Suppose the Rapture is Real?

Imagine what this would do to you emotionally.

Details:
You are single. You live alone in an apartment building in a small city. You work in an office complex with say...100 other people.

Scenario:
You get up and get ready for work. As you do every morning, you turn on your favorite tv program and have some coffee. Your favorite channel is nothing but static and you think "damned cable is out again"! You turn the tv off and finish your coffee. Now you are in your car heading to work, you put your favorite cd in and are therefore unaware of anything unusual going on. You notice that the traffic is light, but think little of it, shoot your a bit early this morning anyway so that is probably the reason. You pull into your parking space at work. You are a little confused by the lack of cars in the lot. You see a couple of co-workers standing at the door. You walk over and join them. They are discussing the lack of people at work. The door is locked they inform you, because the secretary, Ms. Bowles a.k.a (Ms. Bible) is not here yet. You mention the lack of cars on the road and yes they admit, they noticed it as well.Another 20 minutes passes, and you are now all latefor work! You are wondering again where everyone is... Just then, another co-worker pulls up, its Jim, and he is frantic. He runs over to where you all are standing ranting about the news saying something about people everywhere, all over the world have disappeared. Vanished without a trace. Wrecks everywhere, planes crashing, fires raging, trains derailed, they don't know what happened. They say maybe aliens took them...millions and millions of people...they can't explain it... no.... they can't...but you can. You know what happened, your mother tried and tried to tell you, but you chose not to listen...not to believe.... the rapture!

Reaction:
Okay, I know that I am going to get flamed, but this is just a what if!

What would you do?
Where would you go?
Would you pray or cuss?
Would you loot?
How do you think you would fare psychologically?

reply to post by Greenize


You must be a psychologist Greenize, because you are always starting psychological threads like this. Or... you work for some three letter agency wanting some kind of statistical analysis of what reactions or stances people might take towards certain hypothetical situations.

But... that is cool, and it is different also, like a breath of fresh air.

As too your theoretical situation question.... It will never happen, and people that believe it will happen are just dreaming.....

Well, more world for me.
The thing about the rapture is, if we are all 'God's Children' wouldn't he save us all? Why would he only save a few? That doesn't make sense. And another way the rapture can't be true is why is earth so special? Couldn't Lucifer rize up on another planet that God made and smite the non-believers there?

The Bible was written by man for the purpose of corrupting man and enticing them to kill the 'non-believers'. Take that STORYBOOK with a grain of salt.

I have a different way of thinking and I have a tendency to psychoanalyze
people, but alas I am a lowly bank teller...lol Thanks for your input! I perhaps think to much huh?

I believe the rapture may be a false doctrine inserted by the Roman Catholic Church to distract and confuse the Protestants.

I also think that what Jesus had in mind was a type of participative eschatology to bring about the reign of God's kingdom to earth, a kingdom of light and love.

Scenario is sci-fi idealistic... and interesting to ponder.. but I don't see it happening like that. I see some people staying here, on this planet out of choice, some moving on to "greener pastures" and or "same green pastures". I see a change similar to it, but I don't think disappearing is exactly how they "move on". I don't think they vibrate out of our ability to see them, and I don't think they are "harvested" by aliens... But my opinion is not really that important in the scheme of things.

I would freak out. I don't know what I would do, really. I may tell God I'm sorry, and thank him for the proof, but then again, I may think somewhere in the back of my mind that it's some man-made or alien-related disaster.

I'm to the point where I believe there is a possibility of a God, but I need some solid proof. In the meantime, while I wait for that proof, I live a moral life by choice and hope God will forgive me for not being a die-hard beliver if said rapture does come, and if it's not in my lifetime, then upon my passing.



[edit on 2-6-2009 by Heatburger]

Of course the Rapture is Real. Your just confused as to the date.
Its in the Present Moment, not some future.
Remember everything in
Churchianity is Jesus taught backwards.

Jesus said:"The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand."

Ask yourself why you dont believe what He said.

