HISTORY OF "THE RAPTURE"

Thanks Deb. The first link was a good summary of the apparent history of the term (I was always under the impression that John Darby was the author but had never really paid any attention to the concept).

The second link seems to be one specific Catholic Diocese' writings. of course there is a nihil obstat and an imprimaturus.


What drew my attention was last night,> We rented a really lame movie (Im not even gonna name it for fear that Lightwizrd will give me a host of ****). So We dumped the movie and switched back to cable. Well, while surfing I passed by a station that was right next to the PA"Outdoors in Pa" programs. It was an Evangelical XChristian program with a panel of 3 PHD theologians of various Evangelical Denominations. They were critiquing the recent joint pastoral letter in which Catholics and Evangelicals came together to expound their mutually supportive goals. The 3 Drs excoriated the pastoral letter because the "Roman" church was not truly Christian and did not believe in the sanctity of SCripture over tradition (No big one here, I sorta knew that). BUT, then they started in about concepts like "The RApture" as solidly SCripture based and how only the Evangelicals were the true children (yada yadda).

Then I went to my SCofield references and saw the transferrance to some really lame and thin lines of scripture that, I sure as hell couldnt get any connections with the RApture as I know it. Then my "Hiastory of the SHaking Quaker Religion" was helpful in establishing a UK/US connection of the term at about the same time as our own Revolution .
It appeared that a "Transferrance" of tradition was made by the very people who, today, want me to believe that being an Evangelical Fundamentalist is the only tradition that is 100% Scripturally based.


While all this was going on, Mrs F baked a blueberry pie cause I was boring the **** out of her.

Yep, Revelations is one of them, ANother is the First or second Timothy.(Its fascinating how, the CAtholic Church derives much of its own teaching of "Faith v Tradition" from Timmy , and the Evangelical Religions also support quite the opposite

You're goin' straight to Hell with the rest of us, Wabbit . . . why do you care?

. . .The CAtholic Church is always criticized by Evangelicals as the "Whore of BAbylon" for incorporating Tradition as well as Scripture into its dogma.
Yet, I think that "rapture" is tradition based and not scriptural.

"RAPTURE! PROPHECY OR HERESY"
is a book by Colonel H. Speed Wilson (Daring Publisher). Since 1989, he has offered a $10,000 reward to anyone who can prove scripturally that the Saints are taken OUT OF THE WORLD.

The following is taken from the back cover of the book. "The Rapture theology has been one of the most controversial topics among Christians since the early 1800s to the present. The most commonly addressed questions in the popular books, pamphlets and sermons is WHEN will the Rapture occur? WILL the Rapture be pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, or post-tribulation? And...WILL it be a secret and silent removal of Christians or a glorious return of JESUS?

As an astute Bible Scholar, Speed Wilson now raises a question in his new thought-provoking book he feels is the most important and even critical question of all, IS THERE REALLY TO BE A RAPTURE?

Topics in Speed's book include Rapture Support Arguments, Origin of Rapture, What May Happen, What We Must Do, Consequences of the Rapture Doctrine, and, finally, Your $10,000 Challenge!

Speed is offering this $10,000 reward to anyone who can, after reading his book, reference any scriptures that clearly state that the Saints (Holy Ones, Righteous, Church, Body, Bride, Wheat...etc.) Are taken out of the world! Details as to how to receive this reward are presented in the book. The publisher, Daring Books, will give a $1,000 reward to the bookstore that sells the book to the person who qualifies for the $10,000 reward!"



