The Pretribulation Rapture :
What if it isn't true?

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Chapter 3 - A Pre-Tribulation Rapture: The History

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When you research the history of Pre-tribulation Rapture, you will find that it is part of an entirely new belief system termed dispensationalism. Although I will be dealing with dispensationalism in detail in the following chapter, I must give a brief explanation here in order to reveal the history of PTR.

Dispensationalism has one basic premise that turns it away from the teaching of the early Church, and the Bible for that matter. It is best described by a dispensationalist. Read what Dr. Charles Ryrie writes:

In order to develop a time period in their belief system when God will deal with the nation of Israel, dispensationalists teach that the Church will be raptured from the earth a split second before the Tribulation Period begins. This timing of this rapture is defined by the word pretribulation, obviously an appropriate term to describe the vent. The pretribulation rapture is then followed by an intense seven year tribulation as God deals with the Jewish people in an attempt to get them to turn to Him. At the conclusion of the Tribulation Period, Jesus comes for the third time, another rapture takes place, and the Millennium begins. Most dispensationalists do not believe that the second coming of Christ counted as an actual coming because He never actually touches the ground. They claim some unwritten rule that in order for His coming to qualify as a true coming, He has to touch the earth. Of course, there is no such rule in the Scriptures. Like many of the other rules that dispensationalism invent, this is one of the rules that seem to pop up when the finer points of their doctrine is called into question by discerning people. 

Where did this doctrine come from? Who are the people promoting it? In spite of recent attempts to attribute the pretribulation rapture doctrine to the early church by several leading proponents, the doctrine had no mention in any valid historical document before the 19^th century. If anyone held the belief before then, it is certain that it was most certainly not received by any detectable percentage of Christendom. The doctrine of the Pretribulation Rapture of the Church is a new doctrine that surfaced late in the 19^th century and gained popularity in America at the beginning of the 20^th century. An Anglican minister by the name of J. N. Darby came up with the idea of dispensationalism while studying the Book of Revelation during a time of recovery after falling from his horse. He eventually added the idea of the "any-moment secret rapture," which is the pretribulation rapture. A little over a half a century later, C. I. Scofield took a fancy to the doctrine and thought up the plan for a reference Bible that would explain the complicated structure of dispensationalism to the masses. He constructed his reference Bible to include Darby's dispensational error, which included the doctrine of Pretribulation Rapture. The Scofield Reference Bible was introduced into the American church during the turn of the 20^th century. It was first met with great resistance, and caused much confusion and conflict among professing Christians. Throughout time, it has gradually become accepted and defended by many as a true, Biblical doctrine. 

The most visible people who promote it today are mainly from the Baptist denominations. Although the Assemblies of God and other Pentecostal organizations, including most Charismatic groups, also promote dispensationalism, the best-known individual promoters are Baptists. The modern instigator of what has become known as "newspaper exegesis" is a man by the name of Hal Lindsey. Hal Lindsey's book, "The Late, Great Planet Earth" has sold millions of copies and opened up a whole new field of "ministry." The "ministry" is called Prophecy Teaching and it is the most exciting and entertaining enterprise that Christianity has ever seen. The pretribulation rapture and subsequent seven-year tribulation are the twin center pieces of this sensational flood of material. Today, books, tapes and videos that flow out of this dispensationalist industry are eagerly purchased by the faithful hordes who are hungry for more scintillating information. The current stars in this most popular "ministry" are Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, two writers who teamed up to produce several best sellers. The books hit the New York Times best seller list and the two authors appear on top rated talk shows including Larry King Live. The Pre-tribulation Rapture has become, as one writer for MSNBC said when describing LaHaye and Jenkin's fictional books about the rapture, a "cottage industry." Millions are being made by people who have sensationalized a false doctrine and caused a great number of people needing frequent "fixes" of rapture information to become addicted to it. It is as if an industry of confusion has been created, as these men present an endless stream of exciting answers that come in all shapes, colors, and sizes.

For the purpose of understanding how dispensationalism came to be the popular doctrine that it is today, I will present a brief account of the trail from Darby to Scofield. Then we will follow the trail from Lindsey to the current propagators today. First, let us examine the life of J.N. Darby and how he came to form the doctrine of dispensationalism, the doctrine that eventually led to the idea of Pre-tribulation Rapture.

