This is a critique of the post-trib, pre-wrath theory of the rapture of the church as written in Donald Rowen’s book, "BEYOND FICTION: The Book of Revelation Made Simple." Rowen pretty much echoed what other pre-wrath writers have written. He mentioned both Marvin Rosenthal and Robert Van Kampen. This pre-wrath rapture theory started when Robert Van Kampen called Marvin Rosenthal and said, "I've found it." What he had really found was a huge error. In other words, the pre-wrath theory was started with an error.
Robert Van Kampen noticed that in Joel 2, the cosmic signs in the sun and moon would come before the Day of the Lord, and in Matthew 24, what he thought was the same sign came "after the tribulation of those days." Therefore, in his mind, the proper sequence would be the days of great tribulation, then the signs in the sun and moon, and then the Day of the Lord. He also discovered what he thought was the same cosmic signs in the sun and moon at the sixth seal, which caused him to think that the sixth seal would be opened "after the tribulation of those days," that the signs at the sixth seal were the same signs in Matthew 24 and Joel 2.
The truth is, these are different signs for different purposes. The sign of Joel 2, also shown at the sixth seal, will be the sun appearing black, just as it would in a total eclipse, and the moon appearing blood red, just as the moon would appear during a total eclipse. In other words, both the sun and moon must be visible for someone to recognize this sign. This is the sign of the start of the Day of the Lord.
On the other hand, the sign written in Matthew 24 is the sign of the coming of our Lord, to the battle of Armageddon, which will be experienced around seven years after the signs seen at the sixth seal. In Matthew 24, it is written that both the sun and moon are darkened, and the Greek word behind darkened, means, for planets, a total absence of light. In other words, the sun, the moon, and the stars will be invisible. This speaks of total darkness. This is what the fifth bowl of wrath brings in Revelation 16: total darkness. These are two different signs, for two very different purposes, and will be seen over seven years apart.
The pre-wrath theory must rearrange most of the book of Revelation to fit, which is a huge red flag for those that understand the Book of Revelation, and Rowen has done his share of rearranging. If you have wondered about pre-wrath theory, or if you have taken pre-wrath theory as your end-time doctrine, this book is a must for you. It pinpoints where pre-wrath theory misses the mark according to a good exegesis of scripture. There are many areas, not just the one mentioned above.
