A word to the mockers (which includes myself): Yes, I love the rapture jokes, (my favorite is After the Rapture Petcare - which I think may be a legit organization!) but lets take a moment to really think about it. The likelihood of the rapture/or the beginning of the end/the second coming/whatever your interpretation may be, could happen literally at any moment. Yes, even May 21, 2011. Do I think Mr. Camping is theologically inaccurate? Absolutely! Do I disagree with numerology-based prophecies and all that Bible-code stuff? Absolutely! However, I would like to remind us that whatever is going to happen could happen at any moment. It COULD happen today, it COULD happen tomorrow, it COULD happen in a thousand years. None of us know (including Camping even though he thinks he does).
I have yet to meet anyone that believes that May 21, is the end. All the Christians I know think that's totally stupid, but Matthew 24:44 says "So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." So for me, and every other Christian I know, today is a completely unexpected day for the return of Christ because none of us expect it at all, because we think this guy is an idiot. I'm not standing up for this guy at all, but seriously, there's a whole book about the importance of being prepared for whatever may come at any time (Revelation). I know now us college-aged Christian cynics, think the end of the world is some dumb thing that our parents and sunday school teachers always ramble about, but I think God wants us to take it seriously. (Sure I think he loves some of our rapture jokes, but lets not be ignorant). He probably doesnt expect us to try to figure out every little detail and exactly how and when its going to happen, but God is very serious about the fact that we MUST be ready.
So the question for Christians to HONESTLY ask themselves is: Are you prepared? Because if we are not prepared, it will be too late once it happens. (Matthew 24-25)
And the second question is: Are you straightening your life out just because you are scared of the end and want to save your skin, or do you honestly want to know your Creator and serve Him?
Okay, theres my theological input for the day!
2 comments:
I do think a lot of rapture propaganda is people using fear tactics to convert people to their specific fear-driven flock.Also, it seems like the rapture was invented to emanate the thes. verse as well as the scripture of "being caught up" but other than that, it doesn't really hold water. You have to ask the question, 'why would all the Christians leave the very world Christ said he'd come back to?' Is it to do laps around the moon and then come back, or what? However I also think know one will know the day/hour, of course (because it's Biblical)..but for the legalistic few out their who think that they should polish their shoes and clean up their acts, attend an additional sunday class or whatnot, what good does that do exactly? If you've honestly confessed with your mouth and believe and live it, then there's really nothing to worry about. Our relationships with Christ should be spurred on by the very thought of our friendship with Christ rather than a quickening of fear surging through our blood to "get our act together."
Although I join the cynics and critics, I agree with you whole heartedly, Luke. I think our generation has heard about how we are "living in the end times" so much that we don't put much thought into the reality of the statement. (whether our parents or grandparents have it right is a different story.) We have to be watchful and expectant of the return of Christ. As Bible believing Christians we are directly called to.
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