Saturday, August 16, 2008

EARLY CHURCH FATHERS

 
The best source of early church teaching
  
on whether  or not  
the church  will  be on earth to face the wrath of the Antichrist 
would begin with  Jesusthen   John,  Paul,  Barnabas
Justin MartyrIrenaeus - Plus about 30 more:

Below is a list of one paragraph quotes from these great leaders:

Paul  (05-97 AD) knew John and traveled with him, wrote: "Let
no man deceive you by any means: for that day [return of Christ]
shall not come, except there come a falling away [from the truth]
first, and that man of sin [Antichrist] be revealed..."
Bible, (II Thes.2:3 KJV).


Click - on book  (below)  to view excerpts from these books:



Barnabas (40-102 AD)  traveled with  Paul  and  John,   wrote:
"The final stumbling block approaches...for the whole past time
of your faith will profit you nothing, unless now in this wicked
time we also withstand coming sources of danger....then the evil
one Antichrist may find no means of entrance...."
(Epistle of Barnabas, chp.4)


Justin Martyr (98-167) a contemporary of Barnabas, wrote:
"The man of apostasy, [Antichrist] who speaks strange things
against the Most High, shall venture to do unlawful deeds on
the earth against us the Christians.."
(Dialogue with Trypho, chp.110)



Irenaeus (138-202)  a contemporary of  Justin Myrtyr, wrote:
"And they, the ten kings who will arise, shall lay Babylon waste,
and burn her with fire, and shall give their kingdom to the
beast antichrist and put the church to flight"
(Against Heresies, V, chp.26)



Tertullian (150-220)  a contemporary of  Irenaeus,  wrote:
"The souls of the martyrs are taught to wait [Rev.6:9-10]
that the beast Antichrist with his false prophet may wage
war on the Church of God..."
(On the Resurrection of the Flesh, chp.25)


Cyprian (200-258)  a contemporary of  Tertullian,  wrote:
"The day of affliction has begun to hang over our heads, and the
end of the world and the time of the Antichrist to draw near, so
that we must all stand prepared for the battle..."
(Epistle, 55, 1)



Cyril of Jerusalem (315-386),  wrote:
"The church declares to you the things concerning Antichrist
before they arrive...it is well that, knowing these things, thou
shouldest make thyself ready beforehand."
(Catechetical Lectures, 15,9)


Augustine (354-430)  a contemporary of  Cyril,  wrote:
"But he who reads this passage, Daniel 12:1-13, even half asleep
can not fail to see that the kingdom of Antichrist shall fiercely, for
a short time, assail the church..."
(The City of God, XX, 23)


Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)  wrote: "There remains only
one thing--that the demon of noonday Antichrist should appear,
to seduce those who still remain in Christ..."
(Sermons on the song of songs, 33,16)


Roger Bacon (1214-1274) wrote:  "...because of future perils for
the Church in the times of Antichrist..."
(Opus Majus, II, p. 634).


Martin Luther (1483-1546)  wrote:  "The book of Revelation is
intended as a revelation of things that are to happen in the future,
and especially of tribulations and disasters for the Church..."
(Works of Martin Luther, VI, p. 481).


Menno Simons (1496-1561)  a contemporary of  Martin Luther,
wrote:  "...He Jesus will appear as a triumphant Prince and a
victorious
King to bring judgment. Then
will those who persecute
us look
upon Him..."       (Complete Writings...p. 622).



John Calvin (1509-1564)  a contemporary of  Menno Simons,
wrote: "We ought not to follow in our inquiries after Antichrist,
especially
where such pride proceeds to a public desolation of

the Church."      (Institutes, Vol. 2, p. 411).


John Knox (1515-1572) a contemporary of  John Calvin),  wrote:
"...the great love of God towards His Church, whom He pleased to
forewarn of dangers to come, so many years before they come to
pass...to wit, the man of sin, the Antichrist the whore of Babylon."
(The History of the Reformation..., I, p. 76).


