The R-Word

You may remember Harold Camping, the California-based radio preacher who launched a massive campaign promoting May 21, 2011 as the day that God would take all true believers to heaven and unleash a series of cataclysmic natural disasters that would end with the complete destruction of the world five months later on October 21.

For the uninitiated, the future event in which Jesus Christ comes to take His Church, or body of born-again believers to be with Him in heaven is known as the Rapture in Evangelical parlance. Its purpose is to remove believers from the earth before, while, or after (depending on who you ask) God unleashes His judgment on a Christ-rejecting world in general, and on the nations attempting to destroy Israel in particular.

Among adherents, the controversy lies in trying to deduce the general timing of the Rapture relative to other end-time events outlined in various parts of the Bible by studying Scripture. Regardless of their overarching view, most people agree that the Bible teaches God alone knows the exact date, and so any attempt to calculate the date of the Rapture with precision should be regarded as speculative and unbiblical.

Camping's prediction generated considerable media attention, although this was not his first foray into apocalyptic prognostication. He made several end-of-the-world predictions prior to his May 21 fiasco, the most recent of which was put forth in a self-published book entitled 1994? in which he claimed the Rapture would occur on September 6 of that year.

That prediction attracted a modest amount of publicity, but when Jesus didn't show he admitted that he had made a mathematical error and wasted little time in coming up with a new date. After combing through reams of his fanciful interpretations of Scripture and tortuous calculations, he settled on May 21, 2011 as the new Judgment Day.

And this time he was sure.

For several years leading up to May 21, 2011, Camping and thousands of his faithful followers spent millions of dollars (donated by said followers) on a massive promotional campaign, sending a fleet of RVs loaded with ardent proselytizers across America and erecting over five thousand billboards to spread the word. Billboards across the country proclaimed that Judgment Day was coming and urged people to cry out to God for mercy, with many of the various billboard designs featuring a prominent gold seal emblazoned with the boldly authoritative catch phrase "The Bible Guarantees It."

Sadly (albeit not unpredictably), there were reports of his followers selling their homes, quitting their jobs, abandoning career plans, liquidating their financial holdings, cashing in their kids' college funds, and generally making real-world plans to vacate the real world. Some sold or sacrificed everything they owned as Camping confidently assured them that come May 21, they were outta here.

As the morning of May 22 dawned, however, they were conspicuously still here—only with an apocalyptic-sized portion of egg on their crestfallen faces. Camping, although "flabbergasted" that the Rapture didn't go down according to plan, stuck to his guns about the world being destroyed on October 21. But by that time, nobody was listening.

Harold Camping, his message, and his eminently earth-bound followers became fodder for comedians and late night talk show hosts in the months following the non-event dubbed "Apocalypse Not Now." And as the world cracked wise, Camping and his followers ran for cover.

Update: Contrary to unconfirmed reports coming out of Detroit, the planet was in fact not annihilated on October 21, 2011.

Not surprisingly, ever since Harold Camping's infamous Judgment Day fizzle, the word "rapture" has become radioactive. Most of the people who believe in the biblical doctrine of the Rapture tend to be Evangelical Christians, and even among many of them it has long been a rather controversial and divisive topic. But in the minds of many Christians and non-Christians alike, Camping did what those who have attacked the doctrine of the Rapture for decades failed to do.

He turned it into a punch line.

Although the Rapture has always been a little "out there" for some people within Christianity, Camping succeeded in making it even more difficult to bring up the subject—I mean in churches, much less in secular society—without eliciting condescending smirks and a bit of eye-rolling. After May 21, 2011, many Christians who admitted to believing in the Rapture were relegated to the Tinfoil Hat Brigade. Or worse.

Some Christians understandably became a bit gun-shy. The Rapture became untouchable. Unmentionable. Undiscussable. And for some, unbelievable.

It became the r-word.

Agreeing to disagree agreeably...right

When I started working on this article, I was thinking about reviewing the major doctrinal positions on the timing of the Rapture: pre-tribulational, mid-tribulational, pre-wrath, and post-tribulational. I thought I might take the time to carefully lay them out and explain and critique each one in a nice, neutral manner. You know, play nice and give each one equal time and all that. I thought that would have been...nice.

But I probably wouldn't have stopped there. Nooo, not me.

I would have taken it a little further than that. I just can't help myself.

The problem is that I see so much teaching out there, especially on the Internet, that damages and disrespects God's Word, makes God out to be a liar and a welcher, and places a lot of Christians who are possibly not quite as knowledgeable about the Word as they could be under bondage and robs them of their hope in God's promises.

