The Rapture "Is" Coming

The spire of a Turkish Mosque

In my study at the Church there is a thick file.  It is entitled: "Second Coming Nonsense" and the labels have fallen off several times over the years because the glue on the backing finally disintegrates; I began the file nearly 25 years ago.  Early in my ministry I began to counsel with people who were concerned about reports of "The Rapture" coming soon.  Over the years, with each occurrence of someone "predicting" that the second coming of Jesus was imminent, I have clipped and filed the articles about these self-appointed "seers" and their divinations.

As of now the score is: “fortune-tellers” …zero – “no rapture theologians” …well, a lot!  The notion of the “rapture” as an idea in fundamentalist theology comes from – as with so much bad theology in the world today – some misunderstood passages of scripture read by people who call themselves “biblical literalists.”  Many of us in the Christian faith do not think this way, nor do we claim to be “literalists” when it comes to interpreting sacred texts of Jewish and Christian scripture.  A sharply marked difference in theological understanding, and the life of faith comes from these two diametrically opposed ways of treating the Bible; we might say that those of us who work from the “historical-critical” method of biblical interpretation take the Bible “seriously” not “literally.”

Many of us would argue, based on good biblical scholarship, sound human reason, and a simple adherence to basic scientific principles that there will NEVER be a rapture; at least not in any sense that the literalist crew has proposed.  While you’re getting out your dictionary to look up the word “heretic” let me suggest another way to think about this idea known as “rapture.”

Ancient Obelisk in Istanbul

The term means, “taken up.”  When fundamentalist literalist folk use it they mean that the “true Christians” (perhaps they are kin to “real Americans”) will be gathered up to Jesus, who comes in the clouds (scripture language) to take the believers ‘out of the world’ before the great tribulation begins – and, just to confuse the matter there are vast varieties of scenarios which include pre-trib, post-trib, mid-trib, etc. – there are so many things wrong with all of this it is hard to know where to begin.  So, I will simply say, from the perspective of many of us these ideas are fraught with terrible theology – that is to say, we simply don’t believe a loving God, more to the point a God who “Is Love” operates this way... ever... period.  So, if this isn’t the way to think about this notion of rapture, how might we consider this non-biblical term created out of bad theology.  Can we redeem it?  Perhaps… try this out…

"Rapture" is - from a certain perspective - coming to every living creature in this sense: eventually we will be – if not “taken up” – taken away from this plain of existence.  To every living creature there is, as the old Wisdom writer in Ecclesiastes suggests, “a time to be born, and a time to die.”  In between those two poles of existence we have this wonderful, God-given opportunity to live!  In that sense, we will all be “raptured” (die) one of these days.  With such awareness can come two possible responses: we could become fearful and move into attitudes and places within our own soul that do not bring forth or nurture life; or, we can become tuned in to the gift of life we have, each and every day, and use it to bring the love of God to the world around us.

A man in prayer at the Ulu Cami Mosque
Bursa, Turkey

The former leads to a sad and broken existence, the latter leads to a life filled with the possibility of hope and joy and most importantly, love.  My hope and prayer is that each of us might allow this notion of “rapture” (our eventual transition to whatever is next, beyond this current realm of our existence) to become the context for seizing all of the wonder, joy, grace, mystery, and majesty that is “life.”  So yes, for each one of us, in our individual lives, there is a rapture coming: so the question is, what will we do until then?  I pray you find peace and joy in your journey, and may your own rapture be far in the distant future.

(The pictures in today's post are from the artful photographic eye of Dave Krepcho, one of my fellow travelers on the recent trip to Turkey, with many thanks for his gift, and his willingness to share)