THE RAPTURE AND JOHN 14

by Thomas Ice
I believe that John 14:1-3 speaks of Christ's return at the Rapture for His church.
However, many who do not believe that the Rapture will occur before the tribulation say
that this passage refers to Christ coming at death for a believer. There are good reasons
why this passage is Christ's introduction of the Rapture of the church.
CHRIST COMING AT DEATH?
Preterist, Dr. Ken Gentry, believes that the Scripture teaches that Christ comes . . . to
believers at death (John 1!1"#$%.
1
Contrary to Dr. Gentry, &eon 'orris notes, (he re)erence to
the second advent should not be missed.%
*
So +hy does Dr. Gentry and others o) his persuasion
miss the thrust o) this passa,e- .ecause to ta/e this as a re)erence to a )uture second comin,
+ould contradict their theolo,y. 0hy have the ma1ority o) ancient and modern interpreters ta/e
this te2t as a )uture second comin, passa,e- .ecause the plain meanin,, ta/en in conte2t, o) the
lan,ua,e in this passa,e demands such an understandin,.
John 1!#, +here Christ tells 3is disciples, 45 +ill come a,ain, and receive you to 'ysel),4 is an
e2pression that is never used o) death in the +hole .ible. Commentators on this passa,e simply
declare their vie+ to be so, +ithout substantiation. 6et, many times, various biblical te2ts spea/
o) Christ comin, in re)erence to 3is Second 7dvent ('att. *!*8, #9, #8, #:, *", ;< *=!#1<
John *1!*#< 7cts 1!:"11< 1 (hess. !1=< * (hess. 1!19< *!1, >, etc.$. ?ne o) the most vocal
opponents o) the comin, at death vie+ is David .ro+n. 5n his pro"postmillennial diatribe
a,ainst premillennialism (1>>*$, in +hich Dr. Gentry penned a )avorable introduction, .ro+n
provides a si2 pa,e rebuttal o) the 4death4 vie+.
#
.ro+n ar,ues!
7nd i) 5 ,o a+ay4@0hat then- 46e shall soon )ollo+ me- Death shall shortly brin,
us to,ether-4 Aay< but 45) 5 ,o a+ay, I will come again and receive you unto myself< .
. .

(he comin, o) Christ to individuals at death . . . is not fitted )or ta/in, that place in
the vie+ o) the believer +hich Scripture assi,ns to the second advent. . . .
(he death o) believers, ho+ever chan,ed in its character, in virtue o) their union
to Christ, is, intrinsically considered, not 1oyous, but ,rievous@not attractive, but
repulsive. . . .
=
(he bliss o) the disembodied spirits o) the 1ust is not only incomplete, but, in some
sense, private and fragmentary, i) 5 may so e2press mysel). . . .
.ut at the BedeemerCs appearin,, all his redeemed +ill be collected to,ether, and
PDBEDC(&6, PF.&5C&6, and S5'F&(7AD?FS&6 ,lori)ied.
;
1 Kenneth Gentry, The Beast of Revelation (Tyler, TX: Institute for Christian Economics, 1989), pp. 25-26.
2 Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1971), p. 639.
3 David Brown, Christ's Second Coming: Will It Be Premillennial? (Edmonton Alberta, Canada: Still Water
Revival Books, [1882] 1990), pp. 20-25.
4 Brown, Christ's Second Coming, p. 21. (emphasis original)
5 Brown, Christ's Second Coming, p. 22. (emphasis original)
6 Brown, Christ's Second Coming, p. 23. (emphasis original)
Ice John 14 & Rapture Myths Page 2
(he .ible never spea/s o) death as an event in +hich the &ord comes )or a believer, instead,
Scripture spea/s o) &aGarus 4carried a+ay by the an,els to 7brahamCs bosom4 (&u/e 1;!**$. 5n
the instance o) Stephen the 'artyr, he sa+ 4the heavens opened up and the Son o) 'an standin,
at the ri,ht hand o) God4 (7cts 8!=;$. 7rno Gaebelein aptly summaries the biblical statements
+hen he says,
(his error is clearly re)uted by the )act that else+here in the Ae+ (estament the Spirit
o) God tells us that the believerCs death is not the &ord comin, to the dyin, believer,
but the death o) a Christian means that he ,oes to be +ith the &ord< . . . Eor the
believer to be absent )orm the body means 4present +ith the &ord, . . . (* Cor. v!1">$.
8
So then, to +hat does this passa,e speci)ically re)er to-
CHRIST COMING AT THE RAPTURE
Eurther study o) John 1!# provides )urther evidence that our &ordCs comin, a,ain is not only a
)uture comin,, but 3is comin, )or the church at the Bapture. 0e )ind that the aorist tense o) the
verbs 4,o4 and 4prepare4 4denote actuality as +ell as sin,le acts,4
>
+hich support a second
comin, vie+ o) the passa,e. 4(he comin, a,ain is the counterpart o) the ,oin, a+ay< visibly
Jesus ascends, visibly he returns, 7cts 1!:"11.4
:
.ut note also that the lan,ua,e spea/s o) Christ
comin, 4)rom heaven to the earth, 3e describes a comin, )or 3is saints to ta/e them to the
EatherCs house.4
19
(his is a description o) the Bapture in contrast to the Second Comin,.
11
4(his
passa,e, ta/en literally, indicates that the believer is ,oin, to ,o to heaven at the time o) ChristCs
comin, )or 3im.4
1*
(his +ill not occur at the Second 7dvent because that +ill be a time in
+hich Christ comes with 3is saints, +ho are already in heaven, not for 3is saints as John 1!1"#
reHuires. 7rno Gaebelein tells us that Christ is unveilin, a ne+ revelation about the Bapture o)
the Church!
.ut here in John 2iv the &ord ,ives a ne+ and uniHue revelation< 3e spea/s o)
somethin, +hich no prophet had promised, or even could promise. 0here is it
+ritten that this 'essiah +ould come and instead o) ,atherin, 3is saints into an
earthly Jerusalem, +ould ta/e them to the EatherCs house, to the very place +here 3e
is- 5t is somethin, ne+. 7nd let it be noticed in promisin, to come a,ain, 3e
addresses the eleven disciples and tells them, 45 +ill receive you unto 'ysel), that
7 Arno C. Gaebelein, The Gospel of John: A complete analytical exposition of the Gospel of John (New York: Our
Hope Publishers, 1925), pp. 266-67.
