Judgement-The Rapture

Since the Christian Rapture is in the news, I thought it would be fun to take a quick look at the corresponding tarot card, Major Arcana 20, Judgement.  In the RWS deck, this card shows the Angel  Gabriel blowing his horn as people rise from their coffins, born into a new day.  Another image for this card is the phoenix, the bird that is reborn from its own ashes.

The spiritual message of the Judgement card is to put the past in the past, and move on.  Rebirth only happens when we allow it.  It also asks us to listen to the voices of the angels, and to find our calling.

While I now hold no belief in the idea of  the Rapture, there was a time I did.  I grew up Methodist, with no understanding of the rapture in my dogma.  My father, a Methodist minister, felt the Second Coming of Christ was what happens in our hearts when we accept Him as our lord and savior.

When I ended up in a born-again Christian high school the Rapture was one of the first things I learned about.  I even helped write a skit about the Rapture that my class presented for the school as part of our weekly worship together.

One evening my friends and I were hanging out behind the school doing things we weren't supposed to do. I saw a great big red glow blinking  eerily on and off in the window of our most devout administrator's office. My first thought -The Rapture has begun. . .in Mr. Castagno's office!

Further inspection revealed that he had simply left the hold button pushed in on his phone, but not before I dropped to my knees and on-the-spot asked for forgiveness for the sins I was just that moment committing.

While my prayer and repentance was, at that moment, not required, I suppose anything that gets a naughty teenager to ask forgiveness is a good thing.

Can forgiveness be an aspect of the Judgement card?  Well, since we need forgiveness to achieve closure. . .then, yes, I think it can!