If the Rapture happens, you might become a believer...

[The Good]

Have you ever heard of the rapture, or "taking up?" This will happen right before the "end times" or Tribulation Period. It is supposed to be one of the biggest events in Christian history, if not the history of the entire universe. I found a website that details this event well:

http://www.raptureready.com/rr-pretr...n-rapture.html

Here is just an excerpt from it, but read the whole article....just so you understand what will actually happen.

What is the Pretribulation Rapture?

The rapture is an event that will take place sometime in the near future. Jesus will come in the air, catch up the Church from the earth, and then return to heaven with the Church. The Apostle Paul gave a clear description of the rapture event in his letters to the Thessalonians and Corinthians.


"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thess, 4:16-18).

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality” (1 Cor. 15:51-53).

The timing of the rapture is not known. From the Word of God and from sound reasoning--something Jesus used quite frequently--I hope to prove the reality of the pretribulation rapture.
The word “rapture” comes from Paul's "caught up" remark in verse 17. The words “caught up” are translated from the Greek word harpazo, which means "to carry off," "snatch up," or "grasp hastily." The translation from harpazo to “rapture” involved two steps: first, harpazo became the Latin word raptus; second, raptus became the English word “rapture.”

If this does actually, happen....if it does, you might believe. The Bible (all over the Bible, not just the book of Revelation) prophecies this, so that gives you even more of a reason to believe that the rapture did happen, rather than alien abductions or some natural disaster.

The website as shown in the link above also has a sort of "survival guide" for those left behind (I know that this could possibly be a pun...). Here is "The Post Rapture Survival Guide" :

http://www.raptureready.com/rr-survival-guide.html

[Sher Khan]

Eh, no, sorry.

Religious Christians are the first to die in any horror scenario, from vampires to zombies. I'd rather not take their advice.
We Muslims, though we have a decidedly small number of appearances, have a pretty good track record though in such cases.

That said, Paul said a lot of things about Jesus, many of which aren't exactly the Gospel truth. [/pun]

[NaptownKnight]

Eh, no, sorry.

Religious Christians are the first to die in any horror scenario, from vampires to zombies. I'd rather not take their advice.
We Muslims, though we have a decidedly small number of appearances, have a pretty good track record though in such cases.

That said, Paul said a lot of things about Jesus, many of which aren't exactly the Gospel truth. [/pun]

Actually black people and white girls usually die first in horror movies.


I remember I had some Christian wackjobs trying to tell me this was going to happen. They gave me this little book that talked about the signs of the apocalypse and crazy stuff like that.

[Osceola]

Well yeah, if every Christian in the earth suddenly vanished and all of that started to be fullfilled.. then yeah, quite obviously people would start believing and so would I, because we would have been provided with irrefutable evidence.

Which is something, Christianity, and indeed no religion, has provided us evil sketpics with ..

[Exarch]

Well yeah, if every Christian in the earth suddenly vanished and all of that ..

if every christian on earth vanished i would be very grateful and happy indeed.

[The Good]

if every christian on earth vanished i would be very grateful and happy indeed.

Well, I can't see why you would be grateful, except that there is still hope for those left after the rapture. People at that time are still capable of being saved, and becoming believers. But to be saved, one must absolutely refuse to take the mark of the beast (Antichrist/Satan). If one takes that mark, they have taken sides with Satan (Whoever the Antichrist is), and will no longer be capable of redemption.

[Spiff]

Why would anyone believe in the rapture? Its quite a bold set of claims, you'd think proof would be required.

[Exarch]

Well, I can't see why you would be grateful, except that there is still hope for those left after the rapture. People at that time are still capable of being saved, and becoming believers. But to be saved, one must absolutely refuse to take the mark of the beast (Antichrist/Satan). If one takes that mark, they have taken sides with Satan (Whoever the Antichrist is), and will no longer be capable of redemption.

ing christians and their obsession with purity...
i hope all that you say will happen, and i'll be grateful becuz the world'll be a uch better place without christianity

[Shadowcry]

What if Jesus picks up the CHurch of the Jehovah's?

[PointOfViewGun]

The Devil:
Welcome to Hell.
French are you here?
Atheists, atheist, over here please.
You must be feeling a right bunch of ********.
And finally Christians. I guess I'm sorry, I'm afraid the Jews were right.

[Ummagumma]

If - and stretching the term as far as it can go - if that were to happen, would 'belief' really be the appropriate phrase? If that happened there would be no room for belief, it would be happening, and real, and undeniable.

[The Good]

If - and stretching the term as far as it can go - if that were to happen, would 'belief' really be the appropriate phrase? If that happened there would be no room for belief, it would be happening, and real, and undeniable.

