For those who really want to know what the early church fathers had to say about the timing of the rapture, in relationship to the tribulation, and the antichrist, you need to go, as I have, to the letters written by
them. Do not depend on Hal Lindsey, Grant Jeffreys, or Jack Van Impe.
Has anyone heard of Polycarp? He talked with John the apostle, and was his disciple. Polycarp was bishop of the church at Smyrna, so I guess that the letter that John wrote to the church of Smyrna in Revelation 2:8, is to Polycarp. Polycarp was martyred in Smyrna.
Polycarp had a disciple by the name of Irenaeus. Irenaeus wrote "
Against Heresies" refuting the false doctrines that were creeping into
the church. In one place, Irenaeus wrote, "And for this cause tribulation is necessary for those who are saved, that having been after a manner broken up, and rendered fine, and sprinkled over by the patience of the word of God, and set on fire [ for purification ] they
may be fitted for the royal banquet".
When speaking about the tribulation of Matthew 24, he says, "FOR
THIS IS THE LAST CONTEST OF THE RIGHTEOUS, IN WHICH, WHEN
THEY OVERCOME, THEY ARE CROWNED WITH INCORRUPTION".
Irenaeus lived from A.D. 120-202.
Next we have Hippolytus, who was a disciple of Irenaeus, and lived
A.D. 170-236. Hippolytus wrote, Commentary on the Book of Daniel,
and Treatise on Christ and Antichrist. In chapter 60, Hippolytus writes,
"Now concerning the tribulation of the persecution which is to fall upon
the church from the adversary, John also speaks thus, [ then he writes
out Rev chapter 12. After this, he writes about the time, times, and half a time the woman is hid, and says, "That refers to the one thousand two hundred and threescore days [ the half of the week ] during which the tyrant is to reign and persecute the church, which
flees from city to city to seek concealment in the wilderness".
Looking at the above, we have Hippolytus, linked directly to Irenaeus, who is linked directly to Polycarp, who was a disciple of John the Apostle. All taught that the church would go through the tribulation.
Next, we have Ephriam, the Syrian, A.D. 303-373.
306/373, Fourth century.
Ephriam, the Syrian, makes a statememt, "For all the saints and elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins." As you read on, you will see that the
CONFUSION Ephriam is talking about is the day of the Lord's wrath that
is poured after the tribulation.
Just before this he made the statement, "We ought to understand throughly therefore, my brother, what is imminent or overhanging. Already there have been hunger and plagues, violent movements of nations and signs, which have been predicted by the Lord. They have already been fulfilled, and there is not other which remains except the advent of the wicked one in the completion of the Roman kingdom."
Ephriam believed that the coming of the Lord would be in his life time. In his statement above, Ephriam tells us that the very next thing to happen is the advent of antichrist [ the wicked one, man of sin ]. Going further into Ephriam's letter, we read,"
"And when the three and a half years have been completed, the time of the Antichrist, through which he will have seduced the world, after the resurrection of the two prophets, in the hour which the world does not know, and on the day which the enemy of son of perdition does not know, will come the sign of the Son of Man, and coming forward the Lord shall appear with great power and much majesty, with the sign of the word of salvation going before him, and also even with all the powers of the heavens with the whole chorus of the saints, with those who bear the sign of the holy cross upon their shoulders, as the angelic trumpet precedes him, which shall sound and declare: Arise, O sleeping ones, arise, meet Christ, because his hour of judgment has come! Then Christ shall come and the enemy shall be thrown into confusion, and the Lord shall destroy him by the spirit of his mouth. And he shall be bound and shall be plunged into the abyss of everlasting fire alive with his father Satan; and all people, who do his wishes, shall perish with him forever; but the righteous ones shall inherit everlasting life with the Lord forever and ever."
Here we have Ephriam saying that after the last 3 1/2 years, which is the time of the Antichrist, the day that no one knows the day or hour of, Matthew 24:36, will come the sign of the Son of man, which is the coming that the Lord described in Matthew 24, and is immediately after the tribulation. Ephriam then tells us that the Lord will call out to the sleeping saints to arise and meet the Lord [ in the air ] and then shall the enemy be thrown into confusion [ the confusion that we are to escape and not see ]. Then the Lord shall destroy him [ him being the antichrist ] by the spirit of his mouth, 2 Thessalonians 2:8.
We have given proof that Ephriam believed in one coming of the lord, to gather the sleeping saints, and those that bear the cross upon their shoulders, and to destroy antichrist all at the same time.
