Incredible Cover Up

Rating:
Summary: All Christians Should Read This Book!
Review: As a Catholic I had never really lent much creedence to the Pretribulation Rapture theory knowing that it did not exist prior to the time of John N Darby in the 19th century. However, in discussing these matters with a number of Protestants who adhere to this view, I came to the realization that there were people who really took this view seriously and even seemed to allow it to (in some manner) permeate their worldview. After all, if the saints are all going to be "raptured" up before the Tribulation, than this could indeed have perilous consequences if this belief was a false one (which it indeed it). Knowing that there are actually Fundamentalists involved with Israel who are actively working to help re-establish the old Mosaic sacrificial system over there (in the hopes that the Anti Christ will then come), this is dangerous indeed because these people believe that they will somehow be spared of the problems and sufferings that will come in that day and age. It can also lead (indirectly) to irresponsibility in civic functions, etc. because, the worse things get (or so the theory goes), the closer we are to the Tribulation period of which "we shall be spared." This is a VERY dangerous mindset to have.

Because of this, I decided to obtain some books to better understand the origins of this theory both for my own education and hopefully to better explain these matters to others who adhere to this view. David MacPherson has assembled a remarkable amount of work here and while I reject the Protestant pre-suppositions that are both explicit and implicit throughout the work; nevertheless this book is still one I recommend wholeheartedly to all Christians because it demonstrates the following key points that solidly undermine the credibility of the pre-trib theory including the following:

a.) The Pretribulation Rapture is REJECTED by the bulk of pre-millennial Bible scholars.

b.) It did not exist in any way, shape, matter, or form prior to the 1830's.

c.) The theory is tied up with the unbiblical and unhistorical Dispensational Premillennialist system founded by John N. Darby of the Plymouth Brethren.

d.) The questionable psychological profile of the originator of this theory (which was not Darby btw).

If ever there was an textbook example of an idea with no historical foundations in the theology of the Church in ANY time period of the first 19 centuries, it is this idea. All Christians should read this book and reject the notion that somehow they will escape the Tribulations of the last day (should they come in our lifetime) because it is important to be prepared. Those that believe in the pre-trib theory inevitably will NOT be prepared and as a result will pay dearly for their miscalculations.

Rating:
Summary: Faithful and True
Review: I am grateful to the author of this book, Dave MacPherson, for his hard work and honest efforts in gathering this information to provide a picture of the events which led John Nelson Darby to start a movement which seems to feed the tendency toward complacency in Christians.

The God of The Bible is a Living God. His followers are commanded to meditate on His Word day and night, to Hide It in their hearts that they might not sin against Him. To seek Him and love Him with all their heart. If a Believer does this, there has to be spiritual growth.

The MacDonald brothers, once they found Jesus, desired a pure teaching of The Word and refused all books except the Holy Bible. They waited for the Spirit of God to lead them in their study and lived Holy lives seeking to Hear God and to know His will, fasting and honoring Him in all things. The entire family opened their home and hearts to their town and people from other parts of the world.

Their sister Margaret, a Godly woman, followed in their walk and she had a vision. This lady saw a lifting up of people into the heavenlies. But as she stated, it was not something one could see with their physical eyes. The lifting up is the spiritual elevation of an earthly vessel into a heavenly place with Christ. It is necessary for believers to put off the "old man" (old sinful nature) and put on Christ. "I felt that the revelation of Jesus Christ had yet to be opened up--it is not knowledge about God that it contains, but it is an entering into God." by those who have the Light of God within she remarked further down. This lady wasn't talking about a Hal Lindsey Rapture but of Christ-filled believers clothed in White Linen and entering into The Wedding Feast of The Lamb of God.

The book was excellent and should encourage readers to do the same as the MacDonald family which is to love God, read His Word and obey it, and seek him with all their heart, and He will reveal Himself, it's a promise.