J. Nelson Darby: The Father of Dispensationalism

Darby is called by many the "father of modern dispensational theology." As John F. Walvoord, former president of Dallas Theological Seminary, has said, "Much of the Truth promulgated by fundamental Christians today had its rebirth in the movement known as the 'Plymouth Brethren."⁽²⁾

This piece comes from Holman's Bible Dictionary:

2. Conscience (Gen. 3:23)- the awakening of human conscience and the expulsion from the garden. 

3. Human Government (Gen. 8:20)- the new covenant made with Noah, bringing about human government. 

4. Promise (Gen. 12:1)- the new covenant made with Abraham. 

5. Law (Ex. 19:8)- the period of acceptance of the Jewish law. 

6. Grace (John 1:17)- begins with the death and resurrection of Jesus. 

7. Kingdom (Eph. 1:10)- constitutes the final rule of Christ. 

1. A two-stage coming of Christ: rapture and parousia. 

2. Seven years of tribulation on earth for those not raptured: The last three-and-a-half years will be the time of the Antichrist. One hundred forty-four thousand Jews will accept Christ and become evangelists. 

3. Christ's return with the church, the conclusion of the Battle of Armageddon, and the rule of Christ and the church for a thousand years. 

4. Belief in an unconditional covenant with Israel: Thus, God is working through Israel and the Church. In the millennium, the nation of Israel will be restored. 

5. The literal fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. 

Some of the more popular advocates of dispensationalism have been C. H. MacKintosh, W. E. Blackstone, H. A. Ironside, and A. C. Gaebelein. More recently, Hal Lindsey has made the system a best seller in his book The Late Great Planet Earth. The Book of Revelation has become a key book in the dispensational approach. Dispensationalists see the rapture taking place in Revelation 4:1, the rest of the book (chs. 4-18) dealing with the seven years of tribulation. Thus, the book has very little significance for Christians who will not be on earth during that time. ⁽³⁾  

The Brethren movement began in Dublin about 1825, during the rise of millenarianism. A small group of men became dissatisfied with what they considered apostate conditions in the established churches. They began to meet for prayer and fellowship, and others soon joined the fellowship, causing associated groups to spring up everywhere. Though the movement had its beginning at Dublin, it was Plymouth, England that became the center of their vast literature outreach. Henceforth, the name Plymouth Brethren became the name of the movement. Early leaders of the Brethren movement had many differences and divisions among themselves in the early days and ever after.

Darby is presented by men such as Larry Crutchfield as being a gentle, kind, individual who was incredibly spiritual and devoted to the Scriptures. 

" Darby was kind and humble in nature, and his compassion and generosity towards the poor was without bounds." ⁽⁴⁾

However, this is not exactly true. In fact, many of Crutchfield's comments about the nature of Darby do not align with the historical facts. Crutchfield quotes from Earnest Sandeen, yet seems to ignore what Sandeen writes about Darby's nature. It is not my intent to demonize either Darby or Scofield, but to let the facts speak for themselves. Sandeen writes this:

"Perhaps he should be described as a petty tyrant, for he was most tyrannical about petty things. Unlike Wesley, he often demonstrated as much zeal in destroying the work of his own building, as he did in its first construction." ⁽⁵⁾

Although I have no doubt that Darby was at times kind, maybe even the majority of the time, I believe that there were many times in which he was not so kind. Someone once said, "The measure of your Christianity is not how well you get along when you agree, but how well you get along when you disagree." Those who disagreed with Darby, especially those who disagreed with his developing doctrine of dispensationalism, were treated with extreme harshness, even to the point of viciousness. Darby ruled the Plymouth Brethren with the resolute will of an overlord. ⁽⁶⁾

Crutchfield writes, 

What caused Darby's outburst of anger toward Müller? Maybe it was Müller's statements such as the following:

Darby often clashed with fellow Plymouth Brethren, once with his friend Benjamin Wills Newton, whom he accused of trying to control the fledgling movement. Consider this account by Sandeen:

Margaret McDonald

Where did J. N. Darby get his doctrine of dispensationalism and the any-moment secret rapture? He was alleged to have been inspired somewhat by a female Pentecostal preacher in Scotland by the name of Margaret McDonald. In this piece from Holman's Bible Dictionary, Darby's idea of a secret rapture is assigned to Margaret McDonald. 

