Richard T. Hughes: Revelation, Revolutions, and the Tyrannical New World Order

Very interesting article about alternative interpretations to Revelations and the way it is interpreted by Glenn Beck and the Radical Christian Evangelicals….

This is a brief excerpt but it’s really worth clicking the link and reading the entire article…

The truth is, rapture theology is not only unbiblical; it is anti-biblical. For rapture theologians focus on the hate and violence inspired by the “new world order,” all the while ignoring the biblical vision of “a new heaven and a new earth” that brings not hate, but self-giving love; not oppression, but comfort; and not violence, but enduring peace.

But we can also measure rapture theology by the biblical vision of the kingdom of God.

According to the Bible, the kingdom of God exalts the poor at the expense of the rich. But rapture theology exalts only Christians — and fundamental, born-again Christians at that — at the expense of everyone else.

According to the Bible, the kingdom of God promises justice for the oppressed. But rapture theology promises greater oppression for those who don’t conform to the prophetic timetable the rapture theologians have imposed on the biblical text.

According to the Bible, the kingdom of God resists imperial powers. But rapture theology exalts imperial powers as long as they conform to an imagined prophetic script.

And according to the Bible, the kingdom of God nurtures the paths of peace. But rapture theology celebrates apocalyptic violence.

If American Christians were committed to the biblical vision of “peace on earth, good will toward men,” they could contribute immeasurably to the growth of world peace.

But in order for that to happen, they must first abandon their fascination with the “new world order” — an idea that is alien to the biblical text — and work instead on behalf of two ideas that are central to the biblical message: “the kingdom of God” and the final realization of that kingdom in “a new heaven and a new earth.”

via Richard T. Hughes: Revelation, Revolutions, and the Tyrannical New World Order.