The 7 lies of Left Behind

1. Jesus does not appear in the Left Behind account of the rapture.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Revelation 1:7
7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.


2. In Left Behind, the dead do not rise.1 Thessalonians 4:16

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:


3. In Left Behind, those who are alive and remaining do not meet the Lord in the air.1 Thessalonians 4:17

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.


4. In Left Behind, there is no trumpet sound.1 Thessalonians 4:16

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Matthew 24:31:
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.


5. In Left Behind, no wrath happens on the day of the rapture.Luke 17:26-30:
26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

6. In Left Behind, there are no signs in the sun, moon, stars or the earth when the rapture happens.1 Thessalonians 5:2
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

Acts 2:20
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:

Matthew 24:29-31
29 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:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

7. In Left Behind, the rapture happens before the anti-christ is revealed.2 Thessalonians 2:1-3

1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

The Abomination of Desolation

This is just a theory I have on what exactly the abomination of desolation is going to be. I'm not dogmatic about most of what's contained in this post. This is just a theory. I would not be surprised if I was wrong about this particular theory.
Here's all the bible says about the abomination of desolation:

Matthew 24:15
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

Daniel 9:27
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Luke 21:20
20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.

Revelation 13:14-15
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Daniel says that the abomination of desolation happens in the midst of the week, which most people assume is the 3.5 year mark. I also believe that the verses in Revelation 13:14-15 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 are referring to the same event. At the abomination of desolation, I believe that the anti-christ will declare himself to be God and sit in the temple to show that he is God like 2 Thessalonians 2:4 says. He will also set up an image like Revelation 13:14-15 says and force people to worship it or be killed. Worshiping the image will be how people will receive the mark of the beast.

So here's my theory as to what the abomination of desolation will be. Let's pretend like the Ark of the Covenant is found. Imagine if after the anti-christ was killed and came back to life, that he sprinkled some of his blood from his deadly wound on the Ark of the Covenant. You might ask what the symbolic purpose of that is.

Here's what's so bad about that. Hebrews 9 gives a good overview of the Old and New testaments:
Hebrews 9:18-24
18 Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.
19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,
20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

So basically, God's original commandment to Moses was to sprinkle blood on the holy objects in the tabernacle which was a picture of what Jesus would do on the cross by shedding his blood for the remission of the sins of the whole world. Notice what verse 24 says though. I believe it is saying that Jesus literally went to heaven and sprinkled his blood on the holy places in heaven. You might doubt that, but notice that when God told Moses how to build the Ark of the Covenant, he told him to pattern it after the one God would show him:

Exodus 25:9,40
9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.
40 And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.

In Revelation 14, the bible mentions a temple in heaven:

15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.

I believe that the holy items are in heaven and God commanded Moses to make replicas on earth.

Getting back to the theory, imagine if the anti-christ sprinkled his blood on the Ark of the Covenant. That's something only Jesus is worthy to do. That would be extremely abominable and it would be clear to all Christians that it is the abomination of desolation.

One obvious problem with this theory is that the Ark of the Covenant is currently lost.  This theory relies on the idea that it would be found by the time this happens.  There are people that believe the story by Ron Wyatt about finding the Ark of the Covenant in the 80's.  Here's his story of finding the Ark which is still in a cave http://www.wyattmuseum.com/arkofthecovenant.htm.  I don't know if it's true or not.  If I had to bet, I would say it is a true story.  He also found Noah's ark and the Red Sea crossing site and I believe God blessed his research.

Ron claims that Jewish religious leaders know the location of the Ark and will bring it out at the appropriate time after the temple is rebuilt.  If this is true, my theory could make sense.

List of people that teach you can have the Mark of the Beast and still be saved

Romans 16:17 says to mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to biblical doctrines.  The doctrine of damnation for anyone who takes the Mark of the Beast is a very clear doctrine.  I will keep a list of people that teach that someone can still be saved if they have the mark of the beast.  This is a very serious doctrine that will send millions of people to hell.

Romans 16:17
Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

Revelation 14:9-11
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Here's the list so far.  Let me know if you know of anyone else that teaches this and I will add them to the list.

