Afraid You’ll be Left Behind? The Rapture Trap.

The National Review ^ | November 18, 2002 | Rod Dreher

[american colleen]

Afraid You’ll be Left Behind? The Rapture Trap.

In 1980, I was 13 years old, and someone had given me a copy of Hal Lindsey's mega-selling The Late Great Planet Earth to read. The Soviets were in Afghanistan, the American hostages were in Tehran, I had become fixated on the fear of nuclear war and — suddenly, thanks to Late Great, the chaos all made sense. There was no need to be afraid. This was all part of God's plan. Accept Jesus as your personal savior, and you wouldn't have to suffer through the worst of what was to come, for you would be spirited away in the Rapture. And if you didn't — well, too bad for you when the Antichrist comes knocking.

The premillenial Rapture is the belief, held by many Protestant Christians, that believers will, "in the twinkling of an eye," be taken body and soul into heaven to meet Jesus Christ — this, just as the world is on the brink of seven years of unprecedented suffering and strife, preceding the Second Coming and the end of history. If you think the end of the world is upon us, it's easy to see why believing you won't have to suffer the worst of it would be calming. On the other hand, you might exchange one set of fears for another. When I was in Late Great's grip, I would wake up every morning in a mild state of panic, wondering if the Rapture had happened while you were sleeping, and I'd been … left behind!

I don't believe in the premillenial Rapture anymore, but it's easy to see why so many people want to. For Christians and others whose religious beliefs predict an apocalyptic final act (even Islam and the New Age have their own versions), these days are unusually anxious. It isn't difficult to find in today's headlines — wars, rumors of wars, natural disasters, plagues, religious strife and technology run amok — evidence for the belief that history is quickening toward some sort of climax.

No wonder, then, that the same sensational theological teachings that excited believers in the 1970s and earlier are more popular than ever. The Left Behind fiction series, whose title refers to those who weren't raptured before the Apocalypse, may well be the best-selling Christian books of all time, not counting the Bible.

Given the amount of popular publicity given to the Rapture and its attendant doctrines, it may surprise (and disappoint) many Christians to learn that this set of beliefs, generally called "dispensationalism," is not explicitly taught by the Bible, nor has ever been widely held by Christians.

In fact, neither Roman Catholicism nor Eastern Orthodoxy, which together include most of the world's Christians who live now and who have ever lived, profess dispensationalist eschatology (which means the study of the End Times). The Rapture is also alien to the historical Protestant confessions (as this story from a Baptist newspaper makes clear). Martin Luther had never heard of such a thing, nor had John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, or any other Protestant divine until a pair of 19th-century British small-sect pastors developed the notion apparently independent of each other. One of the men, John Nelson Darby, traveled widely in North America between 1859 and 1874, where his dispensationalist teachings spread like wildfire. (For a more detailed explanation of this theology from a dispensationalist viewpoint, go here and here)

Given world events, particularly in the Middle East and Europe, the dispensationalist fire continues to roar among Christians, who understandably want to know if today's headlines can be explained and tomorrow's headlines can be predicted from ancient Scripture. Unfortunately, many Christians are under the impression that dispensationalist teaching — on Christianity's theological fringe, historically speaking — is the first and last word on the matter. Most Catholic priests, as well as their mainline Protestant counterparts, downplay or ignore their congregations' natural — and sociologically predictable — interest in the End Times, leaving lay believers open to instruction by those who, however misguided, take it seriously. That's why Paul Thigpen, a Yale-trained religious historian and Catholic convert, wrote The Rapture Trap.

"I began to see so many Catholics taken in by this Left Behind stuff, because they've had no religious instruction in eschatology," Thigpen tells NRO. "In so many parishes the homilies are like, 'Love your neighbor, be nice.' If priests never get around to talking about who Jesus is, there's no way they're ever going to get around to talking about the Second Coming."

Though he writes from a Catholic perspective, Thigpen, an ex-Pentecostal and former editor of Charisma magazine, takes care to demonstrate in the book how none of the leaders of the Reformation believed in the Rapture. He says the "historical myopia" of American culture leaves people vulnerable to those who can exploit ignorance of the past with convincing presentations of vivid theologies. Besides, America has always been fertile ground for apocalyptic religion.

"In the early days, the Puritans thought the Kingdom of God would start in North America, in their colony," Thigpen says. "We have several large denominations in America, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, who owe their existence to millennial fervor."

Eschatalogically-focused expressions of faith have swelled in popularity during times of social distress and dislocation, such as after the Civil War, and during the period of rapid industrialization and immigration. There was another great surge of it following World War II, says Thigpen, and again in the 1970s, as a reaction to countercultural upheaval. The dispensationalist apologetic The Late Great Planet Earth was the best-selling nonfiction book of the decade, and though he has never apologized for his erroneous predictions in that book, author Hal Lindsey continues to be considered by many an authority on Biblical prophecy. Being a dispensationalist evangelist means never having to say you're sorry.

