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Left Behind series -How Accurate?

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LuciusJulius

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Hey, I've watched all three of the Left Behind movies, which were very entertaining to watch by the way, and I'm reading the book series which is also good. The question is, how accurate is the series in depicting the Tribulation period?

Thanks.
 

snoochface

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A lot depends on your eschatological view. But, my opinion is that even if you are pre-trib, the authors' creative interpretation of tribulation events are probably not anywhere near as creative as God's version will be.

I honestly think they just ran out of ideas at a certain point and just started doing "magic" and calling them "supernatural events", making their non-Christian characters into total doofuses without brain cells.
 
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LittleLambofJesus

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Hey, I've watched all three of the Left Behind movies, which were very entertaining to watch by the way, and I'm reading the book series which is also good. The question is, how accurate is the series in depicting the Tribulation period?

Thanks.
Probably about as accurate as Josephus's account of the destruction of the Jewish Nation's temple and city and probably just as gruesome.

I never read any of the LB books or even saw the movies, so I don't really know what to tell ya about those. Peace :wave:

Luke 21:22 "That days of vengeance these are, of the to be filled all-things, the having been written.
23 "Woe yet to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath on the people, these.

John 11:48 "If ever we may be letting Him thus, all shall be believing into Him, and shall be coming the Romans and they shall be taking away of us and the Place and the Nation.

http://www.davieapostolicchurch.com/studies/destuct/

The day on which Titus encompassed Jerusalem, was the feast of the Passover. At this season multitudes came up from all the surrounding country, and from distant parts, to keep the festival and the city was at this time crowded with Jewish strangers,...........
.......The Temple now presented little more than a heap of ruins...............

http://www.abu.nb.ca/Courses/NTIntro/InTest/JerTem.htm

Menorah12.gif
 
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Biblewriter

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Hey, I've watched all three of the Left Behind movies, which were very entertaining to watch by the way, and I'm reading the book series which is also good. The question is, how accurate is the series in depicting the Tribulation period?

Thanks.
I am a strong pre-tribber, but I reject most of the scenario depicted in the Left behind series. This scenario is based on an end time scenario that totally neglects a major end time character.

This individual is called "the Assyrian" in Isaiah 10, 14, 30, and 31, and in Micah 5. He is similarly called the "king of Assyria" in Nahum 3. The numerous prophecies about his coming are very explicit and have unquestionably not been fulfilled. So if the Bible is indeed the word of God, then they will yet be fulfilled in a future day. Also, Isaiah 7 prophesies simultaneous attacks from Assyria and Egypt, typified as swarms of insects from these two places. Although both of these nations attacked Judah in ancient times, they never came at the same time.

Daniel 11:5-32 discuss in detail a kingdom called "the king of the North." The kingdom described in this passage is unquestionably the ancient Selucid empire. What many prophetic scholars have failed to notice is that this Selucid empire covered essentially the same area as the previous Assyrian empire. So it is only reasonable to conclude that "the king of the North" in the rest of Daniel 11 is "the Assyrian of Isaiah, Micah, and Nahum. There is absolutely no scriptural basis for assuming that this refers to Russia. Gog is indeed said to come from "the uttermost parts of the north," but this is a significantly different term from simply "the north," as found in Daniel 11. Russia will indeed also attack, as described in Ezekiel 38 and 39, where it is called "Gog." But there are numerous and significant differences between the attacks made by "Gog" and "the king of the North." But Egypt is called "the king of the South" in the same 27 verses where the Selucid empire is called "the king of the North." And Daniel 11:40 describes simultaneous attacks by "the king of the South" and "the king of the North," just as typified in Isaiah 7.

Again, in Daniel 8 we see an he goat with a single large horn. We are specifically told that this goat is the kingdom of Greece, and that the horn was its first king, who was Alexander the Great. When that horn was broken, four came up in its place. We are again specifically told that this represents four kingdoms that would come out of the Grecian kingdom. This is exactly what happened when Alexander died. But then a little horn came "out of one of" the four horns. Since it came "out of one of" the four kingdoms that resulted from the breakup of Alexander's kingdom, this horn has to represent a kingdom rising from somewhere conquered by Alexander the great. But Alexander never conquered Rome or Russia, so this horn cannot represent either the Roman power "the beast," or the Russian power, "Gog." The only other prophetic character it could be is therefore "the Assyrian." And the ancient Assyrian empire was almost entirely within the area conquered by Alexander the Great.

