Dispensationalism is not Biblical, it is a man-made doctrine.

TokiEl

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Ezekiel 36-37 harmonises with the New Testament, not contradicts it. The promises to Israel now belong to all those of faith regardless of race because they are all Israel. Paul wrote, "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God” (Romans 2:17, 25, 26, 28, 29).
Jews at that time did not believe in salvation of non jews... and that's why Paul sets the record straight.

God looks at the heart of man and not his blood.


If you read Ezekiel 36-37... you see that God has a bone to pick with the nations and especially Edom who took His land as if it was their own and plundered and left it desolate. You see God lifting His hand and solemnly swear that His land will again produce branches and bear fruit for His people who will come home.

Furthermore God says it is for the sake of His name which was profaned by His people wherever they went... that He will bring them back and so also show the nations roundabout that He is God.


It is a historical fact that the jews are back... but it was also a biblical promise.



God never blinded the Jews, they blinded themselves with their sin and rejection of Him. God gave the Jews so many chances to come back to Him. Their rejection of Him could not continue forever. Eventually they lost their state as the chosen nation. Jesus Himself told them that, "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof" (Matthew 21:43). Jerusalem had not brought forth fruit for a long time because of their rejection of God, so the gospel was taken from and given to the Gentiles. In the New Testament the gospel goes out mainly to the Gentiles and to this day the true gospel of Christ is with the Gentiles mainly who joined the olive tree and are now part of Israel. Spiritual Israel is sadly mainly made up of Gentiles not Jews.
Paul said in Romans 11 that God blinded the jews... but of course if you say God did not... we must admit Paul was wrong. L0L


You talk an awful lot... but do you listen to the shepherde ?
 

elsbet

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@TokiEl
Is this the verse you're referencing?

For God has consigned ALL
to disobedience,* that he may​
have mercy on ALL. Rom. 11:32
* JEW AND GENTILE
3956
pantas
πάντας
all
............

Unrelated bonus material:
re: gentile / jentil here and here... from the Basque country. Interesting too because their language is unique.
: )
 

TokiEl

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@TokiEl
Is this the verse you're referencing?

For God has consigned ALL
to disobedience,* that he may​
have mercy on ALL. Rom. 11:32
* JEW AND GENTILE


Romans 11 7What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

8Just as it is written:

God has given them a spirit of stupor,
Eyes that they should not see
And ears that they should not hear,
To this very day.”



............
Unrelated bonus material:
re: gentile / jentil here and here... from the Basque country. Interesting too because their language is unique.
: )
There is something about the basques... and i don't know what yet.
 

phipps

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Christians who believe in the dispensationalist doctrine follow and idolise other men and their interpretations of what they think the Bible really says, instead of studying the Bible itself prayerfully and finding out God's true doctrine. These men came up with systems of interpretations, which became idolised in certain branches of Christianity and taught in certain Bible colleges as TRUTH. This is the work of proud men led by their own intellect and not by the Spirit of God. They have a zeal but not after God's knowledge and truth, they are stiff-necked and unable to understand that they are gravely deceived.
 
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TokiEl

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Christians who believe in the dispensationalist doctrine follow and idolise other men and their interpretations of what they think the Bible really says. These men came up with systems of interpretations, which became idolised in certain branches of Christianity and taught in certain Bible colleges as TRUTH. This is the work of proud men led by their own intellect and not by the Spirit of God. They have a zeal but not after God's knowledge and truth, they are stiff-necked and unable to understand that they are gravely deceived.
Who do you think you are ?

I am the shepherde !
 

phipps

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John 5:39, "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me."

John 17:17, "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth."
 

elsbet

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Romans 11 7What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

8Just as it is written:

God has given them a spirit of stupor,
Eyes that they should not see
And ears that they should not hear,
To this very day.”



............


There is something about the basques... and i don't know what yet.
I agree.
The population has the largest percentage of Rh- (negative) blood in the world. And as I mentioned earlier, their language is totally unique. There is plenty of info on them out there.

 

Red Sky at Morning

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@phipps

With respect….

