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One of the most common arguments against a Pretribulational Rapture of the Church is that it is a recent idea begun by a young Scottish girl, Margaret MacDonald, following her dream in 1830.

The argument continues that this was then forced into mainstream Christian theology by the likes of 19th century theologians Edward Irving, J.N. Darby and C.I. Scofield.

Some would go on to state that their “new” theology was influenced by Manuel Lacunza (a Jesuit) in his work of 1790, but that is as far back as any ever mention of the topic.

Is this history correct?

No !!! Absolutely Not !!!

Firstly, Margaret MacDonald had a dream about a “Post-Tribulation” Rapture. Further, J N Darby was preaching about a “Pre-Tribulation” Rapture in 1827 and consequently for at least 3 years before Margaret even laid her head upon her pillow.

These facts disqualify both Margaret MacDonald and with her, Edward Irving, from “inventing” anything to do with a Pre-Tribulational Rapture.

Rather than resting my case here, allow me to drive home some robust nails into the coffin lid of this often resurrected and yet still squirming body of opinion.

Morgan Edwards, a British-American Bible scholar published in1788, an essay promoting a Rapture of the church happening at least 3.5 years before Christ’s return; his essay was originally written (and altered little) during the early 1740′s whilst at Bristol, England (1742-44).

The French Pastor Pierre Jurieu spoke of the Church being raptured before the battle of Armageddon in his book “The Approaching Deliverance of the Church” published in 1687.

Famous Puritan, Increase Mather argued in the 1680′s that the Saints would be “caught up in the air” and thus miss the final troubles.

Bridging the gap of the dark ages (circa 5th to the 15th centuries) we have Ephrem of Nisibis (Ephrem the Syrian 306-373AD) who either himself, or someone writing using his name (Pseudo-Ephrem – a title given to a number of authors purporting to be the original, but none of whom could have written after 700AD) in his sermon “On the Last Times, the Antichrist, and the End of the World” (latest 627AD) wrote…

“All the saints and elect of God are gathered together before the tribulation, which is to come, and are taken to the Lord, in order that they may not see at any time the confusion which overwhelms the world because of our sins.”

In The Shepherd of Hermas (circa 85-145AD) in the Fourth vision and “Concerning the trial and tribulation that are about to come upon men” it is stated…

“You have escaped from great tribulation (the Author’s previous tribulation in this vision) on account of your faith, and because you did not doubt in the presence of such a beast. Go, therefore, and tell the elect of the Lord His mighty deeds, and say to them that 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.”

Further back than this and we are in the Bible itself which positively screams a Pre-Tribulational Rapture; not only in the New Testament, but in the Old Testament also.

As we hammer in the very last nail; the lid already firmly in place, let us quickly leap through 2500 years of why the Pre-Tribulational Rapture of the Church has only been most popularised within the last couple of hundred years.

Firstly, we have the Prophet Daniel with the prophecies relating to the last days being told to “Go thy way, Daniel; for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.” (Daniel 12:9). As we should already know, we are the people in this “time of the end” and thus the things spoken of regarding these times make far more sense to us, than they would have to someone even 100 years ago.

The early Church Fathers during the period 100-400AD, nearly all took a Pre-millennial viewpoint attached to the doctrine of imminency (Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, The Didache, The Epistle of Barnabas, The Shepherd of Hermas et al, all speak of imminency) which suits only a separate and prior rapture event, occurring before the physical return of Christ at His second coming.

It was only the fall of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Roman Papal reign of Catholicism that forced the Pre-millennial view to disappear from the mainstream and Augustine’s Amillennial view, following his death in 430AD, to be treated as the orthodox view.

For approximately the next 1000 years, Bibles were restricted by the Catholic Church to be solely in Latin, only to be read and understood by the priesthood and never to be in the hands of the general public. This enabled the wielding of power, the selling of indulgences and the complete suppression of any alternate interpretation or discovery of the Biblical Truths.

Any dissenters from the Catholic viewpoint faced being labelled as a heretic and their writings destroyed, being excommunicated from the Church, or even face death.

As an example, Irenaeus famous work “Against heresies” had the last 5 chapters supposedly destroyed and his message suppressed throughout the middle ages; only to surface again in 1571 showing his Biblical Pre-millennial stance.

The protestant reformation and the puritans, coupled with the Bible being printed for the first time and being readable by the common man, led to people beginning to take a literal view of the Scriptures again and thus the Pre-millenial, Dispensational, Pre-tribulational Rapture theology was revived.

There !!!

We have managed to leap 2500 years into the past and spring all the way back to the present in less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea – a pleasant enough pastime without time travel.

I hope this will help you to “keep looking for that blessed hope” (Tit 2:13) and realise that to doubt the Rapture of the Church is to miss out on a most beautiful blessing that is written both for our hope and comfort…

“Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thes 4:18)

Maranatha – Come Lord Jesus !!!