Catholic Prophecy [Why some Catholics anticipate the return of Monarchy]

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[Brian Kopp DPM]

Catholic Prophecy

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT:  Sit down my readers, grab a cup of tea and I'll tell you a story about your future.  Actually it's our future, and the future of our children, and their children.  You'll want to pay close attention, because if you're under the age of fifty, you're likely to see these events transpire within your lifetime.

If you've been watching the news lately, you've probably noticed that it seems like the world is going to hell in a hand basket.  Well, you're a very perceptive person, because it truly is.  You see the bad news is that for the short term, things are only going to get worse, much worse.  Oh sure, we'll probably have some brief respites when things settle down a bit, but they'll be followed by calamities even worse.  I'm talking about the man-made kind actually, not the natural disasters, as we have always had those.  I'm talking about such man-made disasters as economic crisis, civil unrest, wars and famine.  You're probably wondering what went wrong?  Why is the world so screwed up?  What ever happened to the good ol' days?

Well, let me lay this out for you in very simple terms.  The good ol' days ended a long time ago, long before any of us were born, and long before anyone alive today can remember.  Would it surprise you to learn that our time was prophesied centuries ago with alarming accuracy?  Here, let me give you an example...

After the year 1900, toward the middle of the 20th century, the people of that time will become unrecognisable. When the time for the Advent of the Antichrist approaches, peoples minds will grow cloudy from carnal passions, and dishonour and lawlessness will grow stronger. Then the world will become unrecognisable. Peoples appearances will change, and it will be impossible to distinguish men from women due to there shamelessness in dress and style of hair. These people will be cruel and will be like wild animals because of the temptations of the Antichrist. There will be no respect for parents or elders, love will disappear, and Christian pastors, bishops, and priests will become vain men, completely failing to distinguish the right hand way from the left. At that time the morals and traditions of Christians and the Church will change. People will abandon modesty, and dissipation will reign. Falsehood and greed will attain great proportions, and woe to those who pile up treasures. Lust, adultery, homosexuality, secret deeds and murder will rule in society.

-- St. Nilus, 430 AD

I bet that got your attention!  A man writing some 1,600 years ago accurately predicted our present age down to the half century.  He states that this change in humanity will begin around the middle of the 20th century, and then he goes on to accurately describe the change in vivid detail.  Sure enough, during the 1960s (about the middle of the 20th century) the whole Western World underwent the a change that has been called the "sexual revolution," which radically altered our lives, habits, fashions, and appearances.  About the same time the crime rate skyrocketed, just as the early medieval prophet foretold so many centuries ago.

You'll notice in St. Nilus' prophecy a reference to Antichrist.  Now I should point out here that Nilus did not say the Antichrist would come in the 20th century, nor in the 21st century.  He specifically said "when the time for the advent of the Antichrist approaches."  In other words, when it is getting close to that time, but not necessarily the actual time itself.  That's important to remember, because our Evangelical Christian friends (God love 'em) actually believe the time of the Antichrist is here, and he'll make is presence known any day now.  Of course a lot of them believe they're going to be "raptured" as well, in a supernatural event that will snatch them out of this world so they will not have to endure the temptations of Antichrist.  Now, that's a pleasant thought, but totally unbiblical.  The early Church Fathers, those Christians who lived closest to the Apostolic age, knew nothing of this "rapture" as it is commonly taught, that is allegedly supposed to spare modern day Evangelicals from the same kind of hardship endured by the early Christians under the Roman persecutions.  It's no matter though, because in a very short time Evangelicalism will no longer exist.  For that matter, neither will any Protestant denomination or sect.  All of the pluralism we see in Christianity today will soon be extinct.

Now comes the journey.  I hope you're comfortable, because I'm about to reveal something to you that very few Christians today know, but was once common knowledge back in the early days of the Church.  It all centers around the time period leading up to the Antichrist, and in order to understand the Antichrist, we must first understand the centuries leading up to it, of which the 20th century marked the first.  We are now in the second - the 21st century.  What I don't know is how many centuries we have left to go.  What I do know is the time is short, and there are not many centuries left, but the one we currently live in will by far be the most interesting, the most terrifying and the most wonderful.  Are you sitting down?

And after these shall arise Antichrist and having by the signs and lying wonders of his magical deceit, beguiled the Jews as though he were the expected Christ, he shall afterwards characterize himself by all kinds of excesses of cruelty and lawlessness…and he shall perpetrate such things for 3 years and 6 months

"Antichrist will exceed in malice, perversity, lust, wickedness, impiety, and ruthlessness and barbarity all men that have ever disgraced human nature. Hence St. Paul emphatically calls him `the man of sin the son of perdition, the wicked one, whose birth and coming is through the operation of Satan, in all manner of seduction and iniquity.' (2 Thess., 2). Through his great power, deceit and malice he shall succeed in decoying or forcing to his worship two thirds of mankind; the remaining third part of men will continue true to the faith and worship of Jesus Christ most steadfastly. But in his satanic rage and fury, Antichrist will persecute these brave and devout Christians during three years and a half, and torture them with such an extremity of barbarity, with all the old and newly invented instruments of pain, as to exceed all past persecutors of the Church combined. He will oblige all his followers to bear impressed upon their foreheads or right hands the mark of the Beast and will starve to death all those who refuse to receive it."

This one shall seize the power of the Roman Empire and shall falsely style himself Christ. By the name Christ he shall deceive the Jews who are expecting the anointed and he shall seduce the Gentiles by his magical illusions.

-- St. Cyril of Jerusalem, 386 AD

Now as these writings get closer in proximity to the time of the Apostles, we can safely assume that what we are reading is not so much a mystical prediction of private revelation, as it is a faithful passing on of oral tradition from the Apostles themselves.  A lot is said about the Antichrist by the early Church Fathers, and from this we learn a lot about him.  We learn that he will deceive the Jews.  From other contemporary writings we learn that he will be a Jew himself, born in the Middle East somewhere in present-day Iraq, and will come to power in the area we now call Israel.  As a Jew he will deceive the Jewish people into believing he is the Messiah, and two-thirds of the world will follow him.  We do not know how long his actual reign in Jerusalem will be, but it is suspected that he will reign for a fairly long time (perhaps decades), but it is the last 3 1/2 years of his reign that is most interesting.  This is when he seizes control of the "Roman Empire."  It is during this time he unleashes the most ferocious persecution of Christians the world has ever known, rivaling that of all the Roman emperors in ages past, and the Communists and Muslims to today.   Let us understand something here.  Many evil men have reigned over various territories in the past, and it is likely that many more evil men are to come, but just being "evil" is not what makes one the Antichrist.  The word "Antichrist" is a biblical term.  It has religious underpinnings and outside of religion it means nothing.  The word "Antichrist" is the Greek rendering of a 1st century Jewish concept of the Anti-Messiah!  The Anti-Messiah is a false Messiah, and to be sure, the Jews have seen many anti-messiahs in their history. However, this one foretold in Christian Scripture and Tradition is a special case.  It is an Anti-Messiah (false Messiah) that is so convincing that he not only dupes almost all the Jews, but two-thirds of the world's population as well.  Christian Scripture and Tradition tell us he doesn't act alone, but he is aided by none other than the devil himself. All of this is extremely important to remember, because if we are to properly understand the Antichrist, we must do so strictly in Jewish terms.

