The Rapture Question Answered: Plain and Simple

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Summary: It will change the way you think about Bible prophecy.
Review: A 15 year student of Bible prophecy, my beliefs had nontheless been colored by the widely accepted idea of a pre-Tribulation Rapture. It was, after all, what I wanted to believe in when I considered what is in store for those alive during the Tribulational years. This one book, however, forced me to rethink my entire understanding of the End Times -- and made me a better Christian for it!

Robert Van Kampen very logically looks at the whole of the Bible, and repeatedly comes back to one simple principle: If the Bible was inspired by God, and God is perfect, then the Bible must also be perfect. Scripture can never contradict Scripture.

The problem with the Pre-Tribultational interpretation of the Rapture is that it contradicts several parts of the Bible. Most scholars who accept the view ignore these contradictions. Those who don't often go to great lengths to explain them away.

On the other hand, by placing the Rapture at some point after the 6th Seal of the Tribulation, but before the great day of God's wrath, all the prophecies fall neatly into place. Van Kampen makes an exhaustive study of the entire Bible, analyzing all possible arguments against his position and shooting them down. An objective reader cannot help but be swayed by this book.

An interesting case in point: Pre-Trib believers try to explain away the course of events described by Christ in the Olivet Prophecy (Matthew 24) as being meant for the Jews. But this makes absolutely no sense in the Biblical context. If you were a parent with two children who never spoke to one another, what would you do if you had an important message for the first child? Would you give the message to the second, expecting him to pass it on to his sibling? Of course not! Christ knew full well that His apostles were going to found the Church and become estranged from the Jewish people. Why would He give an important warning meant for the Jews to these apostles? It makes no sense. God would instead deliver the message to the Jews through the prophets as described in the Old Testament -- and He did! The warnings of Christ in the Olivet prophecy are clearly meant for Christians, which can only be interpreted as meaning that the Church will go through at least part of the Tribulation. In fact, the Olivet prophecy perfectly parallels the first 6 Seals of Revelations before going into a description of events that perfectly matches what Paul wrote about the Rapture.

Why is this so important? Well, if you are a Christian who is firmly believing that Christ will come for you before the Tribulation, what would happen to your faith if the Trib events started to take place with you still here on Earth? I believe that thousands of "lukewarm" Christians will lose their faith and come under the sway of the Antichrist when the Tribulation begins -- and this would certainly explain why Christ gave so many warnings not to be deceived! If you read no other book about Bible prophecy, you owe it to yourself and your spiritual future to read this one!

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Summary: The Rapture? -- God's Answer!
Review: I have been raised in a God fearing, God loving, bible teaching church. In this church I have been taught the theory of a pre-tribulation rapture. This doctrine was pleasing to me as a Christian, as the idea of having to deal with the tribulation of the world was a thought I cherished not. Thankfully, my church also taught me not to accept the teachings of man on face value, but to check them against scripture. As I am not a student of theology or the end times I am, at times, confused by the different end time theories and the scriptures that are taken out of context and/or twisted to validate those theories. I am blessed and thankful that Mr. Van Kampen is a man who follows God's Word and not mans theories. The Rapture Question is answered PLAIN & SIMPLE through the Word of God. It's all there in black and white for every man to see, USING SCRIPTURE TO TEST SCRIPTURE! We simply need to read it for ourselves without the influence of any other teachings. Mr. Van Kamp does not offer 'his' theories or doctrinal values, but simply let's God's Word speak for itself. This book not only changed my view on the rapture, but significantly changed my postion on the importance of being about my Fathers, Great Comission. I highly recommend this book to anyone desiring to know his Lord's will for his life and the lives around him.

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Summary: As the Title says: Plain and Simple!
Review: I have had this book for more than a year before I actually read it, and regret that I have not read it earlier. Van Kampen does not present one of the three "major" views such as the Pre, Mid and Post-Tribulation Rapture position but a postion of which I have not heard of before, called the Pre-Wrath position. Van Kampen keeps the attention of the reader and systematically builds up to an excellent climax in his short review on the first chapters of Revelation proving his view which he had already explained from Non-Revelation passages. His view does not only have the right Theological feel, but is also extremely logical. His book made End Time prophecy in general more understable and definitely birth the desire for that study in the heart of the reader. I highly recommend this book to all Christians. The view he presents is gaining all the more popularity and is nothing new to the church, some of the early church fathers shared the same line of thought. Although I am still going to go into a further in depth study of other positions, this book definitely left a lasting impression on my Escatological beliefs.