I felt this needed to be revealed, and that there was great darkness and error about it; but suddenly what it was burst upon me with a glorious light. I saw it was just the Lord himself descending from Heaven with a shout, just the glorified man, even Jesus; but that all must, as Stephen was, be filled with the Holy Ghost, that they might look up, and see the brightness of the Father's glory.

I saw the error to be, that men think that it will be something seen by the natural eye; but 'tis spiritual discernment that is needed, the eye of God in his people.

Many passages were revealed, in a light in which I had not before seen them. I repeated, 'Now is the kingdom of Heaven like unto ten virgins, who went forth to meet the Bridegroom, five wise and five foolish; they that were foolish took their lamps, but took no oil with them; but they that were wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.'

'But be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is; and be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit.' This was the oil the wise virgins took in their vessels - this is the light to be kept burning - the light of God - that we may discern that which cometh not with observation to the natural eye.

Only those who have the light of God within them will see the sign of his appearance. No need to follow them who say, see here, or see there, for his day shall be as the lightning to those in whom the living Christ is. 'Tis Christ in us that will lift us up - he is the light - 'tis only those that are alive in him that will be caught up to meet him in the air.

I saw that we must be in the Spirit, that we might see spiritual things. John was in the Spirit, when he saw a throne set in Heaven. But I saw that the glory of the ministration of the Spirit had not been known. I repeated frequently, but the spiritual temple must and shall be reared, and the fullness of Christ be poured into his body, and then shall we be caught up to meet him. Oh none will be counted worthy of this calling but his body, which is the church, and which must be a candlestick all of gold.

I often said, Oh the glorious inbreaking of God which is now about to burst on this earth; Oh the glorious temple which is now about to be reared, the bride adorned for her husband; and Oh what a holy, holy bride she must he, to be prepared for such a glorious bridegroom.

I said, Now shall the people of God have to do with realities - now shall the glorious mystery of God in our nature be known - now shall it be known what it is for man to be glorified. I felt that the revelation of Jesus Christ had yet to be opened up - it is not knowledge about God that it contains, but it is an entering into God - I saw that there was a glorious breaking in of God to be.

I felt as Elijah, surrounded with chariots of fire. I saw as it were, the spiritual temple reared, and the Head Stone brought forth with shoutings of grace, grace, unto it. It was a glorious light above the brightness of the sun that shone round about me. I felt that those who were filled with the Spirit could see spiritual things, and feel walking in the midst of them, while those who had not the Spirit could see nothing - so that two shall be in one bed, the one taken and the other left, because the one has the light of God within while the other cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven.

I saw the people of God in an awfully dangerous situation, surrounded by nets and entanglements, about to be tried, and many about to be deceived and fall. Now will THE WICKED be revealed, with all power and signs and lying wonders, so that it it were possible the very elect will be deceived. - This is the fiery trial which is to try us. - It will be for the purging and purifying of the real members of the body of Jesus; but Oh it will be a fiery trial. Every soul will he shaken to the very centre. The enemy will try to shake in every thing we have believed - but the trial of real faith will be found to honour and praise and glory. Nothing but what is of God will stand. The stony-ground hearers will be made manifest - the love of many will wax cold.

I frequently said that night, and often since, now shall the awful sight of a false Christ be seen on this earth, and nothing but the living Christ in us can detect this awful attempt of the enemy to deceive - for it is with all deceivableness of unrighteousness he will work - he will have a counterpart for every part of God's truth, and an imitation for every work of the Spirit.

The Spirit must and will be poured out on the church, that she may be purified and filled with God - and just in proportion as the Spirit of God works, so will he - when our Lord anoints men with power, so will he. This is particularly the nature of the trial, through which those are to pass who will be counted worthy to stand before the Son of man. There will he outward trial too, but 'tis principally temptation. It is brought on by the outpouring of the Spirit, and will just increase in proportion as the Spirit is poured out.

The trial of the Church is from Antichrist. It is by being filled with the Spirit that we shall be kept.

I frequently said, Oh be filled with the Spirit - have the light of God in you, that you may detect Satan - be full of eyes within -be clay in the hands of the potter -submit to be filled, filled with God. This will build the temple. It is not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord. This will fit us to enter into the marriage supper of the Lamb.