<====== begin polemic

“Christians who believe in the [substitute any doctrine you disagree with here] follow and idolise other men and their interpretations of what they think the Bible really says, instead of studying the Bible itself prayerfully and finding out God's true doctrine. These men came up with systems of interpretations, which became idolised in certain branches of Christianity and taught in certain Bible colleges as TRUTH. This is the work of proud men led by their own intellect and not by the Spirit of God. They have a zeal but not after God's knowledge and truth, they are stiff-necked and unable to understand that they are gravely deceived.”

========> end polemic

I recently had a lengthy Facebook interaction with a person who was firmly convinced of Reformed, covenant theology. He took the fact that the reformers, especially Calvin, were excellent folk and, using the 1611 KJV understood the Bible better than anyone. Ever. Calvin’s TULIP formulation was unquestionably correct etc.

He criticised the later “ideas of men” like Schofield and Darby whilst being blissfully unaware that the reformers were men (and women), as was Augustine, Irenaeus and even Ellen G White.

Truthfully, we simply have the Bible, the Holy Spirit (for those of us who are Born Again) the historic ideas of fellow believers and our own insight and maturity to draw on. Even with these, on some matters we will all see through a glass darkly.

As I have got older, I have come to understand these verses more and more…

1 Corinthians 2

Paul's Message, the Spirit's Power

1And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

Paul knew more than he shared with the Corinthians, but he chose not to let that knowledge eclipse his witness for the Lord. There are wide disagreements on many secondary denominational stances, none of which do the slightest thing to help reach the lost, and when we know even as we are known will become an irrelevance in the bright light of eternity.
 

phipps

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Which Bible Interpretation is Right?

Many people interpret the Bible. How do you know which interpretation is the right one?

"To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).

The Bible is our guide to lead us to heaven and we do not want to take anybody’s word, but go to the Scriptures for ourselves to seek light. We are individually accountable to God. When we accept somebody else’s word on what the Bible says, we have then put man over and above the Word of God. “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

“Especially should we entreat the Lord for wisdom to understand His Word. … Satan is an expert in quoting Scripture, placing his own interpretation upon passages, by which he hopes to cause us to stumble. We should study the Bible with humility of heart, never losing sight of our dependence upon God. While we must constantly guard against the devices of Satan, we should pray in faith continually, ‘Lead us not into temptation’ [Matthew 6:13].” The Faith I Live By, 331.

Many place their own interpretation on the Scriptures. Each of us, individually, needs to know what God’s Word says. We are to study “precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little” (Isaiah 28:13) so that we may understand what God is saying to us. Many people may interpret the Bible as to what they think the Word of God says, but the Bible will interpret itself.

There are many religions, many interpreters, but what saith the Lord? When we sit down with the Word of God and humbly ask for God’s Holy Spirit to teach us, He will answer that prayer. You can then begin to search the Word of God for yourself. Using a Bible concordance, you can look up specific words which will lead you to all of the books of the Bible that may contain that subject, and as you bring all of those verses together, God will, through His Word, teach you what truth is and what error is. You need not follow anybody’s interpretation unless it is found in the Bible.

Let the truth be read by you, as it is in Jesus and not as it is according to what somebody else said. God, through His Holy Spirit, is our teacher. “Through thy precepts I get understanding” (Psalm 119:104). It does not say through the understanding of others.
 

Red Sky at Morning

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@phipps

I will not be creating a new thread stating why Adventism is a man-made doctrine, but you have recently prompted me to explore the claims of SDA and I have to say that I cannot agree with them.

Some of the main areas of divergence from Evangelical Christianity are outlined by Alan Parr here.

Part 1 | Part 2

I know I’m not exactly building common ground here, but these are real differences that need to be acknowledged.
 
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phipps

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The Spread of Dispensationalism

Summary: Four key men spread the doctrine of dispensationalism in 19th-century North America.

Scholars and ministers spread dispensationalism across America in the 19th century. John Nelson Darby, “the father of dispensationalism,” was a founder of the Plymouth Brethren movement. His most influential contribution was his promotion of dispensationalism and the secret rapture.

Darby, born in London, made seven trips to North America between 1862 and 1877, throughout and after the Civil War. Many saw his message of Christ’s return as hope in a dark world. James Inglis published Darby’s ideas in his journal Waymarks in the Wilderness. Brothers Paul and Timothy Loizeaux, part of the Plymouth Brethren movement in the United States, also helped to distribute Darby’s interpretations of Scripture.
Darby greatly influenced a Presbyterian minister named Dr. James H. Brookes, who developed the Niagara Bible Conference that met every summer from 1875 to 1897. The Bible studies held there were devoured by many eager young students—one of which was Cyrus Ingerson Scofield. Even to this day, Scofield is famous for his Scofield Reference Bible, which has dispensationalist footnotes.

