It's the end of the world.....
Salutations dear reader:
Many apologies for ignoring this my safety valve, and possibly your chance to read along as I have a melt down. I've been busy. I've been working on an upholstery framed chair...never did one of those.
However, the recent "Rapture" ripple in my otherwise tranquil life caused me to yet again find the need to vent.
The Rapture is based on a single turn of a phrase used by Paul in the letter to the Thessalonians: "...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..."
The "rapture" scare(s) are mostly the fault of one man: an 89 year old radio preacher by the name of Harold Camping. Who states he found a secret code in the bible that allowed him to calculate when the Biblical event of the Rapture was going to occur, and that the world would end 5 years later.
Contrary to popular belief, the theory of the rapture began in the early 1830’s. It was invented by Margaret MacDonald of Scotland and promoted by Edward Irving. Margaret claimed to have had visions of the second and third coming of Christ. Irving, a Presbyterian preacher, promoted the idea that there was to be a restoration of spiritual gifts before Christ’s return. It was at that time, the 1830’s and 1840’s, when he expected Christ’s return to take place. The date for Christ’s return was set at 1844. The year came and Christ did not return. Nevertheless, many continued to follow the leadership of Irving. He emphasized the tongues gift. This was not the genuine tongues of the Acts of the Apostles, but the phony tongues of speaking gibberish and claiming it to be a gift from God. The Presbyterian Church kicked him out as his movement began to slide into high gear.
Irving was an eloquent and charismatic speaker, and therefore was able to influence large groups of people. Emotion was emphasized. The main group that continued his teachings was the Catholic Apostolic Church, of which Margaret MacDonald was a member. However, it eventually became the beginnings of modern day Pentecostal religion.
In the 1830’s, in Scotland, many people were claiming to have the gift of tongues. This, too, was the phony tongues, speaking gibberish and claiming it to be spiritual. Margaret MacDonald was sick. She thought she was dying. However, she also thought she had a vision. The vision, she claimed, revealed that Christ would return in two stages, a second coming and a third coming.
According to her belief, in stage one, Christ would be coming for the saints. In stage two, he would be coming with the saints.
The stage one would be a pre-tribulation rapture, allowing select people to go to heaven and cool their heels, while the rest of the population suffered through the tribulation. This, strangely enough, is the origin of the very popular rapture theory that has been the message behind the “Left Behind” books and movies.
The theologian John Darby visited Scotland and Margaret MacDonald. Although he was not fond of the Pentecostal gymnastics he witnessed, he did adopt the rapture theory and popularized it, so much so that even now many mistakenly believe Darby to have invented the rapture theory himself.
John Darby did invent dispensationalism, which paved the way for the cheap grace movement that was embraced by thousands of converts. Leaders taught that between the first and second coming of Christ was the dispensation of grace, with obedience to God (obedience to the Ten Commandments) optional. This belief spread like a virus over Scotland, Ireland, and parts of England.
Margaret MacDonald’s rapture theory indicated that Christ would come first in a secret rapture and silently whisk the Christians away, leaving people behind, dumbfounded over the absence of their co-workers, friends, and relatives. (http://afsscorp.stormloader.com/ans/whorapture.html)
NO where in the Bible does it state that there will come a time to be discovered in the bible by God's chosen, where Jesus will come down to give a prequel to the end of days by raising the blessed up to heaven. In fact, if you have READ your bible, you see that in the book of MARK (13:32) "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. " and from Jesus himself (ACTS 1:7)He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority." IE THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! You'll also notice there is no mention of an old man with a secret decoder ring...
However the unfortunate people that bought into this line of BULLSHIT, don't bother to read their bibles...they have someone "INTERPRET" it for them... and according to the interpreter They twist the words in the bible to suit the hatred (fear) du jour.
Yeah I know what your thinking, 'albert, if I wanted to have the bible quoted to me, I'd visit my Aunt Rose, which I don't.'
My issue with all this is that these people hold their bibles up as a both a weapon and a shield. I don't allow a Bronze-Iron age history of a refugee people in Babylon OR the rumors surrounding the life and death of a man who knew the truth have any more then a minimum of influence over me. (What JESUS SAID wasn't actually written down till hundreds of years after the event-funny how that sorta thing can be changed and elaborated on after that much time. Ever wonder what Thomas Jeffeson actually SAID when they debated the Declaration of Independence?)
My Point in bringing all this up: You should live your life every minute of every day as though you would be meeting your maker that evening and be able to face him without shame. If you are living your life according to the Bible you hold so dear then you shouldn't be concerned about the Rapture or Armageddon, And if you are a true believer you shouldn't depend on 89 year old radio preachers to interpret it for you. Here's a HINT, sit down and read the damn book and don't depend on someone who expects you to give him donations to try and sell you this kind of bull. Society went to a lot of trouble to teach you how to read, the least you can do is exercise that skill before you go running around in hysterical circles attempting to convince the rest of us that Jesus is going to show up and boy are we gonna get it!
Its a good thing that we live in America with freedom of both speech and of belief, If it were anywhere else Mr. Camping could be held accountable for disrupting the public good, attempting to incite a riot, Fraud, and I'm thinking a few other things....125 years ago, there's a better average chance he'd have been tarred and feathered. I'm thinking the least that should happen is that Mr. Camping be held accountable for the money that was donated to him on this 2nd failed attempt to scare society by predicting a non biblical event because of a secret knowledge he has of a historically inaccurate book.