8 R. C. H. Lenski, Interpretation of St. John's Gospel (Columbus, Ohio: Lutheran Book Concern, 1942), p.
973.
9 Lenski, John's Gospel, p. 974.
10 John F. Walvoord, The Rapture Question: Revised and Enlarged Edition (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979),
p. 194.
11 For a comparison between the Rapture and the Second Coming see Thomas Ice and Timothy Demy,
The Truth About The Rapture (Eugene OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1996), pp. 26-31. Or Thomas Ice and
Timothy Demy, Prophecy Watch: What to Expect in the Days to Come (Eugene OR: Harvest House
Publishers, 1998), pp. 100-02.
12 Walvoord, Rapture Question, p. 195.
Ice John 14 & Rapture Myths Page 3
+here 5 am ye may be also.4 3e spea/s then o) a comin, +hich is not )or the
deliverance o) the Je+ish remnant, not o) a comin, to establish 3is /in,dom over the
earth, not a comin, to 1ud,e the nations, but comin, +hich concerns only 3is o+n.
1#
JOHN 14 AND 1 THESSALONIANS 4
7 si,ni)icant number o) commentators note that our &ordCs statements in John 1!1"# parallels
another Ae+ (estament passa,e@1 (hessalonians !1#"1>.
1
Benald Sho+ers points out a
number o) similarities bet+een the t+o passa,es.
1=
3o+ever, it +as the late 'ennonite
commentator, J. .. Smith,
1;
+ho demonstrated 1ust ho+ e2tensive the relationship o) these t+o
passa,es really are.
18
Dr. Smith made +ord")or"+ord comparisons bet+een the Bapture passa,e (1 (hess. !1#"1>$ and
a clear Second 7dvent te2t (Bev. 1:!11"*1$ and )ound no si,ni)icant parallels. 43ence it is
impossible that one sentence or even one phrase can be ali/e in the t+o lists,4 observes Dr.
Smith. 47nd )inally not one +ord in the t+o lists is used in the same relation or connection.4
1>

3e ,oes on to conclude that 45t +ould be di))icult i) not impossible to )ind else+here any t+o
important passa,es o) Scripture that are so diverse in the +ords employed and so opposite in
their implications. . . . 0e believe the comparison o) the +ords o) these t+o passa,es . . .
describe di))erent events.4
1:
0hen it comes to a comparison bet+een John 1!1"# and 1 (hessalonians !1#"1> +e see
amaGin, parallels. (hat John 1!1"# is a Bapture re)erence is supported by the pro,ression o)
+ords and thou,hts +hen compared to PaulCs more e2tensive Bapture passa,e (1 (hess. !1#"
1>$. ?bserve the )ollo+in, comparison!
JOHN 14:1-3
trouble v. 1
believe v. 1
God, me v. 1
told you v. *
come a,ain v. #
receive you v. #
to mysel) v. #
be +here 5 am v. #
1 THESSALONIANS 4:13-18
sorro+ v. 1#
believe v. 1
Jesus, God v. 1
say to you v. 1=
comin, o) the &ord v. 1=
cau,ht up v. 18
to meet the &ord v. 18
ever be +ith the &ord v. 18
13 Gaebelein, Gospel of John, p. 268.
14 Renald Showers cites the following individuals who see a connection between John 14:1-3 and 1
Thessalonians 4:13-18: J. H Bernard, James Montgomery Boice, Arno C. Gaebelein, Arthur Pink, Rudolf
Schnackenburg, F. F. Bruce, R. V. G. Tasker, and W. E. Vine in Maranatha: Our Lord, Come! (Bellmawr, N.J.:
Friends of Israel, 1995), p. 162.
15 Showers, Maranatha, pp. 161-64.
16 J. B. Smith, A Revelation of Jesus Christ: A Commentary on the Book of Revelation (Scottdale, PA: Herald
Press, 1961), pp. 311-13.
17 Earl Radmacher frst called my attention to Smith's comparison during a debate with Robert Gundry
in Long Beach, CA in 1976.
18 Smith, A Revelation, p. 312.
19 Smith, A Revelation, p. 312.
Ice John 14 & Rapture Myths Page 4
Dr. Smith notes the )ollo+in, observations as a result o) these comparisons!
(he +ords or phrases are almost an e2act parallel.
(hey )ollo+ one another in both passa,es in e2actly the same order.
?nly the ri,hteous are dealt +ith in each case.
(here is not a sin,le irre,ularity in the pro,ression o) +ords )rom )irst to last.
Dither column ta/es the believer )rom the troubles o) earth to the ,lories o) heaven.
*9
CONCLUSION
5n li,ht o) comparin, Scripture +ith Scripture, it appears obvious that JesusC teachin, in John
1!1"# and PaulCs revelation in 1 (hessalonians !1#"1> spea/ o) the same event. Dr. Smith
concludes, 45t is but consistent to interpret each passa,e as dealin, +ith the same event@the
rapture o) the church.4
*1
3o+ else does one e2plain the pro,ression o) ei,ht speci)ic
+ordsIphrases in e2actly the same order, in t+o di))erent passa,es, by t+o di))erent spo/esmen-
5t is clear that these passa,es re)er to a sin,le )uture event@the Bapture o) the church. 0e learn
that the churchCs .lessed 3ope +as )irst revealed by our &ord on the eve o) 3is cruci)i2ion to
3is disciples as they ,rieved over 3is departure. &ater, the doctrine o) the Bapture +as
e2plained in ,reater detail via PaulCs revelation to ,ive com)ort to the (hessalonians +ho +ere
)aced +ith a similar problem o) departin, loved ones that Jesus dealt +ith in the Fpper Boom
+ith 3is disciples. Ao+, *,999 years later and hal)"+ay around the +orld, todayCs church can be
com)orted by the .lessed 3ope that in the ne2t moment o) time +e could be )ace"to")ace +ith
our &ord, in the EatherCs house, via the Bapture o) the Church. 'ay it be today. 'aranathaJ
MYTHS OF THE ORIGIN OF PRETRIBULATIONISM
7 history o) the rapture is o) necessity a history o) pretribulationism, since most other vie+s do
not distin,uish bet+een the t+o phases o) ChristCs returnKthe rapture and second advent. (he
partial rapture and midtribulationism have been developed only +ithin the past 199 years.
