TG: Bring On The Rapture

29 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

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  Joker on June 08 at 10:14 a.m.

  All depends if you’re wearing a condom dress or not?

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  20something on June 08 at 10:17 a.m.

  Amen Trish Gannon!!! Agreed that it would be a win situation for all parties involved.

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  Phaedrus on June 08 at 10:22 a.m.

  Two big thumbs up, my first LOL of the day!

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  BlueinIdaho on June 08 at 10:31 a.m.

  If they get sucked up while they’re voting to deny someone’s civil rights, does their vote still count?

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  DFO on June 08 at 10:31 a.m.

  >Agreed that it would be a win situation for all parties involved — 20something<

  Ah, you might have to find a new blogmeister. Some might consider than a down side. Others, an upside ;-)

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  Cabbage Boy on June 08 at 10:36 a.m.

  DFO, don’t tell me you subscribe to that faulty theology.

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  Joker on June 08 at 10:41 a.m.

  When the rapture happens, it’s really not a win for the nonbelievers.

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  Digger on June 08 at 10:48 a.m.

  The problem I have with the Rapture is that its been described to me by my pastor in several different contexts over several sermons. I’m not sure which one to believe.

  1) the “Left Behind” concept of everyone gone in the blink of an eye, clothes neatly folded;

  2) the “grand entrance” from the sky of Jesus, with Angels and trumpets and the works, with everyone walking to an appointed place and then slowly ascending to Heaven while the non-believers wail and cry and beg for forgiveness;

  3) a combination of the first two, with bodies of believers rising from their graves in some sort of weird horror movie type scene and then disappearing into thin air.

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  toadman on June 08 at 10:54 a.m.

  I used to believe in the rapture. In fact, the church I was attending in the 1980s was convinced by Rich Wilkerson himself that the coming formation of the EU (talks about forming the EU were already under way in the late 1980s) was going to herald the coming of Jesus. My parents even had t-shirts about this event, and talked about how wonderful it would be to be in heaven within the next ten years (this was 1987).

  Didn’t happen. I don’t believe it ever will.

  Here’s the thing. I don’t believe in magic. I don’t believe in the metaphysical. I don’t believe there’s anything outside of what we can see, touch, and feel or measure in some way. Now, to be sure, there is much that is left undiscovered and unmeasured, but I don’t believe anything in Revelations anymore, though I studied eschatology quite a bit when I was religious.

  I do believe in self-fulfilling prophesy, though. I believe in the power of “positive self-talk/thinking,” as it were (which is the secret behind The Secret, actually). But I do not believe that there is some sort of benevolent force or entity that directs my daily life. I believe that if you say you’re going to fail at something, you most likely will. I believe we unwittingly modify our behavior to reflect the things we say about ourselves, and about others. I think it’s true that if you tell a child they are rude and noisy all the time, they will, in fact, turn out to be rude and noisy.

  But.. enough of my dime-store psychology. In that realm, I’m nothing but a poser, it’s true.

  Having said all that, however, I understand there are people who believe in an almighty force vehemently, and I respect that. My parents believe this. Others here on HBO are believers. Additionally, I frequently use metaphysical devices when I write, because we are a species that tells stories in metaphor, and meaning is easily conveyed when using tools like this…or as some would say.. “crutches.” I’m all about using crutches, I suppose, I just don’t believe in real crutches..

  ;-)

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  jreighley on June 08 at 11:02 a.m.

  This weekend, I picked up a 1917 model Scofeild Reference Bible at a yard sale for almost free. I tend to agree with Cabbage Boy — I believe the whole Rapture thing was popularized by the notes in that particular bible - in the last century, and isn’t all that founded based on scripture.

  But overall, I think that the morality that most folks ascribe to is based on the Christian ethics. Prior to Christianity entering the world, this was a very barbaric world. Since Christianity has entered the world, this has still be a barbaric world, but generally the Barbarism has been shorter and more distant. (We tend to love our neighbors, but still hate the people in the next state)

  Generally if you look to the source of the great reforms in history, You will find selfless Christians fighting the battle - Abolition for example. If Christianity where to disappear, Barbarism would soon reemerge, and those selfless voices that fight for reform wouldn’t be there to hold it back.

  In short, I suspect the atheist crowd would miss ministries like the Union Gospel mission, that provides a massive amount of services to the poor and hurting in our area.

  As a Christian however, there are some Christians who it I wouldn’t mind seeing raptured. Especially the ones who talk about the rapture all of the time.

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  DFO on June 08 at 11:22 a.m.

  Toadman; I’m partially with you. I became a believer in the spring of my senior year at Chico State University (March 1972) and immediately joined an Evangelical church that was reading through Hal Lindsey’s “The Late, Great Planet Earth.” I was fairly indoctrinated into the theology that the Rapture was going to happen soon. That was 37 years ago. Then, Christians throughout the last two millenniums have been expecting the same thing, beginning with those who walked with Christ. Christ talked of his unexpected return at length in Matthew 24. The Apostle Paul discusses Christians being “caught up in the clouds” upon Christ’s return in I Thessalonians 4:17: http://agsconsulting.com/htdbv5/r152c.htm . Do I believe it? Sure. When will it happen? Dunno. Does it sound impossible? Sure. Then, with God, all things are possible. As far as the “faulty theology” mentioned by Cabbage Boy, I’d like to point out that we all believe things that others would consider absurd. As an ex-Catholic, I don’t put much stock into praying to Mary and the saints. However, I can respect those who do. Mebbe I’m getting tolerant in my late, middle years. (BTW, the Rapture and eschatology aren’t that important to me any more. I figure I’m probably outtahere in 25 years or so anyway.)

