Q: What do you think about the following passage in light of prewrath thoughts? “Then from the smoke came the locusts on the earth, and they were given authority like the authority of scorpions. They were told not to damage the grass of the earth or any green growth or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were allowed to torture them for five months, but not to kill them . . . And in those days people will seek death, but will not find it...” (Rev. 9:3-6). Does it mean that there will be Christians around after the rapture (newly converted)? Obviously, this occurs during God's wrath. Is it the Jews who remain?

A: Scripture isn't clear on all of the details. Here's what I feel is certain: Many people, both Gentiles and Jews, will become believers after the rapture and will enter the trumpet judgments. Many will be martyred or perish as a result of the trumpets (which are not God's wrath — God's wrath starts with the bowls).

While my belief about Gentiles coming to faith in Christ is speculation, my statement about the Jews is not. According to scripture, two-thirds of the Jews will perish during the 70th Week, but one-third will survive, refined by fire, and will become the believing remnant ("and so all Israel will be saved" — Zech. 13:8–9; Eze. 36:20–28). They will flee to the wilderness, where they will be protected for three-and-a-half years (Rev. 12:6). It is likely that Christians will flee with them, but not specified.

Because believers are not destined for wrath (1 Thess. 5:9), those who are saved after the rapture may either perish during the trumpets or be martyred, preventing them from entering God's wrath; or they may receive special protection during His wrath, whether in the wilderness or elsewhere, in keeping with this promise. Although all three forms of protection are possible, any attempt to nail down the specifics would be to delve into the realm of speculation. The verse you mention is at the end of the trumpet judgments, just prior to the bowls, so by this time, it is likely that whatever form of "not entering God's wrath" believers will receive, it will have occurred by then.

Q: In a recent Talkin' Rapture column, you wrote, “Thus, the cry, `the great day of God's wrath has come,' does not mean that those making this statement are experiencing God's wrath. Rather, it tells us that the mighty men realize that they have entered this final period of judgement, called the Day of God's Wrath, during which God's wrath will be poured out. Indeed, it is only after the completion of the seven trumpet judgements and prior to the outpouring of the bowl judgements, in Rev. 11:18, that we see the actual arrival of God's wrath.”

Does this mean that you don't see the seven trumpet judgments as part of God's wrath? Aren't the trumpets and bowls all God's wrath, but the bowls are described as the "final" part of God's wrath (Rev. 15:1)?

A: It is my understanding that God's wrath begins with the bowl judgments, yes. It is the only way that I can see that all of the scriptures relating to God's wrath can be read with perfect consistency. Not all theologians agree with me, of course, not even Marvin Rosenthal or Robert Van Kampen as I understand it, but this is my take. There are also solid arguments for God's wrath beginning with the trumpets, although I believe the evidence tips the scales slightly in favor of my view. However, I am not dogmatic in this position and leave open the possibility that God's wrath could begin earlier. The reasons for my view are explained in-depth in my book in Chapter 4, “Defining God's Wrath.”

Whether one holds to the view that God's wrath starts immediately after the start of the Day of the Lord, with the trumpets; or whether one believes that God's wrath starts with the outpouring of the bowls; neither view impacts the timing of the rapture. Nor does it impact the validity of the prewrath position, since whether prewrathers believe God's wrath begins with the trumpets or with the bowls, we all agree that it occurs after the opening of the sixth seal. What is important is that God's wrath cannot start earlier than the trumpets, undermining one of the most fundamental arguments of the pretrib position.

Q: In Rev 6:12-14, it says: “I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.” The sun, moon, and stars are also darkened in Rev 8:12: “Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.”

Where can we find that the lights of the heavens are turned back on if we believe that Revelation is to be taken in chronological order?

A: Good question. There is no verse that specifically states that the lights are turned back on. Many scholars believe that the Day of the Lord cosmic disturbances in Revelation 6 are temporary ones, such as an eclipse of the sun, combined with other cosmological phenomena. The same goes for the disturbances in Revelation 8. While these two events are similar, they are not the same. The Revelation 6 event uses a specific set of cosmic disturbances — the sun turning dark, the moon turning to blood, and stars falling from the sky — to signal that the Day of the Lord has begun (Joel 2:31). In Revelation 8, one-third of the heavenly bodies are darkened, which is a considerably different event, at a different time, for a different purpose.

The fact that Revelation does not specifically mention the heavens being lightened again does not do change the chronological nature of Revelation. There is simply too much clear, direct evidence that it is to be read this way. Because of the importance of this issue, I have devoted an entire chapter to this subject: "Is Revelation Chronological?"

Recommended reading on the rapture debate