OPINION
The thoughts provided below were originally appended to the end of my Sunday School Lesson wrapping up Warren Wiersbe’s book “BE READY,” delivered to the Francis Asbury Sunday School Class on July 26,02026.
However, over concern about how “inflammatory” my remarks might prove, I elected to leave the following out in the interest of maintaining harmony among class members.
I DO believe the point made is important, however, and offer it here should anyone desire to see it.
Richard Collinsworth
July 27, 2026
Warren Wiersbe was a Man of God. He knew God, walked with Him, and through his writings helped us better understand God and His desires for and from us. But the Rapture and the Future History of the Church as depicted in his book are NOT consistent with Christian tradition prior to the early 20th century. In fact, the Rapture is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture.
The idea of the Rapture, the Time of Troubles, and Christ’s Earthly reign prior to God’s making the world new are not traditions from the Scriptures.
They are ideas promulgated in the late 19th century by an English preacher, John Nelson Darby. He coined the term Dispensationalism to describe the events he was convinced were to happen. But his ideas did not gain significant acceptance in the United States until the publication of the Scofield Reference Bible in 1909. In that presentation of Scripture, Darby’s interpretations and prophecies were essentially “ratified” by their inclusion in that publication. The Scofield Reference Bible attained wide distribution and was accepted as the “authority” on these matters by early 20th-century evangelists and their followers.
The reader is free to make up their own mind regarding the veracity of Wiersbe’s depiction but shouldn’t be misled into thinking that his ideas were/are universally accepted among Christian theologians. “Popular” does not equate to “Truth.”
Please feel free to share your thoughts/opinions with the rest of the Exploring Christianity community.