Now it is the last portion of St. Cyril's record that is of particular interest to us.  He states the "this one" meaning Antichrist "shall seize the power of the Roman Empire."  Now that is interesting since the Roman Empire ceased to exist some 1,500 years ago in the West and some 550 years ago in the East.  Our Evangelical brethren, once again hot on the trail of a supposed present-day Antichrist, have pointed out the reunification of Europe under the European Union, and assume this must be the return of ancient Rome.  Once again that's a quaint idea but in order to truly have an empire you must first have an emperor - a single monarch who's rule is absolute.  Nothing like that exists today.  St. Cyril tells us the Antichrist "shall seize the power of the Roman Empire," implying that he just takes it, as if it is not rightfully his to begin with.   How then?  How does a man steal some nonexistent thing, from somebody who clearly does not exist?   The answer is simple.  The emperor and empire still have yet to come...

The Great Gaulish Monarch, who shall subject all the East, shall come around the end of the world. These things, then, coming to pass, beloved, and the one week being divided into two parts, and the abomination of desolation being manifested then, and the two prophets and forerunners of the Lord having finished their course, and the whole world finally approaching the consummation, what remains but' the coming of our Lord and Saviour from heaven, for whom we have looked in hope? who shall bring the conflagration and just judgment upon all who have refused to believe on Him

"Christ arose from among the Hebrews, and he (Antichrist) will spring from among the Jews. Christ showed His flesh as a Temple, and raised it up on the third day; and he, too, will raise up again the Temple of stone in Jerusalem.

-- St. Hippolytus, 236 AD

You'll notice we're going further back in time now.  This writing comes to us from the early third century, while Christians were still being thrown to lions under the Roman persecutions.  St. Hippolytus' grandfather would have been old enough to remember the Apostle John.  The teachings of the apostles about these things still would have been fresh in Church memory.  The context is in reference to the Antichrist, and indeed these early Church fathers did preoccupy themselves with the Antichrist in many of their writings.  Once again we learn a few new traits of this man of sin.  It is however, the first sentence that is of most interest to us now.  "The Great Gaulish Monarch, who shall subject all the East, shall come around the end of the world."  Notice the vague reference to time.  He shall come "around the end of the world."  It's not at the end of the world, or even immediately before the end of the world, but "around" that time.  So it is sometime in the centuries prior to the end of the world, and likewise the coming of Antichrist.  According to St. Nilus' prophecy above about the end times beginning around the later half of the 20th century, that would put the coming of this "Great Gaulish Monarch" sometime in our immediate proximity.  In case you're wondering, "Gaul" was what the ancient Romans called a certain portion of Western Europe.  Today we call it France.  In the centuries to follow, more Christians gave testimony to this tradition presumably coming from the Apostolic era...

A Frankish King will one day rule over the entire Roman Empire."

-- St. Augustine, 5th Century

He shall reign over the entire ancient Roman Empire."

-- Remy, 5th Century

Okay, so we now know that the early Christians believed there would one day come a French king who would rule over the entire Roman Empire, and that this will happen toward the end of the world, or more specifically in the centuries leading up to the time of Antichrist and the end of the world.  We currently live in an age of Republics right now.  Western monarchies are effectively neutered these days - little more than national figureheads.  There is no Roman Empire to speak of, because there is no Roman emperor.  Right now Europe is united as a loose confederacy of republics.  There is no central figurehead, and there is not likely to be under the constitutional system now set up.  So how can this happen?  Another 4th century saint gives us a clue...

A time will come when the enemies of Christ will boast: "We have subjected the earth and all its inhabitants, and the Christians cannot escape our hands." Then a Roman Emperor will arise in great fury against them... Drawing his sword, he will fall upon the foes of Christianity and crush them. Then peace will reign on earth, and priests will be relieved of all their anxieties.

In the latter days of the world, Christians will become ungrateful for the great favours they will receive through the coming of the great Monarch, by reason of the long period of peace and prosperity on earth which they will enjoy under his reign. Many man will then begin to doubt if the Christian faith is the only really sanctifying faith and will think perhaps the Jews are right because they are awaiting the Messiah.

--St. Methodius of Olympus, 311 AD

Okay, so now we have a chronology.  First a great time of trial for Christians comes.  Then the Great French Monarch comes to save the day, putting down the enemies of Christianity.  In turn however, because of the great peace he delivers that lasts a very long time, people will start to take it for granted.  As a result there will be a great apostasy, eventually leading two-thirds of the world's population away from Christ, and resulting in the rise of Antichrist. 

So now we have the big picture.  The reason why the Antichrist will eventually be able to steal the power of the Roman Empire is because the Roman Empire is coming back.  This time not as a Pagan system, but as the medieval Holy Roman Empire restored!  Only after a long period of such rule will the Antichrist come and attempt to steal it away.

As we look around us, we can see that the fall of democratic republicanism in our time is inevitable now. The Socialist-Islamic (IslamoSocialist) alliance in Europe has successfully exploited the weakness of our democratic system, and the problem will only get worse in the years (or decades) ahead. That coupled with the moral decline and economic decline of the western world, signals the end of the American and European republics.

(Zenit.org) - On an official visit to Italy this week, the Libyan chief of state caused a few ripples by stating that Europe should convert to Islam. The general public was perhaps more shocked, however, by his request for a few billion dollars to stop African immigration.

However, a missionary priest did call for taking seriously Muammar al-Qadhafi's statements on religion, saying a European conversion to Islam just might happen if the continent continues denying its Christian roots.

Father Piero Gheddo of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions and founder of the missionary news agency AsiaNews, said that far from being "folklore," al-Qadhafi's summons could become a reality in a few decades....

read full story here

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(CBN) Friday in Paris. A hidden camera shows streets blocked by huge crowds of Muslim worshippers and enforced by a private security force.

This is all illegal in France: the public worship, the blocked streets, and the private security. But the police have been ordered not to intervene. 

It shows that even though some in the French government want to get tough with Muslims and ban the burqa, other parts of the French government continue to give Islam a privileged status. 

An ordinary French citizen who has been watching the Islamization of Paris decided that the world needed to see what was happening to his city. He used a hidden camera to start posting videos on YouTube. His life has been threatened and so he uses the alias of "Maxime Lepante."

read full story here

The only counter to this IslamoSocialist infiltration is a healthy and robust Christianity - particularly CATHOLIC Christianity - as it is the only form of Christianity that abhors artificial birth control and has successfully repelled Islam in the past (in the crusades!).  What these ancient prophecies tell us is another crusade is coming.  It will be the last and final crusade - the mother of all crusades - that will deliver a death blow to the whole IslamoSocialist regime in Europe and the IslamoShariah system in the Middle East.

Before this can happen however, all of the Catholic prophecies and the teachings of the most ancient Church Fathers agree there must first be a crisis - a Chastisement of God - that will cause the present system of things to crumble.  The Chastisement marks the last epic of human history, starting with a calamity that changes the world, resulting in the longest period of peace the world has ever known.  It will be the last reign of Christian kings, with a Great Monarch ruling over a revived Holy Roman Empire, from Iberia to Siberia, that will far surpass everything that has previously existed.  This will last for an unspecified amount of time.  Catholic prophecies seem to indicate at least a couple centuries is likely.  During the latter part of that time period the world will fall back into it's depraved state, and it is at that time the Antichrist will arise, steal the power of the revived Holy Roman Empire for himself and use it in an attempt to destroy the Church.  He will nearly succeed before he is killed and sometime after that Jesus Christ will return to raise the dead and judge the nations.  We are now living in the time just before the Chastisement.

We don't know much about the Chastisement, but this we do know...

