The Scofield Controversy, the Rapture, and the Resurgence of Reformed Revisionism

The Scofield Reference Bible

I remember in 1982 when I was saved and started preaching. I was 14 years of age. My dad bought a Bible for me. It was a Scofield Reference Bible. It was brown. I loved it and carried it for years. I still have it, but it has been retired from active service. I remember reading it over and over again. I memorized many verses. I read its notes and references. Little did I understand at that time that 43 years later there would be such controversy, among some, over the Scofield Reference Bible.

In recent years, certain voices in evangelical circles have arisen with claims that C. I. Scofield, the man behind the famous Scofield Reference Bible, was part of a plot funded by “Zionist bankers” to alter Christian doctrine. This theory has been passed around like an underground secret, often found in comment threads, and documentaries with more ideology than evidence.

Let me be clear: such claims are not only unfounded—they border on antisemitism (and sometimes even crossover into that biblically forbidden land), echoing the very replacement theology that has fueled centuries of misunderstanding between the Church and the Jewish people.

Scofield was not a perfect man, but his work brought clarity to thousands of readers seeking to understand the Bible in a literal, grammatical-historical way. His notes were influenced by John Nelson Darby (although Scofield probably never met him), but also by a growing awareness in the 19th century that Israel’s national future still mattered in God’s plan. Some other influences on Scofield were James Brooks (Scofield knew him personally), The Plymouth Brethren, The Niagara Bible conferences (direct involvement), D.L. Moody (probably met him), and William Blackstone (influence through his writings).

The Scofield Bible helped popularize dispensational premillennialism—a theological framework that makes a clear distinction between Israel and the Church, honors the plain meaning of prophecy, and upholds the imminent return of Christ. Lewis Sperry Chafer (The founder of Dallas Theological Seminary) was a student of Scofield and helped to propogate the dispensational system of Scofield.

This chart references some of the influencers of the day in which Scofield lived.

Person/Movement	Personal Contact?	Type of Influence
James H. Brookes	Yes	Personal mentor
John Nelson Darby	No	Writings, theology
D. L. Moody	Possibly	Shared evangelistic work
Plymouth Brethren	No	Movement-based influence
Niagara Bible Conferences	Yes	Theological collaboration
William E. Blackstone	No	Writings, shared ideas
Lewis Sperry Chafer	Yes	Scofield’s disciple

It’s no coincidence that this backlash is occurring now. We are in the midst of a theological shift in certain corners of evangelicalism—a resurgence of Reformed theology, postmillennial optimism, and covenant replacement thinking. This movement is reactive, not redemptive. It portrays dispensationalists as naïve or compromised, when, in fact, many of us are simply taking Scripture at face value. It is called the literal grammatical-historical hermeneutic.

Premillennialism:

Did you know that This Idea was the Dominant Eschatological View of the Early Church Fathers

1. Papias of Hierapolis (c. 60–130 AD)

Papias was a disciple of John the Apostle, which makes his testimony particularly significant. Papias believed in a literal 1,000-year reign of Christ on the earth following the resurrection.

Quote:

“There will be a millennium after the resurrection from the dead, when the personal reign of Christ will be established on this earth.”

Papias, “Fragments of Papias,” in The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, ed. Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, vol. 1, The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1885), 154.

2. Justin Martyr (c. 100–165 AD)

Justin clearly teaches premillennialism and affirms belief in a future restored Jerusalem. He also notes that not all Christians at the time held this view, but that it was commonly held among orthodox believers.

Quote:

"But I and others, who are right-minded Christians on all points, are assured that there will be a resurrection of the dead, and a thousand years in Jerusalem, which will then be built, adorned, and enlarged, [as] the prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah and others declare."

Justin Martyr, “Dialogue of Justin with Trypho, a Jew,” in The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, ed. Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, vol. 1, The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1885), 239.

"And further, there was a certain man with us, whose name was John, one of the apostles of Christ, who prophesied, by a revelation that was made to him, that those who believed in our Christ would dwell a thousand years in Jerusalem; and that thereafter the general, and, in short, the eternal resurrection and judgment of all men would likewise take place"

Justin Martyr, “Dialogue of Justin with Trypho, a Jew,” in The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, ed. Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, vol. 1, The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1885), 240.

3. Irenaeus (c. 130–202 AD)

Strongly premillennial; describes a literal reign of Christ on the earth. Irenaeus was a disciple of Polycarp, who was a disciple of the Apostle John.

Quote:

"But when this Antichrist shall have devastated all things in this world, he will reign for three years and six months, and sit in the temple at Jerusalem; and then the Lord will come from heaven in the clouds, in the glory of the Father, sending this man and those who follow him into the lake of fire; but bringing in for the righteous the times of the kingdom, that is, the rest, the hallowed seventh day; and restoring to Abraham the promised inheritance, in which kingdom the Lord declared, that “many coming from the east and from the west should sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Irenaeus of Lyons, “Irenæus against Heresies,” in The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, ed. Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, vol. 1, The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1885), 560.

4. Tertullian (c. 155–240 AD)

Advocated for a bodily resurrection and earthly reign of Christ.

