Reply #76: Sorry, but the "Rapture" was not part of my formal Theological education. [View All]

[RevCheesehead]

If you are referring to eschatological thought, that was covered in Biblical studies and various theological discourse. But if you are referring to the events as outlined in Revelation, that is another matter entirely. The Rapture crowd uses eschatological snippets of Revelation, Daniel, and a few other passages to construct a theology which is considered by mainline Christianity to be heretical.

In Luke's gospel, when Jesus ascends to heaven, two strangers appear and ask the crowd why they are standing around; then promise that Jesus will return "in the same manner." Luke's account is continued in the book of Acts, where the story of his ascension is repeated. Then in the second chapter, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descends upon the community, and the Church of Christ is born.

In Matthew's account (written to the Jewish-Christian community), Jesus urges the disciples to get busy and make disciples "of all nations." This is no surprise, since God chose the people of Israel "to be a light to all nations."

I believe in the return of Christ. In fact, he has returned several times. He returned after the crucifixion. He returned again in several post-resurrection appearances to his disciples and others (especially in John). Many believe that his "second coming" (the parousia)is a reference to the giving of the Holy Spirit to the communuity, thus forming the Christian church (the Luke/Acts acccount). Some also believe that the coming of Christ is a reference to a person's spiritual conversion.

As to the "end times," Jesus makes it clear that even he himself does not know the time. And quite frankly, he tells us not to be overly concerned about these things - "you will know by the signs that the end is near." But what he DOES emphasize is the importance to not be caught unaware. The focus became one in which we are told to be busy DOING the work of Christ - feeding and caring for the poor and oppressed, actively loving God and our neighbors.

People in the first generations of Christianity became paralyzed, waiting for the parousia. And Paul's letters show a re-interpretation, if you will, of the parousia - from "it will happen very soon," to a more conservative "it will happen sometime."

For those who read the scripture literally, of course they claim that their interpretation of the Rapture will happen, because it's "in the Bible." But the Bible is a collection of writings. Some literal, allegorical, some poetry, snippets of letters, some historical accounts, and so on.... But NOWHERE in scripture does it say "this is an account of how the world will end, and this is how it will happen." NOWHERE does it claim that Jesus will return to the Mount of Olives and bring about the end of the physical world. It's all an interpretation, based on a vision (or dream, if you prefer).

Revelation was one of the last texts to be added to the canon. There was much debate as to whether or not to include it, or count it as one of the apocryphal texts (considered to be sacred writings, but not necessarily essential to Christian thought and teaching). It almost wasn't included, but the Church felt it would be OK, since Christian teaching was a duty assigned to priests, who held to strict apostolic teaching of the faith (Dogma).

During the Reformation, Dogma became suspect (because of vast corruption). Martin Luther proclaimed a theology of "sola scriptura." At the time of the Enlightenment, people began reading and drawing their own conclusions, rather than simply accepting church doctrine. And American frontier Christianity ran wild, with some churches breaking radically with the Apostolic teachings of the faith. This led to the "Great Awakening," the rise of the Holiness movement, and the focus on a "personal salvation" as the primary emphasis of scripture.

Sorry this is long, but I cannot agree that "most, if not all, Christians DO believe in the Rapture, because it is scriptural." If I had claimed to believe in it, I most certainly would NOT have been approved for ordination in the United Methodist Church.