Chapter
Eleven
What
Did the Early Church Believe?
For over 1800 years there was no visible effort by any valid leader
of the Church to promote a pretribulation rapture. John Nelson Darby began
his assault on Biblical truth about the year 1830, when he concluded that
the New Testament taught a distinction between the Church and
It is important to note that Darby did not believe that he was on a
spiritual high when he came up with the doctrine of Dispensationalism. I
personally believe that he probably was not praying as he should, and not
maintaining an intimacy with God, and began to read through the Bible with
a wrong spirit. Most people who live by feelings will do bizarre things to
make themselves feel spiritual. Some have a great pity party and invite
everyone who is famous for giving out condolences to attend. Others come
up with fantastic prophecies or interpretations of a Scripture. Darby came
up with a new plan for God, and became livid with anger and caustic toward
anyone who rejected it. Read his own words as he describes his spiritual
condition while convalescing from falling off a horse, the period during
which he came up with dispensationalism. "At
that time I had to use crutches when moving about, so that I had no longer
any opportunity for making known my convictions in public; moreover, as
the state of my health did not allow me to attend worship, I was compelled
to remain away. It seemed to me that the good hand of my God has thus come
to my help, hiding my spiritual weakness under physical incapacity."(1)
(emphasis added)
The
Those who have purchased Grant Jeffrey's book Apocalypse: The Coming
Judgment of the Nations, in which Jeffrey contends that there is proof
that the Early
The
Didache (The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles), First Century: "Watch
for your life's sake. Let not your lamps be quenched, nor your loins
unloosed; but be ye ready, for ye know not the hour in which our Lord
cometh. But often shall ye come together, seeking the things which are
befitting to your souls: for the whole time of your faith will not profit
you, if ye be not made perfect in the last time. For in the last days
false prophets and corrupters shall be multiplied, and the sheep shall be
turned into wolves, and love shall be turned into hate; for when
lawlessness increaseth, they shall hate and persecute and betray one
another, and then shall appear the world-deceiver as Son of God, and shall
do signs and wonders, and the earth shall be delivered into his hands, and
he shall do iniquitous things which have never yet come to pass since the
beginning. Then shall the creation of men come into the fire of trial, and
many shall be made to stumble and shall perish; but they that endure in
their faith shall be saved from under the curse itself. And then shall
appear the signs of the truth; first, the sign of an out-spreading in
heaven; then the sign of the sound of the trumpet; and the third, the
resurrection of the dead; yet not of all, but as it is said: The Lord
shall come and all His saints with Him. Then shall the world see the Lord
coming upon the clouds of heaven." (2)
"The
final stumbling-block [or source of danger] approaches, concerning which
it is written, as Enoch says, "For for this end the Lord has cut
short the times and the days, that His Beloved may hasten; and He will
come to the inheritance." And the prophet also speaks thus: "Ten
kingdoms shall reign upon the earth, and a little king shall rise up after
them, who shall subdue under one three of the kings." In the like
manner Daniel says concerning the same, "And I beheld the fourth
beast, wicked and powerful, and the more savage than all the beasts of the
earth and how from it sprang up ten horns, and out of them a little
budding horn, and how it subdued under one three of the ten horns."
[see: Dan. 7:7,8]... We take earnest heed in these last days; for the
whole [past] time of your faith will profit you nothing, unless now in
this wicked time we also withstand coming sources of danger, as becometh
sons of God. That the Black One may find no means of entrance, let us flee
from every vanity, let us utterly hate the works of the way of
wickedness." (3)
"Two
advents of Christ have been announced: the one, in which He is set forth
as suffering, inglorious, dishonored, and crucified; but the other, in
which He shall come from heaven with glory, when the man of apostasy, who
speaks strange things against the Most High, shall venture to do unlawful
deeds on the earth against us the Christians, ... Now it is evident that
no one can terrify or subdue us who have believed in Jesus over all the
world. For it is plain that, though beheaded, and crucified, and thrown to
wild beasts, and chains, and fire, and all other kinds of torture, we do
not give up our confession; but the more such things happen, the more do
others and in larger numbers become faithful, and worshippers of God
through the name of Jesus. (4)
(Emphasis mine) Irenaeus,
AD 120-202: "In
a still clearer light has John, in the Apocalypse, indicated to the Lord's
disciples what shall happen in the last times, and concerning the ten
kings who shall then arise, ... These have one mind, and give their
strength and power to the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and
the Lamb shall overcome them, because He is the Lord of lords, and King of
kings. ... And they shall lay "For
all these and other words were unquestionably spoken in reference to the
resurrection of the just, which takes place after the coming of
Antichrist, and the destruction of all nations under his rule; in [the
times of] which [resurrection] the righteous shall reign on the earth,
waxing stronger by the sight of the Lord: and through Him they shall
become accustomed to partake in the glory of God the Father, and shall