Many apologies for ignoring this my safety valve, and possibly your chance to read along as I have a melt down. I've been busy. I've been working on an upholstery framed chair...never did one of those.
However, the recent "Rapture" ripple in my otherwise tranquil life caused me to yet again find the need to vent.
The Rapture is based on a single turn of a phrase used by Paul in the letter to the Thessalonians: "...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..."
The "rapture" scare(s) are mostly the fault of one man: an 89 year old radio preacher by the name of Harold Camping. Who states he found a secret code in the bible that allowed him to calculate when the Biblical event of the Rapture was going to occur, and that the world would end 5 years later.
Contrary to popular belief, the theory of the rapture began in the early 1830’s. It was invented by Margaret MacDonald of Scotland and promoted by Edward Irving. Margaret claimed to have had visions of the second and third coming of Christ. Irving, a Presbyterian preacher, promoted the idea that there was to be a restoration of spiritual gifts before Christ’s return. It was at that time, the 1830’s and 1840’s, when he expected Christ’s return to take place. The date for Christ’s return was set at 1844. The year came and Christ did not return. Nevertheless, many continued to follow the leadership of Irving. He emphasized the tongues gift. This was not the genuine tongues of the Acts of the Apostles, but the phony tongues of speaking gibberish and claiming it to be a gift from God. The Presbyterian Church kicked him out as his movement began to slide into high gear.
Irving was an eloquent and charismatic speaker, and therefore was able to influence large groups of people. Emotion was emphasized. The main group that continued his teachings was the Catholic Apostolic Church, of which Margaret MacDonald was a member. However, it eventually became the beginnings of modern day Pentecostal religion.
In the 1830’s, in Scotland, many people were claiming to have the gift of tongues. This, too, was the phony tongues, speaking gibberish and claiming it to be spiritual. Margaret MacDonald was sick. She thought she was dying. However, she also thought she had a vision. The vision, she claimed, revealed that Christ would return in two stages, a second coming and a third coming.
According to her belief, in stage one, Christ would be coming for the saints. In stage two, he would be coming with the saints.
The stage one would be a pre-tribulation rapture, allowing select people to go to heaven and cool their heels, while the rest of the population suffered through the tribulation. This, strangely enough, is the origin of the very popular rapture theory that has been the message behind the “Left Behind” books and movies.
The theologian John Darby visited Scotland and Margaret MacDonald. Although he was not fond of the Pentecostal gymnastics he witnessed, he did adopt the rapture theory and popularized it, so much so that even now many mistakenly believe Darby to have invented the rapture theory himself.
John Darby did invent dispensationalism, which paved the way for the cheap grace movement that was embraced by thousands of converts. Leaders taught that between the first and second coming of Christ was the dispensation of grace, with obedience to God (obedience to the Ten Commandments) optional. This belief spread like a virus over Scotland, Ireland, and parts of England.
Margaret MacDonald’s rapture theory indicated that Christ would come first in a secret rapture and silently whisk the Christians away, leaving people behind, dumbfounded over the absence of their co-workers, friends, and relatives. (http://afsscorp.stormloader.com/ans/whorapture.html)
NO where in the Bible does it state that there will come a time to be discovered in the bible by God's chosen, where Jesus will come down to give a prequel to the end of days by raising the blessed up to heaven. In fact, if you have READ your bible, you see that in the book of MARK (13:32) "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. " and from Jesus himself (ACTS 1:7)He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority." IE THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! You'll also notice there is no mention of an old man with a secret decoder ring...
However the unfortunate people that bought into this line of BULLSHIT, don't bother to read their bibles...they have someone "INTERPRET" it for them... and according to the interpreter They twist the words in the bible to suit the hatred (fear) du jour.
Yeah I know what your thinking, 'albert, if I wanted to have the bible quoted to me, I'd visit my Aunt Rose, which I don't.'
My issue with all this is that these people hold their bibles up as a both a weapon and a shield. I don't allow a Bronze-Iron age history of a refugee people in Babylon OR the rumors surrounding the life and death of a man who knew the truth have any more then a minimum of influence over me. (What JESUS SAID wasn't actually written down till hundreds of years after the event-funny how that sorta thing can be changed and elaborated on after that much time. Ever wonder what Thomas Jeffeson actually SAID when they debated the Declaration of Independence?)
My Point in bringing all this up: You should live your life every minute of every day as though you would be meeting your maker that evening and be able to face him without shame. If you are living your life according to the Bible you hold so dear then you shouldn't be concerned about the Rapture or Armageddon, And if you are a true believer you shouldn't depend on 89 year old radio preachers to interpret it for you. Here's a HINT, sit down and read the damn book and don't depend on someone who expects you to give him donations to try and sell you this kind of bull. Society went to a lot of trouble to teach you how to read, the least you can do is exercise that skill before you go running around in hysterical circles attempting to convince the rest of us that Jesus is going to show up and boy are we gonna get it!
Its a good thing that we live in America with freedom of both speech and of belief, If it were anywhere else Mr. Camping could be held accountable for disrupting the public good, attempting to incite a riot, Fraud, and I'm thinking a few other things....125 years ago, there's a better average chance he'd have been tarred and feathered. I'm thinking the least that should happen is that Mr. Camping be held accountable for the money that was donated to him on this 2nd failed attempt to scare society by predicting a non biblical event because of a secret knowledge he has of a historically inaccurate book.
posted by ak at 11:36 AM
2 comments
