What Happens after the PreWrath Rapture? Does Christ return in a single event, according to the view? Where does the church go?
A common objection I still hear from vocal prewrath advocates is the question of the “two-stage pretrib second coming.” You can see an example at the prewrath Strong Tower publishing website (Heidi Nigro):
Q: Can you point to a direct scriptural reference that states that Jesus’ return will be a two-stage event – a spiritual or visible (but not bodily) return at the rapture for the Church and then a bodily or physical coming at Armageddon?
A: No such scripture exists. When the return of Christ is mentioned in scripture it is always mentioned as a singular event. (Emphasis mine)
Note that most (if not all) pretribulationists believe Jesus comes bodily for the church. But that isn’t the real issue. I once countered a sincere prewrath lady’s two-stage challenge by referring to Revelation 7. The prewrath system teaches that the Great Multitude represents the newly raptured church. This group is in heaven worshipping in the presence of the Lamb.
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb Rev 7:9
How did she explain this? Her response was to simply assert that the church was in heaven while Jesus remained in earth’s atmosphere. The conversation died after that. Two leading proponents of the system resort to spiritualizing Rev Chapters 7 and 19 in order to maintain the single-coming status. One of them recently wrote:
The dead in Christ rise first so that indicates that Jesus brings the souls; the souls reunite with the resurrected body in the air; and the living believers are changed (resurrected) and all meet in the air…then it looks like the ANGELS who gathered them will escort them to heaven where they will be prepared for the wedding of the Lamb. Jesus will remain on the cloud to pour out judgment on the earth. I don’t believe the armies of Rev. 19 includes the believers but refers to angels. The bride won’t leave heaven until the kingdom is set up on the earth.
Another problem is that Van Kampen taught four separate future comings of Jesus Christ in his book The Sign:
1) Christ comes for the church and returns to heaven (Matt 24:31; Rev 7)
2) The second event occurs after the 70th week in which Christ returns to bring salvation to Israel and reclaim the rule of the earth for God. Christ then returns to heaven.
3) After the 7th bowl judgment Christ comes to defeat the Antichrist, and returns to heaven.
4) Christ finally returns to the earth after receiving the rule of the earth from God.
I doubt my prewrath friend knew this though she recommended (and presumably read) the book. Another prewrather I recently spoke to, and who had just written a book exposing pretribulation rapture fallacies, also seemed oblivious to this. This isn’t uncommon. I’ll likely say more about this encounter sometime in the future.
In response to Renald Showers’ exposé of the prewrath multiple comings, Ms. Nigro has stated that she has no issue holding to a multi-stage Second Advent. That she insists in a “singular event” in the Q & A above suggests to me she got caught out.
The four future events are placed under the banner of a “single Parousia.” That’s plain equivocation. If a so-called “singular event” containing multiple comings and goings isn’t a problem for the prewrath view, proponents ought to include these in their prophecy charts. But you won’t find them depicted anywhere.
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