That Tucker Carlson John Rich interview: clips of Rich’s statements against the pretribulational rapture were shared and lit social media. What inevitably followed was a back and forth between pretribbers and non-pretribbers.
I don’t doubt Rich’s sincerity, but he didn’t bring along anything new to the interview; certainly nothing which hasn’t been fleshed over ad nauseum. However, rapture timing isn’t the focus of this column. Apart from his stance against pretribulationalism, he made comments which I found problematic.
John Rich drew a connection between Darby, the Rothschilds, Scofield and the rapture. Carlson then seized the opportunity by asserting that the Scofield stuff had a detrimental effect on US foreign and domestic policy, which led to many deaths.
One thing to note is Rich’s erroneous comment that Scofield’s was the first Bible with study notes. Fred Butler responded, “The Geneva Bible in the 1500s was the first one that had study notes. Not Scofield.” Butler further notes that, before Scofield,
Pro Israel sentiment was happening way before Darby came around. JC Ryle, the Bonar brothers, Robert Murray McCheyne, were all pro Israel and taught a restoration of Israel in their land.
BTW, you can find a response to the Rothschild-Darby-Scofield canard HERE.
Anti Zion
The fact that Carlson connects Scofield to American international and domestic foreign policy shouldn’t be lost to us. He’s not referring to South America, the Ukraine or Russia; he means Israel. I suggest people refer back to an earlier interview with Munther Isaac. Like Stephen Sizer, Isaac is an anti-Israel activist.
Using the pretrib rapture to instigate anti-Zionist sentiment isn’t new. Barbara Rossing’s “The Rapture Exposed” was an example of this. She connected Darby and (that rascal) Scofield to bad theology. But the primary focus was on the allegedly detrimental effect of dispensationalist influence in the Middle East.
In her world, Zionist Christian favoritism to Israel somehow disadvantaged Palestinian Christians. She failed to mention how a majority Islamic culture might adversely affect Christianity. This is commonly ignored or denied by them. For examples, see Sabeel’s agenda HERE.
I hope John Rich doesn’t support what I suspect Carlson was getting at. Perhaps he can clarify this at some point. Whatever the case, we know that God is a Zionist.
God has not forsaken Israel
Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came.
And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.
I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you...keep reading
Maranatha!
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