The Rapture: The Corrie ten Boom Trump Card (#4)
The Day of the Lord
According to Prach’s timeline of the Day of the Lord, God’s wrath begins with the seventh seal and continues throughout the seven trumpets and seven bowls judgments, plus the 30 days reclamation period of Daniel 12:11. It is rather interesting to see that Prasch denotes the seventh seal as the precursor to or the initiator of The Day of the Lord. It immediately evidences Prasch’s admission that Jesus Christ is the only ONE worthy to open the seven seals, and, therefore, is the only worthy INITIATOR of everything that transpires during the 70th week of Daniel, also known as Jacob’s (Israel’s) Trouble.
If He is the Author of God’s wrath when He opens the 7th seal, He must also be the Author of the things that are going to occur between the 1st and 6th seals, i.e. the judgments of God upon the earth via the Antichrist and Satan. Neither one of the latter initiates the events between the 1st and 6th seals and therefore cannot be seen as the wrath of Antichrist or the wrath of Satan. The entire extent of the seven-year tribulation (Jacob’s Trouble) is God’s judgments (wrath). How do we know this? An Old Testament prophecy confirms this in no uncertain terms.
Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. (Isaiah 26:8-9).
The phrase “the inhabitants of the world (earth)” appear numerous times in the Old Testament and only once in the New (Revelation 17:2) which seems to indicate that God’s judgments will be poured out on his peculiar people, the Jews of whom a small remnant is going to inherit the earth when God establishes the new heavens and the new earth.
The intent of His judgments (wrath) will be to teach them righteousness and to reveal Himself to them one more final time as the only ONE who can allot righteousness (salvation) to the penitent and contrite in heart. The word κατοικέω katoikeō means to dwell, reside, inhabit permanently. Nowhere in the entire Bible is the Bride of Christ, who includes mostly Gentile believers, called “permanent dwellers or inhabitants of the earth.” (John 14:2-3).
Many years ago, during one of his visits to South Africa, I heard Prasch say that Joseph, a type of Jesus Christ, first sent out the Egyptian Gentiles before he revealed himself to his brothers (Genesis 45:1). In the same way, Jesus Christ is going to reveal Himself to his brethren, the Jews, as soon as He has taken the Gentile believers (Bride of Christ) out of the way (Pretribulation Rapture). No wonder the entire seven-year tribulation is called Jacob’s Trouble (Tribulation). (Jeremiah 30:7).
In his efforts to refute a Pretribulation Rapture, Jacob Prasch coined the phrase “wrath of Satan” which he says the devil will unleash on the present-day saints who are still going to be alive on earth at that time and enter into the seven-year tribulation period between the 4th and 6th seals. The phrase “wrath of Satan” appears only once in the Bible. The only place where Satan’s wrath is mentioned is in Revelation 12:12 which Prasch terms the “wrath of Satan.”
He seems to be uncertain where to place the wrath of Satan and the wrath of God on his timeline. If the wrath of Satan (Revelation 12:12) falls within the scope of God’s wrath (Seven Trumpets and Seven Bowls judgments and thereafter, which indeed it actually does, according to Revelation 12:12, it follows that Satan’s wrath will be unleashed with God’s permissible will.
What then prevents Him from exercising his permissible will and being the sole INITIATOR of Satan’s wrath between the 4th and 6th seals, effectively rendering it the wrath of God and not the wrath of Satan? In fact, Prasch inserts Revelation 12:12 (Satan’s wrath) before God’s wrath (Revelation 6:16-17). One would have thought that it might be more appropriate for the number 12 to follow 6 instead of the other way around unless Revelation is not written in chronological order.
Now, here’s the point: If the period between the 4th and 6th seals, which Prasch calls Satan’s wrath (Revelation 12:12), is actually God’s wrath, then we must place the Rapture before the 4th seal because God promised that the saints would not bear the bane of His wrath. (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9; Revelation 3:10). Moreover, if God permits Satan to vent his wrath between the 4th and 6th seals, we may safely assume that He will also be the sole INITIATOR permitting Antichrist, completely indwelt by Satan, to unleash his wrath (Daniel 8:25), which, of course, it would again render it God’s wrath and not Satan’s or Antichrist’s wrath.
At any rate, the consistent series of judgments in sevens during the seven-year tribulation proves that the entire scope of the seven years is God’s wrath, and not partly Antichrist’s or Satan’s wrath. The number seven is God’s number and is never applied to Satan or man. Thus, it is impossible to refute a Pretribulation Rapture. It must of necessity take place before the seven-year tribulation, unless anyone, including Jacob Prasch, Joe Schimmel, John Haller and Scott Pruitt, dare to make God a liar, turn a simple math equation on its head and make 666 equal to seven, and consequently cast God’s promise in Revelation 3 to the wind —
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (Revelation 3:10).
They are all right including Corrie Ten Boom
In a comment posted by Lisa who is an ardent fan of Jacob Prasch, she wrote the following:
The problem with your article is the beginning premise is wrong. God’s wrath is NOT the entire seven years of tribulation. God’s wrath on mankind is only the last seven bowls He pours out on the beast kingdom. The rest of the tribulation is man’s wrath on man. Jacob Prasch and John Haller are right and so was Corrie Ten Boom.
In my reply I responded as follows:
Lisa
Who opens the very first seal? Are you suggesting that Jesus Christ is not God and the ONLY ONE worthy to open the seals? The very first seal presents the coming of Antichrist. (Revelation 6:1-2). God’s wrath was often in the form of Him granting Israel what they wanted. There are several examples in Scripture which I refuse to mention to you because you can look it up for yourself. Prasch, a Jew, should know this. I am not a spoon feeder. Jesus precipitated his “giving-what-they-wanted-kind-of-wrath” when He said: “I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. (John 5:43). He was referring to Antichrist whom He alone is worthy to release on the world scene when He opens the first seal.
Answer me this: Will the Antichrist be able to appear on the world scene if Jesus Christ did NOT open the first of the seven seals? The number seven alone in the “seven seals,” “seven trumpets” and “seven bowls” prove that the entire scope of the seven-year tribulation is GOD’s wrath. Hopefully you know and understand that the number seven is God’s number. Or do you also, like Prasch and his cohorts, believe that 666 equals 7 when they say that the first part of the seven years is Antichrist’s and Satan’s wrath and not God’s wrath?
God’s Wrath: “Give Them What They Want”
God often vented his wrath by granting what Israel wanted. Here are a few examples.
And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day. Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city. (1 Samuel 8:1-22).
Here’s another telling example of how God vented his wrath in giving his people what they wanted.
We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly. Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea. Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known. He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness. And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left. Then believed they his words; they sang his praise. They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel: But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul. (Psalm 106:6-15)
The above passage alludes to Numbers 11 when Israel murmured against God and requested Him to give them meat to eat.
And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey on this side, and as it were a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth. And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague. And he called the name of that place Kibrothhattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted. (Numbers 11:31-34).
The time has come when Israel will again want a king to rule over them as in the days of the prophet Samuel because they rejected God (Jesus Christ) as their King (1 Samuel 8:7). God is going to grant them their wish once more when He opens the first seal. It won’t be a blessing but a curse unto them when God pours out his righteous wrath. (Daniel 8:25; Isaiah 26:8-9).
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