Posted on 02/01/2021 2:35:55 AM PST by Cronos
We've all heard stories about the Rapture — when all the righteous people will be bodily lifted into Heaven, leaving everybody else to endure years of tribulation. It's a popular idea, that appears in loads of books as well as movies. But where did this bizarre idea come from?
It turns out the notion of the Rapture is pretty new — dating back less than 200 years. So who developed this doctrine, and how did it become so popular, almost overnight?
Where did all the people go? The best known treatment of the Rapture is probably Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye's Left Behind book and movie series. The Left Behind tie-in movies feature a wide-eyed Kirk Cameron leading people through a world that looks like a PG-rated issue of Garth Ennis' Crossed. Planes crash into the ground, and cars that are suddenly missing their drivers careen into each other, as a chosen group of people are "raptured" and disappear from the Earth, leaving the rest of the world to fend for themselves.
Depending on which theologian you speak to, only one or two passages from Judeo-Christian religious texts make reference to an event akin to what is portrayed as the Rapture, leaving the idea with very little Biblical support. Instead, most of the lore surrounding the Rapture originates with two people in the early 19th Century: a teenage girl living in Scotland, and a London-born preacher.
Margaret McDonald, a fifteen-year-old girl living in Scotland, experienced a "vision" of the end of the world in 1820. In McDonald's vision, the chosen few are saved from a "purifying" fire. This is not exactly the disappearance in the middle of the day that popular culture views as the Rapture, but an early prototype. Not everyone leapt to follow her view — and in fact, several contemporary religious leaders deemed her visions demonic.
Meanwhile, London-born evangelist John Darby and members of his flock, the Irish-born Plymouth Brethren, popularized and molded the idea of Judeo-Christians being removed from the Earth, prior to an unknown period of strife. But McDonald had no influence on Darby's views, since Darby apparently espoused this idea as early as 1827. But McDonald's visions, and their later publication, no doubt further popularized the idea of the Rapture in Europe.
Popping up in publication Darby traveled to North America on several occasions during the mid-19th Century, teaching his theory of the Rapture. On one of these trips, Darby met with James Brookes, a prominent preacher and writer in Missouri — and, most importantly, the mentor of Cyrus Ingerson Scofield.
Scofield, influenced by Darby's teachings via his mentor, published the Scofield Reference Bible in 1909. The Scofield Reference Bible went on to become one of the best selling religious texts of the early 20th Century, one that continues to sell extremely well in the United Kingdom. Scofield's text displays his personal notes and explanations right next to the King James translation of the Judeo-Christian Bible. The proximity of Scofield's notes to the religious text no doubt lent credence to his words, especially in a world lacking widespread communication systems. As individuals emigrated to the United States in the early 20th Century, this helped spread the belief that Darby had already put in place, during his visits to North America.
Rapture roulette At the moment, Eastern Orthodox churches, many branches of Protestantism, the Anglican Church, and the Catholic Church do not believe in the Rapture.
Amongst those who do believe in the Rapture, meanwhile, the exact details of the event remain quite a mystery. But some leaders do go into specifics — even setting exact dates when the Rapture will happen.
Three different highly publicized dates came and went in the 1990s, but the most recent failed predictions happened just last year. Harold Camping made his second and third attempts to fix a date on the rapture after his humbling announcement of the "confirmed" date of September 6, 1994.
Camping announced May 21, 2011 as the date for the disappearance of the worthy — but after the date passed, he quickly came back and announced the date of October 21, 2011 as the "true" date. Camping predicted a series of earthquakes beginning in New Zealand, to accompany these dates. The 89-year-old Camping and his followers spent $100 million publicizing these two dates in a media campaign.
After nether date turned out to be accurate, many of Camping's followers felt cheated, especially people who'd put their lives on hold for years. This article, checking in on Camping's followers a year later, is compelling but depressing reading. One engineer spent most of his retirement savings on publicizing Camping's predictions, only to see them fail to materialize. Another former believer in Camping told the reporter, "I think I was part of a cult."
yes, at His return.
They accused Jesus of the same thing.
I wear your accusation with the honor of encounter folks today who were like those he encountered in His time on earth.
He must be laughing right now.
Because he's a Just God...In the OT God left his own people to fend for themselves on numerous ocassions
AND...take the Holy Spirit out of the world, which is what leads people to believe in Christ. None of us can believe in Him without the Holy Spirit.
I did...The Eunuch did...
I imagine most here will disagree with me but that's ok...I'm used to it...
Fact is, not all that many (relatively speaking )will be saved...Most who get saved during the Tribulation will have died...Most people will take the Mark of the Beast...If you don't believe me, look around at all the people wearing masks...
The Wedding of the Bride (church) and Groom (Jesus) takes place in heaven during the Tribulation (Rev 19)...That means the body of Christ has to be out of here before the wrath of God hits...
Those 'saved' during the Tribulation will not be part of the Bride (church)...The church is spiritual...We will have spiritual, celestial bodies...We will be like Jesus...