Well, you have to take in account that just because the rapture does happen, that doesn't mean even most of the people living at that time will believe. But I'm sure the rapture will be quite an eye-opener for many, many people...perhaps including you.

[Ummagumma]

But I'm sure the rapture will be quite an eye-opener for many, many people...perhaps including you.

I'm equally as sure that once you are dead you won't have the ability to disappointed when it never does. Each to his own though, eh.

[PointOfViewGun]

Isn't it supposed to happen like 42 days before the judgment day?

[ThiudareiksGunthigg]

The Bible (all over the Bible, not just the book of Revelation) prophecies this.[/URL]

Funny how Jesus never even mentions it though. That's rather strange, don't you think, considering how important you claim it is. Perhaps it just slipped his mind.

Or perhaps it's actually a quite modern, purely evangelical Protestant concept based entirely (and rather tenuously) on an interpretation of just one verse (1 Thessalonians 4:15–17)

Hmmm, I wonder which it might be ... :hmmm:

[Dayman]

Or perhaps it's actually a quite modern, purely evangelical Protestant concept based entirely (and rather tenuously) on an interpretation of just one verse (1 Thessalonians 4:15–17)

Besides that, Jesus says to his disciples that the end times will happen within their lifetimes.

Looks like he lied. But that's what cultists do.

[Bokks]

Funny how Jesus never even mentions it though. That's rather strange, don't you think, considering how important you claim it is. Perhaps it just slipped his mind.

Or perhaps it's actually a quite modern, purely evangelical Protestant concept based entirely (and rather tenuously) on an interpretation of just one verse (1 Thessalonians 4:15–17)

Hmmm, I wonder which it might be ... :hmmm:

Well it sure isn't a Protestant creation, I'm sure you're well aware of what happened in AD 1000, that all the Christians who could and were able travelled to Jerusalem like some Christian Hajj and waited for the Rapture... that never happened... then travelled back home and found their homes were rotten and broken.
Now, I would agree that it was something proposed far after Jesus' death; having been spoken by Paul who--while being a holy Apostle--never met Jesus (by his own admittion, so if anyone here wants to crucify me for that statement I'd advise to read that part of the bible), and was converted a few years after Christ's crucifixion, he probably spoke of it to further Christianity's attraction without any precedent declaration.

At any rate, people have been saying that Rapture (dun dun duuuuun) was in the near future for the last 2000 years. I'm still standing... and I don't think... nope, no demons on my doorstep.

But I would say that, considering everyone who invented cars, planes, sneakers, artificial rubber, computers and nuclear bombs was Christian, it's likely that the world would be a far different place without them. And I doubt that, despite the many quirks, no-one here would really like such a Christianless world. I know I wouldn't want a Jew-less or Muslim-less world...

[Wautd]

At any rate, people have been saying that Rapture (dun dun duuuuun) was in the near future for the last 2000 years. I'm still standing... and I don't think... nope, no demons on my doorstep.

If you're surrounded by morons who keep parotting the same drivel then eventually you start believing it. Peer pressure or what's the term.

[Bokks]

If you're surrounded by morons who keep parotting the same drivel then eventually you start believing it. Peer pressure or what's the term.

Well, the idea I was getting at was that the idea is a heck of a lot older than 150 years... my mom went to Catholic School and is freaked out about the prospect of Rapture. You don't get Catholics fearing a Protestant conception, not unless that belief was already in place. Now maybe the word was invented by some evangelical in the 19th century (something that i doubt too, since I doubt catholics would adopt a protestant word either, but it is entirely possible if not completely plausible) but I know for a fact that the idea was in place from the very beginning. If you look at old gravesites from early christianity and the middle ages--even modern ones, usually--they all face west. Why? Because when the Christ comes back to earth he leads everyone, the dead and the living, to heaven, and to travel in such a way they travel west. This tradition is as much a cornerstone of Christian faith as the prospect of Easter and the Resurrection is. You don't get traditions like that without a belief that it has a purpose, and what purpose is there but Rapture? Named or not the idea and belief was in place.


I just wanted to show you all what you have done!!!! Nooooo!

I'd certainly become a pious Christian if the Rapture occurred. Any sane man would. Of course, I'd also become a pious Scientologist if Xenu was to return with his glorious armada of jet-powered DC-3s too...

You have a good point, but I would stand and fight something like that, in any way I could. A religion based on something like that is like worshiping a Pharoah or Persian God-King if you ask me, technology can be learned and used...

[Captain Blackadder]

Well if all Christians suddenly disappear at the same time I would most likely become a believer in Christ unless Zeus comes up and says he has smitted the worst of the unbelievers in which case consider me a pagan.