The pretribulation rapture doctrine is the belief in a rapture, or gathering of the saints, that occurs before the Great Tribulation. [1]
This view is generally associated with Dispensational premillennialism, and it was popularized in the 20th century by the Scofield Reference Bible.
Mark Hitchcock and Thomas Ice have suggested that Fra Dolcino (c. 1250 – 1307) taught a pretribulational rapture. [2] : 157 The relevant teaching was that when Antichrist appears, Dolcino and his followers would be taken away and preserved from Antichrist, and that following the death of Antichrist, Dolcino and his followers would return to Earth to convert those then living to the true faith. [2] However, the source is an anonymous 1316 Latin text titled The History of Brother Dolcino, so it is uncertain whether Dolcino actually taught it. [2] : 158-159
Similarly, the Dispensational author William C. Watson in his book Dispensationalism Before Darby has argued that earlier authors such as the Puritan Nathaniel Holmes (1599–1678) held to a pretribulational rapture view. [3] The Baptist pastor Morgan Edwards (1722 – 1792) has often also been viewed as holding to a pretribulational rapture. Because his view was premillennial, he wrote in his 1788 book Millennium, Last Days Novelties of the first resurrection taking place with Christ in the air, he is referenced by dispensational premillennialists such as Tim LaHaye to support the view that a pretribulation rapture theology existed prior to John Nelson Darby (1800–1882). [4]
The pretribulational rapture is often associated with John Nelson Darby (1800 – 1882), who developed the theological system that has been known as dispensationalism, which incorporated the pretribulational rapture into its system. This was strongly popularized in the 20th century by the publication of the Scofield Reference Bible, which followed Darby's system which viewed Israel and the Church as being distinct peoples of God, with their own distinct purposes in God's redemptive plan for humanity. [5]
According to Dwight Pentecost, the pretribulational rapture is built upon the literal method of interpreting the Bible, leading to a literal premillennial understanding of prophecy. Dispensationalism understand the tribulation period as specifically being meant for Israel, due to their interpretation of "Jacob's trouble" in Jeremiah 30:7 as referring to this time period. Thus, it is argued that the scope of the tribulation prevents the church from participating in the time. [6] Advocates of the pretribulational rapture often argue that the lack of an explicit mention of the church within the book of Revelation when describing the tribulation period implies that the church was taken away. [7]
Advocates of the pretribulational rapture view the rapture as distinct from the second coming of Jesus mentioned in the Olivet Discourse, viewing it as referring to the second coming of Christ after the tribulation. [8] Thus, the rapture is viewed as the removal of all believers from the earth, where he comes to claim his bride, while in the second coming Jesus returns to the earth with his bride. [9]
Often associated with the pretribulational rapture is the doctrine of imminence, the claim that no prophecy will necessarily precede the rapture. Thus in the pretribulational view, the rapture could happen at any moment without any signs. [10] Pretribulationalist argue that the Biblical commands in 1 Corinthians 1:7, Philippians 3:20-21 and James 5:8-9 imply the doctrine of imminency. However, these implications are rejected by those who hold to alternative views of the rapture. [11]
Christian eschatology is a minor branch of study within Christian theology which deals with the doctrine of the "last things", especially the Second Coming of Christ, or Parousia. The word eschatology derives from two Greek roots meaning "last" (ἔσχατος) and "study" (-λογία) – involves the study of "end things", whether of the end of an individual life, of the end of the age, of the end of the world, or of the nature of the Kingdom of God. Broadly speaking, Christian eschatology focuses on the ultimate destiny of individual souls and of the entire created order, based primarily upon biblical texts within the Old and New Testaments. Christian eschatology looks to study and discuss matters such as death and the afterlife, Heaven and Hell, the Second Coming of Jesus, the resurrection of the dead, the rapture, the tribulation, millennialism, the end of the world, the Last Judgment, and the New Heaven and New Earth in the world to come.
Millennialism or chiliasm is a belief which is held by some religious denominations. According to this belief, a Messianic Age will be established on Earth prior to the Last Judgment and the future permanent state of "eternity".
In Christian eschatology, the Great Tribulation is a period mentioned by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse as a sign that would occur in the time of the end.