John Fox (1516-1587) a contemporary of  John Knox,  wrote:
"...that second beast prophesied to come in the later time of the
Church...to disturb the whole Church of Christ..."
(Acts and Monuments, I).


Daniel Whitby (1638-1726) wrote: "...after the fall of Antichrist,
there shall be such a glorious state of the Church...so shall this be
the Church of Martyrs, and of those who had not received the
Mark of the Beast..."   (A Paraphrase and Commentary, p. 696).


Matthew Henry (1662-1714) a contemporary of  Daniel Whitby,
wrote: "Those who keep the gospel in a time of peace shall be
kept by
Christ in an hour of temptation, Revelation 3:10.

 (Commentary, VI, p. 1134).


Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)  a contemporary of  Matthew
Henry, wrote: "...continuance of Antichrist's reign, when the
Church is
persecuted, did not commence before the year of
Christ 479..."
   (A history of the Work of Redemption, p. 217).



John Newton (1725-1807) a contemporary of Jonathan Edwards,
wrote: "Fear not temptation's fiery day, for I will be thy strength
and
stay. Thou hast my promise, hold it fast, the trying hour of
Revelation 3:10,
will soon be past."
(The Works of the Rev. John Newton, Vol. II, p. 152).


George Muller (1805-1898) wrote:"The scripture declares plainly
that the Lord Jesus will not come until the Apostate shall have
taken place, and the man of sin shall have been revealed..."
("Mrs. Mueller's Missionary Tours and Labours, p. 148).


R. Trench (1807-1886) a contemporary of George Muller, wrote:
"....the Philadelphian church... to be kept in temptation, not to be
exempted from temptation..."   (Seven Churches of Asia, p. 183).

Carl F. Keil (1807-1888)  a contemporary of  R.Trench,  wrote:
"...the persecution of the last enemy Antichrist against the church

of the Lord..."        (Biblical Commentary, Vol. XXXIV, p. 503).

S. P. Tregelles (1813-1875)  a contemporary of  Carl F. Keil,
wrote: "The Scripture teaches the Church  to wait for the
manifestation of
Christ. The secret [pre-trib] theory bids us
to expect a coming
before any such manifestation."

(The Hope of Christ's Second Coming, p. 71).


Nathaniel West (1826-1906) a contemporary of  S.P. Tregelles,
wrote:  "The Pre-Trib Rapture is built on a postulate (assume
to be true), vicious in logic... repudiated by the early Church..."
(The Apostle Paul and the "any moment" Theory, p. 30).


Alexander Maclaren (1826-1910) a contemporary of Nathaniel
West, wrote: "He will keep us in the mist of, and also from, the
hour of
temptation, Revelation 3:10."

(The Episles of John, Jude and the Book of Revelation, p. 266).


M. Vincent (1834-1922) a contemporary of Alexander Maclaren,
wrote: "The preposition 'from' implies, not a keeping from
temptation, but a keeping in temptation, Revelation 3:10."
(Word Studies..., p. 466).



Grattan Guinness (1835-1910)  a contemporary of  M.Vincent,
wrote:  "The Church is on earth during the action of the
Apocalypse..."
(The Approaching End of the Age, p. 136).




Theodor Zahn (1838-1933)  a contemporary of  Grattan Guiness,
wrote"He will preserve.....at the time of the great temptation
Revelation 3:10."        
(Zahn-Kommentar, I, p. 305).



I.T. Beckwith (1843-1936) a contemporary of  Theodor Zahn,
wrote:  "The Philadelphians...are promised that they shall be
carried in safety through the great trial [Rev.3:10], they shall
not fall."        (The Apocalypse of John, p. 484).


Robert Cameron (1845-1922) a contemporary of  I.Beckwith,
wrote: "The Coming for, and the Coming with, the saints, still
persists,  although it involves a manifest contradiction, two
Second comings which is an absurdity."
(Scriptural Truth About the Lord's Return, p. 639).



