Journal: Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society
Volume: JOTGES 35:68 (Spring 2022)
Article: Book Reviews
Author: Anonymous

JOTGES 35:68 (Spring 2022) p. 83

Book Reviews

Beyond Prewrath: End-Time Prophecy. By Robert Parker. Winter Garden, FL: Robert’s Trumpet, LLC, 2021. 139 pp. Paper, $19.95.

Robert Parker is a student of the Bible and has a background in mathematics/engineering. Both of these aspects of his life come through in this book on Biblical prophecy. As a result of his studies, he posits a new understanding of the prewrath Rapture of the church. The old prewrath view maintains that the church will go through most of the seven-year Tribulation, but will be raptured before God pours out His wrath on the world at Armageddon. Believers will experience the persecution of the Antichrist prior to the rapture.

For most students of prophecy, Parker’s book will be hard to follow. It would have been helpful if he had included a concluding chapter of his view that summarized all of his findings.

Parker sees three raptures in the Book of Revelation (Rev 8:5; 11:19; 16:18; p. 5). The 144,000 mentioned in Revelation 7 represent the church raptured in Rev 8:5 (p. 17). To arrive at his conclusions Parker often employs mathematical formulas, using ratios regarding Daniel’s 70 week to determine literal time in the book of Revelation (pp. 20, 37, 39). A half hour of silence in heaven in Rev 8:1 equates to about 7.5 days on earth. Few readers will be convinced of his reasoning.

Parker also uses OT analogies to support his conclusions. Most readers will probably see these references as being highly subjective. For example, Parker says that in Lev 16:13 God told the priest to burn incense when he entered the Holy of Holies to prevent the priest from dying. This is parallel to Rev 8:3–4 where believers are not to die before the rapture in Rev 8:5 (p. 20).

According to this view, the second rapture will include those who believe after the first rapture, as well as believing Jews in the Tribulation. This is described in Rev 11:19. Revelation 19:1–5 describes the arrival of these believers in heaven with the Lord. Parker also says that all these believers will be a part of the bride of Christ (p. 90).

There is a discussion of the Judgment Seat of Christ. Parker rightly concludes that this judgment will not be one that deals with eter...