Why should any of this matter? As I wrote this past summer, apocalyptic beliefs dictate the behavior of many true believers. American dispensationalists were early non-Jewish supporters of Zionism, believing that the ingathering of diaspora Jews to their Biblical homeland was a necessary precursor for the return of Christ. Though many Evangelicals and other Christians support Israel today for other reasons, no small number of them do so because their end-times belief mandates it. Thigpen is not so much worried that Rapture-expecting Christians will blow up Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock to hasten Armageddon as he is concerned about the spiritual harm that may result from acceptance of dispensationalist beliefs.

"When times look tough and threatening, perhaps people find a comfort in believing in the Rapture, that God will help them escape events before they become too bad," Thigpen says. "Ideas have consequences. One, the Rapture doctrine ignores the redemptive power of suffering, which is a powerful Christian theme. Two, the Bible also shows that God chastises His people as well as their enemies; believers share in suffering as well. Three, if people wrongly believe Christians won't be around for the persecution that Scripture tells us will precede the Second Coming, they won't prepare themselves spiritually or otherwise."

Just because Catholicism doesn't teach the Rapture or focus on end-times prophecy doesn't mean the Catholic world has escaped popular apocalypticism. The particularly Catholic version comes as a mania for apocalypse-centered apparitions and private revelations claimed by contemporary visionaries. The Rapture Trap writes of the spiritual danger of uncritically accepting such claims, and offers discernment guidelines drawn from Catholicism's conservative tradition.

"What we're dealing with are people who are scared and confused by what's going on in the world today, and who aren't getting the information they need to separate what's real from what's vain and even harmful speculation," Thigpen says. "As Christians, we believe Jesus is coming back, and we have to be ready for that to happen at any moment. But this game of 'plug the headline into the Scripture verse,' or into the latest message from a supposed apparition, is a losing proposition."

[ksen]

Whoops, I mean in YOPIOS, of course. ;^)

[patent]

Believe what you will Patent I have never heard any one of the non RC's I know say they wanted to make an "a**" out of one of you guys or wanted to get you banned..

No, they just call us names like “stubbornly superstitious religious dork.” That is so much more charitable. I’d go fetch some more, but that is the easiest one to remember.

Free Republic is not a Catholic Ad agency. Everything you post is subject to comment.

I’m not the one pushing the abuse button mom, I don’t know why you say this to me. When have I stopped someone from commenting?

It must be awful to be so insecure in your faith that you need to discredit,ban or run off anyone that differs or confronts..

???? Is this directed to me as well? I’ll admit I seek to discredit you here, as I see you saying one thing in one place, and doing another. It is a hallmark of free republic that people who do this are discredited quickly. We do very much dare to question those who would presume to teach us, but do not live the lives they profess. On that note, I see you didn’t answer a couple of the questions, so I’ll redirect you to them:

It was never intended for "all to read" that is why it was sent in private freep mail .If the author intended a general post he would have made it...that is why it is called private mail

So you still believe posting a private freepermail is wrong? Why do you threaten to do that then?

Not to mention which, why do you start forwarding one to others? Does Irisshlass know you are sending her freepermail around?

Doesn’t what you are doing with her freepermail conflict with your public claim that it was “never intended for all to read?”

patent  +AMDG

[Codie]

Stop it.

[Polycarp]

He was posting a year old personal freep mail as if it was recent one

Wrong! I was pinged to an article written by the_doc. I said I would not enter into discussion on an article written by an individual who privately engages in personal abuse and insult. As an example of that personal sinful behavior, I posted his Freepmail. Never did I imply that it was recent, besides the fact that it is a moot point. He has never retracted his statements in that FReepmail, nor apologized for his sinful personally abusive rhetoric.

You have personally defended his position and his words to me. You know they are vile and reprehensible, and that you have personally defended this vile and reprehensible behavior, and that such behavior completely undermines your position.

Thus you hit the abuse button.

Not once but repeatedly.

If anyone would like to know the content of this FReepmail that RnMomof7 defends as appropriate and true, yet hits the abuse button on whenever its posted publicly, please see the top of my profile page now.

He had previously posted that mail in his attempt to get the writer banned.

Yes, and given the anti-Catholic bias here, I'm not surprised that such vile behavior is still permitted to this day. A Catholic would have been banned for sending such a personally abusive communication to non-Catholics here. But such is the way things just are.

Sometimes if too much daylight is shone folks want to pull the shades

Which is why you hit the abuse button when the_doc's FREepmail is posted, you hypocrite.