John MacArthur (example)
Tim Lahaye (example)
Jerry Jenkins (example)

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

I've heard it taught by pre-trib teachers that the Marriage Supper of the Lamb takes place right after the "pre-trib rapture" and before the tribulation.  This has to be one of the most deceitful teachings I can imagine.  The scripture about the Marriage Supper of the Lamb is very clear on it's timing.

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb is mentioned in Revelation 19.  Revelation 19 starts off by saying "After these things."  If you read Revelation 1-18, you'll realize that all the seals, trumpets and vials have been opened by this point.  So it's clear that the supper does not take place till after the tribulation and after God's wrath.
1 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:

Then Reveltion 19:7 says that the supper "is come" which is present tense.

7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

Then verse 11 says that Jesus comes back on a white horse.  This is when he comes to rule the earth for 1,000 years:

11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

So the marriage supper takes place after God's wrath, but before he comes back on a white horse.

Is there really anything else to say about this?  I challenge anyone to show me one verse that even hints that the marriage supper of the lamb takes place before the tribulation.  False teacher just teach this and have no accountability because people aren't reading their bible!

What I'm watching for

Several times the bible says to "watch" or to be "looking" in reference to his coming.  Some people believe that the command to "watch" proves an imminent return, but notice that he says to "watch" in the same chapters that he says it's "after the tribulation":

Matthew 24:
29 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:

30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

...
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

I believe "watch" means to watch for the signs of his coming.  If you're pre-trib, how do you watch?  Do you go outside and look up?

Here are the signs I'm looking for.

1. Wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilences
Jesus mentioned this in Matthew 24:6-7 which is exactly what is described in Revelation 6.  The 2nd seal is war, the 3rd seal is hyperinflation and famine, the 4th seal is death from hunger and disease.

2. Mass persecution and killing of Christians
In Revelation 6:9-10 is describes the mass killing of Christians:
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

In Mark 13, Jesus described what this will be like:

9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
10 And the gospel must first be published among all nations.
11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.
13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

3. A mark for buying and selling that is in your right hand or forehead:
I believe that this could be some sort of implantable microchip.  Credit cards are already starting to include an RFID chip inside and you can pay just by hovering the card over the card reader.  That could easily be put in your hand.  They could promote it by showing how convenient it is and how much more secure it is than a card.

Revelation 13:16-18 plainly says that no man will be able to buy or sell without a mark in their right hand or forehead.

16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

4. A rebuilt Jewish temple

In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, Paul gives us a warning that Jesus is not coming until the "man of sin" is revealed.  He also says that he will claim to be God and will sit in the temple of God.  I take that to mean that the Jewish temple from the Old Testament will be rebuilt.

1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

5. A one world government
In Revelation 17 and angel gives John a recap of some of the events that happened.  In verses 11-13 he describes how the world came to be governed by the anti-christ.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
It sounds like in the future the world gets divided up into 10 sections that are ruled by 10 "kings", then those 10 kings give their power to the anti-christ because they are of the same mind.

6. The abomination of desolation:
This is the big event of the tribulation.  Some people will probably deny that the tribulation is happening when it begins, but when the abomination of desolation happens, no one will be able to deny that it's the tribulation.
Jesus said in Matthew 24:15-18 that when you see the abomination of desolation, flee into the mountains:
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

Daniel mentioned the abomination of desolation 3 times, but didn't really describe what it was, but the book of Revelation does give some insight as to what it looks like:

Revelation 13:15:
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed

It's hard to imagine what kind of image would cause those that won't worship it to be killed, but I'm sure it will make sense when it happens.

7.  The anti-christ
The bible gives a lot of detail about the anti-christ in the book of Daniel.  I'll write a separate post about it at some point, but in general, he is a man that will be the head of the one world government and the one world religion.  He will be worshiped by most of the world, but Matthew 24 says that Christians will not be deceived.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Times of the Gentiles

I sometimes hear people say that we're living in the "Times of the Gentiles" which will end with a pre-trib rapture, then God will turn his attention to the Jews again. That term "times of the Gentiles" appears in the bible several times. If you look at those verses though, they do not support a pre-trib rapture.
Here are the main verses on the topic:

Luke 21:20-24
20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter there into.
22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

Revelation 11:2
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

Daniel 8:13-14
13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

Right now, the Israel controls Jerusalem. Around the 3.5 year mark of the tribulation, Jerusalem will be attacked (Luke 21:20). The anti-christ will then set up the abomination of desolation and recover from a deadly head wound. At that point, the bible says that Jerusalem will be "trodden down until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." (Luke 21:24)

There's no way that the "times of the Gentiles" could end with a pre-trib rapture. The "times of the Gentiles" lasts 42 months (Revelation 11:20) which is referring to the 2nd half of Daniel's 70th week.  I believe the 2,300 days that's mentioned in Daniel 8:14 is talking about the amount of time till the sanctuary will be cleansed, not the total amount of time that Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles.