1. It is brought upon us by our worldwide sins against God ranging from artificial contraception to abortion to euthanasia, to sexual sins of various types (including homosexuality, adultery and fornication), as well as Socialism, Atheism, Hedonism and indifference toward the poor.  To summarize, it is caused by our personal and cultural abandonment of the Christian gospel message.
2. It consists of two parts.  The first part is man-made, the second part is God-made.
3. It begins with riots, civil unrest and war - particularly in Europe.
4. It is marked by an event that causes the pope to flee Rome and eventually be assassinated while in exile.
5. It results in the election of another pope (in exile) who crowns a new French king to save France from anarchy - this man later becomes the Great Monarch of the Holy Roman Empire.
6. It ends with three-days of strange darkness that will cover the whole world, poison the air, and leave 2/3 to 3/4 of the world's population dead.  The result of this ecological catastrophe leaves the enemies of the Great Monarch powerless to resist him.

7. It concludes with the Great Monarch restoring the Holy Roman Empire and ruling the whole world.  He abolishes all democratic republics and restores a system of monarchy over all the regions of the world.  In total, twelve monarchs will rule the entire planet, under the direction of the Great Monarch.  For Christians it will be the greatest time of peace and missionary outreach the world has ever known.

These seven events await our immediate future.  They could come as soon as tomorrow, or possibly as late as thirty years from now, but they will come - most certainly!

The American republic is slowly dying and European democracy will soon fade away.  According to the prophecies this Great Monarch is coming soon. Within our lifetime. I am sure of it....

Prophecies on the Rise of the Great Monarch

Rudolph Gekner, 17th Century: "His sword will be moved by Divine power..."

Monk Adso (10th Century): "Some of our teachers say that a King of the Franks will possess the entire Roman Empire. He will be the greatest and last of all Monarchs. After having wisely governed his kingdom, he will go into Jerusalem and will lay his sceptre and his crown upon the Mount of Olives. Immediately afterwards, Antichrist will come."

David Poreaus (17th Century): "The Great Monarch will be of French descent, large forehead, large dark eyes, light brown wavy hair, and an eagle nose. He will crush the enemies of the Pope and will conquer the East."

St. Francis of Paola (15th Century) "By the grace of the Almighty, the great Monarch will annihilate heretics and unbelievers. He will have a great army, and angels will fight at his side. He will be like the sun among the stars. His influence will spread over the whole earth. All in all, there will be on earth twelve Kings, one Emperor, one Pope, and a few Princes. They will all lead holy lives."

St. Augustine, 5th Century):" A Frankish King will one day rule over the entire Roman Empire."

Old Saxon prophecy: "He will come from the Fleur-de-Lis..."

St. Cataldus, 5th Century: "... a King of the House of Lilies..."

St. Caesar, 5th Century: "He shall recover the Crown of the Lilies....."

St. Hildegarde, German Abbess, 12th Century: "The White Flower again takes possession of the Throne of France."

Bishop Ageda, 12th Century: "He shall inherit the Crown of the Fleur-de-Lis"

Busto (15th Century): "The angelic Pope shall place an imperial crown on his head."

Remy (5th Century): "He shall reign over the entire ancient Roman Empire."

Aystinger: " ... by whom the ancient glory of the Empire shall be restored. He shall be Emperor of Europe."

St. Francis de Paola (15th Century): "(He and the Holy Pontiff) shall obtain dominion over the whole world.

Holzhauser: "He will restore everything."

St. Hildegarde:"Peace will return when the Lily ascends the Throne again. The land will be very productive."

St. Bridget: "And the earth shall enjoy peace and prosperity."

St. John-Mary Vianney, Cur‚ of Ars (19th Century): "This shall re-establish a peace and prosperity without precedent."

(Old German prophecy): "He will be lame afoot ... "

(Anne-Catherine Emmerich, 19th Century): "God touched the sinew of his hip. He was in great pain and from that day on, he walked with a limp ... "

(Peasant Jasper, Germany): "This Prince shall mount his horse on the right-hand side, because he limps from one foot .... "

Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, July 12, 1820: "I had a vision of the holy Emperor Henry. I saw him at night kneeling alone at the foot of the main altar in a great and beautiful church . . . and I saw the Blessed Virgin coming down all alone. She laid on the altar a red cloth covered with white linen. She placed a book inlaid with precious stones. She lit the candles and the perpetual lamp . . . Then came down the Saviour Himself clad in priestly vestments. He was carrying the chalice and the veil. Two Angels were serving Him and two more were following . . . His chasuble was a full and heavy mantle in which red and white could be seen in transparency, and gleaming with jewels . . . Although there was no altar bell, the cruets were there. The wine was red as blood, and there was also some water. The Mass was short. The Gospel of St. John was not read at the end. When the Mass has ended, Mary came up to Henry (the Emperor), and she extended her right hand towards him, saying that it was in recognition of his purity. Then, she urged him not to falter. Thereupon I saw an angel, and he touched the sinew of his hip, like Jacob. He (Henry) was in great pain, and from that day on, he walked with a limp . . . "

The Catholic Knight laments the fall of the republics, but hails the return of the kings, particularly the great Christian king who will rule virtually all the world.  Within our lifetimes we shall likely see him.  Prepare yourselves, and prepare you children, for he will come, but only after a terrible Chastisement from God. If you would like to learn more about these events from one of the most reputable sources ever put to print, The Catholic Knight would like to invite you to read "Trial, Tribulation and Triumph" by Desmond Birch.

There are many books written on the coming Chastisement and the following Tribulation of Antichrist, but none offer such a well researched, exhaustive and orderly presentation of APPROVED Catholic prophecy than this book by Desmond Birch. If you read anything about End Times eschatology, than this is a book that belongs in your library. There are many other books out there, but in the opinion of The Catholic Knight, this one is the BEST!

[Brian Kopp DPM]

Indeed, when the Word of God is deliberately misinterpreted to say something it does not, and is then re-posted ad nauseum, it becomes spam. There is a "rapture" at the very End, at the Second Coming. But this idea that Christians will be raptured out of the earth prior to the Second Coming, and thus spared the suffering the early Christian martyrs gladly embraced for the Name, is a lie made up only 180 years ago, and swallowed by gullible Christians ever since, who think they should not have to take up their cross as their Savior and the early Christians (as well as millions of believers over the past century) did.

It is a pernicious deception.

[Iscool]

**Russia will be converted back to Christianity en mass, and the Orthodox churches will be reunited with the Roman Catholic Church, and all non-Catholic (protestant, reformed, evangelical and fundamentalist) churches will cease to exist.**

This should be of interest to many fellow FReepers.

HahaHa...Not to me...

This is one good fairy tale...But I've got the real book of the prophets...I know how it turns out...And this ain't it...

And what's comical is that your early church prophets got most all of their stuff out of the scriptures, albeit with their own perversions and twists inserted, and you guys don't even know enough scripture to realize it...

[CynicalBear]

>>He will nearly succeed before he is killed and sometime after that Jesus Christ will return to raise the dead and judge the nations.<<

Sometime after that? I think not. Scripture clearly states it’s Jesus and the armies from heaven who come to kill “the beast” and his armies.

Revelation 19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

[CynicalBear]

I find it extremely troublesome that in that entire article there is not one reference to scriptural proof of allegations or ideas put forth.

[metmom]

“An anti-Semite used to mean a man who hated Jews. Now it means a man who is hated by Jews.” ― Joseph Sobran

An anti-Semite IS someone who hates Jews.

You know, like all the anti-Mormons are *hate* Mormons.

And all the anti-Catholics *hate* Catholics.

Those two are thrown around enough on FR for the term anti-Semite to legitimately mean someone who hates Jews.

