So, about the Rapture? I have some thoughts. The Rapture is not a thing and Jesus is not coming back, at least not in the way that over 35 million imagine. The Rapture is part of a theological scheme cooked up in the 19th century by John Nelson Darby. 1/
It was a theological innovation that entered into American consciousness through camp meetings, conferences, and other means, run mostly by evangelical/fundamentalist communities. The whole idea is not really a part of the Christian tradition and those who accept it as truth, 2/
are living in false consciousness. The whole idea of Jesus' return should also be viewed as the same false consciousness. The disciples, early church, and Paul, all expected that to happen in their lifetime. This was due in no small part to Jewish apocalyptic writings 3/
and their influence on the minds of early Jewish followers of Christ. The argument can be made that Revelation (not with an s) is one of the last Jewish apocalypses. These writings gave material that authors of Gospels/Revelation use for their works. Apocalypticism is a genre. 4/
Understood in this context, the writings that address Christ's return are extensions of apocalyptic traditions that existed well before Christ. The Bible is not a blueprint for the future and to read it like that does violence to the context. Pompeo is spreading an idea . . . 5/
that will do great damage to international relations and bring harm to the very people Christians purport to love. If you want a primer for this see my pinned tweet for a link. Don't come @ me until you've at least read the book. 6/
