Comments | jimkeller: The Rapture

jimkeller

The Rapture

May 19, 2011 19:52

I hope it goes without saying that I do not expect the second coming of Christ to occur on Saturday.

If the Bible is, in fact, divinely inspired and is, in fact, meant to be taken at face value (as opposed to in a metaphorical sense), then the Bible is pretty explicit that no one will know when the Rapture is coming. It's also pretty explicit ( Read more... )

religion, prophecy

Comments 15

nihilistic_kid May 20 2011, 04:51:18 UTC

The Rapture is different than the usual apocalyptic/Judgment Day scenario. The Rapture is essentially a nineteenth century idea-the Christians get vacuumed up and everyone suffers. In other visions of the end of the world, we all suffer, or none of us do except to the extent that we are parceled out to final rewards.

jimkeller May 20 2011, 14:03:46 UTC

Interesting. The "Rapture" scenario always struck me as being at odds with Revelations (or, alternately, that folks are being very liberal in interpreting the seven signs), but I didn't know it was so recent.

bowtomecha May 20 2011, 06:45:42 UTC

As an ex seventh day adventist, I can say that yeah, people seriously worrying about the date of the end of times been going on for at least a century and a half.

jimkeller May 20 2011, 14:05:30 UTC

Yeah, we've got sources predicting dates based on everything from astronomical phenomena to royal births as far back as the late Roman Empire. I sincerely do wish I had the time and resources to collate them all, because I think it would make a fascinating coffeetable book. "The History of the End" or somesuch...

grndexter May 20 2011, 10:44:30 UTC

I hate to be a pahty poopah... ummm... well actually I rather enjoy it - but the Bible says not only that no one knows the day and hour, and that we're really not to worry about it but are to maintain UNTIL He comes - and when He does He will come as a thief in the night - which is to say it won't be announced ahead of time in the NY Times or on CNN, and IF there's a Rapture, I'm fairly confident that those left behind won't see very many politicians come up missing when it does happen ( ... )

jimkeller May 20 2011, 14:01:54 UTC

Ayep. We had some late-season rain here, so I'm now battling fungus on the pumpkin plants, but we plan to pass the alleged rapture date playing roleplaying games. Seems somehow appropriate...

grndexter May 20 2011, 20:43:47 UTC

Fun Gus! ... Pumpkin vines apparently need better air circulation... If you have it, give them more space next year. ;-)

jimkeller May 21 2011, 00:17:03 UTC

Not my fault. I was told there was no way I'd have a 100% germination rate. :)

Thread 7

kyburg May 20 2011, 18:13:18 UTC

Yup, that's been my experience too. There is a paper trail explaining the origins of the Rapture belief - http://www.historicist.com/ - has been recommended to me if you are so inclined to go through it all.

All I can say is my life, since childhood, has been littered with them. And plenty of sturm and drang if I 'believe' enough in it. As I think about it, I saw plenty of references in Christmas cards and photographs from WWII era as well. This really is sucking! The only hope is for something to come along and end it all.

I tend to tie to the old saying 'People keep asking God how He could allow such trials and suffering in this world. God only replies: I did do something. I made you.'

jimkeller May 20 2011, 19:47:45 UTC

What a fascinating website. Thanks for the link!

grndexter May 20 2011, 21:25:26 UTC

"asking God how He could allow such trials and suffering in this world"

I heard a Christian comedian once when someone asked that. The comic said God replied, "Not MEeth. YOUeth!" The implication being that God doesn't cause that stuff - WE do.

grndexter May 21 2011, 03:17:50 UTC

Re "rapture" & etc. Since I didn't get most of my Biblical knowledge from an established institution, I was allowed to forgo the inaccuracies. When I was first told of the whole rapture thing, I asked for the scriptural support for it - and the "best" they could do is say that "The Church" wasn't mentioned again after Rev chapter 4. Well... that didn't prove anything to me so I've been a scoffer on the rapture issue ever since. I heard a pastor's wife one time say she was a "Pan Millennialist." When I asked about it, she said "I believe that it'll all pan out in the end." Same woman also said, "It doesn't really matter. If you're ready for rapture, you're ready for tribulation."

Thanks for the site! I'll be looking at it in depth.