The Rapture is an eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an end-time event when all dead Christian believers will be resurrected and, joined with Christians who are still alive, together will rise "in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air." This view of eschatology is typically part of dispensational premillennialism, a form of futurism that considers various prophecies in the Bible as remaining unfulfilled and occurring in the future.
John Nelson Darby was an Anglo-Irish Bible teacher, one of the influential figures among the original Plymouth Brethren and the founder of the Exclusive Brethren. He is considered to be the father of modern dispensationalism and futurism. Pre-tribulation rapture theology was popularized extensively in the 1830s by John Nelson Darby and the Plymouth Brethren, and further popularized in the United States in the early 20th century by the wide circulation of the Scofield Reference Bible.
Dispensationalism is a theological framework for interpreting the Bible which maintains that history is divided into multiple ages called "dispensations" in which God interacts with his chosen people in different ways. It is often distinguished from covenant theology. These are two competing frameworks of biblical theology that attempt to explain overall continuity in the Bible. Coining of the term "dispensationalism" has been attributed to Philip Mauro, a critic of the system's teachings, in his 1928 book The Gospel of the Kingdom.
Premillennialism, in Christian eschatology, is the belief that Jesus will physically return to the Earth before the Millennium, heralding a literal thousand-year messianic age of peace. Premillennialism is based upon a literal interpretation of Revelation 20 in the New Testament, which describes Jesus's reign in a period of a thousand years.
John Flipse Walvoord was a Christian theologian, pastor, and president of Dallas Theological Seminary from 1952 to 1986. He authored over 30 books, focusing primarily on eschatology and theology, including The Rapture Question, and was co-editor of The Bible Knowledge Commentary with Roy B. Zuck. He earned the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Doctor of Divinity from Wheaton College, a Master of Arts degree from Texas Christian University in philosophy, a Bachelor of Theology, Master of Theology, and Doctor of Theology in systematic theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Litt.D. from Liberty Baptist Seminary.
Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) is an evangelical theological seminary in Dallas, Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system of dispensationalism. DTS has campuses in Dallas, Houston, and Washington, D.C., as well as extension sites in Atlanta, Austin, San Antonio, Nashville, Northwest Arkansas, Europe, and Guatemala, and a multilingual online education program. DTS is the largest non-denominational seminary accredited by the Association of Theological Schools.
Amillennialism or amillenarism is a chillegoristic eschatological position in Christianity which holds that there will be no millennial reign of the righteous on Earth. This view contrasts with both postmillennial and, especially, with premillennial interpretations of Revelation 20 and various other prophetic and eschatological passages of the Bible.
Hyperdispensationalism, also referred to as Mid-Acts Dispensationalism, is a Protestant conservative evangelical movement that values biblical inerrancy and a literal hermeneutic. It holds that there was a Church during the period of the Acts that is not the Church today, and that today's Church began when the book of Acts was closed.
The posttribulation rapture doctrine is the belief in a combined resurrection and rapture, or gathering of the saints, that occurs after the Great Tribulation but before the millennial reign of Christ. It differs from other rapture views such as pretribulation, midtribulation, and prewrath.
Futurism is a Christian eschatological view that interprets portions of the Book of Revelation and other apocalyptic sections of the Bible as future "end-time" events. By comparison, other Christian eschatological views interpret these passages as past events in a symbolic, historic context, such as preterism and historicism, or as present-day events in a non-literal and spiritual context, as in idealism.
In Christian eschatology, historicism is a method of interpretation of biblical prophecies which associates symbols with historical persons, nations or events. The main primary texts of interest to Christian historicists include apocalyptic literature, such as the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation. It sees the prophecies of Daniel as being fulfilled throughout history, extending from the past through the present to the future. It is sometimes called the continuous historical view. Commentators have also applied historicist methods to ancient Jewish history, to the Roman Empire, to Islam, to the Papacy, to the Modern era, and to the end time.
John Dwight Pentecost was an American Christian theologian, best known for his book Things to Come.
