Rapture

[Imperator Romani]

Ok, to start this off, this is more than likely my last thread and participation in this part of the forum. As I stated, I believe arguing here is pointless with most. But if you have questions you can PM me, and I'm gonna put that in my sig so that those who are curious or just want to have a discussion about my beliefs can have a discussion about it. Don't worry, I won't try to convert you, I'll just explain.

O, and to Tigrul, hope you wouldn't mind PM'ing me that post of all the verses, I never got around to it and I wish to go over it. I just think that your view is mistaken, so I'd like to have an intelligent conversation that we can both benefit from.

But now for the question. Let's play a game. It's called imagine that God exists. Now I know that the atheists are thinking "Well he doesn't!" Well, that's why this a game for you.

Let's say that God exists and that the Bible is true. Let's say that we are approaching the end times. Let's say that the rapture the Bible talks about will actually happen.

So say it happens. The rapture is the taking of all the real Christians from the Earth. It states in the Bible that all the innocent children, babies, and true Christians will be taken from Earth before the time called Tribulation.

So say that this happens. Say you remember this thread, and you're thinking that there may be something to this Rapture thing. Say you look up sources about the Rapture and it defines what has just happened. Say you look up will happen in the future, and you see it happening.

What will you do? Will you convert? Will you deny it? Will you try to come up with theories such as aliens or extreme intelligence that some country the the US or Russia, etc, has?

This is just out of curiousity, I'm not trying to prove anything. I'm not trying to prove God, the rapture, anything. So anyone saying that I am will be ignored.

I'm gonna make the poll so you can't see who voted what, so that may deter some from trying to be funny, it may not.

And please, atheists, we all know that you don't believe in God, but play this game with me. Say everything I said happened.

[GuineaPig]

This is almost as loaded a thread as the "Atheism is full of absurdities" one.

[Phier]

I would be upset, because the job would be left less than half finished.

Its not fair to just take all the real Christians and leave us with all the real Muslims and real Jews.

If you are going to purge the earth of undesirables at least finish the job! Some god there eh?

Plus taking all the children would be just rotten. I happen to like my kids a lot and if they were sucked up into the sky I'd be rather upset. Perhaps I should have them commit a blood sacrifice to Baal, the lord of all, to maybe wash that 'innocent' tag off them.

I guess after that god guy kidnapped my children, or perhaps my grandchildren, I'd have to join forces with the anti-christ for revenge. I'd recommend a moon and a mars colony being the whole thing is only based around the earth. Let the genocidal maniac Jesus keep it, we will be waiting for his children, even in the ort cloud, waiting, watching, plotting.....

[The Dude]

I'm not really sure what rapture is. The end of the world? If the end of the world happens, should I convert or something? I have no idea. Wtf. And it's a silly question anyway because if the biblical end of the world is actually going to happen then that is proof that god exists and that's all atheists have ever asked for. With proof I'll gladly put my faith in god, it wouldn't even be called believing anymore.

[Dayman]

. And it's a silly question anyway because if the biblical end of the world is actually going to happen then that is proof that god exists and that's all atheists have ever asked for. With proof I'll gladly put my faith in god, it wouldn't even be called believing anymore.

Pretty much this.

It would be actual evidence for the existence of God.

[Manco]

If it's only real Christians that get to be saved, my guess is that almost no one will be.

Perhaps we'll have to file a few missing persons reports, I'd guess maybe 10.000 world wide. It won't be noticeable really.

[Fiyenyaa]

Of course you'd believe. You'd be a fool not to, with the evidence staring you in the face.

The fact remains that the Rapture is a half-baked theory even within Christianity - it's not agreed on, and it's mainly based on the book of Revelation, which is much closer to 'bad LSD trip' than any other scripture has got so far.

[Helm]

Yeah I probably would put it down to aliens, it's still more likely than God anyway.

[Dr. Croccer]

Fiyenyaa sorta nails it. Revelations is viewed with skepticism by many Christians so if the rapture does happen, only a select few that staunchly believed Revelations will go to Heaven meaning that 99.9999% of the world is ed.

[Heathen Hammer]

I'll be the first to join Satan's Dark Legions to bring heaven and pathetic abrahamic god to his demise!

[Pallantides]

I'll be the first to join Satan's Dark Legions to bring heaven and pathetic abrahamic god to his demise!

Sign me up...


We will tear down god from his throne.

[Heathen Hammer]

Sign me up...


We will tear down god from his throne.

We are possessed by all that is Evil
The death of your god we demand
We spit at the virgin you worship
And sit at Lord Satan's Left Hand

[Vladimir Lenin]

Let's say that the rapture the Bible talks about will actually happen.

Sure, but the rapture isn't biblical. It was only invented later on in the 1800's.

[Danisab]

I would do nothing. Because not believing in God is my nature, almost nothing can change it, it's like personality it does not matter if you was raised religious, if you have the chance of "desconverting" you do it.

So God won't make me pay for what is his plan for my life. And I could not instantely become a Christian if a not believe it. God would know that i'm not a believer.

But all that only applys if God did exist, which is something I really doubt.

[♔Jean-Luc Picard♔]

I am already a Catholic, so I'm set. Too bad the Rapture is not a Bible backed event and won't be happening.

[CtrlAltDe1337]

The "rapture" in the sense that most Dispensational American Christians use the word in isn't Biblical; I'd be happy if you could show me some verses where it says God will rapture the the Christian people out and leave non-Christians behind for a period of time. I have never seen these said verses. The only rapture the Bible speaks about will occur when Christ returns at the end of the age, and people will have no second chances to believe then.

But I don't mean to highjack this thread; its still an interesting question, so carry on

[NZSkep]

The "rapture" in the sense that most Dispensational American Christians use the word in isn't Biblical; I'd be happy if you could show me some verses where it says God will rapture the the Christian people out and leave non-Christians behind for a period of time. I have never seen these said verses. The only rapture the Bible speaks about will occur when Christ returns at the end of the age, and people will have no second chances to believe then.

But I don't mean to highjack this thread; its still an interesting question, so carry on

+1.

so, Mr OP, maybe you could point out these verses which describe the rapture so clearly, I'm curious.

now i admit, I haven't read every version fo the bible out there (there are several thousand different translations at least) but of the ones I have read, there is no mention of the rapture. Maybe you could point out which verse you are talking about?

[The Alchemist]

Voted wrong .Anyway, the Rapture is complete bull. The bible doesn't mention such an event anywhere. Its roots are obviously Calvinist (the whole "a few will go to heaven", not everybody who's proven themselves in God's eyes). This is just another protestant end days thing designed to scare the flock into the shepherd.

[CtrlAltDe1337]

Voted wrong .Anyway, the Rapture is complete bull. The bible doesn't mention such an event anywhere. Its roots are obviously Calvinist (the whole "a few will go to heaven", not everybody who's proven themselves in God's eyes). This is just another protestant end days thing designed to scare the flock into the shepherd.

The concept of a pre-return of Christ rapture is about as far from Calvinism as you can get. It comes from the Dispensational, Arminianist theology, as opposed to Covenental, Calvinistic/Reformed beliefs. Calvin had nothing to do with Dispenationalism, which spawned the modern concept of the rapture.

[Old_Scratch]