Origin of Pre-Tribulation Rapture

The following is taken from a little Booklet I happened to come accross years ago, by a Baptist Minister named John Bray. Prior to studying it, I was a believer in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the church, as is the present belief system of most Penticostal and Evangelical Christians. But, Rev. Bray's research changed my mind to the extent, of my resigning from the Assemblies of God Denomination where I was a Licensed Minister. Many years has passed since then, and I have taken on many new beliefs to add to my baggage, but still, I am not one of those Christians looking to be "Beemed Up" any time now, to meet Christ in the air!

Blessings,
Marked Elect



THE ORIGIN OF THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE TEACHING
By John L. Bray

There are many, many people today who believe in a Pre­Tribulation Rapture. That is, they believe that the Second Coming of Christ will be divided into two separate phases or stages, separated by a period of seven years (or some, 3-1/2 years) during which there will be a Great Tribulation Period, and during which the Antichrist will be revealed and will rule in the world.

They call this first phase the "Rapture", at which time Christ will raise the bodies of the Christian dead and change the bodies of the living Christians and catch them both up into the clouds to meet him in the air and return with them to Heaven to remain during the Tribulation period.

They call the second phase, the "Revelation", which occurs at the end of the Tribulation period, at which time Christ descends from Heaven again, this time with all the saints with him, to destroy the Antichrist, judge the living nations, and set up a Millennial kingdom and the saints reign with him a thousand years. This is the concept as taught in the Scofield Reference Bible notes, etc.

Though many believe and teach this Pre-Tribulation Rapture theory, they erroneously do so, because neither Jesus, Paul, Peter, John, nor any of the other writers of the Bible taught this. Nor did the early church fathers, nor any others for many hundreds of years.

IN THIS BOOK YOU WILL DISCOVER THE SOURCE OF THE PRE­TRIBULATION RAPTURE TEACHING WHICH SO PREVALENT TODAY!

Did you know that the teaching of the Rapture being separated from the Revelation by an intervening period of time has been taught only since 1812?

Did you know that this intervening period of time between the Rapture and the Revelation was first taught to be just 45 days, and later expanded to 7 years?

Did you know that when this above teaching first started, it was taught that only SOME Christians would be caught up at the Rapture-that is, that there would be only a Partial Rapture?

Did you know that NONE of this was ever taught prior to 1812, and that all forms of Pre-Tribulation Rapture teaching were developed since that date? I mean by this that NO New Testament Rapture writer taught a Pre-Tribulation Rapture, NONE of the ear­ly church fathers taught it, n0 Catholic Church creed taught it, n0 Protestant Church creed nor Reformer taught it, n0 other group or person ever published such teachings BEFORE 1812?

1 want to take you not too far back in history to a book which taught for the FIRST TIME EVER the things which I have just men­oned. And this book was first published in 1812.
The book to which I refer is entitled, "The Coming of Messiah in Glory and Majesty," written by Emmanuel Lacunza, a Jesuit priest from Chile, writing under the assumed name of Rabbi Juan Josafat Ben-Ezra as a converted Jew, and first published in Spain in 1812. This book was later translated into English by Rev. Ed­ward Irving and published in London, England, in 1827.
When this book was first published, the seeds were sown for the development and growth of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, the Mid-Tribulation Rapture, and the Partial Rapture theories which are all being taught today.

In this book Lacunza taught that Christ will appear in the sky, raise certain Christian dead and catch up the living ones; then bring judgments and wrath upon the earth; and then at least 45 days after His appearance and when all these judgments are over and Antichrist and his followers are destroyed, He will descend to the earth itself with His saints to set up his Millennial kingdom. This particular part of the book was my main interest, on account of my research into the origin of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture theory.

I had never seen any references by anyone to statements by Lacunza (the author of this book) except very briefly by a Cana­dian minister, Duncan McDougall, who is now dead, and who said he had not seen the original edition of Irving's translation, but had a copy of a cheap abridgement of it published in 1833. (The review and quotations which I make in this book are from the original translation published in 1827.)