I received mail from people that thought it was a new mail, so it seemed the deception was intentional

Ascribing motives now too? BS.

I rarely push abuse and when I do I own up to it..the only reason you know I hit abuse is because I told ya patent..I could have been a sneak and sent out freepmails condeming him and telling other people to go after him and get him banned..I did not do that

More typical BS.

Send out your FREepmails now, and hit abuse, so you can try to get me banned for publicly posting the_doc's demonic attack on my homepage, OK?

Then I'll have an excuse not to come back here to this pit of vipers that you so proudly defend and fellowship with.

[theAmbassador]

***What kingdom is being spoken about in Ps 72?***

Well, not the kingdom you dispensationalists claim. Verse 11:

All kings shall fall down before Him; All nations shall serve him.

The problem you dispensationalists have with this Psalm is that all kings shall not fall down before Him. Some will rise up against Him.

[Polycarp]

See my post #124. See if I get banned. If so, you have my personal email address, and its been fun. But I'm just not going to tolerate willful lies from this pit of vipers any longer.

[Desdemona]

Yes, and given the anti-Catholic bias here, I'm not surprised that such vile behavior is still permitted to this day. A Catholic would have been banned for sending such a personally abusive communication to non-Catholics here. But such is the way things just are.

Watch it. Too much martyrdom and we have problems.

[Codie]

Christmas is here.Take a step back.Go enjoy your family.

[ksen]

I don't remember making known what kingdom I think is being referenced in Ps 72.

Just so I am clear, do you contend that it is describing the everlasting kingdom of Christ in the New Heavens and New Earth?

[patent]

Good grief. You made your opinion known. I considered it, but in the end I don't agree with you. I apologize if that makes you uncomfortable, or you just don't like it, but I am going to pursue this. Perhaps you would like to command me to post or not post at your leisure, but that isn't how it is going to work.

patent

[Siobhan]

Pax Domine sit semper tecum.

I am hopeful that you will not be banned, Polycarp, but you can always find me on FreeDominion.ca where my screen name is "Siobhan from FreeRepublic" as opposed to their "Siobhan".

[theAmbassador]

You Romanists really do carry your feelings on your shoulders. I've been called much worse by Pentecostals and Papists. The problem for you is that he is right in his assessment of the RCC. You really are on the wrong side of this controversy. And we Reformed happen to be on the Lord's side. Your so called Eucharist really is a doctrine of cannibalism that actually mocks the Lord's Supper in a horribly blasphemous way.

I'm sure that I have now forever made myself a target of the FR Romanists. You can join the dispensational premillennialists who enjoy mocking me.

[Codie]

apologize if that makes you uncomfortable.

Don't embarrass the faith.

[Matchett-PI]

"You Romanists really do carry your feelings on your shoulders."

You beat me to it by half a second. LOL

"Your so called Eucharist really is a doctrine of cannibalism that actually mocks the Lord's Supper in a horribly blasphemous way."

And that's only for starters.

[theAmbassador]

We'll have to continue this tomorrow, if this thread happens to be here.

You don't have to tell me what kingdom you think this is. I'm very familiar with the non-Reformed version of dispensationalism.

BTW, why would you think that I believe this is describing the new heavens and new earth?

[Siobhan]

You would be surprised at how very much we Catholic Freepers care for your soul even as we denounce your crude attacks us.

[Desdemona]

I try to stay to stay out of these little food fights, but this:

You really are on the wrong side of this controversy. And we Reformed happen to be on the Lord's side. Your so called Eucharist really is a doctrine of cannibalism that actually mocks the Lord's Supper in a horribly blasphemous way.

really makes me angry. You happen to be on the Lord's side of what? He said, "DO this in remembrance of me." And we do. His directive.

Pit vipers? Hmmmm.... I'm not sure that that's exactly the right term. It is true that we try to go off in our corner and have our conversations and invariably we're invaded and all our statements twisted beyond recognition. It is also true that we generally let everybody else have their space. There are exceptions. There always are.

My problem with the worst of the invaders is that they, and I avoid the posts, so I don't have specific names, take scripture out of context and use that as justification for saying some nasty things about other people, sometimes very directly. I seem to recall Christ warning against that. Ignore His directives, and how can you say you follow Him? And don't bring up idolitry, because non-RCs don't distinguish between an idol, an image and art. There's a difference between an idol and a living person. Well, except for Elvis.

I'm bowing back out again. But, I will tell you that attacks DO NOT help your cause.

Capisce?

[Jean Chauvin]

"This is not the last trupet of Rev. 11:15 but the last trumpet of 1 Thess."

With statements like these, it's no wonder those who propogate the 'literal hermeneutic' have little credibility.

The infallible Word of God literally tells us that we will be resurrected at the ~LAST~ trumpet.

