Page 145 - The Rapture Question by John F. Walvoord

The Rapture Question: Revised and Enlarged Edition
As stated in The Blessed Hope, there arc at least five criti­
cisms that adequately answer MacPhcrson's argument.
First, MacPhcrson docs not prove any “cover-up.” Most
posttribulationists have arrived at their pretribulational views
from biblical exegesis rather than from the history of the doc­
trine and arc quite unaware of some of these charges that
MacPhcrson has made. To prove that the widespread bclicfin
the pretribulation Rapture stems from such an uncertain
source is more unbelievable than MacPhcrson's charges.
Second. MacPhcrson quoted obvious partisans in sup­
port of his position, all of whom are posttribulationists. For
instance, he cited Samuel P. Tregellcs as stating that the pre-
tribulational rapture view originated in Edward Irving’s
church in 1832. There is evidence that this is a false story told
by Tregellcs in 1864. thirty-two years after this supposed inci­
dent. As R. A. Huebner demonstrated by a careful analysis of
the documents attributed to Irving and MacDonald, nine
years before Tregellcs told the false story, he had charged the
origin to Judaizers and apparently had not started his later
story. Both of the allegations of Tregellcs arc without any
support, and he was obviously a prejudiced witness.
Third, one of the most important failures of MacPherson
is that the quotations he offered in support of his contention
that He has ordered it that a posttribulationist has rediscov­
ered the refutation of this slander, insofar as it had to do with
son had gone to great lengths to research the subject. Not a
single one of his quotations is sufficient evidence to prove that
either one of them was pretribulational. As a matter of fact,
they prove that they were not pretribulational. As Huebner
concluded. “It thus happens, under the good hand of God,
that He has ordered it that a posttribulationist has redisco­
vered the refutation of this slander, insofar as it had to do with
Scotland, Miss M. M. and 1830.”15
The long quotations of MacPherson, while interesting, do
not ever prove that MacDonald or Irving are pretribu-
152