angel, receiving the command, will draw

The terrible and powerful sword,

And departing, he will destroy his force

In the twinkling of an eye!

Righteousness will pick up and hurl

Stones of fire upon the encampment.

The slain on the ground will be as numerous

As the (particles of) sand which cannot be counted;

People and pack-animals will perish,

The entire encampment will be consumed.

The blaze will extend

Unto the sea and to the islands.

The bow will swerve from the hands

Of Gog, the wicked ruler;

Also his arrows (will drop) from his left hand:

His entire encampment will be consumed.

The inhabitants of Judaea will go out

And loot his whole encampment.

They will collect and pick up armament:

Lances, arrows, and bows.

For seven years within a fire

They will burn them, as it is written:

‘They will not need to gather

Wood from the field or thickets.’

Seven years they will throw in the fire

Shields and clubs,

Arrows, spears, and bows.

They will prove sufficient for fueling the fire for seven years.

Then the Lord will bring in His peace,

Which attests His glorification among the heavens.

And once more the empire of the Romans

Will spring up and flourish in its place.

It will possess the earth and its extremities,

And no one will exist who opposes it.

And when iniquity has become rife on earth

And has polluted the whole of creation,

Then a judgment will arise

Which will entirely obliterate the people.

The Son of Destruction, the Evil One,

Will emerge and come upon the earth.

A deceiver of humanity,

An instigator of trouble over the whole earth.

On the day when he comes to it,

(when) the Son of Destruction arrives on earth,

The created order will be thrown into commotion,

And terror will engulf the earth.

The sun will become dark in its place,

And the stars will fall from the height;

All the luminaries will be quenched,

Darkness will cover the created order.

The earth with its inhabitants will shake,

And mountains and heights will quake;

Springs and fountains will dry up,

And the waves in the sea will abate

And the fish therein grow still.

Rulers will stop rendering judgment

And priests will tremble in the sanctuary

And military power will collapse.

Confusion will be on the earth

And all human powers will be paralyzed,

For the Evil One will be ready.

He will come to and enter Jerusalem.

He will rebuild and establish himself in Zion,

And will make himself to be God

And enter into the sanctuary to take a seat

In accordance with what the Apostle wrote to us.

The Jews will take pride in him;

They will prepare themselves and come to him.

And he moreover will blaspheme when he says:

‘I, even I, am the Father and the Son!

The First and the Last!

There is no other god apart from me!’

But at that time ten thousand Jews will denounce him:

They will answer him in truth:

‘You are a deceiver for (all) creatures!

For the one whom our ancestors restrained

At the top of the wood(en cross) on Golgotha

Is (actually) the redeemer of (all) creatures,

And he was raised up to the One Who sent him!’

Then the Evil One will be enraged

And he will issue a command regarding those who denounced him

That they should immediately die by the sword,

And everyone will be too afraid to renounce him.

Then he will begin to display

Wonders through deception

In the heavens and on the earth,

Within the sea and on the dry land.

He will summon the rain and it will fall;

He will command the seed and it will sprout

However he will not actually perform (miracles);

He will be employing magic.

He will command the waves and they will cease,

And the winds will be obedient to him.

He will suspend fruits on the trees

And cause water to gush from the ground.

He will address the leprous and they will become clean,

(Speak to) the blind, and they will see light,

He will call to the deaf and they will hear him,

(Address) even the mute and they will speak.

He will effect all the wonders

Which Our Lord performed within the created order,

Except that he will not be able to resurrect the dead,

For he will not have authority over (the) spirits (of the dead).

Lightening-flashes will be his messengers,

And are the sign of his advent;

Demons are his armies

And the commanders of the devils are his pupils;

He will dispatch the heads of his legions

To distant lands

Where they will display marvelous powers and healings

And mislead the whole of creation.

Behold, the Apostle has penned a warning for us

In his epistle to the Thessalonians:

‘Let no word or no letter

Trouble you that is not from us.

For the rebellion comes first,

Also the Man of Sin

And he will exalt himself over God,

Making himself to be God.’

