Featured The Context of the Parenthesis Church

Now the context:
Many dispensalist teach the church lies in a valley, and that the prophets did not see it.
They saw from mountain peak to mountain peak.

That valley is what the Parenthesis illustration is.

The Parenthesis is used to illustrate what Larkin and others taught as the Prophets seeing from messiah coming, being cutoff and then the Kingdom, the church was a valley between the mountains.

The valley and peak to peak I was taught but never was a parenthesis church taught. Darby however is not credited with it. The Parenthesis was the teaching mainly of H.A. Ironside.

That is what I can find.

So the church is normally taught by many dispensationalist as a valley hidden from the prophets, and therefore the mystery spoken of by Paul.

 

Now as for when the pre-trib teaching began we see this from:
http://mayimhayim.org/Academic Stuff/Pre-Tribulation Rapture.htm

"Many contemporary writers claim that the Pre-Tribulation Rapture theory first originated around A.D. 1820. They ascribe the theory's initial creation to either Emmanuel Lacunza (Ben Ezra, 1812), Edward Irving (1830), or Margaret Macdonald (1830), and finally to John Darby (1830). For example, Dave MacPherson in The Incredible Cover-Up (1975 stated); "Margaret Macdonald was the first person to teach a coming of Christ that would precede the days of Antichrist . . . . Before 1830, Christians had always believed in a single future coming, that the catching of I Thess. 4 will take place after the Great Tribulation of Matthew 24 at the glorious coming of the Son of Man when He shall send His angels to gather together all of His Elect." Reverend John Bray, in The Origin of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Teaching (1982) declared; "People who are teaching the Pre-Tribulation Rapture teaching today are teaching something that never was taught until 1812 . . . . Not one of those early church fathers taught a Pre-Tribulation Rapture . . . . I make the offer of five hundred dollars to anybody who will find a statement, a sermon, article in a commentary, or anything, prior to 1812 that taught a two-phase coming of Christ separated by a stated period of time, such as the Pre-Tribulation rapturists teach." These writers, among others who despise the teaching of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, dogmatically assert that it was taught for the first time in 1830 by John Darby and the Plymouth Brethren or one of the other individuals mentioned above.

A number of these authors will have to drastically revise the next edition of their books based on two remarkable textual discoveries that conclusively prove that a number of Christian teachers, centuries before John Darby rediscovered this biblical teaching, clearly taught that the Rapture would occur before the Tribulation period. During the summer of 1994, after more than a decade of searching, I discovered several fascinating manuscripts that contain clear evidence of the teaching of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture in the early church."

 

First we see the teaching did not start with Darby even with many contemporary writers.

Next:
Ephraem's Teaching on the Pre-Tribulation Rapture

"For all the saints and Elect of God are gathered, prior to the Tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins" (On the Last Times, the Antichrist, and the End of the World, by Ephraem the Syrian, A.D. 373).

The early Christian writer and poet, Ephraem the Syrian, (who lived from A.D. 306 to 373) was a major theologian of the early Byzantine Eastern Church. He was born near Nisbis, in the Roman province of Syria, near present day Edessa, Turkey. Ephraem displayed a profound love of the Scriptures in his writings as illustrated by several of his written comments quoted in the Works of Nathaniel Lardner, Vol. 4, 1788. "I esteem no man more happy than him, who diligently reads the Scriptures delivered to us by the Spirit of God, and thinks how he may order his conversation by the precepts of them." To this day, his hymns and homilies are used in the liturgy of the Greek Orthodox and Middle Eastern Nestorian Church. While the sixteen-volume Post-Nicene Library includes a number of homilies and psalms by Ephraem the Syrian, the editors noted that he also wrote a large number of commentaries that have never been translated into English.

Ephraem's fascinating teaching on the Antichrist has never been published in English until now. This critically important prophecy manuscript from the fourth century of the Church era reveals a literal method of interpretation and a teaching of the Pre-Millennial return of Christ. More importantly, Ephraem's text revealed a very clear statement about the Pre-Tribulational return of Christ to take His elect saints home to heaven to escape the coming Tribulation. In addition, Ephraem declares his belief in a personal, Jewish Antichrist, who will rule the Roman Empire during the last days, a rebuilt temple, the two witnesses and a literal Great Tribulation lasting 1,260 days. It is also fascinating to note that he taught that the War of God and Magog would precede the Tribulation period. I discovered another text by Ephraem, called The Book of the Cave of Treasure, that revealed he taught that Daniel's Seventieth Week will be fulfilled in the final seven years at the end of this age that will conclude with Christ's return at the Battle of Armageddon to establish His kingdom.