So we see that this neglected character occupies more space in the prophetic scriptures that any two other mortal characters combined.

So I would have to answer that no, the Left Behind scenario is not Biblically accurate.
 
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LittleLambofJesus

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I am a strong pre-tribber, but I reject most of the scenario depicted in the Left behind series. This scenario is based on an end time scenario that totally neglects a major end time character.
:thumbsup: Perhaps we can get the Jews to help us out with it. :)

http://www.scripture4all.org/

2Peter 3:16 As also in all the letters, speaking in them about these-things; in which are ill-minded any which the un-learned and un-steadfast are wresting/twisting/streblousin <4761> (5719) as also the rest of Scriptures, toward the own of them destruction/apwleian <684>. [reve 17:8, 11]

Reve 17:11 And the wild-beast which was, and not is, and it/he an-eighth is, and out of the seven it/he is, and into destruction/apwleian <684> is going away.

apwleian <684> Used 9 times. Twice in Revelation.
 
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zeke37

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Hey, I've watched all three of the Left Behind movies, which were very entertaining to watch by the way, and I'm reading the book series which is also good. The question is, how accurate is the series in depicting the Tribulation period?

Thanks.
absolutely disgusting. An abomination that many take for truth. Sad really.
 
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zeke37

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I am a strong pre-tribber, but I reject most of the scenario depicted in the Left behind series. This scenario is based on an end time scenario that totally neglects a major end time character.

This individual is called "the Assyrian" in Isaiah 10, 14, 30, and 31, and in Micah 5. He is similarly called the "king of Assyria" in Nahum 3. The numerous prophecies about his coming are very explicit and have unquestionably not been fulfilled. So if the Bible is indeed the word of God, then they will yet be fulfilled in a future day. Also, Isaiah 7 prophesies simultaneous attacks from Assyria and Egypt, typified as swarms of insects from these two places. Although both of these nations attacked Judah in ancient times, they never came at the same time.

Daniel 11:5-32 discuss in detail a kingdom called "the king of the North." The kingdom described in this passage is unquestionably the ancient Selucid empire. What many prophetic scholars have failed to notice is that this Selucid empire covered essentially the same area as the previous Assyrian empire. So it is only reasonable to conclude that "the king of the North" in the rest of Daniel 11 is "the Assyrian of Isaiah, Micah, and Nahum. There is absolutely no scriptural basis for assuming that this refers to Russia. Gog is indeed said to come from "the uttermost parts of the north," but this is a significantly different term from simply "the north," as found in Daniel 11. Russia will indeed also attack, as described in Ezekiel 38 and 39, where it is called "Gog." But there are numerous and significant differences between the attacks made by "Gog" and "the king of the North." But Egypt is called "the king of the South" in the same 27 verses where the Selucid empire is called "the king of the North." And Daniel 11:40 describes simultaneous attacks by "the king of the South" and "the king of the North," just as typified in Isaiah 7.

Again, in Daniel 8 we see an he goat with a single large horn. We are specifically told that this goat is the kingdom of Greece, and that the horn was its first king, who was Alexander the Great. When that horn was broken, four came up in its place. We are again specifically told that this represents four kingdoms that would come out of the Grecian kingdom. This is exactly what happened when Alexander died. But then a little horn came "out of one of" the four horns. Since it came "out of one of" the four kingdoms that resulted from the breakup of Alexander's kingdom, this horn has to represent a kingdom rising from somewhere conquered by Alexander the great. But Alexander never conquered Rome or Russia, so this horn cannot represent either the Roman power "the beast," or the Russian power, "Gog." The only other prophetic character it could be is therefore "the Assyrian." And the ancient Assyrian empire was almost entirely within the area conquered by Alexander the Great.

