Has your pastor ever explained why your church believes what it does? Probably not; pastoral authority has, simply, established what you need to know. In my previous article, I offered a succinct explanation of the hermeneutic (method of biblical interpretation) that has given the evangelical community the Rapture – “dispensationalism.” This system was pioneered by a nineteenth century Irish minister named John Nelson Darby (1800-1882) and has formed the basic foundation of American “end-times” theology over the last 150 years by establishing a completely literal and futuristic approach to nearly all biblical prophecy. So, before we trim the evangelical, eschatological tree, we need to look, closely, at its root structure. If you believe in the Rapture, it’s because of “dispensationalism.” Permit me to elaborate.
Darby has an interesting history. It was during an early period of forced solitude in which he engaged his faith with unprecedented abandon and formulated the lens through which he would interpret the Bible. It began with his belief in different historical time periods. This is not new. Darby referred to these ages as “dispensations.” A “dispensation,” he stipulated, is an historical era defined by God’s dealings with mankind, in which He offers pr ...