The following section includes key passages from Ephraem's important text, written about A.D. 373, and translated by Professor Cameron Rhoades, of Tyndale Theological Seminary, at the author of this articles request. (not revmwc).

 

On the Last Times, the Antichrist, and the End of the World

"1. Most dearly beloved brothers, believe the Holy Spirit who speaks in us. Now we have spoken before, because the end of the world is very near, and the consummation remains. Has not the first faith withered away in men? ...

"2. We ought to understand thoroughly therefore, my brothers what is imminent or overhanging. Already there have been hunger and plagues, violent movements of nations and signs, which have been predicted by the Lord, they have already been fulfilled, and there is not other which remains, except the advent of the wicked one in the completion of the Roman kingdom. Why therefore are we occupied with worldly business, and why is our mind held fixed on the lusts of the world or the anxieties of the ages? Why therefore do we not reject every care of earthly actions and prepare ourselves for the meeting of the Lord Christ, so that He may draw us from the confusion, which overwhelms the world? Believe you me, dearest brothers, because the coming of the Lord is nigh, believe you me, because it is the very last time . . . . Because all saints and Elect of the Lord are gathered together before the tribulation which is about to come and are taken to the Lord, in order that they may not see at any time the confusion which overwhelms the world because of our sins (Italics added). And so, brothers, most dear to me, it is the eleventh hour, and the end of this world comes to the harvest, and angels, armed and prepared, hold sickles in their hands, awaiting the empire of the Lord . . .

"3. When therefore the end of the world comes, there arise diverse wars, commotions on all sides, horrible earthquakes, perturbations of nations, tempests throughout the lands, plagues, famine, drought throughout the thoroughfares, great danger throughout the sea and dry land, constant persecutions, slaughters and massacres everywhere . . .

"6. When therefore the end of the world comes, that abominable, lying and murderous one is born from the tribe of Dan. He is conceived from the seed of a man and from a most vile virgin, mixed with an evil or worthless spirit . . .

"7. But when the time of the abomination of his desolation begins to approach, having been made legal, he takes the empire . . . . Therefore, when he receives the kingdom, he orders the temple of God to be rebuilt for himself, which is in Jerusalem; who, after coming into it, he shall sit as God and order that he be adored by all nations . . . . then all people from everywhere shall flock together to him at the city of Jerusalem, and the holy city shall be trampled on by the nations for forty-two months just as the holy apostle says in the Apocalypse, which becomes three and a half years, 1260 days.

"8. In these three years and a half the heaven shall suspend its dew; because there will be no rain upon the earth . . . . and there will be a Great Tribulation, as there has not been, since people began to be upon the earth . . . . and no one is able to sell or to buy of the grain of the fall harvest, unless he is one who has the serpentine sign on the forehead or the hand . . . .

"10. And when the three and a half years have been completed, the time of the Antichrist, through which he will have seduced the world, after the resurrection of the two prophets, in the hour which the world does not know, and on the day which the enemy or son of perdition does not know, will come the sign of the Son of Man, and coming forward the Lord shall appear with great power and much majesty, with the sign of the word of salvation going before him, and also even with all the powers of the heavens with the whole chorus of the saints . . . . Then Christ shall come and the enemy shall be thrown into confusion, and the Lord shall destroy him by the Spirit of his mouth. And he shall be bound and shall be plunged into the abyss of everlasting fire alive with his father Satan; and all people, who do his wishes, shall perish with him forever; but the righteous ones shall inherit everlasting life with the Lord for ever and ever."

So we see Ephraem the Syrian, A.D. 373 taught a pre-mil view of eschatology, saw the Tribulation following the church and prior to the Kingdom. While they didn't teach the dispensations per se they were pre-trib snatching away.

Even more proof that the pre-trib teaching has been around since the church began.

We now have the context of the Parenthesis church OR claims to loathe, it was used as an illustration to show the church as a valley between two peaks, thus the mystery referred to by Paul.