Scofield established the Philadelphia School of the Bible. Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, a staff member, went on to become founder of Dallas Theological Seminary. He taught decades of theological students and pastors the dispensational point of view. One of those students was Hal Lindsey. His books, including The Late Great Planet Earth, declare that the physical nation of Israel is still God’s chosen people and the key to Bible prophecy.

These dispensational ideas have strongly influenced American foreign policy. They have lead to support for Israel largely based on the supposed blessing that such support will bring.

The information in this section is derived from James M. Efird, Left Behind? What the Bible Really Says about the End Times (Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 2006). Preview this book online.
 

phipps

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Post-Rapture Tribulation

Summary: Dispensationalism proposes that a secret rapture will occur before the time of tribulation on Earth.

Dispensationalism is the background for the blockbuster Left Behind series. It proposes that the rapture of the Church will occur at the secret coming of Christ, before the Antichrist rules the earth for a seven-year tribulation period.

The Ryrie Study Bible says that the seven-year tribulation period "is the 70th week of Daniel and is therefore of seven-years’ duration" (Daniel 9:27).

This statement illogically separates the 70th week from the preceding 69 weeks. The seven years are placed over 2000 years into the future, to the time of Antichrist. A prophecy referring to Christ is twisted to refer to the Antichrist instead.

By stating that the Antichrist is an individual, dispensationalism ignores the Bible. The Antichrist is more than an individual. 1 John 2:18 says, “even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.” These “antichrists” came out of the Church as apostate believers. Eventually, this Antichrist power found a home in a geo-political religious system, the papal system. It has harassed the Church for centuries, and is still a threat to believers in our time.
 

phipps

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The Rise and Spread of Futurism - Jesuit Futurism

Summary: Jesuits Francisco Ribera and Robert Bellarmine were instrumental in the development and spread of futurist doctrine.

The Catholic Counter Reformation - Futurism


The Jesuits were commissioned by the Pope to develop a new interpretation of Scripture that would counteract the Protestant application of the Bible’s prophecies regarding the Antichrist to the Roman Catholic Church. All the reformers’ studies pointed the finger directly at the Roman Catholic Church as the Antichrist power described in Daniel as the “little horn.”

Francisco Ribera (1537-1591), a brilliant Jesuit priest and doctor of theology from Spain, answered the Papacy’s call. Like Martin Luther, Francisco Ribera also read by candlelight the prophecies about the Antichrist, the little horn, the man of sin, and the beast of Revelation.

He then developed the doctrine of futurism. His explanation was that the prophecies apply only to a single sinister man who will arise up at the end of time. Rome quickly adopted this viewpoint as the Church’s official position on the Antichrist.

In 1590 Ribera published a commentary on the Revelation as a counter interpretation to the prevailing view among Protestants which identified the Papacy with the Antichrist. Ribera applied all of Revelation to the end time rather than to the history of the church. Antichrist, he taught, would be a single evil person who would be received by the Jews and who would rebuild Jerusalem. George Eldon Ladd, The Blessed Hope. A Biblical Study of the Second Advent and Rapture (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1956): 37-38.

Ribera denied the Protestant Scriptural Antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2) as seated in the church of God-asserted by Augustine, Jerome, Luther, and many reformers. He set on an infidel Antichrist, outside the church of God. Ronald Charles Thompson, Champions of Christianity in Search of Truth (TEACH Services, 1996): 89.

The result of [Ribera’s] work was a twisting and maligning of prophetic truth. Robert Caringola, Seventy Weeks: An Historical Alternative (Destiny Image Publishers, 1991): 32.

Following close behind Francisco Ribera was another brilliant Jesuit scholar, Cardinal Robert Bellarmine of Rome (1542-1621). Between 1581-1593, Cardinal Bellarmine agreed with Ribera in his work Polemic Lectures Concerning the Disputed points of the Christian Belief Against the Heretics of this Time.

