A pretribulation rapture theory suggest the Lord will remove the Church during the final hour of human history, namely, and largely due epochal crisis and suffering pointed out by the prophets, Jesus, and the apostles, during the Great Tribulation. We will look at the details in another part of this series. A first area of importance is found the history of the belief. I will pass over the New Testament Church for the sake of space, of course, we will engage both Old and New Testament teaching on the subject throughout this series. The only point of which may be necessary here is the point it evident throughout the New Testament witness, namely, the first Church believed they were living at the end of the age. Why? The suffering of persecution, the fast spreading of the Gospel, and the political/social unrest, of which we know led to the massacre and diaspora of the Jews from Jerusalem in 70AD administered by the Roman Empire.
THE EARLY CHURCH
The early Church comprised an astonishing amount of written works, while not canonized, which give great insight to their thoughts and beliefs. Eschatological thought among them. A survey of early church fathers concerning their understanding of eschatological thought is not vague or abstract. In fact, while some smaller points of disagreement exist, the majority of the early church fathers were unified. Again, space here does not permit a detailed investigation on each example, nonetheless, here is a short list of writers[ings] by the early church of which none allude or teach a pretribulation rapture: The Didache, The Epistle of Barnabas, The Shepherd of Hermas, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Lactantius, Hippolytus, and so forth. George Eldon Ladd, who wrote a helpful little book called, “The Blessed Hope: A Biblical Study of the Second Advent and the Rapture,” conveys,
“In this survey of the early centuries we have that the church interpreted the book of Revelation along futurist lines; i.e., they understood the book to predict the eschatological events which would attend to the end of the world (My emphasis: more accurately stated “the end of this age”). The Antichrist was understood to be an evil ruler of the end-times who would persecute the church, afflicting her with great tribulation. Every church father who deals with the subject expects the church to suffer at the hands of Antichrist. God would purify the church through suffering, and Christ would save her by His return at the end of the Tribulation when he would destroy Antichrist, deliver His church…and inaugurate His millennial kingdom. We can find no trace of pretribulationism in the early church; and no modern pretribulationist has successfully proved that this particular doctrine was held by any of the church fathers or students of the Word before the nineteenth century” (Ladd. 31).
THE MIDDLE AGES, REFORMATION, AND RISE OF THE PROTESTANT VIEW
Ladd comments of this enormous time-spanning period of history, writing, “After the first centuries, the expectation of an Antichrist as an evil world ruler to appear just before the return of Christ gradually disappeared” (p. 31). As the eschatological understanding of the early church fathers began to dissipate, the Middle Age fathers, i.e., Augustine took on an eschatological belief system which “Revelation came to be interpreted along spiritual lines, and after the time of Augustine, his “Amillennial” view that the thousand years began with Christ’s earthly life and would continue to the end of the church age became the predominant interpretation. During the Middle Ages, the “historical” interpretation of Revelation arose in which the book was thought to give in symbolic form an outline of the history of the church. Antichrist was frequently interpreted to mean the Saracens, and the false prophet to mean Mohammed. Pope Innocent III made effective use of the Revelation to stir up support for his crusade” (31).
As the Middle Ages shifted into the Reformation and rise of Protestant Christianity, this “historical” or “spiritual interpretation” of Revelation, and much of eschatological thought, resumed, only shifting its emphasis from Mohammed to the Papal system. For example, as Ladd illustrates, “The number 666 represented the period of Papal domination” (p. 32). This may not be overemphasized, as Ladd unveils, writing, “This “historical” type of interpretation with its application of the Antichrist to papal Rome so dominated Protestant study of prophetic truth for three centuries that it has frequently been called “the Protestant” interpretation” (p. 32). Amillennialism owned the eschatological-stage for three-hundred-years, and its closely related cousin, Postmillennialsim came on the stage in the 1700s. This view suggests, through a predominantly “historical” and “spiritual” interpretation, the second coming of Christ comes only after the thousand-year millennial period (p. 33). And while some influential names in Protestant church history held other positions, “they all held the historical view; none of them was a futurist, looking for a short tribulation with a personal Antichrist just before the return of Christ. Therefore, the idea of a pretribulation rapture had no place in their interpretation of prophecy” (p. 34). Historically speaking, a pretribulation rapture only makes sense as a modern interpretation, which alludes the thoughts and interpretations of the early church, the Middle Ages, and the Protestant Reformation.
