Thread by @dappergander

In eschatology, this shift is not uncommon. Many movements go from evangelizing/recruiting/missionary work to preparing for the world that will follow the fulfilled prophecy.

Megathread follows.

https://twitter.com/travis_view/status/1093715293048692737

The details obviously vary, but the shift usually occurs when a group reaches a point where 1) it starts to destabilize because it gets too large; or 2) active resistance to the group enters the discourse.

Either way, the big growth phase they've previously enjoyed is over.

They'll become increasingly insular and often adopt persecution rhetoric to help explain away their problems. If they were conspiratorial to start with, the conspiracy adapts to suit. The world outside the group becomes a lost cause.

Some build compounds like the Branch Davidians or People's Temple, trying to prevent others from leaving but nearly abandoning all further public recruitment (except of raising children born on the compound).

Others turn to the confrontational model, like the Westboro Baptist Church. They're still public, but go from actually trying to convince anyone to more of a "laugh now, we'll be laughing when you burn" persona (also they make money from lawsuits when you punch them).

And some become doomsday preppers, though that doesn't always mean stockpiling supplies; it means they get ready for what comes *after*. Heaven's Gate members made videotapes for their loved ones to watch, comforting them that they were happily on the comet/spaceship now.

But for QAnon, which is a movement already deeply cross-pollinated with evangelical Christians, let's talk about The Storm and The Rapture.

The most well-known Rapture narrative is probably the evangelical Left Behind novels, popular in the 1990s. Set during the biblical end times, all the Christians vanish bodily to heaven & everyone else must now navigate an apocalypse they previously refused to believe in.

In that theology, just because you weren't Raptured doesn't mean you're forever damned (the point of no return comes later). You can come to Christ during the swarms-of-locusts and rains-of-blood phase of the apocalypse, which is called the Great Tribulation.

People who get right with God during this part of the end times are called Tribulation Saints. They'll all be killed during the actual end of the world-- that's their penance for not getting Raptured-- but they still get to go to Heaven.

But people who still refuse to accept the truth of what's happening (played in the novels as people who explain the Rapture with *science*), well, they're the ones who are well and truly screwed. They suffer and die and go to hell irredeemably.

Evangelicals LOVE Tribulation Saints, because they're the people who mocked Christians as dumb before the Rapture but then when the trumpets sound and the moon turns red, they realize Christians were right ALL ALONG and they literally have to beg for forgiveness to get saved.

Various Christian groups actually make "so you're in the Tribulation" videos and books. They are *really* condescending, (I don't think they mean to be) but since they're all made for people who didn't accept Christ before is LITERALLY RAINED FIRE, condescension is unavoidable.

QAnon's Storm is a kind of re-interpretation of the Christian end-times. It's the apocalypse and the Tribulation rolled into one, but no one is going to vanish to Heaven. Heaven already exists on Earth and the angels wear red hats.

The apocalypse is *only* coming for those without faith, for the bad guys. But QAnon still CLEARLY believes in Tribulation Saints. They can barely close their mouths, so heavily are they drooling in anticipation of Tribulation Saints.

The Storm will come, and the world will be divided into three groups of people: the saved, the Tribulation Saints, and the damned. They will welcome the new converts, masking their smugness as best they can, and together they will cheer as everyone else is marched away to hell.

So if QAnon's big voices think they're entering this phase, we'll see a "so you're in The Storm" series of media start to emerge. Maybe that's what Praying Medic's multi-book project could be. It'll be easily digestible, without having to consume the entire "Bible," as it were.

Reading all the proofs will still be encouraged, of course, but just like the Rapture videos, it starts with easy-to-follow summaries of what's happening and how to get right with the Lord. Or Trump. Q? Hard to say.

And once you admit how WRONG you were (and how RIGHT they were), and beg forgiveness, they'll give it to you. Presumably along with a new red hat.

/end (or is it?)

Postscript: this showed up *immediately* in my feed after I posted. Glad to know the algorithm is still listening

This didn't turn out nearly as long as I thought it would so now it feels awkward I used the phrase "megathread," maybe I'll keep adding to it as things occur to me

So in the process of doing some more research on the Q Millennium, I stumbled on some REALLY troubling images.

Yes, the person who uses these images is insane. But more importantly, he's NOT joking.

With an assist from @travis_view I dug up some of the post-trib fantasies of some big names in QAnon, speculating about what life will be like in Q's Millennium.

