From the same site:
LINK
MORGAN EDWARDS
One of the clearest references to a pretribulation rapture before the time of Darby
came from a Welsh Baptist named Morgan Edwards (1722–95). Edwards was born in
Trevethin parish, Pontypool, Wales,33 and likely heard George Whitfield preach as a
young student at Trosnant Academy in Trevethin parish, Wales.34 He was a founder of
the Ivy League school, Brown University and graduated from Bristol Baptist College or
Bristol Academy in Bristol, England in 1744.35 He served several small Baptist
congregations in England for seven years, before moving to Cork, Ireland, where he
pastored for nine years. Edwards emigrated to America and in May 1761 became
pastor of the Baptist Church in Philadelphia in the American colonies,36 upon the
recommendation of the famous hyper-Calvinist John Gill (1697–1771).37 After the
Revolutionary War (he was the only known Baptist clergy of Tory persuasion),
Edwards became an educator and the premier Baptist historian of his day. He was
awarded an honorary Master of Arts degree in 1762 by the College of Philadelphia.38
His major work Materials Toward A History of the Baptists is an important seminal work
outlining American Baptist history of the era.39 Edwards co-founded the first Baptist
college in the Colonies, Rhode Island College, which we know today as Brown
University of the Ivy League.40
As was typical of early American Colonists, Edwards experienced significant
tragedy in his life. He outlived two wives and most of his children. During a “dark
period” in his life, he ceased attending church, took to drink and was excommunicated
from his church. “After making repeated efforts to be restored, he was received into the
church on October 6, 1788, and thereafter lived an exemplary life.”41 Baptist historian
Robert Torbet described Edwards as “a man of versatility, being both a capable leader
for many years and a historian of some importance. In temperament he was eccentric
and choleric. . . . With all of his varied gifts, he was always evangelistic in spirit.”42
Another historian similarly says of Edwards:
Scholarly, laborious, warm-hearted, eccentric, choleric Morgan Edwards, one of
the most interesting of the early Baptist ministers of our country and one of those
most deserving of honor. His very faults had a leaning toward virtues side, and
in good works he was exceeded by none of his day, if indeed by any of any day. .
. . He was an able preacher and a good man, but not always an easy man to get
on with.4
Edwards saw a distinct rapture three-and-a-half years before the start of the
millennium. He taught the following about the rapture:
II.
The distance between the first and second resurrection will be somewhat more
than a thousand years.
I say, somewhat more—, because the dead saints will be raised, and the living
changed at Christ’s “appearing in the air” (I Thes. iv. 17); and this will be
about three years and a half before the millennium, as we shall see hereafter:
but will he and they abide in the air all that time? No: they will ascend to
paradise, or to some one of those many “mansions in the father’s house”
(John xiv. 2),
and disappear during the foresaid period of time. The design
of this retreat and disappearing will be to judge the risen and changed saints;
for “now the time is come that judgment must begin,” and that will be “at the
house of God” (I Pet. iv. 17).48
Edwards makes three key points that are consistent with modern pretribulationism.
First, he clearly separates the rapture from the second coming by an interval of three-
and-a-half years. Second, he uses modern pre-trib rapture verses (1 Thessalonians 4:17
and John 14:2) to describe the rapture and support his view. Third, he believed the
judgment seat of Christ (rewarding) for believers will occur in heaven while the
tribulation is raging on earth, as is common in contemporary pretribulationism.
Again, I do not agree entirely with their teachings, but again, this shows the argument "Darby invented the Pre-Tribulational Rapture is bogus.
I look to the first-century teachings of Paul and Christ, though, to draw conclusions concerning the Pre-Tribulational Rapture.
It is simply impossible to have a Post-Tribulational Rapture or "no rapture" based on the Prophecy given us.
Those who spiritualize Scripture to their Theology Systems decry an adherence to what is in Scripture. No man can give an answer as to why Scripture does not mean what it states when it states God will restore Israel and that there is a thousand-year reign of Christ in Revelation 20.
There are more quotes to be found concerning early Pre-Tribulational views of ancient witnesses, but will those who deny the Pre-Tribulational Rapture look for them and test their Eschatology?
Nope.
Since I had to split this post I will throw this one in for free:
Edward’s book on the rapture was essentially lost as far as any popular, public
knowledge of it. It came to light in the 1990s in order to satisfy a challenge made by
Pre-trib opponent John Bray who promised to pay $500.00 to anyone “who will furnish
me with a documented statement by anybody (in a sermon, article or commentary) in
any country, published BEFORE LACUNZA’S TIME,” which would be 1812.57 Bray
acknowledged that the Edwards material satisfied his challenge and on March 21, 1995
he mailed a $500.00 check to an individual who showed him Edward’s book.58
While I view the commentary here to be of little value and only recognize Scripture's teachings, it does put to rest the idea that the Pre-TRibulational Rapture is a new idea.
As I said, the Pre-Tribulational Rapture is a first-century teaching of Scripture, a Mystery revealed by Paul, and quite separate from the other three resurrections we see in Revelation.
God bless.
