ANDY WOODS + PAUL WILKINSON: IS THE RAPTURE A SECONDARY ISSUE?

PPOV 346. Drs. Paul Wilkinson & Andy Woods discuss Christian Palestinianism. 3-21-25.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12).

In this post, I am focusing on the above video from the 39-minute mark, when Andy Woods and Paul Wilkinson discuss "..rehabilitating John Nelson Darby and C.I. Scofield, and why the doctrine of the pre-tribulation rapture is under such vociferous attack today". For Woods and Wilkinson, the pretrib rapture is a primary issue, aka "the blessed hope". 

Darby's claim of direct revelation 

Paul Wilkinson purports to be an expert on John Nelson Darby, having supposedly written a PhD thesis on the subject. In this video, Wilkinson blatantly distorts several facts about Darby, beginning with the false claim that Darby arrived at the pretrib view by studying the scriptures.

Wilkinson: "Where did his (Darby's) understanding of the rapture come from? It didn't come immediately, but as he himself writes, in his own writings, he got it from studying the word.." (49:00 mark)

Darby - in his own words, claimed that God Himself revealed dispensational hermeneutics to him directly. 

Darby: "..what God has with infinite graciousness revealed to me concerning His dealing with the Church.."1 

"..it was in this the Lord was pleased, without man's teaching, first to open my eyes on this subject, that I might learn His will concerning it throughout."2 

Darby's claim of direct revelation from God puts the whole premise of his authenticity and the pretrib rapture on shaky ground. Darby put himself on the same level as the first-century apostles. (Galatians 1:12 cf. 1 Corinthians 11:23). It is not surprising that Darby claimed to receive "direct revelation" since he was associated with the Irvingites, who were pioneers in reviving the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit within the church. There are good reasons to believe that the Irvingites were precursors to the modern Pentecostal Movement.3 In our generation, many have learned painful lessons from recently exposed false NAR "apostles" and "prophets" such as Mike Bickle and Todd Bentley. It is a fatal mistake to buy into an alleged "prophetic word" without rigorously testing it against the scriptures. (1 John 4:1). Darby's claim was absolutely huge! He denied the very words of Jesus Christ Himself by announcing that the warnings in the Olivet discourse do not apply to the church. Wilkinson failed to mention that Darby's "direct revelation" was vigorously challenged by his contemporaries. In my view, the pretrib rapture is one of the biggest deceptions to be foisted onto the modern church. The pretrib camp has worked very hard to shoehorn the pretrib rapture into the scriptures. They have also made exhaustive efforts to prove that pretrib predates Darby and can be found in the Church Fathers. However, in both these endeavors they have failed miserably.4 Believers should consider the consequences ahead of time before the false hopes of pretrib leaders fail to materialize and the Antichrist's persecution becomes a reality. 

Woods: "My question for you is, is this a secondary issue, because a lot of people say 'don't get wrapped up in this, this is a secondary issue'? My other question..  Is the fact that pretribulationalism is always under assault proof that pretribulationalism is probably the right one?"

Wilkinson: "Is it a secondary issue? Well, the apostle Paul in Titus 2 said it's our blessed hope.. that's my hope, that's the church's hope.. Wilkinson continues with a lot of platitudes but he offers no exegesis of the various texts he cites. He completes his answer by trotting out the overused trope that Christians should be looking for Christ, not the Antichrist.  

Woods: "What I am hearing you say is that this is not a secondary issue because what you believe about this changes your focus."  Woods brings out another overused trope about bridegroom imagery with the excuse that if we go through the tribulation, then God is a "spousal abuser". This worn-out argument can equally be levelled against the martyrdom and persecution of Christians throughout church history. In the West, Christians are living in a persecution-free bubble, but this is not the case in many other countries. The scriptures warn us to expect persecution. (John 15:20; Matthew 5:11-12; 1 Peter 4:12-14; Philippians 1:29, etc.) When the Antichrist arrives at the midpoint of the 70th week, worldwide persecution against Jews and Christians will escalate exponentially. When God gives explicit warnings then we would be wise to take notice rather than bury our heads in the sand and be taken off guard! The very warnings that Jesus gave to his disciples about the end of the age in the Olivet Discourse are magicked away by pretrib teachers. (Matthew 24:4). Woods and Wilkinson can be in denial as much as they like, but their denial does not invalidate God's word!  

Woods: "I don't think it is a secondary issue either and I mark and avoid people. I have a hard time appearing on their shows, appearing at their conferences.. A lot of them have contacted me and wanted to participate at our conferences and when I find out they are aggressively promoting some other perspective, I just have a difficult time unleashing them in front of God's people.."

To paraphrase Woods' second question: 'Because the pretrib rapture is always under assault is proof that it is probably the right doctrine..' This remark lacks depth and fails to adequately explain or respond to the major exegetical problems associated with the pretrib rapture. Woods should know better than to offer this kind of pat answer. The truth will always be attacked by those who oppose the scriptures, but on the other hand, false doctrines also come under heavy attack by those who rightly divide the word of truth and practice discernment. (1 Timothy 2:15).

