Er, uh, I don't know if I would mock someone by sneering that dispensationalism is a part of "2 millenia of Christian interpretation." It was absolutely unheard of before Darby in 1830. There is NO biblical evidence for a 2 stage coming of Jesus. There is NO biblical evidence for a restoration of a geopolitical nation of Israel as the people of God in the "end days." There is NO biblical evidence for almost any of the fanciful speculations and charts insisted on by dispensationalists. You have to have your charts and timelines in hand and then hammer the texts to "fit" them. You would never get there from a plain reading of the text.
And that is precisely why NO ONE EVER DID before the Darby hooked up with Edward Irving, a heretic presbyterian who got "tongues" and held camp meetings known for wild frenzied "prophesying." At one of these meetings, a Scottish milkmaid named Margaret McDonald had a "vision" where she informed the faithful that 1800 millenia of Christian study was WRONG and that Christ would NOT come back all at once, but would come in a "secret" way to sweep away his true believers before the end came (which was imminent, by the way, all the "signs" pointed to it!). The history of this person and influence on Darby is abundantly demonstrated documented and laid out in numerous places. I understand there are some sites on the web which reference this. I have not seen them, but did first hand research on this some years ago.
So actually THERE is your innovation and new theology. An ignorant, unlearned Scottish milkmaid in a fit of religious ecstacy, learned first hand from the Holy Spirit (who needs the bible, anyway?) that ALL the theologians who studied this stuff were WRONG and she had the key. Darby picked up on this and incorporated it into his "Plymouth Brethren" doctrine. Scofield wrote a series of study notes to put in his "study bible" and the rest is history..... but just the last 180 years or so of it.
Again, there is NO mention of this stuff before John Darby. NONE. The only reason dispensationalism caught on in America (and almost nowhere else) is because we have probably the historically most biblically ignorant group of Christians in history. Anything sounds good when you don't know anything.
I never mentioned dispensationalism. You brought it up.
From what I can see on this thread (and I might be wrong), there’s a strange idea floating around that nothing outside Catholic teaching is to be considered part of the ‘historical church.’ Let me know if I’m wrong.
Also, I have never pulled out any timecharts, and don’t intend to.
Neither did I mention anything about “secret raptures” of Ms. Margaret What’s-her-name. Trying to paint me into her corner is sloppy or just plain dishonest.
Sorry, but you’re making a ton of assumptions about what I believe, or deliberately trying to distort it. And you’re not going to paint me as a Darbyist, because I’ve never listened to his teaching.
What I would really like to know is the religious background and beliefs of the guy who wrote this article (the guy who listened to Mike). I have a lot of problems with his article.
Also, I’d like to see the data supporting your view that American Christians are probably the most ignorant group. Deep Christian study, serious study, has a very strong history in America. It still does. It may not be your brand of Christianity, however. (What is your brand, by the way? I am a generic believer in Jesus Christ and his Gospel. I am a non-Catholic, but that is about all I will specify.)
We need to be very careful about letting sectarian schisms take over our study and discussion of God’s word. It is very easy and reasonable to read about “the living” being caught up and come up with some sort of explanation of what that means. Darby and McDonald aside, I would be very surprised if similar ideas have not been around for much, much longer than their particular brand of eschatology.
The best teachers I have listened to on the book of Revelation almost ALWAYS predicate their teaching by admitting they might be wrong, and encouraging the student to think for themselves, prayfully and with careful study, and to not allow a study of end times to distract them from our business at hand — preaching the Gospel to every creature, and baptizing them and bringing them up in the faith.