Hi Tracy,

Yes, I used to laugh them off too as some kind of loony religious cult. But they seem to be real, in large numbers, and with the ear of the President! With that ear listening my guess is that the Evangelicals are just as happy to let everyone else think it is some loony cult.

As you know, I'm very lousy with the Internet, but here are two more that I was able to find. There is also the Frontline documentary "The Jesus Factor".
http://www.greaterdemocracy.org/archives/000222.html
Excerpt, apparently of a speech by Bill Moyers: "According to this narrative, Jesus will return to earth only when certain conditions are met: when Israel has been established as a state; when Israel then occupies the rest of its “biblical lands;” when the third temple has been rebuilt on the site now occupied by the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosques; and, then, when legions of the Antichrist attack Israel. This will trigger a final showdown in the valley of Armageddon during which all the Jews who have not converted will be burned. Then the Messiah returns to earth. The Rapture occurs once the big battle begins. True believers” will be lifted out of their clothes and transported to heaven where, seated next to the right hand of God, they will watch their political and religious opponents suffer plagues of boils, sores, locusts and frogs during the several years of tribulation which follow.

I’m not making this up"

http://www.axisoflogic.com/cgi-bin/exec/view.pl?archive=60&num=8113
Excerpt: "I had heard of outrage from some Jews in this country that evangelical Christian supporters of the Jewish state have motivations other than security against its Arab neighbors. One Jewish friend likened the idea as, "To save you, we have to kill you." He, too, cited what Mr. Monbiot said makes the idea so appealing to evangelicals:

"Before the big battle begins, all 'true believers' (i.e., those who believe what they believe) will be lifted out of their clothes and wafted up to heaven during an event called the Rapture. Not only do the worthy get to sit at the right hand of God, but they will be able to watch, from the best seats, their political and religious opponents being devoured by boils, sores, locusts and frogs, during the seven years of Tribulation which follow. The true believers are now seeking to bring all this about," he said, by "seeking to provoke a final battle with the Muslim world/Axis of Evil/United Nations/European Union/France or whoever the legions of the antichrist turn out to be
."

Jim


>We tend to laugh at these folks and their silly beliefs, but as others state, they are actually dangerous - just like Jims Jones and the Peoples Temple were.
>
>http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1195729,00.html
>http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0420/perlstein.php
>
>You may be talking about this, but it was entirely editorial:
>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6281085/
>
>
>>>>Where do you get this crazy notion?
>>>>
>>>>You don't have to answer. It's just a rhetorical question.
>>>>And before you ask... no I'm not a Bible thumping evengelical. :-)
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>>We can't let our doubts interfere with the chance for peace. It neds to stop soon. It's not just Muslims that are angry at Israel - there are "second coming" evengelical christians praying for the fall of Israel to hasten the return of the "lord". There's a bunch of people baiting the fall of Israel.
>>>
>>>Jim, which evangelicals are angry at Israel and praying for Israel's fall? I'm a southern Baptist who belongs to a church with 30k members and a pastor who has been the president of the southern Baptist convention several times. You won't find a stronger proponent of Israel than Adrian Rodgers. There have always been a bunch of people wanting to drive the jews into extinction, but it has never happened, and I don't believe is possible. Anyone who claims to be a Christian, I believe, should be a proponent of Israel. Having said that, it would be nice if the Arab and the Jew could coexist peacefully. Don't look for it.
>>
>>John,
>>
>>I honestly don't know... here's my situation:
>>
>>Over the last 20 or so years I had heard, maybe a couple of times, this idea about the Rapture and the connection with the Jews. I dismissed it as the rantings of some crazy religious sect.
>>But in the last 6 months or so, usually in connection with President Bush's religiosity, I've heard the same thing possibly 10 times, from apparently serious commentators. A couple of these TV "articles" even showed Prime Minister Sharon at a huge rally (in Colorado I think) where he was clearly adored and showed him addressing the crowd saying "We will win! We will win!", the commentary implying 'if only he knew why he was actually there'.
>>
>>I found the whole idea very hard to believe, personally, but repeated references with the exact same detail got me thinking that there was more to the whole thing. Possibly I'm a victim of oft-repeated "information" coming to be believable. I just don't know.
>>
>>So I summed it up in my mind as follows: *IF* it's in any way true it is in my mind most unChristian.
>>
>>Actually, I'm anxious to have the whole notion corrected, for my own peace of mind.
>>
>>Jim
>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>SNIP
>>>>>Terry,
>>>>>
>>>>>I'm not at all well versed on the subject (the Rapture) but that is not my reading of the situation.
>>>>>I see it rather as follows:
>>>>>The Evangelicals have decided that they cannot trust their God to take care of things so that the Rapture can occur at it's 'scheduled' time so they have taken it upon themselves to protect Isreal at any cost. They profess a love for Israel while their motive is really only to assure their existence so that the Rapture can proceed as "prescribed".
>>>>>
>>>>>These are the self-same Evangelicals who decry abortion because it is "killing" yet NEED to be sure to have Jews around to be annihilated as the price of entry to the Rapture.
>>>>>
>>>>>This Rapture thingy is obviously far far more powerful than any drug known to man.
>>>>>
>>>>>I **think** I have the kernal of the issue correct, in which case I can only conclude that this is a brand of "Christianity" that is about as confused as the radical Muslims