Page 52 - Watchman- What of the Night

Appendix D: HUMAN AUTHORITY

Many of the earlier scholars held to the Doctrine of resurrection and rapture

approximately as set forth in this book.
We are not aware of any effort to refute the position set forth in the series of articles
that have appeared in Life in the Spirit, and are presented herewith in book form, even

in part.
We reckon the appeal to human authority on such questions to have some degree of
cogency, though the final court of appeal for each individual is the Holy Scripture
itself, which all can read.
The chief objection has been voiced in this kind of question: How can all the great

scholars (?) and Bible teachers of America be wrong on this question?
We reply that it is only the contemporary teachers whom they hear speak or whose
writings they read, who hold so unanimously the doctrine of the pre-tribulation

rapture. To show that it is nothing new to dissent from that position, and that the
position set forth in this book has been held by vastly greater scholars since the
Reformation, than any of the present day advocates of the rapture theory, we will
include herewith a list. Truly it is a great galaxy of preachers, theologians and
expositors who maintained the ancient faith.

Of British and American scholars and writers: Alford, Andrews, David Baron, Birks,
Bonar, Ellicott, Erdman, Gordon, Guinness, Kellogg, Moore-head, Muller, (the saint
and sage of Bristol and the orphanages), Maitland, B. W. Newton, Ryle, Saphir, Stifler,

Tregelles, Trench and West.
In Germany and on the continent we find: Auberlen, Bleek, Christlieb, Delitzsch,
De Wette, Dusterdieck, Ebrard, Ewald, Godet, Hogmann, Lange, Luthardt, Orelli,
Rothe, Stier, Van Oosterzee, Volck and Zahn. These set forth the pre-millennial
doctrine approximately as set forth in ―Watchman, What of the Night?‖

The eminent Dr. S. P. Tregelles maintains that the rapture theory did not originate
with Mr. Darby, but that it was first propounded by Irving, the leader of the Irvingites
in England and the founder of modern Pentecostalism. He alleges that Mr. Irving did

not claim any scriptural ground for the theory whatever, but claimed a separate
revelation of it, personally vouchsafed to him. He further alleges that the Plymouth
Brethren became enamored of the theory and took it up and fabricated a ―scriptural
ground‖ for it.

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