And sad to say, like it or not, the Catholic church has not been much of a friend to Jews in the past and I haven't seen any recent proclamations that give me much reason to think that's changed.

Also, Uri’el-2012 is quite astute in his observation that the Catholics, as usual, aren't quoting Scripture but the traditions of men.

Let us know how that one world religion works out for y'all. K?

[Brian Kopp DPM]

Fatima, as I’m sure you are aware, is a city in Portugal where the Mother of Jesus, “Our Lady of Fatima,” appeared to three shepherd children in 1917.

[Brian Kopp DPM]

documented very solidly back more than 800 years and somewhat solidly to the early church.

Pure fantasy. There is a rapture at the very end. The idea of a rapture that occurs years before the Second Coming (i.e., the "pre-tribulation rapture" believed by most Americans who believe in a "rapture") is false and was never taught prior to Darby.

[Quix]

But this idea that Christians will be raptured out of the earth prior to the Second Coming, and thus spared the suffering the early Christian martyrs gladly embraced for the Name, is a lie made up only 180 years ago, and swallowed by gullible Christians ever since, who think they should not have to take up their cross as their Savior and the early Christians (as well as millions of believers over the past century) did.

It is a pernicious deception.

ABSOLUTELY WRONG!

It's merely the Biblical truth long held by many--since the earliest days of the authentic Church of Jesus The Christ.

Here's some more early evidence . . . to add to much repeatedly posted on FR but denied by many RC's. Sometimes it's surprising that they admit that the sun has come up!

http://www.believersweb.org/view.cfm?ID=1114

Examining an Ancient Pre-Trib Rapture Statement

Written by: Ice, Thomas    Posted on: 08/14/2005

Category: Theology

Source: http://www.grantjeffrey.com

All the saints and elect of God are gathered together before the tribulation, which is to come, and are taken to the Lord, in order that they may not see at any time the confusion which overwhelms the world because of our sins. -Pseudo-Ephraem (c. 374-627)

Critics of pretribulationism sometimes state that belief in the rapture is a doctrinal development of recent origin. They argue that the doctrine of the rapture or any semblance of it was completely unknown before the early 1800s and the writings of John Nelson Darby. One of the most vocal and sensational critics of the rapture is Dave MacPherson, who argues that, "during the first 18 centuries of the Christian era, believers were never 'Rapture separaters' [sic]; they never separated the minor Rapture aspect of the Second Coming of Christ from the Second Coming itself."1

A second critic, John Bray, also vehemently opposes a pretribulational rapture, writing, "this teaching is not a RECOVERY of truth once taught and then neglected. No, it never was taught-for 1800 years nearly no one knew anything about such a scheme."2 More recently, pre-trib opponent Robert Van Kampen proclaimed, "The pretribulational rapture position with its dual parousias was unheard of in church history prior to 1830."3 In our previous issue of Pre-Trib Perspectives, I noted that pre-wrath advocate Marvin Rosenthal has also joined the chorus.4

Christian reconstructionists have also consistently and almost universally condemned premillennialism and pretribulationism, favoring instead, postmillen-nialism. One sample of their prolific and often vitri-olic opposition can be seen in Gary North's derisive description of the rapture as "the Church's hoped-for Escape Hatch on the world's sinking ship," which he, like MacPherson, believes was invented in 1830.5

How to Find the Rapture in History

Is pretribulationism as theologically bankrupt as its critics profess, or are there answers to these charges? If there are reasonable answers, then the burden of proof and historical argumentation shifts back to the critics. Rapture critics must acknowledge and interact with the historical and theological evidence.

Rapture critic William Bell has formulated three criteria for establishing the validity of a historical citation regarding the rapture. If any of his three criteria are met, then he acknowledges it is "of crucial importance, if found, whether by direct statement or clear inference." As will be seen, the Pseudo-Ephraem sermon meets not one, but two of his canons, namely, "Any mention that Christ's second coming was to consist of more than one phase, separated by an interval of years," and "any mention that Christ was to remove the church from the earth before the tribulation period."6

Pseudo-Ephraem's Rapture Statement

I vividly remember the phone call at my office late one afternoon from Canadian prophecy teacher and writer Grant Jeffrey.7 He told me that he had found an ancient pre-trib rapture statement. I said, "Let's hear it." He read the following to me over the phone:

All the saints and elect of God are gathered together before the tribulation, which is to come, and are taken to the Lord, in order that they may not see at any time the confusion which overwhelms the world because of our sins.

I said that it sure sounds like a pre-trib statement and began to fire at him all the questions I have since received many times when telling others about the statement from Pseudo-Ephraem's sermon On the Last Times, the Antichrist, and the End of the World.8 Grant's phone call started me on journey through many of the substantial libraries throughout the Washington, D.C. area in an effort to learn all I could about this historically significant statement. The more information I acquired led me to conclude that Grant is right to conclude that this is a pre-trib rapture statement of antiquity.

Who is Pseudo-Ephraem?

The word "Pseudo" (Greek for false) is a prefix attached by scholars to the name of a famous historical person or book of the Bible when one writes using that name. Pseudo-Ephraem claims that his sermon was written by Ephraem of Nisibis (306-73), considered to be the greatest figure in the history of the Syrian church. He was well-known for his poetics, rejection of rationalism, and confrontations with the heresies of Marcion, Mani, and the Arians. As a poet, exegete, and theologian, his style was similar to that of the Jewish midrashic and targumic traditions and he favored a contemplative approach to spirituality. So popular were his works that in the fifth and sixth centuries he was adopted by several Christian communities as a spiritual father and role model. His many works, some of doubtful authenticity, were soon translated from Syriac into Greek, Armenian, and Latin.

It is not at all unreasonable to expect that a prolific and prominent figure such as Ephraem would have writings ascribed to him. While there is little support for Ephraem as the author of the Sermon on the End of the World, Caspari and Alexander have demonstrated that Pseudo-Ephraem was "heavily influenced by the genuine works of Ephraem."9 What is more difficult, though secondary to the main purpose of this article, is determining the exact date, purpose, location of, and extent of subsequent editorial changes to the sermon.10

Suggestions on the date of the writing of the original sermon range from as early as Wilhelm Bousset's 373 date,11 to Caspari's estimation of sometime between 565 and 627.12 Paul Alexander, after reviewing all the argumentation, favors a date for the final form similar to that suggested by Caspari,13 but Alexander also states simply, "It will indeed not be easy to decide on the matter."14 All are clear that it had to have been written before the advent of Islam.

Pseudo-Ephraem's Sermon

The sermon consists of just under 1500 words, divided into ten sections and has been preserved in four Latin manuscripts. Three of these date from the eighth century and ascribe the sermon to Ephraem. A fourth manuscript from the ninth century, claims not Ephraem, but Isidore of Seville (d. 636) as author.15 Additionally, there are subsequent Greek and Syriac versions of the sermon which have raised questions regarding the language of the original manuscript. On the basis of lexical analysis and study of the biblical citations within the sermon with Latin, Greek, and Syriac versions of the Bible, Alexander believed it most probable that the homily was composed in Syriac, translated first into Greek, and then into Latin from the Greek.16 Regardless of the original language, the vocabulary and style of the extant copies are consistent with the writings of Ephraem and his era. It appears likely that the sermon was written near the time of Ephraem and underwent slight change during subsequent coping.

What is most significant for present-day readers is the fact that the sermon was popular enough to be translated into several languages fairly soon after its composition. The significance of the sermon for us today is that it represents a prophetic view of a pre-trib rapture within the orthodox circles of its day.