My information about Lacunza's teachings was very limited. I became interested in knowing more about this book, especially if he were the first person ever to teach a Two-Stage Second Coming of Christ. After I had learned of Lacunza and his teaching, I secured a few xeroxed copies of some of the pages of the book from the Lutheran Seminary Library archives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from which I quoted in my previous little book on, "The Great Tribulation?"

However, these pages were not in any condition for good reproduction. I was inclined to take a trip to Philadelphia just to get to see this entire book if it were possible, as I did not know at that time where another single copy of the book was in existence.

However, I had read somewhere that Oxford University in Ox­ford, England, had in their Library the world's largest collection of apocalyptic literature. I was to be in meetings in England in May, 1982, and Oxford was not far from where I was going. I determined to stop there on my way and spend a couple of days doing some research and to check more in detail on this par­ticular book if they had it in their archives.

After flying all night from Miami to London, I took a train to Oxford and then walked just two blocks with my suitcase and briefcase to the Royal Oxford Hotel. That afternoon, after a brief nap to recover somewhat from the all-night ride of the night before, I went looking for the Oxford University Bodleian Library. It was within walking distance. I learned there that I could not get in to do any reading without an official reader's card, and that of­fice was about to close. I hurried over to the admissions office and explained my situation. After a time of filling out forms I was given a passcard, and then went back to the Library.

Oxford University is actually made up of more than twenty various colleges in the city of Oxford, and the Library itself is a tremendous one and consists of several large buildings. I went to the catalogue department to see a listing of all their books in the pre-1920 section, and when I found what I wanted I was told that I would have to fill out an application for any book wanted and come back the next day at 11 o'clock to be able to secure the book and read it. The next morning I was there. I asked if they would xerox copies of the pages I wanted after I had read them, but they were unable to do so that day. I did not want to wait nor risk taking a chance at not getting what I wanted for sure, so from I 1 o'clock that morning until 10 o'clock that night I sat glued to my chair reading and copying passages from the book by Lacunza and one other book.

Lacunza's book was in two volumes, over 900 pages, with a long discourse by Edward Irving the translator in front of it. It was published in London in 1827, being translated from the 1812 Spanish edition. The copy was old and worn, fallen apart into two sections, and separated at the middle of the two volumes, with the covers loose and separated from the book. The librarian had tied a string around it to hold it all together. As I handled it, parts of some of the pages were so brittle that small pieces kept falling off. It was discovered later the condition of the book would not allow the pages to be xeroxed.

I never left the building even one time to go out and get a bite to eat nor even a drink of water. At 10 o'clock when they closed, I was the last one there, and they were waiting on me to leave. I left the Library, stopped by a hot dog stand and picked up a ham­burger and a hot dog and cold drink, then headed back to the hotel where I stayed up until nearly 4 a.m. getting my notes all sorted out and in order.

Next morning I caught another train and went on my way to Cinderford where I started preaching the next day. These notes were mostly all typed out while I was in meetings during the next week, in the home of my hosts, Mr. and Mrs. David Lambourne.

It was always a desire of mine to study at Oxford University someday, anyway!
So this little book is the result of my two days' visit to Oxford University Library in England. Up until now it seems, FOR SOME REASON, no one has given to the Christian public a COMPLETE summary or review of Lacunza's teachings on this subject. Why has not the full teaching by this Catholic Jesuit priest on this subject, writing under an ASSUMED NAME, been exposed to Bible students long before now? Now that I had this material, I felt obligated to share it with many others who might not have the same opportunity which I did; and I felt also that I had a further responsibility in helping others to understand more about how this Pre-Tribulation Rapture teaching really got started.

Emmanuel Lacunza and the Book He Wrote

Emmanuel Lacunza (or Manuel de Lacunza y Diaz), a Chilean theologian of Spanish descent (born in Santiago, Chile, July 19, 1731, and died at Imola, Italy, June 17, 1801), became a member of the Jesuit order in 1747 at the age of 16. When the Jesuits were expelled from Spain and its colonies in 1767, he went to Italy, where the balance of his life was spent in writing a commentary on the Second Coming of Christ.

