The Rapture is an eschatological position held by some Christians , particularly those of American evangelicalism , consisting of an end-time event when all dead Christian believers will be resurrected and, joined with Christians who are still alive, together will rise "in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air."
123-695: The origin of the term extends from the First Epistle to the Thessalonians in the Bible , which uses the Greek word harpazo ( Ancient Greek : ἁρπάζω ), meaning "to snatch away" or "to seize". This view of eschatology is referred to as dispensational premillennialism , a form of futurism that considers various prophecies in the Bible as remaining unfulfilled and occurring in the future. The idea of
246-897: A Christian community. There is debate as to whether or not Paul's converts were originally Jewish. The Acts of the Apostles describes Paul preaching in a Jewish synagogue and persuading people who were already Jewish that Jesus was the Messiah, but in 1 Thessalonians itself Paul says that the converts had turned from idols, suggesting that they were not Jewish before Paul arrived. Most New Testament scholars believe Paul wrote this letter from Corinth only months after he left Thessalonica, although information appended to this work in many early manuscripts (e.g., Codices Alexandrinus , Mosquensis , and Angelicus ) state that Paul wrote it in Athens after Timothy had returned from Macedonia with news of
369-434: A belief in the imminence of Christ's return, key to modern pretribulation theology, can be found in various Church Fathers and early Christian writings. The mid-tribulation position espouses that the rapture will occur at some point in the middle of what is popularly called the tribulation period, or during Daniel's 70th Week. The tribulation is typically divided into two periods of 3.5 years each. Mid-tribulationists hold that
492-459: A cause'. Marsden saw fundamentalism arising from a number of preexisting evangelical movements that responded to various perceived threats by joining forces. He argued that Christian fundamentalists were American evangelical Christians who in the 20th century opposed "both modernism in theology and the cultural changes that modernism endorsed. Militant opposition to modernism was what most clearly set off fundamentalism." Others viewing militancy as
615-464: A core characteristic of the fundamentalist movement include Philip Melling, Ung Kyu Pak and Ronald Witherup. Donald McKim and David Wright (1992) argue that "in the 1920s, militant conservatives (fundamentalists) united to mount a conservative counter-offensive. Fundamentalists sought to rescue their denominations from the growth of modernism at home." According to Marsden, recent scholars differentiate "fundamentalists" from "evangelicals" by arguing
738-420: A defeat, but Bryan's death soon afterward created a leadership void that no other fundamentalist leader could fill. Unlike the other fundamentalist leaders, Bryan brought name recognition, respectability, and the ability to forge a broad-based coalition of fundamentalist religious groups to argue in favor of the anti-evolutionist position. Gatewood (1969) analyzes the transition from the anti-evolution crusade of
861-410: A literal interpretation of the thousand-year period mentioned in chapter twenty of Revelation, viewing the number "thousand" as numerologically symbolic and pertaining to the current age of the church. Amillennialists generally do not use "rapture" as a theological term, but they do view a similar event coinciding with the second coming—primarily as a mystical gathering with Christ. To amillennialists
984-402: A psychology than a theology," with characteristics shared by competing Christian theologies and competing religions. According French, that psychology is one that shares "three key traits": certainty (of a mind unclouded by doubt), ferocity (against perceived enemies of their religion) and solidarity (of "comrades in the foxhole", a virtue surpassing even piety in importance). The latter half of
1107-590: A rapture as it is currently defined is not found in historic Christianity, and is a relatively recent doctrine originating from the 1830s. The term is used frequently among fundamentalist theologians in the United States . Rapture has also been used for a mystical union with God or for eternal life in Heaven . Differing viewpoints exist about the exact time of the rapture and whether Christ's return would occur in one event or two. Pretribulationism distinguishes
1230-543: A reaction to theological liberalism and cultural modernism . Fundamentalists argued that 19th-century modernist theologians had misunderstood or rejected certain doctrines , especially biblical inerrancy , which they considered the fundamentals of the Christian faith. Fundamentalists are almost always described as upholding beliefs in biblical infallibility and biblical inerrancy, in keeping with traditional Christian doctrines concerning biblical interpretation ,
1353-437: A result of their own literal understanding of Paul's words. Amillennialists deny the interpretation of a literal thousand-year earthly rule of Christ. There is considerable overlap in the beliefs of amillennialists (including most Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, and Lutherans), postmillennialists (including Presbyterians ), and historic premillennialists (including some Calvinistic Baptists ) with those who hold that
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#17327654694331476-530: A specific sense of a period of time preceding the second coming of Christ. The emphasis in this view is that the church will undergo the tribulation. Matthew 24:29–31 – " Immediately after the Tribulation of those days...they shall gather together his elect... " – is cited as a foundational scripture for this view. Post-tribulationists perceive the rapture as occurring simultaneously with the second coming of Christ. Upon Jesus' return, believers will meet him in
1599-525: A step further. Irving began to teach the idea of a two-phase return of Christ, the first phase being a secret rapture prior to the rise of the Antichrist. Edward Miller described Irving's teaching like this: "There are three gatherings: – First, of the first-fruits of the harvest, the wise virgins who follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth; next, the abundant harvest gathered afterwards by God; and lastly,
1722-523: A thousand years. As a reaction to the rise of allegorical interpretation the Antiochene school insisted on a literal hermeneutic . but did little to counter the Alexandrian's symbolic Millennium. In the twelfth century futurism became prominent again when Joachim of Fiore (1130–1202) wrote a commentary on Revelation and insisted that the end was near and taught that God would restore the earth,
1845-635: Is Coming , published in 1878, which sold more than 1.3 million copies, and the Scofield Reference Bible , published in 1909 and 1919 and revised in 1967. Some pre-tribulation proponents, such as Grant Jeffrey, maintain that the earliest known extra-Biblical reference to the pre-tribulation rapture is from a 7th-century tract known as the Apocalypse of Pseudo-Ephraem the Syrian. Different authors have proposed several different versions of