And when I am confronted with it, it's hard for me to play nice.

So, if I had decided to go into detail about the major doctrinal positions concerning the Rapture and its timing, I have a feeling I might have ended up doing some of the following:

Well, let's see...first off I suppose I would have admitted that a number of years ago I wasn't emotionally invested in any particular Rapture view, and decided to embark on a careful study of each one, in addition to a lot of the associated prophetic topics. I would have admitted that for a brief period of time I liked the pre-wrath view, which states that the Rapture will occur sometime near the end of the Great Tribulation, just prior to things getting really out of hand.

Of course, that means I would have had to explain what I like to call the Rosetta Stone of Bible prophecy: the 70 Weeks of Daniel. Simply put, it is the key that unlocks Bible prophecy—it is the backbone that supports the Bible's entire prophetic framework.

This prophecy (Dan. 9:24–27) outlines God's "70-Week Plan" for dealing with Israel. Here, a "week" is a period of 7 years, so 70 times 7 is 490 years. Given in the sixth century BC, the prophecy states that Israel's 490 years would start with a decree to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. Nearly a century later, precisely such a decree was issued by Medo-Persian King Artaxerxes Longimanus on March 14, 445 BC, and the prophetic clock began ticking.

I would have gone into some detail about how the prophecy states that after 69 of the 70 weeks had passed, the Messiah would come and subsequently be killed. I would have taken great delight in sharing with you that in a stunning confirmation of the precision of God's Word, it has been shown by a number of leading Bible scholars that from the beginning of the prophecy on March 14, 445 BC to April 6, AD 32—the day Jesus entered Jerusalem and officially presented Himself as the Messiah to Israel (only to be crucified several days later)—was exactly 173,880 days:

69 weeks = 69 x 7 = 483 years = 483 x 360 = 173,880 days,

where the standard biblical prophetic year of 360 days is always used.

Of course, I would have been quick to add that there are equally competent Bible scholars who are godly men who differ in opinion. But for what it's worth, I have read a lot of the material out there on this topic and I tend to agree that the above information is accurate.

I would have explained that 50 days after Jesus was resurrected—on the day of Pentecost—the Church was officially born, kicking off the Age of Grace (which ends at the Rapture). But that leaves us with one week—one seven-year period—remaining for God to deal exclusively with Israel: Daniel's 70th Week, commonly referred to as the Tribulation.

That raises a fundamental point: Throughout the Bible, God deals with Israel and the Church separately. God seems to deal exclusively with Israel or exclusively with the Church, but not together. I would have also noted that the second half of that period, or the last three-and-a-half years, is referred to as the Great Tribulation and will be hell on earth, if the book of Revelation is anything to go by.

I would have confessed that the pre-wrath view appealed to me primarily for emotional reasons, one of which was the fact that the pre-trib Rapture just seemed too good to be true. So, that means it can't be true, right? Plus, I was stoked at the idea of finding out who the Antichrist would be, and seeing him set up his image in the Holy of Holies in the rebuilt temple in Israel to demand worship. I was practically champing at the bit:

"If the Rapture turns out to be pre-trib, we'll miss all the excitement! I mean, wow, talk about an opportunity to witness to people! Tribulation? Bring it, dude!"

Biblical braggadocio aside, then I would have shared that as I studied the Word, I started to find holes in every view of the Rapture but one (including my fave, the pre-wrath). I started to find theological (or just plain logical) inconsistencies in every view but one. I started to find many misapplied and misinterpreted verses of Scripture in every view but one.

I would have described how I found that every view but one failed to explain something or left some inconvenient, irreconcilable problems that required a bit of creative biblical interpretation to spiritualize away or otherwise dispense with. Only one view made all the pieces of the prophetic puzzle fit together in harmony. I found that a consistent, literal, historical, grammatical interpretation of God's Word inexorably led to only one view.

I couldn't see any way around it.

I probably would have cautioned that it wasn't a salvation issue and so I didn't want to sound dogmatic, but then I would have proceeded to state in a fairly dogmatic fashion that I am absolutely 100 percent convinced of the truth of the pre-tribulation Rapture, followed at some point by Daniel's 70th Week, which climaxes with the second coming of Christ to the earth.

I would have admitted that I know there are many people out there—ministers, in fact—who become apoplectic at the mention of the pre-trib Rapture, with steam emanating from their nostrils and veins popping out of their foreheads. I actually heard a preacher on YouTube recently call it "occultic." They spit out the word "pre-tribbers" the way you might expect a Holocaust survivor to spit out the word "Nazis," or the way the homosexual community spits out the word "Chick-fil-A."