The futurist teachings of Ribera were further popularized by an Italian cardinal and the most renowned Jesuit controversialists. His writings claimed that Paul, Daniel, and John had nothing whatsoever to say about the Papal power. The futurists’ school won general acceptance among Catholics. They were taught that antichrist was a single individual who would not rule until the very end of time. Ralph Woodrow, Great Prophecies of the Bible (1971): 198.

Through the work of these two clever Jesuit scholars, Jesuit futurism was born.
 

phipps

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The Rise and Spread of Futurism - Futurism Spreads

Summary: Futurism began as a Jesuit Catholic doctrine but was quickly adopted by Protestantism.


For almost 300 years after the Council of Trent, Jesuit futurism remained largely within Catholicism, but the plan of the Jesuits was that Protestants would adopt this doctrine. This adoption process actually began in the early 1800s in England, and from there it spread to America.

The story of how this happened is both fascinating and tragic. Many individuals were genuine Christians but unknowingly became channels of error.

The Futurism of Ribera never posed a positive threat to Protestants worldwide for three centuries. It did stop the Reformation in Eastern Europe. However, largely, it was virtually confined to the Roman Church. But earlier in the nineteenth century it sprang forth with vehemence as it latched on to Protestants of the Established Church of England. Ronald Charles Thompson, Champions of Christianity in Search of Truth (TEACH Services, 1996): 91

Key Players

Dr. Samuel Roffey Maitland (1792-1866), a lawyer and Bible scholar, became a librarian to the Archbishop of Canterbury. In 1826 he published a book attacking the Reformation and supporting Ribera’s idea of a future one-man Antichrist. For the next ten years, in tract after tract, he continued his anti-Reformation rhetoric. As a result of his zeal and strong attacks against the Reformation, the Protestantism of England—the very nation that produced the King James Bible in 1611—received a crushing blow.

After Maitland came James H. Todd, a professor of Hebrew at the University of Dublin. Todd accepted the futuristic ideas of Maitland, publishing his own supportive pamphlets and books.

Then came John Henry Newman (1801-1890), a member of the Church of England and a leader of the famous Oxford movement. In 1850, Newman wrote his Letter on Anglican Difficulties, revealing that one of his goals in the Oxford movement was to absorb “the various English denominations and parties" back into the Church of Rome. After publishing a pamphlet endorsing Todd’s futurism about a one-man Antichrist, Newman became a Roman Catholic, and later even a highly-honored cardinal.

Through the influence of Maitland, Todd, Newman, and others, a definite “Romeward movement was already arising, destined to sweep away the old Protestant landmarks, as with a flood.” H. Grattan Guinness, History Unveiling Prophecy or Time as an Interpreter (New York: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1905): 289.
 

Maldarker

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@phipps

so why are you following a cult when your saying that this stuff is wrong etc how the heck should i even take you serious?

Your SDA founder was a false prophet so again i ask

Their movement originated in 1836 with William Miller (1782-1849), a false prophet who claimed to know that the second coming of Christ would happen in 1843. When this prediction proved false, many left the movement in a period called “The Great Disappointment.” Given this man’s obvious fraud, we might assume his followers would abandon him quickly since he failed the basic biblical test for the office of prophet. But here we are today.

Though these circumstances should have put an end to this movement, Adventism continued. After his death, Miller's followers took to calling themselves “Adventists,” referring to their anticipation for the second appearing of Christ.

In response to Miller’s false prediction, Adventists contrived an explanation for Jesus’ failure to appear in 1843. The church proposed that Jesus was unable to return because He was engaged in an "Investigative Judgment" process of examining all who dwell on the earth to determine who has repented sufficiently to receive the benefit of His atonement. Only after His investigation was complete would Jesus return to the earth, Adventists claimed.

Not only is the Adventist doctrine of Investigative Judgment unsupported by scripture, it is contrary to scripture.

First, Jesus is omniscient, so He always knows the state of every human heart in all history at every moment, so He needs no time to accomplish such a work (see John 2:25).


Consequently, the Adventist's core doctrine of Investigative Judgment, upon which the church was founded and from which the church gets its very name, is a false teaching. More importantly, it leads to a false Gospel since it implies a works requirement to be saved. If men must do sufficient repentance in order to obtain Christ's atonement, then men would be required to accomplish a work to be saved.