The sermon is built around the three themes of the title On the Last Times, the Antichrist, and the End of the World and proceeds chronologically. The fact that the pre-trib statement occurs in section 2, while the antichrist and tribulation are developed throughout the middle sections, followed by Christ's second coming to the earth in the final section supports a pre-trib sequence. This characteristic of the sermon fits the first criteria outlined by William Bell, namely "that Christ's second coming was to consist of more than one phase, separated by an interval of years." Thus, phase one is the rapture statement from section 2; the interval of 3 1/2 years, 42 months, and 1,260 days, said to be the tribulation in sections 7 and 8; the second phase of Christ's return is noted in section 10 and said to take place "when the three and a half years have been completed."17

Why Pseudo-Ephraem's Statement is Pretribulational

After learning of Pseudo-Ephraem's rapture statement, I shared it with a number of colleagues. My favorite approach was to simply read the statement, free of any introductory remarks, and ask what they thought. Every person, whether pre-trib or not, concluded that it was some kind of pre-trib statement. A few thought it was a statement from such pre-trib proponents like John Walvoord orCharles Ryrie. Most noted the clear statement concerning the removal of believers before thetribulation as a reason for thinking the statement pre-trib. This is Bell's second criteria for identifying a pre-trib statement from the past, namely, "any mention that Christ was to remove the church from the earth before the tribulation period." Note the following reasons why this should be taken as a pre-trib statement:

1) Section 2 of the sermon begins with a statement about imminency: "We ought to understand thoroughly therefore, my brothers, what is imminent [Latin "immineat"] or overhanging."18 This is similar to the modern pre-trib view of imminency and considering the subsequent rapture statements supports a pre-trib scenario.

2) As I break down the rapture statement, notice the following observations: "All the saints and elect of God are gathered . . ." Gathered where? A later clause says they "are taken to the Lord." Where is the Lord? Earlier in the paragraph the sermon speaks of "the meeting of the Lord Christ, so that he may draw us from the confusion. . ." Thus the movement is from the earth toward the Lord who is apparently in heaven. Once again, in conformity to a translation scenario found in the pre-trib teaching.

The next phrase says that the gathering takes place "prior to the tribulation that is to come. . ." so we see that the event is pretribulational and the tribulation is future to the time in which Pseudo-Ephraem wrote.

The purpose for the gathering was so that they would not "see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of their sins." Here we have the purpose of the tribulation judgments stated and that was to be a time of judgment upon the world because of their sin, thus, the church was to be taken out.

3) Finally, the Byzantine scholar Paul Alexander clearly believed that Pseudo-Ephraem was teaching what we call today a pre-trib rapture. According to Alexander, most Byzantine apocalypses were concerned with how Christians would survive the time of severe persecution by Antichrist. The normal approach given by other apocalyptic texts was a shortening of the time to three and a half years, enabling the survival of some Christians.19 Unlike those texts, this sermon has Christians being removed from the time of tribulation. Alexander observed:

It is probably no accident that Pseudo-Ephraem does not mention the shortening of the time intervals for the Antichrist's persecution, for if prior to it the Elect are 'taken to the Lord,' i.e., participate at least in some measure in beatitude, there is no need for further mitigating action on their behalf. The Gathering of the Elect according to Pseudo-Ephraem is an alternative to the shortening of the time intervals.20

Conclusion

Regardless of what else the writer of this sermon believed, he did believe that all believers would be removed before the tribulation-a pre-trib rapture view. Thus, we have seen that those who have said that there was no one before 1830 who taught the pre-trib rapture position will have to revise their statements by well over 1,000 years. This statement does not prove the pre-trib position, only the Bible can do that, but it should change many people's historical views on the matter.

ENDNOTES

1 Dave MacPherson, The Great Rapture Hoax (Fletcher, NC: New Puritan Library, 1983), 15. For a refutation of MacPherson's charges see Thomas D. Ice, "Why the Doctrine of the Pretribulational Rapture Did Not Begin with Margaret Macdonald," Bibliotheca Sacra 147 (1990): 155-68.

2 John L. Bray, The Origin of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Teaching (Lakeland, FL.: John L. Bray Ministry, 1982), 31-32.

3 Robert Van Kampen, The Sign (Wheaton, IL.: Crossway Books, 1992), 445.

4 Thomas Ice, "Is The Pre-Trib Rapture A Satanic Deception?" Pre-Trib Perspectives (II:1; March 1995):1-3.

5 Gary North, Rapture Fever: Why Dispensationalism is Paralyzed (Tyler, TX.: Institute for Christian Economics, 1993), 105.

6 William E. Bell, "A Critical Evaluation of the Pretribulation Rapture Doctrine in Christian Eschatology" (Ph.D. diss., New York University, 1967), 26-27.

7 For more information on the Pseudo-Ephraem statement see Grant R. Jeffrey, Final Warning (Toronto: Frontier Research Publications, 1995). Forthcoming, Timothy Demy and Thomas Ice, "The Rapture and an Early Medieval Citation" Bibliotheca Sacra 152 (July 1995): 300-11. Grant R. Jeffrey, "A Pretribulational Rapture Statement in the Early Medieval Church" in Thomas Ice and Timothy Demy, ed., When the Trumpet Sounds: Today's Foremost Authorities Speak Out on End-Time Controversies (Eugene, Or: Harvest House, 1995).

8 Grant Jeffrey found the statement in Paul J. Alexander, The Byzantine Apocalyptic Tradition, by (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1985), 2.10. The late Alexander found the sermon in C. P. Caspari, ed. Briefe, Abhandlungen und Predigten aus den zwei letzten Jahrhunderten des kirchlichen Altertums und dem Anfang des Mittelaters, (Christiania, 1890), 208-20. This German work also contains Caspari's commentary on the sermon on pages 429-72.

9 Paul J. Alexander, "The Diffusion of Byzantine Apocalypses in the Medieval West and the Beginnings of Joachimism," in Prophecy and Millenarianism: Essays in Honour of Marjorie Reeves, ed. Ann Williams (Essex, U.K. : Longman, 1980), 59.

10 Paul J. Alexander, "Medieval Apocalypses as Historical Sources," American Historical Review 73 (1968): 1017. In this essay Alexander addresses in-depth the historical difficulties facing the interpreter of such texts. To these difficulties, issues of theological interpretation and concern must also be added.

11 W. Bousset, The Antichrist Legend, trans. A. H. Keane (London: Hutchinson and Co., 1896), 33-41. An early date is also accepted by Andrew R. Anderson, Alexander's Gate: Gog and Magog and the Enclosed Nations. Monographs of the Mediaeval Academy of America, no. 5. (Cambridge, MA.: Mediaeval Academy of America, 1932):16-18.

12 Caspari, 437-42.

13 Alexander, Byzantine Apocalyptic Tradition, 147. This leaves the possibility that the work may have been altered or revised prior to the date of the extant manuscripts.

14 Ibid., 145. Earlier, he writes: "All that is certain, is as Caspari pointed out, that it must have been written prior to Heraclius' victories over Sassanid Persia, for the author talks repeatedly of wars between Rome and Persia and such discussions do not make sense after Heraclius' victories and the beginning of the Arab invasions" (144).

15 Ibid., 136-37. The only critical edition is Caspari's which suffers a lack of objectivity in that he relied upon only two of the four extant manuscripts.

16 Ibid., 140-44.

17 Caspari, 219. English citations are taken from a translation of the sermon provided by Cameron

Rhoades, instructor of Latin at Tyndale Theological Seminary, Ft. Worth, TX.