I would have told you how they viciously pummel pre-tribbers and accuse them of being escapists—a bunch of wimps who are scared to go through the Tribulation, and who will be pathetically unprepared to deal with the unspeakable trials and hardships that await (which, of course, post-tribbers are). Then, when the going gets just a wee bit tough in the early stages of the Tribulation, millions of gullible pre-trib ninnies will suddenly realize they've been duped, at which point they will fall away in droves and be swept into the waiting arms of the Antichrist and will fall hook, line, and sinker for his sweet, deceptive lies. Boo hoo. Meanwhile, of course, they will be standing firm—locked, cocked, and ready to rock—just like the spiritual Rambos they fancy themselves to be.

I would have mentioned how these same people claim that the doctrine of the pre-trib Rapture somehow influences Christians to live carnal lives as spiritual slackers, which I have never been able to fathom. Yeah, I'm sure some do. But how hard is it to understand that if you actually believe the Lord could literally return for the Church at any time, that you are much more likely to be purified by that hope and expectation? Wouldn't it tend to make you want to keep your relationship with the Lord first and foremost in your life—to obey His Word and walk in the Spirit as you see the day approaching because you long for the day He appears and don't want to be ashamed when He does? Or is it just me...

I would have shared that, oddly enough, one thing that actually reinforces my conviction that the pre-tribulation Rapture is in fact the correct biblical view (aside from tons of scriptural support and the fatal flaws in the other views) is the hateful, acerbic manner in which its opponents hiss and spew venom at sincere, Bible-believing Christians who hold this view. I mean, where does that come from?

Satan may be a smooth operator,
but sometimes he tips his hand.

And I would have sheepishly admitted to finally getting one thing through my thick skull:

Everything about God is too good to be true—but it is true!

I would have explained that the purpose of the Tribulation was (a) for God to restore Israel to their covenant relationship with Him and bring them to the point where they recognize the one they crucified and earnestly call on Him in their distress (Hos. 5:15), and (b) to judge a Christ-rejecting world that has spurned God's grace and attempted to destroy the nation that is the apple of His eye.

It is not to "purify" the Church—unless, of course, you think the blood of Jesus didn't quite get all the stains out, or that the Holy Spirit is asleep at the wheel as far as sanctifying believers is concerned.

I would have emphasized that the Tribulation is profoundly disconnected from the Church in every conceivable way. It's not about us, we have no biblical connection to it, and we are flat-out promised to be kept out of the time and place of it (Rev. 3:10). The Tribulation is also called the time of Jacob's trouble. Jacob's trouble. Not Peter's trouble. Not Paul's trouble. Not the apostles' trouble. Not the Church's trouble.

It's Israel's trouble.

And I would have underscored that this is in no way my "anti-Semitic" opinion: It's God's Word.

I would have added that the reason God will restore Israel to their covenant relationship with Him and supernaturally intervene to save them from destruction (Ezek. 38–39) is not because they are so good (they aren't), or because they have done something to deserve it (they haven't), or because they merit it in some way (they don't).

I would have made it clear that they don't deserve to be restored to their covenant relationship with God and rescued from certain annihilation at the hands of their enemies any more than you and I deserve to be washed clean from our sin by the precious blood of Jesus and freely given eternal life in heaven. I would have made sure you understand that He's only doing it for one simple reason:

His name is on the deal.

And make no mistake: He's going to let the world know in no uncertain terms just exactly what that means—it means He will perform it, and He will perform it in a way that will let the nations of the world know that He is God.

You can hide and watch.

At that point I probably would have turned blue in the face screaming that ISRAEL IS NOT THE CHURCH AND THE CHURCH IS NOT ISRAEL (Rom. 9–11), and I would have argued that the myopic failure to realize this is nothing more than not-so-thinly veiled anti-Semitism and yet another misinterpretation of Scripture that leaves you stranded on a deserted doctrinal island with wave after endless wave of biblical error washing up on your shores.

After getting fired up over that one, I probably would have continued venting about how some people deny the Rapture and dismiss it as a fantasy by revising history. They twist, alter, misinterpret, or simply fabricate historical facts as needed in order to deceive people (who haven't done their homework) into believing that Daniel's prophecy was completely fulfilled when Jesus was crucified, or when the temple was destroyed in AD 70, or something along that line. To do that, they have to come up with ways to somehow shoehorn an extra seven years into Daniel's prophecy. The problem is they can't because these pesky little things keep getting in the way: historical facts.