THE POST APOSTOLIC CHURCH
(hat the earliest documents (in addition to the Ae+ (estament canon$ o) the ancient church
re)lect a clear premillennialism is ,enerally conceded, but ,reat controversy surrounds their
understandin, o) the rapture in relation to the tribulation. Pretribulationists point to the early
churchCs clear belie) in imminency and a )e+ passa,es )rom a couple o) documents as evidence
that pretribulationism +as held by at least a )e+ )rom the earliest times.
7s +as typical o) every area o) the early churchCs theolo,y, their vie+s o) prophecy +ere
undeveloped and sometimes contradictory, containin, a seedbed out o) +hich could develop
various and diverse theolo,ical vie+points. 0hile it is hard to )ind clear pretribulationism
spelled out in the )athers, there are also )ound clear pre"trib elements +hich i) systematiGed +ith
their other prophetic vie+s contradict posttribulationism but support pretribulationism.
20 Smith, A Revelation, pp. 312-13.
21 Smith, A Revelation, p. 313.
Ice John 14 & Rapture Myths Page 5
Since imminency is considered to be a crucial )eature o) pretribulationism by scholars such
as John 0alvoord,
**
it is si,ni)icant that the 7postolic Eathers, thou,h posttribulational, at the
same time 1ust as clearly tau,ht the pretribulational )eature o) imminence.
*#
Since it +as
common in the early church to hold contradictory positions +ithout even an a+areness o)
inconsistency, it +ould not be surprisin, to learn that their era supports both vie+s. &arry
Crutch)ield notes, 4(his belie) in the imminent return o) Christ +ithin the conte2t o) on,oin,
persecution has prompted us to broadly label the vie+s o) the earliest )athers, Cimminent
intratribulationism.C4
*
D2pressions o) imminency abound in the 7postolic Eathers. Clement o) Bome, 5,natius o)
7ntioch, The Didache, The Epistle of Barnabas, and The Shepherd of Hermas all spea/ o)
imminency.
*=
Eurthermore, The Shepherd of Hermas spea/s o) the pretribulational concept o)
escapin, the tribulation.
6ou have escaped )rom ,reat tribulation on account o) your )aith, and because you
did not doubt in the presence o) such a beast. Go, there)ore, and tell the elect o) the
&ord 3is mi,hty deeds, and say to them that this beast is a type o) the ,reat
tribulation that is comin,. 5) then ye prepare yourselves, and repent +ith all your
heart, and turn to the &ord, it +ill be possible )or you to escape it, i) your heart be
pure and spotless, and ye spend the rest o) the days o) your li)e in servin, the &ord
blamelessly.
*;
Dvidence o) pretribulationism sur)aces durin, the early medieval period in a sermon some
attribute to Dphraem the Syrian entitled Sermon on The Last Times, The ntichrist, and The End
of the !orld.
*8
(he sermon +as +ritten some time bet+een the )ourth and si2th century. (he
rapture statement reads as )ollo+s!
0hy there)ore do +e not re1ect every care o) earthly actions and prepare ourselves )or
the meetin, o) the &ord Christ, so that he may dra+ us )rom the con)usion, +hich
over+helms all the +orld- . . . Eor all the saints and elect o) God are ,athered, prior
to the tribulation that is to come, and are ta/en to the &ord lest they see the con)usion
that is to over+helm the +orld because o) our sins.
22John F. Walvoord, The Blessed Hope and the Tribulation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House,
1976), pp. 24-25.
23Kurt Aland, A History of Christianity, Vol. 1 (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1985), pp. 87-93. Millard J.
Erickson, Contemporary Options in Eschatology (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1977), p. 112. J. Barton
Payne, The Imminent Appearing of Christ (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1962), pp. 12-
19.
24Larry V. Crutchfeld, "The Blessed Hope and the Tribulation in the Apostolic Fathers" in Thomas Ice &
Timothy Demy, editors, When The Trumpet Sounds (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1995), p. 103.
25Crutchfeld, "The Blessed Hope and the Tribulation in the Apostolic Fathers", pp. 88-101.
26The Shepherd of Hermas 1.4.2.
27For more information on this matter see Timothy J. Demy and Thomas D. Ice, "The Rapture and an
Early Medieval Citation," Bibliotheca Sacra (Vol. 152, No. 607; July-Sept. 1995), pp. 306-17.
Ice John 14 & Rapture Myths Page 6
(his statement evidences a clear belie) that all Christians +ill escape the tribulation throu,h a
,atherin, to the &ord. 3o+ else can this be understood other than as pretribulational- (he later
second comin, o) Christ to the earth +ith the saints is mentioned at the end o) the sermon.
THE MEDIEVAL CHURCH
.y the )i)th century 7.D., the amillennialism o) ?ri,en and 7u,ustine had +on the day in the
established ChurchKDast and 0est. 5t is probable that there +as al+ays some )orms o)
premillennialism throu,hout the 'iddle 7,es, but it e2isted primarily under,round. Dorothy
deE. 7brahamse notes!
.y medieval times the belie) in an imminent apocalypse had o))icially been
rele,ated to the role o) symbolic theory by the Church< as early as the )ourth century,
7u,ustine had declared that the Bevelation o) John +as to be interpreted symbolically
rather than literally, and )or most o) the 'iddle 7,es Church councils and theolo,ians
considered only abstract eschatolo,y to be acceptable speculation. Since the
nineteenth century, ho+ever, historians have reco,niGed that literal apocalypses did
continue to circulate in the medieval world and that they played a )undamental role in
the creation o) important strains o) thou,ht and le,end Lemphasis addedM.
*>
5t is believed that sects li/e the 7lbi,enses, &ombards, and the 0aldenses +ere attracted to
premillennialism, but little is /no+ o) the details o) their belie)s since the Catholics destroyed
their +or/s +hen they +ere )ound.
