It was recently suggested to me that I read Peter Goodgame’s study entitled “Perfecting the pre-trib rapture”.

I have read Goodgame’s articles and book “Red Moon Rising”, and must admit that I agree wholeheartedly with his understanding of the rapture taking place around the time of the sixth seal.

Where I must part ways with His exegesis however, is in the sequence of events he has laid out in his study.

Goodgame stated: “Berner concludes, and I wholeheartedly agree, that the 70th Week of Daniel will probably not even begin until after the fourth Trumpet judgment of Revelation.”

With a rapture occurring at the sixth seal, and the 70th week beginning after the fourth trumpet, this would mean that prior to the rapture, the white horse has gone out to conquer, the red horse has taken peace from the earth, the black horse has brought famine to the world, the pale/green horse has introduced disease on a massive scale, Hail fire and blood have fallen on the earth, a mountain of fire falls in the sea and 1/3 of all sea life has died, the rivers of the world are made bitter and man cannot drink from them, and the sun, moon and stars are darkened by a third.

Whew!

That certainly sounds like a horrible time. I certainly see no reason to continue holding on to a “pre-trib” belief if all of this is going to take place prior to the rapture of the church.

At the fifth trumpet (Where Goodgame suggests the 70th week begins), the locusts are released to torment men for five months. Revelation 9:4 states “And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.”

Goodgame has suggested that the 144,000 are sealed after the rapture and the rapture takes place at the sixth seal. But the fifth trumpet is five months in duration (Rev. 9:5), followed by the gathering of the armies to Armageddon. I cannot reconcile a five month locust invasion, followed by the armies of the world taking six years and seven months to gather for Armageddon.

Matthew 24:29 says “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:”

This can be seen during the events of the sixth seal. The sixth seal must take place “Immediately after the tribulation” just as Jesus said.

In Revelation 6:17, it says at the end of the sixth seal “For the great day of his wrath is come”.

According to I Thessalonians 5:9 “For God hath not appointed us to wrath”. So once the 70th week comes to a close, the sixth seal takes place, the 7th trumpet sounds, and the wrath of God begins.

How do we know the rapture takes place at this 7th trumpet?

Revelation 10:7 - But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

What is this mystery, and when was it declared?

I Corinthians 15:51 - Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.

When the 7th trumpet sounds, the mystery of God (when we are all changed) is finished.

I Corinthians 15:52 - In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

There are no other “last trumps” in scripture. God is not the author of confusion.

So the dead are raised, anyone left alive will be changed, and will meet the Lord in the air.

Revelation 20:4 - And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

John explains that he sees those who were beheaded for not worshipping the beast, his image, or for taking his mark. They lived and reigned with Christ. There is no arguing that this describes Christians who were alive during the reign of antichrist.

Revelation 20:5 - But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This [is] the first resurrection.

Those that lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years took part in the FIRST resurrection. If this is the first resurrection, that means there were no resurrections prior to it. The first resurrection takes place after the antichrist shows up, enforces his mark, and makes war with the saints of God. (Dan.7:21, Rev.13:7)

Mark 13:14 - But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:

Saints of God, we will be here to see this!

Now back to the wrath of God that takes place after the sixth seal, seventh trump rapture:

Isaiah 13:9, Joel 2:1, and Zechariah 4:1 each make the statement that “The Day of the Lord Cometh” and immediately goes on to describe the battle of Armageddon. Zech. 14:7 and Isaiah 17:14 each state that Armageddon (The Wrath of God) will last one literal day.

Now back to Goodgame’s study.

He states: “The Pre-Wrath view crumbles in the face of Revelation 11:14, which clearly places the midpoint of the 70th Week three-and-a-half days prior to the end of the sixth Trumpet judgment.”

This statement is made with a misunderstanding of the timing of the two witnesses. IF the two witnesses are here during the first half of the 70th week, Goodgame is correct in this point. IF however, they are ministering during the last half of the 70th week, he would be incorrect on this point.

Instead of going into a detailed explanation on the timing of the two witnesses here, I would encourage you to read the first page of the chapter “Timing of Daniel’s 70th Week” in the study I have offered here.

In conclusion, I agree with Goodgame on the timing of the rapture being after the sixth seal is opened. I have recommended his book in the past and will continue to do so. It is a great study.

The difference comes not in the placement of the rapture, but in the chronology of events as laid out in Revelation.