People who follow dispensational and ‘rapture’ teaching invariably believe the teachings of Darby.
John Nelson Darby was born in 1800 to a prominent family in London. First, he became a lawyer, then he became a priest in the Church of Ireland. However, he became concerned over the prevailing condition of the church, which he saw as deadened by formality. The style of work,” he wrote, “was not in agreement with what I read in the Bible concerning the church and Christianity; nor did it correspond with the effects of the action of the Spirit of God” (Letters of J. N. Darby, Oak Park, IL: Bible Truth Publishers, 1971, III, 297–298).
The Darby family owned the most haunted castle in the country, Leap Castle. There 150 dead bodies were found in the cellars, and where satanic masses were held. Darby used all kinds of occult terms in his religious writings. He was involved in many secret societies and occult groups.
During the time of his predecessor Jonathan Charles Darby there, séances were held in the castle by the latter’s wife Mildred Darby. She was a writer of Gothic novels, leading to publicity about the castle and its ghosts. The claims of paranormal activity include the putative existence of a Red Lady ghost, the ghosts of two girls, and an “elemental spirit” associated with Mildred Darby. The castle describes itself as “the world’s most haunted castle.”
You can read about this at https://www.thestandingstone.ie/2009/08/leap-castle-co-offaly.html
And at https://www.ciaranmchugh.com/gallery/the-bloody-chapel-at-leap-castle/
Darby marked his doctrinal works with Masonic and Theosophical terms. See here
https://libertytothecaptives.net/darby_writings_occult.html.
See Darby’s Pre-Trib Rapture ‘Christ’ compared to Alice Bailey’s Theosophical/Luciferian Christ here: https:libertytothecaptives.net/darbychrist_newage.html
His teachings
Darby taught the separate economies in God’s redemptive purpose. He separated Israel and the Church. There were two distinct groups, two distinct identities, and two distinct futures. He viewed Acts 2 in the New Testament as a pivotal moment in God’s dealings with Israel. He claimed that began a new dispensation, the ‘church’. This period would last until what he understood as the ‘rapture’.
He taught seven dispensations: Paradise, Noah, Abraham, Israel, Gentiles, the Spirit and the Millennium. He held a hermeneutic of “literal interpretation” to all areas of scripture including Old Testament prophecies.
Darby toured many times through the United States and Canada from 1859 to 1874, widely spreading his theological perspectives. His dispensational teachings were further made popular by C. I. Scofield in his notes for the highly influential Scofield Reference Bible.
The Logos.com website ‘Got Questions?’ claims that “today premillennialism and a modified form of Darby’s dispensationalism are held by the majority of evangelicals”. Some estimate half a billion evangelicals, chiefly in America. Logos appears to support this theory.
But is this teaching true? Is it Biblical?
The Bible holds to its unity, both the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The Bible always stresses the unity of the people of God. The one covenant, the covenant of grace, is the overarching structure. But the dispensationalist structure cuts up the Bible into 7 parts. This is mere presupposition.
Darby proposed the ‘church age’. But as things would get worse, Christ would come back to ‘rapture his church’. Then he says we have seven years of tribulation (misquoting Revelation 16-19). Then Christ comes back as the second coming. Then finally, the thousand-year reign, the millennium.
Dispensationalists think several scriptures show the distinct roles of Israel and the Church and the progressive revelation of God’s plan. They cite Genesis 12:1-3, God’s covenant with Abraham, promising descendants, land, and blessings for all nations through his seed. Dispensationalists interpret this as a literal promise that will be fulfilled within the people of Israel. Again mere presupposition.
The New Testament absolutely explodes this theory.
Paul wrote that gentiles are “no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” Ephesians 3
Dispensationalists hold that the seed of Abraham is just the physical offspring of Abraham. But in Galatians 3:16, Paul explains that “the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring.” He then explicitly identifies the offspring (seed) as Jesus Christ. Then in verse 29: “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”
Christ is a literal physical descendant of Abraham. But because believers, both Jew or gentile, are united to Christ. Thus we too are Abraham’s offspring if we belong to Christ. This is the true gospel.
Dispensationalists cite Ephesians 3:2-5 and 3 other scriptures. They claim that Paul’s term “dispensation” is used to describe God’s progressive revelation of the mystery of the Church.
But Paul says that the church is part of God’s eternal purpose. It will endure forever into the future: “so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, “ (Ephesians 3:10-11)
God will be glorified in the church for all future eternity: “to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. ” (Ephesians 3:21)
Dispensationalists believe the church is a temporary stop gap measure. They fail to comprehend that the church is the bride of Christ and that the wedding day is the second coming. “that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. ” (Ephesians 5:27)
Dispensationalists teach that the church ends at the second coming, when in fact the church continues forever as the bride of Christ. They believe the church was thought up at the last minute when the Jews rejected Jesus as their king! I kid you not! They fail to realise that our salvation is within the Body of Christ and will continue forever. God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
Dispensationalism, the rapture and premillennialism? All heresy invented by John Darby in 1830 AD.
Conclusion
I challenge all dispensationalists: Show me what I write here is incorrect OR admit your own errors. We cannot both be right. One of us is wrong—seriously wrong. Okay?
If you hold Dispensationalism you are preaching a false gospel, according to the scriptures.
Ian Thomson 