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The Pre-Tribulation Rapture Doctrine "Origin Error"
Author: Phillip Goodman ( PW )
Saturday, 11 March 2006
There persist a myth that the doctrine of the Pre-tribulation Rapture is a recent invention of man. Some say that it began in the early 19th century by Christian fundamentalists. Others have said that it goes back to the Catholic Jesuit order in the 16th century. But the issue is not “When does the man-made articulation of the pre-tribulation rapture begin?â€Â, but rather, “What does the Bible teach?â€Â
You see, the Bible predates all of the human discussion on the subject. And the Bible judges all truth claims. The articles on “The Rapture†at http://www.prophecywatch.com demonstrate the clear Biblical teaching of the imminent return of Jesus Christ, and thus the earliest and only reliable basis for the Pre-tribulation Rapture doctrine. But since some feel they must persist in the debate of “who said what first,†apart from the Bible, there are inferences of Pre-tribulation Rapture teaching down through church history from the earliest “fathers,†and a few very clear references that pre-date even the 16th century!
The original “pre-millennial, pre-tribulational†views can be traced throughout church history. The essentials of these views appear in the Epistle of Barnabas, (AD. 100) and other early writings: Irenaeus, in Against Heresies; Hippolytus, a disciple of Irenaeus (2nd century); and Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho. These views also show up in The Approaching Deliverance of the Church, by Peter Jurieu, 1687; Philip Doddridge’s Commentary on the New Testament, 1738; Dr. John Gill’s Commentary on the New Testament, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, 1748; James Macknight’s Commentary on the Apostolical Epistles, 1763; and Thomas Scott’s Commentary on the Holy Bible, 1792. The recent discovery of the writings of Ephraem the Syrian also confirm this view: Thomas D. Ice and Timothy J. Demy, Bibliothecra Sacra, July--September 1995. (see Chuck Missler, The Magog Invasion, Western Front LTD., Palo Verdes, CA, 1995, p.274.)
An excerpt from The Shepherd of Hermas reads,
“...this beast is a type of the great tribulation that is coming. if then ye prepare yourselves, and repent with all your heart, and turn to the Lord, it will be possible for you to escape it, if your heart be pure and spotless, and ye spend the rest of the days of your life in serving the Lord blamelessly.†(The Shepherd of Hermas, 1.4.2; Written 90-140 AD)
The passage from the sermon “The Last Times, The Antichrist, and The End of the World†by Ephraem the Syrian (possibly Pseudo-Ephraem) reads as follows,
“Why therefore do we not reject every care of earthly actions and prepare ourselves for the meeting of the Lord Christ, so that he may draw us from the confusion, which overwhelms all the world?...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.†(composed sometime between the fourth and sixth century AD)
Again, refer to http://www.prophecywatch.com ¬œRapture†articles for evidence that the Pre-tribulation Rapture is taught in the Bibleâ€â€the only testimony that really counts!
Author: Phillip Goodman ( PW )
Saturday, 11 March 2006
There persist a myth that the doctrine of the Pre-tribulation Rapture is a recent invention of man. Some say that it began in the early 19th century by Christian fundamentalists. Others have said that it goes back to the Catholic Jesuit order in the 16th century. But the issue is not “When does the man-made articulation of the pre-tribulation rapture begin?â€Â, but rather, “What does the Bible teach?â€Â
You see, the Bible predates all of the human discussion on the subject. And the Bible judges all truth claims. The articles on “The Rapture†at http://www.prophecywatch.com demonstrate the clear Biblical teaching of the imminent return of Jesus Christ, and thus the earliest and only reliable basis for the Pre-tribulation Rapture doctrine. But since some feel they must persist in the debate of “who said what first,†apart from the Bible, there are inferences of Pre-tribulation Rapture teaching down through church history from the earliest “fathers,†and a few very clear references that pre-date even the 16th century!
The original “pre-millennial, pre-tribulational†views can be traced throughout church history. The essentials of these views appear in the Epistle of Barnabas, (AD. 100) and other early writings: Irenaeus, in Against Heresies; Hippolytus, a disciple of Irenaeus (2nd century); and Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho. These views also show up in The Approaching Deliverance of the Church, by Peter Jurieu, 1687; Philip Doddridge’s Commentary on the New Testament, 1738; Dr. John Gill’s Commentary on the New Testament, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, 1748; James Macknight’s Commentary on the Apostolical Epistles, 1763; and Thomas Scott’s Commentary on the Holy Bible, 1792. The recent discovery of the writings of Ephraem the Syrian also confirm this view: Thomas D. Ice and Timothy J. Demy, Bibliothecra Sacra, July--September 1995. (see Chuck Missler, The Magog Invasion, Western Front LTD., Palo Verdes, CA, 1995, p.274.)
An excerpt from The Shepherd of Hermas reads,
“...this beast is a type of the great tribulation that is coming. if then ye prepare yourselves, and repent with all your heart, and turn to the Lord, it will be possible for you to escape it, if your heart be pure and spotless, and ye spend the rest of the days of your life in serving the Lord blamelessly.†(The Shepherd of Hermas, 1.4.2; Written 90-140 AD)
The passage from the sermon “The Last Times, The Antichrist, and The End of the World†by Ephraem the Syrian (possibly Pseudo-Ephraem) reads as follows,
“Why therefore do we not reject every care of earthly actions and prepare ourselves for the meeting of the Lord Christ, so that he may draw us from the confusion, which overwhelms all the world?...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.†(composed sometime between the fourth and sixth century AD)
Again, refer to http://www.prophecywatch.com ¬œRapture†articles for evidence that the Pre-tribulation Rapture is taught in the Bibleâ€â€the only testimony that really counts!