Dispensational Pre-Trib Rapture Theory
Turns 166 Years Old In 1996!

by Michael Brigmond, Pastor

Reprinted from the View From the Lighthouse (April 1996)

The dispensational belief in a pre-tribulation Rapture of the Church will celebrate it’s 166th birthday in 1996. Wait a minute! What do you mean, 166? It has to be older than that, doesn’t it?

Since this newsletter is dedicated to telling the Truth, we have to take our tongue out of our cheek and tell it like it is. The first documented evidence of the belief that Jesus Christ would snatch the Church out of this world before the Tribulation Period is found to be only 166 years old. As was reported in the Fall 1995 issue of this newsletter, "at the Powerscourt Castle prophetic conferences, which began in Ireland in 1830, (Edward) Irving introduced his secret rapture teaching. This provided the foundation for a whole new system of beliefs, tying together dispensationalism, the rapture,…"

According to Holman’s Bible Dictionary, "this two-stage return of the Lord, unheard of before 1830, became the platform for a movement called dispensationalism." J.N. Darby (1800-1882) left the Anglican clergy in 1827 and joined the Plymouth Brethren. It was Darby who fully developed the two-stage coming of Jesus Christ into the doctrine it is today. His new belief system was developed after Miss Margaret McDonald received a "vision" that Jesus would return in two stages, once to take the church out before the antichrist is revealed and then again at the very end of the age.

Darby put forth the idea that God has set up 7 time periods called dispensations, for His work with humans. He believed that in each dispensation man would be tested according to a unique, specific revelation of God’s will for that particular dispensation.

In 1909, C.I. Scofield popularized the dispensational system by making it a major part of his study Bible. He incorporated 7 dispensations: Innocence, Conscience, Human Government, Promise, Law, Grace, and Kingdom (the millennial reign of Jesus Christ). Many Apostolics today are teaching this same false doctrine in various Home Bible Study formats. How do we know it is false? Because instead of being almost 2000 years old, it is only 166 years old.

Beyond the seven dispensations, the Darby movement had a definite 5 step program of eschatology:

  1. A two-stage coming of Christ: rapture and parousia. (Unheard of in the Apostle’s day.)
  2. 7 years of tribulation on earth for those not raptured. The last 3-1/2 years will be the time of the antichrist. 144,000 Jews will be saved and become evangelists.
  3. Christ will return for the church, finish the battle of Armageddon, and rule the earth for 1000 years.
  4. Belief in an unconditional covenant with Israel. During the 7 year tribulation, God would turn back to the Jews and restore the Old Testament law keeping.
  5. All Old Testament prophecy will be fulfilled literally.

Popular advocates of dispensationalism have been C.H MacKintosh, W.E. Blackstone, H.A. Ironside, and A.C. Gaebelein. More recently, Hal Lindsey has taken the system and made a best seller, The Late Great Planet Earth. Mr. Lindsey has pulled the wool over the eyes of many Christians.

Since the Dispensationalists believe the church is to be raptured out in Rev 4:1, the rest of the book of the Revelation has little or no meaning for Christians who will not be on earth during that time. It sounds as if a part of the Bible has been cut out and only part of it is for us and part of it is not.

And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy,
God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city,
and from the things which are written in this book. (Rev 22:19)

Who do you suppose would be behind an attempt to take scripture away from believers?
Who do you think is behind the "New Age" doctrine of Dispensationalism and
a secret, pre-tribulation rapture?
Can you say, "Satan?" I knew you could. [][][][]