FIRST THE GOOD NEWS: JUST YOU WAIT, THE WORLD IS NOT ENDING ANY TIME SOON

To be clear, for the purpose of what follows in this post and to dismiss any misgivings, the rapture that we often hear about is an eschatological theological position held by some Christians, particularly within branches of American evangelicalism, consisting of an end-time event when all Christian believers who are alive, along with resurrected believers, would rise "in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air." The origin of the term extends from Paul the Apostle's First Epistle to the Thessalonians in the Bible, in which he uses the Greek word harpazo (Ancient Greek: ἁρπάζω), meaning "to snatch away" or "to seize," and explains that believers in Jesus Christ would somehow be snatched away from earth into the air.

The idea of a "rapture" as it is currently defined is not found in historic Christianity, but is a relatively recent doctrine of Evangelical Protestantism. Most Christian denominations do not subscribe to rapture theology and have a different interpretation of the aerial gathering described in 1 Thessalonians 4. Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians, United Methodists, the United Church of Christ, and most Reformed Christians do not generally use rapture as a specific theological term, nor do they generally subscribe to the premillennial dispensational views associated with its use. Instead these groups typically interpret rapture in the sense of the elect gathering with Christ in Heaven after his second coming and reject the idea that a large segment of humanity will be left behind on earth for an extended tribulation period after the the previously mentioned events have taken place.

Regardless, where would we be today were it not for the work of scribes and Pharisees in the form of holy scripture giving us a glimpse into the past and future of the world we ultimately leave behind.

Most of us are watching what’s going on in the world and are wondering what, if anything, this pandemic has to do with the last-days run-up to the ultimate end of the world. Listening to the news it certainly feels apocalyptic!

North Americans have historically weathered financial problems from time to time but were spared from the devastation of cities during World War I and II. More recently, Korea, Vietnam and the Middle Eastern conflicts were a long way away. So even a “stay home order” is new to most of us.

And boy, there are a lot of wild theories circulating about the root cause of Covid-19 and its variants. Some of the articles and videos on the subject are mind-boggling. But most are just wild unbiblical theories that should be ignored.

So it’s important to step back a bit and look at what is, and isn’t, going on from a Biblical perspective.

The first thing to keep in mind is that “THE END OF THE WORLD” is at least a thousand years away. So it doesn’t end anytime soon and it certainly doesn’t end by disease. Our concern then need not be on how close we are to the end of it all, not that any of us will be around to witness it anyway.

When addressing Christians in the Church Age, the Bible does not say the world will get worse and worse and then the end will come. Rather, just the opposite. Jesus, in fact said His coming for the Church will be “just like” the days of Noah. Not leaving anything to possible incorrect interpretation, Jesus went on to explain what it was like during the days of Noah. He said:

“For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Matt. 24:38,39

The parallel passages in Luke 17 pointedly say people will be eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, and building.

Then Jesus concludes with: “It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.” Luke 17:30

Therefore, what Believers should understand from what Jesus taught is that life will be relatively normal before the big bang happens. Paul even adds that will be a time of peace and safety, but adds that day would come as a surprise only to evil, unsaved people; rapture or no rapture.

So whatever the Coronavirus pandemic is, it’s temporary and not the end of the world with everything slowly but surely grinding to a halt. God is ideally fully in control, therefore Covid-19 can be construed as part of his permissive will. This life is not heaven and we experience both laughter and sorrow, hardships and accomplishments, between birth and death.

But this latest pandemic could be a warning of things to come in the future when famine, floods, hail and earthquakes will be 100 times worse than anything ever seen in the past.

Meantime, currently we’re all sitting in temperature-controlled homes with electricity, Internet and plenty to eat. Most expect this is just a temporary situation so they patiently wait for the stay-home orders to be reversed and when restaurants will be open for all and sundry once again with no proof of vaccination required.

O how we love to eat out, right?

A few of us can't wait to attend church services once again too, sans those God forsaken face masks.

Ah, back to normal again! Or at least a new normal, whatever that may be.

We don't know the half of it...thank God!

We humans have a short life span. Let's make the most of it while we can.

And start being kinder, more conscious custodians of the land we have been given to nurture and to call home. Do it for the sake of our children's children and generations to follow.