Heh.

Its amazing how many people still believe in the rapture. But those that do believe in it seem to do more fear mongering then the republicans are doing here in the states (even though they are one in the same) Here is just the past 20 years of rapture predicitons which i found on wikipedia. As stated muuuuuuch earlier in this thread, fear had to be used in order to convert people or else the religion wouldnt have survived, much like Islam did when that first came about.


::::redictions:::::
* 1988 - Publication of 88 Reasons why the Rapture is in 1988, by Edgar C. Whisenant.

* 1989 - Publication of The final shout: Rapture report 1989, by Edgar Whisenant. More predictions by this author appeared for 1992, 1995, and other years.

* 1992 - Korean group "Mission for the Coming Days " predicted October 28, 1992 as the date for the rapture.
* 1993 - Seven years before the year 2000. The Rapture would have to start to allow for seven years of the Tribulation before the Return in 2000. Multiple predictions.

* 1994 - Pastor John Hinkle of Christ Church in Los Angeles predicted June 9, 1994.

* 1997 - Stan Johnson of the Prophecy Club predicted September 12, 1997.[8]

* 1998 - Marilyn Agee, in The End of the Age, predicted May 31, 1998.

* 2000 - Many "millennial" predictions.

Do you notice that all these predictions share one thing in common?

All of these have a premise that true believers will somehow be taken out of harms way while the world stays behind and suffers for the discretions of not believing in whatever truth each group believes at the time.

However, I consider myself a follower of Christ and the doctrine of rapture has a different meaning for me. It can be construed that there is some sort of rapture written about in scipture, but it isn't written out as the word "rapture". This is a translation of the original text. Either way, it doesn't necessarily mean that believers are somehow pulled out of the world as some form of protection or reward for themselves while everyone else is refined or punished by whatever measure these predictors are using.

To me the rapture is a real event, but it is also a spiritual event, meaning it happens, but it is also not seen or witnessed externally by the raptured or any other eyewitness. It is purely a spiritual event and is only for the true believer to witness as self-evident. They are not removed from the world, but are caught up in spirit and meet with the truth while they remain and watch as the world lives out the last days where they are subject to the final tribulation and have to come to a final conclusion.

So, in this way, the rapture would occur without anyone knowing it but those who it is revealed, and it would not contradict with the statements made by Jesus about his prayer that no one is taken from the world but kept from evil. The believers remain, and are kept from evil by the spirit by not getting caught up in the belief system of the world, which is so prevelant and will only lead to destruction.

At the last moment, whenever that is, God reveals hisself through the believers and they reflect the glory of God by doing his will on earth, but never having left the earth through the tribulation. They are and always were with those who didn't believe, but have been protected by the wisdom of God's spirit.

But yes, these date setters are something that one should not listen too, as even I have payed a lot of attention to. Whatever truth there is about God is always going to be within you and not externally by someone else teachings or groups and churches.

Originally posted by ben91069
Do you notice that all these predictions share one thing in common?

Yes they never happen just like all the other end of days crap we're fed.
The end of days will be either be when the sun nova's, a large killer comet/asteroid ploughs into the Earth or even some mad killer disease that wipes us all of the planet.
End of days with raptures and antichrists and fighting at Meggido, dont make me laugh.


G