Body: | The origin of Rapture False doctrine: John Darby 1830 AD
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Rapture doctrine did not exist before John Darby invented it in 1830 AD. Before it "popped into John Darby's head" no one had ever heard of a secret rapture doctrine.
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Introduction:
See our main Rapture page here.
1. Rapture doctrine is one of the most recent "new doctrines"
in the history of the Church. The only doctrine more recent is the
invention of the sinner's prayer for salvation by Billy Sunday in 1930,
which was made popular by Billy Graham in 1935.
2. The fact that John Nelson Darby invented the pre-tribulation
rapture doctrine around 1830 AD is unquestionably true. All attempts to
find evidence of this wild doctrine before 1830 have failed, with a single
exception: Morgan Edwards wrote a short essay as a college paper for
Bristol Baptist College in Bristol England in 1744 where he confused the
second coming with the first resurrection of Revelation 20 and described a
"pre-tribulation" rapture. However Edwards ideas, which he admitted were
brand new and never before taught, had no influence in the modern
population of the false doctrine. That prize to goes to Darby.
3. Prior to 1830, no church taught it in their creed, catechism
or statement of faith.
4. Darby has had a profound impact on religion today, since
Darby's "secret rapture" false doctrine has infected most conservative,
evangelical churches. While the official creeds and statements of faith of
many churches either reject or are silent about Rapture, neither do they
openly condemn this doctrine of a demon from the pulpit.
5. While not all dispensationalists believe in the Rapture. All
those who teach the Rapture also believe in premillennialism. Both groups
use Israel's modern statehood status of 1948 to be a beginning of a
countdown to the end.
6. All premillennialists, rapturists and dispensationalists
alive today believe the Bible reveals the general era of when Christ will
return. The date setters of the 1800's (Seventh-day Adventists who are date
setting premillennialists who reject the rapture, Jehovah's Witnesses who
have set many dates) based their predictions upon speculative arrangements
of numbers and chronologies in the Bible. Today's date setters without
exception wrongly believe that Israel gaining state hood in 1948 fulfilled
Bible prophecy and that Christ would return within one generation.
7. There are two kinds of premillennialists: Those "Date
setters" and "Date Teasers". "Date setters", set specific dates which are
in fact a countdown clock to the extinction of their own ministries.
(William Miller, Charles Russell, Ronald Weinland, Harold Camping, etc.)
"Date teasers", share the same rhetoric of urgency that the "end is very
soon", but refuse to lock into a specific date. (Jack Van Impe, Hal
Lindsay, Tim LaHaye, Pentecostals, Baptists, Grant Jefferies,
Christadelphians.)
8. Most of the TV preachers who promote rapture and/or "date
set" all wrongly believe they are a prophet of God with special
illumination. Pentecostals believe they are inspired directly from the Holy
Spirit as modern day prophets. Baptists believe they are illuminated with
guidance from the Holy Spirit through the Calvinist doctrine of
Irresistible grace.
9. Christians reject all these false notions of God
illuminating man and rely upon the pages of the Bible alone as a sole
source of conduct and doctrine. . Find a church that exposes the Rapture as
a heresy in your own home town.
Further study:
1. Does Revelation prophecy today's current events?
2. Did the last days begin this century? Are we living in the
last days yet?
3. Who is the ANTICHRIST?
4. 50 ways Rapture and pre-millennialism contradicts the Bible
A. False assumptions of Rapture and premillennialism.
1. False: The kingdom is something distinct from the church.
Truth: The kingdom is the church which was established on the day of
Pentecost in 33 A.D. We are in the kingdom now: Col 1:13; Rev 1:6,9.
2. False: Reviving the Roman empire to keep time prophecies
of Dan 2,7,8,9 from failing. Truth: The final kingdom Daniel saw was Rome.
God set up his kingdom during the Roman empire which began in 30 BC and was
destroyed in 397 AD. The kingdom is the church which was started on
Pentecost.
3. False: Daniel saw 13 kingdoms: Truth: Daniel saw 4
kingdoms: Babylon, Medo-persia, Greece and Rome. The last kingdom had ten
toes, representing 10 Caesars/rulers/kings not 10 additional kingdoms for a
total of 13 kingdoms.
4. False: Christ will return in one generation from the time
Israel became a nation in 1948. Truth: Mt 23:34; 24:34 speak about how the
Herodian temple in Jerusalem will be destroyed within one generation. This
indeed came to pass with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD by Titus.
Notice the parallel: "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then
recognize that her desolation is near. " (Luke 21:20)
5. False: Israel never possessed all the land promised to
Abraham and must return to fulfill this promise. Truth: God made three
promises to Abraham and all three were fulfilled at the time of Joshua -
Solomon. "And the LORD gave them rest on every side, according to all that
He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before
them; the LORD gave all their enemies into their hand. Not one of the good
promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to
pass. " (Joshua 21:44-45) Here is a detailed outline showing that Israel
possessed all the land promised Abraham.
6. False: The Mosaic Old Testament temple will be rebuilt on
the temple mount in Jerusalem complete with animal sacrifices and Aaronic
priests. Truth: The Old Testament was nailed to the cross and abolished:
Heb 8:13. To go back to animal sacrifices is to deny Christ: "And I testify
again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation
to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are
seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. " (Galatians
5:3-4) Restoring animal sacrifices nullifies the sacrifice of the blood of
Christ on the cross which was the last blood sacrifice for all future
eternity: "Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after
time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having
offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF
GOD, " (Hebrews 10:11-12)
7. False: Entering the 7th millennium in 2000 AD Truth: The
bible indicates that the world is about 6119 years old in 2011. See this
creation time chart and chronology.
8. False: Y2K bug of 1999 AD Truth: Wild speculation that TV
preachers and Rapturists used to whip up end time predictions. It was a
non-event... again.
9. False: The prophetic clock stopped in the 69th week of
Daniel's prophecy when the Jews rejected Christ as their earthly king
because God wasn't expecting the Jews to reject Jesus. Each of the first 69
weeks was a period of seven years, but he last week has already been almost
2000 years. The prophetic clock starts ticking again at the "Rapture" which
is the beginning of the 70th week of Daniel. There will be 3 ½ years of
peace followed by 3 ½ years of tribulation. Truth: God foresaw
everything just as it happened in the gospels. A prophecy clock cannot stop
or slow down or change rate of time passing. The 70th week continued and
came to and end before 40 AD. Rapturists believe that the entire New
Testament period is something that God had to think up on the fly when the
Jews rejected Jesus as their king. So God had to think up the church age as
a stop gap measure until God could try a second time to get the Jews to
accept Jesus as king during the millennium. Notice that the "prophetic
clock stops" when the Jews crucified Jesus and it starts at the Rapture.
