Well, Pastor Bill, I agree with a lot of your threads, but, as a Historic Premillennialist (HP), this is one I can’t.
It is obvious when reading the ECF (Early Church Fathers) that Clement of Rome, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Hermas, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Cyprian, Methodius, and Lactantius, were both “post-trib” and premillennialist. Hence, the “Historic” part of Historic Premillennialist. HP’s are “post-trib” as the pretrib rapture was not invented until about 1600 years later.
In none of the above writers from early church history, none of them gave the slightest hint that they had ever even heard of such a thing as a pretrib rapture.
A rapture, yes, but as Jesus said in his Olivet Discourse, it takes place after the great tribulation.
As for the millennial, Origen was the first we have record of to alegorize the millennial, Augustine advancing that idea, it becoming the eschatology of the RCC later.
As all of the ECF writers I mentioned (Justin Martyr, etc.) believed in a premillennial second coming (a post-trib one, premillennialism is the historic view here also.
I see I need to make a few corrections in what I just posted:
Here:
In all of the above writers from early church history, none of them gave the slightest hint that they had ever even heard of such a thing as a pretrib rapture.
And here:
As all of the ECF writers I mentioned (Justin Martyr, etc.) believed in a premillennial second coming (a post-trib one), premillennialism is the historic view here also.
Here is a video just for folks like you. Enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZBoSaG4-KY