1968-606: Is a description of a preliminary event to the return described in Matthew 24:29–31. Although both describe a coming of Jesus, these are seen to be different events. The first event is a coming where the saved are to be 'caught up,' whence the term "rapture" is taken. The second event is described as the second coming. The majority of dispensationalists hold that the first event precedes the period of tribulation , even if not immediately (see chart for additional dispensationalist timing views). Dispensationalists distinguish these events as
2091-640: Is a violation of the Racial and Religious Hatred Act of 2006. The movement has its origins in 1878 in a meeting of the "Believers' Meeting for Bible Study" ( Niagara Bible Conference ) in the United States, where 14 fundamental beliefs were established by evangelical pastors. Fundamentalism draws from multiple traditions in British and American theologies during the 19th century. According to authors Robert D. Woodberry and Christian S. Smith, Following
2214-490: Is also affirmed by 2 Thessalonians . The authenticity of 1 Thessalonians 2:13–16 has been disputed by some. The following arguments are made against its authenticity based on its content: Various scholars have since defended the authenticity of these passages. It is also sometimes suggested that 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 is a post-Pauline insertion that has many features of Lukan language and theology that serves as an apologetic correction to Paul's imminent expectation of
2337-484: Is believer, regardless of fellowship.) Therefore, it is believed by some that the rapture of a believer is determined by the timing of his conversion before the great tribulation. Other proponents of this theory hold that only those who are faithful in their relationship with God (having true fellowship with him) will be raptured, and the rest resurrected during the great tribulation, between the 5th and 6th seals of Revelation, having lost their lives during. Still others hold
2460-461: Is bound, Revelation 20:4–6 says, "and they lived, and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection." Authors and teachers who support the post-tribulational view include Pat Robertson , Walter R. Martin , John Piper , George E. Ladd , Robert H. Gundry , and Douglas Moo . In
2583-672: Is infrequent, although there are fundamentalist denominations. Reformed fundamentalism includes those denominations in the Reformed tradition (which includes the Continental Reformed , Presbyterian , Reformed Anglican and Reformed Baptist Churches) who adhere to the doctrine of biblical infallibility and lay heavy emphasis on historic confessions of faith, such as the Westminster Confession . Examples of Reformed fundamentalist denominations include
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#17327654694332706-650: Is most commonly found among American Fundamentalist Baptists , Bible churches , Brethren churches , certain Methodist denominations, Pentecostals , non-denominational evangelicals , and various other evangelical groups. The Catholic Church , Eastern Orthodox Church , the Lutheran Churches , the Anglican Communion , and Reformed denominations have no tradition of a preliminary return of Christ. The Eastern Orthodox Church, for example, favors
2829-578: Is not very different". According to Olson, a key event was the formation of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) in 1942. Barry Hankins (2008) has a similar view, saying "beginning in the 1940s....militant and separatist evangelicals came to be called fundamentalists, while culturally engaged and non-militant evangelicals were supposed to be called evangelicals." Timothy Weber views fundamentalism as "a rather distinctive modern reaction to religious, social and intellectual changes of
2952-405: Is now called the rapture) would happen 45 days before the end of a 3.5-year tribulation. The concept of the rapture, in connection with premillennialism , was expressed by the 17th-century American Puritans Increase and Cotton Mather . They held to the idea that believers would be caught up in the air, followed by judgments on earth, and then the millennium . Other 17th-century expressions of
3075-805: Is often based around the Russian Orthodox Church or the Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church . Orthodox Christian fundamentalism was often connected strongly to a sense of Russian nationalism , since the Russian Orthodox Church often has a strong connection to the Russian state . This Church-state connection has arguably existed since the time of Vladimir the Great 's conversion. In 2013, composer Andrei Kormukhin and athlete Vladimir Nosov founded
3198-459: Is sometimes mistakenly confused with the term evangelical . The term fundamentalism entered the English language in 1922, and it is often capitalized when it is used in reference to the religious movement. By the end of the 20th century, the term fundamentalism acquired a pejorative connotation, denoting religious fanaticism or extremism , especially when such labeling extended beyond
3321-766: Is the International Network of Churches , formerly known as the "Christian Outreach Centre". A former influential group was the Logos Foundation . The Logos Foundation, led by Howard Carter , was a controversial Christian ministry in the 1970s and 1980s that promoted Reconstructionist , Restorationist , and Dominionist theology. They also actively campaigned for several candidates for Queensland, Australia public office that shared their values (e.g., anti-abortion). The Logos Foundation disbanded shortly after an adulterous affair by Carter became public in 1990. In Russia , Christian fundamentalism
3444-430: Is the most widely held view among Christians believing in the rapture today, although this view is disputed within evangelicalism. Some assert a post-tribulational rapture. Most Christian denominations do not subscribe to rapture theology and have a different interpretation of the aerial gathering described in 1 Thessalonians 4 . They do not use rapture as a specific theological term, nor do they generally subscribe to
3567-517: Is to see a return of the Russian Tsar as supreme autocrat of Russia . The group as a particular affinity for Tsar Nicolas II . The group has at times referred to Russian president Vladimir Putin as a modern Tsar, though it is unclear as to whether or not this is a message of support for Putin or not. Bible Baptist Churches, Fundamental Baptist Churches or Independent Baptist Churches refuse any form of ecclesial authority other than that of
3690-490: The Association of Independent Methodists , which is fundamentalist in its theological orientation. By the 1970s Protestant fundamentalism was deeply entrenched and concentrated in the U.S. South. In 1972–1980 General Social Surveys , 65 percent of respondents from the "East South Central" region (comprising Tennessee , Kentucky , Mississippi , and Alabama ) self-identified as fundamentalist. The share of fundamentalists
3813-495: The Civil War , tensions developed between Northern evangelical leaders over Darwinism and higher biblical criticism ; Southerners remained unified in their opposition to both. ... Modernists attempted to update Christianity to match their view of science. They denied biblical miracles and argued that God manifests himself through the social evolution of society. Conservatives resisted these changes. These latent tensions rose to