enjoy in the kingdom intercourse and communion with the holy angels, and
union with spiritual beings; and those whom the Lord shall find in the
flesh, awaiting Him from heaven, and who have suffered tribulation, as
well as escaped the hands of the Wicked one." (7) The
Shepherd of Hermas, AD 160 "You
will tell, therefore, those who preside over the Church, to direct their
ways in righteousness, that they may receive in full the promises with
great glory. Stand steadfast, therefore, ye who work righteousness, and
doubt not, that your passage may be with the holy angels. Happy ye who
endure the great tribulation that is coming on, and happy they who shall
not deny their own life. For the Lord hath sworn by His Son, that those
who denied their Lord have abandoned their life in despair, for even now
these are to deny Him in the days that are coming." [Third Vision] "Twenty
days after the former vision I saw another vision, brethren a
representation of the tribulation that is to come. I was going to a
country house along the Campanian road. Now the house lay about ten
furlongs from the public road. The district is one rarely traversed. And
as I walked alone, I prayed the Lord to complete the revelations which He
had made to me through His holy Church, that He might strengthen me, and
give repentance to all His servants who were going astray, that His great
and glorious name might be glorified because He vouchsafed to show me His
marvels. And while I was glorifying Him and giving Him thanks, a voice, as
it were, answered me, Doubt not, Hermas; and I began to think with myself,
and to say, What reason have I to doubt I who have been established by the
Lord, and who have seen such glorious sights? I advanced a little,
brethren, and, lo! I see dust rising even to the heavens. I began to say
to myself, Are cattle approaching and raising the dust? It was about a
furlong''s distance from me. And, lo! I see the dust rising more and more,
so that I imagined that it was something sent from God. But the sun now
shone out a little, and, lo! I see a mighty beast like a whale, and out of
its mouth fiery locusts proceeded. But the size of that beast was about a
hundred feet, and it had a head like an urn. I began to weep, and to call
on the Lord to rescue me from it. Then I remembered the word which I had
heard, Doubt not, O Hermas. Clothed, therefore, my brethren, with faith in
the Lord, and remembering the great things which He had taught me, I
boldly faced the beast. Now that beast came on with such noise and force,
that it could itself have destroyed a city. I came near it, and the
monstrous beast stretched itself out on the ground, and showed nothing but
its tongue, and did not stir at all until I had passed by it. Now the
beast had four colors on its head-black, then fiery and bloody, then
golden, and lastly white. Now after I had passed by the wild beast, and
had moved forward about thirty feet, lo! a virgin meets me, adorned as if
she were proceeding from the bridal chamber, clothed entirely in white,
and with white sandals, and veiled up to her forehead, and her head was
covered by a hood. And she had white hair. I knew from my former visions
that this was the Church, and I became more joyful. She saluted me, and
said, Hail, O man! And I returned her salutation, and said, Lady, hail!
And she answered. and said to me, Has nothing crossed your path? I say, I
was met by a beast of such a size that it could destroy peoples, but
through the power of the Lord and His great mercy I escaped from it. Well
did you escape from it, says she, because you cast your care on God, and
opened your heart to the Lord, believing that you can be saved by no other
than by His great and glorious name. On this account the Lord has sent His
angel, who has rule over the beasts, and whose name is Thegri, and has
shut up its mouth, so that it cannot tear you. You have escaped from great
tribulation on account of your faith, and because you did not doubt in the
presence of such a beast. Go, therefore, and tell the elect of the Lord
His mighty deeds, and say to them that this beast is a type of the great
tribulation that is coming. 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. Cast your cares
upon the Lord, and He will direct them. Trust the Lord, ye who doubt, for
He is all-powerful, and can turn His anger away from you, and send
scourges on the doubters. Woe to those who hear these words, and despise
them: better were it for them not to have been born. I asked her about the
four colors which the beast had on his head. And she answered, and said to
me, Again you are inquisitive in regard to such matters. Yea, Lady, said
I, make known to me what they are. Listen, said she: the black is the
world in which we dwell: but the fiery and bloody points out that the
world must perish through blood and fire: but the golden part are you who
have escaped from this world. For as gold is tested by fire, and thus
becomes useful, so are you tested who dwell in it. Those, therefore, who
continue steadfast, and are put through the fire, will be purified by
means of it. For as gold casts away its dross, so also will ye cast away
all sadness and straitness, and will be made pure so as to fit into the
building of the tower. But the white part is the age that is to come, in
which the elect of God will dwell, since those elected by God to eternal
life will be spotless and pure. Wherefore cease not speaking these things
into the ears of the saints. This then is the type of the great
tribulation that is to come. If ye wish it, it will be nothing. Remember
those things which were written down before. And saying this, she
departed. But I saw not into what place she retired. There was a noise,
however, and I turned round in alarm, thinking that that beast was coming.(8) Tertullian,
AD 145-220: "In
the Revelation of John, again, the order of these times is spread out to
