No Rapture

So, we are all still here. Fully clothed (unless you are into nudity). No rolling earthquakes. No sky opening up. No choirs of angels singing. People were not taken up to heaven in a mass.

I’m really trying hard not to be mocking but for all those people who believed the rapture was going to happen at 6:00 pm yesterday….REALLY??? You are basing this on the ramblings of an old man who has predicted this before and was wrong? Really?

Let me explain why this is was wrong:

1. Matthew 24:36 – “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

2. Matthew 24:42 – “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know what day your Lord will come.”

3. Matthew 24:44 – “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

4. Mark 13:33 – “Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.”

5. Luke 12:40 – “You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

6. There have always been earthquakes, wars, rumors of wars, and other devastating events. For example:

   1. A series of earthquakes from 1811 to 1812 in the eastern United States changed the direction of the Mississippi River for a while, caused a waterfall to appear on the Mississippi River, devastated towns in Missouri and some of the earthquakes were felt from the Midwest all the way to the east coast (cracked sidewalks in Washington, D.C., church bells ringing in Boston and chimneys toppled in Maine – all during the same earthquake).

   2. The 100 year war (actually lasted 116 years) was a series of wars from 1337 to 1453 in France. I would imagine that people thought it was the sign of the ends of times – after all it was a war that lasted a century and lasted for generations.

   3. The United States Civil War lasted for four years and caused the deaths of 620,000 soldiers and an undetermined number of civilian casualties. Ten percent of all Northern males 20-45 years of age died as did 30% of off Southern white males aged 18-40. In the midst of that, with slowness of the news and rumors, I’m sure that people felt the world was coming to an end.

   4. You think that Hurricane Katrina was bad and the worse hurricane in US history? Well, the Miami Hurricane of 1926 was so devastating that it cost $157 billion in damages (adjusted for inflation). Must have felt like God was inflicting judgment on people in the path of that storm.

7. The rapture is not mentioned in the Bible. Not at all. Really. Look it up!

The sad thing about all of this is that it reinforces non-believers beliefs that Christians are nuts. It leads to mocking and joking about God and God does not like to be mocked. Atheists have had a field day with this which leads me to think that the Devil must have been really crowing and rejoicing when he saw all the people spouting about the rapture and standing with signs saying the end was coming at this date and time.

God makes it very clear that we will not know the day and time. Let me repeat that…we will not know the day and time! Jesus is going to come like a thief in the night and EVERYONE will be surprised.

No matter who says it or what proof they may profess to have, no one has this information. Don’t believe them. They are lying and there is a good possibility they are being used by the Devil to lead people astray.

My pastor prayed a very good prayer this morning regarding this and I think we should all continue to pray about this. Pray that false prophets won’t lead us down the wrong path. Pray that people will ignore these idiots and follow the truth contained in the Bible. As I have pointed out, there are numerous Bible verses noting why these predictions are wrong. And those are only the Bible verses I looked up today. With a little more effort and research, I’m sure I could find more.

I feel sorry for all those poor lost souls who believed in the ramblings of this misinformed old man. I hope and pray they will see the truth and and find a church that will help them to grow in true faith. I also hope and pray the old man will see the truth. After all, he is in his 80’s and probably doesn’t have that much time left. May he see the truth before it is too late.

Someday angels will be singing, filling the sky with music and Christ will come on a cloud to judge the world. Someday. I don’t know when. No one knows. Just be ready. It could be today, tomorrow, next month, next year or 100 years from now. Or maybe even 1000 years from now. Since we don’t know, just be prepared. That is all we can do.