Rapture, part 2: Four Reasons the Rapture is a Dangerous Idea.
Dissidents Guide to Revelation, Part 21
Last week, we explored the origins of Rapture theology, and I argued that it does not align with historic orthodox Christianity. The Rapture is not just a harmless theological concept. It has profound implications for how we read the Bible, how we view others, and how we understand the character of God. It forms us in particular ways that, I believe, can hinder the growth of the fruits of the Spirit in the average Christian.
There are Four things that, in my experience, Rapture theology cultivates in people.
A Speculative Reading of the Text
One of the dangers of the Rapture is that it leads to speculative readings of the Bible.1 One idea has surfaced time and again when I speak with people about the book of Revelation, that the book is full of secret messages; codes to be broken and deciphered. People often search the scriptures for hidden messages, trying to predict the future or identify good and evil. This approach misses Revelation's simple message: even though Babylon (the empires of the earth) is powerful and intimidating, the Lamb will be victorious through cross-shaped actions and enemy love. It is a dissident, theo-political message that the Lamb is the one to whom we should pledge allegiance.
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”The New International Version (Re 5:12). (2011). Zondervan.
Studying the Bible is not about deciphering secret codes or predicting the future. It's about being awakened to God's love and ordering our lives around that love. This love compels us to care for the poor, work for the freedom of the oppressed, see the dignity in every human being, and embrace those whom society considers outsiders.
But Rapture theology has a history of creating division between insiders and outsiders. It cultivates speculation that asks, "Who are the chosen ones? Who are the damned? Who will God rescue, and who will suffer?"
This is the posture of Babylon, which seeks to name and condemn their enemies.
It is not the posture of Jesus who invited all to sit and share his communion table, and who made his enemies his sisters and brothers.
The early Church's message, as seen in the Book of Acts, was one of tearing down walls and embracing all people, regardless of cultural boundaries. The apostles traded their former life of exclusion and judgment for a life of enemy love and transformational relationships across culturally divided lines.
Escapism
Another troubling aspect of Rapture theology is how it cultivates escapism. Instead of engaging with the world and its suffering, this theology suggests that the righteous will be whisked away to safety and the unrighteous left to suffer, abandoned. Yet, the story of the New Testament is one of God moving toward and into the darkness, not away from it.
Jesus grappled with escapist theology in the garden of Gethsemane, he asked:
…he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
The New International Version (Mt 26:39). (2011). Zondervan.
What we believe about Jesus's story should equal what we believe about the church's role. It is perfectly normal, even Christlike, to want to escape the darkness or to fight against it (like Peter before Jesus stopped him). But His body must go to the cross, and the church along with it.
Rapture theology makes fools of the church's martyrs, who stood for light in times of great darkness and did not escape; rather, they testified to the cross by embodying it.
I am reminded of a conversation between a boy and his father in McCarthy’s The Road:
“You have to carry the fire."
I don't know how to."
Yes, you do."
Is the fire real? The fire?"
Yes it is."
Where is it? I don't know where it is."
Yes you do. It's inside you. It always was there. I can see it.
― Cormac McCarthy, The Road
The Church is the presence of God; we carry the fire into the darkness.
The early creed of the Church, the Apostles' Creed, affirms the church's role by stating that Jesus descended into hell. This concept, known as the Harrowing of Hell, emphasizes that God joins us in our suffering and works to bring healing and restoration. The work of being light in the darkness cannot be done by searching for a way to retreat into the light. We must carry it.
Mental Distress and Abuse
One of the most harmful effects of Rapture theology is its impact on children. It instills irrational fears and anxieties, teaching them to fear being left behind or abandoned by God. I have heard countless congregants talk about the fear that they would be left alone as children to fend for themselves because they perhaps didn’t get their beliefs right. This anxiety stays with them for much of their adult journey, bringing them intense fear when competing ideas arise, fearing the wrath of God, and becoming unable to grow and change in their faith.
It is the same reason why I receive so much pushback every time I push against Rapture theology. There is intense fear connected to it.
This fear can also lead to a coercive approach to evangelism, where children feel pressured to convert others out of fear that they will be “left behind.” I remember these feelings in the late nineties when listening to DC Talk’s rendition of a song by Larry Norman called “I Wish We’d All Been Ready.”
Life was filled with guns and war
And everyone got trampled on the floor
I wish we'd all been ready
Children died, the days grew cold
A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold
I wish we'd all been ready
There's no time to change your mind
The Son has come and you've been left behind
This is not the peace that Christ has promised us.
This is not a “light yoke”. This is a heavy burden, especially for children.
It does not cultivate the fruits of the spirit, but rather, the terror of high-control religion.
Misrepresentations of God's Character
Your theology determines your actions.
If you believe that God is violent, you will accept a church that is violent.
If you believe that God is vengeful, you will build a church that is vengeful.
If you believe in a God that is punitive and who abandons sinners, then you will cultivate a church that will do the same.
Rapture theology distorts God’s character and cultivates all kinds of abuses, many of which have been coming to light in the last decade.
Above all we must remember the Christian message that God is exactly like Jesus.
When we practice interpretation, we must interpret everything through this lense.
Augustine once said:
“So anyone who thinks that he has understood the scriptures, or any part of them, but cannot by his understanding build up this double love of God and neigbour, has not yet succeeded in understanding them” Augustine, ‘On Christian Doctrine’
Rapture theology is not known to cultivate love of God and neighbors, but rather, abject fear of God and an acceptance that God will abandon them.
Ultimately, the Rapture communicates a distorted view of God's character. If we believe God is wrathful and removes his presence from the world because of sin, we will cultivate a church that reflects those beliefs as well.
The Rapture is not just a harmless belief; it has far-reaching consequences for how we live out our faith and treat others. It's essential to critically examine our beliefs and ensure that they align with God's true character as revealed in Jesus Christ.
Book Recommendations
I recommend reading books like "Surprised by Hope" by N.T. Wright and "Rapture Exposed" by Barbara Rossing for further exploration of these ideas. Let's embrace a theology that reflects God's inclusive love and engages with the world's suffering, rather than seeking to escape from it.
To learn more about this term and how speculative reading works, check out Scot McKnight and Cody Matchetts book, Revelation for the Rest of Us.