I saw it to be the will of God that all should be filled. But what hindered the real life of God from being received by his people, was their turning from Jesus, who is the way to the Father. They were not entering in by the door. For he is faithful who hath said, by me if any man enters in he shall find pasture. They were bypassing the cross, through which every drop of the Spirit of God flows to us. All power that comes not through the blood of Christ is not of God.

When I say, they are looking from the cross, I feel that there is much in it - they turn from the blood of the Lamb, by which we overcome, and in which our robes are washed and made white. There are low views of God's holiness, and a ceasing to condemn sin in the flesh, and a looking from him who humbled himself, and made himself of no reputation. Oh! it is needed, much needed at present, a leading back to the cross.

I saw that night, and often since, that there will be an outpouring of the Spirit on the body, such as has not been, a baptism of fire, that all the dross may be put away. Oh there must and will be such an indwelling of the living God as has not been - the servants of God sealed in their foreheads - great conformity to Jesus - his holy holy image seen in his people - just the bride made comely by his comeliness put upon her.

This is what we are at present made to pray much for, that speedily we may all be made ready to meet our Lord in the air - and it will be. Jesus wants his bride. His desire is toward us. He that shall come, will come, and will not tarry.

Amen and Amen Even so come Lord Jesus.''

Manuel Lacunza

Margaret McDonald and her family were involved in the congregation of Edward Irving, rather than in Darby's church. She may have been inspired by the writings of a Spanish Jesuit Priest Manuel Lacunza since Irving translated Lucunza's book into English and taught some of the doctrine in it. Manuel Lacunza was banished from Chile in 1767 with other Jesuits. Shortly after, he fancied himself to be a converted Jew and changed his name to Rabbi Ben Ezra. Lacunza began writing a book entitled "The Coming of Messiah in Glory and Majesty" under the name of Ben Ezra, and finished the book about 1791. In his book, Lacunza taught the that Jesus would return two times for the Church. His first return would be to get His Church out of the world so that God the Father could pour out His wrath. This may be the portion from which came the idea of a pretribulation rapture. Lacunza died before the book was published in Spanish about the year 1812. The book never became very popular. In fact, it would probably have slipped into oblivion as so many unpopular books have done throughout the years. However, Lacunza's book somehow made its way to England, where Edward Irving found it in the library of the Archbishop of Canterbury in London.
 

Edward Irving

Edward Irving was a powerfully charismatic preacher who preached in the Caledonian Chapel in London. The rather small chapel was filled with crowds that included the elite of society. His greatest weakness was that "he was a ship without a keel, swung around in each new breeze until at last he was blown over." ⁽¹⁵⁾ Sandeen describes the impetuous disposition of Irving in the following quote:

Not long after reading Lacunza's book, Irving began to preach the secret rapture of the saints, claiming that he heard a voice from heaven commanding him to do so. Some of his meetings during 1828 in Scotland brought crowds of approximately10,000 people. Irving's church in London was famous for his prophetic declarations and for attracting famous, influential people of society. The building seated one thousand people, and was filled to capacity each week. The many prophetic declarations that Jesus was coming soon that produced great excitement. A person might see from this a parallel to the exciting Charismatic and Pentecostal churches today who revel in prophesies and sensationalism and draw huge crowds.

Also during that time, Irving started conducting Bible conferences and studies throughout Scotland on any-moment secret rapture, using Lacunza's book. It was during this time that J. N. Darby and Irving began to have a close relationship. Although Darby's doctrine of dispensationalism included the idea of a pre-tribulation secret rapture, I am prone to believe that he may have gotten the idea from the Irving's Lacunza-influenced version of the rapture. 

Irving was conducting a series of meetings during this time in the castle of Lady Powerscourt for the study of Bible prophecy, especially any-moment secret rapture. A great many Irvingite ministers attended, as well as ministers from others religious organizations. J.N. Darby and the other Brethren leaders were invited and attended these meetings. It was at these series of meetings that he was, no doubt, introduced to Irving's teaching of the Rapture and interpretation of prophecy, and most likely to Lacunza's book. Although I have not yet discovered if Darby had ever read the book or in any way agreed with it, there certainly is documentation that he knew and studied with Irving and the Irvingites. 

Although Irving was the most popular preacher that first began teaching and preaching about the rapture, it was Darby who developed the idea into Pre-tribulation Rapture and blended it into his prophetic teaching of dispensationalism. Fueled by the atmosphere of millenarianism, Darby began teaching his theory on the Book of Revelation at Powerscourt. While Irving was a historian, 

Darby taught a futurist interpretation of eschatology. His dispensational theory was beginning to develop into a solid outline that could be grasped and taught by others. In 1833, he taught the doctrine of a secret rapture at Powerscourt for the first time in public.

