When you present some written work there may be some minor error in what you say due to the human emotions and lack of concentration and this can be corrected easily and with simple reasoning, When you present a major truth and it is skewed or untrue to begin with it is a lie and unacceptable to say the least, and this goes for all those proponents of a discussion or debate be it for or against the subject being presented.
Today when people talk about the pre-trib rapture those that hold to the belief will present it as a Biblically sound concept that is infallible and true and that all the while that the opponents to the doctrine will name three different people as the starting point for the pre-trib rapture, Now this will be an outright lie to say that the pre-trib rapture is Biblical as much as it is a lie to say that there are three people that can be accredited with this false doctrine, Well, talk is cheap and the truth is sparse, so lets take a look at both the for and against positions and then find the truth where it is at, be it somewhere else entirely of rooted in one of the premises presented.
We start with the opposition to the pre-trib rapture and what they say and their accusations laid at the door of the pre-trib doctrine. Before we start it is important to look at the official definition of the word rapture in a “good” dictionary, and yes all man made things are suspect. When you write the word Rapture starting with an upper-case “R” you will see the following definition listed:
Rapture: (futurist Christian doctrine) the future event when Christian believers are suddenly removed from the Earth before the second coming of Christ
Rapture have other meaning to but here our concern is with the relationship that it has with Biblical truth and it is listed as a futuristic Christian doctrine and that it takes place before the second coming. So according to the definition the rapture is an event that takes place before the snatching away of the saints, the believers at the second coming of Jesus Christ.
The first character that is given the dubious honour as the father of the pre-trib rapture is Manuel De Lacunza and you can find his works here in Spanish and then a translation into English by Edward Irving part 1 here and for part 2 here.
Manuel De Lacunza was a Catholic of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit) Order and he entered into the priesthood in 1766 in Chile. His written work La venida del Mesías en gloria y majestad was printed in the mid to late 18 hundreds in his then pseudonym of Rabbi Juan ben-Ezra. This book was prohibited by the Vatican and blacklisted.
Once you have completed the reading of this man’s works you will have to conclude that he had some really strange beliefs that are totally contrary to Scripture. This leads to one conclusion and that is that the man was a false prophet when held to Scripture, but this is a strong statement without proof and so let’s look at the evidence:
Lacunza did not believe in the destruction of the earth that is to come and therefore rejects Revelation 21:1 that states: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. (KJV) and goes on to add some strange ideas about globes and such as well as the fact that “new discoveries” have been made concerning scripture due to “new revelation received” and read it here.
Furthermore Lacunza believed in the Buddhist belief of Nirvana, yes that is returning to the nothingness that all arose from, now this one is surely not Biblical and read it here.
He believes in an “end of the age“ and to him it means the end of man’s dominion on earth and the ushering in of Jesus and His reign on earth for the thousand years, and here in the conflict because he clearly states that his “end of the age of man” coincides with the return of Jesus and the catching away of the saints.
Lacunza believed that when the second coming takes place it will be the end of the world and that is the second coming, so when Jesus returns with the angels and saints to rule for one thousand years or as Lacunza says it could be 100,000 years to reign on the earth or globe as he puts it.
When you read it carefully you will see that Lacunza does not believe in a pre-trib rapture at all, but as a fact he believed that the “age of man” comes to an end at the second coming and that is it a singular event with a transition that takes place from man having dominion over the earth to the rule of Jesus the Christ, His angels and His saints with Him.
No Lacunza did not invent the doctrine of the pre-trib rapture at all, he held to a singular event with transition belief. So sorry but there is just no truth in the claims for or against him, but to recognize that he is a false prophet and teacher.
The next candidate to be named is Margaret MacDonald and her vision, well if you read her vision as it was published in 1840 you will be hard pressed to find the doctrine of pre-trib rapture anywhere in the whole vision of Miss MacDonald. To find it would be a stretch of the imagination and a huge twist of the truth, but I will let you be the judge of that. Now there is a good dissecting of this topic here, and for your benefit the vision of Miss MacDonald is available below:
“It was first the awful state of the land that was pressed upon me. I saw the blindness and infatuation of the people to be very great. I felt the cry of Liberty just to be the hiss of the serpent, to drown them in perdition. It was just ‘no God.’ I repeated the words, Now there is distress of nations, with perplexity, the seas and the waves roaring, men’s hearts failing them for fear. Now look out for the sign of the Son of Man. Here I was made to stop and cry out, O it is not known what the sign of the Son of Man is; the people of God think they are waiting, but they know not what it is. I felt this needed to be revealed, and that there was great darkness and error about it; but suddenly what it was burst upon me with a glorious light. I saw it was just the Lord himself descending from Heaven with a shout, just the glorified man, even Jesus; but that all must, as Stephen was, be filled with the Holy Ghost, that they might look up, and see the brightness of the Father’s glory. I saw the error to be, that men think that it will be something seen by the natural eye; but ’tis spiritual discernment that is needed, the eye of God in his people. Many passages were revealed, in a light in which I had not before seen them. I repeated,‘Now is the kingdom of Heaven like unto ten virgins, who went forth to meet the Bridegroom, five wise and five foolish; they that were foolish took their lamps, but took no oil with them; but they that were wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.’ ‘But be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is; and be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit.’ This was the oil the wise virgins took in their vessels – this is the light to be kept burning – the light of God – that we may discern that which cometh not with observation to the natural eye. Only those who have the light of God within them will see the sign of his appearance.No need to follow them who say, see here, or see there, for his day shall be as the lightning to those in whom the living Christ is. ‘Tis Christ in us that will lift us up – he is the light – ’tis only those that are alive in him that will be caught up to meet him in the air. I saw that we must be in the Spirit, that we might see spiritual things. John was in the Spirit, when he saw a throne set in Heaven. But I saw that the glory of the ministration of the Spirit had not been known. I repeated frequently, but the spiritual temple must and shall be reared, and the fullness of Christ be poured into his body, and then shall we be caught up to meet him. Oh none will be counted worthy of this calling but his body, which is the church, and which must be a candlestick all of gold. I often said, Oh the glorious in breaking of God which is now about to burst on this earth; Oh the glorious temple which is now about to be reared, the bride adorned for her husband; and Oh what a holy, holy bride she must he, to be prepared for such a glorious bridegroom. I said, Now shall the people of God have to do with realities – now shall the glorious mystery of God in our nature be known –now shall it be known what it is for man to be glorified. I felt that the revelation of Jesus Christ had yet to be opened up – it is not knowledge about God that it contains, but it is an entering into God – I saw that there was a glorious breaking in of God to be. I felt as Elijah, surrounded with chariots of fire. I saw as it were, the spiritual temple reared, and the Head Stone brought forth with shoutings of grace, grace, unto it. It was a glorious light above the brightness of the sun that shone round about me. I felt that those who were filled with the Spirit could see spiritual things, and feel walking in the midst of them, while those who had not the Spirit could see nothing – so that two shall be in one bed, the one taken and the other left, because the one has the light of God within while the other cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven.I saw the people of God in an awfully dangerous situation, surrounded by nets and entanglements, about to be tried, and many about to be deceived and fall. Now will THE WICKED be revealed, with all power and signs and lying wonders, so that if it were possible the very elect will be deceived – This is the fiery trial which is to try us. – It will be for the purging and purifying of the real members of the body of Jesus; but Oh it will be a fiery trial. Every soul will he shaken to the very centre. The enemy will try to shake in every thing we have believed – but the trial of real faith will be found to honour and praise and glory.Nothing but what is of God will stand. The stony-ground hearers will be made manifest – the love of many will wax cold.
I frequently said that night, and often since, now shall the awful sight of a false Christ be seen on this earth, and nothing but the living Christ in us can detect this awful attempt of the enemy to deceive – for it is with all deceivableness of unrighteousness he will work – he will have a counterpart for every part of God’s truth, and an imitation for every work of the Spirit. The Spirit must and will be poured out on the church, that she may be purified and filled with God – and just in proportion as the Spirit of God works, so will he – when our Lord anoints men with power, so will he.This is particularly the nature of the trial, through which those are to pass who will be counted worthy to stand before the Son of man. There will he outward trial too, but ’tis principally temptation. It is brought on by the outpouring of the Spirit, and will just increase in proportion as the Spirit is poured out. The trial of the Church is from Antichrist. It is by being filled with the Spirit that we shall be kept. I frequently said, Oh be filled with the Spirit – have the light of God in you, that you may detect Satan – be full of eyes within -be clay in the hands of the potter -submit to be filled, filled with God. This will build the temple. It is not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord. This will fit us to enter into the marriage supper of the Lamb. I saw it to be the will of God that all should be filled. But what hindered the real life of God from being received by his people, was their turning from Jesus, who is the way to the Father. They were not entering in by the door. For he is faithful who hath said, by me if any man enters in he shall find pasture. They were bypassing the cross, through which every drop of the Spirit of God flows to us. All power that comes not through the blood of Christ is not of God.
When I say, they are looking from the cross, I feel that there is much in it – they turn from the blood of the Lamb, by which we overcome, and in which our robes are washed and made white. There are low views of God’s holiness, and a ceasing to condemn sin in the flesh, and a looking from him who humbled himself, and made himself of no reputation. Oh! it is needed, much needed at present, a leading back to the cross. I saw that night, and often since, that there will be an outpouring of the Spirit on the body, such as has not been, a baptism of fire, that all the dross may be put away. Oh there must and will be such an indwelling of the living God as has not been – the servants of God sealed in their foreheads – great conformity to Jesus – his holy holy image seen in his people – just the bride made comely by his comeliness put upon her. This is what we are at present made to pray much for, that speedily we may all be made ready to meet our Lord in the air – and it will be. Jesus wants his bride. His desire is toward us. He that shall come, will come, and will not tarry. Amen and Amen Even so come Lord Jesus.”
Then there is a step by step dissecting of the text with Biblical references added here, this should satisfy anyone of the truth and the truth is that no, Miss MacDonald is not the one that formulated the pre-trib rapture doctrine.
Then we come to John Nelson Darby and the whole landscape changes for this man while recovering from an illness between December 1826 and January 1827 Darby developed this doctrine and it can be found in his letters that he wrote, he did not take it from Lacunza’s printed works as these were printed months after the letters of Darby was printed and that was during the spring of 1827. The letters of Darby that eludes to his developing of the doctrine after he came to the conclusion that there is a difference between Israel and the church, read it here.
Darby did not read the works of Lacunza’s work as it came out after his own, he did not read Irvin’s work and neither the vision of Miss MacDonald as that only happened in 1830, so the father of the pre-trib rapture is John Nelson Darby and he developed the doctrine after he come to the realization that there is a difference between the Israelites and the Church of God.
In the next segment we will explore the doctrine and look at whet the Bible teaches, no conjecture, guesswork or twisting of the truth, Sola Scriptura, sola veritas.