5t must be noted at this point that it is e2tremely unli/ely )or the 'iddle 7,es to produce
advocates o) a pretrib rapture +hen the more )oundational belie) o) premillennialism is all but
absent. (hus, the rapture Huestion is li/e+ise absent. (his continued until the time o) the
Be)ormation, +hen many thin,s +ithin Christendom be,an to be revolutioniGed.
THE REFORMATION CHURCH
Premillennialism be,an to be revived as a result o) at least three )actors. Eirst, the Be)ormers
+ent bac/ to the sources, +hich )or them +as the .ible and 7postolic Eathers. (his e2posed
them to an orthodo2 premillennialism. Speci)ically si,ni)icant +as the reappearance o) the )ull
te2t o) 5renaeusC gainst Heresies, +hich included the last )ive chapters that espouse a consistent
)uturism and cast the 89th +ee/ o) Daniel into the )uture.
Second, they repudiated much, not all, o) the alle,oriGation that dominated mediaeval
hermeneutics by adoptin, a more literal approach, especially in the area o) the historical
e2e,esis.
(hird, many o) the Protestants came into contact +ith Je+s and learned 3ebre+. (his raised
concerns over +hether passa,es that spea/ o) national 5srael +ere to be ta/en historically or
continued to be alle,oriGed +ithin the tradition o) the 'iddle 7,es. (he more the Be)ormers
28Dorothy deF. Abrahamse, introduction to The Byzantine Apocalyptic Tradition, by Paul J. Alexander
(Berkeley: University of California Press, 1985), pp. 1-2.
Ice John 14 & Rapture Myths Page 7
too/ them as historical, the more they +ere a+a/ened to premillennial interpretations, in spite o)
the )act that they +ere o)ten labeled 4JudaiGers.4
.y the late 1=99Cs and the early 1;99Ns, premillennialism be,an to return as a )actor +ithin
the mainstream church a)ter more than a 1,999 year rei,n o) amillennialism. 0ith the )lo+erin,
o) biblical interpretation durin, the late Be)ormation Period, premillennial interpreters be,an to
abound throu,hout Protestantism and so did the development o) sub"issues li/e the rapture.
5t has been claimed that some separated the rapture )rom the second comin, as early as
Joseph 'ede in his seminal +or/ "lavis pocalyptica (1;*8$, +ho is considered the )ather o)
Dn,lish premillennialism. Paul .oyer says that 5ncrease 'ather proved 4that the saints +ould
Cbe caught up into the irC be)orehand, thereby escapin, the )inal con)la,rationKan early
)ormulation o) the Bapture doctrine more )ully elaborated in the nineteenth century.4
*:
0hatever
these men +ere sayin,, it is clear that the application o) a more literal hermeneutic +as leadin,
to a distinction bet+een the rapture and the second comin, as separate events.
?thers be,an to spea/ o) the rapture. Paul .en+are notes!
Peter Jurieu in his boo/ pproaching Deliverance of the "hurch (1;>8$ tau,ht
that Christ +ould come in the air to rapture the saints and return to heaven be)ore the
battle o) 7rma,eddon. 3e spo/e o) a secret Bapture prior to 3is comin, in ,lory and
1ud,ment at 7rma,eddon. Philip Doddrid,eCs commentary on the Ae+ (estament
(18#>$ and John GillCs commentary on the Ae+ (estament (18>$ both use the term
rapture and spea/ o) it as imminent. 5t is clear that these men believed that this
comin, +ill precede ChristCs descent to the earth and the time o) 1ud,ment. (he
purpose +as to preserve believers )rom the time o) 1ud,ment. James 'ac/ni,ht
(18;#$ and (homas Scott (18:*$ tau,ht that the ri,hteous +ill be carried to heaven,
+here they +ill be secure until the time o) 1ud,ment is over.
#9
Eran/ 'arotta, a brethren researcher, believes that (homas Collier in 1;8 ma/es re)erence to a
pretribulational rapture, but re1ects the vie+,
#1
thus sho+in, his a+areness that such a vie+ +as
bein, tau,ht. Perhaps the clearest re)erence to a pretrib rapture be)ore Darby comes )rom .aptist
'or,an Dd+ards ()ounder o) .ro+n Fniversity$ in 18*" +ho sa+ a distinct rapture three and
a hal) years be)ore the start o) the millennium.
#*
THE MODERN CHURCH
7s )uturism be,an to replace historicism +ithin premillennial circles in the 1>*9Cs, the modern
proponent o) dispensational pretribulationism arrives on the scene. J.A. Darby claims to have
)irst understood his vie+ o) the rapture as the result o) .ible study durin, a convalescence )rom
29Paul Boyer, When Time Shall Be No More: Prophecy Belief in Modern American Culture (Cambridge, MA:
Belknap Press, 1992), p. 75.
30Paul N. Benware, Understanding End Times Prophecy: A Comprehensive Approach (Chicago: Moody Press,
1995), pp. 197-98.
31Frank Marotta, Morgan Edwards: An Eighteenth Century Pretribulationist (Morganville, N.J.: Present
Truth Publishers, 1995), pp. 10-12.
32Marotta, Morgan Edwards.
Ice John 14 & Rapture Myths Page 8
December 1>*; until January 1>*8.
##
3e is the )ountainhead )or the modern version o) the
doctrine.
(he doctrine o) the rapture spread around the +orld throu,h the .rethren movement +ith +hich
Darby and other li/e"minded Christians +ere associated. 5t appears that either throu,h their
+ritin,s or personal visits to Aorth 7merica, this version o) pretribulationism +as spread
throu,hout 7merican Dvan,elicalism. (+o early proponents o) the vie+ include Presbyterian
James 3. .roo/es and .aptist J. B. Graves.
(he rapture +as )urther spread throu,h annual .ible con)erences such as the Aia,ara .ible
Con)erence (1>8>"1:9:$< turn o) the century publications li/e The Truth and #ur Hope< popular
boo/s li/e .roo/esC $aranatha, 0illiam .lac/stoneCs %esus Is "oming, and The Scofield
&eference Bible (1:9:$. 'any o) the ,reatest .ible teachers o) the )irst"hal) o) the t+entieth
century help spread the doctrine such as 7rno Gaebelein, C.5 Sco)ield, 7.J. Gordon, James '.
