In part 4 of chapter 30, he warned that we should not come to rash premature conclusions about the number of the name of antichrist (666). We are given the number of his name that when he does come, WE may avoid him, he said (comment in brackets are mine):
But he [John in Revelation] indicates the number of his name now, that when this man comes [the antichrist] we may avoid him, being aware who he is.
Now, why would Irenaeus say that the reason the number of the antichrist’s name is given in the Bible, is so that when antichrist does come WE may be identify him, if we are supposed to have been raptured out before this?
This, and a host of other very plain statements in “Irenaeus Against Heresies,” indicates that your take on what he said in chapter 30 is just a case of reading into Ireneeus your pretribism.
Likewise, Cyprian, your quotation from his Treatises a strained interpretation. In the selfsame treatises, Cyprian quotes scores of prophetic passages from the New Testament having to do with the time of antichrist, for the express purpose of “preparing and strengthening the minds of the brethren” for those days:
In the ending and completion of the world the hateful time of Antichrist is already beginning to draw near, I would collect from the sacred Scriptures some exhortations for preparing and strengthening the minds of the brethren, whereby I might animate the soldiers of Christ for the heavenly and spiritual contest. His Treatise XL, 1.
As to Pseudo-Ephraim, his stuff is not held in such high esteem by most expositors, “pseudo” means false.
My take? What take would that be? I responded to the common claim that belief in the "rapture" is a late 19th century novelty of Darby, which it clearly is not.
I suggest you do some "reading" into what I've written on this thread before jumping to awkward, incorrect conclusions.
It's not surprising that some of you know so little of the scriptures...What is surprising that you would comment on the scriptures that you must know you know so little about...
After the Rapture of the church, there's going to be billions of people left on the Earth...There's going to be tons and tons of Catholics...
And at that time, there may be some who can't find many of their friends and relatives who seem to have mysteriously disappeared who have heard about the Rapture and spoke and taught against it...Likely they then will be looking around for a guy associated with the number 666...