MagicalMerriment said:
Ugh, I REALLY don't like the "Left Behind" books, but that's just from personal experience. My mother read them a while back and, though she's not as bad about it now, for a while if ANYTHING bad happened at all (such as 9/11), she'd go around saying the end times were coming and God was showing us all these signs. She told me that she would probably die before the rapture came, but that I would be living, so I better believe in God, or I'd be left on earth while all those horrible things happened.
In other words, she really took the things seriously. Those books are just NOT for the feeble-minded and can be taken too easily for the truth. I know my mother's not the only one. I'm sure there are other people out there who have had to deal with those like my mother who immediately after reading them totally lost it and thought the end times were coming.
I'm not saying, of course, that the end times aren't - I don't know. I leave it to God. I'm not worried about it. I don't care what some pastor writes in a book. He doesn't know anymore than I do. God will take care of me in the end.
Try living in a family who believes that 24/7..........
I just escaped that type of mindset a couple years ago and had a tough time letting go until I really started researching what the Catholic church taught about the endtimes....and like you said, leave it to God and don't worry about it. It was tough to do that though when you have been indoctrinated with that type of fear thinking.
I've read all the Left Behind books (not the kids series). I gotta tell you that it's pretty good reading IF you take it as fiction. The problem is, like I read in another post, that it's a false doctrine that is being taught.
The Rapture, as taught in the evangelical/fundamentalist type protestant churches (those I attended), is a newer doctrine that is only about 150 years old (give or take a few years). The visionary who had this dream/vision, while sick with a fever no less, talked about seeing Christ coming in the clouds and taking up all the believers, etc. etc. etc. John Nelson Darby took this literally and ran with it spreading the vision like it was fact and then another dispensationalist, a Mr. Scofield, promoted this theory all the more, especially when he had his Scofield Study Bible published. The early 20th century was ablaze with this "knowledge" that the end times are approaching, then WWI and WWII happened, adding to the already bubbling pot. Don't forget the 6 Day War, when Jerusalem was united and the Jews returned to Judea and Samaria.....that was a key event that unlocked another door to open the way of Christ's immenent return. Certain prophesies must be fulfilled to usher in His Second Coming and Israel becoming a Jewish nation again surely meant He would return in our lifetime.........
Now there is a couple of problems with this rapture teaching that are very obvious when you are outside the box that some of these churches put you and God inside.
I've discussed this at length with my in-laws (who vehemently opposed my husband converting to the Catholic Church by the way) and my evangelical friend who said that we cannot be Christian if we are Catholic
but that's another story...........
These are the points that I brought up, and in typical style they pooh-poohed what I was saying claiming I was against solid biblical teaching:
The AOG denomination that we belonged to taught of Christ's Second Coming. Here is an exerpt from their official position paper on the rapture:
Under the section "The Blessed Hope" in the Statement of Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God, is the following statement:
"The resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ and their translation together with those who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord is the imminent and blessed hope of the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17; Romans 8:23; Titus 2:13; 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52)."
Jesus taught that He will return to earth. He was careful to warn His disciples to be constantly prepared for this (Matthew 24:42-51; 25:1-13; Mark 13:37; Luke 12:37).
They understood that the present age will end with His coming (Matthew 24:3). The assurance of His return was one of the truths with which He comforted His followers before His death (John 14:2, 3).
At the time of Christ's ascension two angels came to the group of watching disciples to repeat the promise that He will return. They declared it would be in the same manner as He went away (Acts 1:11). This clearly means His second coming will be literal, physical, and visible.
Now, I asked my friend this question, it's logical considering what is being taught here. After I posed this point to him, he started questioning the doctrine but decided to stand firm and back what his church taught despite his reservations.....I asked if it makes sense to teach the Second Coming of Jesus if in reality they are teaching 3 comings of Christ.......the first was His birth, the second is the rapture and the other second is when He comes back WITH those who were raptured at the end of the 7 year tribulation...
Other second?? Yes, they break the Second Coming into 2 phases, from the same paper:
Passages which pertain to the Rapture describe the coming of the Lord for His people. Passages which refer to the revelation of Christ describe the coming of the Lord with His saints. Colossians 3:4 speaks of believers appearing with Christ at His coming. Jude 14 also foresees the Lord's return with His people to execute the judgment referred to in many other passages relating to His public appearing.