Gray, B.7. (orrey, 3arry 5ronside, and &e+is S. Cha)er.
5n virtually every ma1or metropolitan area in Aorth 7merica a .ible 5nstitute, .ible Colle,e,
or Seminary +as )ounded that e2pounded dispensational pretribulationism. Schools li/e 'oody
.ible 5nstitute, (he Philadelphia .ible Colle,e, .ible 5nstitute o) &os 7n,eles (.5?&7$, and
Dallas (heolo,ical Seminary tau,ht and de)ended these vie+s. (hese teachin,s +ere )ound
primarily in independent churches, .ible churches, .aptists, and a si,ni)icant number o)
Presbyterian churches. 7round 1:*=, pretribulationism +as adopted by many Pentecostal
denominations such as the 7ssemblies o) God and (he Eour"SHuare Gospel denomination.
Pretribulationism +as dominate amon, Charismatics in the 1:;9s and C89s. 3al &indseyCs Late
'reat (lanet Earth (1:89$ )urthered the spread o) the pretrib rapture as it e2erted ,reat in)luence
throu,hout popular 7merican culture and then around the +orld. 'any radio and (.O. pro,rams
tau,ht pretribulationism as +ell.
CURRENT STATUS
7lthou,h still +idely popular amon, Dvan,elicals and Eundamentalists, dominance o)
pretribulationism be,an to +ane )irst in some academic circles in the 1:=9s and C;9s. 7 decline
amon, Pentecostals, Charismatics, and Dvan,elicals be,an in the 1:>9s as the result o) a shi)t
to+ard ,reater social concern emer,ed. Pretribulationism is still the most +idely held vie+ o)
the day, but it cannot be ta/en )or ,ranted in many Dvan,elical, Charismatic, and Eundamentalist
circles as it +as a ,eneration a,o.
(he doctrine o) the rapture has not been the most visible teachin, in the history o) the church.
3o+ever, it has had si,ni)icant advocates throu,hout the last *,999 years. 5t has sur)aced
+herever premillennialism is tau,ht, especially +hen literal interpretation, )uturism,
dispensationalism, and a distinction bet+een 5srael and the church. Be,ardless o) its history,
belie) in the rapture has been supported primarily by those +ho attempt a )aith)ul e2position o)
the biblical te2t.
33Roy A. Huebner, Precious Truths Revived and Defended Through J.N. Darby, Vol. 1 (Morganville, N.J.:
Present Truth Publishers, 1991), pp. 63-77.
Ice John 14 & Rapture Myths Page 9
RECENT CHALLENGES TO PRE-TRIB ORIGINS
7 )e+ years a,o, pre"+rath advocate 'arvin Bosenthal +rote that the pre"trib rapture +as o)
Satanic ori,in and unheard o) be)ore 1>#9. (o th+art the &ordNs +arnin, to 3is children, in
1>#9,% proclaims Bosenthal, Satan, the P)ather o) lies,N ,ave to a )i)teen"year"old ,irl named
'ar,aret 'cDonald a len,thy vision.%
#
Bosenthal ,ives no documentation, he merely asserts
that this is true. 3o+ever, he is +ron,. 3e is undoubtedly relyin, upon the Huestionable +or/
o) Dave 'acPherson.
7nother thin, amaGin, about BosenthalNs declaration is that a )e+ para,raphs later in the article
he characteriGes his opposition as those +ho did not deal +ith the issues, misrepresented the
)acts, or attempted character assassination.%
#=
(his description is e2actly +hat he has done in his
characteriGation o) pre"trib rapture ori,ins. 0hy +ould Bosenthal ma/e such outlandish and
unsubstantiated char,es about the pre"trib rapture-
THE BIG LIE
?ne o) the thin,s that )acilitated the AaGi rise to po+er in Germany earlier this century +as their
propa,anda approach called (he .i, &ie.% 5) you told a bi, enou,h lie o)ten enou,h then the
people +ould come to believe it. (his the AaGis did +ell. (his is +hat anti"pretribulationists
li/e John .ray
#;
and Dave 'acPherson
#8
have done over the last *= years. 7pparently the bi, lie
about the ori,ins o) the pre"trib rapture has penetrated the thin/in, o) the late Bobert Oan
Kampen
#>
and 'arvin Bosenthal to the e2tent that they have adopted such a )alsehood as true.
(his is amaGin, in li,ht o) the )act that their o+n pre"+rath vie+point is not much more than
)i)teen years old itsel). Bosenthal must have chan,ed his mind about pre"trib ori,ins bet+een the
time he +rote his boo/ The (re)wrath &apture of the "hurch (1::9$ and the recent article (Dec.
1::$ since, in the )ormer, he says that the pre"trib rapture can be traced bac/ to John Darby and
the Plymouth .rethren in the year 1>#9.%
#:
Bosenthal ,oes on to say, Some scholars, see/in, to
prove error by association, have attempted (perhaps un)airly$ to trace its ori,in bac/ t+o years
earlier to a charismatic, visionary +oman named 'ar,aret 'acDonald.%
9
Dven this statement is
in error, since the 'ar,aret 'acdonald claim has al+ays been related to 1>#9, not 1>*>.
3o+ever, Bosenthal is correct in his ori,inal assessment that these char,es are un)air% and
probably sprin, out o) a motive to prove error by association,% /no+n as the ad hominem
ar,ument.
34 Marvin J. Rosenthal, Is the Church in Matthew Chapter 24? Zions Fire (Nov-Dec 1994), p. 10.
35 Rosenthal, Is the Church in Matthew Chapter 24? p. 10.
36 John L. Bray, The Origin of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Teaching (Lakeland, FL.: John L. Bray Ministry,
1982).
37 Dave MacPherson, The Unbelievable Pre-Trib Origin (Kansas City: Heart of America Bible Society,
1973). The Late Great Pre-Trib Rapture (Kansas City: Heart of America Bible Society, 1974). The Great
Rapture Hoax (Fletcher, N.C.: New Puritan Library, 1983). Rapture? (Fletcher, N.C.: New Puritan Library,
1987). The Rapture Plot (Monticello, Utah: P.O.S.T. Inc., 1994).