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  lewis8457 on June 08 at 11:23 a.m.

  what a farce, if there really is a rapture it as already happened and we living in it now.

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  misc on June 08 at 11:38 a.m.

  If the Christian rapture occurred, it’d be horrible for non-believers.

  However, I don’t believe in the rapture, though I was raised to. At one point in my youth, my parents were heavy-duty holy-rollers. I was taught as a child that Jesus would return in the year 2000, though in retrospect, it’s obvious my parents were merely repeating the same error committed over and over by Christians since the time of Christ.

  I’m no longer a Christian, primarily because I was raised in a model of faith built upon a brittle foundation. It cracked irreparably when I began to use my God-given mind for it’s intended purpose. I’m still a believer but my understanding of Spirit is much different now.

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  JBelle on June 08 at 11:44 a.m.

  For the record, I like many, many Catholics do not pray to Mary or to the Saints. But rather, call upon them, just as I do my dead parents, for guidance and enlightenment. The Saints and my parents are a HUGE source of strength for me and for that I am deeply grateful. daveo, are you familiar with St. Phillip Neri? quite a guy. maybe the most underrated message of all the saints.

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  JBelle on June 08 at 11:45 a.m.

  And by the way, I was a Catholic for a long, long time before I endorsed Mary as a source of comfort and solace and came to truly respect her journey. Yep. It was only after my own mother died that I got it.

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  ejs on June 08 at 12:02 p.m.

  I’m with JBelle on this one. Ex Catholics that continue to say “pray too Mary” saints or whatever were never really Catholics to begin with. ExCatholics that actually know the faith or took as much time understanding it as they do refuting it in their new found faith doctrines and then leave, I can at least respect but those that played Catholic and then refute it in the guise of “I was Catholic” well,,, hold on a second, there’s this dust I have to get off of my feet.

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  Cabbage Boy on June 08 at 12:42 p.m.

  DFO, not trying to be intolerant here (maybe it comes naturally) but just pointing out the shoddy interpretations that lead to the rapture theory.

  Do you realize that one of the verses used to support this theory actually disproved it? The two men working in the field, one will be taken, one will be left; the one left correlates with Noah, the one taken, correlates to Noah’s contemporaries.

  I like the bumpersticker, “In case of Rapture, I’M STAYING!”

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  DFO on June 08 at 1:12 p.m.

  @Cabbage Boy; the Rapture interpretation is one of the least important ones for me. You can believe or disbelieve in the Rapture and it won’t have nothing to do with your relationship to God. In fact, within Evangelical christendom, there’s quite a bit of debate re: when the Rapture occurs, before the terrifying period described in Revelation as the Tribulation. During. Or after. I’d guess that you believe, as a good Catholic, in the second coming of Christ. Which makes two of us. Whether or not the Rapture occurs as advertised, I suspect that I’ll be taken through the natural process within 25 to 30 years. I once was interested in eschatology — the study of the end times — but not so much any more. I try to focus on the now and making a difference in other lives — and not think about the scary things that might happen in the future.

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  Sisyphus on June 08 at 1:24 p.m.

  Good on ya Dave. I can’t argue with that logic. As I’ve said for years, why cede power to the fear mongers?

  A significant segment of every generation since John, and probably the Jews before them, have believed they lived in end times. Several of our now established Christian sects we’re even founded upon it even though they lost significant credibility when it did not occur as predicted. I’ll stick with the historical precedent. I think its a safe bet it ain’t happening now either.

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  JBelle on June 08 at 1:43 p.m.

  bingo, daveo. bingo.

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  Phaedrus on June 08 at 2:00 p.m.

  Rapture? Anything like gangsta?

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  brandxranch on June 08 at 2:26 p.m.

  I am a believer, and I know there are others out there?? … my faith is quiet and private, and I feel somewhat intimidated by the comments from those of you who I love and respect, but who view a Bible thumper as a kook or worse….
  …I believe Scripture. I believe in the articles of faith in the Apostle’s Creed. I know there is life after life, and I know where I’m going. There are many translations or variations on the end times Bible verses and other issues…. but, these are little things that really don’t matter when the big questions need to be answered within each of us…. Long ago, after watching an evangelistic film on the Rapture (which I’d never heard of) the nagging thought in my skeptical mind was “What if they’re right??” Well, with research and reading and thought and prayer, I took the leap and have never looked back.
  As for the Rapture; I think you’d miss me!!

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  Sisyphus on June 08 at 2:37 p.m.

  Same arguments my spouse uses, Brand X. They sway me no more than the arguments the lottery people use. The leap of faith helps many many people. I certainly don’t seek to dissuade them from it. I think the antagonism arises when they insist on theirs as the only path to righteousness.

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  toadman on June 08 at 2:51 p.m.

  I’ve already asked a co-worker if I could have their parking space if they left in the rapture. They agreed. So, I’ve got that going for me…well, that, and the WHORE OF BABYLON!!! I bet she knows how to party.

  ;-)

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  spokelooneh on June 08 at 2:52 p.m.

  Rapture? Wasn’t there a song about it?

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHCdS7O248g

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  idawa on June 08 at 3:28 p.m.

  I for one, would be thankful for the clear messaging for once, jeez, if there is a big guy, why can’t he be more succinct and direct - how about a pamphlet or a youtube clip - The Rapture and You, How you can prepare for judgment day in 5 easy steps.

  Seriously, I don’t know and apparently not even the Christians on the board are in much agreement. I guess we probably have a spectrum of possibilities from: no god on one end to a vengeful god on the other who believes he’s been very clear and is going to make all but those very few who followed along closely pay. Personally, I think it’s probably aliens that will come back for us and those who haven’t yet mastered how to program their DVRs will be vaporized. :)

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