Everyone has been joking about the rapture in light of the false prediction that the world would end Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 6pm (or so I’m told).  I hear so many confidently (border line arrogantly say) they are prepared to leave, but what if the rapture never comes—are you prepared to stay? Yes, STAY. Can you even go there for one moment in your mind? What if there isn’t a rapture coming for real? What if there is no escape and the Church actually has to bring heaven to earth like she was commissioned to do? What if  no one is going to be left behind, well accept for the Church. Left behind by Jesus Himself to take the dominion he died on a cross to return to us.

The way I see it, if the Church does her job, I mean really goes in and does her job  there won’t be a need for a rapture. Will there? If we release the light of Heaven humanity will experience the loving, available Grace of Jesus Christ. I envision the solutions of Heaven will solve poverty, heal marriages, quiet political unrest, deliver people from the darkness in society as well as the secret sin even believers wrestle with. Does that make me idealistic or a believer? I don’t know. Maybe its because we don’t feel like we’re doing a good job. Church attendance is down. The economy is trippin. There are wars and rumors of wars. And this belief in the rapture has in some ways debilitated us from doing much about what’s wrong in the world. Our view that God ultimately plans on abandoning the earth justifies our folding of our hands. You know I wouldn’t be so irritated if Christians who preach the rapture hard, evangelized even harder instead of advertising via their bumper stickers sentiments like “If the rapture comes. I’m straight. I don’t know about you.” I mean, what could be more loving than that? Instead of responding to natural disasters like “oh well, its God’s will” shouldn’t we preempt them with prayer and intercession. Am I being unfair?

Why are we so bent on leaving and bandoning the earth, this beautiful, beautiful earth we are supposed to be stewarding?Could our subtle commitment to the rapture be the reason global warming isn’t a chief cause of the Church? Does she even care? Granted, there are some that do. Wonderful people who know what dominion means. I just wish that mindset would permeate the Church as much as the constant talk of the rapture has.

I thought that Jesus came to save the world not condemn it. Doesn’t leaving her to incinerate constitute condemning? Talk me off the wall. Scripture says the Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. He commanded Adam in the garden to be responsible for the earth and take charge. He messed up. Then  Jesus came to restore the authority Adam lost back to Man and said once again–Take Charge! He did do that–didn’t He? Come all the way from heaven to earth so we wouldn’t have to make the return trip? The point is, if He did put the responsibility to demonstrate His ways on earth in a major way, and I’m pretty sure He did then why are we so preoccupied with leaving. Seems this distraction peppers our sermon’s on Sunday as well as the jokes about this recent “rapture hoax.” If we leave a dying world behind seems to me like we failed. Maybe we should be more concerned about our apathy than the behavior of sinners. What do you think?

I know that there are believers reading this  who will be offended by this article. I hope it does provoke you to think about the Church as a whole and where her focus is. There are believers who are head over heals in love with God, actively evangelizing, spreading His Love in their homes, on their jobs etc and that is victorious. You are starting businesses, non profits, writing books, coming up with innovative ideas. You’re bringing heaven to earth and you may or may not even realize it.  You’re living a pure, committed life and that’s victory. That’s winning. Press into that with all of your might!  I gotta tell you though, as a purple sky girl- I hope the rapture is a hoax. Not just on May 21, 2011 but in general. I’d rather ultimately see a Church arise and shine and help a dying world, rather than her backside as she flies away. I’d rather the light that we experience in the Church go outside of the Church until that’s all any of us sees. I’d rather Jesus not lose anyone or leave anyone behind but  have His Kingdom multiply and fill the earth.

Until then, forgive me. I don’t want to see you in the sky, caught up to meet Him in the air. I want to experience Him everyday and I want to join you in the quest to turn fear into peace, bondage into freedom, sadness into joy, wrong into right. I want to see Africa arise, I want to see sex trafficking of children end, I want to see a justice system that does what’s right because its right…well, you get the idea. We’re supposed to be seated in heavenly places so there’s no need to fly away. Let’s be powerful and rule right here.

In closing I ask the question again, “What if the rapture never comes…for real?” I’m happy if you’re prepared to go, but are you prepared to stay? Do you really know who you are? Or what a king is supposed to do?  What would you do differently if there was no promise of a rapture? What would you begin? Who would you call? Who would you help?  What problems would you solve?  Maybe we’ve been looking up for the wrong reasons.

See in Purple.