Rating:
Summary: There's more than just one cover-up here
Review: I've had "The incredible cover-up" for some years now, and along with books like the "Blessed Hope" GE Ladd and alike took a Mid or Post Rapture position. Until I really looked into what the early church fathers preached between 100 AD and mid 350 AD (Epistle of Barnabas, (A.D. 100)Irenaeus, in Against Heresies
Hippolytus, a disciple of Irenaeus (2nd Century)Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Ephraem, the Syrian (4th Century) till the Church of Rome was established. Origen started it with the allegorization of Scripture followed by Augustine: Amillennialism
which formed the basis for Roman Catholic Eschatology which the reformation failed to address. What MacPerson tries to ascert is that persons like Darby and McDonald "invented" this pretrib idea, however it was around at the time of the early church. To ignore this fact is to deny the NT teaching of imminency (Christ could return at any time). Years before Darby & McDonald in the early 1800's were Edward Irving & Emanual Lacunza. "The incredible cover-up" is a good read, but don't accept it as the deeply researched book it claims to be. I would recommend some of the Escatology material by Chuck Missler or Dave Hunt (both available on Amazon)

Rating:
Summary: theology stands without unnecessary cover-up material
Review: In the foreward, Dr. James McKeever, referring to the author, states that "some of his anger shows through this book." I am a reader who is normally very sensitive to the attitude of the author as he expresses himself through his writing. But as I read through the book, I did not find it as irreverent as I had expected. In fact, I did not even find it as disrespectful as some other fervently argued theological works. Of course there are several things the author could have done to make the book sound more like objective reporting. For instance, he might have simply titled the book "The Origin Of The Pretribulation Rapture" to sound less aggressive, etc. We should keep in mind however that the author is not known primarily as a theologian, and he does not write or sound like one, so we should not judge the book as though it were written by one. He sounds more like a regular guy writing his thoughts down. This may be either refeshing or unbearable depending on your mind set.

One of the things that we should also keep in mind is that the book, which is comprised of two of his earlier works which were published in 1973 and 1974, is somewhat outdated so far as the "cover-up" theme goes. Today in the year 2000, I don't think that there are many who have seriously studied the pretribulation rapture who have not heard of Margaret Macdonald. It is not something that is kept as a secret. My initial thought was, what real difference does this information make to the theory, since we have the facts of the theory and we need to check them out against the authority of the scriptures anyway. I do not hold to the pretrib theory, and yet, I wonder why it is so important to know about an alledged cover-up that took place 170 years ago. Whatever the origin, we have the theory, and we can judge it against scripture. Paul says that some people preach for money, but he thanks God that the Gospel is preached in every way. In other words, even if a not-so-honest person preaches the Word, it does not negate the veracity of the Word. Whether he is a sinner or a saint, his moral or spiritual condition has no bearing on the actual information that he is disseminating. The same thing can be said of the pretribulation rapture theory. We need only judge the theoretical information that is presented, not the presenter.

The book is divided into two parts. The first part deals with the origin of the pretrib rapture theory (or the cover-up), while the second part has most of the biblical argumentation. For me, it is the second part that is the most relevant and the most informative. The author actually covers a great deal of important and critical theology dealing with the pretrib and posttrib positions from a posttrib perspective. Some of the points are really excellent, but I wish he would have expounded a bit more because he virtually covers some very important points with single sentences. Because of this I am sure that some readers will miss the great significance of some of those arguments.

In summary, I think the theological arguments presented in the second part of the book stand on their own and make the first cover-up part unnecessary. The only reason I can see to include the first part is to try to discredit the pretrib theory by virtue of its origin, or to discredit its proponents by virtue of association. I have no doubt that the vast majority of the proponents of the theory are godly men and women. We should strive to keep our arguments to the theological issues and not aimed at the personalities involved.

Rating:
Summary: Faithful and True
Review: This is an excellent book on the fascinating origin of the pre-tribulational rapture view of eschatology, also called dispensationalism. The author has done some fine historical research and his skill as an investigative reporter shows. If Baptists knew that their pet eschatological doctrine originated with a 15-year-old charismatic, tongues-speaking, woman "prophet" in 1830, they would probably drop their dispensational views like a hotcake! The book is not very flattering of John Nelson Darby, who is often attributed with originating dispensationalism. One explanation for Darby's glaring omission of mentioning Margaret MacDonald's rapture "prophecy" is that he probably did not want to be associated with the charismaticism of the day. Although the author holds to a premillennial post-trib rapture (chiliast) view, the book is still a valuable resource for reformed Christians holding either an amillennial or postmillennial view. Both in America in the early 1900s and in Scotland in 1830, the primary and possibly sole justification for the revival of the charismatic gifts of tongues and prophecy was the eminent return of Christ. And how did they know His return was eminent? Because they prophesied it!