Many who oppose the pre-trib dispenastional view do so in order to say that O.T. prophecy will align with their teaching of those prophecies which have yet been fulfilled concerning the Tribulation and Kingdom can be taught as carrying over to the church to show God is through with Israel. But these prophecies apply to Israel because of God's promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that their seed would inherit the land. Revelation states 144,000 Jews will evangelize in the Tribulation and are sealed by God.

 

The Bible as I have shown in many post teaches a Pre-trib Rapture. I depend upon the Bible it proves the pre-trib view unless you twist verses to prove otherwise. This thread is to show that in fact the pre-trib Doctrine dates all the way back to the Bible times, Jesus and the Apostles. If you can't see that then there in lies the problem. The same problem those who fight it for years have. That is you must not look for the return of , the tribulation or the Kingdom in order to go against Paul saying God is not through with Israel, to prove your point that He is through with Israel.

The Pre-Trib rapture carries with it the fact that God is not through with Israel and there in is why those who don't support must twist scripture to support that teaching.

 

No I just went and found the context of the analogy, let see maybe we should start with the definition of an analogy, "Analogy is important not only in ordinary language and common sense (where proverbs and idioms give many examples of its application) but also in science, philosophy and the humanities. The concepts of association, comparison, correspondence, mathematical and morphological homology, homomorphism, iconicity, isomorphism, metaphor, resemblance, and similarity are closely related to analogy. In cognitive linguistics, the notion of conceptual metaphor may be equivalent to that of analogy.

That is what OR was asked to do in other post and refused. When an anology is used it is not to taken as meaning that is what is being said.

Seeing peak to peak and not a valley let us see how God hid the church from most O.T. prophets while giving us types of the church and the snatching away.

Simple almost all Pastors and bible teachers use anologies (illustrations) to prove a point of scripture.

It is a shame to protect a teaching that can't be found in the bible one musdt deny Bible truths to make that point. That is especially true of all who say God is through with Israel.

Romans 11:1-2

1 "I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel saying,"

Paul is reiterating what Isaiah said in chapter 14 of Isaiah verse 1-3, "For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.
2 And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.
3 And it shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve,

Clearly Paul stated God is not through with Israel. Clear if you don't need to twist, the pre-trib rapture teaching because it threatens the teaching of God is through with Israel.

Both Paul and Isaiah show God is not through with Israel. It shows Israel back in the Land with God's hand on her for 7 years, then the Kingdom with Christ seated on the Thorne of David in Jerusalem with nature even at peace.

Not sure if the amil view needs God to be through with Israel to suppot it or not but that really seems to be the heart of it.

 

Strange how you ignored the part of the illustration use of the term, but I would have been better to say it as "Analogy is important not only in ordinary language and common sense (where proverbs and idioms give many examples of its application) but also in science, philosophy and the humanities. The concepts of association, comparison, correspondence, mathematical and morphological homology, homomorphism, iconicity, isomorphism, metaphor, resemblance, and similarity are closely related to analogy. In cognitive linguistics, the notion of conceptual metaphor may be equivalent to that of analogy."

OR I asked in another post the context of it use, you refused. When an anology is used it is not to taken as meaning that is what is being said but as a tool to help folks understand.

Trying to think of an anology to use.

Saying the was a mystery or similar to a valley inserted between two peaks, that is an analogy. That doesn't mean God didn't plan it nor didn't know the church wouldn't come to place. He just didn't want to reveal it to the O.T. prophets at that time.

Just like the words John heard in His vision and was told don't write that part, God didn't want it revealed.

I might have come up with that analogy.

As you drive on the highway and are stuck in traffic, you see all the cars in front of you and think there must be an accident up there! You can't see it because it is a mystery to you, that is how the O.T. prophets saw things in the O.T. and didn't see the time of the Church, it was there all the time they knew something else was there God just didn't reveal it. But once Christ came God revealed more of His plans to the writers of the N.T. and then finally to John in a vision. Thus the mountain valley analogy.

 

1st Thessalonians 1:9-10, take no reading into it

9 "For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;
10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come."

They turned from Idols to God and waited on Christ return who would deliver us (believers) from the wrath to come.

Revelation 6:17 shows us the wrath to come. 17 "For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"

What follows in chapters 7-19 is God's wrath poured out through vials or bowls upon the inhabitants of the earth.

Paul said the Thessaloniacans were waiting on the son from heaven to save them from the wrath to come, the tribulation.

No reading anything in it is perfectly clear.