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3936-880: The Independent Baptist movement. By the late 1920s the national media had identified it with the South, largely ignoring manifestations elsewhere. In the mid-twentieth century, several Methodists left the mainline Methodist Church and established fundamental Methodist denominations, such as the Evangelical Methodist Church and the Fundamental Methodist Conference (cf. conservative holiness movement ); others preferred congregating in Independent Methodist churches, many of which are affiliated with
4059-618: The King James Version , a position known as King James Onlyism . Fundamental Methodism includes several connexions , such as the Evangelical Methodist Church and Fundamental Methodist Conference , along with their seminaries such as Breckbill Bible College . Additionally, Methodist connexions in the conservative holiness movement , such as the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection and Evangelical Methodist Church Conference , herald
4182-666: The Medieval Latin raptura ("seizure, kidnapping"), which derives from the Latin raptus ("a carrying off"). The Koine Greek of 1 Thessalonians 4:17 uses the verb form ἁρπαγησόμεθα ( harpagēsometha ), which means "we shall be caught up" or "we shall be taken away". The dictionary form of this Greek verb is harpazō ( ἁρπάζω ). This use is also seen in such texts as Acts 8:39, 2 Corinthians 12:2–4, and Revelation 12:5. Linguist, Dr. Douglas Hamp, notes that Greek scholar Spiros Zodhiates lists harpagēsometha as
4305-646: The Orthodox Presbyterian Church and the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster . Fundamentalists' literal interpretation of the Bible has been criticized by practitioners of biblical criticism for failing to take into account the circumstances in which the Christian Bible was written. Critics claim that this "literal interpretation" is not in keeping with the message which the scripture intended to convey when it
4428-591: The Russian far-right , including neo-Nazis and Third Positionists . The Sorok Sorokov Movement has its own political party as well, called For the Family . Many far-right Russian Christian nationalists have been highly supportive of Russia's unprovoked war with Ukraine . One such group supportive of Russian Orthodox Christian fundamentalist-nationalism is the Union of Orthodox Banner-Bearers . Known for their book burnings and political rallies , their primary goal
4551-733: The Second Coming in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 . Some scholars, such as Schmithals, Eckhart, Demke and Munro, have developed complicated theories involving redaction and interpolation in 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Paul, speaking for himself, Silas , and Timothy, gives thanks for the news about their faith and love; he reminds them of the kind of life he had lived while he was with them. Paul stresses how honorably he conducted himself, reminding them that he had worked to earn his keep, taking great pains not to burden anyone. He did this, he says, even though he could have used his status as an apostle to impose upon them. Paul goes on to explain that
4674-537: The Second Coming of Jesus Christ . Fundamentalism manifests itself in various denominations which believe in various theologies, rather than a single denomination or a systematic theology . The ideology became active in the 1910s after the release of The Fundamentals , a twelve-volume set of essays, apologetic and polemic , written by conservative Protestant theologians in an attempt to defend beliefs which they considered Protestant orthodoxy . The movement became more organized within U.S. Protestant churches in
4797-613: The amillennial interpretation of prophetic Scriptures and thus rejects a preliminary, premillennial return. Most Methodists do not adhere to the dispensationalist view of the rapture. Most premillennialists distinguish the Rapture and the Second Coming as separate events. Some dispensational premillennialists (including many evangelicals ) hold the return of Christ to be two distinct events (i.e., Christ's second coming in two stages). According to this view, 1 Thessalonians 4:15–17
4920-481: The dead will be resurrected prior to those still living, and both groups will greet the Lord in the air. Christian fundamentalism Christian fundamentalism , also known as fundamental Christianity or fundamentalist Christianity , is a religious movement emphasizing biblical literalism . In its modern form, it began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among British and American Protestants as
5043-440: The five "fundamentals" in 1910, namely The Princeton theology , which responded to higher criticism of the Bible by developing from the 1840s to 1920 the doctrine of inerrancy, was another influence in the movement. This doctrine, also called biblical inerrancy, stated that the Bible was divinely inspired, religiously authoritative, and without error. The Princeton Seminary professor of theology Charles Hodge insisted that
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5166-433: The 1 Thessalonians 4:17 gathering as Heaven. While Anglicans have many views, some Anglican commentators, such as N. T. Wright , identify the destination as a specific place on Earth. This interpretation may sometimes be connected to Christian environmentalist concerns. There are numerous views regarding the timing of the Rapture. Some maintain that Matthew 24:37–40 refers to the Rapture, pointing out similarities between
5289-411: The 1920s devoted themselves to fighting against the teaching of evolution in the nation's schools and colleges, especially by passing state laws that affected public schools. William Bell Riley took the initiative in the 1925 Scopes Trial by bringing in famed politician William Jennings Bryan and hiring him to serve as an assistant to the local prosecutor, who helped draw national media attention to
5412-443: The 1920s to the creation science movement of the 1960s. Despite some similarities between these two causes, the creation science movement represented a shift from religious to pseudoscientific objections to Darwin's theory. Creation science also differed in terms of popular leadership, rhetorical tone, and sectional focus. It lacked a prestigious leader like Bryan, utilized pseudoscientific argument rather than religious rhetoric, and
5535-659: The 1920s, Christian fundamentalists "differed on how to understand the account of creation in Genesis" but they "agreed that God was the author of creation and that humans were distinct creatures, separate from animals, and made in the image of God." While some of them advocated the belief in Old Earth creationism and a few of them even advocated the belief in evolutionary creation , other "strident fundamentalists" advocated Young Earth Creationism and "associated evolution with last-days atheism." These "strident fundamentalists" in