The author shows the MacDonald clan of two older brothers and three sisters to have a reputation of leading godly and humble lives, in spite of their charismatic errors. One explanation for this inconsistency is that several years prior to the 1830 charismatic experience, the twin elder brothers, acting as heads of the household (their parents had died), began leading the family in twice-daily family worship. As members of the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian), they were probably familiar with the Directory of Family Worship, written and adopted by the Church of Scotland in 1647, which threatens excommunication for failure to keep daily family worship. However, the Directory also discourages unsanctioned private prayer meetings between "divers families." In spite of apparent warnings from their pastor, the MacDonalds continued to hold such meetings, from which sprang up the charismatic errors. Interestingly, family worship is practically nonexistent among charismatics and other dispensationalists today because it doesn't make much sense under an eminent return paradigm; children's church, youth group, and public schools are more pragmatic under modern self-absorbed Christianity. Family worship is far more strongly motivated under covenantal or reformed theology, which understands the principles of Ps 78:1-8.

The covenantalist reading this magnificent little book will quickly realize the amazing fact that all the errors, false prophecies, and end times hype of dispensationalism that is so rampant in American Christianity today, can all be traced back to a seemingly small error of an otherwise godly family living 170 years ago on the other side of the Atlantic!

Dan Brown, ruling elder, Redeemer Presbyterian

Rating:
Summary: Incredible Cover Up
Review: This is an excellent book on the fascinating origin of the pre-tribulational rapture view of eschatology, also called dispensationalism. The author has done some fine historical research and his skill as an investigative reporter shows. If Baptists knew that their pet eschatological doctrine originated with a 15-year-old charismatic, tongues-speaking, woman "prophet" in 1830, they would probably drop their dispensational views like a hotcake! The book is not very flattering of John Nelson Darby, who is often attributed with originating dispensationalism. One explanation for Darby's glaring omission of mentioning Margaret MacDonald's rapture "prophecy" is that he probably did not want to be associated with the charismaticism of the day. Although the author holds to a premillennial post-trib rapture (chiliast) view, the book is still a valuable resource for reformed Christians holding either an amillennial or postmillennial view. Both in America in the early 1900s and in Scotland in 1830, the primary and possibly sole justification for the revival of the charismatic gifts of tongues and prophecy was the eminent return of Christ. And how did they know His return was eminent? Because they prophesied it!

The author shows the MacDonald clan of two older brothers and three sisters to have a reputation of leading godly and humble lives, in spite of their charismatic errors. One explanation for this inconsistency is that several years prior to the 1830 charismatic experience, the twin elder brothers, acting as heads of the household (their parents had died), began leading the family in twice-daily family worship. As members of the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian), they were probably familiar with the Directory of Family Worship, written and adopted by the Church of Scotland in 1647, which threatens excommunication for failure to keep daily family worship. However, the Directory also discourages unsanctioned private prayer meetings between "divers families." In spite of apparent warnings from their pastor, the MacDonalds continued to hold such meetings, from which sprang up the charismatic errors. Interestingly, family worship is practically nonexistent among charismatics and other dispensationalists today because it doesn't make much sense under an eminent return paradigm; children's church, youth group, and public schools are more pragmatic under modern self-absorbed Christianity. Family worship is far more strongly motivated under covenantal or reformed theology, which understands the principles of Ps 78:1-8.

The covenantalist reading this magnificent little book will quickly realize the amazing fact that all the errors, false prophecies, and end times hype of dispensationalism that is so rampant in American Christianity today, can all be traced back to a seemingly small error of an otherwise godly family living 170 years ago on the other side of the Atlantic!

Dan Brown, ruling elder, Redeemer Presbyterian