I would have explained that their goal is to convince people there is no future Daniel's 70th Week, and so the book of Revelation is apparently all a bunch of scary hallucinations that were never meant to be taken seriously (or it was all fulfilled by AD 70 when the Romans destroyed the temple in Jerusalem). Oh, or maybe it's all just allegory, in which case we can have Captain Kangaroo as the Antichrist and Mr. Green Jeans as the False Prophet, along with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as the revived Roman Empire. Give me a break.

I would have finished the point by explaining that according to them, we're all just supposed to roll up our sleeves and build the kingdom of God ourselves. Then, as much as I hate to sound opinionated and dogmatic (moi?), I would have gone to the Word (and reputable secular historians) and dismantled this revisionist rat's nest because it's based on lies and distortions of historical facts, not to mention blunt force trauma being inflicted on Scripture.

After my blood pressure returned to normal, I probably would have enjoyed bringing to your attention some tantalizing scriptural tidbits, such as the fact that by my count the Church is mentioned 19 times in the first three chapters of the book of Revelation. Then at the beginning of Revelation 4 (which is clearly before God's judgment begins in chapter 6), the author John ("the disciple whom Jesus loved" and who in many ways typifies the Church) is taken up into heaven in the spirit. Then, even though the word "Church" is not specifically used, a group that can be no one but the Church is seen in chapter 5 in heaven, and the Church isn't mentioned again until after the Tribulation is over. Hmm...

And while on the subject of the book of Revelation, I would have explained that the saints that are mentioned in Revelation 6–7 are clearly not the Church. They are those who are saved during the Tribulation and are killed for the uncompromising demonstration of their faith, often called Tribulation saints. This is a common error of those who believe the Rapture will occur during the second half of the Tribulation or at its climax (or not at all). They insist these saints are the Church; however, there are scriptural clues that clearly reveal their identity as being distinct from the Church, which is gone.

Having said that, however, it would have been necessary for me to explain that yes, people will be saved during the Tribulation. Lots of 'em. This jams the gears of a lot of people who oppose the pre-tribulation Rapture, who are quick to accuse pre-tribbers of teaching that the Holy Spirit will completely vacate the earth at the Rapture, and counter with something like this:

"But that's impossible if the Holy Spirit packs up and leaves with all you silly pre-tribbers at the Rapture, because people can only get saved if the Spirit draws them. No Holy Spirit, no salvation. So there."

But I would have pointed out that that's not what most pre-tribbers believe. I would have explained that although the restraining influence of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit within believers will be removed at the Rapture, the Holy Spirit will still be operative on earth, just as He was in Old Testament days. He will dwell with believers, but not indwell them. Big difference:

Read that last part carefully. Notice the verb tenses. Jesus spoke these words at the Last Supper, the night before He was crucified. The Holy Spirit had not yet come to inaugurate the Church by indwelling believers. The Holy Spirit dwelt with them, as He always had. Later, officially starting on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit would indwell believers (Acts 2).

I would have clarified the fact that the Holy Spirit was operative on earth before the Church, and will still be operative on earth after the Church is gone. Think about it. How do you think the Old Testament got written in the first place? How do you think the Old Testament prophets prophesied? Men were moved by the Holy Spirit as He came upon them and gave them utterance. They weren't indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but were moved by the Holy Spirit, who was certainly active on earth—and will continue to be so after the Rapture. He will dwell with and move upon people—and may in fact depart from them if they don't maintain a faithful testimony of their belief, just as in the Old Testament. He can't depart from the Church—He is sealed within us the moment we believe and He will never leave us. Big difference.

I would have stressed that having the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit sealed within us is a blessing unique to the Church. But why exactly has the Church been so blessed?

He was talking about His future Bride: the Church. We haven't seen Him, but we still believe in Him. We never saw Jesus do any miracles. We weren't in the crowd when He fed over five thousand people with five loaves and two fish. We weren't in the boat watching Jesus walk on water. We never saw Him raise the dead, restore sight to the blind, or make the lame walk. We didn't see Jesus alive after the Resurrection. We never touched the nail scars in His hands or the scar in His side. Yet we have responded to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and asked Jesus to forgive our sins, and believe in faith that His death paid our sin debt in full, and that because He lives so shall we.

We have not seen, and have believed.

But why is that such a big deal with God? Simple:

God just has a thing for faith.