Darbyite Dispensationalism Invades America

At the same time that millenarianism was invading America with an apocalyptic fervor, William Miller and Alexander Cambell were at the forefront of millenarianism, with the Millerites the largest and most influential group. However, he set a date for the Second Advent that caused many millenarians to turn against him. America was ripe for a new view with more balance and dependability.

Darby visited the United States approximately seven times to teach and preach his doctrine of dispensationalism. He found the condition of the American church deplorable to his taste, and held many small meetings to discuss and teach dispensationalism with church leaders. Darby insisted that those who believed his views abandon their church and join the Plymouth Brethren. Most of Darby's converts came from Baptist and Presbyterian churches, prompting this critique of the Plymouth Brethren in the Princeton Review:

Dr. James Brooks and the Niagra Bible Conferences

About 1864-65, J.N. Darby visited the 16th and Walnut Avenue Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, Missouri, on two occasions. This church became the principal center of dispensationalism in America. The pastor, Dr. James H. Brooks, became Darby's most prominent supporter, and has been called "the father of dispensationalism in America."

Dr. Brooks conducted many Bible studies with the young men in his church, C. I. Scofield being his most famous student. Yet it was his involvement in the Niagra Bible Conference that would prove important to the diffusion of dispensationalism in America. C. I. Scofield later served as head of the conference, and there birthed the idea of a study Bible that would help spread Darbyite dispensationalism.

The Niagra Bible Conference began as the Believer's Meeting for Bible Study, but soon turned into the main spring from whence Darbyite dispensationalism would flow. The Niagra Bible Conference under his controlling influence became the center of millenarianism under the controlling influence of its founder, James Brookes. Scofield served as the head of the Niagra Bible Conference as well. Non-millenarians were permitted to attend the conferences, but from 1878 onward they were not permitted to speak. Most of the leading millenarians in America, as well as many Brethren ministers, attended the conferences. D. L. Moody was also an attendee, and was highly influenced by the Brethren style of preaching. Brookes made the Niagra Bible Conference the premier headquarters for Darbyite Dispensationalism by making sure that all the speakers favored the theory. With the exception of the Moody Bible Institute and later Lewis Chafer's Dallas Theological Seminary, the Niagra Bible Conference was the leading force in making PTR the accepted doctrine that it is today.

The atmosphere of the Niagara Bible Conference was personality-driven by millenarian apocalyptic fever from the sensational views of Darby. It served to further erode the theological underpinnings of Christian eschatology and helped to replace them with revelations and speculations. The factors of probable self-importance and exciting visibility only served to give the participants a false sense of pioneering a new work of God, or as Scofield put it, "this new beginning and new testimony." It was in this enticing limelight that Scofield made his biggest steps toward prominence. He envisioned a Bible with his name on it that included his reference notes concerning Darby's pseudo-eschatology. He would have to break a time-honored policy of all the popular Bible societies, whose rules had always been, "Without Note or Comment." But breaking the rules to get ahead was nothing new to Scofield, as we will see in the next section. Brazenly, he went about corrupting the Bible, shading the meaning of the Scriptures, even defying some of them, and ignoring the curse upon those who commit such accursed deeds.

The result was the notorious Scofield Reference Bible, its successive revisions continually plaguing Christianity to this day.

Cyrus Ingerson Scofield

The Scofield Reference Bible is widely referred to as the Bible that validated and promoted dispensationalism to the infamous stature that it enjoys today in the professing Church. Millions of Christians have either wittingly or unwittingly developed their eschatology from reading Scofield's reference notes. His successor, Lewis Sperry Chafer, founded the Dallas Theological Seminary, which has, in turn, trained thousands of individuals in the false doctrine of dispensationalism and unleashed them on the world. Who is C. I. Scofield, and how does his life compare to Joseph Smith and other men who purport to having received dubious gnosis from God? Cyrus Ingerson Scofield was a man with a keen, analytical mind and an above average intelligence. In my opinion, from all the information that I have read about him, he was a very personable, highly charismatic individual who made friends easily, especially friends in high places. This explains how he could be admitted to the Lotus Club in New York, which was restricted to "a social intercourse between journalists, artists, musicians, friends of literature, science, fine arts, etc." He was admitted into this club by notorious criminal lawyer Samuel Untermeier, although he had no credentials. This also explains how he could be elected twice to the Kansas legislature (1871 and 1872) with the help of some powerful men. President Grant appointed him as the United States District Attorney of Kansas on June 9, 1873. He affirmed in the oath of office that he had never voluntarily born arms against the United States, although he had fought in the Confederate Army. He resigned six months later on December 20, 1873, amid charges and counter-charges of political corruption. He and a friend were charged with trying to blackmail the railroads out of some money. Thus, Scofield's political career ended here. 