18 Ibid., 210.

19 Alexander, 209.

20 Ibid., 210-11.

[Quix]

Just because it is

RCC/Vatican-Ashteroth-Mary-Cult

!!!TRADITION!!!

to deny facts, evidence and THE TRUTH

AS THE TRUTH

does NOT alter THE TRUTH whatsoever.

Some Proddys will hopefully continue to post THE TRUTH as long as God grants us opportunity and breath to do so.

. . . at least until THE RAPTURE . . .

[Iscool]

Yep, all of the above. All of the Apostolic Churches will be one, "One flock, and one shepherd to guide them." And all the heresies since 1517 will cease. Coming soon.

But your popes says we are brothers in Christ, kinda...You gonna kill all your brothers???

[metmom]

The Tribulation period is a period of judgment on the earth.

True believers, those who have put their faith in Christ for salvation, have already been judged.

The other thing is that there’s simply no point in having believers taken out before the judgment if they’ve all been killed off for not taking the mark of the beast. Since they’ve already been killed off, there’s no need to rapture them, as described in Thessalonians.

[CynicalBear]

>> “Our Lady of Fatima,” appeared to three shepherd children in 1917.<<

2 Corinthians 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

[metmom]

You can spam a thread all you like my FRiend, but that doesn't change the fact that the modern concept of the Rapture was unheard of prior to the 1830s. Its an invention of man, an incorrect interpretation of one or two scripture verses. An interpretation that is false and has caused enormous harm to the body of Christ.

Kind of like how the assumption of Mary wasn't church doctrine until the 1900's......

For that matter, most of the doctrine about Mary didn't come til later. If something being realized later in time is an indicator of it's validity, there is none for most of the stuff about Mary.

[Uri’el-2012]

Fatima, as I’m sure you are aware, is a city in Portugal where the Mother of Jesus, “Our Lady of Fatima,” appeared to three shepherd children in 1917.

Isn't just like the Evil One to confuse
those without scriptural discernment.

Having a "miraculous event" occurring at a town
named after Mohammed's daughter.
The height of deception.

There is no Mother of god nor
any queen of heaven except in Paganism.
So says the Holy WORD of G-d.

If you were not so ignorant of the WORD of G-d
you would know when YHvH sends messages to man,
they are always sent by Messengers (Angels).
Never by dead saved sinners.

Seek YHvH in His WORD.

shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach

[metmom]

Ouch....

[redgolum]

Does the author have sources for some of the prophecies? My mother in law has a little book that mentions similar ones, but I never seen them printed or sourced out anywhere.

[Iscool]

I thought I Thes 4 was in y’all’s Bibles.

Their bibles are called catechism...IThess. 4 is not in their bible...Nor is 3 or 2...

[Quix]

INDEED, METMOM,

Here's another I'd not seen before:

FROM

http://www.raptureforums.com/Rapture/raptureorigin.cfm

The Origin of the Pre-Tribulational Rapture

The Origin of the Concept of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture
From Man or the Bible?

Dr. David R. Reagan

"The Pre-Tribulation Rapture is a johnny-come-lately idea that is too new to be true." This is the most common argument that I encounter against the concept of the Rapture of the Church occurring before the Tribulation begins.

There are several problems with this argument. The first is that it ignores the fact that the Bible teaches that end time prophecies will not be understood until the time comes for the predicted events to take place.

When the prophet Daniel was given some specific prophecies about the end times, he complained to the Lord that he did not understand them. The Lord responded with these words: "Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end times" (Daniel 12:9). Jeremiah was told the same thing by the Lord on two occasions (Jeremiah 23:20 and 30:24).

Waiting on Events
There are many end time prophecies that can not be understood apart from historical or technological developments. For example, all of end time prophecy revolves around the state of Israel. Those prophecies were not fully understandable before the re-establishment of the state of Israel in May of 1948. Think of it for a moment - how could anyone in 1900 understand the prophecy in Ezekiel 38 that Russia will invade Israel in the end times? Israel did not exist, nor was there any prospect of Israel ever existing again. And Russia was a peaceful Christian Orthodox country.

In like manner, before modern times, how could anyone understand the prophecy in Revelation 11 about the killing and resurrection of the two witnesses of God? That prophecy says that the whole world will look upon their bodies and witness their resurrection and rapture to Heaven (Revelation 11:9-12). No one could understand this prophecy before the development of satellite television communication in the 1960's.

In summary, the Bible clearly teaches that the understanding of end time prophecy will be progressive in nature. We will understand more of the prophecies the closer we get to the time of their fulfillment.

Waiting on Proper Interpretation
In this regard, the reason the Pre-Tribulation concept of the timing of the Rapture was delayed in its refinement until the 19th Century was because the Roman Catholic Church adopted St. Augustine's amillennial viewpoint of prophecy hook-line-and-sinker around 430 AD. In his book, The City of God, Augustine spiritualized Bible prophecy and then argued that the Millennium began at the Cross and would continue until the Second Coming.

This spiritualizing approach to the interpretation of Bible prophecy proceeded to dominate theology for the next thousand years. Protestants adopted it after the Reformation and expressed it in the Postmillennial view that emerged in the mid-17th Century. Both Amillennialism and Postmillennialism are based on the assumption that Bible prophecy does not mean what it says.

I grew up in a church that taught that assumption. It was a conservative, fundamentalist church that interpreted the Bible literally from cover to cover except for prophecies related to the Second Coming. The First Coming prophecies were accepted as literal. But the Second Coming prophecies were dismissed as allegorical or symbolic or apocalyptic - which, to us, meant that they had to be spiritualized.

The Impact of Literal Interpretation
The discovery of the distinction which the Bible makes between the Rapture and the Second Coming had to await the revival of the application of literal interpretation to Bible prophecy. I say "revival" because the writings of the Church Fathers during the first 300 years of church history (100 AD to 400 AD) reveal that they interpreted prophecy for its plain sense meaning. Accordingly, they were nearly all Premillennialists. In fact, Justin Martyr (110-165 AD) went so far as to suggest that anyone with a different viewpoint was heretical.1

The revival of literal interpretation began in earnest among the Puritans in the 17th Century, and it quickly led to an understanding that the Rapture would be an event separate from and preceding the Second Coming. Puritan leader, Increase Mather (1639-1723), argued "that the saints would be caught up into the air" and thus escape the world's final conflagration. 2

Most people I encounter seem to believe that the concept of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture originated in the writings of C. I. Scofield, as expressed in his famous study Bible that was published in 1909. It is true that Scofield's writing helped to popularize the idea, but he was by no means the originator of it.

Historical Development Paul N. Benware, in his book, Understanding End Times Prophecy, notes that many writers in the 17th and 18th Centuries began to speak of a Rapture separate and apart from the Second Coming: 3

Peter Jurieu in his book, Approaching Deliverance of the Church (1687) taught that Christ would come in the air to rapture the saints and return to Heaven before the battle of Armageddon . . . Philip Doddridge's commentary on the New Testament (1738) and John Gill's commentary on the New Testament (1748) both use the term rapture and speak of it as imminent. It is clear these men believed that this coming will precede Christ's descent to the earth and the time of judgment. The purpose was to preserve believers from the time of judgment. James Macknight (1763) and Thomas Scott (1792) taught that the righteous will be carried to heaven, where they will be secure until the time of judgment is over.

Tommy Ice, the director of the Pre-Trib Research Center, asserts that the first person to spell out in detail the idea that the Rapture would occur before the Tribulation begins was a Baptist leader named Morgan Edwards. 4 This remarkable man was born in Wales and preached at churches in England and Ireland before emigrating to the United States in 1761 to become pastor of a church in Philadelphia. He proceeded to become the founder of Brown University and was recognized as the leading Baptist historian of his day.