So we see that this neglected character occupies more space in the prophetic scriptures that any two other mortal characters combined.

So I would have to answer that no, the Left Behind scenario is not Biblically accurate.
My understanding has one individual, the Assyrian, who is actually Satan cast from heaven to the earth.
 
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HisdaughterJen

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I am a strong pre-tribber, but I reject most of the scenario depicted in the Left behind series. This scenario is based on an end time scenario that totally neglects a major end time character.

This individual is called "the Assyrian" in Isaiah 10, 14, 30, and 31, and in Micah 5. He is similarly called the "king of Assyria" in Nahum 3. The numerous prophecies about his coming are very explicit and have unquestionably not been fulfilled. So if the Bible is indeed the word of God, then they will yet be fulfilled in a future day. Also, Isaiah 7 prophesies simultaneous attacks from Assyria and Egypt, typified as swarms of insects from these two places. Although both of these nations attacked Judah in ancient times, they never came at the same time.

Daniel 11:5-32 discuss in detail a kingdom called "the king of the North." The kingdom described in this passage is unquestionably the ancient Selucid empire. What many prophetic scholars have failed to notice is that this Selucid empire covered essentially the same area as the previous Assyrian empire. So it is only reasonable to conclude that "the king of the North" in the rest of Daniel 11 is "the Assyrian of Isaiah, Micah, and Nahum. There is absolutely no scriptural basis for assuming that this refers to Russia. Gog is indeed said to come from "the uttermost parts of the north," but this is a significantly different term from simply "the north," as found in Daniel 11. Russia will indeed also attack, as described in Ezekiel 38 and 39, where it is called "Gog." But there are numerous and significant differences between the attacks made by "Gog" and "the king of the North." But Egypt is called "the king of the South" in the same 27 verses where the Selucid empire is called "the king of the North." And Daniel 11:40 describes simultaneous attacks by "the king of the South" and "the king of the North," just as typified in Isaiah 7.

Again, in Daniel 8 we see an he goat with a single large horn. We are specifically told that this goat is the kingdom of Greece, and that the horn was its first king, who was Alexander the Great. When that horn was broken, four came up in its place. We are again specifically told that this represents four kingdoms that would come out of the Grecian kingdom. This is exactly what happened when Alexander died. But then a little horn came "out of one of" the four horns. Since it came "out of one of" the four kingdoms that resulted from the breakup of Alexander's kingdom, this horn has to represent a kingdom rising from somewhere conquered by Alexander the great. But Alexander never conquered Rome or Russia, so this horn cannot represent either the Roman power "the beast," or the Russian power, "Gog." The only other prophetic character it could be is therefore "the Assyrian." And the ancient Assyrian empire was almost entirely within the area conquered by Alexander the Great.

So we see that this neglected character occupies more space in the prophetic scriptures that any two other mortal characters combined.

So I would have to answer that no, the Left Behind scenario is not Biblically accurate.
You know...that's really interesting:

Assyrian Empire (746 - 609 BCE)

Assyrian.gif




Psa 83:1 A song. A psalm of Asaph.
O God, do not keep silent;
be not quiet, O God, be not still.
Psa 83:2 See how your enemies are astir,
how your foes rear their heads.
Psa 83:3 With cunning they conspire against your people;
they plot against those you cherish.
Psa 83:4 &#8220;Come,&#8221; they say, &#8220;let us destroy them as a nation,
that the name of Israel be remembered no more.&#8221;

Psa 83:5 With one mind they plot together;
they form an alliance against you&#8212;
Psa 83:6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
of Moab and the Hagrites,
Psa 83:7 Gebal, Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia, with the people of Tyre.
Psa 83:8 Even Assyria has joined them
to lend strength to the descendants of Lot.





Ammon, Edom, Moab = Jordan
Tyre = Lebanon
Philistia = Gaza
I'll have to look up the rest...

Eze 28:24 &#8221; &#8216;No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.
Eze 28:25 &#8221; &#8216;This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will show myself holy among them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob.
Eze 28:26 They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.&#8217; &#8221;





Yeah, the Left Behind series takes a bit of poetic license and is certainly a work of fiction based on actual, future Biblical events that we don't know all the details of.
 
