Mark the date. Or not.

Mark this date on your calendar:

May 21, 2011.

On second thought, don't. There really isn't any point. You see, according to yet another postcard to cross my desk here at the McCook Daily Gazette, that is the date of the oft-promised rapture of the church and the beginning of the Great Tribulation.

So, if any of you are airline pilots, train engineers, truck drivers, etc., I suggest you take the day off so as to minimize the impact of your sudden disappearance on the unfortunates "left behind."

I wish there were a sarcasm font universally recognized for the preceding paragraphs, because they were definitely written "tongue in cheek."

Things are a mess. Here, there and everywhere. Wars upon wars, earthquakes, famine and drought. It's hard to categorize the Gulf disaster, but even that event has raised the hackles in some Christian circles, with some claiming that it is God's retaliation for the nation's increasing acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle.

Seriously? I think it is, rather, the direct result of unmitigated greed, on the part of corporations and government. "Drill baby drill" has long been the cry, with scarcely a thought given to the consequences of a blow-out at a sea-depth of 5,000 feet. This is called reaping as you have sown and has no connection to bedrooms, who's in them nor what they're doing. After all, God is not in the business of punishing the innocent along with the guilty. It is written in Deuteronomy 24:16: "Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin." Punishing the innocent seems to be man's purview. To be clear, whatever judgment is due to any man, straight or gay, is God's business and he will repay, according to what is written in his Word.

That being said, the Gulf crisis definitely adds to the national angst, already at a fever pitch due to the economic meltdown, the unusual weather phenomena that have plagued not only the United States, but far-flung corners of the world as well, and the ongoing stresses of living in a world that seems to be coming apart at the seams. So, a postcard like the one I received may find a wider audience than I imagine, and some recipients may embrace the message wholeheartedly. And therein lies the danger.

Since the emergence of the Rapture teaching in the mid 1800s, many have taken it in hand to determine the date and the time. Thus far, all have been proven false. We're all still here, unless true Christians are such a rare species that they have already disappeared and no one has missed them. That seems unlikely. So is this latest prediction.

I conducted an admittedly unscientific and unsophisticated poll recently of several pastors I've developed relationships with over the years about the Rapture and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. (I beg you to consider that the two terms are not interchangeable.) The only thing I can say for certain about the poll is that I did not know how they would answer the carefully phrased question.

One of the answers really cracked me up, once the pastor explained it. He answered the question quite seriously, "We're pan-millennialists." To my look of consternation he responded, with a grin, "We believe it will all 'pan-out' in the end."

Another pastor explained -- after observing that the teaching of the Rapture is an "inference teaching," not specifically mentioned anywhere in Scripture, but rather inferred from carefully selected text -- that he is "firmly convinced that the how and the when of Jesus' return plays no role in the salvation of one's soul."

Nevertheless he too is frustrated by the amount of energy and resources expended in trying to "read the times and predict his return."

Conversely, the same argument could be made for those who expend energy and resources trying to refute the teaching.

I recently read a book by Steve Wohlberg titled "The Rapture Delusions." Wohlberg did his homework, and he did it using Scripture alone, and I fully understand and empathize with his motives for pouring his energies and resources into the publication, specifically his observation in Chapter 3 "Will God's Church Escape Tribulation?"

In Chapter 3, he identifies two concepts, both of which should be considered dangerous to any Bible-believing follower of Jesus Christ. The first is that the church will escape the great tribulation, the second is that those who are "left behind" will have a "second chance" to believe, repent and be saved.

Wohlberg argues that historically, God's people have gone through intense suffering and 21st Century believers should not believe they are somehow exempt. In fact, it has been my observation that our faith is not only proven, but strengthens as the Lord brings us through all of our diverse trials and tribulations.

As to the "second chance" teaching, Wohlberg disputes it, citing Jesus' words in Matthew 24:37 and Paul's admonition in 2 Corinthians 6:2, "Now is the day of salvation." His point is well taken. Since no one knows the day nor the hour of their own death, no one should ignore the Spirit's call when it comes.

An additional concern of mine about the seemingly constant barrages of "end times" and "imminent rapture" messages and our arrogance in speaking for God following disasters of any ilk, is how foolish it is to those who don't believe, to the point where any opportunity for belief may be forfeit, because of so many "false alarms." The story of the "Boy Who Cried Wolf" springs to mind. If we lose all credibility today, what will the outcome be when the true and life-changing message is the only one that matters and no one is willing to pay attention?

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." 1 John 4:1 (NIV)

The Rapture Delusions

Steve Wohlberg

Destiny Image Publishers, Inc.

ISBN 10: 0-7684-3209--X

ISBN 13: 978-0-7684 3209-1