I also want to mention this passage in Romans 11:
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

I believe that the term "fulness of the Gentiles" is the same thing as "times of the Gentiles".  This passage was confusing for me for a long time but I'll write what about what I think it means.

Revelation 11:13 says:
13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

If you read the whole chapter, you'll see that it's referring to the city of Jerusalem.  I believe that the "remnant" that are mentioned in Revelation 11 could be Jews that will turn from their false religion and believe on Jesus at the end of Daniel's 70th week.  Then Jesus comes back to rule for 1,000 years and turns away all ungodliness from Jerusalem.  I think that is what's being referred to in Romans 11:25-26.

God's name for the rapture

A lot of bible believing Christians, including me, use the word "rapture" to describe the event mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.  The word "rapture" is not found in the English bible, but the idea is.  Here's what God calls the rapture.

"The first resurrection"

Here is a passage from Revelation 20 about "the first resurrection":

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.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

This is actually another proof of a post-trib rapture because those that were beheaded for not worshiping the anti-christ are part of the first resurrection.  How could they be part of the first resurrection if the rapture already happened before the tribulation?

Another name for the day of the rapture is "The Day of the Lord".  The bible mentions the day of the Lord many times throughout the bible.  I will say however that there appear to be multiple days of the Lord.  Every time it's mentioned though, it's talking about a day where God judges a group of people.

Isaiah 13:6 says:

Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.

This was a prophecy of the coming fall of Babylon which happened around 536 BC.  This prophecy took place about 100 years before that.

When Paul describes the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4, he goes on to call it "the day of the Lord" in 1 Thessalonians 5:

2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

There will also be one last day of the Lord which will happen when heaven and earth pass away.  2 Peter 3:10 says:

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

The reason that the day of the rapture is called "the day of the Lord" is because God begins to pour out his wrath on that day.

The rapture happens when the 6th seal is opened. When the men of the earth see Jesus coming in the clouds, here's what they say:

Revelation 6:16-17:

16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Jesus talked about how the rapture would happen on the same day as his wrath.  See this passage from Luke 17:

26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

The only reason I use the word "rapture" rather than "the first resurrection" is because rapture is more commonly used among modern day Christians.

It Is Well With My Soul

"It is well with my soul" is my favorite song. One thing I didn't realize until recently though was that the song assumes a post-trib, pre-wrath rapture. Here are the song lyrics:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul. Refrain: It is well with my soul, it is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blest assurance control, that Christ has regarded my helpless estate, and hath shed his own blood for my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll; the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, even so, it is well with my soul.

Notice the last verse where he says "And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight". That's talking about the rapture. Then he says this:

"the clouds be rolled back as a scroll; the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend". The only place in the bible where it talks about the clouds being rolled back as a scroll are in Revelation 6 when the 6th seal is opened.

14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

The post-trib, pre-wrath rapture doctrine teaches that the rapture happens when the 6th seal is opened. That's why a great multitude appears all the sudden in heaven in Revelation 7:9.  The writer of the song understood this which is why he mentioned the clouds being rolled back as a scroll when he was talking about the rapture.

The wrath of God

In Revelation 6 the people who are left behind during the rapture are saying "The great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand?" Here's what the wrath of God consists of.