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onwingsaseagles

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Hey, I've watched all three of the Left Behind movies, which were very entertaining to watch by the way, and I'm reading the book series which is also good. The question is, how accurate is the series in depicting the Tribulation period?

Thanks.
As far as I am concerned Tim Lahaye & the other guy are tools of Satan,to inhance his pretrib escapist cult.
 
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LuciusJulius

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Woah, you mean Tim LaHaye is not a Christian? That can't be right...why would he right about it in the first place? I know this is supposed to be a somewhat fictional take on this upcoming event though.

And what is Pre-Trib? I'm confused. 0.o
 
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snoochface

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Woah, you mean Tim LaHaye is not a Christian? That can't be right...why would he right about it in the first place? I know this is supposed to be a somewhat fictional take on this upcoming event though.

And what is Pre-Trib? I'm confused. 0.o
Tim LaHaye is a Christian. He's just, in my opinion, a little misguided.

Personally, I think the two of them had a good idea for a couple of books based (loosely) on scriptural prophecy. Once they became popular and the money started rolling in, they decided to turn it into a franchise. I think that hurt their credibility quite a lot. But I think they are Christians, regardless.

Pre-trib refers to those who believe in a pre-tribulation rapture. There are different eschatological beliefs - pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib all refer to when a person believes the rapture occurs. The Left Behind books depict a pre-tribulation scenario.

Many Christians do not believe pre-trib is in line with scriptural prophecy, and many others do. It's a never-ending debate.
 
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zeke37

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Woah, you mean Tim LaHaye is not a Christian? That can't be right...why would he right about it in the first place? I know this is supposed to be a somewhat fictional take on this upcoming event though.

And what is Pre-Trib? I'm confused. 0.o
pre trib, mi trib, post trib..."rapture"=caught up in 1Thes4.

the timing of the Lord's Gathering of the Saints....




many believe that Christ will "rapture" them or Gather them BEFORE the antiChrist and end time events take place....PRE TRIBULATION.....


some believe that the Saints are Gathered to Christ at the MID TRIBULATION point....right in the middle...

and others, like me, know that the Gathering is POST TRIBULTION, after the son of Perdition does his thing....

we can be protected by God in that time, but no one is leaving the planet. God's Coming here.....

there are other beliefs of couse, as some here do not believe in a literal 2nd Coming of Christ.....






as for pre trib, they believe that Christ comes before the tribulation time, and takes the good away, and then returns 7 years later to get the new converts and defeat the devil....they split up the 2nd Coming into 2 parts...one before the antiChrist and one at the end of his reign.
 
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zeke37

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the language / translation of the manuscripts from Greek to Latin to English, leaves a little to be desired...

we can today, know what the Greek text says and the debate should end, but it does not. Tradition over rides common sense and manuscript proof....as it does with Christendom celebrating easter instead of Passover etc...
 
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LittleLambofJesus

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Originally Posted by LuciusJulius
Woah, you mean Tim LaHaye is not a Christian? That can't be right...why would he right about it in the first place? I know this is supposed to be a somewhat fictional take on this upcoming event though.

And what is Pre-Trib? I'm confused. 0.o
I believe he is what is called a "dispensationalist" of which there are many flavors withing that doctrine, such as the "rapture". There disccussion board is here: :wave:

http://christianforums.com/f424-dispensationalism.html

http://www.onearthasinheaven.com/rapture.html
One might think that the Rapture is the product of the Reformation, since almost all of its adherents are Protestants, but not so. The student searches in vain to find the Rapture doctrine among the writings of Martin Luther, John Calvin, or John Knox. John and Charles Wesley know nothing of the theory. Even the Puritans (some of the most radical of the radical Protestants) never heard of or wrote about the Rapture. As a matter of fact, not only do the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholics, and Anglicans deny such a teaching but all "mainstream" Protestants do as well. The Rapture is not to be found in the doctrinal statements of Presbyterians, Lutherans, or Methodists (at least not in the main bodies of each of these groups).

