Yesterday we reported that a church is claiming that the Rapture will take place sometime from the evening of the 8 September to the morning of the 9th September.

It is fast approaching sunset in this part of the world and nothing has happened yet. There has also been no reports of Aussies and New Zealanders flying up to heaven. I suppose it could still happen, but I am not holding my breath. After all the Bible says:

“And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.” Acts 1:17 (King James Version)

I wonder what answer a supposedly Christian church gives to that scripture?

I would also remind them of the scripture:

“And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” 2 Pet 3:4

If this rapture does not take place as predicted by this site, then this passage is applicable:

“You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD ?” If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.” Deuteronomy 18:20-22 (NIV)

I have used the Christian Bible to refute the claims made by these people as I believe fighting fire with fire (in cases like this).

For more info on the ‘Rapture’ claims and the countdown: Signs of The End

An interesting argument is playing out in the Space section of MSNBC. It began when veteran space reporter James Oberg questioned the foundation of a new book about UFOs called “UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record.”

“The book’s main themes are the extraordinary stories of strange aerial encounters in Europe, South America and even the United States,” Oberg writes. “In these stories, investigators have failed to pinpoint phenomena to explain the sightings. And because the primary witnesses are pilots, the accounts are considered more credible than run-of-the-mill UFO reports. But are they really?”

Leslie Kean is the author of the book, and she’s striking back, calling Oberg a longtime UFO skeptic who “may be qualified to serve as an unbiased, expert consultant on Russian or Chinese missile systems, but not on UFOs.” This is a classic UFO battle, not over hard evidence but over claimed sightings. Who can say whether the witnesses actually saw what they think they saw, or if a trick of light or perspective was at work.

Kean is no doubt going to sell a lot of books because of the kerfluffle, and no doubt she’s playing on the “unknown” bigtime. Nonetheless, she contends the conclusion of her book is simply this: “We need a systematic, scientific investigation of the skies that actively looks for these mysterious and elusive objects.”

Kean says skeptics miss the point of the book….

Read more about this epic battle here: LiveScience

Check out the battle in the MSNBC comments here: MSNBC