1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

“Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord for ever.” vs. 17

When this verse is paired with a couple of other verses in the New Testament it provides the basis for what many have come to call “the rapture.” According to some the rapture removes all Christians from the earth and allows them to escape both the Tribulation and Armageddon. Those who believe in such things have constructed detailed scenarios that describe exactly what will happen and when. It’s what happens when all the verses of the bible are taken literally, especially when their context seems mysterious.

It’s doubtful that Paul expected that anything he wrote would be taken literally and used to predict the sequencing of the last days. All he wanted to do was assure his readers that they didn’t need to worry about dying before the Lord returned. His words were a comfort to them and not a roadmap!

But some people rather enjoy depicting a literal interpretation of the end times. A few have written books or even made movies that can be spine-tingling and scary. At best they provide entertainment for people living in an apocalyptic age like ours. At worst they confuse folks and leave them with a multitude of questions. People seldom understand that the books are only novels, and not scholarly interpretations of scripture.

Thought for the Day: What do I believe about the rapture?