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Go ahead. I dare you. Type in the name "John
Darby" on Yahoo and other internet "search engines."
You will find that many still assume that this 19th century leader of
the evangelical, Britain-based Plymouth Brethren was the most
important figure in the development of "premillennial
dispensationalism" - or, if you like choices,
"dispensational premillennialism." (Those fond of brevity
can call it "d-ism.") Just for the fun of it, let's list
the chief features of d-ism (after listing what supposedly led to
those features) and see if Darby was the first person to teach them:
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The "Heavenly" Church. This was the theme of
Darby's first paper (1827). PRE-DARBY DATA: Manuel Lacunza (1812) and
Edward Irving (1825-1827 sermons and other writings) had the same theme.
- The "Unity" of the Church.
This was the theme of Darby's second paper (1828). PRE-DARBY DATA:
Lacunza (1812) and Irving (1825-27 sermons, etc.) had the same theme.
- The Church/Israel
"Distinction." In his 1965 d-ism book, Darby defender
Charles Ryrie viewed this distinction as the most important basis for
d-ism, adding in his 1981 rapture book that it led Darby to his
church/Israel "dichotomy," that is, a pretrib rapture
separating the two groups during a future tribulation. As support for
this distinction, d-ists see several supposedly original thoughts in
Darby's 1829 paper: Darby spoke of "the Jewish and Gentile
dispensations." PRE-DARBY DATA: Irving (1825 etc.) referred to
"the dispensations both Jewish and Gentile." Darby said
"the hope of the church is His coming." PRE-DARBY DATA:
Irving (1825 etc.) stated that "the coming of the Lord" is
the church's "hope and desire." Darby wrote "looking
daily for the Lord's coming." PRE-DARBY DATA: Irving (1826 -
Lacunza preface) wrote "look daily for the coming of the
Lord." Darby said "the church...was a suffering church"
before "the church became triumphant." PRE-DARBY DATA:
Irving (1825 etc.) referred to "the suffering church"
before it became "the triumphant church." Darby mentioned
"the restoration of the Jews to their own land." PRE-DARBY
DATA: Irving (1825 etc.) mentioned the "restoration" of
"the Jews...to their own land."
- The Gentile "Parenthesis."
In an 1830 article Darby talked about "the Jewish church or
nation (exclusive of the Gentile parenthesis...)." PRE-DARBY
DATA: In an 1811 book (which was reprinted in England in 1818, had
several editions, and was widely read), American pastor William Davis
referred to "the Jewish nation, exclusively of the Gentiles."
- The Pretribulation
"Rapture." Like many d-ists today, Darby saw Rev. 3's
"Philadelphia" raptured and "Laodicea" left
behind. In an 1833 letter he wrote that this view "commends
itself morally to one's mind." PRE-DARBY DATA: As early as Sep.,
1830 Irving's journal stated that the "Philadelphia" church
(that is, church members then living) would be raptured BEFORE
"the great tribulation" while "Laodicea" would be
left behind. (Three months later, while still defending the posttrib
view in a published article, Darby said he expected to be raptured
eventually at Christ's "judging of the nations" - which
Scofield puts in a posttrib setting!) Anyone can go through Darby's
writings in the early 1830's and observe that he had NO clear pretrib
teaching or any church/Israel distinction (or anything else) that
could have led to pretrib doctrine:
In 1832 he couldn't have been pretrib because he was
still rejecting the idea of a "future" Antichrist and
continuing to emphasize "the present antichristian principles"!
In his 1834 works we find him waiting for the
"second coming" (and not a prior rapture) and waiting (with
"the Jews"!) for the day when Christ "will not
tarry" (Heb. 10:37) - what Scofield terms the "second advent"!
As late as 1837, while being anything but
"dichotomous," he saw the church "going in with Him to
the marriage, to wit, with Jerusalem and the Jews"!
In 1839 he finally had some clear pretrib teaching.
His rapture, however, was based on the symbol of the catching up of
Rev. 12's "man child," and his tribulation was then only
3.5 years long - a "chart" he embraced for several more decades!
PRE-DARBY DATA: But Irving had taught the same thing
as early as the June, 1831 issue of his journal when he stated that
Rev. 12:5's "child" portrays a rapture before "the
travailing woman is cast out into the wilderness" for 3.5 years!
My book The Rapture Plot (available at
armageddonbooks.com) shows, with exacting documentation, that Darby
wasn't first on ANY aspect of d-ism - the ones already discussed as
well as the ruin of the church, the dispensations, literal
interpretation, a primarily "Jewish" tribulation, etc.
Although I view Darby as a brother in Christ, I'm
forced to conclude that his great weakness was his clever plagiarism
of others!
If you are disturbed by the false claims for Darby
that have long been repeated (and plagiarized) in d-ist writings, I
invite you to send a copy of "The Unoriginal John Darby" to
those writers.
It'll be your way of testing their fairness and honesty!
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