5658-407: The 1920s, especially among Presbyterians , as well as Baptists and Methodists . Many churches which embraced fundamentalism adopted a militant attitude with regard to their core beliefs. Reformed fundamentalists lay heavy emphasis on historic confessions of faith , such as the Westminster Confession of Faith , as well as uphold Princeton theology . Since 1930, many fundamentalist churches in
5781-408: The 1930s, fundamentalism was viewed by many as a "last gasp" vestige of something from the past but more recently, scholars have shifted away from that view. In the early 1940s, evangelicals and fundamentalist Christians began to part ways over whether to separate from modern culture (the fundamentalist approach) or engage with it. An organization very much on the side of separation from modernity
5904-573: The 1930s, including H. Richard Niebuhr , understood the conflict between fundamentalism and modernism to be part of a broader social conflict between the cities and the country. In this view the fundamentalists were country and small-town dwellers who were reacting against the progressivism of city dwellers. Fundamentalism was seen as a form of anti-intellectualism during the 1950s; in the early 1960s American intellectual and historian Richard Hofstadter interpreted it in terms of status anxiety, social displacement, and 'Manichean mentality'. Beginning in
6027-820: The 1980s, the Christian Right began to have a major impact on American politics. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Christian Right was influencing elections and policy with groups such as the Family Research Council (founded 1981 by James Dobson ) and the Christian Coalition (formed in 1989 by Pat Robertson ) helping conservative politicians, especially Republicans , to win state and national elections. A major organization of fundamentalist, pentecostal churches in Australia
6150-1139: The Baptist tradition (who generally affirm dispensationalism ) have been represented by the Independent Fundamental Churches of America (renamed IFCA International in 1996), while many theologically conservative connexions in the Methodist tradition (who adhere to Wesleyan theology ) align with the Interchurch Holiness Convention ; in various countries, national bodies such as the American Council of Christian Churches exist to encourage dialogue between fundamentalist bodies of different denominational backgrounds. Other fundamentalist denominations have little contact with other bodies. A few scholars label Catholic activist conservative associations who reject modern Christian theology in favor of more traditional doctrines as fundamentalists. The term
6273-628: The Bible Conference Movement, starting in 1878 with the Niagara Bible Conference . These conferences, which were initially inclusive of historicist and futurist premillennialism, led to an increasing acceptance of futurist premillennial views and the pre-tribulation rapture especially among Presbyterian, Baptist, and Congregational members. Popular books also contributed to acceptance of the pre-tribulation rapture, including William E. Blackstone 's book Jesus
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#17327654694336396-484: The Bible is associated with conservative evangelical hermeneutical approaches to Scripture, ranging from the historical-grammatical method to biblical literalism . The Dallas Theological Seminary , founded in 1924 in Dallas , would have a considerable influence in the movement by training students who will establish various independent Bible Colleges and fundamentalist churches in the southern United States. In
6519-465: The Bible was inerrant because God inspired or "breathed" his exact thoughts into the biblical writers ( 2 Timothy 3 :16). Princeton theologians believed that the Bible should be read differently than any other historical document, and they also believed that Christian modernism and liberalism led people to Hell just like non-Christian religions did. Biblical inerrancy was a particularly significant rallying point for fundamentalists. This approach to
6642-641: The Bible, often using the Scofield Reference Bible of 1909, a King James Version of the Bible with detailed notes which interprets passages from a dispensational perspective. Although U.S. fundamentalism began in the North , the movement's largest base of popular support was in the South, especially among Southern Baptists , where individuals (and sometimes entire churches) left the convention and joined other Baptist denominations and movements which they believed were "more conservative" such as
6765-609: The Creation Research Society in California, all supported by distinguished laymen. They sought to ban evolution as a topic for study, or at least relegate it to the status of unproven theory perhaps taught alongside the biblical version of creation. Educators, scientists, and other distinguished laymen favored evolution. This struggle occurred later in the Southwest than in other US areas and persisted through
6888-615: The Jews would be converted, and the Millennium would take place on earth. His teaching influenced much of Europe. Though the Catholic Church does not generally regard Biblical prophecy in texts such as Daniel and Revelation as strictly future-based (when viewed from the standpoint of our present time), in 1590 Francisco Ribera , a Catholic Jesuit, taught futurism . He also taught that a gathering-of-the-elect event (similar to what
7011-403: The Lord"). The Day of the Lord's wrath against the ungodly will follow for the remainder of seven years. The partial, conditional or selective rapture theory holds that all obedient Christians will be raptured before the great tribulation depending on ones personal fellowship (or closeness) between she or he and God, which is not to be confused with the relationship between the same and God (which
7134-517: The Messiah in Glory and Majesty ). The book appeared first in 1811, 10 years after his death. In 1827, it was translated into English by the Scottish minister Edward Irving. During the 1970s, belief in the rapture became popular in wider circles, in part because of the books of Hal Lindsey, including The Late Great Planet Earth , which has reportedly sold between 15 million and 35 million copies, and
7257-531: The New Covenant, past, present and future. They do not regard mentions of Jerusalem in the chapter twenty-one of Revelation as pertaining to the present geographical city, but to a future new Jerusalem or "new heaven and new earth", for which the church through the twelve apostles (representing of the twelve tribes of Israel) currently lays the foundation in the messianic kingdom already present. Unlike certain premillennial dispensationalists, they do not view
7380-470: The Old and New Testament uses the word "rapture" in explicating 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Although not using the term "rapture", the idea was more fully developed by Edward Irving (1792–1834). In 1825, Irving directed his attention to the study of prophecy and eventually accepted the one-man Antichrist idea of James Henthorn Todd , Samuel Roffey Maitland , Robert Bellarmine , and Francisco Ribera, yet he went
7503-622: The Orthodox fundamentalist and conservative Christian organization known as the Sorok Sorokov Movement . The Sorok Sorokov Movement was founded in reaction to Pussy Riot 's 2012 protests, which were themselves against increasingly socially conservative policies in Russia, including moves towards decriminalizing wifebeating and criminalizing homosexuality . The Sorok Sorokov Movement has received support from many priests of