I have personally seen a bit of it. One swoons in Love
in the Presence of the Appearing Divine Person.

reply to post by OmegaPoint
The rapture doctrine does not derive from the Catholic Church, but from the Prostestants. A young Irish girl supposedly had a vision of some sort(that sounded suspiciously like something coming from a schizophrenic) and told a Bishop Darby, who I believe was anglican. The whole doctrine sprang from there.
The word "rapture" does not appear in the Bible, but comes from 2 Timothy chapter 4:1-8. Paraphrasing, it says in an instant we shall all be changed, and when we see Christ we will all be changed.
I suggest the readers look it up for themselves, either in their family bible or on line. This is the primary scripture from which rapture doctrine comes, but was not introduced into church theology.

reply to post by Greenize

I'd go home, put a few good ol' war movies like The Big Red One and Kelly's Heroes on the DVD player, relax with the kids, and wait for something to happen. I reckon we'd be waiting awhile.

What would you do?

It would all depend on how many people are left.

Looking at our society and its people, a Rapture probably wouldn't include that many people.

Given the planet's population and the amount of people that go missing each year, a Rapture might not even show up as a statistical anomaly.

Taking your hypothetical with current reality it's quite likely that none of us would notice.

reply to post by Greenize


you make it sound like more than half the population will disappear when the bible hints only 1 in 7 CHRISTIANS will be taken when it happens

As I stated in the opening...this is just a what if type of scenario...that is why I included no scripture. I was leaning more toward the psychological aspect of it. And I have never heard of 1 in every 7 christian being taken anyway.... one of the scriptures most sited is the one that says two women will be grinding at the wheel one will be taken the other left...two men in the field, one taken the other left...something like that, anyway...I didn't mean to get into that...just a suppose....

ok I will respond to scenario, just for psychological reasons/fun.

I would first start figuring out who that I knew was gone. Then I would try to figure out based on what I knew of all of them why them and not me. Then I would probably try to find anyone who I knew closely that was still here, and discuss it with them. Form a philosophy and a game plan for the future. Start thinking about what kind of life to live in that scenario, and then look for the best vacant house to move into that I could find.

reply to post by seagrass


Great answer! Thank you, that it what I was looking for! I hadn't thought of the real estate aspect, I liked that!

Originally posted by Greenize
reply to post by seagrass

 

Great answer! Thank you, that it what I was looking for! I hadn't thought of the real estate aspect, I liked that!

lol I would probably look for a self sufficient home, an Earth ship or something that I could work to sustain myself and my fellows with. Start a community.

The Pre-Tribulation Rapture, which is the scenario you're painting, is a recent invention. There are other views within Christian thinking.

The view I subscribe to has the resurrection and ascension of Christians (which is what the Rapture is) occurring immediately before the resurrection of all the rest of humanity...on the same day.

So, from what I see in Scripture, there is no long separation between the two resurrections. The resurrection of believers and non-believers happen on what Jesus called the Last Day.

reply to post by Greenize


:-)

I was raised in a home without religion - so, funny story...

when I was about 13 - somehow a group of us were convinced we should stay after school and watch a little movie

the movie was about The Rapture - which - since I was ignorant of the whole subject I thought was really about raptors (my dad was a bird guy - so, that's another story...)

anyway - basic part of the story I remember was a little girl being sent to borrow a stick of butter from a neighbor - long story short - right after she gets the butter, she gets to go to heaven right then and there

...close up of a stick of butter melting on the sidewalk...

I think I remember her mother panicking - where's her little girl?

mom didn't get to go to heaven - I guess

it was longer than that - but I swear - that's all I can remember - mom/girl/butter/panic

after the movie - I remember wondering - WTH? :-)

first of all - I was raised on science fiction - and all I could think was - wow - really lame story

there was a little discussion after - and then I realized - hey - these people think this is real...

Okay, I know that I am going to get flamed, but this is just a what if! What would you do? Where would you go? Would you pray or cuss? Would you loot? How do you think you would fare psychologically?

so - to answer your question - I'd probably think two things:

first: bummer - dudes were right
2nd: aliens - only logical explanation

how would I fare psychologically? I think that is really an excellent question

if it really happened - just as you described - I have to be honest and say - I have no clue how I would deal with it - but I would deal with it - just like I do with everything else that happens

Thank you for your replies. What would I do? I would try and find a place to hide, maybe with some like minded people, because we all know that there are people that would be looting, killing, raping, pillaging, all kinds of things because they would snap!

If the rapture did happen and I was one of those left behind I know exactly what I would do.

1. Crap my pants.
(change shorts between 1 &2)
2. Get religion.
3. Try and survive the plagues that will come down on us.
4. Not side with the anti christ.
5. Read the left behind novels to use as a survival guide.
6. Fight for God.
7. Probably die as the survival rate will be very low.
8. Hope I did 1-7 right so that I won't burn.