Scofield's biographer, Turnbull, skips over the period of 1873 to 1879, the time in which Scofield was involved in the worst of his shenanigans, with nothing more than a reference to Scofield's habit of drinking. However, if Joseph Canfield is correct in his information, Scofield appeared to be nothing more than a highly-skilled con man who had allegedly defrauded a number of his friends and fellow Christians, not to mention his mother-in-law, whom he supposedly swindled out of her life savings of $1300.00. One of his financial scams was so serious that he was convicted of forgery and sentenced to 6 months in the St. Louis, Missouri, jail. He abandoned his wife and family, and never supported them or had contact with them. During this time, he had open relationships with other women while still married to his first wife. Scofield was in love, or rather in lust, with two other women, and dated both of them at the same time. When his wife finally divorced him because of his lifestyle, he married a woman by the name of Helen Van Wark, with whom he was living with adulterously. He had a egregious life that impugned the name of Christ, according to Canfield. ⁽¹⁸⁾

Scofield assumed all sorts of phony credentials. From that of a minister to that of a Bible scholar to that of a lawyer. He presented himself as a lawyer, though he was not admitted to the bar until his friends in Kansas used their influence to get him admitted. In the same manner, he gave himself a theological doctorate degree, though he had never attended any school and had no formal training whatsoever. Amazingly, some Christians still call Scofield "Dr. Scofield" with the knowledge that he never attended a college or university.

He reportedly was converted again in September of 1879, even though he was a professing Christian before that date. He pastored various churches, including a Congregational mission church in Dallas, Texas, and the Trinitarian Congregational Church in Northfield, Massachusetts, D. L. Moody's home church. He spent nearly a year in Switzerland in research, but was back in Dallas in 1905. Scofield acted as an absent pastor, continuing his research with another trip to Europe. ⁽¹⁹⁾ He seemed to ascend up the religious success ladder in much the same manner and speed that he navigated the secular ladder of success-by bypassing all the necessary steps along the way. 

In 1901, Scofield was attending one of the Niagara Bible Conferences. Although these conferences began with good intentions as the Believers Meeting for Bible Study, they eventually turned into a instrument of studying and disseminating J. N. Darby's dispensational theories. The complicated structure of dispensationalism gave Scofield the idea of putting together a reference Bible that would help people understand it. In other words, not many would grasp the doctrine of dispensationalism without a great deal of prompting through references and notes inserted at key Scriptures. The same is true of dispensationalism today. In an advertisement for his books, dispensationalism proponent Tim LayHaye writes, 

Nevertheless, it was at the Niagra Bible Conference in 1901 that Scofield confided to his friends that he intended to develop a reference Bible that would bring about "this new beginning and new testimony." Scofield noted, however, that financial backing was the main drawback. The following year, one of those friends he confided in, A. C. Gaebelein, helped him get the financial aid that that he requested. Scofield and his wife went abroad in 1904 to work on the notes for the Bible. In England, he was able to research and study first hand the any-moment coming and secret rapture doctrine of J.N. Darby in the hotbed of its beginnings. 

C. I. Scofield became proficient in all the aspects of Darbyism. It was because of the influence of J. N Darby's dispensationalism theory, including the any-moment coming and secret rapture, that he decided to put together a reference Bible that would bring Darbyite dispensationalism to everyone in America by feeding the minds of the unsuspecting and newly converted. In my opinion, Darby would not have reached very far into the world with his beliefs had it not been for Scofield. Neither would Scofield's notes have attained the high acclaim that they eventually achieved if they had been compiled into a book as a commentary to the Bible. 