The reason the clock had to stop, is because of all the time prophecies
were supposed to be fulfilled at the first advent of Christ, but the Jews
thwarted God's plan. Notice the clock stops at the 69th week of Daniel 9
which was happily ticking at a constant pace since it began with the decree
of Cyrus which was 483 years (69 x 7 years). Then 2000 years pass and the
clock suddenly starts ticking down the final 7 years. This is nothing short
of incredible, but in fact, this entire concept of God failing to foresee
the Jews rejecting Jesus as King is the cornerstone of Rapture and
Premillennial theology.
10. False: The church is a temporary after thought while the
prophetic clock is stopped. The church is not prophesied in the Old
Testament and will be abolished at the second coming. The prophetic clock
starts ticking again at the "Rapture" which is the beginning of the 70th
week of Daniel. There will be 3 ½ years of peace followed by 3 ½ years of
tribulation. Truth: The church is part of God's eternal purpose and will
endure forever into the future: "so that the manifold wisdom of God might
now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in
the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which
He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, " (Ephesians 3:10-11) God will be
glorified in the church for all future eternity: "to Him be the glory in
the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. "
(Ephesians 3:21) Those who believe the church is a temporary stop gap
measure, fail to comprehend that the church is the bride of Christ and that
the wedding day is the second coming. "that He might present to Himself the
church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but
that she would be holy and blameless. " (Ephesians 5:27) Rapturists teach
that the church ends at the second coming, when in fact the church
continues forever as the bride of Christ. Those who believe the church was
thought up at the last minute when the Jews rejected Jesus as their king
fail to realize that our salvation is inside the church, which is the body
of Christ and will continue forever. If the church ends at the second
coming, then so does the body of Christ. So Rapture and premillennialism is
rank heresy invented by John Darby in 1830 AD.
11. False: The Bible tells us when the Rapture/second coming of
Christ will occur. Truth: "The Bible Guarantees it" as a sure thing makes a
mockery of Christ and causes people to lose faith in the Bible.
12. False: There is a secret number code in the bible that can be
used to predict the second coming by using combinations of 3 ½, 6, 7, 10,
30, 40, 66, 70, 230, 280, 666, 980, 1000, 1200, 1260, 1290, 1335, 2520,
2300, 6000, 7000 etc. These numbers are randomly assigned various time
units including minutes, hours, days, weeks, years, millenniums. Truth:
Endless numerology has been used randomly to make endless date predictions
which have all failed but sold a lot of books and made a lot of con artists
rich.
13. False: Special illumination from God others do not possess Truth:
If any man claims special revelation from God who directly communicates
with him, let him show this by performing miracles. Bible prophets always
proved it by their power, not their words. "But I will come to you soon, if
the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those who are
arrogant but their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in words
but in power. " (1 Corinthians 4:19-20) Until men like Camping perform a
miracle, he is a candidate for stoning according the Old Testament law he
believes will be restored.
14. False: New Doctrines are being revealed today that were not
understood even 20 years ago. Truth: Continuous revelation: "Early and
latter rains", "new light". For example, Harold Camping said, "The Biblical
evidence is too overwhelming and specific to be wrong. The scriptural
evidence needed to know the exact day could not be known before 1988, the
year the 'Church age' ended. The Bible indicates prior to this year that
date could not be known." The Jehovah's Witnesses are trained to ignore
past false predictions by claiming new light that "gets brighter and
brighter". Rather it is "black light" or flickering/contradictory light.
Camping uses this "new light" "latter rain" theology to justify his
previous prediction of 1994 failing. Incredibly Camping says: "In the
nineteen years since "1994?" was written, the biblical evidence for 2011
has greatly solidified. Today there is no longer any question, May 21, 2011
is the day in which Jesus Christ will return.
B. Rapture prophecy time charts:
1. All Rapturists need a complex and detailed time chart to
graph out their sequence of events. Here are original documents that map
out the end. The one pictured below is a general overview chart to give
the basic idea.
click to view
2. Rapture Summary Chart. Notice that the entire New Testament
period is something that God had to think up on the fly when the Jews
rejected Jesus as their king. So God had to think up the church age as a
stop gap measure until God could try a second time to get the Jews to
accept Jesus as king during the millennium. Notice that the "prophetic
clock stops" when the Jews crucified Jesus and it starts at the Rapture.
The reason the clock had to stop, is because of all the time prophecies
were supposed to be fulfilled at the first advent of Christ, but the Jews
thwarted God's plan. Notice the clock stops at the 69th week of Daniel 9
which was happily ticking at a constant pace since it began with the decree
of Cyrus which was 483 years (69 x 7 years). Then 2000 years pass and the
clock suddenly starts ticking down the final 7 years. This is nothing short
of incredible, but in fact, this entire concept of God failing to foresee
the Jews rejecting Jesus as King is the cornerstone of Rapture and
Premillennial theology. The church is part of God's eternal purpose and
will endure forever into the future: "so that the manifold wisdom of God
might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the
authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal
purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, " (Ephesians
3:10-11) God will be glorified in the church for all future eternity: "to
Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations
forever and ever. Amen. " (Ephesians 3:21) Those who believe the church is
a temporary stop gap measure, fail to comprehend that the church is the
bride of Christ and that the wedding day is the second coming. "that He
might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or
wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. "
(Ephesians 5:27) Rapturists teach that the church ends at the second
coming, when in fact the church continues forever as the bride of Christ.
Those who believe the church was thought up at the last minute when the
Jews rejected Jesus as their king fail to realize that our salvation is
inside the church, which is the body of Christ and will continue forever.
If the church ends at the second coming, then so does the body of Christ.
So Rapture and premillennialism is rank heresy invented by John Darby in
1830 AD.
click to view
3. William Miller's chart (Seventh-day Adventists) that
predicted the end in 1844 AD. VIEW
4. Seventh-day Adventist rapture chart 2010 AD: VIEW
5. Charles Russell's (Jehovah's Witnesses) chart the predicted
the end in 1914 AD. VIEW When Christ didn't come, Russell claimed he was
right, but that Christ came invisibly! Up until about 1996, JW's taught
that the world would end within one generation after 1914 AD. Even the May
15, 1984 Watchtower magazine echoed this false prediction. Like all cults
and date setters, they quietly stopped making the prediction based upon one
generation after 1914 and the mindless lemmings keep going door to door
with their every changing version of lies and deception.
click to view click to view
6. Bill Brown Ministries rapture chart: VIEW
7. Tom Stewart of "What Saith The Scriptures" predicted the
rapture on Sunday May 31, 1998 AD. In a disclaimer on his website, he says
his date was wrong, but no off my much time and that the end if VERY, VERY
NEAR!: VIEW
8. Millennium Ark rapture chart:
VIEW
9. LDS, Latter Day Saints, Mormons: The year 2000 AD was date teased:
VIEW
10. Donald Perkins Bible prophecy chart VIEW
11. Jack Van Impe claims he has been awarded several PhD's and we are
certain they are all in "Date Teasing" No one date teases better than Jack.