Rev. Edward Irving, a Presbyter of the Church of Scotland, who had been the assistant to Dr. Chalmers in Glasgow, translated this book of Lacunza from the Spanish in 1826, and it was published in English by L.B. Seely and Son, Fleet Street, London, in 1827. In England, Irving was pastor of the Regent Square Presbyterian Church in London. Irving said, This book, entitled 'La Venida del Mesias en Gloria y Majestad,' I.e. 'The Coming of Messiah in Glory and Majesty,' was, so far as I can learn, first printed in Spain in the year 1812, in three volumes, during the short period of the Cortez, from which edition our translation is made." (Preliminary Discourse, page xv).

Lacunza wrote this book under the assumed name of Rabbi Ben-Ezra as a "converted Jew". The book was finished in 1790, and then circulated in manuscript form before it was published at Cadiz, Spain, in 1812. This was during the time of Cortez in Spain, and after Cortez the book was suppressed, and as much as possible withdrawn from circulation. Lacunza died in June 1801, before the book was ever published in book form. Later it was published in London, Mexico, Paris and elsewhere, and translated into various languages. The 1812 edition was in abridged form, and then a complete Spanish edition was publish­ed in London in 1816 in four volumes. It was from the 1812 Spanish edition that Edward Irving made his translation in 1826, as he said, after a copy of the book got into England and into his hands.

Lacunza Taught That The Rapture Will Be "Much Before His Arrival At The Earth" In this book, Lacunza said, in this comments on I Thess. 4:13-18: "From these words of the apostle, which he himself gives us to know, that he spoke by the word of the Lord, we derive two truths of the utmost Importance; first, that when the Lord returns from heaven to earth, upon his coming forth from heaven, and MUCH BEFORE HIS ARRIVAL AT THE EARTH, he will give his orders, and send forth his commandment as King and God omnipotent; which is all signified in these words, With a shout, (In the vulgate, Jus su, i.e. by the order) with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God. At this voice of the Son of God, those who hear it, shall forthwith arise, and, as saith the Evangelist St. John (chapter u. 25.) 'those who hear shall live.' "(CAPITALS are mine, here and elsewhere, for emphasis). (Vol. 1, Part I, c. VI, p. 99).

The above is the statement of Lacunza which first caught my attention and caused me to seek for more material from this book, as to his teaching on this subject.

Then he said concerning those Christians who are living when Christ appears and the Christian dead are raised: "The second truth, which we derive from the text of St. Paul, is, that after the raising up of those dead WHO ARE IN CHRIST, the liv­ing who in that day likewise beong to Christ, (who, according to the other notices which we find in the gospels, cannot be many, but will be very FEW, as we shall see in the proper place,) all those of THIS CLASS then living shall be joined to the dead in Christ already raised, shall ascend from the earth and go to receive Christ; 'then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.' " (Vol. 1, Part 1, c. vi., page 100).

So we see that in both of these passages quoted, Lacunza taught that when Christ first comes from Heaven the dead in Christ will be raised and the living Christians will be caught up to meet Christ, and that this will all occur MUCH BEFORE HIS AR­RIVAL AT THE EARTH. How much "before" we shall quote later.

Lacunza Taught That Immediately After The Rapture, the Judgments of God On the Earth Will Take Place. Lacunza taught that when Christ appears from Heaven (the very moment He touches the atmosphere of our earth), and "MUCH BEFORE" He comes to the earth, the dead in Christ will be resurrected and rise, and the living Christians will be caught up. While the saints are with Him up above the world's atmosphere, He will then begin to bring about the judgments of wrath upon the earth and its inhabitants.

Here are Lacunza's exact words in statements from his book proving that he taught that immediately ("the very moment") when Christ appears from Heaven, and before He comes to the earth, the Christian dead will be raised and the living Christians caught up, while the saints are with Him above the world's at­mosphere, then next immediately ("forthwith") will begin that period when God's judgments and wrath are poured out on the in­habitants of the world, the same period which is part of what is called "The Great Tribulation Period" by modern-day Pre­Tribulation Rapturists, and these things to happen BEFORE He comes on down to the earth with His saints: "Then, at his coming from heaven to earth, (and, as I figure it to myself,) AT THE VERY MOMENT OF HIS TOUCHING THE AT­MOSPHERE OF OUR GLOBE, there shall happen in It, in the first place, the resurrection of all those saints 'who shall be counted worthy of that age and of the resurrection from the dead ...the few worthy of that name who shall still be found alive upon the earth, for their uncorrupted faith and righteousness, shall be caught up along with the dead saints who are just raised, and shall ascend along with them 'to meet the Lord in the air.'...

"Things being then in this state, and the Lord having nothing in the whole orb of the earth to contemplate .... there shall FORTH­WITH BEGIN TO BE ACCOMPLISHED over this orb of the earth ALL THOSE GREAT AND HORRIBLE THINGS which are announced for that day.... " (Vol. 2, Part III, pp. 215-216).

What are these "great and horrible things" to happen on earth of which he speaks? The Scriptures he uses to show what will hap­pen BETWEEN the Rapture of the saints and His actual coming to the earth with the saints, are as follows:
Isaiah 24:13-14, 17-20; Rev. 14:19; Isaiah 59:17, 18; Isaiah 63:6. Also Isaiah 13:9; Isaiah 14:9, 11; Jeremiah 30: 23, 24; Malachi 4:1.

You are aware that these are the same passages as used by those today who believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture to describe The Great Tribulation Period which they say follows the Rapture. In the Scofield Reference Bible, Scofield has "The great tribula­tion" title over Isaiah 24:17-20. He designates the passage where Rev. 14:19 is found, "Vision of Armageddon." He labels Isaiah 63:6, "The day of vengeance". A couple of others he titles, "The day of the Lord". The passage in Rev. 14:19 is in that period of time in the book of Revelation which is called by Pre-Tribulation Rapturists, "The Great Tribulation Period," which ends with the coming of Christ to the earth. All of these things, says Lacunza, begin happening immediately after Christ appears above the at­mosphere of this world and raises the worthy saints from the dead and catches up the living saints to be with them.

He does not say at this point how long all this will take, but he does say, "MUCH BEFORE" Christ comes to the earth. And he does tell us the duration elsewhere, after he has studied further. Also, he does not say in his book at exactly what chronological point in the book of Revelation he places the Rapture, but at one place in his book he did say, "It is then, my friend, not only probably, but as it were, evident that the Apocalypse of St. John, OMITTING AT PRESENT THE THREE FIRST CHAPTERS, is a prophecy wholly directed to the coming or revelation of Jesus Christ." (Vol. 1, Fart 11, page 201). So then, the Rapture according to Lacunza must oc­cur sometime after the first three chapters of Revelation and before these dreadful judgments of God begin to occur on the earth.

Pre-Tribulation Rapturists today, of course, believe that the Rapture takes place at Rev. 4:1, immediately following the first three chapters.

Lacunza Taught That This Time of Tribulation and Judgment On the Earth Will Last for At Least 45 Days What would be the length of time involved for this part of the "tribulation" period to take place, according to Lacunza? Remember, he said that the first appearance of Christ from Heaven when He raises the worthy Christians up to meet Him would be "MUCH BEFORE" His actual descent to the earth, and that in between there would be those "horrible things" which will come on the earth. How much time does he assign to this expres­sion, "MUCH BEFORE"?
Lacunza at first said that he did not know how long this tribulation period would last; but evidently after further study he had more to say about a definite time period. At the first he said, "This great day being at length concluded, (THE TIME OF THE DURATION OF WHICH WE KNOW NOT,) the horrible tempest being overpast, all the impious the sinful being exterminated thence...." (Vol. 2, Part III, ch. v., page 249).

