Midrash: From 6 troubles He will deliver you, even in 7..

[David L]

..taken from a study by J. Jacob Prasch "Understanding the Rapture" series. www.moriel.org




Midrash is the way Rabbi's taught and interpreted the scripture around the time of Yeshua and Paul the apostle. It is the Jewish hermeneutical approach that is used to illustrate doctrine. It should never be the basis for doctrine but simply used as a means to illustrate it.


1 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,

2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,

4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 2 Thessalonians 2


In this case I will use Job 5:19 and Joshua 6. The argument of course is that we are not destined for God's wrath and the idea that a pre-trib rapture is not illustrated nor taught by scripture. I will only say this once: this is not allegory or western hermeneutics it is something totally different called midrash and is found throughout the new testament in all the gospels and the epistles. This isn't gnosticism but you have to be careful because you can easily get into gnosticism. The key is to allow scripture to interperet scripture in light of itself. In this case will look back at the Old Testament in light of the New Testament revelation in the gospels and epistles.


”From six troubles He will deliver you, even in seven evil will not touch you.” Job 5:19


The rapture will take place between the sixth and seventh seal according to Revelation 6 and I will attempt to illustrate this idea with the scripture below.




1 Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in.

2 The LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors.

3 "You shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days.

4 "Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.

5 "It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up every man straight ahead."

6 So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD."

7 Then he said to the people, "Go forward, and march around the city, and let the armed men go on before the ark of the LORD."

8 And it was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the LORD went forward and blew the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.

9 The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while they continued to blow the trumpets.

10 But Joshua commanded the people, saying, "You shall not shout nor let your voice be heard nor let a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I tell you, 'Shout!' Then you shall shout!"

11 So he had the ark of the LORD taken around the city, circling it once; then they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp.

12 Now Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.

13 The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew the trumpets; and the armed men went before them and the rear guard came after the ark of the LORD, while they continued to blow the trumpets.

14 Thus the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp; they did so for six days.

15 Then on the seventh day they rose early at the dawning of the day and marched around the city in the same manner seven times; only on that day they marched around the city seven times.

16 At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city.

17 "The city shall be under the ban, it and all that is in it belongs to the LORD; only Rahab the harlot and all who are with her in the house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent.

18 "But as for you, only keep yourselves from the things under the ban, so that you do not covet them and take some of the things under the ban, and make the camp of Israel accursed and bring trouble on it.

19 "But all the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD."

20 So the people shouted, and priests blew the trumpets; and when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight ahead, and they took the city.

21 They utterly destroyed everything in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.

22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the harlot's house and bring the woman and all she has out of there, as you have sworn to her."

23 So the young men who were spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brothers and all she had; they also brought out all her relatives and placed them outside the camp of Israel.

24 They burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only the silver and gold, and articles of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.

25 However, Rahab the harlot and her father's household and all she had, Joshua spared; and she has lived in the midst of Israel to this day, for she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

26 Then Joshua made them take an oath at that time, saying, "Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and builds this city Jericho; with the loss of his firstborn he shall lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he shall set up its gates."

27 So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land. Joshua 6

[David L]

(subject to editing for clarity and understanding)






(v.2) Joshua (Yahweh is salvation) is a figure of Yeshua in the passage. Notice how Jericho’s kings and mighty warriors are given into his hands. Yeshua said the Father had given all things into His hand (John 3:35, 13:3).

(v.3, 14) There was six days of marching and six trumpets are blown in Revelation. Job said from six troubles He will deliver you, even in seven evil will not touch you.

(v.4, 15) On the seventh day the seven priests (corresponds with seven angels) would march seven times (corresponds with the seven bowls) around the city blowing trumpets. In Revelation the seventh trumpet ushers in the seven bowl judgments.

There were seven priests. Only Yeshua the High Priest was able to take the scroll and unlock the seven seals. The seventh seal ushered in the seven trumpets.

There were seven days of circling Jericho while blowing trumpets. Six days they circled the city and blew trumpets one time. In Revelation six trumpets are blown before the seventh which would usher in the seven bowls (seven times they would march around the city).

Notice how they are marching in a circle around the city seven times, also that the bowls of God's wrath are circular in shape (just observing).


Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God." Revelation 16:1


On the seventh day the trumpets would be blown seven times. In Revelation seven bowls of God’s wrath would be poured out by seven angels (corresponds with the seven priests blowing seven times on the seventh day).