He teased 2000 AD and is currently teasing 2012 AD. Her is Van Impe's
"Israel invasion prophecy chart": VIEW
12. Christadelphian end times prophecy chart: Christadelphians have a
long history of date setting, but their last prediction was around 2000 AD.
For Christadelphians, the end has been very soon for 150 years. VIEW
13. Ronald Weinland predicted the end on April 17, 2008. He claimed to
be a prophet, apostle and that he and his wife the two witnesses of
Revelation. When that failed, he is currently he predicting the second
coming on May 27, 2012. Here is Weinland's current end of the world chart:
VIEW
14. Harold Camping predicted the end of the world in 1994 and again on
May 21, 2011. Camping believed he had learned special insights that no one
else on earth had understood from the Bible. In fact, Camping is a
numerologist who see patterns in numbers that are meaningless. While
convincing to his lemmings who sold their houses and maxed out their credit
cards and gave the money to Camping to spread the word through a global
advertising campaign, his insights make him worthy of being stoned as a
false prophet. Camping is an agent of Satan to destroy faith in the Bible.
VIEW
15. Ronald Weinland predicted the end on April 17, 2008. He claimed to
be a prophet, apostle and that he and his wife the two witnesses of
Revelation. When that failed, he is currently he predicting the second
coming on May 27, 2012. Here is Weinland's current end of the world chart:
VIEW
C. Rapture Bible proof texts refuted:
1. Every Bible verse used by Rapture advocates are the same
passages that Christians have used to prove the second coming with will
being about the resurrection of all the dead, both wicked and righteous,
translation of the living into spirit beings, the destruction of the earth,
the great judgment and heaven and hell... all at the same time. You will
see in every one of their rapture proof texts, that Rapture is not actually
specified. Instead it is the good old second coming as taught historically
by the church back to the first century, not some new doctrine revealed for
the first time to the Plymouth Brethren through John Darby in 1830 AD.
2. There are shockingly few actual Bible texts that Rapture
advocates actually use to attempt to prove rapture is taught in the bible.
3. Equally shocking is that many of those who teach the Rapture
believe in continuous revelation. This means that they do not even need any
Biblical passages to prove their new doctrine. They, as prophets, believe
God has revealed it to them as a brand new Christian doctrine, that the
first century Christians never believed, the apostles never taught. So they
will openly admit they have little or nothing in the bible to support their
new rapture theology. Of course they fail the test of a true prophet to
possess the ability to perform miracles or at least a prophecy or two to
come true.
4. See also: Overview of how Rapture and pre-millennialism
contradicts the Bible
5. Here is a complete collection of Bible passages used to prove
the Rapture:
Comment
Passage
No pre-tribulation Rapture in 1 Thess 4:15-17! This is the only proof text that is ever given for any direct support for the Rapture. The word for "caught up" is "harpásō" in the Greek and is also used of when Paul was "caught up" into 3rd heaven to see visions in 2 Cor 12:2. However this verse simply teaches what all Christians have taught about the events at the second coming namely: resurrection of all the dead, translation of the living into spirit beings, destruction of the earth, judgement, heaven and hell... all in a twinkling of an eye at the last trump.
"For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. " (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)
No Rapture in Jn 5:28, in fact it teaches the opposite! False teachers of the Rapture say that only Christians are raised, then after 1000 years, the wicked are raised. This verse clearly teaches that in the same "twinkling of an eye" (an hour, not 1000 years) all the dead will be raised.
""Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, " (John 5:28)
No Rapture in this Dan 12:2, just that all the dead, both righteous and wicked will be raised to judgment at the last day.
"Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. "Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. " (Daniel 12:2-3)
No Rapture in 1 Cor 15:21-28, in fact it teaches the opposite! It says that the second coming will be the end, not 1000 years before the end. Its says that Christ is reigning now, but will give up his reign at the second coming and hand it over to the Father. Rapture teaches that Christ is not reigning now, but will begin to reign at the second coming. This is exactly opposite to what the Rapture false teachers believe.
"For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, "All things are put in subjection," it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all. " (1 Corinthians 15:21-28)
No Rapture in this 1 Cor 15:51ff! It teaches that at the second coming the dead will be raised into immortal spirit beings and the living shall be changed into immortal spirit beings.
"Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 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. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. " (1 Corinthians 15:51-53)
See also: Overview of how Rapture and pre-millennialism contradicts the Bible
D. Rapture doctrine invented by John Nelson Darby in 1830:
1. John Nelson Darby invented the false
doctrine of the Rapture 1830-1833 AD and popularized it in 1850 to which it
infected us today. While Morgan Edwards had also invented the doctrine in a
college essay in 1744 AD, his work was isolated, forgotten and irrelevant
as an etiology of the modern popularity of pre-tribulation Rapture
doctrine. Darby invented the doctrine without any influence or reliance on
Edwards.
2. Morgan Edwards wrote this short essay as a
paper for Bristol Baptist College in Bristol England in 1744. After he
immigrated to the USA, the essay was published in Philadelphia in 1788. It
is clear that his school paper went as unnoticed as his formal publication
in 1788 AD. While Edwards may in fact be the earliest person on earth to
invent the pre-tribulation rapture, it is equally clear that Darby invented
the same doctrine in 1830 AD and made it popular 20 years later in 1850 AD.
"The distance between the first and second resurrection will be somewhat
more than a thousand years.: I say, somewhat more; because the dead saints
will be raised, and the living changed at Christ's " appearing in the air"
(1 Thes. iv, 17); and this will be about three years and a half before the
millennium, as we shall see hereafter: but will he and they abide in the
air all that time? No: they will ascend to paradise, or to some one of
those many " mansions in the father's house of God" (John xiv: 2), and to
disappear during the foresaid period of time. ... V. That spot of earth
which. Christ will make the seat of his governments Mount Zion, in
Jerusalem. Jerusalem and the temple will be rebuilt, as we shall prove by
and by and that temple will be the house of Christ kingdom. ... VI. The
risen and changed saints shall reign with Christ on earth a thousand years.
I do not mean that all will be kings; for some are to be Christ' s priests,
some judges, some rulers over cities, some over his household, some over
his goods, (as wee shall see anon) and some his special chorister and
musicians. (Two Academical Exercises on Subjects Bearing the following
Titles; Millennium, Last-Novelties, Morgan Edwards, 1744 AD, 1788 AD)
3. Darby notes that the doctrine "popped into
his head" in 1830 AD. Before this, no one had ever heard of a secret
rapture doctrine.