Quote:

“We do confess that a kingdom is promised to us upon the earth, although before heaven, only in another state of existence…”

Tertullian, “Against Marcion,” in Latin Christianity: Its Founder, Tertullian, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, trans. Peter Holmes, vol. 3, The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1885), 342.

5. Lactantius (c. 250–325 AD)

Detailed description of a literal millennium, with peace and righteousness under Christ’s rule.

Quote:

“But He shall come descending with a great host from heaven, and shall subdue the wicked, and cast them into a fiery pit… and shall establish His righteous kingdom for a thousand years.”

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes, in Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries: Lactantius, Venantius, Asterius, Victorinus, Dionysius, Apostolic Teaching and Constitutions, Homily, and Liturgies, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, trans. William Fletcher, vol. 7, The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1886), 211.

These church fathers—Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Lactantius—all reflect an early Christian commitment to what we now recognize as historic premillennialism:

• Literal second coming of Christ

• Bodily resurrection

• Reign of Christ on earth for 1,000 years

The Rapture: Although Clarified in Modern Times, Not a Modern Invention

Critics often argue that the rapture was “invented” by Darby in the 1830s and popularized by Scofield. While it’s true that the timing of a rapture was clarified in the Scofield era, the concept of a rapture—a catching away of believers—is biblically grounded and historically referenced.

• 1 Thessalonians 4:17 tells us plainly that believers will be “caught up… in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.”

  
  

• 1 Thessalonians 1:10 - “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”

  
  

  • Paul is writing to new believers in Thessalonica, affirming that they await Christ from heaven.

  • “Wrath to come” is widely understood in eschatological terms as the coming Day of the Lord (i.e., the Tribulation period).

  • Greek: orgēs = a future, unfolding divine judgment.

    
    

• 1 Thessalonians 5:9 - “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.”

  
  

  • This follows Paul’s discussion of the Day of the Lord (1 Thess. 5:2), showing a clear distinction between believers who are awake and ready versus those who are caught unprepared.

  • “Not appointed to wrath” implies a destiny exclusion from that future judgment.

    
    

• Revelation 3:10 - “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”

  • Addressed to the faithful church in Philadelphia.

  • The promise is to be kept “from the hour” (ek tēs hōras)—not just from the trial, but from the time period of trial.

  • Dispensational scholars (like John Walvoord and Charles Ryrie) cite this as a clear promise of pre-tribulational rapture.

    
    

• The Shepherd of Hermas (2nd century)

Quote:

“If then you prepare yourselves, and repent with all your heart, and turn to the Lord, it will be possible for you to escape it [the great tribulation], if your heart be found pure and spotless…”

Reference: Hermas, The Shepherd of Hermas, Vision 2, Chapter 2, in The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, vol. 2, The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1885), 13.

Context Note: This is interpreted by some as an early reference to the idea that the righteous may be spared from a coming tribulation through repentance and readiness.

• Ephraem the Syrian (4th century)

  
  

Quote:

“All the saints and elect of God are gathered together before the tribulation, which is to come, and are taken to the Lord, in order that they may not see at any time the confusion which overwhelms the world because of our sins.”

Reference: Pseudo-Ephraem (attributed to Ephraem the Syrian), On the Last Times, the Antichrist, and the End of the World, in Pseudo-Ephraem’s Sermon, trans. Cameron Rhoades, in Thomas Ice and Timothy Demy, The Return: Understanding Christ’s Second Coming (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1999), 111.

Note: This sermon, while attributed to Ephraem, is often called “Pseudo-Ephraem” because scholars debate its precise authorship and date. It likely originates in the early 7th century, but it reflects 4th-century Syrian eschatology.

• The Didache (late 1st–early 2nd century)

Quote:

“Watch over your life; do not let your lamps be extinguished or your loins be loosed, but be ready, for you do not know the hour in which our Lord will come.”

Reference: The Didache, Chapter 16, in The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, vol. 7, The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1885), 381.

Context Note: While it does not explicitly describe a rapture or escape, the urgency and tone reflect a strong emphasis on imminency and preparedness in the face of eschatological expectation.

These early references show that a belief in deliverance before judgment is not new, even if the timing has been more fully developed in recent centuries.

Debunking the Zionist Conspiracy Myth

Now let's get back to this most toxic thread in the controversy surrounding C. I. Scofield...the baseless claim that he was funded by Jewish Zionists to manipulate evangelical theology in favor of the modern State of Israel. This claim is ahistorical, antisemitic, and unsupported by scholarly evidence.

Scofield’s theological development was rooted in American revivalism and the British dispensational movement led by John Nelson Darby, not Jewish financing. His mentors—James Brookes, D. L. Moody, and A. T. Pierson—were all evangelicals concerned with biblical literacy and premillennial eschatology

(Mangum & Sweetnam, The Scofield Bible: Its History and Impact on the Evangelical Church, 2009).

The Scofield Reference Bible (1909) was published by Oxford University Press, a respected British publisher, with no connection to Zionist organizations. No credible financial link between Scofield and Zionist groups has ever been demonstrated.

Christian Zionism, contrary to conspiracy theories, predated Scofield. As early as 1878, William E. Blackstone published Jesus is Coming, advocating the return of Jews to Palestine based on biblical prophecy. His Blackstone Memorial (1891), signed by prominent American leaders, urged President Harrison to support a Jewish homeland—before Herzl founded political Zionism in 1897 (Boyer, When Time Shall Be No More, 1992, p. 98–105).

There were other key figures, prior to William Blackstone that believed that the Jews would go back to thier homeland. Here are a few.

1. Thomas Brightman (1562–1607) – English Puritan

Brightman interpreted biblical prophecy (especially from Daniel and Revelation) to support a literal return of the Jews to the Holy Land.

He wrote:

“Shall they return to Jerusalem again? There is nothing more certain: the prophets do everywhere confirm it.”

Commentary on the Apocalypse (published posthumously in 1615)

2. Joseph Mede (1586–1638) – Anglican Scholar

   
   

   He was often called the “father of English premillennialism.” He believed in a literal millennial reign of Christ and the restoration of Israel. He Advocated that the Jews’ return to Palestine would precede or accompany the Millennium.

3. Increase Mather (1639–1723) – American Puritan Minister

He preached that the conversion and restoration of the Jews was necessary before Christ’s return. He saw the Jews’ return as fulfillment of Romans 11 and other prophetic scriptures.

4. Isaac Newton (1643–1727) – Scientist and Bible Scholar

He extensively studied biblical prophecy, and beleived the Jews would return to their land and rebuild Jerusalem based on Daniel and Revelation.

5. John Gill (1697–1771) – Baptist Theologian

Gill was Premillennial in eschatology. He believed that the Jews would be restored to their land and nationally converted. His exposition on Romans 11 clearly affirms this.

Romans 11:25 – “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery…”

Quote:

“That a time will come, when there will be a general conversion of the Jews… not a few, but the bulk of that people; not only in Judea, but in all other parts of the world where they are scattered.”

“…though the Jews have been long rejected, they will be again received into the favour of God, and be restored to their own land; which is the sense of many of the ancient prophets concerning the state of the Jews in the latter day.”

Romans 11:26 – “And so all Israel shall be saved…”

Quote:

“Not all the spiritual Israel, or the whole elect of God… but the whole body of the Jewish nation, the people of Israel, who are distinct from the Gentiles…”

“…the deliverer that shall come out of Zion is the Lord Jesus Christ, who is come already… but here it respects his spiritual coming, to take away ungodliness from Jacob; that is, from the Jews, who will be first converted, and then gathered out of all lands, and return to their own land.”

6. Thomas Newton (1704–1782) – Bishop of Bristol

He believed prophecies pointed to a future, physical restoration of Israel to their land.

Dissertations on the Prophecies (1754)

7. Lewis Way (1772–1840) – Anglican Layman

He spoke extensively on the restoration of the Jews. He also funded and inspired efforts toward Jewish evangelism and restoration.

The Real Agenda: Reformed Revisionism

The resurgence of these conspiracy theories often tracks with the rise of Neo-Calvinism and postmillennial theonomy, which deny Israel’s prophetic future and spiritualize Old Testament promises. Since these theological systems cannot exegetically refute dispensational premillennialism, some turn to character assassination and historical revisionism.

As Michael Vlach notes, “Replacement theology is not just about eschatology—it’s about ecclesiology, the gospel, and how one reads the Bible” (Has the Church Replaced Israel?, 2010).

Faithfulness, Not Fables

Dispensational theology and belief in a rapture are not part of a Zionist conspiracy. They are born out of a desire to honor God’s promises to Israel, Christ’s return in glory, and the plain reading of the text. Rather than being ashamed of Scofield, we should thank God that someone dared to put the pieces together in a way that made sense to a whole generation of Bible readers.

Let’s study prophecy—not out of fear or folklore—but out of hope in the soon coming of our Lord.

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Partial Bibliography

1. Irenaeus of Lyons. "Irenæus against Heresies." In The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1885.

2. Justin Martyr. "Dialogue of Justin with Trypho, a Jew." In The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, Vol. 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1885.

3. Lactantius. The Divine Institutes. In The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 7. Translated by William Fletcher. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1886.

4. Papias. "Fragments of Papias." In The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, Vol. 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1885.

5. Pseudo-Ephraem. On the Last Times, the Antichrist, and the End of the World. Translated by Cameron.

6. Tertullian. "Against Marcion." In Latin Christianity: Its Founder, Tertullian, Vol. 3. Translated by Peter Holmes. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1885.

7. Hermas. The Shepherd of Hermas. Vision 2, Chapter 2. In The Apostolic Fathers, Vol. 2. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1885.

8. Mangum, R. Todd, and Mark S. Sweetnam. The Scofield Bible: Its History and Impact on the Evangelical Church. Colorado Springs: Paternoster, 2009.

9. Vlach, Michael J. Has the Church Replaced Israel? A Theological Evaluation. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2010.