I surprised my wife when I said that I enjoyed Royal Tailor's new song "Making Me New". Look, sometimes I like listening to fun music for no other reason than it makes me happy. Don't judge. The song is happy, upbeat, and great for the car. I don't want to sing it in church. It would surprise Shelly even more if she listened to all of the lyrics. Yes, I can be very critical of Christian songs that portray sloppy theology, but this isn't one of those songs. This song just includes what I think to be a common and strange exegetical mistake: No warning signs, no sirens or flashing lights, This is Rapture language, and it is taken from several difference places in the Bible (let's be honest, though, this is probably more due to the pre-Left Behind Rapture movie, Like a Thief in the Night from 1972). The most common is Matthew 24:40-44: Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and one left. Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. But know this: If the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into. This is why you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. The interpretation is that the thief comes and takes away the good person in the Rapture. As Royal Tailor put it, the thief came to rescue me. Apart from the slow-down-and-think-about-what-you-just-said approach to biblical exegesis, there are quite a few reasons why we want to tap the brakes on this very common Rapture-supporting interpretation. Let's start with what Jesus said a few verses before in Matthew 24:36-39:
0 Comments
|
AuthorIf I ever say something in here that doesn't make sense, please ask me to clarify. It always makes sense in my head, but that doesn't necessary mean anything to you . . . Categories
All
|