Oh that is a truly scary site. Not because I believe it, but because some too large (for my comfort) do. Basically the idea comes from Darby and is based on bits and pieces of various scripture such as Daniel and Revelations. IT holds that there will be a last tribulation after which Jesus will literally rule for 1000 years. The last tribulation will bring wars, floods, famines, etc. so that's too nasty for the saved right? That's why they will be whisked away, no muss, no fuss.
Well not even all fundamentalists believe this, it is considered by some of them a major sort of heresy. However, you can see that if believed by enough people why worry about global warming, wars, etc etc as Jesus is just going to whisk you away. Of course, if he does, I want your car! (just a bumper sticker I have seen).
Rapture ready and a sort of sister site:
http://www.raptureme.com
They have what is a sort of Dow Jones Industrial of how fast the rapture is coming so things like Walmart going away from radio charting on products (we would all need the mark of the Beast to buy and sell) slows us down and things like an earthquake, a tsunami, or even the Democrats taking over (liberalism is "bad"), speeds things up (according to the index). There are explanations and charts to make your head spin. This gives you the idea though that there are some really smart people that actually buy into this. (Of course, some really smart people probably were among those who tied bombs to their bodies and walked into public places.)
What really boggles my mind is: here are the most literal minded of the literal minded who believe that literally god breathed life into Adam and pulled out a literal rib, and they turn around take the most metaphorically written stuff in the Bible and turn this into time and exact dates and events.
I think this all wouldn't have stood much of a chance without the imaginitive if rather silly writings of The Late Great Planet Earth and the Left Behind series. I saw some of the Left Behind thing on tv. It is badly written, badly acted, badly everythign but there is something oddly gripping about it. If you half believed it I can see how you'd get drawn in. They strike the right balance of fear.
--des
lilithu said: