A History of the Pre-Conflagration Rapture

Dr. Thomas Ice, executive director of the Pre-Trib Research Center, continues his study of the history of the doctrine of the rapture.
In this message, he describes the two-stage pre-conflagration view, showing it to be premillennial but not pre-tribulational.
Rather, it involves a rapture and a second coming, with an interval in between in which the earth is burned.
Dr. Ice shows why this is important to understanding the history of the doctrine of the rapture, also explaining how premillennialism was revived within the Reformed faith in the decades following the Reformation.
Dr. Ice also comments on related matters, including the meaning of the term "secret rapture" and the fact that many of the Puritans were premillennial.
Finally, Dr. Ice explains the four ways of interpreting the events of the book of Revelation: preterism, historicism, futurism and idealism.
Whitcomb Ministries is grateful to Baptist Bible Seminary in Clarks Summit, Penn., for the kind permission allowing us to post these messages, which were originally given as part of the annual Barndollar Lectureship Series in September of 2010 (www.bbc.edu/seminary/barndollar.asp).

(See also www.bbc.edu/barndollar/Barndollar_History_Rapture.pdf.)