1st Trumpet: Hail & fire burn up all the green grass and 1/3 of the trees
2nd Trumpet: 1/3 of the sea becomes blood (1/3 of creatures in the sea die and 1/3 of ships destroyed)
3rd Trumpet: Star named "Wormwood" makes 1/3 of the water on earth bitter and 1/3 of mankind dies
4th Trumpet: 1/3 of the sun moon and stars go dark
5th Trumpet: Scorpions from hell sting men for 5 months & the smoke from hell causes darkness
6th Trumpet: Angels under the Euphrates are loosed and gather an army of 200 million kill 1/3 of people on the earth
7th Trumpet: Lightening, thunder, earthquake, and great hail

1st Vial: Everyone that has the mark of the beast gets grievous sores
2nd Vial: Sea becomes blood and every soul dies
3rd Vial: Rivers become blood
4th Vial: Sun scorches people
5th Vial: Darkness
6th Vial: Euphrates is dried
7th Vial: Great earthquake and hail

Destruction of "Babylon"

I believe that the trumpets and vials happen parallel to each other. Look at the similarities:
1st Trumpet & Vial: Not similar
2nd Trumpet & Vial: Both affect the sea
3rd Trumpet & Vial: Both affect the fresh water
4th Trumpet & Vial: Both affect the sun
5th Trumpet & Vial: Both involve darkness
6th Trumpet & Vial: Both involve the Euphrates river
7th Trumpet & Vial: Both involve an earthquake and hail

This is further proof that chapters 1-11 and chapters 12-22 are telling the same story twice.

I want to elaborate on what "Wormwood" means. I believe "wormwood" is hinting at a Chernobyl type disaster on a large scale where the water is contaminated and kills 1/3 of the earth's population. In fact, the city of Chernobyl is named after the Ukrainian word for wormwood.  Look if up if you don't believe me. Here's an excerpt from Wikipedia.
The city is named after the Ukrainian word for mugwort or wormwood (Artemisia vulgaris), which is чорнобиль "chornobyl".

If you're not sure you're saved and want to make sure you never have to go through this wrath, here's a great explanation of how to be saved http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDEBz25lGdY.

How modern bible versions change end-time passages

I believe that the King James version of the bible is the preserved word of God in the English language. I won't go into all the reasons why in this post, but I do want to point out some changes that have been made to key rapture passages in modern versions. Here's a good sermon about why the KJV is the best version if you want to learn more http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5ZuDPcGUK0.  I'll focus on the NIV, NLT, ESV, and NKJV since those are the top 5 versions besides the KJV.

This is no small issue to God. He gives a very serious warning in the book of Revelation.
Revelation 22:18-19
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3
KJV:
1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
ESV:
1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
The NIV, NLT, & NKJV all basically make the same change. The phrase "at hand" means something is about to happen.

Here's a passage from Joel which was a prophecy about God sending destruction:
1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
Notice that Joel says it's nigh at hand because it's about to happen.
So the KJV says don't let anyone tell you that the rapture is about to happen until the falling away and the anti-christ is revealed, but the other versions say not to let anyone fool you into thinking that the rapture has already happened.

Revelation 6:17
KJV:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
ESV:
17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
NKJV, NLT, & NIV all make this change as well.
You might say that changing "is" to "has" is a minor change, but I've tried to explain that God's wrath doesn't happen till after the 6th seal is opened because of how this verse says it "is come", and the person said that the proper translation of that verse is "has come" to try to justify teaching that the tribulation and God's wrath are the same thing.

Revelation 7:14

KJV:

And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

ESV:

7 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

So in the KJV a great multitude of people "came" out of great tribulation, but in the ESV they're "coming" out of great tribulation.  Since the rapture happens after the 6th seal, it makes sense to say that they "came" out of great tribulation, but if you say they're "coming" out of great tribulation, you might be able to argue that it's not the rapture and those people are just Christians that are being killed during the tribulation and they go up to heaven as they die.  The ESV is the only one of the other 4 that make this change.

Who are the two witnesses?

In Revelation 11 the two witnesses are mentioned. Here's what it says about them:

3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

Here's what we know about the two witnesses:
1. They prophesy 1,260 days
2. They are protected by fire coming out of their mouth
3. It will not rain during the 1,260 days that they're on the earth
4. They can turn water into blood
5. They can smite the earth with plagues as they wish
6. They are killed by the anti-christ
7. Their bodies will lie in the street 3 days in Jerusalem
8. Everyone on the earth will rejoice and give gifts to one another when they die
9. After 3.5 days they will be resurrected and go up to heaven

First, I want to talk about who these two people could be. The bible doesn't mention specifically who they are in Revelation, but I think the bible does give clues as to who these two witnesses could be.

