Clarence Larkin was one of the finest theologians of the last century. He wrote right around the time of World War One. People thought he was nuts because he stated that a regathering of Israel would take place in actual fashion.
Hal Lindsey discredited himself by making so many specific predictions in his early years. John Walvoord, Dwight Pentecost, Charles Ryrie, and M.R. Dehaan are some of the traditional scholars who believed in an immediate rapture.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlz79qOLnss&feature=related
This video is a favorite of mine.
Can you tell me about any earlier books about the rapture?