“The Secret Rapture False Teaching”

By Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
“I have said that the teaching about the secret rapture did not appear before 1830. We have, in fact, an authoritative statement as to how it began.

There was a New Testament scholar called Tregelles, who belonged to the so-called Plymouth Brethren. In 1830 and subsequently he was present at the Powerscourt Conferences which were attended by J.N. Darby and B.W. Newton, and others belonging to that school.

This is what Tregelles says: 'I was not aware that there was any definite teaching that there should be a secret rapture of the Church at a secret coming until this was given forth as an utterance in Mr. Edward Irving's church, from what was then received as being the voice of the Spirit - it was from that supposed 'revelation' that the modern doctrine arose.'

The teaching of the secret rapture of the Church at the coming of our Lord was first taught as the result of a prophetic utterance in Edward Irving's church.
It originated as an Utterance in Tongues, interpreted by somebody, and, indeed, Tregelles emphasized this by saying that this teaching was a 'revelation'.

As I understand the New Testament, we should always be suspicious of a teaching that is based upon some supposed 'revelation'.

According to Tregelles, the teaching with regard to the preliminary rapture of the saints, which first came in as a prophetic utterance, was accepted by certain people present at the 1830 conference, including J.N. Darby.

But it was not accepted by B.W. Newton, nor by George Mueller, and there was a division even among that circle.

Only J.N Darby and certain of his followers accepted it.

D.L. Moody, the evangelist, adopted J.N. Darby's teaching and because Moody was such a well-known man as a result of his evangelistic campaigns, it was popularized immediately.

The formation of the Moody Bible Institute popularized it still more and the publication of the Scofield Bible was possibly most influential of all in spreading this 'new revelation' teaching.

That, then, is the teaching about this Preliminary Rapture and the friends who believe this claim that there are certain scriptures which prove it.

So let us look first at 2 Thessalonians 2:8: 'And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming' - or, 'the epiphany of His parousia' or, 'the manifestation of His coming'. There is, it is claimed, a distinction between His 'coming' and the 'manifestation of His coming'.

But this is surely answered by 2 Thessalonians 1: 9-10 where the destruction of the sinners and the glorification of the saints occur together.

Furthermore, 2 Thessalonians 2:1 identifies the parousia with the coming of the Lord.
With regard to Matthew 24:40-41 which reads, 'Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left', the whole setting is that of judgment and in the context is comparable to the flood.

This verse therefore means that at the final judgment there will be a separation.
Finally, in John 5:28-29 our Lord says, 'Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which ALL that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation'; while in John 6:39-40 He refers to 'the last day'.

So, the clear teaching of Scripture is that there is Only One Coming, not two; nor are there two stages. There is NO 'Secret' Rapture, and No coming of our Lord at any moment. Certain things must happen first, as we have seen.

The Scripture declares plainly that the Lord Jesus will NOT come until the Apostacy shall have taken place, the Man of Sin, the son of perdition shall have been revealed as in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5.

Many other portions also of the Word of God distinctly teach that certain events are to be fulfilled before the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because His appearing is our blessed hope to which we look forward, let us purify ourselves now, seeking to live as children of the light, and obviously different from the children of night and of darkness."
- “Great Doctrines of the Bible” by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

God incomparable

 If God be an incomparable God, then they are incomparably blessed who have him for their happiness - George Swinnock

Buy without Price

 Isaiah 55:1 (ESV): "Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price."

Revelation 22:17 (ESV):  "The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come.' And let the one who hears say, 'Come.' And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price."

Rev 3:15  “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!   So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.   For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.   18  I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 

“**John 4:10 (ESV):** "Jesus answered her, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.'"”

Winners are Weepers

 "Winners of souls are first weepers for souls."

— Charles Spurgeon

"Had any other condition been better for you than the one in which you are, God would have put you there." — Charles Spurgeon

In times of adversity, believers comfort themselves with the solace that they suffer nothing except by God’s ordinance and command, for they are under his hand. -- John Calvin

I find myself frequently depressed ... and I find no better cure than to trust in the Lord with all my heart.

-- Charles Spurgeon

Because of our sin nature, we can’t trust our feelings! -- Answers in Genesis (probably Ken Ham).

We must judge our feelings against the absolute authority of God’s Word. --Answers in Genesis.

TELL HIM YOU ARE LOST AND UNDONE

 No, you must come in full dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ, looking on him as the Lord who died to save sinners. Go to him, tell him you are lost, undone, miserable sinner, and that you deserve nothing but hell. And when you thus go to the Lord Jesus Christ out of yourself, in full dependence on the Lord Jesus Christ, you will find him an able and a willing Savior.

George Whitefield

Delight in God not Dead Orthodoxy

 “Calvinism is natively experiential. Before it is a theological system, Calvinism is deeply affectional, God-centered, cross-magnifying religion.

