J.N. Darby
PREMILLENNIAL DISPENSATIONALIST

"People apply this to the destruction of Jerusalem, but this is spoken of in verses 20, 21 of this chapter: "Then let them which are in Jerusalem flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto." But then, after that, Jerusalem is trodden down of the Gentiles till the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled (the time running on now till the last beast's wickedness is filled up). Then come the signs and the Son of man is revealed." (The Second Coming of Christ)

(On Matthew 22)
In chapter 22, their conduct with respect to the invitations of grace is presented in its turn. The parable is therefore a similitude of the kingdom of heaven. The purpose of God is to honour His Son by celebrating His marriage. First of all the Jews, already invited, are bidden to the marriage feast. They would not come. This was done during Christ's lifetime. Afterwards, all things being ready, He again sends forth messengers to induce them to come. This is the mission of the apostles to the nation, when the work of redemption had been accomplished. They either despise the message or slay the messengers.  The result is the destruction of those wicked men and of their city. This is the destruction that fell upon Jerusalem. On their rejection of the invitation, the destitute, the Gentiles, those who were outside, are brought in to the feast, and the wedding is furnished with guests.

Thus also grace has been shewn to Israel, and they are judged for refusing the invitation of the great King to the marriage of His Son. And then the abuse of this grace by those who appear to accept it is also judged. The bringing in of the Gentiles is declared.

Here concludes the history of the judgment of Israel in general, and of the character which the kingdom would assume.

65: Observe here, that from chapter 21: 28 to the end, we have the responsibility of the nation looked at as in possession of their original privileges, according to which they ought to have borne fruit. Not having done so, another is put in their place. This was not the cause of the judgment which was, and yet is in a more terrible way to be, executed on Jerusalem, and which even then accomplished the destruction of the city. The death of Jesus, the last of those who had been sent to look for fruit, brings judgment on His murderers (Matt. 21: 33-41). The destruction of Jerusalem is the consequence of the rejection of the testimony to the kingdom sent to call them in grace. In the first case, the judgment was upon the husbandmen-the scribes, and chief priests, and leaders of the people. The judgment executed on account of the rejection of the testimony to the kingdom goes much farther (see chap. 22: 7). Some despise the message, others ill-treat the messengers; and, grace being thus rejected, the city is burned up, and its inhabitants cut off. Compare chap. 23: 36, and see the historical prophecy in Luke 21. The distinction is maintained in all three gospels. "  (Darby's Synopsis, in loc.)

(The World is Getting Worse)
"What we are about to consider will tend to show that, instead of permitting ourselves to hope for continued progress of good, we must expect a progress of evil; and that the hope of the earth being filled with the knowledge of the Lord before the exercise of His judgment, and the consummation of this judgment on the earth, is delusive... Truly Christendom has become completely corrupted, the dispensation of the Gentiles has been found unfaithful: can it be restored?  No! Impossible." [Speech in Geneva, 1840, in William Kelly, ed., The Collected Writings of J.N.Darby, Prophetic no. 1, vol. 1 (Kingston-on-Thames: Stow Hill Bible and Tract Depot, undated), 471, 486)]

"It is absolutely necessary that we should renounce everything. We shall have to do so sooner or later, either with joy by the Spirit of Christ, or with shame when the judgments of God shall break every tie that is still keeping us back. We must then leave everything, or else be burnt up with Sodom. Prophecy has a special power to separate us from this present evil world, which the patience of God can bear, because He is taking His own out of it, but which is judged already nevertheless. (Writings, II.44. Emp added.) 

WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID

Tim LaHaye
"John Darby figures to be a central figure in any study of the pre-Trib Rapture.  There is little question that he did more than any other man to organize and popularize the view both in the United States and Great Britain.  Born in 1800 and single all his life, he dedicated his boundless energies to advancing the cause of Christ through soul-winning, preaching, Bible teaching, church building, conference teaching, and publishing." (Rapture under Attack Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 1998)

Darby Bible Translations

Acts 24:25  "And as he [Paul] reasoned concerning righteousness, and temperance, and the judgment ABOUT TO come..."

Matthew 16:27  "For the Son of Man is ABOUT TO come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will render to each according to his doings."

What do YOU think ?

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Date:

01 Sep 2003

Time:

08:52:26

Comments

Darby was, of course a spiritual moron. But the important spiritual truths that dispensationalists fail to recognize are also unrecognized by preterists. Theologians of every stripe appear incapable of understanding the two most important facts of the Bible, namely, that the hopelessly fallen natural nation of Israel was spiritually regenerated in the moment of Christ's resurrection in the spring of AD 30, when the new and spiritual and eternal Israel appeared, and that the hopelessly fallen natural world was spiritually regenerated in the moment of the resurrection of the dead in Christ at his parousia at the end of the true first century (in autumn of AD 96), when the new and spiritual and eternal world of Rev. 21 and 22 appeared. The spiritual judgment of the world at the end of the first century fulfilled the natural judgment of the world by the flood at the end of Noah's last 100 pre-flood years. Unfortunately, spiritual regeneration holds no appeal for the natural mind of the scholar.