THE RETURN OF FUTURISM AND THE BIRTH OF PRETRIBULATION RAPTURE
While Whitby’s “new postmillennial” view dominated the scene, “With the dawn of the nineteenth century, there occurred a movement which brought about a return to the primitive view (that of the early church) and which also gave rise to pretribulationism” (p. 35). A prophetic movement which began in England through revivalist William Cunninghame, Joshua W. Brooks, Edward Bickersteth, T.R. Birks, and E.B. Elliot, J.W. Brooks, Henry Drummond, and host of many others-not discounting voices emerging from within the Roman Catholic Church (Pp. 35-37). Ladd mentions of them, writing, “These early futurists followed a pattern of prophetic events similar to that found in the early fathers, with the necessary exception that Rome was not the final kingdom. In fact, they appeal to the fathers against the popular historical interpretation for support of their basic view. A pretribulation rapture is utterly unknown by these men…The Tribulation concerns both Israel and the Church; in fact, it will be the time of testing an apostate Christianity” (Pp. 40, 41).
A return to the eschatological views of the early Church, or a return to eschatological orthodoxy, would soon give rise to pretribulationism. “A second out-growth of the prophetic awakening of the early nineteenth century was Darbyism (J.N. Darby), or Dispensationalism, which had its birth within the Plymouth Brethren movement” (p. 40). Through the influence of Darby on the Plymouth Brethren movement, and the writings of William Kelly, pretribulationism rapidly sparked interest and gained movement, and it was not long before the theory washed up on our American shores. As pretribulationism rapture theory began to spread, with the aid of Matthew Henry and Jonathan Edwards, Whitbyan postmillennialism “was the prevailing interpretation of prophecy in America” (Pp. 41, 42). However, as with the futurist eschatological return found in England, an unsatisfied, postmillennial view abounding in America practically folded upon the arrival of Darby, and Darbyism. The primary unsatisfaction which led to interest was found in that many people could no longer ascribe amillennialism and postmillennialism. Ladd elaborates, writing, “Darby visited America six times between 1859 and 1874 and was warmly welcomed. His system of prophetic interpretation was eagerly adopted, not because of the attractiveness of the details of his system, but because its basic futurism seemed to be a recovery of a sound Biblical prophetic interpretation-which in fact it was-and to give to the doctrine of the Lord’s return the importance it deserved” (p. 43). The most important inference here lies within the understanding that the basic return to futurists thinking was accepted as a return to eschatological orthodoxy. Whether you agree with premillennialism, or hold to amillennialism or postmillennialism, this nonetheless evokes the strength of movement. The movement so rapidly spread it led Nathaniel West to call many pastors and theologians, leaders of the Church, to start conferences. There is a massive list of notable persons who were involved: James H. Brookes, A.J. Gordon, A.T. Pearson, Hudson Taylor, and C.I. Scofield, to name a few. Nathaniel West and A.J. Gordon remaining of the few who embraced this premillennial, futurists view, without accepting pretribulationism (p. 45, 46).
In the midst of the hype, and at the dawn of the Student Volunteer Missions Movement, which saw some 20,000 laymen, and maybe more accurately, laywomen, ventured throughout the earth on a mission to evangelize the world in a single generation. Many of them brought with them in hand, the Scofield Reference Bible (p. 43). The Scofield Reference Bible included Darbyism, better known today as Dispensationalism, which held Darby’s pretribulation rapture theory. To this day, and certainly with the aid of Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, Left Behind series, the idea of the pretribulation rapture theory seems like a commonsense, Biblically accurate doctrine.
CONCLUSION
The purpose of this concise summary of George Eldon Ladd’s historical overview of a premillennial rapture theory is for the encouragement of all saints who love the Word of God, and who look to the seconding coming of Christ as their Blessed Hope. While I do not consider a belief in pretribulation as heresy, the idea that the Lord’s return at any given moment is simply not parallel with the prophetic witness of Scripture. The socio/political environment of contemporary America is in a fragile state. With fragility and crisis comes fear and uncertainty. It is easy to assume that the current climate of the American society should hint at an any moment pretribulation rapture of the Church, before the great and terrible day of the Lord. However, while I am certain God loves America, America is not the center of God’s attention. The whole earth is languishing with suffering and crisis. And not only does history testify against the legitimacy of a pretribulation rapture theory, it tends to mock the millions of Christian’s worldwide who are suffering persecution and martyrdom on a daily basis. I hear time and time again, and have personally experienced, in countries which persecute Christian’s, “If you hold a pretribulation rapture theory, please keep it to yourself.” Meaning, much of the global Church is already experiencing the very persecution and martyrdom the Dispensational West believes it will escape. And in these times of severe national crisis, it is important to watch and pray.
This is the first in a series of articles. The purpose of this historical summary is as an introduction. In the ensuing articles I will address from a Biblical standpoint why pretribulationism is a myth. From their I will also defend postribulationism, and then defend Premillennialism against Amillennialism and Postmillennialism. Theology matters, especially in times of crisis. Understanding what God has prophetically spoke concerning His’ second coming is one area why theology matters.
Works Cited
Ladd, George Eldon. The Blessed Hope: A Biblical Study of the Second Advent and the Rapture.
Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1956. Print.