Then in the very next chapter of his book, after greater reflec­tion, he puts an "Addition" in his book, which says: "Although It was said at the beginning of the fourth section that it is UNCERTAIN how long the GREAT AND TERRIBLE DAY OF THE LORD'S COMING will endure, that is, the commotion, pertur­bation, and agitation of our globe; yet having now read with greater reflection the xlith chapter of the prophet Daniel, it appeareth to me certain that It cannot endure a shorter time than the space of FORTY-FIVE NATURAL DAYS. Whoever readeth this chapter shall at once perceive, without the possibility of a doubt, that it is a prophecy wholly directed to the last times, VERY IM­MEDIATE UPON THE COMING OF THE LORD, forasmuch as there are announced therein these two capital points only; first, the vocation and conversion of the Jews; second, THE ANTICHRISTIAN TEMPTATION AND TRIBULATION OF THE GENTILES. OF THIS LATTER the prophet, or the angel who speaks to him, says, that it shall endure !n all its force TWELVE HUNDRED AND NINETY DAYS, WHICH IS FORTY AND THREE MONTHS. 'And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.' Dan. xit. 11. Which days being concluded, (doubtless In the first beginning of the day of the Lord,) these words are added, which have ever appeared to me an impenetrable mystery; 'Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days;'Dan. xii. 12. the difference between which two periods is exactly forty and five."

"In this examination It is very natural that some may be struck with another kind of enigma, which though accidental to the point in hand, might yet occasion a degree of embarrassment; which is, that the prophet Daniel makes the ANTICHRISTIAN TRIBULATION to last for a THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED AND NINE­TY DAYS, or forty and three months, whereas St. John in his Apocalypse assigneth to it only the duration of one thousand two hundred and sixty days, which is thirty days less. This difficulty occasioned me in other times not a little embarrassment, until I recollected those words of Matthew xxiv. 22. 'And except those
days shall be shortened.' As St. John wrote after this prophecy and promise of Christ, he sets down the time of THAT GREAT TRIBULATION as actually abreviated, and so strikes off thirty days from the time that it was to endure according to the prophecy of Daniel. In a pestilence or conflagration so great and universal, ap­peareth It to thee a slight mercy to assuage the fire thirty days before the time of its appointed duration, that all flesh might not perish?" (Vol. 2, Part III, chap. 6, pages 250-251).

Keep in mind that Lacunza had said that when Christ first ap­pears, "AT THE VERY MOMENT OF HIS TOUCHING THE AT­MOSPHERE OF OUR GLOBE, there shall happen in it, in the first place, the resurrection of all those saints 'who shall be counted worthy of that age and of the resurrection from the dead ............................... and THEN "there shall FORTHWITH BEGIN TO BE ACCOMPLISHED over this orb of the earth ALL THOSE GREAT AND HORRIBLE THINGS which are announced for that day...." (Vol. 2, Part III, page 215).

This period of time following the Rapture during which those things take place before Christ actually comes on down to the earth is described by Lacunza as being of the length of time at which he finally arrived-not less "Than the space of forty-five natural days". But these things were not to happen on the earth until Christians had been caught up to meet Christ in the air, and only after all these things were accomplished would Christ then actually come to earth.

So we see here very clearly taught what was a two-stage Second Coming of Christ with an intervening period of at least 45 days of tribulation and judgments in between the two stages. True, the period was only 45 days, but it was not long after this book was published that the period of time became 3-1/2 years, and then finally 7 years. And it was FIRST taught in this book published in Spanish in 1812, and in English in 1827.

Lacunza Taught That the 45 Days of Tribulation andJudgments Upon the Earth Bring About the Final Destruc­tion of Antichrist and His Followers "...there Is no doubt that the greater part of the human race shall perish; those, in the first place, who had in any way gathered themselves together under the fourth beast of Daniel, or pertained to the two beasts of the xiith chapter of the Apocalypse. Of these I hold it for certain that no one shall remain alive; for thus I see it ex­pressed in both prophecies; 'And I beheld,' says Daniel of the fourth beast, 'till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.' Dan. vii. 11. 'These both,' with John of his two beasts, 'were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth:' Rev. xix. 20, 21...."(Vol. 2, Part III, ch. 1, page 217).

