I’ve been reading a lot about this rapture thing and the end of the world that is supposed to be here on Saturday and I have a few thoughts about it.
First, I do have to admire the tenacity of the people who are preaching about this and, at least it seems so far, they are not attempting to make tons of money or anything of that ilk. They appear to genuinely believe this is the truth and, quite admirably, they want to save as many people as they can. While I find most of this dubious, I do find the intentions of at least some of the people to be good.
Second, the rapture is an invention. And, what flimsy scriptural evidence for the rapture there is [which, by the way, isn’t even in the big apocalyptic book everyone wants to point to as the place where we read all the horrifying details about the end of the world] never indicates whether the one who is taken or the one who remains is the ‘lucky one.’ So are we hoping to be here or be gone?
Third, there have been plenty of times that I have prayed for Jesus to come back. When things are so mixed up, so crazy, so impossibly tangled and I cannot see how things are going to work out, I do not know what else to pray for except for Jesus to come back and fix it. Set the world to rights. Wipe away every tear. Make all things new. We sure can’t fix it all by ourselves.
Fourth, the book of Revelation is a book of hope. I cannot say this enough. I’ll even say it again. The book of Revelation (ahem, that is Revelation, not RevelationS) is a book of hope. What more hopeful thing is there than to know that God hears the cries of those who suffer, sees that we cannot repair this creation on our own and is coming to help? What more hopeful thing is there than to know that God knows there is evil in the world that has wrought pain, suffering, loss and death to his precious creation and he will destroy that evil? What more hopeful thing is there than to know that God promises he will come to live with us, to heal all that is broken in the world, to make everything new again? I know of nothing more hopeful. So if Saturday be the day, though I doubt it will be for the obvious reason, then let it be so! Bring about the Peaceable Kingdom where the lion lays down with the lamb! Set the table for the great Messianic Banquet!
Worthy is the Lamb!
Please, come Lord Jesus
Shepherdess Writes 
Thank you for boldly speaking out about the issue of the Rapture. There is only flimsy as you say biblical evidence for either case scenario (the righteous being taken out vs the righteous staying) and I am glad to have enough to be concerned about just attempting to ive righteously in the here and now without having to worry about a Rapture. Biblical writing seems to clarify only that God is the one who knows when the end of earth as we know it will occur. That’s okay with me.
Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and to read! I am grateful for anyone who wishes to spend some time on things I write 🙂
Also, thank you for your affirmations. One of the interesting things for me was yesterday’s Sunday school class–all adults who have been in the church most of their lives–and nearly all of them did not know that the Rapture wasn’t part of standard church teaching. It shows the great influence the media has on what people beleive the church teaches.
Thank you again and God’s peace to you!
My husband is an Anglican priest in Canada and we were talking about the Rapture the other day after he preached a sermon with similar thoughts to your own. We wonder if this teaching came about so strongly partly due to the Jesus People movement in North America in the 1970’s. My husband was raised in the Roman Catholic Church and I was a Baptist as a child and neither of us ever heard of The Rapture until we met the Jesus People. Maranatha and all that flowery powery stuff of the time. Just wondering if that time propelled the teaching forward. I hope it is okay if I read your blog some more.
It is just lovely to have you here so please please feel free to come back any time!
It’s also great to know that our neighbors to the North are preaching on such pertinent topics!
As I understand it, the whole concept of the Rapture came about in the latter half of the 1800’s, evolving out of the Second Great Awakening and became popular shortly thereafter. It seems to be particularly popular in the United States (where I am). If I remember correctly from my Religion in America course, it was the forerunners of the Jehovah’s Witness movement. It’s quite possible there is a connection to the group you describe as well–seems as though the thought process is similar.
It is worrisome to me as a pastor because of the tendency for these kinds of things to get massive attention for Christianity in a negative way. It’s a shame, really.
Thanks again for coming by again! You are always welcome 🙂