‘After These Things’ Foreword

Introducing After These Things – Summaries of John Nelson Darby’s Papers on Prophecy – and more.

1.0 Foreword. 1

Introduction to ‘After These Things’ 1

A brief summary of what is to come: 2

This book is in six sections: 2

From our book ‘After These Things – Summaries of John Nelson Darby’s Papers on Prophecy – and more…’ Compiled by Daniel Roberts. For more about this book click on the picture or CLICK HERE

Thank you for purchasing ‘After These Things’.  Doubtless you and I share a common salvation through the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and a common certain hope of hearing His voice, and being with Him when He comes with His Church to reign.

So that we can enjoy sharing something very precious, please drop me an email today. I will answer you personally, and occasionally send ‘A Day of Small Things’ emails.

daniel@adoss.co.uk

Introduction to ‘After These Things’

The following words come right at the end of the Bible:

‘And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely… . He which testifieth these things saith, Surely, I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus’ (Revelation 22:17-20).

Jesus continues to say, ‘I come quickly’ . This book is for His lovers who respond to Him with the words, ‘Come Lord Jesus’ – hearts which are looking for Him to come NOW.

In the mid 1800’s John Nelson Darby reawakened thousands of Christians as to the Rapture, described clearly in 1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Corinthians 15.   This gave them a burning desire to hear His call, and to be amongst ‘we the living’ when our Lord Jesus calls His saints on earth to meet Him in the air.  Along with these, there will be millions of sleeping saints whose bodies will be raised and changed.[1]  What a joy it will be to be with Him, forming His Bride, the Church, married to Him in heaven.

A brief summary of what is to come:

It will be an awful time of Satanic deception on earth.  The world will be dominated by the Beast, the Antichrist and the False Prophet. There will be pestilence and wars – the ‘great tribulation’

There will be a faithful ‘Jewish Remnant’, persons from the twelve tribes of Israel, enduring tribulation while standing for, Christ their Messiah, during the period from the ‘Rapture’ to the ‘Appearing’.  After the Antichrist breaks his covenant with the Jews, they will suffer extreme persecution.

World powers will engage in battle, but Christ will return.  All alive and will be judged; Satan will be bound, introducing the 1000-year  benevolent reign of Christ. After the Millennium Satan will be briefly released, gathering the world’s armies to the final war.  The Devil, who was really defeated at the Cross, will be consigned eternally to the lake of fire along with his agents and those not in the ‘Book of Life’.  For the saints, there’s a new heaven and new earth wherein dwells righteousness – the tabernacle of God with men.

That is the future and the theme of this book in a nutshell.

It is not a book on John Nelson Darby’s eschatology.  Darby did not want to create theologians[2] – he wanted us to love Jesus more.

This book is in six sections:

Section 1:  A Prophetic Timeline – from the Rapture to the New Heaven and New Earth

Section 2:  A summary of Darby’s prophetic thought, the dispensations, and the differences as to what applies to the Church, to Israel and the ‘Nations’, the distinction between the Rapture and the Appearing, the Resurrection of the Living and the Resurrection of the Dead,  what proceeds in heaven and what on earth, the judgement seat of Christ and the Great White Throne and the thousand-year Millennium and the eternal state.

Section 3: John Nelson Darby – the man and his ministry

Section 4: Summaries of eleven lectures on the ‘Present Hope of the Church of God’.  J N Darby, Geneva 1840

Section 5 – Summaries of other papers on prophecy by J N Darby, including his Prophetic Map.

Section 6   –        Glossary of prophetic terms, bibliography, and other references.

These summaries have been produced  from the notes of lectures or addresses as we would call them now.  JND would typically end these with an appeal to the conscience or heart.  These are often reproduced verbatim.  After all, Darby wanted us stimulated spiritually, not intellectually.  Indeed, ‘the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy’ (Revelation 19:10) – it is to enhance His glory, not to satisfy our curiosity.

Most of these summaries were initially posted on my website www.adayofsmallthings.com. If you have comments on this book, or on my site,  email me at daniel@adoss.co.uk, or use the comments form on my websit

Scriptures Quotations

Scripture quotations are from the 1611 King James Version of the Bible.  Despite its age and often archaic language, it remains the only universally accepted version.  Sometimes, for accuracy, I have used Darby’s translation, (1890 edition), shown as Darby after the reference.  Very occasionally I use the English Standard Version (ESV), a modern language version. Most of my personal comments are footnotes.

This work, dear reader, is committed to God. May I be given diligence, understanding and in humility, serve His Son, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

 

Your brother in Christ

Daniel Roberts

November 2020

 

[1] Including Paul, all the Thessalonians, and many before and since.

[2] Darby wrote ‘We must here notice a striking part. The moment one searches the word, it comes out that theology and theologians are worth nothing at all … It is impossible to read the word and to follow, even one moment, the established theological system. Poor theologians!’ (Collected Writings Vol 3  Doctrinal 1 p243).