Christian beware! I read on this site just the other day where someone
gave what Hal Lindsey had to say about Ephriam. He gave ONLY the
first part of Ephriam's letter to make it sound like Ephriam supported a
pretrib rapture. !!!
them. Do not depend on Hal Lindsey, Grant Jeffreys, or Jack Van Impe.
Has anyone heard of Polycarp? He talked with John the apostle, and was his disciple. Polycarp was bishop of the church at Smyrna, so I guess that the letter that John wrote to the church of Smyrna in Revelation 2:8, is to Polycarp. Polycarp was martyred in Smyrna.
Polycarp had a disciple by the name of Irenaeus. Irenaeus wrote "
Against Heresies" refuting the false doctrines that were creeping into
the church. In one place, Irenaeus wrote, "And for this cause tribulation is necessary for those who are saved, that having been after a manner broken up, and rendered fine, and sprinkled over by the patience of the word of God, and set on fire [ for purification ] they
may be fitted for the royal banquet".
When speaking about the tribulation of Matthew 24, he says, "FOR
THIS IS THE LAST CONTEST OF THE RIGHTEOUS, IN WHICH, WHEN
THEY OVERCOME, THEY ARE CROWNED WITH INCORRUPTION".
Irenaeus lived from A.D. 120-202.
Next we have Hippolytus, who was a disciple of Irenaeus, and lived
A.D. 170-236. Hippolytus wrote, Commentary on the Book of Daniel,
and Treatise on Christ and Antichrist. In chapter 60, Hippolytus writes,
"Now concerning the tribulation of the persecution which is to fall upon
the church from the adversary, John also speaks thus, [ then he writes
out Rev chapter 12. After this, he writes about the time, times, and half a time the woman is hid, and says, "That refers to the one thousand two hundred and threescore days [ the half of the week ] during which the tyrant is to reign and persecute the church, which
flees from city to city to seek concealment in the wilderness".
Looking at the above, we have Hippolytus, linked directly to Irenaeus, who is linked directly to Polycarp, who was a disciple of John the Apostle. All taught that the church would go through the tribulation.
Next, we have Ephriam, the Syrian, A.D. 303-373.
306/373, Fourth century.
Ephriam, the Syrian, makes a statememt, "For all the saints and elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins." As you read on, you will see that the
CONFUSION Ephriam is talking about is the day of the Lord's wrath that
is poured after the tribulation.
Just before this he made the statement, "We ought to understand throughly therefore, my brother, what is imminent or overhanging. Already there have been hunger and plagues, violent movements of nations and signs, which have been predicted by the Lord. They have already been fulfilled, and there is not other which remains except the advent of the wicked one in the completion of the Roman kingdom."
Ephriam believed that the coming of the Lord would be in his life time. In his statement above, Ephriam tells us that the very next thing to happen is the advent of antichrist [ the wicked one, man of sin ]. Going further into Ephriam's letter, we read,"
"And when the three and a half years have been completed, the time of the Antichrist, through which he will have seduced the world, after the resurrection of the two prophets, in the hour which the world does not know, and on the day which the enemy of son of perdition does not know, will come the sign of the Son of Man, and coming forward the Lord shall appear with great power and much majesty, with the sign of the word of salvation going before him, and also even with all the powers of the heavens with the whole chorus of the saints, with those who bear the sign of the holy cross upon their shoulders, as the angelic trumpet precedes him, which shall sound and declare: Arise, O sleeping ones, arise, meet Christ, because his hour of judgment has come! Then Christ shall come and the enemy shall be thrown into confusion, and the Lord shall destroy him by the spirit of his mouth. And he shall be bound and shall be plunged into the abyss of everlasting fire alive with his father Satan; and all people, who do his wishes, shall perish with him forever; but the righteous ones shall inherit everlasting life with the Lord forever and ever."
Here we have Ephriam saying that after the last 3 1/2 years, which is the time of the Antichrist, the day that no one knows the day or hour of, Matthew 24:36, will come the sign of the Son of man, which is the coming that the Lord described in Matthew 24, and is immediately after the tribulation. Ephriam then tells us that the Lord will call out to the sleeping saints to arise and meet the Lord [ in the air ] and then shall the enemy be thrown into confusion [ the confusion that we are to escape and not see ]. Then the Lord shall destroy him [ him being the antichrist ] by the spirit of his mouth, 2 Thessalonians 2:8.
We have given proof that Ephriam believed in one coming of the lord, to gather the sleeping saints, and those that bear the cross upon their shoulders, and to destroy antichrist all at the same time.
Christian beware! I read on this site just the other day where someone
gave what Hal Lindsey had to say about Ephriam. He gave ONLY the
first part of Ephriam's letter to make it sound like Ephriam supported a
pretrib rapture. !!!