4. Darby is one of the founders of the
"Plymouth Brethren" movement at the same time he first conceived his
rapture theology. Therefore the Plymouth Brethren are inseparable from
Rapture theology and always will be and should be avoided.
5. Modern influences of Darby include Dallas
Theological Seminary, Bob Jones University, Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHaye, Jack
Van Impe and Harold Camping, the Scofield Reference Bible.
6. Darby's Rapture theology has infected
almost every conservative protestant church, except for a few groups like
the Churches of Christ, who rejected it as a non-Biblical doctrine and have
denounced it ever since like all other man made doctrines.
7. Find a church that rejects the Rapture in
your own home town.
E. Proof Rapture was the creation of John Nelson Darby in 1830:
1. The simplest way to prove that Rapture does not predate Darby
or the Plymouth Brethren church, is the admission of the Plymouth Brethren
church today in their own words: "A number of doctrines that are now widely
held within evangelical circles were first discovered by the Brethren (post
1830 AD) or were promoted and propagated by the Brethren. In no particular
order these include: pre-tribulational rapture, dispensationalism"
(Plymouth Brethren: Theological contributions of the Brethren: FAQ #16)
2. "The pretribulation rapture......historians are still trying
to determine how or where Darby got it. . . . Possibly, we may have to
settle for Darby's own explanation. He claimed that the doctrine virtually
jumped out of the pages of Scripture once he accepted and consistently
maintained the distinction between Israel and the church". (Timothy P.
Weber, Living In The Shadow Of The Second Coming: American Premillennialism
1875-1982, 1983 AD, p 21-22).
3. John Nelson Darby commenting on 2 Thess. 2:1-2 in 1850: "It is
this passage which, twenty years ago, [1830 AD] made me [Darby] understand
the rapture of the saints before- perhaps a considerable time before- the
day of the Lord, that is, before the judgment of the living." (The Rapture
of the Saints: Who Suggested It, Or Rather On What Scripture? William
Kelly, The Bible Treasury, New Series, vol. 4, p. 314-318, quoting John
Nelson Darby commenting on 2 Thess. 2:1-2 in 1850)
4. "When the theory of a secret coming of Christ was first
brought forward (about the year 1832), it was adopted with eagerness; it
suited certain preconceived opinions, and it was accepted by some at that
which harmonized contradictory thoughts, whether such thoughts, or any of
them, rested on the sure warrant of God; written Word". (The Hope of
Christ's Coming: How is it Taught in Scripture and Why?, S. P. Tregelles, p
35)
5. "Where did he [Darby] get it? The reviewer's answer would be
that it was in the air in the 1820s and 1830s among eager students of
unfulfilled prophecy". (F. F. Bruce, Book Review of "The Unbelievable
Pre-Trib Origin" in The Evangelical Quarterly, (Vol. XLVII, No. 1). Note:
Bruce is a well known scholar who himself is a member of the Plymouth
Brethren which Darby started)
6. "Until brought to the fore through the writings and preaching
and teaching of a distinguished ex-clergyman, Mr J. N. Darby, in the early
part of the last century, it [rapture theology] is scarcely to be found in
a single book or sermon through a period of sixteen hundred years".
[230-1830 AD] (Harry Ironside, The Mysteries Of God, 1908).
7. "About 1830 a new school arose within the fold of
Premillennialism that sought to overthrow what, since the Apostolic Age,
have been considered by all premillennialist as established results, and to
institute in their place a series of doctrines that had never been heard of
before. The school I refer to is that of 'The Brethren' or 'Plymouth
Brethren,' founded by J. N. Darby." (Alexander Reese, The Approaching
Advent of Christ, page 18)
8. Robert Cameron: "Now, be it remembered, that prior to that
date, no hint of any approach to such belief can be found in any Christian
literature from Polycarp down.... Surely, a doctrine that finds no exponent
or advocate in the whole history and literature of Christendom, for
eighteen hundred years after the founding of the Church - a doctrine that
was never taught by a Father or Doctor of the Church in the past - that has
no standard Commentator or Professor of the Greek language in any
Theological School until the middle of the Nineteenth century, to give it
approval, and that is without a friend, even to mention its name amongst
the orthodox teachers or the heretical sects of Christendom - such a
fatherless and motherless doctrine, when it rises to the front, demanding
universal acceptance, ought to undergo careful scrutiny before it is
admitted and tabulated as part of 'the faith once for all delivered unto
the saints." (Robert Cameron, Scriptural Truth About The Lord's Return,
page 72-73).
9. E. R. Sandeen: "Darby introduced into discussion at
Powerscourt (1833) the ideas of a secret rapture of the church and of a
parenthesis in prophetic fulfillment between the sixty-ninth and seventieth
weeks of Daniel. These two concepts constituted the basic tenets of the
system of theology since referred to as dispensationalism" (E.R. Sandeen,
The Roots of Fundamentalism 1800-1930, University of Chicago Press, 1970)
F. Churches and TV Preachers who teach the Rapture false doctrine:
1. Churches that teach pre-tribulation Rapture:
a. Southern Baptist church: FAQ#18: "What is the SBC's stance on
the end times? There is no official stance in the SBC beyond what you find
in the Baptist Faith and Message. The views among Southern Baptists
regarding the end times are broad. If you surveyed Southern Baptists, you
would likely find many who hold to the "Pre-Tribulational" view of the
rapture, others who hold to a "Mid-Trib" view, some to a "Post-Trib"
rapture, some who hold to historical premillennialism, and perhaps even a
few who don't agree with any of these views.
b. Baptist: The Doctrinal Statement of the Cornerstone Baptist
Church: "The Rapture of the Church: We teach the personal, bodily return of
our Lord Jesus Christ before the seven-year tribulation (1 Thessalonians
4:16; Titus 2:13) to translate His church from this earth (John 14:1-3; 1
Corinthians 15:51-53; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-5:11) and, between this event
and His glorious return with His saints, to reward believers according to
their works (1 Corinthians 3:11-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10). The Tribulation
Period: We teach that immediately following the removal of the church from
the earth (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) the righteous judgments of
God will be poured out upon an unbelieving world (Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel
9:27; 12:1; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12; Revelation 16), and that these
judgments will be climaxed by the return of Christ in glory to the earth
(Matthew 24:27-31; 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12). At that time the Old
Testament and tribulation saints will be raised and the living will be
judged (Daniel 12:2-3; Revelation 20:4-6). This period includes the
seventieth week of Daniel's prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27; Matthew 24:15-31;
25:31-46)."