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#17327654694337626-730: The Rapture has occurred and they have been left behind when their parents have been out of sight. First Epistle to the Thessalonians The First Epistle to the Thessalonians is a Pauline epistle of the New Testament of the Christian Bible . The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle , and is addressed to the church in Thessalonica , in modern-day Greece . It is likely among
7749-727: The Russian Orthodox Church, most notably celebrate priest Vsevolod Chaplin . Chaplin in particular supported the creation of "Orthodox squads" in order to punish people from carrying out "blasphemous acts" in religious places. Some have argues that the Sorok Sorkov Movement has been involved in protecting the construction of Russian Orthodox churches in Moscow , though the facts have been hard to verify with this. Just as many sources have argued that these acts were more in line with violent vigilantism against LGBT people in Russia. The Sorok Sorokov Movement has also been connected to
7872-413: The Second Coming as two different events. There are also other positions within premillennialism that differ with regard to the timing of the Rapture. In the earliest days of the church, chiliastic teaching (i.e., early premillennialism) was the dominant view. Eusebius wrote, "To these [written accounts] belong his [ Papias of Hierapolis ] statement that there will be a period of some thousand years after
7995-526: The Sputnik era. In recent times, the courts have heard cases on whether or not the Book of Genesis's creation account should be taught in science classrooms alongside evolution, most notably in the 2005 federal court case Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District . Creationism was presented under the banner of intelligent design , with the book Of Pandas and People being its textbook. The trial ended with
8118-663: The Tribulation. There exists at least one 18th-century and two 19th-century pre-tribulation references: in an essay published in 1788 in Philadelphia by the Baptist Morgan Edwards which articulated the concept of a pre-tribulation rapture, in the writings of Catholic priest Manuel Lacunza in 1812, and by John Nelson Darby in 1827. Manuel Lacunza (1731–1801), a Jesuit priest (under the pseudonym Juan Josafat Ben Ezra), wrote an apocalyptic work entitled La venida del Mesías en gloria y majestad ( The Coming of
8241-446: The U.S. South . Both rural and urban in character, the flourishing movement acted as a denominational surrogate and fostered a militant evangelical Christian orthodoxy. Riley was president of WCFA until 1929, after which the WCFA faded in importance. The Independent Fundamental Churches of America became a leading association of independent U.S. fundamentalist churches upon its founding in 1930. The American Council of Christian Churches
8364-409: The air and will then accompany him in his return to the Earth. In the Epistles of Paul , most notably in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 ("the dead in Christ shall rise first") and 1 Corinthians 15:51–52 , a trumpet is described as blowing at the end of the tribulation to herald the return of Christ; Revelation 11:15 further supports this view. Moreover, after chapters 6–19, and after 20:1–3 when Satan
8487-740: The assembling of the wicked for punishment." The pre-tribulation position advocates that the rapture will occur before the beginning of a seven-year tribulation period, while the second coming will occur at the end of it. Pre-tribulationists often describe the rapture as Jesus coming for the church and the second coming as Jesus coming with the church. Pre-tribulation educators and preachers include Jimmy Swaggart , Robert Jeffress , J. Dwight Pentecost , Tim LaHaye , J. Vernon McGee , Perry Stone , Chuck Smith , Hal Lindsey , Jack Van Impe , Skip Heitzig , Chuck Missler , Grant Jeffrey , Thomas Ice , David Jeremiah , John F. MacArthur , and John Hagee . John Nelson Darby first solidified and popularized
8610-424: The beliefs of "separation from the world, from false doctrines, from other ecclesiastical connections" as well as place heavy emphasis on practicing holiness standards . In nondenominational Christianity of the evangelical variety, the word biblical or independent often appears in the name of the church or denomination. The independence of the church is claimed and affiliation with a Christian denomination
8733-402: The chief interdenominational fundamentalist organization in the 1920s. Some mark this conference as the public start of Christian fundamentalism. Although the fundamentalist drive to take control of the major Protestant denominations failed at the national level during the 1920s, the network of churches and missions fostered by Riley showed that the movement was growing in strength, especially in
8856-587: The coming of Christ to deliver the righteous by means of the rapture, which will occur after specific events in Revelation, in particular after the sixth seal is opened and the sun is darkened and the moon is turned to blood. However, by this point many Christians will have been slaughtered as martyrs by the Antichrist . After the rapture will come God's seventh-seal wrath of trumpets and bowls (a.k.a. "the Day of
8979-516: The consensus view among scholars that in the wake of the Scopes trial, fundamentalism retreated into the political and cultural background, a viewpoint which is evidenced in the movie Inherit the Wind and the majority of contemporary historical accounts. Rather, he argues, the cause of fundamentalism's retreat was the death of its leader, Bryan. Most fundamentalists saw the trial as a victory rather than
9102-620: The current, but indefinite period that began with the foundation of the church and that will end with the Second Coming—a period where Christ already reigns with his saints through the Eucharist and his church. They view the life of the church as Christ's kingdom already established (inaugurated on the day of the Pentecost described in the first chapter of Acts), but not to be made complete until his second coming. This framework precludes
9225-472: The eschatology of the ante-Nicene age is the prominent chiliasm, or millennarianism, that is the belief of a visible reign of Christ in glory on earth with the risen saints for a thousand years, before the general resurrection and judgment." Over time, however, a clash surfaced between two schools of interpretation, the Antiochene and Alexandrian schools. The Alexandrian school's roots can be traced back to
9348-491: The final days already began on the day of the Pentecost, but that the great tribulation will occur during the final phase or conclusion of the millennium, with Christ then returning as the alpha and omega at the end of time. Unlike premillennialists who predict the millennium as a literal thousand-year reign by Christ after his return, amillennialists emphasize the continuity and permanency of his reign throughout all periods of
