Issues with "the Rapture"

[Wild_Boar]

Before I really got into my faith, I read the Kid’s Left Behind Series (all 40 of them) and actually believed them. Now that I’m actually paying attention to my beliefs, I understand my mistake.
How can Protestants, who are supposed to believe sola scriptura believe in a rapture before Judgement Day?

It’s actually very complex. Part of their reason is because they believe that national Israel is the favored people of God, besides the church. They believe that many of the OT prophecies will be fulfilled, not in the church, but in the Jewish nation. They look for certain events in history which they believe point to the coming of the ‘end times’. One such event which they point to is the re-establishment of Israel in the 1950’s or whenever it was. Now they are waiting for the temple in Jerusalem to be rebuilt and so on. By the way, not all protestants agree with this dispensational theology.

 

[CWBetts]

I wasn’t sharing my opinion at all. I was merely stating the interpretations of dispensationalist pre-millenialists. I reject dispensational theology.

Sorry. Misunderstood. You know how to get a dispensationalist in a tizzy? Tell him there are instances of “Kingdom of Heaven” are referring to the CHurch, and not the final reward.

 

[Newbie2]

Has anybody here read Jack Chick’s Last Generation? I mean it’s stuff like that sum up my reasons why I don’t buy into this Rapture nonsense. I mean come on. Every good “Christian” suddenly disappearing just like that? I mean isn’t that a little too… I don’t know…

Simple?

Mundane?

Boring even?

Come on people. The Rapture has gotta be the worst apocalyptic scenario that has ever been born out of the human imagination. The is the end of the world we’re discussing here. Give me an alien invasion! Armageddon! Heck! Have satan come out of the ground as a giant monster and put me in a mech to fight him.

Okay I know people are obviously going to say I’ve been watching too much TV, playing too many video games, or reading too many comic books (especially with that last one XD). But setting that aside, things like the Rapture just simply defy common sense. That’s all I’m saying really.

Besides, Imo, this world’s boring enough already. Are you going to tell me that the way it ends is also boring?

I rest my case.

Nah, MechCommander is a very cool video game.

I’m just curious why you read something by Jack Chick?!

I read his tracts online every now and them just to get a giggle. Actually it’s a sad one; that dude is one little ball of Anti-Catholic hate.

 

[CWBetts]

Nah, MechCommander is a very cool video game.

I read his tracts online every now and them just to get a giggle. Actually it’s a sad one; that dude is one little ball of Anti-Catholic hate.

Tell me about it!!! I used to eat that stiff up!!

I was one Catholic hating dude intil a couple of years back

 

[Wild_Boar]

Sorry. Misunderstood.

No problem. It’s easy to do when reading mere text, especially my pitiful wording!

 

[CWBetts]

No problem. It’s easy to do when reading mere text, especially my pitiful wording!

Then there is the problem I have. I see “Protestant” and i immediately assume Evangelical which is not right on my part

 

[Wild_Boar]

Then there is the problem I have. I see “Protestant” and i immediately assume Evangelical which is not right on my part

The word Evangelical has many connotations, some are good and some bad. I suppose it depends on what you mean by it.

 

[MarysGirls]

So is it like whole denominations that don’t believe this theory, or is it a personal thing?

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

So is it like whole denominations that don’t believe this theory, or is it a personal thing?

I think the idea is that things like the Rapture are currently being disputed among many denominations.

 

[VivienneJ]

So is it like whole denominations that don’t believe this theory, or is it a personal thing?

At the risk of being jumped on and told I am wrong again, Anglicans do not believe in the rapture. Baptists do, I have not heard Presbyterians contradict the Baptist view of the rapture.

So it’s most probably denomenational rather than personal. (And now I’m taking cover.)

 

[MarysGirls]

At the risk of being jumped on and told I am wrong again, Anglicans do not believe in the rapture. Baptists do, I have not heard Presbyterians contradict the Baptist view of the rapture.

So it’s most probably denomenational rather than personal. (And now I’m taking cover.)

If anyone jumps on you, you have my permission to tell them it was my fault.
Thanks for the info.

 

[VivienneJ]

If anyone jumps on you, you have my permission to tell them it was my fault.
Thanks for the info.

Ah, thanks, did I mention that I’m taking cover behind you.

 

[MarysGirls]

Ah, thanks, did I mention that I’m taking cover behind you.

deepens voice and strikes noble poise
Never fear, Nicole is here!
lol

 

[scottywolf777]

If anyone jumps on you, you have my permission to tell them it was my fault.
Thanks for the info.