38 Robert Van Kampen, The Sign (Wheaton, IL.: Crossway Books, 1992), pp. 445-47.
39 Marvin Rosenthal, The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), p.
53.
40 Rosenthal, Pre-Wrath Rapture, pp. 53-54.
Ice John 14 & Rapture Myths Page 10
Pretribulationists have sou,ht to de)end a,ainst (he .i, &ie% throu,h direct interaction a,ainst
the char,es.
1
5n a rebuttal to these char,es 5 made in 1::9, 5 ,ave t+o ma1or reasons +hy (he
.i, &ie% is not true. Eirst, it is doubt)ul that 'ar,aret 'acdonaldNs prophecy% contains any
elements related to the pre"trib rapture.
*
Second, no one has ever demonstrated from actual
facts of history that Darby +as in)luenced by 'acdonaldNs prophecy% even i) it had (+hich it
did not$ contained pre"trib elements.
#
John 0alvoord has said,
(he +hole controversy as aroused by Dave 'acPhersonNs claims has so little
supportin, evidence, despite his care)ul research, that one +onders ho+ he can +rite
his boo/ +ith a strai,ht )ace. Pretribulationalists should be indebted to Dave
'acPherson )or e2posin, the )acts, namely, that there is no proo) that 'acDonald or
5rvin, ori,inated the pretribulation rapture teachin,.

(here is a third reason +hy 'acPhersonNs theory is +ron,, Darby clearly held to an early )orm
o) the pre"trib rapture by January 1>*8. (his is a )ull three years be)ore 'acPhersonNs claim o)
1>#9.
DARBY AND THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE
.rethren +riter, Boy 7. 3uebner claims and documents his belie) that J.A. Darby )irst be,an
to believe in the pre"trib rapture and develop his dispensational thin/in, +hile convalescin, )rom
a ridin, accident durin, December 1>*; and January 1>*8.
=
5) this is true, then all o) the ori,in"
41 Some of the pre-trib responses include the following: R. A. Huebner, The Truth of the Pre-Tribulation
Rapture Recovered (Millington, N.J.: Present Truth Publishers, 1976); Precious Truths Revived and Defended
Through J. N. Darby, Vol. 1 (Morganville, N. J.: Present Truth Publishers, 1991). Gerald B. Stanton, Kept
From The Hour, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1956). John F. Walvoord, The Blessed Hope and the Tribulation
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979). Robert L. Sumner, Looking For The Blessed Horrible Holocaust! A
book review of The Late Great Pre-Trib Rapture in The Biblical Evangelist (Vol. 10, Num. 1; May, 1975);
Hope? Or Hoax? The Biblical Evangelist (Vol. 18, Num. 3; Feb., 1984). Hal Lindsey, The Rapture: Truth
Or Consequences (New York: Bantam Books, 1983). Charles Ryrie, What You Should Know About the
Rapture (Chicago: Moody Press, 1981). Tim LaHaye, No Fear of the Storm: Why Christians will Escape All
the Tribulation (Sisters, Ore.: Multnomah, 1992). Thomas D. Ice, Why the Doctrine of the Pretribulational
Rapture Did Not Begin with Margaret Macdonald, Bibliotheca Sacra 147 (1990), pp. 155-68; The Origin of
the Pre-Trib Rapture, Part I & II, Biblical Perspectives, vol. 2, no. 1, Jan./Feb. 1989 & vol. 2, no. 2, Mar./Apr.
1989; Did J. N. Darby Believe in the Pretrib Rapture by 1827? Dispensational Distinctives, vol. I, no. 6,
Nov./Dec. 1991.
42 The following books are some of those which have the full text of Macdonalds utterance:
MacPhersons Cover-Up, and Hoax. R. A. Huebner, The Truth of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Recovered
(Millington, N.J.: Present Truth Publishers, 1976), pp. 67-69. Hal Lindsey, The Rapture: Truth Or
Consequences (New York: Bantam Books, 1983), pp. 169-172. William R. Kimball, The Rapture: A Question
of Timing (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1985), pp. 44-47.
43 Ice, Why the Doctrine of the Pretribulational Rapture Did Not Begin with Margaret Macdonald, pp.
158, 161.
44 Walvoord, The Blessed Hope and the Tribulation, p. 47.
45 R. A. Huebner, Precious Truths Revived and Defended Through J. N. Darby, Vol. 1 (Morganville, N. J.:
Present Truth Publishers, 1991).
Ice John 14 & Rapture Myths Page 11
o)"the"rapture"conspiracy"theories )all to the ,round in a heap o) speculative rubble. Darby
+ould have at least a three"year 1ump on any +ho +ould have supposedly in)luenced his thou,ht,
ma/in, it impossible )or all the in)luence% theories to have any credibility.
3uebner provides clari)ication and evidence that Darby +as not in)luenced by a )i)teen"yea"old
,irl ('ar,aret 'acdonald$, &acunGa, Dd+ard 5rvin,, or the 5rvin,ites. (hese are all said by the
detractors o) Darby and the pre"trib rapture to be brid,es +hich led to DarbyNs thou,ht. 5nstead,
he demonstrates that DarbyNs understandin, o) the pre"trib rapture +as the product o) the
development o) his personal interactive thou,ht +ith the te2t o) Scripture as he, his )riends, and
dispensationalists have lon, contended.
DarbyNs pre"trib and dispensational thou,hts, says 3uebner, +ere developed )rom the
)ollo+in, )actors! 1) he sa+ )rom 5saiah #* that there +as a di))erent dispensation comin, . . .
that Israel and the "hurch were distinct.%
;
2) Durin, his convalescence JAD learned that h
!"#h$ %&'() $! *+,$ h'- L!.%/- .$".0.%
8
3) 5n 1>*8 JAD understood the )all o) the church. .
. Pthe ruin o) the Church.N%
>
4) Darby also +as be,innin, to see a ,ap o) time bet+een the
rapture and the second comin, by 1>*8.
