These End-Times evangelicals are convinced that Russia's invasion is a sign of the Rapture.

[Nevilledog]

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The day after Russia started dropping missiles on Ukraine, pastor Greg Laurie took to Facebook with a message for his flock. To much of the world, current events may look like the unhinged machinations of a megalomaniacal authoritarian intent on worldwide disruption, but to Christians of a certain ilk, Laurie argued that the war could be viewed as something else entirely: a sign of the second coming of Christ. “Is there any prophetic significance to what is happening in Ukraine right now?” the heading of the post posed. “The answer is…Yes!”

For millennia, end times Christians have tried to shoehorn current events into proof of Jesus’ imminent return, taking cryptic language from the books of Ezekiel, Daniel, Matthew, and Revelation to come up with various theories as to how the world will end. In most of these theories — embraced by conservative evangelical or fundamentalist branches of the faith — an entity referred to as Gog and Magog descends from the “far north” upon a peaceful, reconstituted Israel, whose people had been “brought out from the nations, and all now dwell securely,” as it is described in Ezekiel. The resulting war that follows allows a Messiah to swoop in and come to Israel’s rescue. It also ushers in the end of the world as we know it and the establishment of a new and better kingdom of God on earth.

Certain members of every generation since antiquity have found ways to convince themselves that they lived in the end times. “One of the beauties of end times theology is that it’s protean,” says Randall Balmer, a professor of American religion at Dartmouth College. “That is, it can be shaped and shifted to comply with particular circumstances, and it allows those who subscribe to it to claim to have a command of history, that they know how it’s all going to come out eventually.”

Over the centuries, the Gog and Magog label has been applied to Babylon, to the Roman Empire, and to the Vikings, among others. It wasn’t until the Cold War that Russia entered the narrative, as many American Christians cast the U.S. as the “new Israel,” the USSR as Gog and Magog (it’s a land in the “far north,” after all), and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev as the Antichrist (he even bore what many considered to be the “sign of the beast” on his forehead). In addition to the apocalyptic threat of nuclear war, the formation of the modern state of Israel in 1948 was seen as proof that prophecy was being fulfilled and that the end times were upon us.

*snip*

[samsingh]

1. these Christians better hope not - God is not going to reward them for

perverting his divine word.

many of these christians are the charlattans that the Bible warns about. They are the evil worshipping putin.

[XanaDUer2]

2. Everything is the rapture to them nt

[MLAA]

4. Exactly

[BlueIdaho]

5. Bingo!

How manny times have we heard this before?

[mitch96]

28. I would not be surprised if they would push the button them selfs just to prove they are right.

Pull a David Koresh/Jim Jones thing if you will.
YMMV
m

[Takket]

26. yup. which makes it amazing to me that this bullshit persists

imagine not only watching a weatherman that is wrong EVERY DAY, but actually GIVING him money so he can keep funding his "forecasts". It is a bizarre thing to watch happen.

[Turbineguy]

3. Rapture? Great!

I could use a new (slightly used) lawnmower.

[txwhitedove]

6. Geez. One person's ending is another's beginning. I keep the hearing the song Aquarius...

This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius.

[Karadeniz]

7. I read a book about other Jewish diarists during WWII One young man fervently hoped for the

massive attacks because then God would have to come to earth to save the day. Some people confuse God with Superman or even Mighty Mouse....

[walkingman]

21. "Here I come to save the day! That means that Mighty Mouse is on the way!" Good one!!

[Doc Sportello]

8. Actually it's a signal for them to raise money

Grifter/preacher thinking: "Hey, if it's the end times why not give ALL your money to me?"

[randr]

9. If only---

Why did they not see Covid was the rapture?

[C_U_L8R]

10. Do they realize they can rapture themselves?

Do it. Today.

[Midnight Writer]

11. "unhinged machinations of a megalomaniacal authoritarian intent on worldwide disruption"?

Does this refer to:

A) Putin

B) Trump

C) God

D) Your average run-of-the-mill TV evangelist

[Bongo Prophet]

22. All of them, Katie. nt

[onethatcares]

12. one would think

an almighty all knowing Deity would get some things right now and then. tfg was supposedly also picked by gaud according to the mouth of Pat Robertson.