So, Lacunza taught a Rapture of worthy Christians, following which the Lord lets loose His terrible and horrible judgments on the earth which lasts for 45 days and culminates in the destruc­tion of all those who have followed the Antichrist and the false prophet, plus the casting of the Antichrist and false prophet into the lake of fire.

Lacunza Taught That the Rapture Will Be a PARTIAL Rapture.
In the following quotation from Lacunza's book, we see how he believed that even though all saved people would at some time enter into the kingdom of God, he denied that they who just bare­ly got in would have part in the first resurrection even, and cer­tainly would never be able to reign together with Christ:

"We do not therefore deny that all faithful Christians who observe the precepts of God, or at least offer true repentance for their sins, shall at some time enter into the kingdom of God. BUT IT MAY VERY WELL BE DENIED THAT THOSE WHO IN THIS WAY SHALL HARDLY ENTER INTO LIFE, OR INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD, SHALL BE OR CAN BE KINGS OR REIGN TOGETHER WITH CHRIST. IT MAY BE AND OUGHT TO BE DENIED THAT THESE SHALL HAVE ANY PART IN THE FIRST RESURRECTION.... "' (Vol. 2, Part 111, p. 267).

Dave MacPherson, author of "The Incredible Cover-up" (men­tioned elsewhere in this book) wrote me that he believed I am the only one who has ever called Lacunza a partial rapturist, and that every historian he has read calls him a pre-millennialist, the only kind of pre-millennialist that lived prior to 1830. Because of the tremendous amount of research that Mr. MacPherson has done on this subject, I can believe him that I am the only one who has ever called Lacunza a partial rapturist. Even Edward Irving the translator of the book did not mention this fact. However, the facts stand out as clear as day, as shown by the various quota­tions I will give directly from Lacunza's book on this matter. They speak for themselves.
After the above quotation, Lacunza went on to ask­ "Of those Christians then WHO DO NOT PERTAIN TO THIS PRIVILEGED CLASS, what shall be the lot in that day? IF THEY ARE NOT TO HAVE A PART WITH THE GREAT SAINTS IN THE FIRST RESURRECTION, what shall be their portion?" (Vol. 2, Part III, Chap. VII, page 267).

He answers this question later, as I shall quote more in full later as we discuss that particular matter. But this shows his separation of Christians into different classes, only part of whom will be caught up when Christ first appears. His idea was that if a Christian were not of extraordinary worthiness, he would not be resurrected at the coming of Christ; he would not reign with Christ; and he would not even have part in the holy city. "This holy city must be composed ONLY OF SAINTS OF EX­TRAORDINARY SANCTITY...." (Vol. 2, Part III, Chap. VII, page 26'7).

So far as I know, this is the first published teaching ever on a "split" Rapture of just worthy Christians, or as some call it, a "Partial Rapture".

Elsewhere, Lacunza tells us more about his teaching concern­ing a differentiation of Christians as to their worthiness, so as to arrive at a conclusion that only the worthy ones are to be resur­rected when Christ first appears:

"Lastly: In the sixth chapter of the Gospel of St. John, I read the promise of the Lord four times repeated-AND I WILL RAISE HIM UP AT THE LAST DAY: a very remarkable promise, which Jesus Christ certainly makes not to men without distinction, NOR EVEN TO ALL CHRISTIANS, but to those expressly, and THOSE ALONE, who should profit in this doctrine, his example, his counsels, his death, and, above all, in the sacrament of his body and blood. Now if all men, without distinction, are to arise, in one company and at the same time, what particular grace is this he holds discourse? If it be the resurrection to life only which is promised, then as little would that grace be so specially theirs, as that very many to whom certainly he did NOT refer, shall NOT share it along with them: FOR EXAMPLE, THE INNUMERABLE COMPANY, WHO DIE AFTER BAPTISM BEFORE THE DAWN OF REASON, AND ALL WHO AT THE HOUR OF DEATH FIND ROOM FOR REPENTANCE, THOUGH THEY HAVE BEFORE LIVED FAR FROM HIS LAW AND DOCTRINE. If all these are likewise to rise to life eternal, what SPECIAL grace doth he promise to the FORMER?

