|
Welcome to
the September, 2007, edition of Strong Tower Publishing's
e-newsletter.
IN THIS ISSUE:
* Previous Newsletters Archive Now Available
* New Prewrath Churches & Bible College Added
* Prewrath as the Unifying View of Prophecy, by Cameron Fultz
* Responses to Reader Questions
* “If You Only Watch One Movie This Year,” by Dave Bussard
* Zero Inventory Promotion Extended
PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS ARCHIVE NOW AVAILABLE
Strong Tower Publishing has been publishing its irregular
e-newsletter since 2005. If you'd like to revisit old
newsletters or view newsletters you may have missed, all of the
old newsletters are now available in the E-Newsletter Archive on
the Strong Tower Publishing website at
www.strongtowerpublishing.com/newsletter_archive.com.
NEW PREWRATH CHURCHES ADDED TO THE LIST
Grace Church/Harvest Bible Chapel
15020 Stanton
West Olive, MI 49460
(616) 786-2233
Pastor Ken Gentzler
www.gracehbc.org
grace@gracehbc.org
Iglesia Bautista de North Miami
15395 North Miami Avenue
Miami, Florida 33169
(305) 949-7235
Pastor Jose I. Pereda
Beverly Manor Missionary Baptist Church
209 Vohland Street
Washington, IL 61571
(309) 745-8927
Pastor Michael McCoskey
Pastor McCoskey is also the director of Illinois Bible College
at this same address, where the prewrath rapture is taught to
both U.S. and international students.
PREWRATH AS THE UNIFYING VIEW OF PROPHECY
Strong Tower Publishing author Cameron Fultz has put
together an argument he calls “prewrath as the unifying view of
prophecy.” In this month's newsletter, we will begin his
discussion of the topic, and for the sake of length, will
conclude it on the Strong Tower Publishing website, where the
article will be published in its entirety in the “Talkin'
Rapture” column.
By Cameron Fultz
Just as prewrath is a unifying view of futurism, resolving the
differences between post- and pre-tribulationalism, futurism in
general and prewrath in particular are the inclusive views of
biblical prophecy that can adopt and accept the types and themes
offered in the preterist, historicist, and spiritualist views.
Prewrath is the umbrella view of eschatology.
In the graphic above, futurism is shown as the goal and target
of the themes and types in other views. Spiritualistic themes,
including God's plan for man's redemption, span across the
Bible. These themes are critical in providing the genesis and
backbone for futurism's fulfillment. As such, the arrows are
horizontal, reflecting themes spanning the spectrum of history.
As we will discuss below, the other views can be accepted into
the futurist fold based on the types and foreshadowed events
they present. As God works through history, thematically
displaying the spiritual truth of His ways, certain historical
events can be seen, even cyclically, as picturing His greatness
as He speaks to a particular generation. These events are the
result of His overarching plan to restore mankind and are
represented by many vertical arrows through the various stages
of history.
As the issue of biblical eschatology rages within the Church
(most notably, today, between pretribulationist Tim LaHaye and
partial preterist Hank Hanegraaff), prewrath offers a cohesive
and comprehensive structure that can maintain its overall
integrity by entertaining the opinions and perspective of other
views. In fact, prewrath is enhanced by the contributions made
in the apparently “competing” views of biblical prophecy. In
discovering biblical truth, one should expect such an alignment
to exist.
Prewrath: A View From History
“Prewrath,” as a term describing a certain aspect of
biblical futurism, has only been around a relatively short time,
but many of its ideas on key aspects of the Second Coming have
been around for a long time, although until recently, they were
not given a name.
One does not need to do extensive research to see this. For
example, the prewrath stance on the sixth seal and seventh
trumpet were, for the most part, held in the late 1800s by
founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance A.B. Simpson.
Through more inclusive in approach, he saw how the accounts of
Christ in the Bible allowed for a merger of various views. Even
though A.B. Simpson believed in certain conglomerations of views
that those who hold to prewrath do not agree with, he did
provide an example of how futurism and historicism could
coexist.
Four Biblical Approaches to Prophecy
There are a number of approaches that have been developed to
understand biblical prophecy. I will assume the reader's
familiarity with the terms.
Biblical prophecy has been complicated by the tendency of men to
narrowly define every corner of theology and then retain the
comforts gleaned from the truths of those insights. A
polarization resulted from man's finite abilities, and certain
parties began to lay exclusive claim upon universal methods such
as exegesis and hermeneutics. If we can, as fallible men asked
to love one another, just acknowledge our own limitations and
inability know all, then perhaps we might be able to grasp how
all of biblically grounded, Holy Spirit inspired prophecy can
work together.