[Beachnutt]

13. And if you send

a love offering you will be raised up....blah blah blah
another scam opportunity

[Chainfire]

14. Christians have been making that claim ever since the original Easter.

All that had to happen is one nation had to throw a rock at the other. Fear sells salvation.

I have to admit, though, that even if my personal outcome would not be very good, I would feel honored to be able to witness the rapture.

It brings to mind a personal anecdote:

My uncle was a very dedicated alcoholic back in the 40s. He would go on binges that lasted for weeks, he was a celebrity for his drinking prowess. He was a very kind and generous man, but he was living inside a whiskey bottle. It seems that he was at some local juke joint, plying his art when he passed out. It was the wee hours of the morning and his drunken buddies drove him to the local cemetery, and laid him out on a grave and then backed off, continuing to drink, to watch. They claimed that as the sun began to rise he stirred a little then sat up. He was quoted as saying, "Well Ill be damned, it is the rapture and I am the only one who has rize." The story made the rounds for years.

To his credit, a few years later, he abandoned alcohol completely, and became a well respected member of his community.

[CrispyQ]

15. I wish their stupid rapture would happen already & suck them all away.

The world would be a better place.

[relayerbob]

30. It may have for all we know.

For sure, these assholes aren’t going that direction.

[tanyev]

16. Yes But You Don't Go!

[NCjack]

17. To those about to be Raptured: Give me $15,000 and power of attorney now

over your dog or cat and your house and personal property. I will monitor daily your family's presence on Earth, and when y'all disappear, I will come to your house and take possession of your pet and other things I want to make your pet and me happy.

[walkingman]

18. If I remember correctly a lot of them will be magically gone forever - good riddence.

[jmbar2]

19. Dear God - Please suck them up RIGHT NOW!

[link:|

[roamer65]

20. Russia getting their ass handed to them Ukraine doesnt fit their "math".

LOL

Sadly, we are stuck with them longer.

[RainCaster]

23. When all you have is a hammer...

Everything looks like a nail.

These clowns have such a limited view of the world and what is going on. They probably said the same thing about Hitler.

[durablend]

24. The elevator is going straight down for them

What they don't want to see.

[sakabatou]

25. These Evangelicals always think some event is a sign of the rapture.

It's been like that for CENTURIES.

[hatrack]

27. Blahbitty Blahbitty Blahbitty Blahbitty Blahbitty Blahbitty BLAH

So fucking sick of these Bible Clown College dropouts.

[relayerbob]

29. Hmmm, seems unlikely

That Jesus is going to saving people who are rooting for the deaths of almost 8 billion people.

[Solly Mack]

31. They should get ahead of the rapture rush.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

32. "This time for sure!"

[SWBTATTReg]

33. These idiots are one big reason why memberships in organizations such as these religious

ones here, churches, etc. have been dropping like a rock.

God did say to use your damn brains/smarts too, and not be fooled by prophets coming out of the woodwork, and yet here we go, every single time some 'doomsday' event occurs, a huge earthquake or a war or a ..., you name it, these crazies come out of the woodwork, proclaim that doom and gloom is upon us, and the loop starts up again.

And ironically enough, even Jesus didn't know when the 2nd Coming was to be. And people think some crackpot preacher (the majority of whom I think are scam artists anyway) knows more about what's to come than Jesus? Give me a break.

And we think our generation is one of the most intelligent ones around, compared to the last 2000 years? I wonder. There is a layer, where the more learned of us, where the occupations requiring quite a bit of training, book learning, internships, etc. (nasty words here, 'book learning'!) now occupy the upper tiers of the middle class (and the older components of the middle class are fading away, as skill sets age and are not needed any longer).

All I will say, is stay away from me, mine, and our communities. We don't need your garbage spewing out onto our streets.

[Baked Potato]

34. Selfish fuckers always want the rapture on their watch.

Leave people who don’t believe your fantasy the funk alone!

Their “chosen one” Dump pulled one on them so now it’s up to Sugar Vladdy ?

Again, GFY !