Those saved during the Tribulation will not have spiritual bodies...They will be saved from death (not saved into the church) to go unto the Millennial Kingdom which will be here for 1000 years...They will pro-create and have offspring...
And since they will not be part of the body of Christ, there is no need for the Holy Spirit...
Yeah, right.
You’re such a martyr for dabbling in spiritual things that have NO Scriptural support whatsoever.
Agreed. Why must it be such a cause for major dissention among xGod’s people? It sure seems to be. “Escaping” the Tribulation is NOT a bad thing. It is a divine provision from a perfect Father who is “pleased” to give gifts to those who love Him and are called according to His word.
Purported Eucharistic miracles do not help you since that is not what Eucharistic theology explains as the Mass and priests do not daily produce actual bloody flesh that manifested that Christ is come in the flesh, versus one whose appearance did not correspond to what He manifestly was.
I did not say it was but that the events I named were, and that the destruction of the temple in 167 B.C. was what saw the the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place" yet which was a precursor of what was to come, 70 AD did not see what 2 Thes. 2 says must occur, and the destruction of Jerusalem with it cessation of music etc. also has not occurred. Meaning that like as 167 B.C. saw a precursor of what was to come so did 70 AD.
But unlike a fundamentally false gospel like Rome's, souls can be saved even if their eschatology is amiss, thank God.
The temple was not destroyed in 167 BC, Antiochus IV Epiphanes desecrated it, did not destroy it.
The Jews believed that was the end, they were wrong as Jesus told them as recorded in the Olivet discourse that the abomination would occur during the lifetime of his listeners.
This false non Christian teaching like your own gospel of the devil, leads people away from God. Why do you persist in your teachings of your father, who isn’t God?
Christ sail allllll but the ‘very elect’ would be deceived... The ‘very elect’ were chosen before the katabol... casting down of the serpent... NO man has authority to call, label, or sprinkle hot water making anyone a ‘saint’, elect, or chosen ... The Heavenly Father, not some mere mortal already called out HIS chosen/elect.
“ if believers are to be light and salt to an unbelieving world, why would a loving God remove us and leave people to fend for themselves? AND...take the Holy Spirit out of the world, which is what leads people to believe in Christ. None of us can believe in Him without the Holy Spirit.”
Because He will pour out His wrath and judgement on an unbelieving world.
Believers are already judged in Christ.
You might ask the same questions about a previous judgement...
“ ...why would a loving God close the door to the Ark with believing Noah and his family alone and inside, and let the world drown?”
It would be essential to KNOW what the ‘tribulation’ literally is... Those who claim ‘rapture’ as their security, have no clue what that first tribulation is about and who is going to ‘suffer’ the Heavenly Father’s wrath.
Christ said the first tribulation is ‘mass deception’.... wonder what that deception is?
“ Because the pre trib rapture denies God is capable of sustaining you through difficult times.”
The Great Tribulation isn’t a difficult time.
It is the pouring out of God’s wrath on a godless world.
Believers are already judged in Christ.
“ Look at Noah;”
God saved him from the judgment on the world by putting him in the ark.
“ It’s important to know that the tribulation is Satan’s wrath, not God’s wrath. ”
The tribulation is the outpouring of wrath and judgment of God.
The tribulation is Satan’s wrath. The end is God’s wrath. We’re here for the first but not the 2nd
“ Those who claim ‘rapture’ as their security, have no clue what that first tribulation is about and who is going to ‘suffer’ the Heavenly Father’s wrath.”
It is security in Christ alone that believers rest in ... the rapture is just God’s removing believers to attend the marriage.
During that time, the world feels God’s wrath.
Sorry, but Scripture does not say that.
The Tribulation happens first, then there is a final judgment.
It is God Who pours out His wrath in the bowl and vial judgments - not satan
Christ is returning to this earth to take charge ... why would He send off His bride to outer-space? Again, 'mass deception' is the first tribulation... gonna zip right out of here ... cause I am toooo special to see tough times...
“ Christ is returning to this earth to take charge ... why would He send off His bride to outer-space? ”
He will marry His Bride first.
They will return to earth together at the Second Coming, to slay His enemies and reign.
Ah, scripture please... I have studied a bit and I cannot find any place where there is a 'secret' trip to have a wedding... Now there is Scripture describing a 'wedding' out of season... imagine that a 'fake' wedding for those who hold fast to a quick exit out of the really really bad stuff. Wonder, who could the escape artist be marrying? Could not be a fake Jesus, now could it???? DECEPTION is the first tribulation... can the rapturites distinguish the fake Jesus from the Lord and Savior??? Perhaps consider those 7 trumps ... what does the 6th trump symbolize... it does after all come before the 7th trump.
You completely false characterization is duly noted. Are you a member of The Body of Christ Believers whom GOD has born from above and in whose spirit He now abides?... Doesn’t sound like it.
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