Accepting futurism as the overarching view is distasteful for
many who have staked their reputations upon their publicized
understanding. And yet, it is a natural outcome of all
orthodox Christian views. Spiritualists, historicists, and
partial preterists all look forward to the Second Coming of
Christ and the resurrection to the glorified state. It should
not be a mystery that futuristic fulfillment is innately the
goal of all divine prediction.
Mankind has come up with a number of various mental constructs
in its attempt to define and categorize the boundless mind of
God as revealed in the Bible. There are four categories of
thought, each with competing views that need to be discussed.
Amongst these categories, there is the tendency for affiliations
to be built between certain of the views of other categories.
This will become apparent as we go along.
To finish reading this column, visit
www.strongtowerpublishing.com/prewrath_as_unifying_view_of_prophecy.htm
RESPONSES TO READER QUESTIONS:
Q: Could you take a moment to define your timeline for the
rapture? I understand saying it would be after the sixth seal
and before God's wrath, but are you talking 3.5 years plus days?
four years? five years? I know there is no way to nail down a
date, and we are told that no man will know the day, but He has
surely given us the "signs of the season."
On that note, after reading nearly all of the articles on your
site, I wanted to run something past you. Have you ever thought
that maybe America is the Revived Roman Empire? As a people
group, all of our roots come from Europe, for the most part. We
have become so much of what Rome was prior to their demise, it
is frightening.
We have become such a melting pot for all ethnic, political,
religious groups that we allow anything and everything. We have
all but lost our identity as a Christian nation. To the point
that our Congress constantly evaluates new legislation that is
anti-Christian in language and intent, I could easily see a
leader from our country talking Israel in signing a peace treaty
with anyone. And considering how much it seems the Muslim world
wants to take Israel and us out, having someone from our country
trying to lead, even if by force, in what they think is their
land, would give them all the reason in the world to attack.
I know the EU "seems" like the logical place, but I can't help
but to figure how America plays into this situation. If it is
not us, how far do we have to fall as a power and as a nation to
stand by and let Israel come under attack? How weak does our
military and our economy be to not defend them?
A: On the issue of the timing of the rapture, in a
nutshell, prewrath sees the following...
o
Start of the 70th Week / start of the seals
o
Rise of the Antichrist / seal one
o
Beginning of sorrows / seals two, three, possibly four
o
Antichrist commits abomination of desolation / midpoint of the
70th Week
o
Great Tribulation / seal five
o
Sign of sun, moon, and stars / sixth seal
o
Second Coming / rapture
o
Start of the Day of the Lord, including the trumpets and the
bowls
So the rapture occurs after the Great Tribulation, after the
midpoint of the 70th Week, but before the end of the week.
How long after the midpoint of the 70th Week it occurs, no one
knows. The only definite time indicator is that the fifth
trumpet lasts five months, so the trumpets, as a whole, must
last at least that long. But that's as definite as we can make
it.
If you would like greater detail, I recommend reading Before
God's Wrath, if you haven't already. The book contains
nearly three dozen charts that outline this timing in a way that
makes it easier to understand than sometimes words can do.
As for America being Babylon, yes, I've heard this, but I don't
think so. The seat of all prophecy is the Middle East and the
nations surrounding Jerusalem. I think to move it out of that
context to the U.S. is artificial. Sure, we have many
similarities to Babylon, but it's not an exact fit. And it
removes the symbolism that is so central to that prophecy.
Many have asked, "Where is America in prophecy?" Potentially,
there are lots of reasons that we aren't mentioned. Maybe we're
not a superpower anymore. Maybe we simply have a new political
wind that espouses non-intervention. Maybe we're part of the
coalition of other nations. Maybe many of the prophecies in
Revelation have a local geographic orientation, not a worldwide
one. There are lots of options. We'll have to wait and see.
If you want to discuss this further, I suggest that you join our
PrewrathOnly discussion board on Yahoo. There are plenty of
folks there who have a great interest in this subject and I'm
sure you could stir up a nice discussion.
URL is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/prewrathonly/.
Q: How would you explain the scripture in Matthew
16:27-28 concerning Jesus' telling His disciples that some of
them would not see death before His return? The preterists see
this as strong evidence in support of their views. What is the
answer to this argument? Or is there a good one at all?
A: There are two approaches that I'm aware of. The first
is the standard response, which is that "some of you" refers to
Peter, James, and John, who saw a preview of Jesus' coming in
glory during the transfiguration. Personally, I do not find this
to be a very satisfying response, but it's the standard one you
will get from evangelicals.
The second approach is one I've only heard from Charles
Spurgeon, in a book I picked up at a restaurant a few years
back, but unfortunately, didn't purchase. His analysis was that
the word used there, "taste," is important and refers to an
experience that goes beyond merely seeing with one's eyes, but
requires a personal interaction at a fundamental level.
Therefore, "tasting" death, he suggested, is something that no
Christian will do, since our death is merely an instant
transport to Jesus' side. Those who truly "taste" death, who
experience its fullness, are those who die twice, the unsaved.
