“Ray! Their shoes, their socks, their clothes, everything was left behind! These people are gone!”
-Hattie Durham in Left Behind
Apparently there’s this movie coming out this weekend about the end times from a “Christian” perspective. I know this because a lot of people are blogging about how Rapture teachings are not biblical. Rather than arguing about the bibliosity™ of rapture teaching (the kind of teaching found in books and movies like “Left Behind,” “A Thief in the Night,” and “Late Great Planet Earth”), I thought I’d just make a timeline that shows how we got to thinking like this.* Enjoy!
. . .
years 27-37 ad:
A peasant, pedestrian, preacher, named Jesus, announces the Kingdom of God, is crucified and resurrected. Implications for the next life are established. (might as well start at the beginning.)
years 70-90ish:
“The Revelation” is written, the coming of Christ and the end of evil, in an apocalyptic style.
year 100:
Everybody starts predicting the date when Jesus will come back, even though Jesus basically said, “don’t bother.”
About