Within the last thirty-five years or so a new view of the timing of the Rapture has become popular. This view, called the Pre-Wrath view, was first taught by Robert Van Kampen in the 1970's. In the early 1990s Marvin J. Rosenthal published the book “The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church” which popularized the Pre-Wrath Rapture view. Today this is accepted by many evangelicals who were once Pre-Tribulationalists. The basic difference is that the Pre-Tribulational view places the Rapture before the coming seven-year Tribulation, ‘Daniel's 70th Week’ (cf. Dan. 9:27).

The Pre-Wrath view places the Rapture of believers as occurring sometime during the middle of the Tribulation. It concludes that believers, of this present “the dispensation of the grace of God,” will have to experience the beginning years of the Tribulation, but be Raptured before God pours out His “wrath” upon the earth. This is the reason for the title, “Pre-Wrath Rapture.”

This view has several major flaws because the fact is that “the Church, which is His body” will not go through any part of the Tribulation. This isn’t saying, we will not suffer the usual calamities that come upon men of all ages. The “Pre-Wrath Rapture” folks teach that God’s “wrath” is not poured out during the first three and a half years of the Tribulation. Most of them believe the Rapture will occur only before “the Lamb of God” opens of the sixth seal (Rev. 6:12). The timeline of the Revelation’s events, below, clearly refutes this with the “seal” judgments being opened early in the Revelation events, releasing ‘the Four Horsemen’ of the Apocalypse.

                                                      <<< 7 years of Judgments >>>                  

        Church Raptured                                                                                         The2^nd  Coming                                         
        Beginning <<---    3 ½ years                    -->>l<<----  3 ½ years    --->> Ending
                         |_____________________________________________________|
                         The Seals                             The Trumpets            The Bowls
                         Rev. 6:17-8:60                     Rev. 8:7-9:21           Rev. 16:1-21

Christians of the current dispensation of the Church’s grace age will not go through the Tribulation. They will be “caught up” (the Latin, word is ‘rapere,’ meaning ‘Raptured’) to heaven before the seven years of God's judgment on the earth, and forever be with the Lord to dwelling “eternal in the heavens” (2Cor. 5:1b). The Biblical view of the Pre-Tribulationalists is that the whole of the seven years is called the period of “Tribulation,” “Daniel's 70th Week,” the “Time of Jacob's trouble,” a period of end-time judgements.

His “vengeance” appears in a series of three (3) judgments upon the earth, which will end with His Second Coming;

1. the Seven Seal Judgment include the ‘4 Horseman of the Apocalypse’ (Rev. 6:7-8). The seventh Seal judgment prompts;
2. the Seven angelic Trumpeters with their Judgements, who in turn prompt
3. the Seven Bowl [or Vial] Judgments and more cataclysmic events;

The Pre-Wrath view assumes that the Bible does not teach that the pouring out of God's wrath occurs during the whole seven years of the Tribulation, but that the out-pouring of God's “wrath” only occurs at the middle or after the first three and a half years.

But the Book of Revelation reveals that the “wrath” of God on earth begin at the start of the seven-year Tribulation period with the “Seal” Judgments as seen in Rev. 6:17, 8:1-60. They are followed by the seven “Trumpet” Judgments (Rev. 8:7-9:21, 11:15-19) and the subsequent and final “Bowl” (Vial) Judgments (Rev. 16:1-21). After all, who do you think is permitting these first Seal judgments being poured out? Isn’t our Lord over the whole 7-year Tribulation period?

As each judgment is released upon the earth they grow in intensity and they are increasingly more devastating. The last 3 1/2 yrs. of the Tribulation will be the worst and referred to as “the Great Tribulation” (Matt. 24:21). The 7-year Tribulation period is indicated here in the prophecy of Daniel and elsewhere.

We should note that Tribulation begins with the Antichrist “confirms” (signs) a 7-year covenant to protect Israel from here enemies. Today we see the threat Israel faces and we can imagine the consequences if the USA largely abandon’s Israel along with the rest of the world.

“he [Antichrist] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [7 yrs.]:in the midst of the week [3-1/2 yrs.] he [Antichrist] shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the [sake of the ] overspreading of abominations he shall make desolate [empty the temple], even [that is] until the consummation [the end of the age], and [until] that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” (Dan. 9:27)

In “the midst (middle)” of the 7 years the Antichrist will ‘break his covenant’ with Israel and declare himself to be god, sitting in the newly rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem. He will have come to Israel to supposedly rescue her from the threats of nations assembling against Israel, a pretense in accord with the covenant signed 3-1/2 years earlier. He will then be worst of the Anti-Semite and also proceed to enslave nearly the whole world.