Date:

12 Sep 2003

Time:

10:22:08

Comments

I find the post above dated "01 Sep 2003" and stating "Darby was, of course a spiritual moron" demonstrates the true character of thought that is typical of spiritualizers. This vain impression of one's own "spiritual" insights into things is the "puffing up" and "vain philosophies" that Paul warns us about. Paul tells us to hold to sound doctrine, doctrine is derived from study and study is at the heart of scholarship. It is sad that what is passing for spirituality today finds no value scholarship. Judging from this person's disparaging characterization of "the scholar" (i.e. Darby) and subsequent launch into subjective and unverifiable claims about the “spiritual” fulfillment of all things, it is no wonder that he/she thinks of Darby as a moron.

Date:

23 Sep 2003

Time:

20:11:33

Comments

"Sound doctrine is derived from study," says he/she. But study of what? The lies of Darby and Scofield and their present-day successors? Sound doctrine is derived ONLY from an understanding of complete and consistent typology. Everything else is subjective. Without any supporting evidence, Scofield blatantly claimed that only the first four of the seven feasts of Lev. 23 were fulfilled in the first century. That's false, Christ-demeaning and terribly harmful. All seven of the feasts were fulfilled in the first century. But dispensationalists have no interest in studying those matters. They read "The Late Great Planet Earth" and some of the notes that Scofield had the nerve to print on the pages of the Bible and they become instant experts on the Bible. Sounds spiritually moronic to me.

Date:

30 Oct 2003

Time:

16:58:06

Comments

"There is not one single thing in your heart with which God could link Himself. "They that are in the flesh cannot please God." There is nothing in heaven your (adamic) nature would like."....... "The cross of Christ has closed the history of the old man, and of all its associations." Now beloved friends, are your hearts ready to accept such a Chistianity? The flesh clings to what the flesh likes--clings to the world and that which Satan has power over us by,...

Date:

03 Nov 2003

Time:

05:58:05

Comments

I'm not living in this world, I'm dying in it.

Date:

23 Apr 2004

Time:

12:53:04

Comments

It is interesting that psycho-babel can take up so much of ones time meanwhile people enter a Christless eternity! Does that help your debate any?

Date:

02 May 2004

Time:

06:15:40

Comments

What!!! How can anyone glibly dismiss a scholar such as Darby as being a spiritual moron? There is an obvious ignorance of Darbys valuable contribution to the theological realm of the 19th century and the Body of Christ eternal. Could we even count how many souls have been saved as a result of Darby's work and love of the Lord? really please... come on.

Date:

10 May 2004

Time:

12:21:29

Comments

Proposal for solving REVELATION l3:l8 (666) -- NEBEKEDNESSER, that is, the Greek letters: Nu (50) + Eta (8) + Beta (2) + Eta (8) + Kappa (20) + Eta (8) + Delta (4) + Nu (50) + Eta (8) + Sigma (200) + Sigma (200) + Eta (8) + Rho (l00) = 666. The variant numbers are 606, 6l6, 646, 665, and 747 . . . respectively, that would be Bael Marduk, Kaisar Theos, Amil Marduk, [Hebrew Numerical Values: Tav + Resh + He + Yod + Nun = 665 ("beast")], Heir of Marduk. My REASONS: l) The Jewish HOUSE OF JESUS (See SEPTUAGINT, Ezra 2:36) was captive/exiled in 6th century b.c. Babylon. 2) The Book of Daniel 4:l6. 3) The 2nd century b.c. apocryphal word titled JUDITH refers to Nebuchadnezzer variously as "Lord of the whole world.", "Who is God except Nebuchadnezzer?". 4) Midrash Rabbah Canticles refers to Rome as "ROME-BABYLON." {Walter C. Cambra)

Date:

11 May 2004

Time:

10:48:54

Comments

Looking at this stuff, I'm reminded that how, as a millienalist, I used to scan over the text and say: "Yeah, whatever." It's easier to believe it than take the time to investigate. Now, as a Preterist, I dare to ask some simple questions: - Isn't it odd how one can come up with 10 lengthy paragraphs to dispute the obvious immediacy of "about to"? I'm sure glad he missed the significance of "each" - we'd be reading for days. - Darby asks Christians to "denounce" (unlearn) their eschatology, but when Preterists ask the same, the Preterists are the whackos? - If Darby doesn't even understand what "Gentile" means (he clearly doesn't; he sees them as simply non-"Jews") how can we expect him to arrive at a meaningful conclusion concerning the last days?

Date:

30 Jun 2004

Time:

04:57:29

Comments

Your preoccupation with these idiotic concepts are indication of severe mental deficiencies. YOU ALL NEED TO GET A LIFE. And remember - THE LAST CHRISTIAN DIED ON THE CROSS. All the rest of you are cheap imitations at best and crude proponents at worse.

Date:

22 Dec 2004

Time:

15:26:37

Comments

amazing.... i have led a ministry for 4 years, seen hearts changed by the power of Christ, watched as their lives became intriued and commited to sharing the love of Jesus with others... And, the funny thing is, not a single one of them would understand what you are talking about. In fact, i would bet that if they had heard the gospel from you they would not have accepted it and probably done the exact opposite; that is develop a horrible distaste for our God and his people (basing this on the fact that you obviously do not treat each other in love but more like those other people in the Bible... what were they called?... oh yeah... PHARISEES! Enjoy the debate, we believers have work to do.

Date: 11 Oct 2012
Time: 14:48:14

Your Comments:

John Nelson Darby, whatever he was? was no "spiritual moron"! The ammount of written work and material he produced was amazing, perhaps his Bible Translation is his best effort? But wow, talk about morons, sadly one can find many who comment here!