And when the Accursed One comes

And displays his mighty works and wonders,

The nations will gather together and come

As (if) they were going to see God.

Groups and nations will join him,

And every person will renounce their deity;

Everyone will say of him to their fellow

That they should acknowledge him, the Son of Destruction!

Peoples will fall upon one another,

Slaying each other with swords.

The elect will flee from his presence

To the peaks of mountains and hills,

And there will be calamity on earth

Unlike any that came before.

Fear will fall upon all people

And they will be overcome with terror.

Children will renounce their father

And follow after the Evil One;

Priests will abandon their altars

To serve as his heralds.

People will flee to cemeteries

And hide themselves among the dead,

Pronouncing the good fortune of the deceased

Who had avoided the calamity:

‘Blessed are you for you were borne away (to the grave)

And hence you escaped from the afflictions!

But as for us, woe is us! For when we die,

Vultures will serve as escort for us!’

And if the days of that time were not shortened,

The elect would never survive

The calamities and afflictions.

For Our Lord revealed (and) disclosed to us

In his Gospel when He said:

‘Those days will be shortened

For the sake of the elect and the saints.’

And when he has harassed the whole of creation,

(When) the Son of Destruction (has bent it) to his will,

Enoch and Elijah will be sent

That they might persuade the Evil One.

With a gentle question

The saints will come before him,

In order to expose the Son of Destruction

Before the assemblies surrounding him:

‘If you are indeed God,

Tell us what we ask of you:

Where is the place that you have hidden

The elders Elijah and Enoch?’

The Evil One will respond and say

To the saints at that time:

‘When I wish (it), they are in the height(s),

Or again should I choose, they are within the sea;

For I have authority over habitations,

Since there is no other god apart from me

And I can make anything

On earth (and) also in heaven!’

They will answer

The Son of Destruction as follows:

‘If you are truly God,

Call out to the deceased so that they will rise!

For it is written within the books

Of the prophets and the apostles

That when the Messiah reveals Himself,

He will resurrect the dead from the graves.

If you cannot show us this (sign),

Then the One who was crucified is greater than you!

For he roused and resurrected those who were dead,

And was exalted in great splendor.’

Then the Evil One will become enraged

With the saints at that time;

He will draw his terrible sword

And sever the necks of the righteous ones.

But Gabriel will arise (and) descend

(With) Michael (as) military commanders;

They will resurrect those saints

While the Evil One stands confused with his servants.

They will approach and seize that Accursed One

And the Lord will rebuke (him) from heaven;

Then He will destroy the Accursed One

And all of his forces.

Angels will suddenly approach

And cast him into Gehenna,

And all of those who believed in him

Will be thrust into the flame(s).

Then the Lord will come from above

In splendor and with a company of His angels,

And between earth and heaven

A throne-chariot will be fixed there.

He will admonish the sea and it will dry up;

The fish within it will perish.

He will dissolve the heavens and the earth,

And there will be (only) darkness and gloom.

He will dispatch fire upon the earth,

And it will burn there for forty <days>

Purifying it of iniquity

And of pollution and of sins.

A great throne will be adorned

And the Son will be seated on the right;

Seats will be positioned

For the twelve apostles of the Son;

And couches will be decorated for the martyrs

And a royal chamber for the righteous ones.

The Watchers will blow trumpets

And the dead will arise from the dust;

Fiery entities will suddenly go forth

And assemble all the descendants of Adam.

They will gather the wheat in a storehouse

And throw the straw into the fire;

The good will go forth into the Kingdom,

And the bad will remain in Gehenna;

The righteous will fly up to the height,

And the sinners will burn in fire.

The martyrs will float to the couch;

The wicked will go out into darkness.

And Christ will reign forever,

He will be sovereign over each generation.

To Him be the glory, and His mercy is over us

For all time, amen, amen!

Finis

John C. Reeves | Pseudo-Ephrem (Syriac) (charlotte.edu)

LEE BRAINARD'S APPALLING DISTORTION OF IRENAEUS!