As early as the 1740's Edwards was espousing a pre-tribulational viewpoint in his writings about eschatology. The difference in his view and the modern Pre-Trib concept is that he believed the Rapture would occur in the middle of Daniel's 70th week, about 3½ years before the Second Coming.

The Modern Pre-Trib View
The person who crystallized the modern Pre-Trib viewpoint was a man named John Darby (1800-1882).5 Darby was born in London and was trained in the law. He practiced law for only one year before he was overcome by a deep spiritual struggle that finally led to a decision to enter the ministry. He became an Anglican priest but quickly became disillusioned when the church decreed that all converts would have to swear allegiance to the King of England. Darby considered this to be a compromise with the lordship of Christ.

Darby decided to leave the Anglican Church. In the years following, he and other dissenters from the established state church inaugurated a movement that came to be known as the Plymouth Brethren.

In 1826 Darby broke one of his legs, and during the long convalescence that followed, he engaged in an intensive study of the Scriptures that convinced him of the clear distinction between the Church and Israel. He also became convicted of the imminent return of Jesus. Thus, by 1827 he had developed the fundamental principles that would come to characterize a new theological system that would be called Dispensationalism.

The Dissemination of the View
After John Darby refined the concept, it spread rapidly throughout Europe and America. The viewpoint has always been blessed by gifted communicators. In 1878 the very first best-selling prophecy book incorporated the idea. It was Jesus is Coming by William E. Blackstone (1841-1935).6 In 1909 the very first study Bible ever published - The Scofield Study Bible - developed the scriptural arguments for the viewpoint in detail.7 Then came the amazing charts and diagrams of Clarence Larkin (1850-1924) in his book Dispensational Truth. 8

Harry Ironside (1876-1951), the popular pastor of the Moody Memorial Church in Chicago, preached the concept in his sermons and books during the 1930's and 40's.9 In 1970 Hal Lindsey published The Late Great Planet Earth and once again the viewpoint was expressed in a best seller.10 The 20th Century ended with the view being espoused in the "Left Behind" block-buster series of books written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. 11

Attacks on the View
Over the years there have been many attacks on the Pre-Trib viewpoint. The most sustained - and the most ridiculous - has been the one launched in the 1970's by Dave MacPherson.12 In a book he keeps re-publishing under different, sensational titles, MacPherson argued that the whole notion of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture was supposedly given to Darby when he attended a Charismatic prayer meeting in Scotland in 1830 where a 15 year old girl, Margaret MacDonald, went into a state of ecstasy during which she declared there would be a Rapture prior to the Tribulation. MacPherson asserts: "Darby borrowed from her, modified her views, and then popularized them under his own name without giving her credit."13

The first problem with MacPherson's assertions is that we know that Darby developed his concept of the Rapture's timing in the winter of 1826-1827, some three years before the prayer meeting in Scotland. The second problem relates to a strange aspect of MacPherson's book. In an appendix, he reproduces Margaret MacDonald's handwritten account of what she said at the 1830 meeting, and there is nothing in it that even suggests a Pre-Tribulation Rapture!14

But the biggest problem with MacPherson's assertion is that it is really irrelevant. The crucial question is not where the Pre-Tribulation Rapture concept originated; rather, the only question that matters is whether or not it is biblical.

Ancient Examples of the Concept
As I have demonstrated in the previous articles in this issue, the concept is completely biblical. It has always been in the Scriptures, waiting for those with a literal approach to interpretation to discover it and develop it in detail. In this regard, I think it is important to note that more and more ancient writings are being discovered that contain intimations of a Rapture separate and apart from the Second Coming.

One of the early Church Fathers, The Shepherd of Hermas, writing in the early 2nd Century, makes an interesting observation about "the great tribulation that is coming." He says, "If then ye prepare yourselves, and repent with all your heart and turn to the Lord, it will be possible for you to escape it, if your heart be pure and spotless, and ye spend the rest of the days of your life in serving the Lord blamelessly."15

In medieval times evidence of pretribulational thinking can be found in the recently discovered sermon attributed to Ephraem the Syrian.16 This sermon, which was written sometime between the 4th and 6th Centuries, encourages believers to prepare themselves for meeting the Lord because "all the saints and elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins." Scholars believe this text was derived from the writings of the original Ephraem who lived from 306 to 373 AD. He was one of the leading theologians of the early Byzantine Church.17

It is very likely that there were always some forms of premillennialism and pretribulational thought throughout the Middle Ages but, if so, these viewpoints had to be expressed underground because they violated Catholic dogma. Sects like the Albigenses, Lombards, and the Waldenses were attracted to a literal interpretation of the Bible, but little is know about their detailed beliefs because the Catholic Church declared their writings to be heretical and destroyed them.

Concluding Observations
Two final observations before I conclude. First, there is a mistaken idea that only Dispensationalists believe in a Pre-Trib Rapture. That is not so. In the 1920's the view was adopted by many Pentecostal denominations such as the Assemblies of God. I personally am a good example of a person who holds to the Pre-Trib viewpoint but who is not a full-blown Dispensationalist.

My final observation is that I am not dogmatic about the timing of the Rapture. Unlike some of my colleagues who are downright uncompromising about the timing, I prefer to say that "I believe the best inference of Scripture is that the Rapture is most likely to occur before the Tribulation begins." The Bible never clearly states when the Rapture will occur, and there is, therefore, legitimate room for differences of opinion.

Article used and reposted here with the expressed written permission of the author Dr. David Reagan. Original Article

end quote

[Uri’el-2012]

ooooooPs

;-)

[Quix]

More documentation about the truth vs the deception pontificated from the RCC sources [emphases are in the original]:

http://www.myspace.com/pretribrapture/blog/396607852

The Pre-Tribulation Rapture Was Taught by the Early Church !!

The Pre-Tribulation Rapture Was Taught by the Early Church !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

---

  http://www.raptureme.com/terry/james27.html   The Pre-Tribulation Rapture Was Taught by the Early Church- Three Fascinating Discoveries!!!
                   Much as Clement referred to Enoch and Noah, Clement writes next about Lot, another man who was saved from God's judgment as a direct result of his godliness, particularly mentioning the fact that God does not forsake those that hope in Him!
Interestingly enough, Clement also addresses Lot's wife, particularly noting she was of a different mindset than Lot, the end result of which left her standing in the desert as a pillar of salt. Clement tells us God made Lot's wife an example, demonstrating how those of a double mind bring God's judgment down on themselves by distrusting the power of God!

In spite of Scripture indicating the Church isn't appointed to wrath, there are many Christians today who, in a fashion similar to Lot's wife, fearfully look over their shoulders while stating we may need to begin preparing ourselves mentally and spiritually to enter the Tribulation Period - a time the Apostle John refers to as the great day of His [the Lord's] wrath in Revelation 6:17.

If the Church isn't appointed to wrath, and it isn't as seen in 1st Thessalonians 5:9, why do some Christians keep trying to place the Church inside the Tribulation Period? On one hand, these Christians profess having faith in Christ yet, on the other hand, indicate we shouldn't depend on Him delivering the Church from having to suffer in the Tribulation Period via a Pre-Tribulational Rapture of the Church that is clearly in Scripture - a classic example of a double mind where placing trust in the power of God is concerned!