Later, the Adventist church recognized another so-called prophet, Ellen White, who claimed to receive "visions" and who the church believed spoke for God (despite the Bible’s teaching that no new revelation will come after the canon of scripture closed).

Under the influence of these (likely demonic) visions, White and others in the church invented new, unbiblical concepts of life after death, including the notion that the dead enter a period of soul sleep, where they know nothing. They also taught that no hell exists and that the wicked merely cease to exist at the end of time. Each of these beliefs contradicts the clear teaching of scripture.

And i could go on.....
 

phipps

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The Rise and Spread of Futurism - Dispensationalism

Summary: As futurism was spreading across Europe, the doctrine of dispensationalism emerged.

Dispensationalism and the Secret Rapture

As the doctrine of futurism was spreading across Europe, The much-respected Scottish Presbyterian minister Edward Irving (1792-1834), the acknowledged forerunner of both the Pentecostal and charismatic movements, came onto the scene. Irving pastored the large Chalcedonian Chapel in London with over 1000 members.

When Irving turned to the prophecies, he eventually accepted the one-man Antichrist ideas of Todd, Maitland, Bellarmine, and Ribera. But Irving went a step further. Around 1830, Edward Irving began to teach the unique idea of a two-phase return of Christ, the first phase being a secret rapture prior to the rise of the Antichrist.

In the midst of this growing anti-Protestant climate in England arose John Nelson Darby (1800-1882). A brilliant lawyer, pastor, and theologian, Darby wrote more than 50 books on Bible subjects. A much-respected Christian and a man of deep piety, he took a strong stand in favor of the infallibility of the Bible in contrast with the liberalism of his day.

However, John Nelson Darby, like Edward Irving, also became a strong promoter of a pre-tribulation rapture followed by a one-man Antichrist. In fact, his teaching has become a hallmark of dispensationalism.

John Nelson Darby laid much of the foundation for the present popular idea of removing Daniel’s seventieth week from its historical context in the time of Jesus Christ and applying it to a future tribulation after the rapture.

In spite of all the positives of his ministry, Darby followed Maitland, Todd, Bellarmine, and Ribera by incorporating the teachings of futurism into his theology. Thus, a link was created between John Nelson Darby—the father of dispensationalism—and the Jesuit Francisco Ribera—the father of futurism. Darby visited America six times between 1859 and 1874, preaching in all of its major cities, during which time he planted the seeds of futurism in American soil.

One of the most important figures in the spread of these false doctrines is Cyrus Ingerson Scofield (1843-1921), a lawyer from Kansas who was greatly influenced by the writings of Darby. In 1909, Scofield published the first edition of his famous Scofield Reference Bible.
 

Red Sky at Morning

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When I first heard the term “futurism” a while back I laughed!

Prophecy deals with the future (I.e. something that would come to pass in the course of time, by its very definition…

Isaiah 46:10
King James Version


10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

Sounds like the future to me! I guess I’m a futurist then…

Of course some prophecies (which were one future) have been fulfilled, others will have more than one ultimate fulfilment and others are yet to happen.

@phipps

E.g. What would a non-futurist interpretation of Isaiah 17 look like? Is there any possible preterist, historicist or symbolist reading that makes sense in the light of history?
 
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phipps

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The Rise and Spread of Futurism - Spreading Futurism though Print and Screen

Summary: For the last century, the doctrine of futurism has been spread through Christian media.


Throughout the 20th century, futurism and dispensationalism became popular through books marketed to Christians.

The Scofield Bible
In the early 1900s, the Scofield Bible became so popular among American Protestants that it was necessary to print millions of copies. Yet, in the much-respected footnotes of this very Bible, Scofield injected large doses of futurism also found in the writings of Darby, Todd, Maitland, Bellarmine, and Ribera.

Through the Scofield Bible, Jesuit futurism spread successfully across America. The doctrine of an Antichrist still to come was becoming firmly established inside twentieth-century American Protestantism.

The Late Great Planet Earth
The Moody Bible Institute and the Dallas Theological Seminary have strongly supported the teachings of John Nelson Darby, and this has continued to fuel futurism’s growth. Then in the 1970s, pastor Hal Lindsey, a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, released his blockbuster book The Late Great Planet Earth. This volume brought futurism to the masses of American Christianity and beyond. The New York Times labeled it, “The number one bestseller of the decade.” Over 30 million copies have been sold, and it has been translated into more than 30 languages.

