Excited for the Rapture

[KingMerv00]

After wandering around the "Rapture Ready" site and hearing the wackos on TV, I have been wondering something.

Why are fundamentalist so enthusiastic for the rapture to come? Doesn't that signal the start of incredible suffering for billions of people? If they are so confident they are going to heaven anyway, why not just hope for death instead?

 

[Marquis de Carabas]

Because billions of people suffering is funny.

 

[the_ignored]

Easy. They can't wait to get out of this "sinful" world, dontcha know? Mind you, there ARE a lot of freaks here, so one can't totally blame them for wanting to leave...

But their pathological whining gets on my nerves, so I hardly ever go to their site anymore.

 

[Richard G]

Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Rev 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
Rev 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Rev 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
Rev 2:28 And I will give him the morning star.
Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Rev 3:6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Rev 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Rev 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Rev 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Rev 3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Rev 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Rev 22:15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Rev 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

 

[Ducky]

I don't know about the fundies, but hell, *I'D* welcome the rapture just to get rid of the condescending obnoxious jerks.

 

[Freakshow]

Easy. They can't wait to get out of this "sinful" world, dontcha know? Mind you, there ARE a lot of freaks here, so one can't totally blame them for wanting to leave...

But their pathological whining gets on my nerves, so I hardly ever go to their site anymore.

Actually, I rather like the fact that there are so many freaks here.

 

[MapMack]

Matthew 23:36 - Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

Matthew 24:34 - Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Mark 13:30 - Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.

Unless any contemporaries of the writers of these books are still alive, it looks like they already missed the boat! Or perhaps, are we wasting all of this time discussing failed prophecy?

 

[Anti_Hypeman]

It sells books for one. Jesus could come back any second is also a scare tactic to refute the Ill just repent on my death bed doctrine. You have to tithe now only 30 more seconds left on this one time offer. Same tactics that infomercials use.

I find it amusing that every generation for the past 2000 years has been the "terminal" generation.

Jack Van Impe is my favorate doomsday preacher, John Hauge has to be the most disgusting. Somtimes at 2 in the morning armageddon TV is the best thing on.

 

[MapMack]

, and sell books it does! I was reading the "left behind" series just to get a better feel for what the fundi's were thinking. I quit when it became obvious that the writers were just milking a cash cow after about the fifth book.

 

[KingMerv00]

Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Rev 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
Rev 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Rev 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
Rev 2:28 And I will give him the morning star.
Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Rev 3:6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Rev 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Rev 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Rev 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Rev 3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Rev 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Rev 22:15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Rev 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Is your opinion somewhere in here?

BTW you are posting portions of text without giving credit to the author(s). God may smite thee with a copyright suit.

 

[jan]

I don't have an opinion, but a quote nevertheless:

Tool, Ænema

Some say a comet will fall from the sky.
Followed by meteor showers and tidal waves.
Followed by faultlines that cannot sit still.
Followed by millions of dumbfounded ◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊.

Some say the end is near.
Some say we'll see armageddon soon.
I certainly hope we will cuz
I sure could use a vacation from this

Silly shít, stupid shít...

 

[Achán hiNidráne]

Why are fundamentalist so enthusiastic for the rapture to come? Doesn't that signal the start of incredible suffering for billions of people?

Because watching the sinners, heathens, and blasphemers writh in THE HELLFIRE does the chartiable soul of the believer so much good.

If they are so confident they are going to heaven anyway, why not just hope for death instead?

Because dying is so easy; any muslim, Jew, peagan, or athiest can do it. It takes a REAL Christian to ascend bodily into heaven without that painful and gross mucking about with death and decomposition.

I'd say something crass about the ancient Romans not feeding enough of the early Christians to the lions, but the whole "martyrdom" thing never happened anyway.

 

[Richard G]

Matthew 23:36 - Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

Stop.

WHAT will come upon WHICH generation. Go back and read the preceding verses:

Mat 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
Mat 23:28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Mat 23:29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
Mat 23:30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
Mat 23:31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.
Mat 23:32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
Mat 23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
Mat 23:34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
Mat 23:35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

So it is the generation that rejects the prophets, Jesus, and that persecute righteous men. They will give account for the blood on their hands on the Day of Judgement.

Matthew 24:34 - Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Stop.

WHAT generation, and WHAT things:

Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Mat 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Mat 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Mat 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
Mat 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Mat 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Mat 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Mat 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand: )
Mat 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
Mat 24:17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
Mat 24:18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
Mat 24:19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
Mat 24:20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Mat 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Mat 24:23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Mat 24:25 Behold, I have told you before.
Mat 24:26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
Mat 24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Mat 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Mat 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
Mat 24:33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

The generation that sees all these things shall what?....
Matthew 24:34 - Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled

This was a message to the last generation, which sees all these things happen.

Mark 13:30 - Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.

Stop.

Same thing here. This is synoptic with Matthew, and reads almost identical to the verses above. . This refers to the last generation of man, who sees these things come to pass.

 

[Tricky]

The thing I've asked which none of the rapture-ready Christians or any other believers in Hell can answer logically is this:

If you know that certain ones of your loved ones, the unsaved ones, are going to be tormented through eternity, how could you possibly enjoy heaven?

The the only answer that seems to make any sense is "God makes you forget your earthly existence". It makes sense, but having all my memories removed is not something I would ever want to do.

 

[jan]

The the only answer that seems to make any sense is "God makes you forget your earthly existence". It makes sense, but having all my memories removed is not something I would ever want to do.

Another answer I heard was: God makes you see that it is necessary that they burn in hell, so that you are glad about it.

Basically, God brainwashes you. Doesn't sound that attractive either.

 

[Dr Adequate]

Why are fundamentalist so enthusiastic for the rapture to come?

Because when it does, all the non-fundies who are left behind will realize that the fundies were right all along, rather than, as we supposed, a bunch of halfwits living in la-la land.

 

[Beerina]

Why are fundamentalist so enthusiastic for the rapture to come?

Because when it does, all the non-fundies who are left behind will realize that the fundies were right all along, rather than, as we supposed, a bunch of halfwits living in la-la land. [/QUOTE]

Presumably I will fall to my knees screaming, "I'm sorry! I should have been worshiping a god who lets children be raped to death, all along! I'm sorry, God, forgive me for being so stupid!"

 

[jimmygun]

Jesus will rule on earth, God will rule in heaven. If only the righteous among us are going to be saved or sent to heaven, what need is there for a ruler? Won't people just behave themselves? Won't people automatically do the right thing? There shouldn't be any dissention or argument in either place that would require the rule of a ruler.

Unless of course god in his infinate humour decides to let evil raise its ugly head again then start the whole pissing match over again.

 

[Brahe]

Presumably I will fall to my knees screaming, "I'm sorry! I should have been worshiping a god who lets children be raped to death, all along! I'm sorry, God, forgive me for being so stupid!"

Well, yes, actually. Keep in mind that there's a common belief among fundamentalists that atheists really do know that God exists, but we "harden our hearts" or turn away so we don't have to give up our immoral lifestyles. Oh, and a God who lets children be raped to death? God's really kind and merciful, but works in mysterious ways...you just don't accept such awesome logic because you're an atheist, and have blinded yourself to the truth.

 

[advancedatheist]

What happens to the bodies of christian cyborgs at the rapture? Do the meat parts get taken, and the artificial parts stay behind?

What if a christian receives a heart or kidney transplant from an atheist? The bible states that Jesus looks at people's hearts and kidneys (Revelation 2:23 in Greek uses the literal word for "kidneys"), so would Jesus pass you over for having sinful organs?