Monday, May 23, 2011

Reasons why the rapture didn't happen

1) Rapture? what Rapture?

pre-trip, pre-mill theology is actually only a little more than a couple hundred years old. we owe it to the dispensationalist types to have brought this brand of theology to the table. so what did Christians believe before that? something else. what if you don't believe in a rapture the way that the pre-trib folks do? what if you would package things up as a mid-trib or a post-trib type?
i personally believe in a kind of pan-trib/pan-mill theology, as in it'll all pan out in the end.



h/t Glocal Christianity

2) Matthew 24:36

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

i have to assume that now that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father he knows the day and the hour but when he said it, even he didn't know when he was coming back. isn't it the height of arrogance to assume that we could figure it out.

3) even bad publicity is publicity

i suspect that Mr. Camping knew that he wasn't going to get the day right but he got lots of people talking about it. that's apparently good because people hear him.

HOWEVER

way too many people took him seriously and blindly followed him. people quit their jobs, gave away their stuff and have gone to sit on a hill to wait for Jesus to return for them.
what kind of picture does this present to people who don't believe? what stumbling block is now in people's way because they could not join a faith that believes such things in such ways.


at the end of the day the path for the faithful has become rockier. how do i say to people that i believe when in their mind they think that i believe as this man does? how am i supposed to stand for a Christian faith when so many already think the faith is affiliated with superstition and foolish statements made by people who guarantee it in ways they cannot justify.

Lord have mercy on us all.

2 comments:

Jeremy Myers said...

That video is hilarious!

Even though I (currently) am pre-trib pre-mil.

That could change. A lot of my theology is changing.

Anyway, Camping did everybody a disservice through these antics.

I'm glad you are enjoying the Steve Taylor series!

Al said...

I also love the video!

Like Jeremy, my theology is in a state of flux.

I have long had problems with most radio/TV Christian programming, and the latest hasn't changed my opinion. And I expect that we will continue to see the rest of the 'prophecy mongers' back pedaling from Mr. Camping, while still promoting their own timelines.

I think as long as we preach 'judgment' over 'mercy', we are missing the point of the Gospel.