Since Scripture does not contradict itself, it seems reasonable to conclude(does this little line raise a red flag to anyone else here? emphasis is mine of course) that the passages describing Christ's coming for the saints and with the saints indicate two phases of His coming. We believe it is scripturally correct to assume that the intervening period between the two is the time when the world will experience the Great Tribulation, involving the reign of Antichrist and the outpouring of God's wrath on the wicked (Daniel 12:1, 2, 10-13; Matthew 24:15-31; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12).
Although God's people may endure severe trials before the Lord comes, the Church will be raptured before the period called the Great Tribulation.
Passages which pertain to the Rapture describe the coming of the Lord for His people. Passages which refer to the revelation of Christ describe the coming of the Lord with His saints. Colossians 3:4 speaks of believers appearing with Christ at His coming. Jude 14 also foresees the Lord's return with His people to execute the judgment referred to in many other passages relating to His public appearing.
Since Scripture does not contradict itself, it seems reasonable to conclude that the passages describing Christ's coming for the saints and with the saints indicate two phases of His coming. We believe it is scripturally correct to assume that the intervening period between the two is the time when the world will experience the Great Tribulation, involving the reign of Antichrist and the outpouring of God's wrath on the wicked (Daniel 12:1, 2, 10-13; Matthew 24:15-31; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12).
Although God's people may endure severe trials before the Lord comes, the Church will be raptured before the period called the Great Tribulation.
Got that so far?
Now here was my next problem, which was answered with the obvious "Well they are wrong" line.
I asked why there were other beliefs within the protestant churches about the rapture, why do some teach, as our church did, that the rapture would happen before the Great Tribulation, yet other churches taught we would be here for 3 1/2 years before Christ came (called mid-trib), and still others, like our one non-denominational pastor friend, taught in post-trib rapture, that is the rapture will occur after the 7 years of the Great Tribulation. Still others held to the traditional Orthodox view most commonly called amillennial where it is taught that we will be gathered together with Christ one day, but in a nut shell don't base your entire doctrine of teaching around endtimes theology and live your life worrying about if Jesus is going to come back today.
I can't emphasize how I've been yelled at about questioning this easy way out of life..............
I simply stated that I was concerned that if,
IF we had to stay for part or all of the tribulation, shouldn't we be spiritually ready to endure all the suffering?
My mother-in-law got mad at me and said, and I quote her, "If you want to stay for the tribulation, you can stay, but I'm going up in the clouds with Jesus."
I told her that I want to be ready so my heart won't get hard against our Lord in case we had to stay and endure suffering. I don't want to shake my fist at God if we are left here and say, "You promised you'd rescue us from this, why aren't you coming?"..........She didn't like that. PLUS she didn't like the fact that I pointed out all the suffering the Israelites had to endure and they weren't raptured out of their situations. The plagues fell on Egypt but God protected the Israelites.....don't you think it would be possible for God to preserve those who live in the end times?
Apparently not, at least according to those die-hard pre-trib believers I've met and discussed this topic with.
Now onto the Left Behind series.
Again, I liked the books
AS FICTION and I work in a protestant Christian bookstore where we sell all this phooey. Anyone who asks about them, I tell them truthfully that I have a problem with this series being taken as fact. I have a problem with the whole rapture theory in general as taught in the above quotes from the position paper. People don't like to hear that. Now I have read all the books. I had to wait a year and a half for the last one to come out, "The Glorious Appearing".........I was curious to see which of the main characters would live or die and how Jesus' return would be portrayed.
I gotta tell you.........the book stunk, stank, stinks........
I was so let down, the end was written like everyone happened to meet in Walmart, and say "OH! Hey! How are you doing?" They took passages from the Bible OT and NT to have something for Jesus to say in the climax of the story. It was terribly written.
Come to find out, Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye had a falling out before the book was finished. They apparently published it, just to be done with it. And it was very obvious that's what happened.
So there's some nifty info for you incase you are ever approached by someone with a Chick Track called "The Last Generation" (available for your viewing pleasure on chick.com) you'll at least have a heads up on what the heck they are talking about.
My advice, learn what the Catholic Church teaches on the subject so you can plant a seed (a term fundies love to use) and pray for their conversion. And remember:
"But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. . . . Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of persons ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be kindled and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire! But according to his promise we wait for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you wait for these, be zealous to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace" (2 Pet. 3:814).
God bless!
