DAVE MACPHERSON
Many, many true believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, who love Him "in incorruption," J.N.D. Trans. ("in sincerity," A.V.) Ephesians 6:24, have been vilified by Mr. Macpherson. "Brethren commonly so called," and Mr. Darby in particular have borne the brunt of his spleen, breathing out threatenings in unbridled despite.
Within the household of faith there are numerous differences of interpretation as regards the Scriptures. (While we deplore this condition, it is an irrefutable fact.) The conclusions drawn from the study of prophetic scriptures have probably given rise to the most controversy. However believers' views may differ, and however tenaciously they are "held," this is no sanction for using such vitriolic language, levelled at more godly, and more well-instructed saints than himself. I speak of him, (Mr. Macpherson,) as a fellow saint, but with a real degree of apprehension. Read his comments "on-line," he is more than happy for you to do so. With an open heart and mind decide whether a true child of God would use such spiteful words.
The little I read of his attacks upon those of a different persuasion from himself, (I had to desist in disgust quite early in my perusal of his various "posts,") were based upon so called historical documents, letters, books etc., NOT upon the Word of God!
Decide for yourself after a discerning perusal of his internet postings, is he a Christian or a Charlatan?
Why didn't Tom Wyatt give at least one example of Dave MacPherson's "vitriolic language"? But Dave's writings (for example, "The Great Rapture Hoax," p. 177) do reveal that no prophecy writer has ever surpassed John Darby's usage of caustic and even blasphemous words against his critics. His phrases included "unmingled darkness," "unbelief and Satan," "absence of spiritual intelligence," "wretched selfishness," "unscriptural fancies," "gross absurdities" and "real blasphemies." Intolerant Darby applied these to believers he met who wanted to keep on believing in the only rapture view found in Christian theology prior to 1830: the post-tribulation rapture view! If Darby were here today, he too would probably call MacPherson a "charlatan"!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I would like to thank you for taking time to comment on my post "Dave MacPherson - Christian or Charlatan?"
ReplyDeleteSecondly I want to express my thanks to you for suggesting that Darby would have agreed with my judgement concerning MacPherson, it is a great privilege to be aligned with him!
Darby was a great man of God, a faithful servant of the Lor Jesus Christ. His painstaking translations of the Scripture into various languages, his exhaustive written and oral ministry and his indefatigable labours in the Gospel of Gods' lovely Son, are widely known and deeply appreciated.
At the end of this reply I will direct you to some who have answered your allegation, (founded upon D.MacP. teachings,)to the dating of the teaching held by "pre-trib rapture" adherents.
The terms that MacPherson used in speaking about Darby are ingracious, ungodly and unfounded and as such are of no spiritual profit to Gods' believing people.
As to the quotations used to accuse Darby of "caustic and even blasphemous words" I have not tried to check if they are as quoted, and accepting your honesty I would like to respond.If Darby used these terms the context will determine whether he was justified in such circumstances and also reveal to whom they were addressed.While they may appear caustic, (and perhaps with good reason,)where is there even the slightest suggestion of blasphemy? Only Persons of the Godhead are able to be blasphemed against,not mere men!
Furthermore in his untiring campaign against any and all that hold different prophetic views to his own, MacPherson has launched into a catalogue of accusations against C.I. Schofield. His report if unfounded is nothing less than the basest slander. (By the way Schofield was never identified with "Brethren.)
He is just as eager to slander "Brethren commonly-so-called," as well. He calls the "Plymouth Brethren," (an elementary misnomer as any theological historian should know,) a "tiny British sect." I barely know how to respond! This too is ungracious, false and unfounded, even ridiculous.
For my quotations see "Pretrib Rapture Desperados" by MacPherson. The title itself says it all!
I have read some of his other literature "on-line," but scantily because of the many absurdities.
His greatest achievement in life seems to be associated with Disneyland, Long Beach, California.The first member of public to enter the theme park, and remaining to this day, so we are led to believe, "the biggest fan." So I presume he is not only "in the world" but happily "of it."
For further evidence concerning D.McP. and his inaccurate, unscriptural ramblings, with in addition some of his outrageous and ungodly behaviour see:
Dave MacPherson:The Rapture Plot:Weighed and Found Wanting.Frank Marotta;
Rapture Ready. Tommy Ince.
Faculty.bbc.edu/ (not the entire URL but you will find a critique of his book "The Rapture Plot" there, on the BBC.EDU web page.)
[Greetings, Tom. I ran across the following on the web. Perhaps you may want to comment on it.]
ReplyDeletePRETRIB RAPTURE STEALTH !
