“Return of Jesus”, the “Rapture”, or the “Resurrection”

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Today’s Blog Post


“Return of Jesus”, the “Rapture”, or the “Resurrection”

I have between One to Twenty Years left to live. At the very outside that may be Thirty Three Years – which could put me at 100 years old. I will be dead after that… gone on to my reward.

If I was to make it to the full 100 year old mark – it would be 2044.

It is predicted that by the end of this year, 2011, the population of the Earth will exceed 7 Billion people. In 1944, when I was born, there were about 2 Billion people. In my short life time of 67 years the population has tripled in size. There are a lot more people sitting down to eat with us at the Big Table.

By 2050 – when I would be 107 years old – it will reach 10.5 Billion.

I was reading the National Geographic Magazine’s amazing article on the facts of our Population and what it means to us.

To me – it will not mean that much… at least that is what I thought for a while.

On the lighter side, when I reach the age of entering a Senior’s complex, there may well be Not Enough Beds for the Seniors booking in! Or worse yet the food stuff will not be enough.

My great, great grandkids could be looking at a very crowded Canada with our country needing to share more of its vast open space with other people. For one thing my grand children of the next generations will likely work overseas to help the population needs that are coming. How could they stay home when the need will be so great? If they have my genetic make up they will not be able to!!!!

As I was reflecting on this old thoughts came back from a conversation of a few weeks ago. I had been listening to what a Senior Friend of ours had stated. Her husband is now 92 and very close to his promotion.

She stated the obvious of her generation, “We never thought we would live this long. When we were young we fully expected that Jesus would come back before we ever grew old together.”

For those that connect with this Blog from all over the world, and especially from Countries that have little exposure to Christianity I need to explain something that was preached in our churches long ago. I am also explaining this for the present generation coming after me, for many of you have never heard this part of our Theology in our present Christian Church.

The Church preached that Jesus Christ would come back at any moment. No one knew the day or nor the hour. There was an excitement about this possibly happening in the very near future. Like maybe today, tomorrow, before the end of the week… and if not then it would definitely be before the end of the year.

I can remember as a boy sitting very close to my father’s side, and listening to the Preacher at the front of the church passionately preach about the soon return of Christ.

I remember wondering if we would make it to Christmas and see a New year. I never thought I would become a teenager or ever get married. The preaching was that good – or clear on the topic of the Return of Jesus Christ at which time he would Rapture the Believers that were scattered all over the world. Suddenly every born again Christian would be gone.

The preaching was that powerful when I was young that all the people that died and were buried had their head stones facing east, with their head at the stone and feet at the east end. The belief was that when the Resurrection took place the bodies of our dead loved ones would sit up, stand up and then rise with Jesus in the air. The idea that we were spiritual beings as well as physical beings were mashed together and stayed that way even after death.

A side line to this thinking was not only the burial of the body with feet first to the east, but it was also not a good idea to Cremate a body. It was not a good thing to do with the body back in my early days.

Now we burry whatever way it is available for a grave site. The feet face in all kinds of funny directions and Cremation probably outnumbers the more traditional way of embalming and placing a body in a big casket.

The church has less and less of the message that used to be preached. In fact if we are honest, we do not hear that preached from any pulpit now. It is not something that is talked about.

I preached this when I was much younger in the Walkerton church I pastored. People in 1974 still got excited about this and even shouted “Glory” when I got excited about it all.

I have been retired for two and half years and I have not heard one message or mention of the “Return of Jesus”, the “Rapture”, or the “Resurrection” – in all the preaching that I have sat through.

I must be fair also in that I stopped preaching that as well… sometime after we needed to address the Debt on the Church each Sunday, or between the eras that I was overly concerned about my own Pastoral Position in the church – which was to be eliminated because or whatever.

Why pay off the Church Debt… if everyone will be Raptured and no one will be around?

Job Insecurity puts a crunch on what is said from a pulpit. My Presbyterian Pastor Friends simply don’t raise the issue from the pulpit either. None of the other guys do that either.

But we do slip it in when the funeral takes place when we remind each other that the old scriptures do talk about it… and we will see this loved one again… etc… etc…

What will happen with all these folks on Earth?

The National Geographic Magazine actually makes reference to the doomsday predictions and also to the end of the world times... that the church used to refer to. The Church doesn’t talk about it but NGM does?

Back in my boyhood days when the population was 2 Billion – the Christians might have come close to being a majority. In 2011 I have my doubts that this is true.

If the world did lose all the Christians in one night(or day or afternoon) – there would be more space for others.

My how the message of Christians has changed.

Further to this thinking… in the old days… when Christ was just about to return… the industrialization and industry in general gave little thought of how they treated the soil, the water, the Oceans, or anything. Many of the very rich were Christians. Because Jesus would return soon… what did it matter? The Christians above all may have been the most reckless with what they had responsibility for. Their escape was sure so why worry about being a good steward of what they had at the time?

Now I just know that the good Christians that believe in the “Soon Return of Jesus” will be having a fit with an ordained preacher of the “Gospel of Jesus Christ” writing this way. I just know it!

The problem is that I still believe what I used to preach. But if I preach what I believe, the people that may be sitting there will not likely accept it any too soon. Many of the dear Christians have set new rules and ways of thinking… and scary preaching doesn’t fit.

Get with it Murray.

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/

Resource
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/01/seven-billion/kunzig-text