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(A Couple More) Reasons Why Rapture Theology Makes No Sense
Posted October 6, 2008
We all have days when we wish and pray for an escape from the difficulties of day-to-day life. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons for developing an escapist eschatology that includes the poorly thought out idea of rapture. (“Eschatology” is our fifty-cent theological term for the day. It means “last things,” that is, theological ideas about the future, what is to come.)
Apart from the fact that the word “rapture” doesn’t appear anywhere in the Bible, it is a misguided concept for several other reasons. It’s good news for a few, but terrible news for those who miss the boat, or ejection seat or whatever it is. What about those who are left behind? (Left behind. Isn’t there a wildly successful fiction series with that name?) Rapture is decidedly bad news for those folks . . . and those animals and trees and hills and streams.
Of course there is another alternative in the rapture-believers’ eschatology: All God’s beloved, diverse creation becomes homogenized into a single, bland, fear-filled sameness where everyone agrees on everything.
Eternal damnation for the majority or eternal sameness in thought and deed—these are just two different forms of hell. They are ideas that don’t square with a God who knows all of us before we are born and made all creation out of love.
We read Genesis 1 in church yesterday. It took a while, but it was well worth it. It’s an amazing, entertaining story of a loving Creator’s desire to make a sustainable world and be in eternal relationship to it. God’s love and desire for diversity in creation is clear from the beginning. All along the way, God says, “It is good.” And on the day God’s work is finished, we read, “It is very good.”
(A prayer:) “Great job, God! Way to go! Thanks for making us and loving us. And thank you for giving us the prayer of Christ, ‘Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.’”
God’s plan is for the kingdom of heaven to come to earth, not the other way around. Yikes! I better stop throwing all those plastic bags in landfills.
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Posted by eaglewingstf (Tracy Floyd) on November 5, 2008 at 1:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I was raised to believe in the "rapture". I realize the word itself is not in the bible, but the concept is. When the story is told of the "dead in Christ" being caught up to meet Jesus in the clouds...one being left and one being taken...etc. Whatever term you would like to call it; this is the story of the rapture. However, I am with you on the idealogy of Jesus coming back to the earth to set up His kingdom. We are charged with the task of taking care of the earth as a show of respect for our Creator. God created this "very good" place with the idea of coming back here at some point to reign as its King. Nothing about our world today makes it "fit for a King". We have failed to honor and respect this great place in the way it was meant from its creation.
There are many aspects of the rapture that are not clear. I choose to believe it is a means of introducing us to the place Jesus left here to go prepare for us. I believe it IS His intention to return to this earth to establish his Kingdom for a thousand year reign AFTER he has shown us our Heavenly residence. :P If I am misinterpreting the meaning behind the story...I'm ok with that as well. Some things are questioned entirely too much. I suppose we are all a little selfish in our desires, but I have an idea that God will restore the earth to its original glory before setting up His kingdom here. I don't care if it happens before or after a rapture. I don't care if there is a rapture. My goal is to be able to fellowship with the Lord...whether it be by being called up to meet Him in the air or Him coming down to be with us here. I long to be in His presence. PERIOD.