view, which "the souls of the martyrs" are taught to wait for
beneath the altar, whilst they earnestly pray to be avenged and judged:
(taught, I say, to wait), in order that the world may first drink to the
dregs the plagues that await it out of the vials of the angels, and that
the city of fornication may receive from the ten kings its deserved doom,
and that the beast Antichrist, with his false prophet may wage war on the
Church of God; and that, after the casting of the devil into the
bottomless pit for a while, the blessed prerogative of the first
resurrection may be obtained from the thrones; and then again, after the
consignment of him to the fire, that the judgment of the final and
universal resurrection may be determined out of the books. Since, then,
the Scriptures both indicate the stages of the last times, and concentrate
the harvest of the Christian hope in the very end of the world." (9) "Now
the privilege of this favor [the resurrection] awaits those who shall at
the coming of the Lord be found in the flesh, and who shall, owing to the
oppressions of the time of Antichrist, deserve by an instantaneous death,
which is accomplished by a sudden change, to become qualified to join the
rising saints; as he writes to the Thessalonians: "For this we say
unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto
the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the
Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first: then we too shall ourselves be caught up together with them in the
clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the
Lord." (10) Hippolytus,
AD 170-236: "When
the times are fulfilled, and the ten horns spring from the beast in the
last (times), then Antichrist will appear among them. When he makes war
against the saints, and persecutes them, then may we expect the
manifestation of the Lord from heaven. (11)
"It
is proper that we take the Holy Scriptures themselves in hand, and find
out from them what, and of what manner, the coming of Antichrist is; on
what occasion and at what time that impious one shall be revealed; and
whence and from what tribe (he shall come); and what his name is, which is
indicated by the number in Scripture; and how he shall work error among
the people, gathering them from the ends of the earth; and (how) he shall
stir up tribulation and persecution against the saints; and how he shall
glorify himself as God; and what his end shall be; and how the sudden
appearing of the Lord shall be revealed from heaven; and what the
conflagration of the whole world shall be; and what the glorious and
heavenly kingdom of the saints is to be, when they reign together with
Christ; and what the punishment of the wicked by fire." (12) "With
respect to his name, it is not in our power to explain it exactly, as the
blessed John understood it and was instructed about it, but only to give a
conjectural account of it; for when he appears, the blessed one will show
us what we seek to know. ... Wherefore we ought neither to give it out as
if this were certainly his name, nor again ignore the fact that he may not
otherwise be designated. But having the mystery of God in our heart, we
ought in fear to keep faithfully what has been told us by blessed
prophets, in order that when those things come to pass, we may be prepared
for them, and not be deceived. For when the times advance, he too, of whom
these things are said, will be manifest." (13) "Now
concerning the tribulation of the persecution which is to fall upon the
Church from the adversary, John also speaks thus, "And I saw a great
and wondrous sign in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, ... And to the
woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the
wilderness, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time,
from the face of the serpent." That refers to the one thousand two
hundred and threescore days (the half of the week) during which the tyrant
is to reign and persecute the Church.... These things then, being come 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 Jesus Christ from heaven, for whom we have looked in
hope." (14) Cyprian,
AD 200-258: "The
Lord hath foretold that these things would come. With the exhortation of
His forseeing word, instructing, and teaching, and preparing, and
strengthening the people of His Church for all endurance of things to
come. He predicted and said that wars, and famines, and earthquakes, and
pestilences would arise in each place; and lest an unexpected and new
dread of mischiefs should shake us, He previously warned us that the
adversary would increase more and more in the last times." (15) "For
you ought to know and to believe, and hold it for certain, that the day of
affliction has begun to hang over our heads, and the end of the world and
the time of Antichrist to draw near, so that we must all stand prepared
for the battle; nor consider anything but the glory of life eternal, and
the crown of the confession of the Lord; and not regard those things which
are coming as being such as were those which have passed away. A severer
and a fiercer fight is now threatening, for which the soldiers of Christ
ought to prepare themselves with uncorrupted faith and robust courage,
considering that they drink the cup of Christ''s blood daily, for the
reason that they themselves also may be able to shed their blood for
Christ. For this is to wish to be found with Christ, to imitate that which
Christ both taught and did, according to the Apostle John, who said,
""He that saith he abideth in Christ, ought himself also so to
walk even as He walked."" Moreover, the blessed Apostle Paul
exhorts and teaches, saying, ""We are God''s children; but if
children, then heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we
suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together."" ...
