A few examples of William Watson's findings will have to suffice, given the length of this article.
William Sherwin (1607-1687, minister at Wallington) wrote, "The Saints at the sounding of that last Trumpet at the end of the world shall be changed in a moment, at the twinkling of an eye rapt up to meet Christ in the air." He even refers to the early church fathers' agreeing with him: "This Doctrine many of the ancient Fathers acknowledged Justine Martyr Irenaeus Tertullian even Augustine sometime held it, though by the subtlety of Satan, forgeing lyes to asperse the Millenary opinion, and stirring men up to foist in offensive errours in these latter times hath again discovered it, after so many hundred years of its lying hid for the most part in the Church, to be a doctrine really embraced by his faithful people [who] will doubtless certainly know, that upon their rapture to meet Christ, they shall be perfected in glory evermore in heaven."
Boston Puritan Increase Mather (1639-1723), father of Cotton Mather, wrote, "When Christ comes, Believers shall see the King in all his Glory, and shall go with him to the Land that is very far off. Heaven is the Land that is very far off. Christ has assured believers it shall be thus, John 14.2 . He will not go back to Heaven and leave them behind him. No, they shall sit with him in Heavenly places [later] they shall come down from Heaven . They shall be with him when he comes to Judge the World.
Neither of these citations in this post speak to a pre-trib rapture, but to the second coming at the Last which is the seventh and final trump in Revelation that ushers in the second and only return of Jesus after the tribulation.
A few examples of William Watson's findings will have to suffice, given the length of this article.
William Sherwin (1607-1687, minister at Wallington) wrote, "The Saints at the sounding of that last Trumpet at the end of the world shall be changed in a moment, at the twinkling of an eye rapt up to meet Christ in the air." He even refers to the early church fathers' agreeing with him: "This Doctrine many of the ancient Fathers acknowledged Justine Martyr Irenaeus Tertullian even Augustine sometime held it, though by the subtlety of Satan, forgeing lyes to asperse the Millenary opinion, and stirring men up to foist in offensive errours in these latter times hath again discovered it, after so many hundred years of its lying hid for the most part in the Church, to be a doctrine really embraced by his faithful people [who] will doubtless certainly know, that upon their rapture to meet Christ, they shall be perfected in glory evermore in heaven."
Boston Puritan Increase Mather (1639-1723), father of Cotton Mather, wrote, "When Christ comes, Believers shall see the King in all his Glory, and shall go with him to the Land that is very far off. Heaven is the Land that is very far off. Christ has assured believers it shall be thus, John 14.2 . He will not go back to Heaven and leave them behind him. No, they shall sit with him in Heavenly places [later] they shall come down from Heaven . They shall be with him when he comes to Judge the World.
See part 8.
Neither of these citations in this post speak to a pre-trib rapture, but to the second coming at the Last which is the seventh and final trump in Revelation that ushers in the second and only return of Jesus after the tribulation.
Here's the title of the post.
The Rapture: A Pre-Darby Rapture
Petterson, David
Part of the The Rapture David Petterson series.
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