Case for Moses & Elijah:
Matthew 17 starts off with Jesus taking Peter, James, and John up to a high mountain to show them the transfiguration. What's interesting though is that the last verse of the previous chapter says this:

Matthew 16:28:

28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
So right before the transfiguration chapter, Jesus says that there are some people standing there that will not taste death till they see Jesus coming in his kingdom. Then he takes them up on the mountain and they see Moses and Elijah.

Another thing that Revelation mentions is that it will not rain for 1,260 days which is 3.5 years. The book of James mentions that Elijah prayed for this in the old testament and it didn't rain on the earth for 3.5 years:

James 5:17:
17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

Jesus actually mentioned this drought as he was being led to the cross. Here's what he said in Luke 23:
28 But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.
29 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.
30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.
31 For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?

I believe verse 31 is talking about the drought during the end times.  Notice verse 30 is practically quoted in Revelation 6:16:

16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

Another one of the miracles of the two witnesses is turning water into blood. Moses did this in Egypt.
Exodus 7:19:
19 And the Lord spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.

Also, both Moses and Elijah had unusual ends to their life on earth. Elijah was taken to heaven in a chariot of fire.
2 Kings 2:11:
11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

Moses died and was buried by God:
Deuteronomy 34:5-7:
5 So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.
6 And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth–peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.

Another unusual thing about Moses's body is that Satan tried to do something with the body after it was buried. The book of Jude discusses it briefly.

Jude 1:9:

9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

Why not Enoch?

My personal opinion is that the two witnesses will be Moses and Elijah.  Some people try to say that Enoch will be one of the witnesses because he was taken to heaven without having to die.  They point to the verse in Hebrews that say that it is appointed unto men once to die.  The problem with that logic is that aren't there going to be a whole lot of people that don't die who go up to heaven in the rapture?  I think the verse in Hebrews is talking about a spiritual death.  Similar to how God told Adam he would die the day he ate the fruit.  He died spiritually that day, but lived for hundreds of years after that.

Which 3.5 years are they on the earth for?

Daniel's 70th week is basically divided into 2 halves.  The abomination of desolation happens at the 3.5 year mark.  The first 3.5 years is 1,260 days and the 2nd half is 1,290 days.  I'm not going to go through the proof of that timeline in this article.

I believe the witnesses will be on the earth for the 2nd half of Daniel's 70th week.  The reason I believe that is because of what happens right after they are taken to heaven.

Revelation 11:12-15:
12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

So right after they go to heaven there's a great earthquake then the angel sounds the 7th trumpet and says "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord...".  That's when Christ begins the 1000 year reign.

Who are the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation?

Here's what the book of Revelation says about the 144,000 in chapter 7:
4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.
8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

Notice that's it's not just 144,000 Jews; it's 12,000 from each tribe. The 144,000 are mentioned again in Revelation 14:
1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
Here's what we know:
1. There are 12,000 from each tribe.
2. They're standing with Jesus on mount Sion.
3. They are sealed on their forehead.
4. They're singing a song that only they can learn.
5. They are male virgins.
6. They are without fault before the throne of God.

I want to point out point #2 and try to figure out where mount Sion is located. Here's what it says about mount Sion in Hebrews 12:22
But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
So mount Sion is in the heavenly Jerusalem. You might not have heard that before, but the bible clearly says that there's a heavenly Jerusalem.

I believe these 144,000 are old testament saints that are currently in heaven. When the rapture happens, they'll be coming down the same time that we're going up (I believe that because they're mentioned right before the rapture in Revelation 7 & Revelation 14).  If you find that hard to believe, consider the fact that we're all coming down with Jesus when he comes to rule for 1000 years. They're just coming down a little earlier.
They will preach the gospel during the period of God's wrath along with the two witnesses which will be on the earth at that time as well.

I've heard pre-trib believers say that the 144,000 are Jews that will believe on Jesus when they see him come in the clouds at the rapture. Here's the problem with that. The tribes are gone. They've been totally mixed with the heathen. There's no way you could find 12,000 people that are of the tribe of Zabulon, much less 12,000 male virgin believers.
Many pre-trib believers think that there will be a mass repentance among the Jews during the tribulation.