c. Church of God article #14: "The Millennial Reign of Christ
The second coming of Christ includes the rapture of the saints, which is
our blessed hope, followed by the visible return of Christ with His saints
to reign on the earth for one thousand years (Zech. 14:5; Matt. 24:27, 30;
Rev. 1:7; 19:11-14; 20: 1-6). This millennial reign will bring the
salvation of national Israel (Ezek. 37: 21, 22; Zeph. 3:19, 20; Rom. 11:26,
27) and the establishment of universal peace (Isa. 11: 6-9: Ps. 72: 3-8;
Micah 4:3,4)."
d. The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC): Statement of
Fundamental and Essential Truths: "THE RAPTURE The rapture, the blessed
hope of the church, is the imminent coming of the Lord in the air to
receive to Himself His own, both the living who shall be transformed, and
the dead in Christ who shall be resurrected. 1 Cor. 15:51-57; Phil 3:20-21;
1 Thess. 4:13-18; Titus 2:13 This event takes place before the wrath of God
is poured out during the tribulation. Believers then will appear before the
judgement seat of Christ to be judged according to faithfulness in
Christian service. Rom. 14:10-12; 1 Cor. 3:11-15; 2 Cor. 5:9-10"
e. The Independent Fundamental Churches of America (IFCA) Article
#15. THE SECOND ADVENT OF CHRIST: We believe in that "Blessed Hope", the
personal, imminent, pre-tribulation, and premillennial coming of the Lord
Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones; and in His subsequent return to earth,
with His saints, to establish His Millennial Kingdom (1 Thessalonians
4:13-18; Zechariah 14:4-11; Revelation 19:11-16; 20:1-6; 1 Thessalonians
1:10; 5:9; Revelation 3:10).
f. Plymouth Brethren: Theological contributions of the
Brethren: FAQ#16: "A number of doctrines that are now widely held within
evangelical circles were first discovered by the Brethren (post 1830 AD) or
were promoted and propagated by the Brethren. In no particular order these
include: pre-tribulational rapture, dispensationalism"
g. Congregational Methodist church, Our Statement of Faith: "The
Second Coming of Christ: We believe that the culmination of human history
is designed by God and will occur according to His timing. The literal
interpretation of scripture reveals that Christ will rapture His faithful
in the twinkling of an eye, after which the anti-christ will be revealed,
and the wrath of God poured out upon the earth. After seven years of
tribulation, Christ is revealed in His glory and comes to reign for one
thousand years on the earth. After this millennial reign, the earth will be
destroyed, and a new heaven and new earth will be provided for the faithful
to live in the presence of God forever."
h. Christadelphians do not teach the rapture, however they have a long
history of setting dates for the end of the world and are strongly
premillennial. John Thomas (1805-1871) set the date for the end of the
world in 1848 and 1864 AD. John Thomas, the sects founder, wrote in 1848
AD: "The judgment upon Ireland has been siting since 1786. That crisis was
the beginning of a retribution of seventy-five years. This period is called
'THE END' - the end of the last period, of the continuance of modern
Europe, as organised into ten kingdoms, and the ''Holy Roman Empire' in the
days of Charlemagne. A.D. 1786 was the beginning of the end, 1848 the
concluding of the end, and 1864 the termination of the period. The events
of these seventy-five years are the fulfilment of the following words
concerning modern Europe: 'The Judgment shall sit and they shall take away
of his (the Little Horn's or Holy Roman) dominion, to consume and destroy
it to the end.' ... After 1864 Ireland and the rest of the world will enter
upon a new era, in which peace, righteousness, and blessedness will reign
in the midst of the nations." (Gospel Banner, John Thomas, November 1864)
Thomas revised this date he set in 1848 even before it came to pass for in
1854 Thomas wrote: "But in a few years, that is, about 1866, when the 1335
years terminate, he [the prophet Daniel] will 'arise to his inheritance' in
the Kingdom of God. (Anatolia, John Thomas, 1854, p. 97). Robert Roberts,
John Thomas' successor, strongly and widely predicted that the world would
end in 1910 AD. A Christadelphian publication called, "Logos leaflet No 14"
(1988) suggested the end in May 1988, as the 40th year since Israel became
a nation. The leaflet's front cover says, 'ISRAEL 1948-1988 40 YEARS OF
DESTINY'. And lower down, 'This Generation (40 years) shall not pass away
till all be fulfilled. Behold, the shooting forth of the "fig tree" (a
symbol representing Israel) - Commencing 1948. This generation (40 year
period) "Shall not pass away till all be fulfilled." (p. 3). A key
Christadelphian book called, "Christendom Astray" was published in 1958 and
contained chapter 16 entitled, "Evidence that the End is Near". This
chapter has been deleted from the current editions. Today Christiadelphians
have learned to stopped setting dates although they recently "looked with
quiet hope" at 2000 AD as the second coming. Here is the Christadelphians
current end times prophecy chart that highlights 2000 AD as the end: VIEW.
Like all date setters, there is a slow drifting of expected dates for the
second coming, that the average Christadelphian seems willingly blind to
admit. A simple survey of Christadelphian history shows that their
predicted dates change every generation so that end is always, "very soon".
Christadelphians are typical of other sects that had their origin in the
"John Thomas Rapture Era".
i. Millerites/Adventists, Russelites/Jehovah's Witnesses: "In
1843, people sold their homes and businesses in anticipation of the
imminent return of Christ. They were the followers of William Miller, a
self-taught Bible student from New York. Here is Miller's rapture chart.
Miller understood the 2,300 days of Daniel 8:14 to refer to the number of
years until the return of Christ. Previously, scholars had agreed that this
prophecy was fulfilled in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. But Miller
insisted that it would be fulfilled in his day. In 168 B.C., just as God
had prophesied through Daniel, the Seleucid king Antiochus Epiphanes
entered Jerusalem to punish the Jews. He put an end to sacrifices at the
temple, and rededicated the temple to Zeus. Daniel 8:14 does not literally
refer to 2,300 "days" (KJV, NKJV), but to 2,300 "evenings and mornings"
(NASB, NIV, ESV). From the time that Antiochus entered Jerusalem until the
temple was cleansed and proper sacrifices were reinstituted, roughly 2,300
days passed. The number of evening and morning sacrifices that were
prevented totaled roughly 2,300 (of each). Either reading of the text,
then, finds fulfillment in history. Nonetheless, William Miller believed
that the cleansing of the temple mentioned in Daniel 8 was the purification
of the earth by fire at Christ's second coming. Miller assumed that all
prophecies referring to "days" must mean "years." Adding 2,300 years to the
time of Daniel's prophecy gave Miller a date for Christ's return between
March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844. He began to teach this view and gained
a wide following in the northeastern United States. Despite the great
excitement that Miller generated, March 21, 1844, came and went without the
return of Christ. Miller was devastated, but one of his followers went back
through the calculations and found what he believed to be an error. A new
date was set: October 22, 1844. When October 1844 did not pan out, either,
some of Miller's followers abandoned the movement. Many, however, tried to
find a new explanation. They were too embarrassed to admit their error.
