Dispensational Premillennialism

My general thesis:  that to combat encroaching secularism and various modern mysticisms, John N. Darby — with help from a 15-year-old girl who lived in Scotland and spoke in tongues — came to theological conclusions in the early 19th C. that he would spread, birthing a counter to the secularism and mysticisms.  And, that this was a very 5GW move (even if not entirely conscious. [HT: Soob])

“Darbyism” is a short term meant to refer to dispensational premillenialism, or “pretrib rapture,” an eschatology which claims that an end-time rapture will precede the Second Coming.  It is the most familiar Christian eschatology, but before 1830, it was virtually non-existent.  Previously, for nearly 1800 years, most Christians believed that the rapture would happen simultaneously with the Second Coming; after 1830, and thanks primarily to John N. Darby, many Christians have come to believe in a rapture which precedes tribulation and a Second Coming that follows tribulation.  John Darby’s revelation occurred after, among other things, a visit to a 15-year-old girl in Scotland who began speaking in tongues and delivering prophetic messages….

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Therefore, pre-1830 Christian eschatology, by stressing the present crisis of good vs evil — the present tribulations — and by not excusing believers from this Tribulation, placed responsibility on the believers for the maintenance of the Good in the present world and enforced the idea that present good works would be rewarded when Jesus returned, during the Rapture. Present good works would also lessen the Tribulations for their fellow humans and for themselves, primarily effected through the Church or at least through Christian faith and Christian works.  After 1830 and the birth of “pre-trib,” most evangelical and fundamentalist believers in Christianity assumed that Earth was prophesied to go to Hell in a handbasket, anyway, whatever they might do; and, because true believers would be rescued in a Rapture before the Tribulation, their primary responsibility was to ensure self-survival by becoming “born-again” while their secondary responsibility was to enable others to become “born again” so that they, too, might escape the Tribulation (rather than merely escape Hell after the Second Coming, as with the amillennialists.)

Need I draw the necessary lines?  “Pre-trib” believers have less reason to improve living conditions on the Earth.  In fact, such millennialists tend to advocate good works only as methods for earning self-survival, or of being rewarded rescue from the Tribulation.  Insofar as a believer can be sure of his own Christianity — define it however he will — he can safely anticipate rescue from Tribulation and a place in Heaven.  But everyone else will receive Earthly punishment before receiving Hellish punishment.  Some critics of pre-trib dispensational
millennialism point out the fact that current political pre-trib movements to fight abortion, gay marriage, and other hot-button issues are hypocritical, since Earth is destined to fall into evil — indeed, the Tribulation is punishment for that evil, and any success in removing abortion, etc., from contemporary society would stall the Tribulation or avert it entirely.  But Christian dispensational millennialists might say that fighting these causes will count on their transcripts when Jesus comes to decide who will be rescued from Tribulation and admitted to Heaven — even if they and their Christ are fully aware that Earth will sink into evil, leading up to the Tribulation, no matter what they do in the present.

That is likely to cause some consternation, if any who believe in the pre-trib eschatology are reading this.

But 5GW co-optation requires that those co-opted believe they are following their own will.  They know how to judge things; they can act on their own judgments without fear of damnation:

When dealing with a complex society formed of multiple networks, efforts toward fulfillment of imperial designs cannot be expected to take root if expressed openly.  If the members of that society operate with faith in individual freedoms after a long history of such faith — say, America — they are more likely to expect freedom of interpretation, as well, when approaching theological and philosophical studies: a major strike against a centrally dictated path toward salvation or security.  This may seem paradoxical when considering the widespread acceptance of pre-trib Christian eschatology in America.  But consider who is allowed to judge whether the individual has been “born again” and what that individual must do in this life to achieve such status.  Consider also the extraordinary number of Christian denominations in America who believe in some form of pre-trib eschatology even though they may vary in idiosyncratic ways.  In 5GW, you want individuals making those personal judgments and definitions, because whatever they do must be judged, by them, to come from them:  their choice.  [—to “accept Jesus Christ,” etc.]

Similarly, by breaking up communal activity — forcing the highly individualistic, personal decision for self-preservation before Tribulation (to be “born again”)  — you also forestall the development of potential competing networks of socialist and amillennialist Christianity (or some other form.)  In essence, a 5GW force may influence the target to become either “self-forming”  [into the form/community you already want them to assume] or un-formed and perpetually chaotic [distraction.]   Furthermore, the efforts of those who are not pre-trib, Christian and non-Christian alike, are much less important than the individual effort to become and remain born-again.  This separates pre-trib cultures from the rest of the world, since they no longer need to evaluate present circumstances involving these others, their own personal salvation remaining key to their world view.  (Essentially: rampant individualism and, at worst, rampant solipsism.)  Whatever — and, I mean, whatever — defines personal salvation becomes the most important consideration, so whoever or whatever can promise that or help to achieve that becomes valued and may be given a free rein.  Also, in pre-trib eschatology, the Tribulation and Millennium are not now but some future date; this means that the stick or carrot — whichever way you look at it — is always before the individual to keep him moving.  They do not have to worry so much about their neighbors, but must remain focused on their own salvation.

In order to co-opt at the outset of pre-trib eschatology — i.e., circa the last half of the 19th C. — the Darbyists had to compete with secularism and the American Way.  Threats of Hell and damnation were not enough, even as they seem to be not enough now to avert conversion to secularism.  Increased trade and capitalism’s advance, and the ability to travel more freely (then: railroads; now: so much more), combined with the Bill of Rights and the expanse of the West in America which could allow religious experimentation — the post also addresses the origin of the Mormons, briefly — meant that too much could sway a believer away from the Way.  So to co-opt, religion had to incorporate individualism.  A believer only need declare he is saved; he knows he is. He has felt it.  He has accepted Jesus Christ as savior.  And who can say otherwise?  Rather than dispute the fact, the 5GWer only need say, “Glory be!  Another is saved!”  The believer is no longer judged to be “saved” or Christlike by his works; no, but by his declaration of his own acceptance of Jesus Christ as savior, which is a very subjective metric.

These two points are a “softening up” of the target society.  The third important 5GW aspect of pre-trib eschatology may be seen as a natural result of the first two or an extension of them.  Because the world is already doomed to evil, pre-trib adherents are often welcoming of signs of that doom.  Depending on the interpretation of various signs of the End-Time delineated in the Bible, state action or even NGO action may be supported which appears to bring about those occurrences.  This would be an extension of the first two.  A natural result of the first two would be something a little different: worldly nihilism, since nothing in the present can matter much, or be valued, when a kind of earthly hell is already inevitable (for all those not “born again.”)

Other signs will be missed.  Or dismissed.  Ignored.  As the 5GWer will want, since you can’t have the observation [of OODA] of your co-opted “hands in the field” disturbed by things that may lead to different conclusions, different activities, a different end-point.  The subjective world keeps churning out the same program as long as the metrics remain the same.

I’m abridging the original post severely; it is a very long post.

I commented at TPMB (though the comment hasn’t appeared as of this writing), that the pre-trib theology seems to be exactly the opposite of what Tom is trying to do and what he believes.