Many evangelicals believe that Christ will "rapture" them to heaven years before the second coming and (most importantly) well BEFORE Antichrist and his "tribulation." But Acts 2:34, 35 reveal that Jesus is at the Father's right hand in heaven until He leaves to destroy His earthly foes at the second coming. And Acts 3:21 says that Jesus “must” stay in heaven with the Father "until the times of restitution of all things” which includes, says Scofield, “the restoration of the theocracy under David’s Son” which obviously can’t begin before or during Antichrist’s reign. ("The Rapture Question," by the long time No. 1 pretrib authority John Walvoord, didn't dare to even list, in its scripture index, the above verses! They were also too hot for John Darby - the so-called "father of dispensationalism" - to list in the scripture index in his "Letters"!)
Paul explains the “times and the seasons” (I Thess. 5:1) of the catching up (I Thess. 4:17) as the “day of the Lord” (5:2) which FOLLOWS the posttrib sun/moon darkening (Matt. 24:29; Acts 2:20) WHEN “sudden destruction” (5:3) of the wicked occurs! The "rest" for "all them that believe" is also tied to such destruction in II Thess. 1:6-10! (If the wicked are destroyed before or during the trib, who'd be left alive to serve the Antichrist?) Paul also ties the change-into-immortality “rapture” (I Cor. 15:52) to the end of trib “death” (15:54). (Will death be ended before or during the trib? Of course not! And vs. 54 is also tied to Isa. 25:8 which Scofield views as Israel's posttrib resurrection!) It's amazing that the Olivet Discourse contains the "great commission" for the church but not even a hint of a pretrib rapture for the church!
Many don't know that before 1830 all Christians had always viewed I Thess. 4’s “catching up” as an integral part of the final second coming to earth. In 1830 this "rapture" was stretched forward and turned into an idolized separate coming of Christ. To further strengthen their novel view, which evangelical scholars overwhelmingly rejected throughout the 1800s, pretrib teachers in the early 1900s began to stretch forward the “day of the Lord” (what Darby and Scofield never dared to do) and hook it up with their already-stretched-forward “rapture.” Many leading evangelical scholars still weren’t convinced of pretrib, so pretrib teachers then began teaching that the “falling away” of II Thess. 2:3 is really a pretrib rapture (the same as saying that the “rapture” in 2:3 must happen before the “rapture” ["gathering"] in 2:1 can happen – the height of desperation!). Google "Walvoord Melts Ice" for more on this, and also Google "Pretrib Rapture Pride."
Other Google articles on the 183-year-old pretrib rapture view include “X-Raying Margaret,” "Margaret Macdonald's Rapture Chart," "Pretrib Rapture's Missing Lines," "Edward Irving is Unnerving," "The Unoriginal John Darby," "Catholics Did NOT Invent the Rapture," "The Real Manuel Lacunza," “Thomas Ice (Bloopers),” “Wily Jeffrey,” “The Rapture Index (Mad Theology),” “America’s Pretrib Rapture Traffickers,” “Roots of (Warlike) Christian Zionism,” “Scholars Weigh My Research,” “Pretrib Hypocrisy,” "Appendix F: Thou Shalt Not Steal," "Pretrib Rapture Secrecy," “Deceiving and Being Deceived,” "Pretrib Rapture Dishonesty," "Famous Rapture Watchers," and "Morgan Edwards' Rapture View" – most by the author of the bestselling book “The Rapture Plot” (the most accurate and documented book on pretrib rapture history which is obtainable by calling 800.643.4645).
Many thanks Irv,
DeleteI cannot remember how our paths crossed on the "net." Perhaps you would be kind enough to enlighten me.
I read the above through more than once with utter incomprehensibilty! The writer makes statements as if they were the Holy Spirit-given-interpretation to numerous verses, without any reference to their context. His predetermined "system" of "interpretation," (I use that word, "interpretation" very advisedly,) colours everything he says. I am truthfully unable to follow his argument, which is more a tirade levelled against anyone who holds a different prophetic view frrom his own. Even his English grammar is so bad that I really do not understand what he is saying. Why his "pet" Scriptures must be addressed in every article on prophetic truth I cannot begin to imagine.
I am only vaguely aware of any of Walvoords' works and so he has no influence on my understanding. How he can be referred to as "number one pre-trib authority" defies all logic!
The writer is about as familiar with the works of J.N. Darby as I with Walvoords.'
If I can find the time to attempt a refutation of the above article I will so do. It is so completely confused I don't know if it is worthy of comment.
I would just state that if a distinction between the "rapture," and "the day of the Lord," and the "falling away" (apostasy) is not observed, it is obvious that the result will be both chaotic and false.