(3) Explosive Pretrib Info — Irenaeus Was Pretrib — Irenaeus Linked to the Apostles - YouTube

The pre-trib rapture is a modern fiction that was introduced by deranged cult leader John Nelson Darby in the 19th century. The claim of a pre-trib rapture taught by the early Church Fathers was well and truly debunked when Thomas Ice and his associates tried to foist this falsehood onto the church some years ago. There is no trace of a pre-trib rapture either in the scriptures or in any documents prior to 1830. 

Lee Brainard refers to Irenaeus as "ground zero" for the patristic rapture debate for two reasons. (1) Irenaeus was the earliest Church Father to write extensively on eschatology; (2 ) His close proximity to the apostles' teaching via Polycarp who“was instructed by the apostles, and was brought into contact with many who had seen Christ.” {1} 

It is reprehensible that Brainard should continue to recycle previously debunked pre-trib arguments under the guise of doing "original research".

Against Heresies 5:29:1 And therefore, when in the end the Church shall be suddenly caught up from this, it is said, There shall be tribulation such as has not been since the beginning, neither shall be. Matthew 24:21 For this is the last contest of the righteous, in which, when they overcome they are crowned with incorruption. {2}

Brainard's argument summarised: "..the Church shall be suddenly caught up" precedes the phrase "there shall be tribulation". Brainard takes this wording as evidence for a pre-trib rapture without reference to context, or to Irenaeus' previous or subsequent assertions that support a post-trib rapture. As I have pointed out in a previous post, Brainard is simply recycling an old pre-trib argument by John Hart which was debunked by Alan Kurschner in 2019. Hart (and now Brainard) have misrepresented Irenaeus by taking a small portion of his writings entirely out of context. I recommend that those who are troubled by Brainard's pseudo-technical argument read Kurschner's article.

Kurschner: "In Hart’s proof text, I noticed that he conveniently omits the very next statement, where Irenaeus states: “For this is the last contest of the righteous, in which, when they overcome they are crowned with incorruption” (5.29.1).
Irenaeus states that the church will be caught up 'from this,' which he identifies as the great tribulation (cf. Matt 24:21, 31). So the question then is does 'from this' mean from before it happens or from as it is happening? Pretribs assume without any evidence that it means before it happens. But the statement that Hart carelessly omits constrains the meaning, which identifies “from this” with the period of great tribulation that the righteous will experience: 'For this is the last contest of the righteous, in which, when they overcome they are crowned with incorruption [resurrection].' Irenaeus is therefore linking 'the last contest of the righteous' with the period of great tribulation." {3}

Below are three significant passages from Against Heresies that refute Irenaeus' alleged support of the pre-trib rapture. 

 

Against Heresies 5.26.1 And they [the ten kings who shall arise] shall lay Babylon waste, and burn her with fire, and shall give their kingdom to the beast, and put the Church to flight. {4}

Against Heresies 5.30.3-4 It is therefore more certain, and less hazardous, to await the fulfillment of the prophecy [2 Thessalonians 4:1-12], than to be making surmises, and casting about for any names that may present themselves, inasmuch as many names can be found possessing the number mentioned; and the same question will, after all, remain unsolved..   But he (Pau1) indicates the number of the name now, that when this man [the Antichrist] comes we may avoid him, being aware who he is: the name, however, is suppressed, because it is not worthy of being proclaimed by the Holy Spirit. {5}

Note that Irenaeus includes himself in the number of those preparing to identify the Antichrist. 

Against Heresies 5.35.1 For all these and other words were unquestionably spoken in reference to the resurrection of the just, which takes place after the coming of Antichrist, and the destruction of all nations under his rule; in [the times of] which [resurrection] the righteous shall reign in the earth, waxing stronger by the sight of the Lord: and through Him they shall become accustomed to partake in the glory of God the Father, and shall enjoy in the kingdom intercourse and communion with the holy angels, and union with spiritual beings; and [with respect to] those whom the Lord shall find in the flesh, awaiting Him from heaven, and who have suffered tribulation, as well as escaped the hands of the Wicked one. {6} 