For there comes the time, beloved brethren, which our Lord long ago
foretold and taught us was approaching, saying, ""The time
cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
And these things they will do unto you, because they have not known the
Father nor me. But these things have I told you, that when the time shall
come, ye may remember that I told you of them."" Nor let any one
wonder that we are harassed with increasing afflictions, when the Lord
before predicted that these things would happen in the last times, and has
instructed us for the warfare by the teaching and exhortation of His
words. Peter also, His apostle, has taught that persecutions occur for the
sake of our being proved, and that we also should, by the example of
righteous men who have gone before us, be joined to the love of God by
death and sufferings. For he wrote in his epistle, and said,
""Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which
is to try you, nor do ye fall away, as if some new thing happened unto
you; but as often as ye partake in Christ''s sufferings, rejoice in all
things, that when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with
exceeding joy." (16) "Nor
let any one of you, beloved brethren, be so terrified by the fear of
future persecution, or the coming of the threatening Antichrist, as not to
be found armed for all things by the evangelical exhortations and
precepts, and by the heavenly warnings. Antichrist is coming, but above
him comes Christ also. The enemy goeth about and rageth, but immediately
the Lord follows to avenge our sufferings and our wounds. The adversary is
enraged and threatens, but there is One who can deliver us from his hands.
He is to be feared whose anger no one can escape, as He Himself forewarns,
and says: ""Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able
to kill the soul; but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both body
and soul in hell."" And again: ""He that loveth his
life, shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world, shall keep
it unto life eternal."" And in the Apocalypse He instructs and
forewarns, saying, ""If any man worship the beast and his image,
and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, the same also shall
drink of the wine of the wrath of God, mixed in the cup of His
indignation, and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the
presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb; and the
smoke of their torments shall ascend up for ever and ever; and they shall
have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image." "For
the secular contest men are trained and prepared, and reckon it a great
glory of their honor if it should happen to them to be crowned in the
sight of the people, and in the presence of the emperor. Behold a lofty
and great contest, glorious also with the reward of a heavenly crown,
inasmuch as God looks upon us as we struggle, and, extending His view over
those whom He has condescended to make His sons, He enjoys the spectacle
of our contest. God looks upon us in the warfare, and fighting in the
encounter of faith; His angels look on us, and Christ looks on us. How
great is the dignity, and how great the happiness of the glory, to engage
in the presence of God, and to be crowned, with Christ for a judge! Let us
be armed, beloved brethren, with our whole strength, and let us be
prepared for the struggle with an uncorrupted mind, with a sound faith,
with a devoted courage. Let the camp of God go forth to the battle-field
which is appointed to us. Let the sound ones be armed, lest he that is
sound should lose the advantage of having lately stood; let the lapsed
also be armed, that even the lapsed may regain what he has lost: let honor
provoke the whole; let sorrow provoke the lapsed to the battle. The
Apostle Paul teaches us to be armed and prepared, saying, ""We
wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against powers, and the princes
of this world and of this darkness, against spirits of wickedness in high
places. Wherefore put on the whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand
in the most evil day, that when ye have done all ye may stand; having your
loins girt about with truth, and having put on the breastplate of
righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of
peace; taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench
all the fiery darts of the wicked one; and the helmet of salvation, and
the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."" (17) Victorinus,
AD ? - 304: "He
speaks of Elias the prophet, who is the precursor of the times of
Antichrist, for the restoration and establishment of the churches from the
great and intolerable persecution."(18) "The
woman clothed with the sun, and having the moon under her feet, and
wearing the crown of twelve stars upon her head, and travailing in her
pains, is the ancient Church of fathers, and prophets, and saints, and
apostles,..." (19) "He
shall cause also that a golden image of Antichrist shall be placed in the
temple at "[T]he
thousand years should be completed, that is, what is left of the sixth
day, to wit, of the sixth age, which subsists of a thousand years; after
this he must be loosed for a little season. The little season signifies
three years and six months, in which with all his power the devil will
avenge himself under Antichrist against the Church." (21) Constitutions
of the Holy Apostles: "Be
watchful for your life. "Let your loins be girded about, and your
lights burning, and ye like unto men who wait for their Lord, and when He
will come, at even, or in the morning, or at cock-crowing, or at
From this evidence, you can easily see that the "For
more than nineteen centuries, Bible-believing Christians have gained much
comfort from this passage. But the relentless attacks of recent years
(some nothing but vicious distortions of facts) have prompted many to
question its truth." (23)
I find it completely incredible that Dr. LaHaye accuses other
people of what he is essentially guilty of. He then writes this in a
continuing attempt to tie PTR to the "While
the church of the first three centuries did not label this resurrection of
the dead believers and translation of living Christians the Rapture, it
anticipated it." (24)
I agree that the Church of the first three centuries did anticipate
the rapture, but did not believe that it would come before the Tribulation
Period. Because of all the persecution that they were experiencing I'm
sure that they thought they were already in the tribulation.