Evaluating Premillennialism: Part II - Christ&#8217;s Return and the Rapture by Cornelis P. Venema

No evaluation of Dispensational Premillennialism may ignore its teaching of a two-phased return of Christ, the first phase of which is commonly known as the rapture.
 
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3DSabbath07

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This series has complete ripped God's Word to shreds. It is pitiful how many people twist the Bible to fit their own interpretation instead of letting the Bible speak for itself. The fact is that this entire series is based on these verses in the entire bible and that is Daniel 9:24-27. This is a prophecy that is, was and will always be about Jesus the Annointed Messiah, not Antichrist or a 7 year tribulation or a 3rd temple in Jerusalem.....as a matter of fact, just look at the word temple in the Greek language and you can clearly tell that the emphasis isn't even on a literal, physical building.....it is on the temple of Christ.....THE PEOPLE! His church!

Anyway, I hope this helps....any questions at all just send me a message.........I have studied this scenerio in great detail my friend....God Bless.
 
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Jipsah

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Hey, I've watched all three of the Left Behind movies, which were very entertaining to watch by the way, and I'm reading the book series which is also good. The question is, how accurate is the series in depicting the Tribulation period?

Thanks.
The books talk about the Lord's return, which we all confess to be true. Pretty much everything else in them is pure bushwa.
 
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oldandnew

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There is a group of orthodox Jews in Jerusalem that have the materials ready to build a 3rd Temple there. They are called The Land of Israel Temple Mount Faithful. So the signs are in place that another temple might be built in our days.

The Greek word (naos) for "temple" that Paul used in 2 Thess.2:4 was used by the classical Greeks for the inner sanctuary of a temple where they placed their idol. Pointing to Israel, it refers to the Holy of Holies, or inner sanctuary of a temple in Jerusalem.

Paul used the same Greek word for the spiritual temple idea of the Body of Christ. And whether or not he meant a physical literal temple in 2 Thess.2:4, it still doesn't matter. A false one coming to work great signs and wonders to deceive the majority with must still happen to fulfill that prophecy as written. Whether that false one sits in a physical temple to cause the great falling away of many believers, no matter.

But, while our Lord Jesus foretold His Apostles and us in Matthew 24:24 about a false Christ coming to work great signs and miracles, He was referring to a physical temple in Jerusalem with that.

Matt 24:3
3 And as He sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?"
(KJV)

He also was giving there seven signs of Revelation, particularly the seven seals. And in Rev.11, 17 & 18, the "great city" referred to is Jerusalem.

oldandnew
 
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Jipsah

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There is a group of orthodox Jews in Jerusalem that have the materials ready to build a 3rd Temple there.
Yeah, there were some boys who proclaimed themselves the legitimate government of the Republic of Texas a few years ago, too. So?

They are called The Land of Israel Temple Mount Faithful. So the signs are in place that another temple might be built in our days.
The Bible says nothing of a new temple.
 
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Ben12

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Raptured is a man made religious term that is not scriptural; it is an escapism doctrine that makes God’s people complacent and spiritual lazy. The "rapture" teaching was NOT taught by the early Church, it was NOT taught by the Church of the first centuries, it was NOT taught by the Reformers, IT WAS NOT TAUGHT BY ANYONE (except a couple Roman Catholic theologians) UNTIL ABOUT THE YEAR 1830!

At the time of the Reformation the early Protestants widely held and Were convinced that the Pope was the supreme individual embodiment and personification of the spirit of antichrist, and the Roman Church the Harlot System of Rev. 17. This understanding was responsible for bringing millions of believers out of the Roman Catholic religious system. It therefore became expedient for certain Romish theologians to turn the attention of the people away from the Papacy, and this they endeavored to a counter-interpretation to that held by the Protestants. This new scheme of prophetic interpretation became known as FUTURISM. Rather than viewing the drama of the book of Revelation spiritually, they would consign it all to a brief period of time at the end of the age. It was a Jesuit priest named Ribera who, in the days of the Reformation, first taught that all the events in the book of Revelation were to take place literally during the three and a half years reign of the Antichrist away down at the end of the age. Thus Ribera laid the foundation of a system of prophetic interpretation of which the Secret Rapture has now become an integral part.