Margaret MacDonald was born in 1815 in Port Glasgow, Scotland and died around 1840. She lived with her two older brothers, James and George, both of whom ran a shipping business. Beginning in 1826 and through 1829, a few preachers in Scotland emphasized that the world's problems could only be addressed through an outbreak of supernatural gifts from the Holy Spirit. In response, Isabella and Mary Campbell of the parish of Rosneath manifested charismatic experiences such as speaking in tongues. Around 1830, miraculous healings were reported through James Campbell, first of his sister Margaret MacDonald and then of Mary Campbell. Shortly thereafter, James and George MacDonald manifested the speaking and interpretations of tongues, and soon others followed suit in prayer meetings. These charismatic experiences garnered major national attention. Many came to see and investigate these events. Some, such as Edward Irving and Henry Drummond, regarded these events as genuine displays from the Holy Spirit. Others, including John Nelson Darby and Benjamin Wills Newton, whom the Plymouth Brethren sent on their behalf to investigate, came to the conclusion that these displays were demonic.
In Evangelical Christian theology, progressive dispensationalism is a variation of traditional dispensationalism. All dispensationalists view the dispensations as chronologically successive. Progressive dispensationalists, in addition to viewing the dispensations as chronologically successive, also view the dispensations as progressive stages in salvation history. The term "progressive" comes from the concept of an interrelationship or progression between the dispensations. Progressive dispensationalism is not related to any social or political use of the term progressive, such as progressive Christianity.
Historic premillennialism is one of the two premillennial systems of Christian eschatology, with the other being dispensational premillennialism. It differs from dispensational premillennialism in that it only has one view of the rapture, and does not require a literal seven-year tribulation. Historic premillennialists hold to a posttribulational rapture, meaning the church is raised to meet Christ in the air after the trials experienced during the Great Tribulation. Historic premillennialism does not require that apocalyptic prophecies be interpreted literally. The doctrine is called "historic" because many early church fathers appear to have held it, including Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, and Papias. Posttribulational premillennialism is the Christian eschatological view that the second coming of Jesus Christ will occur prior to a thousand-year reign of the saints but subsequent to the Great Apostasy.
Lewis Sperry Chafer was an American theologian. He co-founded Dallas Theological Seminary with his older brother Rollin Thomas Chafer (1868-1940), served as its first president, and was an influential proponent of Christian Dispensationalism in the early 20th century. John Hannah described Chafer as a visionary Bible teacher, a minister of the gospel, a man of prayer with strong piety. One of his students, Charles Caldwell Ryrie, who went on to become a theologian and scholar, stated that Chafer was an evangelist who was also "an eminent theologian."
Craig Alan Blaising is the former executive vice president and provost of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Blaising earned a Doctor of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Philosophy degree at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, a Master of Theology Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a recognized authority in patristic studies and eschatology and is one of the primary proponents of "progressive dispensationalism."
After pages of arguments as to why numerous prophetic events could not have yet occurred, Homes implied a pre-tribulation rapture and explicitly laid out a pre-millenial scenario, that there would be a "first Resurrection, wherein all the Saints rise; so that the ruine of Babylon, and the raising of the Saints immediately concurre with the sorrow of the one, and the triumph of the other." Homes quoted Mennasseh Ben Israel, saying that "all the Rabbis agree" that the "ruine of Babylon" would allow "the great Restauration" of Israel
The Church Is Never Mentioned on Earth During the Tribulation John addresses Revelation to the "the seven churches which are in Asia" (1:4 NKJV). The word church(es) is used nineteen times in the first three chapters, and then not once during the entire Tribulation (6–18). That it reoccurs after the Second Coming (19) and during the new heaven and new earth (22:16) is striking; similar exhortations earlier that had the phrase "unto the churches" (e.g., 2:7, 11 KJV) do not have them during the Tribulation, when, instead, John warns, "If anyone has an ear, let him hear" (13:9). In fact, after the description of the seven churches (2–3), in chapters 4–5 the scene shifts to heaven, where John is beckoned with a trumpetlike voice, "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this" (4:1 NKJV). Some see these words as reminiscent of Paul's statement that the Rapture will take place "with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God" (1 Thess. 4:16); others disagree. In any event, like the church, from that point on John views the Tribulation from heaven. After a brief picture of the redeemed around God's throne (Rev. 4–5), from chapters 6–18 the Tribulation unfolds. In chapter 19 Christ returns to earth and then, after the "first resurrection," He reigns for a thousand years (Rev. 20:1– 7), which is followed by the new heaven and new earth (21–22). Nowhere during the entire Tribulation period is there a word about the church being on earth.