The snatching away

Nothing seems so mind boggling to me as the snatching away we read about in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 and Revelation 12:5. The first time when I heard about this snatching away was in Highschool. I was an atheist and did not think about God. I wrote love letters to a school girl, named Mariëlle. This was my world. Then in our local newspaper a hilarious article appeared about the snatching away. An American guy, also an atheist found it quite amusing the some christian believers believed in this idea of a snatching away. But who would look after their pets? – was the question. So the guy offered assistance after the snatching away to care for the pets of those who were snatched away into heaven. A question remained: how would the guy know if the snatching away had already taken place?

I asked my mother what this was all about. She read only the half of the article to conclude that it was all “nonsense”.

After Highschool I became a self proclaimed socialist, Trotskist, whatever-ist. I did not want to change the world, I wanted only to try to prevent things becoming worse regarding social welfare and so. I thought never about God, let alone about the snatching away. Oh, well, maybe I was a little bit triggered by the Endtimes.

Then my conversion to Jesus came. It came in stages. First I realised that Jesus had existed. Few years later the other things came, like the salvation of all and the belief that Jesus had died for my sins. So now the snatching away comes in sight. It is the strangest thing I could think about. Not the world will be made better but I will be transformed. What will happen to mys hoes, my nose, my one tattoo, my bicycle? Where will I be when this happens? Last weekend an atheis guy asked me if I really believed in this (nonsense). I said, “yes”. I have to believe in the snatching away. If I don’t I would not take the Bible seriously. I coud spend my energy better in other things then.

Where will I be when the snatching away happens? In the supermarket? On my bicycle? In the forest? In bed? In a pub? If the snatching away really happens 2000 years after 30 AD = 2030, then where will I be over ten years? These things were never asked during all the meetings I attended to fight poverty. Sitting here, typing this posting, drinking my coffee, I realise that somethiong very big is awaiting me. Is the snattching away a little bit spooky? Does it hurt? Would I return to my earthly house to sleep one more night in my resurrected body in my old bed? Could I still go to a supermarket? Or swim in a nearby lake?