They had invested too much to be wrong. Ellen G. White eventually founded
the Seventh-day Adventists, leading them to the conclusion that Jesus had
returned invisibly in 1844, and that he would soon make his presence known
visibly. Another group that tried to hold to the 1844 date was led by Jonas
Swendahl; they were known as the Second Adventists. They believed that 1844
marked the date, not of Jesus' return, but of the beginning of the last
generation. Swendahl taught that Jesus would return in 1874. One of
Swendahl's followers was a former Presbyterian named Charles Taze Russell.
Charles Russell's (Jehovah's Witnesses) chart the predicted the end in 1914
AD. VIEW. When 1874 came and went, Russell concluded that thirty years was
not long enough for a generation. So he added seventy years to 1844 and
concluded that Jesus would return in 1914. This and other differences led
him to split from the Second Adventists and to launch Zion's Watchtower and
Herald of Christ's Presence. His followers became known as the
International Bible Students, and they went about the country with the
message, "Millions now living will never die!" His followers were to leave
their churches and fellowship together. All churches were considered
apostate, but God had supposedly provided a new channel for their
instruction, Zion's Watchtower Tract Society. What began as the
International Bible Students has become the Jehovah's Witnesses. The date
of 1914 was changed to 1925, then to 1941, and then to 1975. What began as
calling Christians out of their churches to prepare for Christ's return
became an anti-Christian cult. I believe we are seeing something very
similar happening today in Harold Camping." (Jason Wallace, New Horizons,
February 2002) Today Seventh-day Adventist strongly predicted the rapture
in 1980 AD VIEW
j. Mormons: LDS, Latter Day Saints: Mormons were born the same
year John Darby invented Rapture theology in 1830 AD and have a clear
pattern of date setting in a premillennial system. They strongly viewed
2000 AD as a possible date for the end. Here is an example of their current
date for the end: VIEW
2. TV/Radio Preachers and schools that teach the
Pre-tribulation Rapture:
a. The Scofield Reference Bible. The text of the Bible is the
word of God, but the notes and comments twist and strain the scriptures in
a shallow attempt to teach the rapture. Keep in mind this simple rule: All
the verses they use to prove the rapture, are the same verses Christians
have been using to show the good old second coming since the apostolic age.
b. The Dallas Theological Seminary and Bob Jones University have
been the centers of propagation of false doctrine of the Rapture.
c. Hal Lindsey: Most famous for his book, "The Late, Great
Planet Earth", he is a multimillionaire through book sales where he made a
general prediction that the world would end before the generation died who
witnessed Israel becoming a nation in 1947. In his book, "Planet Earth -
2000 A.D." Lindsay predicted the end before 2000 AD. Today he believes
Barak Obama will live to see the anti-Christ walk the earth, even creating
conditions for the anti-Christ to arise. Over the 50 years of publishing,
Linsday has changed his predictions with each era. For example, he felt the
hippie culture of the 60's was a sign of the end and that Russia would be
the force to conquer Jerusalem. Today all that is forgotten and the Muslims
are the new key to world events leading up to the end. But don't
underestimate the influence of Lindsay. I remember non-Christians who had
never read the Bible, buying The Late, Great Planet Earth and reading it
believing it Bible truth.
d. Tim LaHaye: Famous for his "Left Behind" series of movies that
give a fictional portrayal of the Rapture. Book sales are reported to
exceed 70 million. Although LaHaye doesn't make specific end of the world
date predictions like Harold Camping, neither does he discourage or
criticize those who do. Why would he? It would hurt book sales!
e. Jack Van Impe: Jack, self-proclaimed prophet, and his cute
blonde side-kick wife Rexella, have been "rapture date teasing" by reading
news headlines for many years as proof the end of the world is at hand.
While he rejects specific date setting, he firmly believes we can know the
"approximate time of the second coming". He teaches the standard rapture
pre-tribulation theology. Not wanting to risk sending his empire into
extinction (like Harold Camping did when his prophecy failed in May 21,
2011) Van Impe never sets specific dates but general dates. He has
publically stated that he rejects Camping's May 21 prediction for the
Rapture. Jack Van Impe never sets specific dates but he has a long history
of engaging in what we call "date teasing". This way he can say that
current events strongly point to us keeping our eye on the rapture
happening before 2000 AD and when the date passes, he can pick a new date
to keep his deluded viewers salivating for more news. 2000 AD was a great
opportunity to for Van Impe to glue the viewers to the TV given the
changing of the Millennium and the Y2K hysteria that set in on 1999 and the
popular prediction of the pagan cultist Nostradamus (d. 1566 AD).
i. A 1993 video date teased with its title: "A.D. 2000 - The
End?" The date of 2000 was chosen by him based upon the year Israel became
a nation in 1948 + 1 generation: "Let's figure that out again--1948.5 plus
51.4 equals 1999.9--around September of the year 1999. Now, we are not
date-setters! Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of
heaven, but my father only (Matthew 24:36). But wait! Don't say, `No one
can know the APPROXIMATE time when Christ will return,' for Jesus also said
in verse 33 that we will know when it is near, even at the doors"
(January-February 1993 issue of Perhaps Today magazine).
ii. Van Impe claimed that the year 2001 "will see the start of
the Great Tribulation. Political chaos, natural disasters, nuclear war and
the worldwide rise of Islam will usher in mankind's final hour" (Jan-Feb
1997 issue of Perhaps Today).
iii. Prior to January 1, 2000, Van Impe frequently predicted
widespread global catastrophes and destruction resulting from the Y2K
problem, which he believed to be a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. While
such a prediction was rather predictable, the surprise to everyone was that
NOTHING happened when the date pass. Billions had been spent certifying
infrastructures and networks as "Y2K certified". All the crazy talk that
Jack and Rexella said about Y2K was forgotten by the viewers as he switched
to his next date: "The dire warnings in this emergency video are gleaned
exclusively from secular experts in over 300 reports. The facts: No event
in history has connected mankind to one common adversary until now. The
millennial bug jeopardizes our way of life in ways never imagined" (The
2000 Time Bomb, video).
iv. "I was going to make this video next year, around February,
March. But the Holy Spirit awakened me a few months ago and warned me as to
what was coming and that I should warn you. And I'll tell you, this is
perhaps the most important video you'll ever receive concerning your own
survival and what to do to prepare for what's coming" (Jack Van Impe
Presents, September 28, 1998).
v. Although Nostradamus was a pagan cultic non-Christian mystic,
Van Impe makes this incredible statement: "Now, Nostradamus said that the
king of terror would appear November of 1999. I believe Nostradamus knew
his bible and knew what the six-day theory was, and so he could put it all
together" (Jack Van Impe Presents, October 5, 1998).
