Why Do Christians Need A Pre-Trib Rapture
In modern, evangelical Christianity, the term “rapture” conjures up images
of the Christian church being pulled from an earth in turmoil and swept away to
Heaven. It is an image that is reminiscent of the “Left Behind” books, a fictional
series which depicts a world in which a rapture of all of earth’s Christians has
occurred, leaving behind only “sinners” to stare down the end of the world. This
view of a “rapture” has become a popular one, and one that remains largely
unquestioned by the evangelical Church. This rapture theology is not, however,
Biblically founded or supported. In reality, this eschatological perspective is fairly
new, and has only been around for about 180 years. So, the question must be asked
– why is the …show more content…
This idea of a two-part rapture quickly
circulated the newly-charismatic Scotland, and was eventually picked up by one
John Nelson Darby, a man who would go one to be a figurehead of pre-
tribulationism. Darby’s support of a pre-trib rapture would ultimately serve
to perpetuate the misconception long after his death. Dave MacPherson, an author
and specialist in rapture theology, writes in his book The Unbelievable Pre-Trib
Origin: “Darbyist dispensationalism was injected into the Scofield Reference Bible
(1909), which has done much in this present century to further the idea of a two-
stage, Pre-Trib rapture.” (MacPherson, 44). With an acclaimed reference Bible now
supporting the rapture, this bit of theology became popular opinion and widely circulated
within Christian communities. Marvin Rosenthal, executive director of Zion’s Hope and
author of The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church, writes: “Most of the early Bible
conferences, Bible colleges, and seminaries, under the influence of those early
pretribulationist leaders, adopted the pretribulational position, and the number
of the Christian church being pulled from an earth in turmoil and swept away to
Heaven. It is an image that is reminiscent of the “Left Behind” books, a fictional
series which depicts a world in which a rapture of all of earth’s Christians has
occurred, leaving behind only “sinners” to stare down the end of the world. This
view of a “rapture” has become a popular one, and one that remains largely
unquestioned by the evangelical Church. This rapture theology is not, however,
Biblically founded or supported. In reality, this eschatological perspective is fairly
new, and has only been around for about 180 years. So, the question must be asked
– why is the …show more content…
This idea of a two-part rapture quickly
circulated the newly-charismatic Scotland, and was eventually picked up by one
John Nelson Darby, a man who would go one to be a figurehead of pre-
tribulationism. Darby’s support of a pre-trib rapture would ultimately serve
to perpetuate the misconception long after his death. Dave MacPherson, an author
and specialist in rapture theology, writes in his book The Unbelievable Pre-Trib
Origin: “Darbyist dispensationalism was injected into the Scofield Reference Bible
(1909), which has done much in this present century to further the idea of a two-
stage, Pre-Trib rapture.” (MacPherson, 44). With an acclaimed reference Bible now
supporting the rapture, this bit of theology became popular opinion and widely circulated
within Christian communities. Marvin Rosenthal, executive director of Zion’s Hope and
author of The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church, writes: “Most of the early Bible
conferences, Bible colleges, and seminaries, under the influence of those early
pretribulationist leaders, adopted the pretribulational position, and the number