The Left Behind Series
Then came Left Behind. In the 1990s, Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins took the future one-man Antichrist idea of Lindsey, Scofield, Darby, Irving, Newman, Todd, Maitland, Bellarmine, and Ribera, and turned it into “The most successful Christian-fiction series ever,” according to Publishers Weekly.

Hal Lindsey’s book was largely theological, which limited its appeal, while Left Behind is a sequence of highly imaginative novels. According to Entertainment Weekly, the series is “overflowing with suspense, action and adventure,” a “Christian thriller” with a label its creators could never have predicted: “blockbuster success.”

The television ministries of Jack Van Impel, Peter and Paul Lalonde, and Pastor John Hagee have all worked together to produce Left Behind: The Movie. The entire project has even caught the attention of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, resulting in an interview of Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins on Larry King Live.

The authors of Left Behind and the leaders of these television ministries are genuine Christians who are doing their best to influence people for God’s Kingdom. Yet, in the full light of Scripture, prophecy, and the Protestant Reformation, something is terribly wrong.

Left Behind teaches much of the same Jesuit futurism of Francisco Ribera, hiding the real truth about the Antichrist. Through Left Behind, the floodgates of futurism have been opened, unleashing a massive tidal wave of false prophecy, which is now sweeping over America.

The theological foundation for the entire Left Behind series is the application of the seven years of Daniel 9:27 to a future period of tribulation. This separates the 70th week away from the first 69 weeks in the 70-week prophecy, putting it at the end of time. Remember, one of the first people to do this was Jesuit Francisco Ribera:

"Ribera’s primary apparatus was the seventy weeks. He taught that Daniel’s seventieth week was still in the future…It was as though God put a giant rubber band on this Messianic time measure. Does this supposition sound familiar? This is exactly the scenario used by Hal Lindsey and a multitude of other current prophecy teachers." Robert Caringola, Seventy Weeks: The Historical Alternative (Abundant Life Ministries Reformed Press, 1991): 35.
 

Red Sky at Morning

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The Spread of Dispensationalism

Summary: Four key men spread the doctrine of dispensationalism in 19th-century North America.

Scholars and ministers spread dispensationalism across America in the 19th century. John Nelson Darby, “the father of dispensationalism,” was a founder of the Plymouth Brethren movement. His most influential contribution was his promotion of dispensationalism and the secret rapture.

Darby, born in London, made seven trips to North America between 1862 and 1877, throughout and after the Civil War. Many saw his message of Christ’s return as hope in a dark world. James Inglis published Darby’s ideas in his journal Waymarks in the Wilderness. Brothers Paul and Timothy Loizeaux, part of the Plymouth Brethren movement in the United States, also helped to distribute Darby’s interpretations of Scripture.
Darby greatly influenced a Presbyterian minister named Dr. James H. Brookes, who developed the Niagara Bible Conference that met every summer from 1875 to 1897. The Bible studies held there were devoured by many eager young students—one of which was Cyrus Ingerson Scofield. Even to this day, Scofield is famous for his Scofield Reference Bible, which has dispensationalist footnotes.

Scofield established the Philadelphia School of the Bible. Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, a staff member, went on to become founder of Dallas Theological Seminary. He taught decades of theological students and pastors the dispensational point of view. One of those students was Hal Lindsey. His books, including The Late Great Planet Earth, declare that the physical nation of Israel is still God’s chosen people and the key to Bible prophecy.

These dispensational ideas have strongly influenced American foreign policy. They have lead to support for Israel largely based on the supposed blessing that such support will bring.

The information in this section is derived from James M. Efird, Left Behind? What the Bible Really Says about the End Times (Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 2006). Preview this book online.
I have read this before but it is actually more of a narrative / fantasy polemic of the Rapture.

It is pretty clear from a study of the writings of the early church fathers that at least some held to a pre-trib rapture. This understanding (along with lots of other understanding) was eroded and symbolised by the Catholic Church.

After the reformation, people began to study and understand the Bible again and all kinds of positions re-emerged.

Do you still genuinely hold that Darby et al invented the “secret rapture”?

Also, where does the “secret” idea come from? If it happens it will be far more shock than secret!
 
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