I also found some Christians pushing back. They're not popular.

And yes, I own a "so, it's the Rapture" videotape.

I'm gong to pull some screenshots later, but it's worth noting that QAnon has its own version of what in Christian eschatology are called pre- and post-Millennials (sometimes called roosters and owls).

There are Anons who believe The Storm is coming, and those who believe it's already happening and we just aren't recognizing the signs. I'll expand on this later once I get some illustrative examples.

In the meantime, I really urge everyone to read the following piece. It's dense and ugly but if you really want to start understanding how Christians came to Q and how they are changing Q, and what comes next, this is important stuff.
mille.org/people/rlpages…

At the very least, read these two parts. We're at Stage 2.

When I finally start talking about this, I'll have to define a lot of terms and stuff. I hope it's not too dry, I'll try to be as entertaining as possible while still being at least somewhat academically rigorous and sensitive about a subject central to the beliefs of millions.

The Storm is QAnon's end-times prophecy, but it also is part of the larger post-Millennial prophecy: at some point, we have to enter the 1000 years. Pre-Millennialists think Christ's return starts it, but post-Millennialists think we do it ourselves and Christ returns at the end.

So The Storm is post-Millennialist: Trump & Q will score a big victory over the Democratic global sex cannibalism ring and usher in the new age, which lays the groundwork for the Second Coming.

Of course, there are some pre-Millennialists who disagree, but they're not associated with QAnon. They view Trump as dangerous. They are rare and unpopular with their fellows, but they exist. And for them, Trump is a very different sort of biblical end-times figure.

This in and of itself is nothing new: virtually every powerful person in the last 2000 years has been viewed this way. The Pope is antichrist. Napoleon is antichrist. Obama is antichrist. There's good evidence to support that Revelations was written about Rome to begin with.

Among Q's drops today, they returned to the theme that everyone still outside the movement was no longer reachable and possibly compromised. Add this to the drop from the other day where Q told Anons it was a mark of wisdom and freedom to be cast out by their families or society.

In today's drops, Q again hints at a final judgment by God. That's about as post-Millennialist as it gets.

The message is being well-received by some QAnon followers.
h/t @rothschildmd

In a series of drops starting late last night and continuing just a few minutes ago, Q continues to push forward with the idea that the movement is apocalyptic and that QAnon is on the side of righteousness.

It's probably only a matter of time before Q starts quoting Revelations instead of Thessalonians.

On a similar topic, Q *loves* Ephesians as a call to battle. Until recently, there were only 9 drops that mentioned God (discounting all the trite colloquial uses like "Godspeed," "God bless X," "In God we trust," etc). So a full third of those were Ephesians 6:10-18.

More divine Trump today on the QResearch boards.

There's a whole other conversation to be had about the tradition within the evangelical thinking that no one ever came up with dystopia or post-apocalypse narratives before the KJV.

Ephesians 6 again today, but instead of "all the saints" it ends with "all the Lord's people." That's the New International Version (NIV). Q even copy-pasted the header. Sloppy.

You know, come to think of it, I don't know what version Q used to use.

All the other instances of Ephesians Q has used, the passage begins "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power" and ends with "With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."

I'm not familiar with that combination.

It appears Q used to quote from the NIV pre-2011. Only one website I could find even still has that text connected to the NIV and it's not even full text anymore.

The qresearch boards have full-on "bible study" threads on them now. This is #8, part 3, in the series. The essential premise here is a conspiracy about the Talmud and Rabbis creating "fake Jews." It's not great.

Thank goodness it's getting some pushback as being antisemitism, which it clearly is, but... not as much pushback as you might hope. And of course, lots of support.

Revelation end-times prophecy *needs* Jews & Israel to exist in order to come to pass. During the Trib, Jews will convert or be forever damned. Israel will be destroyed to make way for Christ's kingdom. Saying they love Jews is as misguided as saying they love the Antichrist.

An Anon discussing my "go research Q yourself" thread with another Anon likens Q research to bible study.

"This is biblical."

Martin Geddes outlines the new covenant. The thread is important reading.

This may be the clearest outline of the attempt to refine and transform QAnon.

https://twitter.com/martingeddes/status/1102028967572324354

QAnon is part of the plan, and the plan accepts all risk, including death, as being part of the endeavor.

Anons should be willing to die for the plan.

Can I get an amen?