I would have also pointed out that a pre-tribulation Rapture has been taught by numerous individuals down through the centuries ever since the apostle Paul taught it to the Thessalonians. Even if you stubbornly refuse to count Paul, it is historically documented that it goes back to at least AD 373, thus making quick work of the known lie that is foisted on people that the pre-trib Rapture was some wild theory introduced in the early nineteenth century by some ditzy girl named Margaret McDonald, whoever she was.

There is no doubt in my mind that I would have taken the time to expose one of the most common errors of those who argue against the pre-trib Rapture (or any Rapture for that matter) by making a list of clear scriptural differences between the Rapture and the second coming of Christ to the earth at the climax of the Tribulation. I would have made it clear that confusing these two biblically distinct events leads to a tsunami of doctrinal error.

I would have also mentioned that the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24, which is one of the places people turn when they try to argue against the pre-tribulation Rapture, is not about the Rapture. It mentions general conditions that would characterize the end times, but focuses primarily on Israel during the Tribulation and the Second Coming. It seems that the Rapture and the Church are not mentioned and are nowhere in sight.

I would have explained that this, in my opinion, is one of the main reasons many people have so much trouble with Matthew 24, admittedly one of the most hotly debated and misunderstood chapters in the entire Bible. A lot of well-meaning people tend to automatically read the Church into the Olivet Discourse (as well as the subsequent parables in Matthew 25 such as the Parable of the 10 Virgins). The problem, however, is that once you do that, highly suspect ideas about the Rapture, the destiny of the Church, and the very nature of salvation begin to spring up like weeds.

I would have made it a point to mention that there are plenty of things in the New Testament that do not specifically pertain to the Church, and that recognizing this fact is certainly at least part of what Paul meant when he counseled Timothy about "rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15).

One thing I definitely would have wanted to bring up is the fact that it can be instructive to slip behind enemy lines and snoop around to have a look at what Satan is up to and what kinds of deception he's got cooking. The fact is that Satan and his legions have been very busy over in the New Age movement for several decades. Demonic entities have been working overtime "channeling" messages to various New Agers, and amid all the claptrap there is one intriguing theme that has emerged: a New Age "rapture." Who knew?

I would have explained how the New Agers believe that at some point in the future (some are saying on December 21, 2012, but opinions vary and I'm not canceling any plans), millions of people will suddenly be "snapped" into another dimension. Allegedly, the reason these lower-vibrational snapees (i.e. born-again Christians) will be evacuated is that they are just not ready to handle the "light" of the coming "Christ figure" (uh, would you believe Antichrist figure?) and are not ready to take that big spiritual step up. Sigh. They will be gently, patiently "retrained" in another dimension, and their removal will make it possible for the rest of humanity to evolve spiritually. Well, color me jealous.

But the point I would have made is simply this: Satan may be evil, but he's not an idiot. Satan knows Scripture, and judging from his communications with New Agers, he seems to think there will be a Rapture. And not only that, but it appears he's thinking pre-trib. The point is that if there's no pre-trib Rapture, then Satan has foolishly wasted decades of valuable time and tons of well-orchestrated effort in preparing a highly sophisticated, powerfully alluring explanation for the removal of millions of born-again Christians from the earth that will dovetail perfectly into his program of global deception.

Then again, maybe he really is an idiot. Your call.

Finally, I wouldn't have let you go without adding one last comment in support of the pre-tribulation Rapture. Naturally, like many such tidbits, by itself it proves nothing. But to me, it's one more little gem uncovered along the way that makes the hope within me burn a little brighter.

Of the four Gospels, only Matthew, Mark and Luke include a version of the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24; Mark 13; Luke 21). As I said, it's mainly about Israel during the Tribulation and the Second Coming (although Luke does apparently include a reference to the destruction of the temple that would come in AD 70).

John, on the other hand, who represents the Church in numerous ways, is completely silent on the subject. The Olivet Discourse on the Tribulation period is conspicuously absent from John's Gospel, which instead of blowing our hair back with a graphic synopsis of God's judgment, offers us a blessed hope:

Whew. Those are some of the things I probably would have done, if indeed I had decided to review the major positions on the timing of the Rapture.

But I decided not to. In the end, I talked myself out of it because I realized it's a waste of time—mine and yours.

It occurred to me that if you believe in the doctrine of the Rapture, you probably already have a view on its timing and other doctrinal issues associated with it, and nothing I say is likely to change your mind.

If you don't believe in the doctrine of the Rapture, same deal—nothing I say is likely to change your mind. And by now you are no doubt wondering what color my tinfoil hat is.