Is the timing of the rapture a secondary issue?

I feel the same way as Andy Woods in reverse, i.e., I "mark and avoid" those who promote the pretrib view. (Romans 16:16-17). I am not willing to quietly sit in a congregation and watch others passively swallow the pretrib Kool-Aid to their own destruction. At best, I consider pretrib leaders to be heavily deceived; at worst, I consider them to be wolves. (1 Timothy 4:1). My concern is that when the Antichrist's persecution begins, many will fall away and apostatize. (Matthew 24:10). In other words, many will forfeit their faith on the altar of the pretrib rapture. The stakes are incredibly high! Pastors who fail to prepare God's people for the coming persecution are sinfully negligent. What will happen to pretrib teachers who fail to sound the horn? (Ezekiel 33:6). Woods has effectively shut down any challenge to pretribulationism, and it is difficult to miss his particular hostility towards the prewrath camp. He can't even bear to mention the name of Alan Kurschner or any other prominent prewrath teacher.   

Woods: "Now we have this very perverted view of Rosenthall, and others came up with this, and there are some younger expondents and proponents of that view that I don't want to mention on this show because I don't want to promote their stuff..   They don't attack mid trib, post trib - they are always aiming their guns at pretribulationism. "  This is not true! While the false pretrib rapture teaching is a major concern to those within the prewrath camp, other views have not been ignored! Midtribulationism does not come in for much critique because it is only held by a small minority and is easily debunked. However, postribulationism has received attention from Alan Kurschner and others.5 

Paul Wilkinson's appalling distortion of John Nelson Darby

   

Wilkinson's claim that Darby was an innocuous guy who simply went around teaching the bible is outrageous. How did Wilkinson manage to miss the firestorm against Darby from "Open" Brethren leaders George Müller, Benjamin Wills Newton, Samuel Tregelles, and James Grant? These men denounced Darby as a despot who maligned scripture. Darby was also condemned by Charles Spurgeon and DL Moody. In addition, it is undeniable that Scofield was an absolute scoundrel.* I do not like to call anyone an out-and-out liar, but in this instance, I can't find an alternative explanation for Wilkinson's dishonesty. (Psalm 107:7; Proverbs 12:22; Ephesians 4:25).

For an accurate account of John Nelson Darby, see Papers of John Nelson Darby published by the John Rylands University Library at the University of Manchester. 

Charles Spurgeon:

"Mr. Darby is, to all intents and purposes a thorough Pope, though under a Protestant name. He will never admit that he is in error; and therefore very naturally declines to argue with those who controvert the soundness of his views. How, indeed, could it be otherwise? If Mr. Darby holds, which he does, with a firm grasp, the principle that whatever conclusions he and those acting in conjunction with him may come to, express beyond all question the mind of the Spirit; and if those Darbyites who gather together in London, can go so far as to exclude all other denominations, even the most godly among them, 'believing themselves to be the one or only, assembly of God in London,' how need we feel surprised that Mr. Darby, as the 'prophet, priest, and king' of the party, should exercise a perfect despotism within the domains of Darbyism?"6 

George Müller:
"Scripture declares plainly that the Lord Jesus will not come until the Apostasy shall have taken place, and the man of sin shall have been revealed."7

Anthony Groves:

"As the years passed, he (Groves) became increasingly concerned with the drift of the Plymouth Brethren towards sectarianism under the leadership of Darby and aligned himself with George Müller. The split was complete in 1848 to form the Open Brethren and the Exclusive Brethren."8

Wilkinson: "I have to believe and accept and rightly handle the word of my Lord. That's how I'm going to be judged by my Lord.. Did I rightly teach His word? Did I rightly divide it? Did I faithfully teach it? Wilkinson's nauseating emotional rhetoric is as false as his teaching. (John 4:24; Titus 1:16; Isaiah 29:13).

1. Reflections Upon The Prophetic Inquiry And The Views Advanced In It | Plymouth Brethren Writings
2. Evidence From Scripture of the Passing Away of the Present Dispensation - John Nelson Darby (#62234) - BTP
3. The Irvingites and the Gift of Tongues
4. Microsoft Word - Prewrath - Early Church Fathers.docx.
5. Articles for Posttribulationism to Consider | ESCHATOS MINISTRIES
6. Mr. Grant on "The Darby Brethren"
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_M%C3%BCller
8. Anthony Norris Groves - Borivali Assembly

Further Links

The "Darby Brethren"
Mr. Newton and the "Brethren"
WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: LEE BRAINARD AND TOM HUGHES: PRETRIB DISHONESTY
* Heresy in the Heartland: C. I. Scofield: Scoundrel, Shyster, and Scalawag