“A man may loudly trumpet his adherence to the distinctive tenets of Calvinism, but if his life is not marked by delight in God and His gospel, his professed Calvinism is a sham.

“In other words, there is no such thing as ‘dead Calvinism.’ Such is a theological oxymoron for one simple reason: Calvinism claims to be biblical religion, and biblical religion is not only profoundly theological, it is deeply experiential and engagingly affectional!

“Wherever men and women claim to be Calvinists, their lives and their ministries will pulse with life—the life of living, Spirit-inspired, Christ-glorifying, God-centered truth.”

— Ian Hamilton

Optimistic Amillennialism

 A Case For Optimistic Amillennialism -- An Article from Mason S. Craig.

Introduction This post presents a case for optimistic amillennialism, which is somewhat of an eclectic position drawing upon both classic amillennialism and postmillennialism. This post doesn’t convey a complete eschatology, but highlights and clarifies a few points. Although my distinctions may seem slight to some, I aim to convey my current view, which doesn’t seem to fit neatly into either of the previously mentioned eschatological camps. As one of my professors once said, “The higher in theology you go, the more precise your theology must become.” --- The Kingdom of God The Expectation of Kingdom Expansion on Earth Throughout the gospel narratives, Jesus’ teachings regarding the Kingdom of God suggest an expectation that the Kingdom would expand. The Lord’s Prayer not only anticipates the kingdom, but earnestly asks for it to come (Matt 6:10). The parables of the Mustard Seed and Leaven foretell the inevitable growth of the kingdom (Matt 13:31-33). Jesus Christ proclaims his Church will be built and says, “The gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt 16:18). In The Great Commission, Christ grounds his command to make disciples in the statement, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt 28:18). Since the gates of hell will not prevail, Christ has authority and disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities of this world at the cross, and he is with us always, we can have a humble confidence that the Kingdom of God will continue to grow through the success of the gospel going forth in power. Now to be clear, Christ’s kingdom is not derived from this world (Jn 18:36), but that doesn’t discount the fact that Christ condescended to His earthly creatures, in an earthly body, to establish his earthly church. Everything about our existence as we know it happens on earth, so to think of the kingdom of God as wholly unearthly is to deny a dimension of its presence in our existence. So, technically, the Kingdom of God is not of this world, but we can expect its effects to be seen in this world. Ongoing Hostility Although I am convinced and confident that Christ’s kingdom will grow through the gospel’s success, I also believe that in ever age until Christ’s return, there will be hostility towards the Church. Whether Christianity spreads to 1%, 10%, 51%, or 99% of the world, the Scriptures seem to also teach that believers must be prepared to endure ongoing suffering. The wheat field will continue to grow with tares within it. That is not to say that a Christian majority is impossible, but that in every age, Christians will have to grow up alongside sons of the evil one (Matt 13:24-30, 36-43). --- The Millennium The Binding of Satan Common to both amillennialism and postmillennialism is the present limited state of Satan. In Revelation 20:1-3, John depicts Satan as bound and sealed within the bottomless pit “so that he might not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were ended” (Rev 20:3). The triumph of Christ over all cosmic powers occurred with His crucifixion and resurrection, which simultaneously limited Satan’s ability to deceive on a national level and prepared the way for the gospel to spread on a national level, as Christ commands in the Great Commission. With the spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth, Satan’s ability to deceive is fleeting. The Millennium is Now In Revelation 20:4-6, John writes of a time when believers will reign with Christ for a thousand years. According to amillennial thought, this period is currently taking place and constitutes the entire church age, beginning at Christ’s first advent and terminating in His second coming. In contrast to classic postmillennialism, I do not believe the Millennium to be a distinguishable future golden-age. Rather, saints are reigning in heaven with Christ as we speak! --- Christ’s Second Coming According to traditional amillennial thought, Christ’s second coming will simultaneously actuate the final defeat of Satan, the resurrection of believers and unbelievers, the Final Judgment, and the new creation. Also, just as the old man passes away and believers are regenerated into new creations, our current world will also pass away and be renewed (2 Cor 5:16-17). Romans 8:19-22 discusses the current condition of creation under the curse of sin, anticipating the coming day when it will be set free from its bondage. Also, in 2 Peter 3, the day of the Lord is depicted as a refinement rather than destruction. We can expect this “glorification” of the cosmos to occur at Christ’s second and to be the foundation for the new creation. --- Conclusion While these may be elementary for some, I needed to record my current eschatological position. My primary aim is to simultaneously hold the Lordship of Christ over all and the success of the gospel without the triumphalist mentality that disregards potential suffering and pushback to the gospel in every age. Thus, the label optimistic amillennialism. Thank you for taking the time to read it, and if you have any questions, comments, or any other concepts I should consider, please comment below. Or, if you just want to talk theology, I am free until the end of the age!