Here's what Jesus said about that in John 5:43:

43 I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

It sounds like they'll accept the anti-christ as their Messiah.  Consider the fact that he will have rebuilt the temple, brought peace to the middle east, been resurrected from the dead and he will be the ruler of the world. They'll probably think that he's fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 9:
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Don't all real Christians believe the pre-trib rapture?

One thing I hear a lot is that the pre-trib rapture must be true because of how many Christians believe it.  I'll admit that a lot of Christians believe the pre-trib rapture for now, but there are plenty of Christians that believe the post-trib, pre-wrath rapture as well.

Here are some pastors:

Kent Hovind:
Kent is a well known teacher that went around the world teaching a literal 6 day creation and a young earth.  He frequently debated evolutionists and has done a great deal of good for the cause of Christ.  He recently went to jail for some bogus tax charges and while he's been in jail he's been reading his bible.  He changed his position on the rapture to the post-trib, pre-wrath position.  Here's a book he wrote about it:
http://www.2peter3.com/BookWhatOnEarth.html

Steven Anderson:
Pastor Anderson is the pastor at Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona.  He made a movie called "After the Tribulation" that exposes the lie of the pre-trib rapture.  Besides teaching the post-trib, pre-wrath rapture, Pastor Anderson is a great soul winner.  His church has won over 8,000 people to Christ through door-to-door soul winning.

Here's a link to the movie "After the Tribulation":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dvv2HPYdhMA

Here's a link to a series on the book of Revelation by Pastor Anderson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g56wtMhODP4

Roger Jimenez:
Pastor Jimenez is the Pastor of Verity Baptist Church in Sacramento, California.  He preaches the post-trib, pre-wrath rapture and was featured in the film "After the Tribulation".  He is also a great soul winner and has built his church from scratch through the hard work of soul winning.

Roland Rasmussen:
Dr. Rasmussen was pastor of Faith Baptist Church in California for about 40 years.  He wrote a book on the rapture called "The Post-Trib, Pre-Wrath Rapture".  Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Post-Trib-Pre-Wrath-Rapture-Roland-Rasmussen/dp/0965178900

Marvin Rosenthal:
Mr. Rosenthal wrote a book on the rapture called the "Prewrath Rapture".  Here's a link:
http://www.amazon.com/Prewrath-Rapture-Church-Marvin-Rosenthal/dp/0840731604/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1

There are many others who believe it as well (do a google search and you will see them).  Any correct biblical doctrine will be believed by millions of believers, and that is true for the post-trib rapture.  I was just talking to someone at the climbing gym the other day who believed in the post-trib, pre-wrath rapture.  All these people are coming up with it on their own just by reading their bible.

The tribulation and God's wrath are not the same thing

I often hear people try to prove the pre-trib rapture by quoting verses that say God's people are not appointed to wrath. For example 1 Thessalonians 5:9 says:

9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

The book of Revelation details a lot of the events during the 7 year period that is commonly called "Daniel's 70th week". In Revelation chapter 6 it starts to describe the events of the tribulation.

1st seal - rider on a white horse conquers
2nd seal - red horse brings war
3rd seal - black horse brings famine
4th seal - pale horse brings death through famine and war
5th seal - souls of martyrs asking God to bring judgement upon the earth

It would be ridiculous to call those events the wrath of God because one of those events involved the mass killing of Christians. And if those were the wrath of God, why would the martyrs be asking God to judge the earth? Wouldn't God tell them that he's in the process of judging the earth already? Instead God tells them to wait a little season in verse 11:

11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

Finally when the 6th seal is opened, the bible calls that the day of God's wrath:

17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

In reality, the tribulation is the wrath of Satan executed through the anti-Christ, which is followed by the rapture, then God pouring out his wrath on the unbelievers left behind.

If you look at the end times events from this prospective, it's easy to see how the rapture happens (Revelation 7) the same day that the 6th seal is opened, then God begins to pour out his wrath is Revelation 8.  That's why Jesus said that the rapture happens "after the tribulation" in Matthew 24:29-31:

29 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:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Most of the time when the bible talks about tribulation, it's talking about believers going through persecution.

Matthew 13:20-21
20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

2 Thessalonians 1:4
4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: