"At the time of the Reformation, the first Protestants widely believed and taught that the Papacy was antichrist, and the Roman Church the Harlot System of Revelation 17. It therefore became necessary for certain Romish theologians to take the pressure off the Pope by inventing a new school of prophetic interpretation known as Futurism. It was a Jesuit priest named Ribera (1537-1591) who first taught that the events prophesied in the books of Daniel and Revelation would not be fulfilled until three and a half years at the end of the age when an individual world dictator called Anti-Christ would arise."
"It may come to a shock to some who read these lines, but it is a fact, nonetheless, that the 'rapture' teaching was not taught by the early Church, it was not taught by Church of the first centuries, it was not taught by the Reformers, it was not taught by anyone (any Protestant) until about the year 1830."
"It would shock many evangelical Christians to learn that their theology comes from the Roman Catholic Church. A Jesuit, named Ribera (1537-1591) who first taught that Daniel and Revelation were "futuristic" in their fulfillment, began a line of theological thinking that would be expanded upon. The Roman church was losing hundreds of people a day from their church as people hard and agreed with the Reformers. The bleeding Roman Church was trying to stop the flow of income it was losing and also was trying to distract people from the Roman Church [being identified as "The Beast"] by showing through a new theology that it was not the antichrist but rather it was yet to come. Another priest, Cardinal Bellarmine, helped Ribera in his charade."
The Church of the middle ages knew of no secret catching away. To them the BOOK OF REVELATION was historical; the Antichrist being the Papacy. Thus taught Luther, Melanchthon, Calvin, Zwingli, Wycliff, Tyndale, Canmer, Latimer and Ridley.
The theory that there will be a second coming for the Church before the actual 2nd Advent, and that the Church will be caught up (Raptured) for 3 years (some say 7 years) during which time the Great Tribulation will come on the earth, after which the Lord will return and set up his Kingdom, was started by the Roman Catholic Jesuit Priest, Ribera in the 16th century. He taught the theory to throw dust in the eyes of the people, because the Protestant Reformers were showing that the Papacy was identified with the "Great Whore" of Revelation 17, and the Papal Church was the "Woman...drunken with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus."
The Rapture Theory invented by Ribera, in his attempt to prevent Catholics from becoming Protestants, was later championed by another Jesuit priest: Emmanuel Lacunza. He wrote a book in Spanish in 1812 that taught that the Pope was not the Antichrist (as ALL Protestants then believed), but the Antichrist and False Prophet would appear 7 years before Christ returns, and the 7-year period would be known as the "Great Tribulation." Lacunza knew that Protestants would NEVER accept his views if he wrote under his true name as a Jesuit Priest. So, he wrote under the name of "Rabbi Ben-Ezra"; claiming to be a Jewish Rabbi who converted to Protestantism.
That of course...was a grand lie!