Below is an email we received concerning research on THE RAPTURE that pre-dates the MODERN version.
In my historical research of the Church over the last 35 years I have found an earlier record of the rapture doctrine than Margaret McDonald and the Irvingites. If you will check the counter reformation move of Papal Rome in the 16th century after Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis to the church door in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517. You will find that Pope Leo X authorized three Jesuit Priests to reinterpret Daniel's 70 weeks of prophecy; the Book of Revelation; and Ezekiel. The goal of these jesuits was to take the heat of the reformation away from the papacy. The three Jesuits were: 1. Francisco Ribera (1537-1591) of Salamanca - futurism/rapturists 2. Luis de Alcazar (1554-1621) of Seville - praeterism 3. Cardinal Roberto Bellarmine (1542-1621) - followed Ribera's school of thought The futurists rapture doctrine originated and was submitted by Francisco Ribera in 1585. His Apocalyptic Commentary was on the grand points of Babylon and Anti-christ which we now call the futurists or rapture doctrine. Ribera's published work was called "In Sacram Beati Ionnis Apostoli & Evangelistate Apocoalypsin Commentari (Lugduni 1593). You can still find these writings in the Bodleian Library in Oxford England. I don't have the time or space to go into this in great detail, but suffice it for now that Ribera's futurist interpretation rocked not only the protestant church , but also the Catholic church so the Pope ordered it buried in the archives out of sight. Unfortunately, over 200 years later a librarian to the Archbishop of Canterbury by the name of S. R. Maitland (1792-1866) was appointed to be the Keeper of the Manuscripts at Lambeth Palace, in London, England. In his duties, Dr. Maitland came across Francisco Ribera's futurists/rapture teaching and he had it republished for the sake of interest in early 1826 with follow ups in 1829 and 1830. This was spurred along with the Oxford Tracts that were published in 1833 to try and deprotestantize the Church of England. John Nelson Darby (1800-1882) (A Leader of the Plymouth Brethren) became a follower of S.R. Maitland's prophetic endeavors and was persuaded. Darby's influence in the seminaries of Europe combined with 7 tours of the United States changed the eschatological view of the ministers which had the trickle down effect into the churches. Darby's/Ribera's teachings were embraced radically by Cyrus Ingerson Scofield (1843-1921). Scofield adopted Darby's/Ribera's school of prophetic thought into the Scofield Reference Bible of 1909 which was heralded as the "book of books". Another contributor to the rapturist's chaotic prophetic line of thought came through Emmanuel Lacunza (1731-1801), a Jesuit priest from Chile. Lacunza wrote the "Coming of Messiah in Glory and Majesty" around 1791. It was later published in London in 1827. The book was attributed to a fictitious author name Rabbi Juan Josafat BenEzra. Reverend Edward Irving (1792-1834) contended that it was the work of a converted Jew and proved that even the Jewish scholars embraced a pre-tribulation rapture line of thought. It wasn't long until he had persuaded others to follow his line of thought which gave birth to the Irvingites (per your reference to Margaret McDonald). In March 1830, in Port Glasgow, Scotland, 15 year old Margaret McDonald made claim of her visions. Robert Norton published Margaret's visions and prophecies in a book entitled, "The Restoration of Apostles and Prophets in the Catholic Apostolic Church" (London, 1861). Although the modern day view of every believer being taken away in a rapture is different from all of the thoughts that came before it, there is little doubt to it's error. Lacunza casserted that only thopse believers that partake of the sacrament of the Eucharist would be raptured; while Margaret McDonald said the rapture would only take those that were filled with the Holy Spirit; and Norton claimed that only those that had been sealed with the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands would be raptured. Definitely confusion ensued. John Darby, an ordained deacon in the Church of England, was acquainted with Edward Irving and had visited Margaret McDonald during the time of her visions. Combined with the knowledge he had gained from S.R. Maitland/Ribera's teachings and the new push from Irving/McDonald/Lucunza's teachings, Darby used the rapture theory to bring a clean break from the lethargic Church of England. Ribera and Lacunza's teachings find a meeting point in John Nelson Darby. The effects of this purported lie against the truth are still dominant today in Christian churches world-wide. Albeit the light is still shining, through individuals like yourself, and I believe beyond the shadow of a doubt that Truth will prevail and this disgusting futurists heresy will be thrown down and disproved once and for all.

Well, scuuuuze me . I have to cautiously word my responses (as host of this thread). Im trying to evoke discussion , not bolts.

Im pretty sure but I would like to see some other opinions .
I think that the rabbit and I are in pretty much similarly disposed. Im still looking for stuff to recite.

CAn you give a JW's recount of how they see Sola Fide as a concept, neo?

As for Sola Fide:
"Indeed, as the body without spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." (James 2:26)