There are ~NO~ more trumpets after the LAST trumpet! The last trumpet is the last trumpet.

Shame on you for twisting what the clear and plain words of the infallible Word of God literally declares in order to prop up your Pre-Tribulational theory!

Jean

[Polycarp]

I’ll admit I seek to discredit you here, as I see you saying one thing in one place, and doing another. It is a hallmark of free republic that people who do this are discredited quickly. We do very much dare to question those who would presume to teach us, but do not live the lives they profess.

It too is my well-known intent to discredit any anti-Catholic bigot, and frankly I'm good at it, which infuriates them even more.

This is spiritual warfare. Eternal souls are at stake.

In war, there are casualties. Especially among those who align themselves against Christ.

From "Abandonment TO Divine Providence" by BY THE REV. J. P. DE CAUSSADE, S.J.

Section XII. The Triumph of Humility.

SECTION XII. --The Triumph of Humility.

To the souls which are faithful to Him, God promises a glorious victory over the powers of the world and of hell.

---

If the divine action is hidden here below under the appearance of weakness, it is in order to increase the merit of souls which are faithful to it; but its triumph is none the less certain.

The history of the world from the beginning is but the history of the struggle between the powers of the world, and of hell, against the souls which are humbly devoted to the divine action. In this struggle all the advantage seems to be on the side of pride, yet the victory always remains with humility. The image of the world is always presented to our eyes as a statue of gold, brass, iron, and clay. This mystery of iniquity, shown in a dream to Nabuchodonosor, is nothing but a confused medley of all the actions, interior and exterior, of the children of darkness. This is also typified by the beast coming out of the pit to make war, from the beginning of time, against the interior and spiritual life of man. All that takes place in our days in the consequence of this war. Monster follows monster out of the pit, which swallows, and vomits them forth again amidst incessant clouds of smoke. The combat between St. Michael and Lucifer, that began in Heaven, still continues. The heart of this once magnificent angel, has become, through envy, an inexhaustible abyss of every kind of evil. He made angel revolt against angel in Heaven, and from the creation of the world his whole energy is exerted to make more criminals among men to fill the ranks of those who have been swallowed up in the pit. Lucifer is the chief of those who refuse obedience to the Almighty. This mystery of iniquity is the very inversion of the order of God; it is the order, or rather, the disorder of the devil.

This disorder is a mystery because, under a false appearance of good, it hides irremediable and infinite evil. Every wicked man, who, from the time of Cain, up to the present moment, has

92-93

declared war against God, has outwardly been great and powerful, making a great stir in the world, and being worshiped by all. But this outward semblance is a mystery. In reality they are beasts which have ascended from the pit one after another to overthrow the order of God. But this order, which is another mystery, has always opposed to them really great and powerful men who have dealt these monsters a mortal wound. As fast as hell vomits them forth, Heaven at the same time creates fresh heroes to combat them. Ancient history, sacred and profane, is but a record of this war. The order of God has ever remained victorious and those who have ranged themselves on the side of God have shared His triumph, and are happy for all eternity. Injustice has never been able to protect deserters. It can reward them only by death, an eternal death.

Those who practise iniquity imagine themselves invincible. O God! who can resist You? If a single soul has the whole world and all hell against it, it need have no fear if, by abandonment, it takes its stand on the side of God and His order.

The monstrous spectacle of wickedness armed with so much power, the head of gold, the body of silver, brass, and iron, is nothing more than the image of clay; a small stone cast at it will scatter it to the four winds of Heaven.

How wonderfully has the Holy Spirit illustrated the centuries of the world! So many startling revelations! so many renowned heroes following each other like so many brilliant stars! So many wonderful events!

All this is like the dream of Nabuchodonosor, forgotten on awaking, however terrible the impression it made at the time.

All these monsters only come into the world to exercise the courage of the children of God, and if these are well trained, God gives them the pleasure of slaying the monsters, and sends fresh athletes into the arena.

And this life is a spectacle to angels, causing continual joy in Heaven, work for saints on earth, and confusion to the devils in hell.

So all that is opposed to the order of God renders it only the more to be adored. All workers of iniquity are slaves of justice, and the divine action builds the heavenly Jerusalem on the ruins of Babylon.

---

[ksen]

BTW, why would you think that I believe this is describing the new heavens and new earth?

Since you do not believe the Scriptures teach a literal thousand-year reign of Christ, I didn't know of any other kingdom that would fit the description of Psalm 72 other than the one in the New Heavens and New Earth.

You are right, I believe it speaks of the [literal]Millenial reign of Christ.

I gotta go now, but I'll check in tonight or tomorrow. I wouldn't mind investigating it with you if you don't mind. Maybe we can just post Psalm 72 as its own thread, so we don't have to hijack someone else's.