Later, Emmanuel Lacunza, also a Jesuit priest, built on Ribera's teachings, and spent much of his life writing a book titled "The Coming of Messiah in Glory and Majesty." Lacunza, however, wrote under the assumed name of "Rabbi Ben Ezra," supposedly a learned Jew who had accepted Christ as his Saviour. With Jesuit cunning he thus conspired to get his book a hearing in the Protestant world - they would not even permit it in their homes coming from a Jesuit pen - but as the earnest work of a "converted Jew" they would consume it with avid interest! Within the pages of this elaborate forgery Lacunza taught the novel notion that Jesus returns not once, but twice, and at the "first stage" of His return He "raptures" His Church so they can escape the reign of the "future Antichrist." His book was first published in Spanish in the year 1812 and soon found its way onto the shelves of the library of the Archbishop of Canterbury in London, England.

Now enter the name of Edward Irving. Born in Scotland in 1792, Irving became one of the most eloquent preachers of his time. In 1828 his open-air meetings in Scotland drew crowds of 10,000 people. His Church in London seated one thousand people and was packed week after week with a congregation drawn from the most brilliant and influencial circles of society.

There were some among them who by prophetic declaration announced that the Lord was coming soon, and this idea became prominent in their prophetic utterances and teachings. Out of those prophetic declarations some began to study the scriptures in the light of a physical, literal coming of the Lord. Up until that time the coming of the Lord was understood as a coming of the Lord TO His people, and IN His saints, and there was no sense of His fleshly coming. Irving discovered Lacunza's book and was deeply shaken by it, in fact, fell in love with it, translated it into English, and it was published in London in 1827. And at this very time Irving heard what he believed to be a Voice from heaven commanding him to preach the Secret Rapture of the Saints.

Then Irving began to hold Bible Conferences throughout Scotland, emphasizing the coming of Jesus to rapture His Church.
About this same time there began the emergence of a new movement which came to be known as the "Plymouth Brethren." The Brethren movement had its beginning in Dublin in 1825 when a small group of earnest men, dissatisfied with the spiritually lethargic condition that prevailed in the Protestant Church in Ireland, met for prayer and fellowship. Soon others joined the fellowship and associated groups sprang up in various places. Though the movement had its beginning at Dublin ' , it was Plymouth, England that became the center of their vast literature outreach, thus the name !'Plymouth Brethren" became attached. Although there was interest from the start in prophetic subjects, the center of interest was on the body of Christ as an organism and the spiritual unity in Christ of all believers - in reaction to the deadness and formalism of the organized church systems and the ecclesiastical Heirarchy. A man by the name of John Nelson Darby was the leading spirit among the Plymouth Brethren from 1830 onward. Darby was from a prosperous Irish family, was educated as a lawyer, took high honors at Dublin University, then turned aside, to his father's chagrin, to become a minister.

Thus Irving and Darby were contemporaries, though associated with different spiritual movements. Another series of meetings were in progress at this time, a group of seeking Christians were meeting in the castle of Lady Powerscourt for the study of Bible prophecy. Many clergymen attended, and quite a few who were Irvingites. The Irvingites came to the meetings obsessed with the ideas of the "Secret Rapture" and the future Antichrist, imbibed from the Jesuit Lacunza's book. J.N. Darby and the other Brethren leaders were invited to these meetings and became participators in them. It was there that he was introduced to the Jesuit teaching of the Secret Rapture and the futurist interpretation of prophecy, as well as the famous book by Rabbi Ben-Ezra, or, actually, Jesuit priest Emmanuel Lacunza! Darby was himself a prolific writer and from that time a constant stream of propaganda came from his pen. His writings on biblical subjects number over 30 volumes of 600 pages each. Darby developed and organized "futurism" into a system of prophetic teaching called "dispensationalism." Darby' s biographers refer to him as "the father of dispensationalism." And the crown jewel in the kingdom of dispensationalism is, of course, the so-called SECRET RAPTURE
 
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