Brainard's abysmal incompetence 

Against Heresies 5.25.4  And towards the end of their kingdom a king of a most fierce countenance shall arise, one understanding [dark] questions, and exceedingly powerful, full of wonders; and he shall corrupt, direct, influence (faciet), and put strong men down, the holy people likewise; and his yoke shall be directed as a wreath [round their neck]; deceit shall be in his hand, and he shall be lifted up in his heart: he shall also ruin many by deceit, and lead many to perdition, bruising them in his hand like eggs. Daniel 8:23 etc. And then he points out the time that his tyranny shall last, during which the saints shall be put to flight, they who offer a pure sacrifice unto God: And in the midst of the week, he says, the sacrifice and the libation shall be taken away, and the abomination of desolation [shall be brought] into the temple: even unto the consummation of the time shall the desolation be complete. Daniel 9:27 Now three years and six months constitute the half-week.

Brainard: "The tribulation saints are those who offer acceptable sacrifice to God, and the sacrifices here are associated with the temple service. The temple service here is regarded as a true or a pure sacrifice."  Brainard assumes that the Law of Moses has been reinstated during the 70th week of Daniel and that the temple sacrifices carried out by the Jews are "God honoured". This is heresy! We should take into account that the temple sacrifices are reinstated following the "covenant with many" between the Antichrist and Israel (and others?). Just as the animal sacrifices offered by Orthodox Jews are invalid at the present time, they will be equally invalid during the 70th week of Daniel. No other sacrifice is acceptable to God other than the sacrifice of Jesus Christ once for all.. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:26).

Revelation 11:1-2 - Brainard's flawed proof text that "God accepts the temple and those that worship in it."  

Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” (Revelation 11:1-3). 

The timeframe and context of Revelation 11:1-14 does not allow for Brainard's conjecture that "God accepts the temple and those that worship in it". The two witnesses will minister during the second half of the seventieth week i.e. forty-two months/1,260 days, when sacrifice and offering have ceased. (Daniel 9:27 cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:4). The parenthetical section from Revelation 10:1-11:14 refers to an interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpet judgements when the seventh seal is broken. (Revelation 8:1). Brainard himself recognizes that the time frame of the two witnesses refers to the second half of the seventieth week, otherwise known as the great tribulation. {7} Revelation 11:1 alludes to the millennial temple. (Ezekiel 40:3,6 cf. Zechariah 2:1, Amos 7:7-9). 

The obvious way to understand Against Heresies 5.25.4: And then he points out the time that his tyranny shall last, during which the saints shall be put to flight, they who offer a pure sacrifice unto God: And in the midst of the week, he says, the sacrifice and the libation shall be taken away.. "the saints" i.e. the church is referred to as they who offer a pure sacrifice unto God, not the Jews offering sacrifices in the temple during the first half of the 70th week. This interpretation agrees with the teaching of Jesus Christ: “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. (Matthew 24:20-22).

There is a terrible irony in Brainard's distortion of Irenaeus, who was at pains to defend the faith against heresy! Not only do pre-trib teachers twist the scriptures, they also have no qualms about twisting the words of the Church Fathers. (Acts 20:29; Revelation 22:18-19).

 

Every single Church Father who wrote on this subject taught that the church would face the Antichrist. 

Recommended: 7 Pretrib Problems and the Prewrath Rapture

1. CHURCH FATHERS: Against Heresies, III.3 (St. Irenaeus) (newadvent.org)
2. CHURCH FATHERS: Against Heresies, V.29 (St. Irenaeus) (newadvent.org)
3. Irenaeus Taught that the Church Would Face the Antichrist | ESCHATOS MINISTRIES (alankurschner.com
4. CHURCH FATHERS: Against Heresies, V.26 (St. Irenaeus) (newadvent.org)
5. CHURCH FATHERS: Against Heresies, V.30 (St. Irenaeus) (newadvent.org)
6. CHURCH FATHERS: Against Heresies, V.35 (St. Irenaeus) (newadvent.org)
7. The Two Witnesses: When? - Soothkeep