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Today I want to talk about Isaiah 26:19-21. The Bible reads "Thy dead men shall live,
together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for
thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my people,
enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were
for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh
out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth
also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain." So many will point
to this and say "this is a pre-tribulation rapture right here." Well, I do believe it's
talking about the rapture, that's clear. It's about a resurrection from the dead, and it's
about God's people entering into the chambers and shutting the door, to be hidden, as it
were for a little moment, until God's indignation be passed. Because He is going to come to
punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. So this is a great picture of the
fact that we are removed from this earth before God begins to pour out His wrath. The first
resurrection, and the rapture take place BEFORE God begins to pour out His wrath on this earth.
I believe that. But that is not pre-tribulational. Because again, this is where people have made
the mistake of equating tribulation with God's wrath. I encourage you, PLEASE, look up all
22 times that the New Testament uses the word "tribulation". You'll find references to persecution,
you'll find references to affliction, you will not find that the word "tribulation"
is referring to God pouring out His wrath on this earth. It's just not the definition
of what the word "tribulation" means. And so the mistake that they're making here is
equating God pouring out His wrath on this earth, with the tribulation. God's wrath is
not poured out until after the sun and moon are darkened, according to revelation 6. And
the sun and moon are not darkened until AFTER the tribulation, according to Mathew 24. And
so this verse does NOT prove a pre-tribulational rapture, it does prove a pre-wrath rapture-
which is what I believe in, a post-tribulational, pre-wrath rapture.