My practical view of the Bible by Carol Wolman

Psalm 46 (King James Version): ¹God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. ²Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.      ³Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.   Selah.

Dear Friends,

A couple of my correspondents are strict pretribulation rapture believers- what I call cultists.  They take a passage like that in the psalm above as proof that God CAN replace Jerusalem after a nuclear war, He CAN destroy life on earth and take His true believers somewhere else to start over, or alternatively, He CAN stop global warming and produce inexhaustible food and energy for us if He so pleases.  THEREFORE, we don't have to lift a finger to help ourselves.  God WILL transport these true believers out of here because they say the right words, and meanwhile, they can rejoice in the imagined suffering of those of us who have the gall to disagree with them.  I was actually called a tree hugger recently!

I see the Bible quite differently.  First of all, it is clear to me that the rapture cultists are relying on an INTERPRETATION of prophecy that originated in Scotland in the early 19th century- no one thought of it for 1800 years!  Secondly, as a psychiatrist I can see that their belief system serves as a wonderful defense mechanism against taking responsibility for dealing with the ecological and political realities of our time.  They are free to overlook the blatant sins of their leaders, and can turn the Bible on its head to justify greed and profit-mongering.  Thirdly, they are ignoring the central message of the Bible, which is to choose life. 

I believe that the Bible was handed down to us as a roadmap for establishing peace on earth.  It contains many prophecies that describe our times, and many warnings about the evil forces that will work to destroy God's creation.  We are given weapons to fight these evil forces- truth, justice, righteousness, love- and the strength to persevere.  If we call on God for help, He will help us with our troubles, even our present overwhelming troubles of nuclear pollution, global warming, hunger, etc. 

The evil forces are described in the Book of Revelation as the beast, the dragon, and the false prophet.  The beast has been falsely ascribed to groupings of nations such as the Soviet Union, European Union, United Nations.  In fact, the Bible is clear that nations will remain nations in the end-time, and learn to cooperate.  The beast is the international conglomeration of corporations that rules the world.  It implants its number on computer chips within corporate commodities that we purchase.  Its values, of greed and consumption, drive public and political life in the US.  It is empowered by the dragon of militarism, and given legitimacy by the false prophets of the rapture cult.

Our weapons are truth, exposing the lies and false doctrines of the false prophets, and the "iron rod" of the nuclear dangers that we live with.  Even if the seas roar and the mountains shake, we can find the strength, wisdom and love of God, if we seek Him. 

We need to follow the example set by His son, which is to love our neighbors enough that we would even sacrifice our lives for them.  Many brave politicians and journalists have already done this, as the assassination squads have been active for 50 years.  The strength and courage required to take on the massive power of the corporate beast, the militaristic dragon, and the false prophets of the rapture cult can only come from God.  I take refuge in Him and His word in the Bible.

In the name of the Prince of Peace,  Carol Wolman