9471-664: The first of Paul's letters , probably written by the end of AD 52, in the reign of Claudius although some scholars believe the Epistle to the Galatians may have been written by AD 48. The original language is Koine Greek . Thessalonica is a city on the Thermaic Gulf , which at the time of Paul was within the Roman Empire . Paul visited Thessalonica and preached to the local population, winning converts who became
9594-566: The first-person plural future passive indicative of the Greek stem, harpagē (har-pag-ay), “the act of plundering, plunder, spoil.” The future passive indicative of harpázō (although not used by Paul in 1 Thess. 4:17) can be viewed at verbix.com: αρπασθησόμεθα ( harpasthesometha ). GS724 harpagē means : 1. the act of plundering, robbery; 2. plunder, spoil. When the rapture and the "restoration of all things" (Acts 3:20-21) are viewed as simultaneous events (according to Romans 8:19-21) then it makes sense why Paul would use "shall be plundered" to match
9717-531: The former were more militant and less willing to collaborate with groups considered "modernist" in theology. In the 1940s the more moderate faction of fundamentalists maintained the same theology but began calling themselves "evangelicals" to stress their less militant position. Roger Olson (2007) identifies a more moderate faction of fundamentalists, which he calls "postfundamentalist", and says "most postfundamentalist evangelicals do not wish to be called fundamentalists, even though their basic theological orientation
9840-647: The founders of the international Council of Christian Churches. Oswald J. Smith (1889–1986), reared in rural Ontario and educated at Moody Church in Chicago, set up The Peoples Church in Toronto in 1928. A dynamic preacher and leader in Canadian fundamentalism, Smith wrote 35 books and engaged in missionary work worldwide. Billy Graham called him "the greatest combination pastor, hymn writer, missionary statesman, an evangelist of our time." A leading organizer of
9963-601: The fundamentalist campaign against modernism in the United States was William Bell Riley , a Northern Baptist based in Minneapolis, where his Northwestern Bible and Missionary Training School (1902), Northwestern Evangelical Seminary (1935), and Northwestern College (1944) produced thousands of graduates. At a large conference in Philadelphia in 1919, Riley founded the World Christian Fundamentals Association (WCFA), which became
10086-549: The fundamentalist movement and the mainstream evangelical movement due to their anti-intellectual approaches. From 1910 until 1915, a series of essays titled The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth was published by the Testimony Publishing Company of Chicago. The Northern Presbyterian Church (now Presbyterian Church in the United States of America ) influenced the movement with the definition of
10209-567: The fundamentalist movement, and the term is seldom used of them. The broader term " evangelical " includes fundamentalists as well as people with similar or identical religious beliefs who do not engage the outside challenge to the Bible as actively. Writing in 2023, conservative Christian journalist David French quotes a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention 's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, Richard Land , as identifying fundamentalism as "far more
10332-486: The historicity of Acts date it in the early 40s AD. The Delphi Inscription dates Gallio's proconsulship of Achaia to 51-52 AD, and Acts 18:12-17 mentions Gallio, toward the end of Paul's stay in Corinth. 1 Thessalonians does not focus on justification by faith or questions of Jewish–Gentile relations , themes that are covered in all other letters. Because of this, some scholars see this as an indication that this letter
10455-457: The influence of Philo, a Hellenized Jew who sought to reconcile God's veracity with what he thought were errors in the Tanakh . Alexandrian theologians viewed the Millennium as a symbolic reign of Christ from Heaven. Through the influence of Origen and Augustine—students of the Alexandrian school—allegorical interpretation rose to prominence, and its eschatology became the majority view for more than
10578-578: The judge deciding that teaching intelligent design in a science class was unconstitutional as it was a religious belief and not science. The original fundamentalist movement divided along clearly defined lines within conservative evangelical Protestantism as issues progressed. Many groupings, large and small, were produced by this schism. Neo-evangelicalism , the Heritage movement , and Paleo-Orthodoxy have all developed distinct identities, but none of them acknowledge any more than an historical overlap with
10701-496: The late 1800s and early 1900s, a reaction that eventually took on a life of its own and changed significantly over time". Fundamentalist movements existed in most North American Protestant denominations by 1919 following attacks on modernist theology in Presbyterian and Baptist denominations. Fundamentalism was especially controversial among Presbyterians. In Canada, fundamentalism was less prominent, but an early leader
10824-694: The late 1960s, the movement began to be seen as "a bona fide religious, theological and even intellectual movement in its own right". Instead of interpreting fundamentalism as a simple anti-intellectualism , Paul Carter argued that "fundamentalists were simply intellectual in a way different than their opponents". Moving into the 1970s, Earnest R. Sandeen saw fundamentalism as arising from the confluence of Princeton theology and millennialism . George Marsden defined fundamentalism as "militantly anti-modernist Protestant evangelicalism" in his 1980 work Fundamentalism and American Culture . Militant in this sense does not mean 'violent', it means 'aggressively active in
10947-530: The leadership and funding of former Princeton Theological Seminary professor J. Gresham Machen . Many Bible colleges were modeled after the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Dwight Moody was influential in preaching the imminence of the Kingdom of God that was so important to dispensationalism. Bible colleges prepared ministers who lacked college or seminary experience with intense study of
11070-448: The local church. Great emphasis is placed on the literal interpretation of the Bible as the primary method of Bible study as well as the biblical inerrancy and the infallibility of their interpretation . Dispensationalism is common among Independent Baptists. They are opposed to any ecumenical movement with denominations that do not have the same beliefs. Many Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) churches adhere to only using
11193-515: The movie A Thief in the Night , which based its title on the scriptural reference 1 Thessalonians 5:2 . Lindsey proclaimed that the rapture was imminent, based on world conditions at the time. In 1995, the doctrine of the pre-tribulation rapture was further popularized by Tim LaHaye's Left Behind series of books, which sold close to 80 million copies and was made into several movies and four real-time strategy video games. According to Thomas Ice
