Leaving the Rapture behind

Jesus told this story: "Learn from the parable from the fig tree. After its branch becomes tender and it sprouts new leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, you know that he's near, at the door. I assure you that this generation won't pass away until all these things happen. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will certainly not pass away. But nobody knows when that day or hour will come, not the angels in heaven and not the Son. Only the Father knows."

I'm struck this morning, on the day that reboot of Left Behind opens across the country, that everything today is an actionable offense, a moment for argument, a debacle of a debate.

Will there be a rapture? Is the rapture in the Bible? Are you Pre or Post or somewhere in between (and be blessed if you don't know what that refers to)?

I taught a class on the book of Revelation last year in a couple of churches I was pastoring, and what I came away with (who knows what they came away with) was how little everyone knows about the end times. Or, heck, what the end times are?

I've read several authoritative blogs in the past week about why Left Behind matters or doesn't matter, and the plain and honest truth as I see it is they are no more, no less authoritative than anyone else.

I get that the Rapture discussion is fairly new, and I get that there is no real revelation of the so-called secret Rapture in scripture. I also get that Paul certainly seems to describe one, and that Jesus certainly seems to describe one.

But what I get most is that none of that matters except the doctrine that states Jesus will come again, and he clearly says that even he doesn't know when that will happen.

So, today, as fall descends like a very wet blanket on New Orleans, let's concentrate on living the best life we can live, giving our money, our time, our service to others, and loving the best we know how.

The end game for the end times is what matters is today, not the end but the beginning of loving each other as best we possibly can and loving our Lord in the same manner.

The rest is simply rapturous.