If Darby is called the father of dispensationalism, Scofield was certainly its mother, since he birthed dispensationalism and Pre-tribulation Rapture into the world through his reference Bible (more about the Scofield Reference Bible in the following chapter). Because of Scofield, Darby's teachings on Pre-tribulation Rapture have now become the foremost eschatological doctrine in the professing Church concerning the coming of the Lord.

Without a doubt, Scofield went to work on his reference Bible for the sole purpose of spreading Darby's doctrine. His indoctrination with Darby's dispensationalism through Dr. James Brooks and his involvement in the Niagra Bible Conferences over the years filled him with fascination for Darby's unique bend on the Scriptures. It is illogical to conclude that he had any other reason for putting together the Scofield reference Bible. Sandeen writes this:

Scofield wrote in the preface to the Reference Bible, "The editor disclaims originality." This apology was also his boast. To be original was not the mark of a good millenarian exegesis. But Scofield also meant to acknowledge that he had done very little more than put his predecessor's work into a most ingenious and assimilable form. Scofield never demonstrated great ability as a biblical scholar, apologist, or organizer, but in the calendar of Fundamentalist saints no name is better known or more revered." ⁽²¹⁾

The Scofield Reference Bible was finally published in 1909. Many ministers of the 1920's and 1930's began preaching Darby's Dispensationalism, yet these men could not have received their information from Darby himself. In Scofield's own words, a "new testimony" had indeed come to America; but it was not a testimony of truth. Although dispensationalism and Pre-tribulation Rapture have become commonly accepted as true doctrine, they were unheard of in the Church for almost 1900 years before John Nelson Darby and in America until Cyrus Ingerson Scofield published his reference Bible.

"But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. {12} For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ." (Gal. 1:11-12 NKJV)

"The very fact that I did not study a prescribed course in theology made it possible for me to approach the subject with an unprejudiced mind to be concerned only with what the Bible was actually teaches." ⁽²²⁾

Lewis Sperry Chafer (1871-1952) was a student and ardent admirer of Scofield to the end. In 1924, Chafer founded the Dallas Theological Seminary, dispensationalism's first claim to theological validity. Although Chafer expressed disdain and scorn for established, time-honored theology, he went about to establish a theological school in stark contrast to his statements. He produced the eight volume Systematic Theology, which included Darbyite dispensationalism, through the reference notes of C. I Scofield. Bernard Ramm makes a fascinating comparison of Chafer's credentials to Karl Barth, one of the men Chafer scorned. The following is a compilation of this comparison: 

" Chafer spent three years at Oberlin College and then left to teach in a school for boys that D. L. Moody had founded. That was the sum total of Chafer's formal education.

" Barth studied in the universities of Bern, Marberg, Berlin, and Tübingen. He studied under such men as Adolph von Harnack, Reinhold Seeberg, Julis Kaftan, Herman Gunkel, Theodor Häring, Wilhelm Herrmann, Johannes Weiss, and Adolph Jülicher. In philosophy, he studied under the famous neo-Kantians Hermann Cohen and Paul Natorp. In addition, Barth eventually was honored with eleven doctorates from substantial universities and collected a number of prizes and awards.

"Having no formal theological education, Chafer also had no linguistic training. It is apparent from his Systematic Theology that he is always working with secondary sources, whether in the biblical languages or theological literature.

"Having gone through the typical Swiss gymnasium (a sort of high school in Germany and Switzerland to prepare students for university), Barth was taught Latin, Greek, and French. When he came to the Scripture, he worked with both the Hebrew and Greek Testaments, and when he cites the church fathers he sites the original Greek or Latin. In addition, he could speak the modern languages of Swiss German, German, English, French, and Italian, and complained of his poor ability in Dutch.

I believe it is fair to present Ramm's comparison because of this ludicrous statement of Chafer's, which I will post again here:

"The very fact that I did not study a prescribed course in theology made it possible for me to approach the subject with an unprejudiced mind to be concerned only with what the Bible actually teaches." 

He then proceeds to use the works of people trained in theology to compile his work, Systematic Theology. (emphasis added) His statement is disingenuous, since it apparent that he has enough respect for those trained in theology to use their works. It is apparent that Chafer's true intent was a preemptive effort to disqualify those who were more than qualified to expose the fallacies of his doctrine before they had the opportunity to get the ear of the public. His only defense was that ignorance equals spirituality, and therefore, hermeneutic perfection.