"The instruments or documents which we have presented in this dissertation, if they be seriously considered and combined with one another, appear more than sufficient to prove that God hath promised in his word, to raise many other saints besides those already raised, before the general resurrection; consequent­ly, the idea of the resurrection of the flesh, in one company and at the same time, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, is an idea which is so far from being just that it appeareth absolutely in­defensible." (Vol. 1, Part I, p. 114).

By the expression, "to raise many other saints, besides those already raised before the general resurrection, " we see once again Lacunza's attempt to provide a foundation for his new teaching of a Rapture of select saints prior to the coming of Christ to the earth, as well as before the general resurrection which he be­lieved was to be after the Millennium.

But here also Lacunza taught that only a select number of Christians would be involved in this special resurrection, and that others-such as those "who die after baptism before the dawn of reason, and all who at the hour of death find room for repentance, though they have lived far from his law and doctrine, " will not be raised until later. Here we see that Lacunza separates Christians into different categories on the basis of their worthiness, and not on the basis of the merits of Christ. We must remember that he was a Catholic, and this was Catholic reasoning, in a sense. (He even says that worthiness to fit one for the "special" resurrection (Rapture) at the appearing of Christ, involves partaking of "the sacrament of his body and blood"). This concept is the basis for the kind of rapture belief as espous­ed later by Margaret MacDonald and others, including Robert Norton who wrote later on that Margaret MacDonald was the first one to advance the idea of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Margaret MacDonald and Robert Norton both taught a partial rapture, that is, that not all Christians would be caught up at the Rapture, as we shall see later.

See also in this following quotation again how Lacunza believ­ed that only certain Christians will be resurrected when Christ comes:
He first poses a question, "Shall the saints who shall come with the Lord to our earth, risen and completely blessed, consist of ALL who have been saved hitherto?" And then he answers that question by explaining who will be raised, but limiting the resur­rection only to certain worthy Christians; that is, he says that not all Christians are "in Christ" in such a way as to be included in this resurrection:
....they that are Christ's at his coming', I Cor. xv. 23. In order that this expression, those who are Christ's, may not have a very wide and definite extension given to it, AS IF IT SPOKE OF ALL WHO SHOULD BE SAVED, the same apostle explains it in another place by these formal words, 'but they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its corruption and lusts.' Gal. 1:24. And thinkest thou, friend, that all Christians who have been saved to this day, or shall be saved from this time forth, are or shall be in Christ in such a manner?" (Vol. 2, Part III, p. 265).
Lacunza Taught That Those Christians Not Raptured When Christ Comes Are Left On the Earth to do Through the 45 Days of Tribulation and Judgments.

In a previous quotation given, Lacunza taught that "no one shall remain alive" at the end of the 45 days of tribulation and judgments upon the earth, when at last the Antichrist and all his followers are destroyed. However, Lacunza went on to say:
"But although I hold it to be certain, that OF THIS CLASS OF PEOPLE there shall not one single Individual be left alive; so, in the same manner and with the same foundation, it appeareth to me certain that there shall remain alive MANY INDIVIDUALS, NOT ONLY of those who shall then pertain to true Christianity (as are those who go in the clouds to meet Christ,....) but likewise of those pertaining to the first beasts, and WHO HAVE NOT JOINED THEMSELVES TO THE CONGREGATION OF THE FOURTH. " (Vol. 2, Part III, ch. 1, page 217).

According to Lacunza, those Christians who are not caught up in the Rapture will certainly be left on earth to go through the time of these horrible things which will come on the earth, until such time as Christ comes down to the earth after destroying the Antichrist and his followers. But they will be left alive, though all others will be destroyed, according to Lacunza.
ONLY THE MOST WORTHY CHRISTIANS WILL ESCAPE THIS DREADFUL PERIOD; others not raptured will go through it. For some Christians, therefore, it will be a PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE­

Rev. John Bray