vi. World War III in 2012 AD??? Currently however, Van Impe has
been having a cerebral meltdown over the Muslim uprising starting in the
Egypt and the other Arab nations as proof the end is so near! With the
failure of his 2000 AD predictions that the "Holy Spirit showed him", the
Muslim uprising is profitable. His latest date teasing video that makes
him millions of dollars, is for World War III in 2012 AD. Yawn.
vi. Jack Van Impe's current Israel invasion prophecy chart VIEW
f. Grant Jeffreys: Another date teaser who teaches
pre-tribulation rapture theology. "After thirty years of careful Bible
study, I am convinced that the overwhelming evidence concerning the
fulfillment of these predictions in our generation points to the return of
Jesus Christ in our lifetime." (Armageddon - Appointment With Destiny,
Grant Jefferys, ch 15)
g. Ronald Weinland travelled to Jerusalem on April 17, 2008. He
announced that he and his wife were the two witnesses of Revelation. Ronald
Weinland, who wrote "2008 - God's Final Witness", is a leader in the
"Church of God, Preparing for the Kingdom of God" (CGPFK) an Armstrong
splinter group. Weinland rejects Rapture doctrine and believes instead that
all the saint of the world will flee to modern Petra Jordan, as a place of
safety supposedly prophesied in Revelation 12:6. When his prophecies
failed, he revised his timeline he stated Christ's will now return on May
27, 2012 and that the tribulation began on September 20, 2009. Today,
Weinland calls himself an apostle a prophet, the "Elijah who is to come"
and one of the two witnesses of Revelation... his wife being the other
witness. Weinland said before the 2008 date failed: "If it doesn't come to
pass...starting in April, 2008, then I'm nothing but a false prophet ...
(Ronald Weinland, 2008 - God's Final Witness, Church of God) No surprise he
never denounce himself as an agent of satan. Instead he reinterpreted his
predictions, much like the Jehovah's Witnesses did in 1914 and says he got
it right after all. Currently he predicts the second coming on May 27,
2012. Here is Weinland's current end of the world chart: VIEW
Click to View
h. Harold Camping: 55 Radio stations with headquarters in Texas.
He wrote a book claiming 1994 was the end of the world. When that failed he
again wrote a second book that the Rapture would take place on May 21,
2011. He enlisted the power of his 55 radio stations and purchased over
2000 full size bulletin boards across the USA. Harold Camping's slogan,
"THE BIBLE GUARENTEES IT: MAY 21, 2011" has made a mockery of Christ and
the Bible. Camping has said, "The Biblical evidence is too overwhelming and
specific to be wrong. The scriptural evidence needed to know the exact day
could not be known before 1988, the year the 'Church age' ended. The Bible
indicates prior to this year that date could not be known." "The discovery
of this information [by Camping after his 1994 prediction failed] built the
foundation for what God would later reveal from the Bible as the date for
the end. Judgment Day on May 21, 2011 is the culmination of five decades of
intensive biblical study by Mr. Camping and other bible teachers who have
discovered the same biblical data." "Creation: 11,013 BC. Flood: 5011 BC.
The end: May 21, 2011. The Biblical evidence is too overwhelming & specific
to be wrong." Camping uses his "new light" "latter rain" theology to
justify his previous prediction of 1994 failing. Incredibly Camping says:
"In the nineteen years since "1994?" was written, the biblical evidence for
2011 has greatly solidified. Today there is no longer any question, May 21,
2011 is the day in which Jesus Christ will return. What proof is there for
the date of May 21, 2011? The date May 21, 2011 was derived solely from
evidence found in the Bible. Mr. Camping saw God had placed, in Scripture,
many important signs and proofs. These proofs alert believers that May 21st
of 2011 is the date Christ will return for His people and begin a period of
the final destruction of the world." Here is the main page on Camping
click to view
i. "In 1992, Harold Camping published the book 1994? Like Miller,
he rejected the historic understanding of Daniel 8. The prophecy clearly
describes the rise of the kingdom of Greece under Alexander the Great and
the division of his empire among four successors. But instead of seeing the
prophecy as fulfilled then, Camping transported its fulfillment to our own
day.
ii. Like the Adventists and the Jehovah's Witnesses, Camping he
focused on the "hidden" meanings of texts, seeing pointers toward 1994 in
the number of swine drowned in the Sea of Galilee and in the number of
servants in Abraham's house. Camping introduced 1994? with the following
statement: "No book ever written is as audacious or bold as one that claims
to predict the timing of the end of the world, and that is precisely what
this book presumes to do." No matter how audacious or bold, it was wrong.
iii. September 6, 1994, came and went. Camping seemed to back
away from his false prophecy, but he has now decided that he was right all
along. It was too bitter a pill to swallow to be wrong. Like the Jehovah's
Witnesses, he says that 1994 wasn't the wrong date. We just have to add
seven years to it!
iv. Like Russell, he is now telling Christians to leave their
churches. All the churches are apostate. You should no longer trust your
pastors and elders. You should abandon them and turn to the true channel of
God's Word, Family Radio. Like Jehovah's Witnesses, you should simply
fellowship together and await word from Oakland. In these new
fellowships, there is to be no discipline, no baptism, no communion, and no
authority apart from Family Radio's interpretation of the Bible. Mr.
Camping rejects 1 Corinthians 11:26, which says that we are to proclaim the
Lord's death until he comes through the weekly observance of the Lord's
Supper.
v. Harold Camping may not be the Watchtower Tract and Bible
Society, but he builds on the same wrongheaded interpretations of
Scripture, the same date-setting, the same recalculations, the same
accusations of universal apostasy, and the same claim to be the last true
channel of God's Word. Despite the differences, both are heretical and
schismatic, tearing apart Christ's church.
vi. Like the Jehovah's Witnesses, Mr. Camping accuses anyone who
disagrees with him of not really believing the Bible. He accuses them of
making an idol of their church. The true idol here is Mr. Camping. Will
Christians read the Bible for themselves and search the Scriptures to know
if these things are true, or will they blindly follow Mr. Camping into yet
another false prophecy? And what will be the result for them if they do?"
(Jason Wallace, New Horizons, February 2002)
vii. Now Camping has set a new date of May 21, 2011 after 1994
failed.
i. Darby's Rapture theology has infected almost every
conservative protestant church among the general membership. One clear
exception is the Churches of Christ, who rejected it as a non-Biblical
doctrine and have denounced it openly from the pulpit as a man-made
doctrine.
j. Find a church that rejects the Rapture in your own home
town.
click to view
G. Vain attempts to find Rapture in the church fathers and early
Christians:
1. Any attempt to find the Rapture theology in the historical
writings of the church fathers or apologists if vain and futile. No church
before 1830 AD taught the rapture, much less the early church. A simple
reading of supposed examples of rapture in the church Fathers, shows no
such thing. The claim is made, but if you read the original text, it says
nothing of the rapture.