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Summary: Yes the Rapture question is answered...Plain and Simple!
Review: I have held to the widely taught pre-trib rapture position for nearly 20 years. Robert Van Kampen has written a very straight forward book on this incredibly important subject. If you want to have the question of the rapture answered once and for all, with irrefutable scripture references then you have got to get your hands on this book. I guarantee you that you will never again have a question on what is the correct view for the timing of the rapture as it relates to the tribulation.

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Summary: A great place to start...
Review: The Rapture Question Answered Plain And Simple is a great place to start for your endtimes studies. This work focuses on the rapture question alone, whereas an earlier work - "The Sign" was a much broader study in eschatology. Using a face-value hermeneutic (allowing scripture to interpret scripture) Van Kampen shows how the chronology of endtime events is clearly revealed in key prophetic passages. He shows how the placement of the rapture within the sequence of endtime events can be determined, and how all related prophetic accounts are in total agreement. The material is distilled into easily digestible study units and is a pleasure to read. An even easier read is Van Kampen's "The Prewrath Rapture Position Explained Plain And Simple" which is a 93 page excerpt from this book. You should also read "The Sign" by the same author, and "The Prewrath Rapture Of The Church" by Marvin Rosenthal. Together, they will give you a comprehensive understanding of endtimes theology.

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Summary: Clear, Concise, and Comprehensive
Review: This is a terrific introduction to the prewrath view that, along with Dave Bussard's Who Will Be Left Behind and When?, should be considered on the "short list" for anyone who wants to understand this end-times interpretation. It is short, sweet, and to the point, with the information extremely well organized and logically ordered so that the basic premise of the prewrath view is laid out in an easy-to-understand and comprehensive fashion.

In addition to its simplicity and comprehensiveness, my other praise for this book is that it addresses a major issue that needs to be addressed by the evangelical community, and that is orthodoxy. The prewrath view is rapidly growing in popularity as an alternative to the three "major" premil views. However, because pretrib is often written into the doctrinal positions of many evangelical churches, missions organizations, and universities, this puts genuine believers -- believers who hold to the fundamental tenets of the Christian faith but have rejected the pretrib view in favor of prewrath -- in the odd position of being "outside orthodoxy" and even required to resign positions as pastors, professors, and heads of organizations simply based on their end-times views. The real-life examples of such travesties given in this book must force these organizations to reconsider the notion that one's pretrib views must considered of the same importance as the virgin birth, the deity of Christ, the resurrection, the blood atonement, and so on. So good for you, Van Kampen, for bringing this issue to light so poignantly.

My only criticism of this book is that Van Kampen -- as not being a professional writer -- is sometimes a little unrefined in some of his descriptions and can come off as a little rough around the edges. I would have liked the book to have a little softer tone to it in some places, but based on my understanding of the personality and character of the author (who has since gone to be with the Lord), I believe this roughness around the edges to be unintentional.

For critics of the prewrath view, I would submit to them that one cannot judge the view based on one book alone. One must understand the view as a whole and dissect the argument based on its merits, not based on one author or another's defense of it. Van Kampen presents a good introduction to the view, but this book is not intended to answer every question or rebut every argument. There are other resources to do that. When I did a critical evaluation of the pretrib view for my own book contrasting prewrath with pretrib, I did not look at one book alone. Or even two or three. I read as many good, critical resources as it took to get a well-rounded sense of all of the basic arguments. Some pretrib defenses are embarassingly poor and easy to dismiss. Others are more complex. One must understand the tenets of the view as a whole and evaluate the view based on this. Likewise, with prewrath.

In evaluating the orthodoxy of prewrath, one must understand that many views -- particularly pretribulationism -- have created their own definitions for biblical terms and concepts and then judge the orthodoxy of others' beliefs by their own, proprietary definitions. For example, one of the top arguments against prewrath is that it contradicts the doctrine of imminence. However, the term "imminence" simply means "hanging over one's head." It is a sense of expectancy. Pretrib rapturists, however, have re-defined this word to mean "could happen at any time and no prophesied event must happen first." This is not the scriptural definition; it is the pretrib definition. Thus, pretrib rapturists are correct that prewrath violates THEIR definition of imminence; but they are wrong that it violates the scriptural sense of imminence. The same issue exists with issues such as God's wrath, the tribulation, the Day of the Lord, and so on.

The Rapture Question Answered: Plain & Simple is a wonderful introduction to the prewrath view. For those looking to do a critical evaluation of the prewrath view, however, I encourage readers to look beyond one author's defense and do additional reading. VK's book should be read alongside Rosenthal's PreWrath Rapture of the Church, my own Before God's Wrath: The Bible's Answer to the Timing of the Rapture, Dave Bussard's Who Will Be Left Behind and When?, the Bible Fragrances website, and other classic prewrath resources.

H. L. Nigro, author of Before God's Wrath: The Bible's Answer to the Timing of the Rapture

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Summary: Essential, thorough, captivating study on the Rapture.
Review: This is both an essential study and an excellent read on a subject which has attracted much controversy and disagreement.

Some time ago I read another book with an identical approach to that of this writer which was entitled "The Pre-Wrath Rapture Of The Church" by Marvyn Rosenthal.

In my review on the latter book at that time, I stated that this distinctive, particular interpretation of Scripture in relation to the Rapture & what the Bible identifies as 'The Day of the Lord', clarified a number of Scriptural issues which were causing me some difficulties in my own understanding of the sequence of events pertaining to the end times and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

The approach also adopted by Robert Van Kampen in this study further clarifies matters for me personally.

I can see where other Bible experts are coming from in relation to their understandings of the Rapture being either pre-Tribulation, mid-Tribulation or even post-Tribulation, but if I had to hold to only one understanding of Scripture then it would be the one excellently documented here by Robert Van Kampen.

I personally feel that the revelations in this book are so significant that they should not be ignored by any student of the Bible, even if such hold to differing views.

Most strongly of all, I feel that the matters covered in this excellent work are of such importance that they should only be dealt with & discussed within an attitude of love, sensitivity and compassion, that does not cause any dissension, conflict or bitterness amongst Believers. The latter can only cause strife and play into the hands of the Enemy from the very outset.

Essentially this is a study that covers the seven year Tribulation period of the end times and how significant chronological events play their part.

Thoroughly dealt with are matters pertaining to whether or not the Church will be Raptured before, during, or after this period, together with the revealing of the Antichrist and the Satanic persecution/tribulation which the latter will direct upon those remaining during his temporary rule.

Equally if not more significant is the part played by the Wrath of God, which the writer clearly shows through specific Scriptural references, the Church will definitely avoid via the Rapture.

If there is the slightest possibility that Christian Believers may have to endure even the slightest period of the coming Tribulation, then it is surely absolute folly to "bury one's head in the sand" & avoid studying just what this might entail.

Throughout his extensive reference to the Bible, the writer strictly adheres to the principle of a 'face-value' hermeneutic' of understanding Scripture through it's most natural, normal, customary sense, letting Scripture interpret Scripture & allowing Scripture itself to determine the meaning of the comparative language being used by the Biblical writers.

At all times using every reference in it's correct and entire context, both in it's immediate application and in relation to other Scriptural passages.

The author maintains that the First Coming of Jesus Christ can be interpreted correctly through Scripture by using these principles and is adamant that the Second Coming of Christ and the Rapture can equally be similarly understood.

I am no expert on Scripture and I would not dare condemn or criticise the learned interpretations of any such expert with slightly differing opinions, but I do feel most strongly that this book should be studied by all and it's interpretation carefully considered. This book has certainly removed much personal confusion and misunderstandings that some Biblical passages have held for me.

A highly recommended book which will certainly hold your attention from the first page to the end.