Therefore, what is LaHaye's point here? His point is, as it
remained throughout his book, an attempt to tie what is false with that
which is true. PTR is truly a parasitic doctrine that is attached by its
proponents to the truth, but the result is that it doesn't even remotely
resemble truth.
Almost all of the viciousness that I have witnessed concerning the
debate over this doctrine has been by Pretribulation Rapture proponents.
There is much evidence of this Darbyian spirit in Dr. LaHaye's book. It
brings up memories of the Roman Catholic church, when the errant leaders
of that cult begin to attack everyone who pointed out their error. When a
person gets in a state where he or she cannot accept hard facts that prove
their position to be wrong, they are in a dangerous position. My advice to
Dr. LaHaye is to read the words of his own book and take heed! "Suffice
it to say that such ideas, even without scriptural backing, will be used
to create an enormous interest in the return of Christ and other prophetic
teachings as we near the end of the millennium."25
The cults know this as well! The deceiver of the minds of men can
be expected to fan the flames of New Age teachings, extraterrestrial
sightings, and other novel fads that will deceive many. We need to know
the truth about future events so that we will not be victimized by the
avalanche of the insidious new hypotheses that will sweep the world as we
approach the end of this decade and prepare for the twenty-first century.
Remember when the disciples asked about "the sign...of the end of the
age"? Christ quickly warned them, saying: "Take heed that no one
deceive you, for many will come in my name saying, 'I am Christ,' and will
deceive many" (Matthew 24:4-5 NKJV).
I realize that neither of my books will reach the best seller lists
because I'm not an expert in scaring Christians into hanging onto a false
doctrine. That seems to be the intent of the fictional books and movies
that LaHaye puts out. He seems to be doing the same thing in his book
"Rapture Under Attack." I agree with LaHaye that the best
antidote to deception is truth. But to satisfy our own curiosity about
Jesus' coming and to provide a ready answer for those who are confused, we
should read the Bible, not fictional books. In fact, I would rather anyone
read the Bible than one of my books.
Truth will set the captive free, but the captive has to desire that
freedom. No one can be set free who denies Biblical truth and is under
such a great delusion that he cannot even understand that his conduct is
indicative of a deluded soul. My prayer is that all who are controlled by
the fictional power of PTR will turn to God's Word, turn off the
television, and put away the PTR books, tapes, and magazines. In fact,
anyone that is willing to be taught by the anointing can even discard
every book that is written against PTR and just read the Bible with an
open mind, and he or she will clearly see the truth. That is what I did,
and it worked for me. God's Word declares that it will work for every
Spirit-filled believer. "But
the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do
not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you
concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has
taught you, you will abide in Him. {28} And now, little children, abide in
Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed
before Him at His coming." (1 John 2:27-28 NKJV) 1.
The Letters of John Nelson Darby, 2d de. ( 2.
Didache - Chapter 16 3.
Epistle of Barnabas, IV 4.
Dialog with Trypho, CX 5.
Against Heresies V, XXVI, 1 6.
Against Heresies V, XXX, 2,4 7.
Against Heresies V, XXXV, 1 8.
The Shepherd of Hermas, Fourth Vision 9.
On the Resurrection of the Flesh, XXV [7] 10.
On the Resurrection of the Flesh, XLI 11.
Fragments from Commentaries, II, 7 12.
Treatise on Christ and Antichrist, 5 13.
Treatise on Christ and Antichrist, 50 14.
Treatise on Christ and Antichrist, 60, 61, 64 15.
Treatise VII, 2 16.
Epistles of Cyprian, 17.
Epistles of Cyprian, 18.
Commentary on the Apocalypse, 7:2 19.
Commentary on the Apocalypse, 12:1 20.
Commentary on the Apocalypse, 21.
Commentary on the Apocalypse, 20:1-3 22.
Constitutions of the Holy Apostles, Book VII, XXXI, XXXII 23.
Tim LaHaye, Rapture Under Attack, Multnomah, Sisters, 24.
Ibid, pg. 31
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