Rapture and Revelation

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I've been teaching an adult class on Rapture and Revelation at my church. This topic has been a pet peeve of mine since my internship in 2000-2001 when the whole Left Behind stuff was just starting to gain steam. Well, the last two weeks we've spent on analyzing and debunking the theology behind dispensationalism and the rapture. So, as a summary, here's my Top Ten Reasons there is No Rapture:

1. Jesus doesn't come again according to our time line.

2. Central image of Jesus in Revelation is the slaughtered lamb (Chap. 5), not the conquering lion a la Lindsey.

3. “Saints” mentioned several times in Revelation after the supposed “Rapture” point (6:9-11; 7:1-8, 14; 12:17; 14:12,13; 17:6).

4. “He will come again to judge the living and the dead” in the Apostles' Creed means one coming.

5. Our God is incarnational. God comes to be with us, not to take us away.

6. Fear is not a sustainable medium for the Gospel.

7. Daniel 9 – all of it – happened more than 2000 years ago.

8. Original sin.

9. Jesus was the suffering servant; the church is the body of Christ, therefore the church suffers with the world.

10. Jesus never speaks of it.