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"The first straw man [that opponents to dispensationalism] is to say that dispensationalist assert that the system was taught in post apostolic times. Informed dispensationalist do not claim that. [Ironic that some are claiming just that on this tread] They recognize that, as a system, dispensationalism was largely formulated by Darby..." Ryrie, Dispensationalism pg 62 You were saying?
In the OP, OR quotes Ice:
Supporters of pretribulationism generally believe that John Nelson Darby (1800– 1882) revived this lost New Testament teaching through intense Bible study during convalescence from a riding accident in December 1827 and January 1828… while others say it originated from the prophetic utterance of a fifteen-year old Scottish lassie Margaret Macdonald (1815–1840). Both sources are understood to be tainted since… Macdonald’s prophetic utterance is thought to be demonic. What is the evidence that Darby developed his view from his own personal study?
The OP then proceeds to quote snippets from here and there and weaves together a rather biased history of Darby’s past making a mockery of his biblical knowledge.
Perhaps the real motive to attach origin of dispensationalism to Darby is simply because Darby is so easy for them to become an object of ridicule and mockery. The disdain that they have for this man, and thus the doctrine shows no bounds. Attack the man and one attacks the doctrine, or so they think. But Dispensationalism has been around much longer than Thomas Ice, whom he quotes first, says. And his first statement is a blatant lie which neither he nor OR, or any other non-dispensationalist can prove.
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Supporters of pretribulationism generally believe that J.N. Darby revived this lost NT teaching…” Nonsense! How are you going to prove that statement? Has anyone done a survey to find out? The enemies of Dispensationalism would like to believe that but the dispensationalists themselves would never believe such nonsense.
Concerning “systems,” Isaac Watts had his own fully developed dispensational theological system of thought. It didn’t agree with Darby. Many believe that in outline at least Scofield may have taken his material from Watts, and not Darby, for his was closer in the actual dispensations.
Thus dispensationalism and dispensational system of thoughts were around long before Darby. It simply wasn’t the “Darby Dispensationalism” that preceded Darby, for obvious reasons. Those against dispensationalism are not ready yet to concede the point that dispensationalism as a system of thought or theology was indeed around before Darby, and Darby can in no way be attributed as its founder.