What if this evening, just as you were drifting off to sleep, a strange noise, sounding similar to distant trumpets, woke you up. And then the outside sky became quite bright and the ground began to rumble.
As you run outside to see whats up. You and your neighbors witness a heavenly looking glowing orb, decending to earth. A luminescent being emerges, and says he’s Jesus, and its time for believers to get on board…Do you go? ( you have 60 seconds! )
BTW, so as not to be acused of stealth trolling, I am an athiest who is genuinly interested christian answers to what I see as the ultimate hypothetical christian question.
What? No angels pouring stuff all over the face of the Earth? No horsemen or locusts? And I haven’t even gotten the Mark of the Beast to participate in the marketplace yet.
Nah. It couldn’t be Him. He’s still in Heaven playing bridge. Waiting for the last trump.
The trumpet heard was probably Heimdal’s. The person recruiting is almost assuredly Loki, trying to find people to fight with him and the trolls and Frost-Giants against the Hosts of Asgard. He has been feeding that Armaggedon stuff to people of European descent for the past thousand years to confuse them as to which side they should be supporting during Ragnarok. I am sure he will tell the “Elect” that they are storming the Gates of Hell or the City of Dis rather than thell then the Truth. Thus will Valhalla fall, and the Yddrasil tree will be destroyed.
Interesting question, but it doesn’t make sense from a fundamentalist Christian point of view. Your basic question is “If Jesus came back, would you CHOOSE to go with him?” If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior, you have already chosen, and you will be taken up to heaven. If you have not, you will be left on Earth to endure the tribulation. Waiting until Jesus comes back to make the choice is too late.
Fundamentalists believe that when Jesus comes back, it will be “as a thief in the night”. Theives don’t usually announce their presence by glowing and playing trumpets. His second coming will be very quiet. People who are saved will seem to have just disappeared. No one will know where they went. After the seven year tribulation, Jesus will come again, this time with trumpets, shouts, etc.
Twin, you’re not one of our Pounder friends, are you?
Not all fundamentalists believe that Jesus returning “like a thief in the night” will mean that the rest of us will not know what’s going on. Certainly I think a reading of Revelation as a whole would indicate that’s not how things would occur. But I should let the fundies speak for themselves.
Personally, I’m not sure if I’d go or not. I might choose to go to find out what it’s like to be in a spaceship (and then probably end up as an alien snack), but I wouldn’t go thinking Jesus had come for me.
Huh, well, that brings up another interesting thought - what if this guy came down from the heavens, with all the Heavenly accoutrement described, and it is absolutely certain that he is “THE” heavenly/spiritual being, but says, “Actually, I’m not Jesus - I’m Ethelbert, from a very small religion called Ethelbertism in northern Canada. But, turns out that was the right religion after all. Now, who’s with me? The End is near…”
Would Christians standing there convert and go with him?
But what about Ethelbert? He’s it, he’s The Man, and he says all that Jesus stuff was bunk n’ hooey, so either go with him or be destroyed with everyone else. Whatchathink?
If you are asking if I came from the LBMB, I did not.
It’s possible that not all fundamentalists believe this, and I should not have been so inclusive in my choice of words. Sorry if I unintentionally offended anyone. I should have been more clear in my meaning. When I referred to Jesus coming as a thief in the night, I was trying to say that it would be quick, unexpected, and there would be a great deal of confusion. Those who trusted in Christ will be taken up into heaven, and those who did not trust in Christ will be left on Earth. Will those left behind know what is going on? II Thessalonians 2:8-12 says those left after Christ’s coming will be sent strong delusions and will believe a lie.
I’m not trying to say that my opinion of what is going to happen will be the way it happens, though. The book of Revelation is arguably the most confusing book in the Bible due to the prophetic imagery contained in it. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see who was right.
What is your favorite color? or optionally What is the average airspeed of a coconut laden swallow? (“African or European?” is the correct response, although I am not sure if I have the question exactly right)
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