:
1) Darby, himsel), said in 1>=8 that he )irst started
understandin, thin,s relatin, to the pre"trib Bapture thirty years a,o.% 0ith that )i2ed point o)
re)erence, Jan. #1, 1>*8,% declares 3uebner, +e can see that Darby had already understood
those truths upon +hich the pre"tribulation rapture hin,es.%
=9
German author 'a2 S. 0eremchu/ has produced a ma1or ne+ bio,raphy on Darby entitled %ohn
*elson Darby+ Biography.
=1
3e a,rees +ith 3uebnerNs conclusions concernin, the matter.
3avin, read 'acPhersonNs boo/ . . .% says 0eremchu/, 5 )ind it impossible to ma/e a 1ust
comparison bet+een +hat 'iss 'acDonald PprophesiedN and +hat Darby tau,ht. 5t appears that
the +ish +as the )ather o) the idea.%
=*
0hen readin, DarbyNs earliest published essay on biblical prophecy (1>*:$, it is clear that +hile
it still has elements o) historicism, it also re)lects the )act that )or Darby, the rapture +as to be the
churchNs )ocus and hope.
=#
Dven in this earliest o) essays, Darby e2pounds upon the rapture as
the churchNs hope.
=
SCHOLARS REJECT THE BIG LIE
(he various rapture ori,in% theories espoused by opponents o) pre"tribulationism are not
accepted as historically valid by scholars +ho have e2amined the evidence. (he only ones +ho
appear to have accepted these theories are those +ho already are opposed to the pre"trib rapture.
7 loo/ at various scholars and historians reveals that they thin/, in varyin, de,rees, that
46 Huebner, Precious Truths, p. 17.
47 Huebner, Precious Truths, p. 19.
48 Huebner, Precious Truths, p. 18.
49 Huebner, Precious Truths, p. 23.
50 Huebner, Precious Truths, p. 24.
51 Max S. Weremchuk, John Nelson Darby: A Biography (Neptune, N. J.: Loizeaux Brothers, 1992).
52 Weremchuk, Darby: A Biography, p. 242.
53 J. N. Darby, Refections upon the Prophetic Inquiry and the Views Advanced in it The Collected
Writings of J. N. Darby, vol. 2 (Winschoten, Netherlands: H. L. Heijkoop, reprint 1971), pp. 1-31.
54 Darby, Refections, pp. 16-18, 25, 30.
Ice John 14 & Rapture Myths Page 12
$ac(herson has not proven his point, 'ost, i) not all +ho are Huoted belo+ do not hold to the
pre"trib rapture teachin,. Drnest B. Sandeen declares,
(his seems to be a ,roundless and pernicious char,e. Aeither 5rvin, nor any member
o) the 7lbury ,roup advocated any doctrine resemblin, the secret rapture. . . . Since
the clear intention o) this char,e is to discredit the doctrine by attributin, its ori,in to
)anaticism rather than Scripture, there seems little ,round )or ,ivin, it any credence.
==
3istorian (imothy P. 0eberNs evaluation is a )ollo+s!
(he pretribulation rapture +as a neat solution to a thorny problem and historians
are still tryin, to determine ho+ or +here Darby ,ot it. . . .
7 ne+er thou,h still not totally convincin, vie+ contends that the doctrine
initially appeared in a prophetic vision o) 'ar,aret 'acdonald, . . .
Possibly, +e may have to settle )or DarbyNs o+n e2planation. 3e claimed that the
doctrine virtually 1umped out o) the pa,es o) Scripture once he accepted and
consistently maintained the distinction bet+een 5srael and the church.
=;
American historian Richard R. Reiter informs us that,
LBobertM Cameron probably traced this important but apparently erroneous vie+ bac/
to S. P. (re,elles, . . . Becently more detailed study on this vie+ as the ori,in o)
pretribulationism appeared in +or/s by Dave 'cPherson, . . . historian 5an S.
Bennie . . . re,arded 'cPhersonNs case as interestin, but not conclusive.
=8
Posttribulationist 0illiam D. .ell asserts that,
5t seems only )air, ho+ever, in the absence o) eye+itnesses to settle the ar,ument
conclusively, that the bene)it o) the doubt should be ,iven to Darby, and that the
char,e made by (re,elles be re,arded as a possibility but +ith insu))icient support to
merit its acceptance. . . . ?n the +hole, ho+ever, it seems that Darby is perhaps the
most li/ely choice@+ith help )rom (+eedy. (his conclusion is ,reatly stren,thened
by DarbyNs o+n claim to have arrived at the doctrine throu,h his study o) 55
(hessalonians *!1"*.
=>
Pre"trib rapture opponent John .ray does not accept the 'acPherson thesis either.
55 Ernest R. Sandeen, The Roots of Fundamentalism: British and American Millenarianism 1800-1930 (Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1970), p. 64.
56 Timothy P. Weber, Living In The Shadow Of The Second Coming: American Premillennialism 1875-1982
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1983), pp. 21-22.
57 Richard R. Reiter, The Rapture: Pre-, Mid-, or Post-Tribulational? (Grand Rapids: Zondervan
Publication, 1984), p. 236.
58 William E. Bell, A Critical Evaluation of the Pretribulation Rapture Doctrine in Christian Eschatology (Ph.D.
diss., New York University, 1967), pp. 60-61, 64-65.
Ice John 14 & Rapture Myths Page 13
3e LDarbyM re1ected those practices, and he already had his ne+ vie+ o) the &ord
comin, E?B (3D S75A(S (as contrasted to the later comin, to the earth$ +hich he
had believed since 1>*8, . . . 5t +as the couplin, o) this 89th +ee/ o) Daniel%
prophecy and its )uturistic interpretation, +ith the teachin, o) the secret rapture,%
that ,ave to us the completed Pre"tribulation Secret Bapture% teachin, as it has no+
been tau,ht )or many years. . . . ma/es it impossible )or me to believe that Darby ,ot
his Pre"(ribulation Bapture teachin, )rom 'ar,aret 'acDonaldNs vision in 1>#9. 3e
+as already a believer in it since 1>*8, as he plainly said.
