Sunday morning quarterbacking on the Rapture

I've been thinking a lot about the whole Rapture frenzy and why it seemed to take on a life of its own. Certainly in the world of Facebook and Twitter it did. And if you follow me on Facebook, you know I was having quite a good time with the alleged impending doom. Not because I'm cavalier about meeting my Maker one day but because I was entertained by the hubris of one man to try to scare the rest of the world into thinking that most of us were not going to be raptured at a specific time and date, even according to individual time zones.

Why do some people -- albeit an odd few -- cling to these sorts of weird predictions, be they Evangelical Christian or New Age Mayan? I think it's because people like the idea of having some control, even over their own demise, or rapture. But, as we know all too well, we don't have control. Car accidents and cancer, hurricanes and heart attacks take our loved ones regardless of what the calendar says.

Jesus said, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." (Mt 25:13) In other words, be ready -- every day, any day. Which is easier said than done. It's much more palatable to think someone can give us a date and time, isn't it? But we Christians are meant to live our lives as if any day could be our last.

Last night wasn't the Rapture after all, but I'm sure the predictions are already being recalculated as we speak. For those of us who believe in Jesus, no predictions are necessary. He told us everything we need to know. Now we just have to do the hard part: live it.