2. Apostolic fathers believed that the 70 weeks of Daniel were
fulfilled in the first century in Jesus Christ and did not look for a
future fulfillment: Fulfillment of the 70 Weeks of Daniel 9
3. Apostolic fathers believed in the complete fulfillment of
Mt 24 and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
4. Apostolic fathers and Early Christians on Revelation
prophecies already fulfilled
H. Pseudo-Ephraem says Christians escape tribulation by death not rapture:
1. Overview of Pseudo-Ephraem:
a. Here is the full text of both the Latin and Syraic versions of
Pseudo-Ephraem.
b. As you will see, Pseudo-Ephraem teaches that Christians escape
tribulation by death not rapture!
c. Rapture advocates use "Pseudo-Ephraem" as an example of
rapture doctrine that was believed and taught in 375 AD. Such a use of
Pseudo-Ephraem is wrong, unscholarly and desperate. But this desperation is
because Pseudo-Ephraem is the only example they can find before 1830 of
Rapture doctrine. Of course, Pseudo-Ephraem DOES NOT teach rapture or
anything even close to it.
d. The purpose of this section of the outline is to refute the
claim by those who believe the rapture doctrine was taught before John
Nelson Darby (born 18 November 1800, died 29 April 1882) who is
singlehandedly responsible for influencing all the cults 19th century cults
with their rapture theology and endless date setting that persists even to
the present day.
e. Pseudo-Ephraem is a forgery: There was a Christian named
Ephrem or Ephraim who died in 373 AD. Pseudo-Ephraem is an 8th century or
later pseudepigrapha falsely claiming to be written by the real Ephrem or
Ephraim who had been dead for 400 years.
f. There are several texts of Pseudo-Ephraem but the two most
important texts are the Syriac and the Latin texts. These two texts are
almost as different in content as they are in the language they were
written.
g. The Syriac text of Pseudo-Ephraem describes the Islamic
invasion so this text cannot be earlier than about 700 AD: "The progeny of
Hagar, the handmaid of Sarah; Who hold fast to the covenant with Abraham,
The husband of Sarah and Hagar. Set in motion, he (Ishmael) comes in the
name of the ram, The herald of the Son of Destruction. (Syraic text of
Pseudo-Ephraem)
h. The Latin text of Pseudo-Ephraem quotes and relies upon the
Pseudo-Methodius which also heavily documents the Islamic invasion that
started in 622 AD. So here we have one pseudepigrapha (Pseudo-Ephraem) that
relies upon another pseudepigrapha (Pseudo-Methodius) apocalypse Methodius
of Olympus who died in 311 AD. In other words, one fraud is quoting from
another.
2. The Syraic text of Pseudo-Ephraem does not teach Rapture
theology since the saints suffer and die during the tribulation:
a. "Nation will rise up against nation, And kingdom against
kingdom. Lawlessness will be sovereign on earth And the defiled will pursue
after the saints. People will openly apostatize And augment the left side;
The righteous ones will suffer indignities From those who belong to the
side of the sinners." (Syraic text of Pseudo-Ephraem)
b. Here we have death as an escape for the persecution, saints
suffering and the devil on earth with Christians during tribulation.
"Pronouncing the good fortune of the deceased Who had avoided the calamity:
'Blessed are you for you were borne away (to the grave) And hence you
escaped from the afflictions! But as for us, woe is us! For when we die,
Vultures will serve as escort for us!' And if the days of that time were
not shortened, The elect would never survive The calamities and
afflictions. For Our Lord revealed (and) disclosed to us In his Gospel when
He said: 'Those days will be shortened For the sake of the elect and the
saints.' And when he has harassed the whole of creation [including
Christians], (When) the Son of Destruction (has bent it) to his will, Enoch
and Elijah will be sent That they might persuade the Evil One. With a
gentle question The saints will come before him, In order to expose the Son
of Destruction Before the assemblies surrounding him: 'If you are indeed
God, Tell us what we ask of you: Where is the place that you have hidden
The elders Elijah and Enoch?' The Evil One will respond and say To the
saints at that time...." (Syraic text of Pseudo-Ephraem)
c. Christians are killed by the devil during the tribulation:
"Then the Evil One will become enraged With the saints at that time; He
will draw his terrible sword And sever the necks of the righteous ones."
(Syraic text of Pseudo-Ephraem)
d. Pseudo-Ephraem concludes with the resurrection of the
righteous and the wicked at the same time just like the standard doctrine
of the second coming that has been taught for 2000 years. "The good will go
forth into the Kingdom, And the bad will remain in Gehenna; The righteous
will fly up to the height, And the sinners will burn in fire." (Syraic text
of Pseudo-Ephraem)
3. The Latin text of Pseudo-Ephraem does not teach Rapture
theology since the saints suffer and die during the tribulation:
a. "In those days [during the tribulation] people shall not be
buried, neither Christian, nor heretic, neither Jew, nor pagan, because of
fear and dread there is not one who buries them; because all people, while
they are fleeing, ignore them." (Latin text of Pseudo-Ephraem)
b. "Then, when this inevitability has overwhelmed all people,
just and unjust, the just, so that they may be found good by their Lord;
and indeed the unjust, so that they may be damned forever with their author
the Devil" (Latin text of Pseudo-Ephraem)
c. The Latin Pseudo-Ephraem teaches the resurrection of
Christians at the second coming when the devil will be destroyed, not the
rapture: "Arise, O sleeping ones, arise, meet Christ, because his hour of
judgment has come! Then Christ shall come and the enemy shall be thrown
into confusion, and the Lord shall destroy him by the spirit of his mouth.
And he shall be bound and shall be plunged into the abyss of everlasting
fire alive with his father Satan; and all people, who do his wishes, shall
perish with him forever; but the righteous ones shall inherit everlasting
life with the Lord forever and ever." (Latin text of Pseudo-Ephraem)
4. The Latin text of Pseudo-Ephraem does not teach Rapture
theology in the "prize passage":
a. This is the one sentence that Rapture advocates say teaches
the rapture. In fact we learn from the Syriac text that these saints escape
the tribulation by death not rapture! "For all the saints and elect of God
are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to
the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because
of our sins." (Latin text of Pseudo-Ephraem)
b. Pseudo-Ephraem teaches that Christians escape tribulation by
death not rapture!
Saints escape tribulation by death not rapture:
Latin Pseudo-Ephraem
Syraic Pseudo-Ephraem
"For all the saints and elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins."
"Pronouncing the good fortune of the deceased Who had avoided the calamity: 'Blessed are you for you were borne away (to the grave) And hence you escaped from the afflictions!
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