It occurred to me that by the time I was finished, the only thing I would have accomplished is the only thing that anyone ever accomplishes by dogmatically arguing about doctrinal positions: engender strife, generate stupid, pointless arguments, alienate and offend other brothers and sisters in Christ, and come across as being spiritually immature and un-Christlike.

And I don't want to do those things. I learned the hard way.

Go ahead and say it...

Actually, I can't blame sincere Christians who don't believe in the Rapture, because let's face it: It's the most preposterous idea ever conceived!

The idea that one day (and from the way prophecy is being fulfilled, one day sooner than many think) all born-again believers will be instantly changed into their glorified, immortal bodies and be taken up to meet the Lord in the air is—it's OK, you can say it—the looniest thing anybody ever dreamed up!

That said, let me say one thing to those who do not believe in the Rapture:

Don't you think we realize that? In spite of what many people may think thanks to a few horribly deceived individuals like Harold Camping, we're not stupid. We're not insane. We're not mentally disturbed or emotionally unbalanced. And believe it or not, we don't run around wearing little tinfoil hats. Trust me, we know how nutty it sounds. We get that. But we don't care. Why?

Because we believe God and His Word.

We believe God says exactly what He means and means exactly what He says when we read stuff like this in His Word:

And so on and so forth. The language is pretty clear and straightforward. It isn't really that complicated. Incredible, yes—complicated, no. And to those who feel compelled to start frantically spiritualizing things away, good luck with that. The original words here mean exactly what you'd normally expect them to mean. Nephelais (clouds) are puffy white things in the sky. Aera (air) is the lower atmosphere, or the air we breathe. Paul is speaking in very straightforward, literal terms as if to impart factual information. There's nothing in the entire passage that would suggest that Paul is speaking metaphorically or allegorically.

Incidentally, harpagesometha (we will be caught up) means—and I love this—that we shall be seized or snatched up by force, suddenly and decisively, like someone forcefully and enthusiastically grabbing a prize they had just won.

So come Lord Jesus, your prize awaits. Oh, and in your face, Satan.

The other r-word

I almost feel as though I should apologize for dragging you through this small sample of the briars and brambles that students of Bible prophecy deal with on a regular basis. But I feel the Lord has used it to teach me something important, and I hope that I have managed to impart it to you:

It's not about being right.
It's about being ready.

I refuse to argue with people about the Rapture or its timing. I refuse to hole up in the pre-trib bunker and lob self-righteous hand grenades at the post-tribbers in an effort to take out their Scripture-mangling machine-gun nests.

The tragedy is that Satan uses every single tool at his disposal to render born-again believers unstable in their walk and ineffective in their witness, and bickering and obsessing over doctrinal issues like the Rapture and its timing is a prime example. Is it really so surprising that God had the wisdom to keep the timing of the Rapture under wraps, so to speak, to the extent that He has?

You think the Church has a lunatic fringe now? Listen to me: In the darkest recesses of my mind, I cannot imagine the hysteria that would rip the Church to pieces and burn it to the ground if an infinitely loving, infinitely just, and infinitely holy God had been infinitely stupid enough to let us know exactly when Jesus would come for His Church.

It would make Harold Camping's Judgment Day debacle look like a canceled church picnic.

The Lord just wants us to be ready. That's it. He wants us to trust Him for our salvation, walk in the Spirit, grow in grace, obey His Word, let our light shine, and long for His appearing. Is that really so hard?

Yes, Jesus wants us to long for His appearing; but that doesn't mean He wants us to contract a bad case of rapturitis, an illness that causes some Christians to do nothing but obsess about the Rapture and compulsively look for (and invariably find) hidden clues to its timing in the most absurd places. For a sad commentary on this particular strain of lunacy, just go to YouTube and search on "rapture dream confirmation."

All this Rapture business aside, it seems that ready is the real r-word for many people. It means giving up the idea that a loving God would never send anyone to hell—or that hell doesn't really exist. It means abandoning the idea that just trying to be a good, moral person is good enough to satisfy an infinitely holy God. It means realizing there is nothing you can do to have a right relationship with Him except to humbly change your mind about the fact that you're a sinner in need of a Savior, and asking Jesus to be that Savior. He's the only one qualified to do that, and He will refuse no one who comes to Him in faith for forgiveness.

If you've done that, then it doesn't actually matter what you think about the Rapture or when it might occur. You're ready.

And if you're ready, you're going.

The R****** could happen at any time.

Are you r****?

Greg Lauer — SEP '12

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