(v.5, 17) Then all the men would go up into the city to burn it with fire at the sound of the seventh and final trumpet on the seventh day. Remember what Paul says in 1 Corinthians:


in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 1 Corinthians 15:52


The seventh and final trumpet in Revelation 6 ushers in the 7 bowls of God's actual wrath being poured out on the earth. This is what I believe is the wrath of God we are spared from according to Romans. We are not appointed to God's wrath but have always been subjected to Satan's wrath which attempts to counterfeit the wrath of Yahweh.



Additionally, Rahab hid the messengers sent to Jericho so she was spared. Lot hid the messengers sent to Sodom so he was spared. The rapture and resurrection take place simultaneously in one event after the man of lawlessness has been revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

Both Rahab and family and Lot and family are major types of the rapture. The exodus is also a major type of the rapture in that Joseph's bones were taken with the children of Israel out of Egypt which is a major figure of the world. Joseph's bones represent the dead in Christ. The dead in Christ will rise first; then we who remain shall be caught up together with them and be with the Lord.


(v.17) “By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.” Hebrews 11:31

“Lot went out to his son in law, who were to marry his daughters, and said “Up, get out of this place, for the LORD will destroy the city.” But he appeared to his son in law to be jesting.

When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” Genesis 19:14-15


(v.15, 17) Joshua and the priest arose on the seventh day early when it was dawning and marched around the city. After the seventh trumpet was blown the walls came down. Joshua commanded the men to go and get Rahab and her family after the seventh day trumpets had sounded. An obvious type of the rapture as they were not harmed but spared by Joshua (Yeshua) by faith according to Hebrews 11.


Remember what Job says?


”From six troubles He will deliver you, even in seven evil will not touch you.” Job 5:19


(v.22) Joshua said to the two men who spied the land to get Rahab and her family. In Revelation there are two witnesses who appear or are sent by God to spy the land. These two witnesses are also caught up around the same time that a great multitude suddenly appears before the throne of God in eternity.

(v.24) The city was burned with fire. In various epistles in the new testament it is said that God will judge the earth with fire.

”But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.” 2 Peter 3:7

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10



just an observation,


David

[savedbygrace]

Hello David,

Nice post, it makes a lot of sense. I have leaned toward the pre-wrath rapture theory quite a bit lately, but in my studies and discussions with the post-tribbers I would have to give credit to this story about the city of Jericho also supporting the post-trib theory and placing the coming of Jesus at the seventh trumpet. I am in agreement with you at this time in your pre-wrath viewpoint, but I am simply making an exception for another viewpoint which may also be true. I tend to believe in the pre-wrath rapture about 75%, and the possibility of the post-trib rapture about 25%. Either way, you could say I am 100% sure the pre-trib theory is false and is not scriptural according to either of these old testament accounts of destruction.

If Rahab and her family were spared from destruction, just as Lot was in Sodom and Gomorrha, it doesn't necessarily mean they were taken to heaven. They were here on the earth, witnessed the destruction, but were spared from it and not harmed in any way. The post-tribbers believe this very same thing will happen during the period of the tribulation which is the wrath of God unleashed at the seventh trumpet. They will be here on earth, spared from harm and destruction, just as Rahab and her family were, and even as Noah was in the flood, and also the Israelites during the plagues.

The interesting thing about the story of Jericho, and I have read it a number of times lately, is that the seven trumpets were not sounded sequentially as are the seven trumpets in Revelation. It says in verse 9 "The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while they continued to blow the trumpets." indicating the trumpets around Jericho were sounded constantly and simultaneously. The scriptures do not say each trumpet was blown only once per day. Also, they do not say on the seventh day the trumpet was blown seven times. It says 'on the seventh day, you shall march around the city seven times'. And then the priests shall blow the trumpets". And then they were commanded to give a great shout after the trumpets were sounded. The shout is what brought down the walls, not a trumpet.

I am still trying to figure out more precisely how the account gives details to the 2nd coming of our Lord. Also the bones being taken from Egypt with the Israelites does give support of the resurrection of the dead happening before the rapture. But again, to a post-tribber, a rapture is nothing more than being caught up in the clouds briefly to meet Jesus in the air as he is coming down to the earth to defeat the armies of Armageddon at the very end of the final seven year period.

This should be an interesting thread...

I hope you're still thinking about that prophecy conference in May at Maranatha! I have talked to other church members about it, and almost nobody knows about Jacob Prasch.... they keep highlighting Chuck Smith, Tim LaHaye, and Thomas Ice.... and I keep emphasizing the best speaker to see is Jacob Prasch, since he is pre-wrath as you indicated, but they don't take me too seriously I guess...

God bless you brother,
In Jesus,
Jake