                                                   ******



Home page  .... The Second Coming of Christ 

  lassenview@gmail.com

10 comments:

Barry M. Wood said...

Brother Armstrong;
thank you for your response to the three pastors at your men's conference. I am a 76 yr old pastor, author,and missionary, a seminary graduate, whose 1st Bible was a Schofield. For the past fifty years I have refuted J.N.Darby, Mclarenen et all.I continually seek to prepare the men I disciple to be ready for tuff times.His appearing is our hope, not our escape.
Bless you my friend
Barry Wood www.barrywoodministries.org

Roger Armstrong said...

Dear pastor, thank you for your comment but I'm the one who should be thanking you for your service as a minister of God over all of these years and, more importantly, one who teaches the truth.

May God Bless you too my friend.
With all due respect, Roger

Jane said...

Truth is of paramount importance to me. I try to ascertain the truth using only scriptures before I read a commentary. When I asked a well educated Bible teacher for scriptures he used in deciding to adopt the pre trib rapture theory, he e mailed several You Tube addresses!

I am horrified that so many people can so easily accept a position that is for the most part indefensible. I can see a scenario whereby pre trib leads to the great falling away. Oh wait; if falling away is apostasy isn't the church in free fall? Thank you for one of the best defenses of Post trib rapture on the 'net.
God Bless you for all the work.
Jane

Roger Armstrong said...

Yes, the church is in "free fall" and the pre-trib is a major factor of the "falling away"... Thank you Jane for your kind words. Roger

Anonymous said...

I am trying to sort the Pre and Post all out. You helped make things more clear for me to go on and understand more. thank you Tess

Roger Armstrong said...

Thank you Tess, your words are very encouraging to me. If I can be of any more help please email me. Roger

Mark Rogers said...

Praise Jesus!!

Parousia.....Interesting Greek word.

The Holy Spirit has so much to say to the Church in the Thessalonian Letters....mutual respect, trust in the Lord, Forgiveness, understanding challenges and discerning the value of the Spiritual gifts....and yes, what we can expect from Jesus in the future.

Yes Brother Armstrong, I believe the Church that knows Jesus to be the Way, Truth and Life, will face the Antichrist and tribulation...and as Jesus told Peter..the gates of hell will not prevail against it...

Bless you in His Name...
Pastor Mark Rogers

Roger Armstrong said...

Thank you pastor Rogers for your comment... and, I might add, very encouraging to find a pastor that does NOT teach the pre-trib. May God bless you in your ministry. Love in Christ, Roger

Irv said...

Just discovered your wonderful blog. I have found some related pieces on Google, namely, "Pretrib Rapture Diehards," "Famous Rapture Watchers," "The Unoriginal John Darby," "Margaret Macdonald's Rapture Chart" (reportedly the very first person to ever "see" pretrib in the Bible), "X-Raying Margaret," "Edward Irving is Unnerving," "C. I. Scofield's Hidden Side," "Prof. Wm. L. Craig Leaves Tim LaHaye Behind," "Walvoord Melts Ice," "Thomas Ice (Bloopers)," "Pretrib Rapture Pride," "Pretrib Rapture Stealth," "Pretrib Hypocrisy," "Pretrib Rapture Secrecy," "Grant Jeffrey's Apocalypse Debacle," "Wily Jeffrey," "Evangelicals Use Occult Deception," "Hal Lindsey's Pretrib Rapture Proof," and "Pretrib Rapture Dishonesty" - most of these by journalist Dave MacPherson whose book "The Rapture Plot" (available by calling 800. 643.4645) is the most accurate and documented book on pretrib rapture history. (Google "Scholars Weigh My Research" to see how other scholars evaluate his findings.)

Roger Armstrong said...

Thank you for the information, I'm going to look into a few of those. I did read one book by Dave MacPherson many years ago, and thought it was very good but I don't think it was called "The Rapture Plot," so will order this one.
Thanks again, Roger

"I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things unto the churches" (Rev.22:16)

"I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things unto the churches" (Rev.22:16)