Taphophilia Posted May 13, 2006 Share Posted May 13, 2006 The rapture and a secret coming of Jesus were virtually unheard of until around 1830. The Rapture theory was not taught by the great early ministers of the Protestant faith such as, Wycliffe, Luther, Calvin, Knox, Cranmer or even by the Wesley brothers in the 18th Century. So, where did it come from? At the time of the Reformation, the first Protestants believed that the Papacy was antichrist, and the Roman Church the Harlot System of Revelation 17. It became necessary for certain Romish theologians to take the pressure off the Pope by inventing a new school of prophetic interpretation now known as Futurism. It was a Jesuit priest named Ribera (1537-1591) who first taught that the events prophesied in the books of Daniel and Revelation would not be fulfilled until three and a half years at the end of the age when an individual world dictator called Anti-Christ would arise. Ribera first laid the foundation of a system of prophetic interpretation of which the Secret Rapture has now become an integral part. In spite of the efforts of Ribera, it would not be for another two and a half centuries that the Jesuit fables would begin to gain acceptance by the Evangelical Christians. A Chilean Jesuit priest, Emmanuel Lacunza wrote a book entitled "The Coming of Messiah in Glory and Majesty". In its pages taught the novel notion that Christ returns not once, but twice, and at the "first stage" of His return He "raptures" His Church so they can escape the reign of the "future antichrist". In order to avoid any taint of Romanism, Lacunza published his book under the assumed name of Rabbi Ben Ezra, a supposedly converted Jew. Lacunza's book found its way to the library of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and there in 1826 Dr Maitland, the Archbishop's librarian came upon it and read it and soon after began to issue a series of pamphlets giving the Jesuit, Futurist view of prophecy. The idea soon found acceptance in the Anglo-Catholic Ritualist movement in the National Church of England, and soon it tainted the very heart of Protestantism. The Secret Rapture doctrine was given a second door of entrance at this time by the ministry of one, Edward Irving, founder of the so-called "Catholic Apostolic Church". It was in Irving's London church, in 1830, that a young girl named Margaret McDonald gave an ecstatic prophecy in which she claimed there would be a special secret coming of the Lord to "rapture" those awaiting His return. From then until his death in 1834 Irving devoted his considerable talent as a preacher to spreading the theory of the "secret rapture". However, it was necessary to have a third door of entrance to the Reformed fold and this they gained via a sincere Christian, J. N. Darby, generally regarded as the founder of the "Brethren". As an Anglican curate Darby attended a number of mysteriously organised meetings on Bible Prophecy at Powerscourt in Ireland, and at these gatherings he learned about the "secret rapture". He carried the teaching into the Brethren and hence into the heart of Evangelicalism. With a new veneer of being scriptural the teaching spread and was later popularised in the notes of the Schofield Reference Bible. Darby's teaching was immediately challenged as unbiblical by other members of the Brethren. Samuel P. Tregelles, a noted biblical scholar, rejected Darby's new interpretation as the "height of speculative nonsense." So tenuous was Darby's rapture theory that he had lingering doubts about it as late as 1843, and possibly 1845. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted May 13, 2006 Share Posted May 13, 2006 Wow! Thanks Taph. I didn't know this. I always thought the Rapture and Second Coming of Jesus had been around since the start of the Church. It just shows how much theology and dogma have changed and been added. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taphophilia Posted May 13, 2006 Author Share Posted May 13, 2006 There are still ex-Christians concerned about the Rapture, so I thought I'd post it. My ex's dad was a minister who did not subscribe to the rapture. This was why. (My ex's dad died of Cancer. Unfortunately, he didn't seek any treatment until it was too late because of his faith. He believed that God would heal him right up until the end.) Taph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonwhatever Posted May 13, 2006 Share Posted May 13, 2006 Regardless of the seeming origins of the popularity or even mention of the rapture, I think that it is taught in The Scriptures. I remember studying The Scriptures for evidence of it, since I used to live my life in denial of the world, thinking that it was the end times (remember y2k?) and that Christ was going to rapture me soon. Jesus Said "there be some standing here who will not taste of death until he see The Son of man come..." and "two shall be in the field, one shall be taken and the other left." Jesus Said to the Church in Revelation that he who overcomes He will take out of the world, that they not be here to suffer the things that shall come upon the world "to try them who dwell on the earth." Also, throughout the epistles, the apostles were expressing to the Christians that "that day" is at hand, "at the door," "soon He Who will come will come and will not tarry," etc. "We shall be caught together in the clouds..." etc My 19 year old mind absorbed this and I lived as if it were at hand, even as Jesus Commanded us to live like one who waits on his lord. The Lord rebuked me to chastise me, showing me I'm damned, etc. But He didn't bother at all to show me that His coming is yet many years away. Now I see it on my own. Thank you sweet Jesus for letting, even encouraging me, to waste 4 years of my life. The Holy Spirit is supposed to lead into all truth, yet this important truth He never showed me. He doesnt care though, just as long as you submit to Him. In fact "sorrow is better than joy, for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better." The way The Scriptures make it sound, Jesus' Coming is tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JP Posted May 13, 2006 Share Posted May 13, 2006 If "Together we shall be caught up in the clouds and so shall ever be with the Lord" doesn't mean that people are going to be raptured, what did the Bible mean by that statement? That's probably the most used Rapture-related verse in the Bible. Besides a rapture, I don't understand what that could imply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taphophilia Posted May 13, 2006 Author Share Posted May 13, 2006 Jason, The early Christians believed that Jesus was coming back in their lifetime. That is why it reads like that. John Darby, of Darby's Dispensationalism fame changed the way the Bible was taught. What you have been taught about Christianity comes from his teachings. Christian's really need to learn some history of their own religion! Taph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taphophilia Posted May 13, 2006 Author Share Posted May 13, 2006 If "Together we shall be caught up in the clouds and so shall ever be with the Lord" doesn't mean that people are going to be raptured, what did the Bible mean by that statement? That's probably the most used Rapture-related verse in the Bible. Besides a rapture, I don't understand what that could imply. In 1 Thessolonians Paul is speaking about the second coming of Jesus. He believe that Jesus would come back and set up his Kingdom with Jesus as the head. Paul believed this would happen in his lifetime. Jesus coming back was tennent of early Christianity, but it's not the same thing as the rapture. Basically, in the rapture theory Jesus comes back three times. Once incarnate, once to rapture the Christians, and finally to set up his kingdom. This isn't what Paul taught. Paul taught Jesus came once incarnate and a second time to establish his kingdom on earth. There was never any doctrine of a secret coming until Darby's Dispensationalism finally took hold in Evangelical circles. Taph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted May 13, 2006 Share Posted May 13, 2006 Jason, if God truly wanted to save as many humans as possible, then he should have done the rapture during the dark ages. A majority of people lived in fear for the Christian God. Now, when 70% of the world are non Christian, and most Christians are from false denominations, God doesn't have many to take anymore. He wasted time, and wasted life. Did he do this just so he can send as many as possible to Hell? That's a very contrictory strategy from the "smartest" in the Universe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosingMyReligion Posted May 13, 2006 Share Posted May 13, 2006 Thanks Taph... That really is interesting to know. I was always taught that oneday people would start vanishing into thin air... Which would lead to my next question... Why does every generation think that theirs is when Jesus will return riding on a cloud? Generation after generation passes and still...nada. My mom thinks that every natural disaster that she sees on CNN is the precursor for Jesus. I'm like, "Mom, California catches on fire every summer...It's because of the heat and the dense super dry underbrush..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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