THE KINGDOM HERALD

(For the first part of the article,  click here .) Not Appointed to Wrath So, how do we reconcile the above-mentioned sequence of end-time events with Scripture passages that teach that believers have not been appointed to wrath and that they will be kept from the hour of temptation that will come upon the entire world? Firstly, we must note that Revelation 3:10 was primarily addressed to the “church in Philadelphia.” In other words, while the message of the letter in which it is contained, like the rest of the Revelation, has a broader prophetic and universal application (see Revelation 1:1-3), the verse must be read in its immediate context and appropriately extended. By the way, this verse (Revelation 3:10) also poses a challenge to those who only see localized applications of the Seven Letters of the Revelation. Nevertheless, 1 Thessalonians 5:9 clearly has a universal application: “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.”  The

The Covid-19 pandemic and the associated global distress have stimulated increased interest in Bible prophecy and the end times. One of the subjects that have attracted greater attention is the Rapture, which is a major marker in the diverse timelines of end-time events that have been put forward, and arguably the next most consequential event in the history of Christianity and the entire world. I have shared my primary thoughts about the subject on different discussion forums but never got to specifically address it in an article, partly because of the related controversies. However, considering the evidently late hour in which we currently live, I felt an urgency to write this article. A Popular View of the Rapture Many expect the Rapture of the faithful members of the Christian Church to occur before the Great Tribulation predicted in Scripture (Daniel 12:1; Matthew 24:21). This, I believe, is an error. Indeed, it is one of the greatest errors among professing Christians that ha