11316-448: The origin of the concept, some believers have made predictions regarding the date of the event. All have failed in their attempt to set a date. Some predictions of the date of the Second Coming of Jesus (which may or may not refer to the rapture) include the following: Some predictions of the date of the rapture include the following: The theology has been criticized by child psychologists for scaring children by making them believe that
11439-491: The original movement which coined the term and those who self-identify as fundamentalists. Some who hold certain, but not all beliefs in common with the original fundamentalist movement reject the label fundamentalism , due to its perceived pejorative nature, while others consider it a banner of pride. In certain parts of the United Kingdom , using the term fundamentalist with the intent to stir up religious hatred
11562-470: The post-tribulation premillennial position, the rapture would be identical to the second coming of Jesus or as a meeting in the air with Jesus that immediately precedes his return to the Earth before a literal millennium. The post-tribulation position places the rapture at the end of the tribulation period. Post-tribulation writers define the tribulation period in a generic sense as the entire present age, or in
11685-460: The postmillennialist view the millennium is seen as an indefinitely long time thus precluding literal interpretation of a thousand-year period. According to Loraine Boettner "the world will be Christianized, and the return of Christ will occur at the close of a long period of righteousness and peace, commonly called the millennium." Postmillennialists commonly view the rapture of the Church as one and
11808-656: The pre-tribulation rapture in 1827. Despite vague notions of this view existing in a few Puritan theologians prior to Darby, he was the first person to place it into a larger theological framework . This view was accepted among many other Plymouth Brethren movements in England. Darby and other prominent Brethren were part of the Brethren movement which impacted American Christianity, especially with movements and teachings associated with Christian eschatology and fundamentalism , primarily through their writings. Influences included
11931-417: The premillennial dispensational views associated with its use. Instead they typically interpret rapture in the sense of the elect gathering with Christ in Heaven right after his second coming and reject the idea that a large segment of humanity will be left behind on earth for an extended tribulation period after the events of 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Rapture is derived from Middle French rapture , via
12054-409: The rapture are found in the works of Robert Maton, Nathaniel Holmes , John Browne, Thomas Vincent , Henry Danvers , and William Sherwin . The term rapture was used by Philip Doddridge and John Gill in their New Testament commentaries, with the idea that believers would be caught up prior to judgment on earth and Jesus' second coming . An 1828 edition of Matthew Henry 's An Exposition of
12177-528: The rapture from the second coming of Jesus Christ mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew , 2 Thessalonians , and Revelation . This view holds that the rapture would precede the seven-year Tribulation , which would culminate in Christ's second coming and be followed by a thousand-year Messianic Kingdom . This theory grew out of the translations of the Bible that John Nelson Darby analyzed in 1833. Pretribulationism
12300-601: The rebuilding of the temple of Jerusalem as either necessary or legitimate, because the practice of animal sacrifices has now been fulfilled in the life of the church through Christ's ultimate sacrifice on the cross. Authors who have expressed support for the amillenialist view include St. Augustine. The amillennialist viewpoint is the position held by the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican churches, as well as mainline Protestant bodies, such as Lutherans , Methodists , Presbyterians and many Reformed congregations. Since
12423-514: The rest will either be raptured during the tribulation or at its end. As stated by Ira David (a proponent of this view): “The saints will be raptured in groups during the tribulation as they are prepared to go.” Some notable proponents of this theory are G. H. Lang , Robert Chapman , G. H. Pember , Robert Govett , D. M. Panton , Watchman Nee , Ira E. David, J. A. Seiss , Hudson Taylor , Anthony Norris Groves , John Wilkinson, G. Campbell Morgan , Otto Stockmayer and Rev. J. W. (Chip) White Jr. In
12546-489: The resurrection of the dead, and that the kingdom of Christ will be set up in the material form on this very earth. [...] But it was due to him that so many of the Church Fathers after him adopted a like opinion, urging in their own support the antiquity of the man; as for instance Irenaeus and anyone else that may have proclaimed similar views." The 19th-century scholar Schaff notes that, "The most striking point in
12669-410: The return of Christ will be a single, public event. Some proponents believe the doctrine of amillennialism originated with Alexandrian scholars such as Clement and Origen and later became Catholic dogma through Augustine . Dispensationalists see the immediate destination of the raptured Christians as being Heaven . Catholic commentators, such as Walter Drum (1912), identify the destination of
12792-473: The role of Jesus in the Bible , and the role of the church in society. Fundamentalists usually believe in a core of Christian beliefs, typically called the "Five Fundamentals", this arose from the Presbyterian Church issuance of "The Doctrinal Deliverance of 1910". Topics included are statements on the historical accuracy of the Bible and all of the events which are recorded in it as well as
12915-476: The saints will go through the first period (Beginning of Travail), but will be raptured into Heaven before the severe outpouring of God's wrath in the second half of what is popularly called the Great Tribulation . Mid-tribulationists appeal to Daniel 7:25 which says the saints will be given over to tribulation for "time, times, and half a time," – interpreted to mean 3.5 years. At the halfway point of
13038-521: The same event as the second coming of Christ. According to them the great tribulation was already fulfilled in the Jewish-Roman War of 66–73 AD that involved the destruction of Jerusalem. Authors who have expressed support for this view include the Puritan author of Pilgrim's Progress , John Bunyan, Jonathan Edwards and Charles Finney . Amillennialists view the millennial rule of Christ as
13161-462: The second coming. This view holds that the tribulation of the church begins toward the latter part of a seven-year period, being Daniel's 70th week, when the Antichrist is revealed in the temple. This latter half of a seven-year period [i.e. 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 years] is defined as the great tribulation, although the exact duration is not known. References from Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 are used as evidence that this tribulation will be cut short by