As you can imagine, I couldn't help but smile upon reading Clement's comments because they're precisely in keeping with what I say all the time concerning the many naysayers in the world today who mock those who trust in the power of God and their belief in an overwhelming amount of Scriptural evidence that the Lord Jesus Christ is going to protect His Church by rapturing it before the onset of the Tribulation Period!

                                                                                                    http://www.rapturealert.com/pretribnewidea.html  DOUBLE MINDED CHRISTIANS - Clement understood there was going to be a Pre-Tribulational Rapture of the Church well ahead of John Darby allegedly dreaming the idea up in 1830. !
                                                                The Pre-Tribulation Rapture: A new idea?
by Michael G. Mickey

If you listen to the skeptics, the doctrine of the Pre-Tribulational Rapture of the Church is practically a brand new idea. According to many, the doctrine wasn't even hinted at prior to 1830. Is that accurate?

As you can imagine, I do a lot of reading, especially in regard to the alleged origins of the Pre-Tribulational Rapture doctrine, primarily because I've always found it astounding anyone could allege something as clear in Scripture as the Pre-Tribulational Rapture is wasn't spoken of prior to 1830.

I was pleasantly surprised recently to learn one of the early Church fathers, Clement, may have written quite extensively on the principles of the topic in an epistle to the Corinthians he drafted in either 68 or 97 AD - less than 70 years after Christ's death on the cross - a considerable period of time before 1830.

http://www.khouse.org/articles/1995/39/  Byzantine Text Discovery: Ephraem The Syrian by Chuck Missler
      http://www.biblicist.org/bible/premil.shtml  History and Premillennialism Part I (The Early Church)

---

---

http://www.lamblion.com/articles/prophecy/viewpoints/Views-07.php  The Origin of the Concept of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture  From Man or the Bible?
                                                                                                   Ancient Examples of the Concept
As I have demonstrated in the previous articles in this issue, the concept is completely biblical. It has always been in the Scriptures, waiting for those with a literal approach to interpretation to discover it and develop it in detail. In this regard, I think it is important to note that more and more ancient writings are being discovered that contain intimations of a Rapture separate and apart from the Second Coming.

One of the early Church Fathers, The Shepherd of Hermas, writing in the early 2nd Century, makes an interesting observation about "the great tribulation that is coming." He says, "If then ye prepare yourselves, and repent with all your heart and turn to the Lord, it will be possible for you to escape it, if your heart be pure and spotless, and ye spend the rest of the days of your life in serving the Lord blamelessly."15

In medieval times evidence of pretribulational thinking can be found in the recently discovered sermon attributed to Ephraem the Syrian.16 This sermon, which was written sometime between the 4th and 6th Centuries, encourages believers to prepare themselves for meeting the Lord because "all the saints and elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins." Scholars believe this text was derived from the writings of the original Ephraem who lived from 306 to 373 AD. He was one of the leading theologians of the early Byzantine Church.17

It is very likely that there were always some forms of premillennialism and pretribulational thought throughout the Middle Ages but, if so, these viewpoints had to be expressed underground because they violated Catholic dogma. Sects like the Albigenses, Lombards, and the Waldenses were attracted to a literal interpretation of the Bible, but little is know about their detailed beliefs because the Catholic Church declared their writings to be heretical and destroyed them.
http://www.lamblion.com/articles/prophecy/viewpoints/Views-01.php  End Time Viewpoints Why are there so many? How do they differ? Does it matter?
                                                                                              The Church Fathers
This is the only view of end time events that existed during the first 300 years of the Church. With one exception, all the Church Fathers who expressed themselves on the topic of prophecy were premillennial until A.D. 400. Justin Martyr, who was born in A.D. 100, went so far in his writings on the subject as to suggest that anyone with a different viewpoint was heretical.

Those today who disagree with this view respond to the near unanimity of the early Church Fathers by saying they were simply wrong in their interpretation of the prophetic Scriptures.
http://www.bibleprophesy.org/clement.htm  Clement and Polycarp on the Pretribulation Rapture.
                                                                    Clement and Polycarp on the Pretribulation Rapture.
Here are some of the writings of the early Church fathers that sounds very much like they knew and believed and taught the doctrine of the pretribulation rapture, even if they didn't articulate it explicitly in our modern terms that we use in discussion.

First, see Pseudo-Ephraem's Pre Tribulation Rapture Statement (c. 374-627) "All the saints and elect of God are gathered together before the tribulation, which is to come, and are taken to the Lord, in order that they may not see at any time the confusion which overwhelms the world because of our sins."

http://www.bibleprophesy.org/notknow.htm   Why is the pre-trib rapture doctrine relatively new?  Is it new?
                     First of all, many wrongly believe that there was no doctrine of a rapture before Darby in 1826-27 or 1830.  Admittedly, Darby popularized the doctrine of the pretribulation rapture more than any other, Darby certainly did "instruct many" (Dan 11:33).  But here are some earlier teachers of futurism and the rapture being before the tribulation:

Teaching Futurism:
Irenaeus & Hippolytus around 125 AD
Francisco Ribera 1585-1590

Teaching that the Rapture is at an earlier time than the return of Jesus at the end of the tribulation:
Emmanuel Lacunza (1790?)
Morgan Edwards (1740s- 1788)

 There are two places in scripture (Matt 24, Dan 11-12) that strongly indicate that knowledge will increase in the time of the end; particularly with respect to advanced Biblical teachings.

Mat 24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
Mat 24:46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Mat 24:47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
What is "meat in due season"?  Is the "meat" here referring to animal flesh, or is "meat" referring to teachings and doctrine?  If meat means doctrine, isn't Matt 24:45 saying that there is a certain time, a "due season", for a certain a certain doctrine?  The "due season" in view is clearly the final days before the Lord returns.  In 1 Corinthians 3 and Hebrews 5, simple teachings are referred to as milk, and hard teaching is meat, just as babies drink milk, and babies are not ready for meat.

1 Corinthians 3:2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
In Hebrews 5, "strong meat" is hard doctrine that belongs to mature Christians who have developed discernment.

Hebrews 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Hebrews 5:13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Hebrews 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

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The book of Daniel so clearly points out how knowledge will increase in the time of the end.

Dan 11:32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.
Dan 11:33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.
Dan 11:34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.
Dan 11:35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.
Dan 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine [admonish, warn, teach, send out light] as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
Dan 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

Dan 12:8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?
Dan 12:9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
Dan 12:10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

Therefore, Christians who assert that knowledge must remain the same, and that no new doctrine can appear in the time of the end, are fooling themselves, thinking something contrary to what the scriptures say, which is that "knowledge shall be increased".  This truth is so self evident that even unbelievers see it today, especially with the coming of the internet.  Computer search tools that can help us search the Bible and help us search out the various doctrines on the Bible in web sites online are extremely important for increasing knowledge, and these tools for increasing knowldege simply were not widely available before about 1995.

Saying something, or thinking something, in opposition to scripture, is wickedness.  And what does Daniel 12:10 say?  "none of the wicked shall understand".  The Bible is quite plain in telling us that there are people who simply just reject and hate knowledge.

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 23:9 Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
Job 21:14 Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.

The most amazing thing about people who will level this criticism against new doctrine is their utter hypocracy.  If they TRULY BELIEVED that it is impossible to learn or say anything new, then they should stop reading and stop speaking.

Daniel's words most clearly refute the Orthodox view, and the Catholic view, both of which attempt to refute any teaching that they believe did not exist thousands of years ago.  Clearly, the people who use this kind of criticism (that no new teachings can be correct) are only showing their utter contempt for knowledge, and are therefore displaying their own wickedness and foolishness.

 

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Continued at the link above.