The Pretribulation Rapture – Not a Modern Invention
Some claim the Pretrib Rapture began with John Darby in the 1800s. But that claim collapses under the weight of Scripture and the writings of the early Church Fathers. For the first few centuries, believers lived with an expectation of imminent deliverance—that Christ could return at any moment to rescue His Church before God’s wrath is poured out on the earth.
This was not just theological speculation—it was a blessed hope, rooted in the words of Jesus and echoed by early Christian leaders.
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Early Church Father Quotes Supporting Pretrib or Imminency
Ephraim the Syrian (AD 306–373)
“All the saints and elect of God are gathered together before the tribulation… and are taken to the Lord.”
(On the Last Times, the Antichrist and the End of the World)
Cyprian of Carthage (AD 200–258)
“We who see that terrible things have begun… may consider it the greatest advantage to depart from it as quickly as possible.”
Irenaeus (AD 130–202)
“When in the end the Church shall be suddenly caught up from this, it is said, ‘There shall be tribulation such as has not been since the beginning.’”
(Against Heresies 5.29)
Shepherd of Hermas (1st–2nd century)
“If you prepare yourself… and purify your house, you shall be saved from the destruction that is coming.”
Pseudo-Ephraim (4th–6th century)
“Why therefore do we not reject every care of earthly actions… and run to meet the Master Christ, so that He may draw us from the confusion… before the tribulation begins?”
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Scriptural Foundation for the Pretribulational Rapture
Revelation 3:10
“Because you have kept my word… I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world.”
Luke 21:36
“Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass…”
1 Thessalonians 4:16–17
“The Lord Himself will descend… and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive… shall be caught up… to meet the Lord in the air.”
1 Thessalonians 1:10
“Jesus… delivers us from the wrath to come.”
1 Thessalonians 5:9
“For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
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The Blessed Hope Was Always the Expectation
The Pretribulation Rapture is not a 19th-century novelty—it’s a New Testament reality, preached by Paul, promised by Jesus, and echoed by the earliest Church leaders.
It fits perfectly with a literal, dispensational understanding of prophecy and upholds God’s distinction between Israel and the Church.
Jesus is coming for His Bride before the wrath falls.
The early Church longed for it.
Scripture confirms it.
And we still await it.
“Therefore encourage one another with these words.” —
1 Thessalonians 4:18
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