The Second Coming

Most Christians in one way or another believe that Jesus will return in a fashion that is dependent on what eschatological beliefs the Christian holds. I don’t really have any beliefs about when and how Jesus will come again, but I do have some sympathy for the position of ‘partial preterism’. Nevertheless, the most popular and contemporary view holds that all Christians will be raptured away by Jesus, the earth will experience seven years of great tribulation which will kill millions or billions of people (I forget the exact number), and then Jesus will return with all of the saintly Christians riding in white robes as he slaughters the people who attack Israel.

I have a lot of trouble dealing with the idea that Christians are looking forward to when Jesus will take them up to heaven, and then start killing masses of people with meteors, oceans of blood, and locusts with human heads that originally inhabited the deepest depths of hell. The problem of evil is one thing, but believing in a benevolent and loving God who purposefully slaughters millions of people is incomprehensible. And the fact that Christians are looking forward to the rapture, the time when they enjoy streets of gold while the rest of the world suffers, is quite terrifying. Are we not the followers of Christ, who are supposed to be self-sacrificing in our love and service to others? Jesus instructed that the righteous course of action was always the one that lowered ourselves and raised others, and today’s grand theories of eschatology showcase the complete opposite of this philosophy of altruism.

It was Paul who said that he would wish himself to be accursed if it meant his brethren could know God, and it was Jesus who said that there is no greater love found than in a man who gives his life for a friend. Both of these attitudes are irreconcilable with what is often brandied about today in “Christian” circles. On an existential level, the talk of a rapture, tribulation, and second coming do nothing but give Christians a feeling of vast superiority, isolationism and separation from fellow human beings, selfishness, egoistic roots to their Christianity, apathy, and an ignorant sense of security.

Furthermore, the belief in this fundamentalist interpretation of the book of revelations has significant political repercussions. Many of the Religious Right in America has given Israel unflinching support solely because the Jews have to resettle their home land for prophecy to be fulfilled. More significantly, the integration of the state of Israel into prophecy has demonized the Arabs in the region into evil and bloodthirsty soldiers who are seeking to kill God’s people. Moral depravity lies on both sides of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, with the slaughter of civilians being perpetuated by both Israeli missiles, and Palestinian suicide bombers. There is also the fact that Israel resettled by taking land from Palestine, and is now conducting illegal land grabs with those extremist settlers continually pushing the border of Israel into the West Bank. Siding with Israel because they are on “God’s side” is simply absurd. This “Second Coming” has done much to negatively shape US policy towards the Middle East, and also the opinion of masses of Christians regarding the conflict.

Fundamentalist eschatology has become one of my pet peeves; apologies if this post was too ranty in style and substance.