=:
3uebner considers 'acPhersonNs char,es as usin, slander that J. A. Darby too/ the (truth o)
the$ pretribulation rapture )rom those very opposin,, demon"inspired utterances.%
;9
3e ,oes on
to conclude that 'acPherson
did not pro)it by readin, the utterances alle,edly by 'iss '. '. 5nstead o)
apprehendin, the plain import o) her statements, as ,iven by B. Aorton, +hich has
some a))inity to the post"tribulation scheme and no real resemblance to the
pretribulation rapture and dispensational truth, he has read into it +hat he appears so
an2ious to )ind.
;1
IRVINGITES AND THE RAPTURE
One of Dave McPhersons strangest claims is that Edward rving and the
rvingites taught a !re"tri# ra!ture. $he rvingites, are said #% McPherson to
#e the source from which Dar#% clandestinel% stole the doctrine and then
claimed it as his own discover%.
&2
More recentl%, two 'ritish theologians have
also cited rving as the real source of dis!ensationalism and
!retri#ulationism. ()learl%, then, it is incontroverti#le that rving held to a
!retri#ulation doctrine in a form that is develo!ed and remar*a#l% similar to
contem!orar% dis!ensational views,+ sa% Paterson and ,al*er.
&-
.uch
remar*s and conclusions ma*e me wonder if these writers have read ver%
dee!l% in either Edward rving or the rvingite view of eschatolog%.
7 )e+ years a,o, an e2tensive critical analysis o) 5rvin,ite doctrine declared that they +ere still
over+helmin,ly historicist, +hile Darby and the .rethren had become )uturist. Eurther,
Columba G. Ele,, notes that the .rethren teachin, on the rapture and the present invisible and
spiritual nature o) the church,
59 Bray, The Origin of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Teaching, pp. 24-25, 28.
60 Huebner, Precious Truths, p. 13.
61 Huebner, Precious Truths, p. 67.
62 See Dave MacPherson, The Rapture Plot (Simpsonville, SC: Millennium III Publishers, 1995).
63 Mark Patterson & Andrew Walker, Our Unspeakable Comfort Irving, Albury, and the Origins of the
Pretribulation Rapture, Fides et Historia, Vol. XXXI, No. 1 (Winter/Spring 1999), p. 77.
Ice John 14 & Rapture Myths Page 14
The later Powerscourt Conferences were dominated by the new sect. The
Brethren took a futurist view of the Apocalypse, attacking particularly the
interpretation of prophetic days as years, so important for all historicists,
including the Catholic Apostolics. . . . Darby introduced the concept of a
secret rapture to take place at any moment, a belief which subsequently
became one of the chief hallmarks of Brethren eschatology. He also taught
that the true Church was invisible and spiritual. Both these ideas were in
sharp contrast to Catholic Apostolic teaching, . . . There were thus very
signifcant diferences between the two eschatologies, and attempts to see any
direct infuence of one upon the other seem unlikely to succeedthey had a
number of common roots, but are much more notable for their points of
disagreement. Several writers [referring specifcally to MacPherson] have
attempted to trace Darbys secret rapture theory to a prophetic statement
associated with Irving, but their arguments do not stand up to serious
criticism.
64
,hen reading the full message of rvingite eschatolog% it is clear that the%
were still ver% much loc*ed into the historicist s%stem which views the entire
church age as the tri#ulation. After all, the ma/or !oint in rvings
eschatolog% was that 'a#%lon 0false )hristianit%1 was a#out to #e destro%ed
and then the second coming would occur. )lassic historicism2 3e also
taught that the second coming was s%non%mous with the ra!ture.
&4
rving
#elieved that ra!tured saints would sta% in heaven until the earth was
renovated #% 5re and then return to the earth. $his is hardl% !retri# since
rving #elieved that the tri#ulation #egan at least 6,477 %ears earlier and he
did not teach a se!arate ra!ture, followed #% the tri#ulation, culminating in
the second coming.
CONCLUSION
E. E. .ruce, +ho +as part o) the .rethren movement his entire li)e, but one +ho did not a,ree
+ith pretribulationism, said the )ollo+in, +hen commentin, on the validity o) 'acPhersonNs
thesis!
0here did he LDarbyM ,et it- (he revie+erNs ans+er +ould be that it +as in the air in
the 1>*9s and 1>#9s amon, ea,er students o) un)ul)illed prophecy, . . . direct
dependence by Darby on 'ar,aret 'acdonald is unli/ely.
;;
64 Columba Graham Flegg, Gathered Under Apostles A Study of the Catholic Apostolic Church (Oxford:
Clarendon Press, 1992), p. 436.
65 Edward Irving, Signs of the Times in the Church, The Morning Watch, Vol. 2 (1830), p. 156.
66 F. F. Bruce, Review of The Unbelievable Pre-Trib Origin in The Evangelical Quarterly, (Vol. XLVII, No. 1;
Ice John 14 & Rapture Myths Page 15
John 0alvoordNs assessment is li/ely close to the truth!
i
any care)ul student o) Darby soon discovers that he did not ,et his eschatolo,ical
vie+s )rom men, but rather )rom his doctrine o) the church as the body o) Christ, a
concept no one claims +as revealed supernaturally to 5rvin, or 'acdonald. DarbyNs
vie+s undoubtedly +ere ,radually )ormed, but they +ere theolo,ically and biblically
based rather than derived )rom 5rvin,Ns pre"Pentecostal ,roup.
;8
5 challen,e opponents o) the pre"trib rapture to stic/ to a discussion o) this matter based upon the
Scriptures. 0hile some have done this, many have not been so honest. (o call the pre"trib
position Satanic, as Bosenthal has done, does not help anyone in this discussion. Such rhetoric
+ill only serve to cause ,reater polariGation o) the t+o vie+s. 3o+ever, +hen pre"trib
opponents ma/e )alse char,es about the history o) the pre"trib vie+ +e must respond. 7nd
respond +e +ill in our ne2t issue +here 2 2'(( +.-0$ & ,(&. +.-$.'3 .&+$". -$&$40$
5.!4 $h 5!".$h !. 5'5$h ,0$".)6 (his pre"trib rapture statement ante"dates 1>#9 by almost
1,=99 years and +ill certainly lead to at least a revision o) those propa,atin, (he .i, &ie.
Jan-Mar, 1975), p. 58.
67 Walvoord, The Blessed Hope and the Tribulation, p. 47.
i