Hi Viv:wave:
As one that was anglican for awhile until I recovered my senses. It is really hard to pin them down on anything doctrinal per-se. The liturgy while being a uniting factor even there there are variants all the way from high church more catholic than catholic to charismatic to low church with no frills and sounding very much protestant. But yes, I really don’t think the subject of the end of the world ever even came up much at all. The people who are really into this stuff tend to be evengelical and fundamentalist. There’s a movie called “Jesus Camp” which kinda gives you an eye for the mind set of the rapture mentality. Pastor LaHaye is pastor at a local church here so it pays to know what they are up to. While he’s probably a brilliant Bible scholar for his denomination he has the same problem many fundamentalists have-spiritual blinders. He’s already interpreted the Bible before he’s even opened it.Ironically many fundamentalists who worship Luther’s solas don’t even read or understand most of the book but go with what pastor says it says. By the way to the person who read all 40 of the kid left behind books, I did too and found them vapid insulting litterature that royally patronised the readers. I could read 5 or even 1 0 of them in an evening! The Chronicles of Narnia by Lewis are about the same size and are “children"s books” and they took me a week last time! The scary thing for the rapture folks is that they think they’re safe from real persecution if it should come here and would buy into the whatever the leaders tell them to do because they “know” the Bible so if the leader tells them to take the mark of the beast (Rev.13) they will do it. Ironically they criticize us catholics for being sheep by obeying the Pope. I know where his authority comes from, La Haye, I don’t!

 

[CWBetts]

There are so many personal interpretations regarding the Rapture that it is utter chaos among adherents! So much for a unified body of believers. Funny thing is most who belive it say it was believed by the “New Testament Churches,” but I have yet to see a sliver of evidence for this rediculous claim!

 

[wxboss]

This is a very interesting topic, and I must beg everyone’s indulgence here as I propose this question.

I am currently a Baptist who is leaning very heavily towards Catholicism. For over a quarter of a century after my Christian conversion (no laughing from you younger folks ), I was brought up in the belief of the rapture as an inevitable truth. This philosophy was a comfort to me for many years.

However, I have been more than a little persuaded by some of the arguments in this thread.

I guess the biggest question I have at this point is whether a point of contention such as this should hold someone (me, specifically) back from making a decision about converting to Catholicism realizing that in the larger scheme of things this subject isn’t all that significant (or is it?). Can someone still have doubts about this and be considered a Catholic?

While I’m not proclaiming that I will never accept the Catholic view on this issue, I’m just curious as to your thoughts about someone who is still struggling with this particular belief.

 

[Wild_Boar]

This is a very interesting topic, and I must beg everyone’s indulgence here as I propose this question.

I am currently a Baptist who is leaning very heavily towards Catholicism. For over a quarter of a century after my Christian conversion (no laughing from you younger folks ), I was brought up in the belief of the rapture as an inevitable truth. This philosophy was a comfort to me for many years.

However, I have been more than a little persuaded by some of the arguments in this thread.

I guess the biggest question I have at this point is whether a point of contention such as this should hold someone (me, specifically) back from making a decision about converting to Catholicism realizing that in the larger scheme of things this subject isn’t all that significant (or is it?). Can someone still have doubts about this and be considered a Catholic?

While I’m not proclaiming that I will never accept the Catholic view on this issue, I’m just curious as to your thoughts about someone who is still struggling with this particular belief.

Wherein lies the confidence of your salvation. That is the most crucial question.

 

[CWBetts]

This is a very interesting topic, and I must beg everyone’s indulgence here as I propose this question.

I am currently a Baptist who is leaning very heavily towards Catholicism. For over a quarter of a century after my Christian conversion (no laughing from you younger folks ), I was brought up in the belief of the rapture as an inevitable truth. This philosophy was a comfort to me for many years.

However, I have been more than a little persuaded by some of the arguments in this thread.

I guess the biggest question I have at this point is whether a point of contention such as this should hold someone (me, specifically) back from making a decision about converting to Catholicism realizing that in the larger scheme of things this subject isn’t all that significant (or is it?). Can someone still have doubts about this and be considered a Catholic?

While I’m not proclaiming that I will never accept the Catholic view on this issue, I’m just curious as to your thoughts about someone who is still struggling with this particular belief.

My question for you is this: Why are you still struggling? As a former Baptist myself, I know where you are coming from. I am just curious as to why you are still holding on to this belief. If we had saome details, then we could address them intelligently.

 

[wxboss]

My question for you is this: Why are you still struggling? As a former Baptist myself, I know where you are coming from. I am just curious as to why you are still holding on to this belief. If we had saome details, then we could address them intelligently.

My ultimate desire is to know the truth (regardless of any preconceived notions). However, I always treat matters of faith very seriously and put a lot of thought into them before making any commitments. This is why I’m still struggling with this particular matter - as I’ve not fully convinced myself of it yet.

It is not an entirely easy thing to turn most everything I believed in for so long upside-down (or should I say right side-up). To do so would indicate to me that I may not have really thought out my original beliefs as well as I should have. And if that is true, I don’t want to repeat that mistake again.

In short, I’m still working on it.

 

[ryanoneil]

Has anybody here read Jack Chick’s Last Generation? I mean it’s stuff like that sum up my reasons why I don’t buy into this Rapture nonsense. I mean come on. Every good “Christian” suddenly disappearing just like that?

He has it all backward. The wicked are carried away and the righteous are left behind.

For as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. In (those) days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be (also) at the coming of the Son of Man. (Mt 24:37-39)