Even though they die once, they will not truly "taste" the
fullness of death and hell until after the Second Coming, when
they are moved from the temporary abode of hell to the eternal
fire.
It's an interesting argument, but I don't know that it's fully
satisfying either.
My ultimate answer is that, historically, major prophecies such
as these have always been fulfilled in a literal way that all
peoples and nations could see. They were visible to all as a
sign of God's power over creation and history. Since we know
that Jesus has not yet returned in His tangible power and glory,
it doesn't matter how unsatisfying the evangelical responses
are. He hasn't returned that way yet. So preterism cannot
provide a fully satisfactory solution any more than we can.
But here is perhaps the most unsatisfactory answer of us. The
world's top scholars have wrestled with this issue throughout
the centuries, and to date, none has come up with a fully
definitive and satisfactory answer either. Therefore, perhaps it
is merely one of those things we will have to wait until after
His coming in order to understand. The more I study biblical
prophecy, the more I realize how important it is to have
humility. Prophecy is one area where a lot of humility is
required.
[For readers interested in a fuller discussion on the challenges
of preterism, see Talkin' Rapture article, “Is Matthew 24
Fulfilled?” www.strongtowerpublishing.com/preterist.htm and the
three-part series, “Response to the Preterist Position as
Outlined in R. C. Sproul's The Last Days According to Jesus,”
www.strongtowerpublishing.com/talkinrapture.htm.]
IF YOU ONLY WATCH ONE MOVIE THIS YEAR, WATCH THIS ONE!
By Dave Bussard
If you see only one movie this year, let it be “Promises.” It's
a documentary that shows the lives of Arab and Israeli children
living in and around Jerusalem. Some have never even known a
child from the other nationality, and not one has befriended a
child from the other side. Most of the children filmed from both
of the religious sides (Islamic/Judaism) are filled with hate,
anger, and the brainwashing of parents, school, and culture. Yet
two twin Jewish boys that have been raised with a secular
mindset do not hate, do not want to kill, and are willing to go
to the Arabic camp to spend a day with the Arabic children in
hopes of breaking down the barriers.
The thickness of the religious tradition within the Jewish
community angered and saddened me, and clearly showed that Jesus
understood that rituals are not the answer. He is. The religious
fervor of the Arabs and their inability to "let go" of the fact
that they do not occupy the land that they believe to be theirs
was sobering. To see this in children in this way is almost
incomprehensible considering the gap between their mindset and
the mindset of our children here in America.
But still, a few of the children actually had a desire to begin
accepting their "enemies" because of the realization that, once
they reach adulthood, they will be the ones who will be
responsible for peace or war. Watching the friendship and
discussions take place is heartwarming, but one boy's openness
at the end of that day makes this my favorite scene in a long,
long time.
Unfortunately, this movie may be next to impossible to come by
anywhere else, but you can get it and read customer reviews at
Netflix. Yes, it's subtitled, but very easy to follow (there is
Hebrew, Arabic, and English spoken). And no, it's not
necessarily a lighthearted movie, but it's an important one
because of the message of acceptance, change, and forgiveness.
It should be a wake up call for some who ignore the times we
live in or think that the Isaac and Ishmael conflict that will
continue until the end has nothing to do with us.
http://thepre-wrathtribune.blogspot.com/2007/08/promises.html
INVENTORY REDUCTION SALE
Strong Tower Publishing is still looking to finish “zeroing
out” its inventory in order to move fully to a zero-inventory
model (all books are printed as they are ordered and shipped
directly from the printer). Before God's Wrath and
Know Therefore and Understand are already at zero inventory.
To clean off the rest of the shelves, we are continuing to offer
a 30% discount on remaining titles, including:
Who Will Be Left Behind and When?
http://www.strongtowerpublishing.com/leftbehind.htm
Prophecy's Architecture: How to Build an End-Times Doctrine
http://www.strongtowerpublishing.com/architecture.htm
Touching the Soul, a book of poetry by prewrath pastor R.
g. Wallace
http://www.strongtowerpublishing.com/touchingsoul.htm
Antes de la Ira de Dios, the Spanish translation of
“Before God's Wrath”
http://www.strongtowerpublishing.com/before-spanish.htm
The Hope of Christ's Second Coming: How Is It Taught in
Scripture and Why? (19th century classic by Samuel P.
Tregelles)
http://www.strongtowerpublishing.com/Hope_Christ_Coming.htm
As in reported in last month's e-newsletter, this discount will
not be reflected on the Strong Tower Publishing website and the
number of copies is limited. Already, two titles are completely
out of stock. If you would like to take advantage of this offer,
please contact Strong Tower Publishing directly at
strongtowerpubs@aol.com to reserve your copies and make shipping
and payment arrangements.
Back to Newsletter Archive
|
