>>1264452

The whole "Pre-Tribulation" rapture idea was almost completely unknown before Scofield (certainly no significant predecessors). Scofield's novelty (error?) hinges on his interpretation of I Thessalonians 4:14-17 (quoted below), conveniently forgetting that before the Rapture "The dead in Christ shall rise first." There is no indication that Paul thinks Jesus will reign on earth for any length of time after this Rapture of the dead and then of the living, let alone to reign for 1000 years.

It is important to remember that Catholics, Orthodox, and many Protestants don't hold to the interpretations of Scofield. We know it's the "last days," but would hesitate to claim we know when or how.

<14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

<15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

<16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

<17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

>>1264580

Clarification: Christians believe it to be the "last days" since the days of Christ. He was the fulfillment of all of the Old Testament prophets, He had ascended and sent the Holy Spirit to the Church. The disciples were spreading the message of the Gospel until He came back.

The question of how long the 'last days' are was the issue that Paul was dealing with in I Thessalonians: it was around AD 50, and people were starting to get anxious as they watched fellow Christians dying without Christ having returned. He was reassuring them that the promise remains the same, even if Christ's Second Coming takes longer than expected to arrive.

(IDK if that is a satisfying answer for you, but it gives the context to the whole Scofield Bible/Pre-Trib Rapture situation.)