13284-613: The state of the church in Thessalonica . The original manuscript of this letter is lost, as are over a century of copies. The text of the surviving manuscripts varies . The oldest surviving manuscripts that contain some or all of this book include: It is widely agreed that 1 Thessalonians is one of the first books of the New Testament to be written, and the earliest extant Christian text. A majority of modern New Testament scholars date 1 Thessalonians to 49–51 AD, during Paul's 18-month stay in Corinth coinciding with his second missionary journey. A minority of scholars who do not recognize
13407-399: The surface after World War I in what came to be called the fundamentalist/modernist split . However, the split does not mean that there were just two groups: modernists and fundamentalists. There were also people who considered themselves neo-evangelicals, separating themselves from the extreme components of fundamentalism. These neo-evangelicals also wanted to separate themselves from both
13530-480: The text as authentic and there are differing opinions as to whether it supports belief in a pre-tribulation rapture. One version of the text reads, "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." In addition, The Apocalypse of Elijah and The History of Brother Dolcino both state that believers will be removed prior to
13653-435: The time Ronald Reagan ran for the presidency in 1980, fundamentalist preachers, like the prohibitionist ministers of the early 20th century, were organizing their congregations to vote for supportive candidates. Leaders of the newly political fundamentalism included Rob Grant and Jerry Falwell . Beginning with Grant's American Christian Cause in 1974, Christian Voice throughout the 1970s and Falwell's Moral Majority in
13776-412: The timing of the Rapture. These views regard that the Rapture, as it is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:15–17, would be identical to the Second Coming of Jesus as described in Matthew 24:29–31 after the spiritual/symbolic millennium. In the premillennial view, the Rapture would be before a literal, earthly millennium. Within premillennialism, the pretribulation position distinguishes between the Rapture and
13899-627: The trial. In the half century after the Scopes Trial, fundamentalists had little success in shaping government policy, and they were generally defeated in their efforts to reshape the mainline denominations , which refused to join fundamentalist attacks on evolution. Particularly after the Scopes Trial, liberals saw a division between Christians in favor of the teaching of evolution, whom they viewed as educated and tolerant, and Christians against evolution, whom they viewed as narrow-minded, tribal, and obscurantist. Edwards (2000), however, challenges
14022-465: The tribulation, the Antichrist will commit the "abomination of desolation" by desecrating the Jerusalem temple . Mid-tribulationist teachers include Harold Ockenga , James O. Buswell (a reformed, Calvinistic Presbyterian), and Norman Harrison. This position is a minority view among premillennialists. The prewrath rapture view also places the rapture at some point during the tribulation period before
14145-664: The twentieth century witnessed a surge of interest in organized political activism by U.S. fundamentalists. Dispensational fundamentalists viewed the 1948 establishment of the state of Israel as an important sign of the fulfillment of biblical prophecy, and support for Israel became the centerpiece of their approach to U.S. foreign policy. United States Supreme Court decisions also ignited fundamentalists' interest in organized politics, particularly Engel v. Vitale in 1962, which prohibited state-sanctioned prayer in public schools, and Abington School District v. Schempp in 1963, which prohibited mandatory Bible reading in public schools. By
14268-462: The two texts, indicating that the Rapture would occur at the parousia of the Lord. Others point out that neither church nor rapture occur in Matthew 24 and there are significant differences between Matthew 24:37–40 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18. As a result, these two texts receive the overwhelming focus within discussions about the Rapture's timing. The two texts are as follows: In the amillennial and postmillennial views there are no distinctions in
14391-621: The verbiage of the distortion of the Earth described in Isaiah 24:3, "The land shall be entirely emptied and utterly plundered...". The Latin Vulgate translates the Greek ἁρπαγησόμεθα as rapiemur meaning "we will be caught up" or "we will be taken away" from the Latin verb rapio meaning "to catch up" or "take away". English translations of the Bible have translated 1 Thessalonians 4:17 in various ways: A pretribulational rapture view
14514-586: Was English-born Thomas Todhunter Shields (1873–1955), who led 80 churches out of the Baptist federation in Ontario in 1927 and formed the Union of Regular Baptist Churches of Ontario and Quebec. He was affiliated with the Baptist Bible Union, based in the United States. His newspaper, The Gospel Witness, reached 30,000 subscribers in 16 countries, giving him an international reputation. He was one of
14637-527: Was a product of California and Michigan rather than the South. Webb (1991) traces the political and legal struggles between strict creationists and Darwinists to influence the extent to which evolution would be taught as science in Arizona and California schools. After Scopes was convicted, creationists throughout the United States sought similar anti-evolution laws for their states. These included Reverends R. S. Beal and Aubrey L. Moore in Arizona and members of
14760-637: Was at or near 50 percent in "West South Central" ( Texas to Arkansas ) and "South Atlantic" (Florida to Maryland), and at 25 percent or below elsewhere in the country, with the low of nine percent in New England. The pattern persisted into the 21st century; in 2006–2010 surveys, the average share of fundamentalists in the East South Central Region stood at 58 percent, while, in New England , it climbed slightly to 13 percent. In
14883-628: Was founded for fundamental Christian denominations as an alternative to the National Council of Churches . Much of the enthusiasm for mobilizing fundamentalism came from Protestant seminaries and Protestant "Bible colleges" in the United States. Two leading fundamentalist seminaries were the dispensationalist Dallas Theological Seminary , founded in 1924 by Lewis Sperry Chafer , and the Reformed Westminster Theological Seminary , formed in 1929 under
15006-451: Was the American Council of Christian Churches , founded in 1941 by Rev. Carl McIntire . Another group "for conservative Christians who wanted to be culturally engaged" was the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) founded in 1942, by Harold Ockenga . The interpretations given the fundamentalist movement have changed over time, with most older interpretations being based on the concepts of social displacement or cultural lag. Some in
15129-435: Was written before the Epistle to the Galatians , where Paul's positions on these matters were formed and elucidated. The majority of New Testament scholars hold 1 Thessalonians to be authentic, although a number of scholars in the mid-19th century contested its authenticity, most notably Clement Schrader and F.C. Baur . 1 Thessalonians matches other accepted Pauline letters, both in style and in content, and its authorship
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