As an added bonus, it would end a good portion of the repeated bickering back and forth on the forum here... 

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thats what this forum is for! or do i misunderstand the Spirituality vs Skepticism title
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As a lot of skeptics know, the Christians have been talking about the rapture for a LONG time. [right][snapback]669264[/snapback][/right]

(note: I am a christian and am not trying to force any beliefs on you.)
aquatus,
What about the garden of eden? freebie(technically)

Bringing Jesus here to pay for our sins? Basically freebie.

I'm not saying that I take everything as a freebie, just trying to show a different point of view.
I can agree that God makes us work for the things we ask for sometimes, But he always grants us with gifts of some kind.
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First I think that the number of christians in the world are dwindling so there wouldn't be as many missing as you'd think. Second I agree that something would be amiss such as trickery on the part of some religious fanatic or they were scared off by some natural disaster. Not a rapture.
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..(with the exception of Judas who hung himself)

Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

Actually, the rapture has been the idea for 2,000 years.  Even the disciples thought it was going to happen in their lifetime.  It's always been in the bible, but it wasn't re-discovered until that date.

Actually, you guys are fulfilling bible propehcy and don't even know it.  The bible says that in the end times there will be many scoffers.  I can repeat this until I am blue in the face, but it does no good.  NO MAN will know when the rapture will happen.  The bible clearly states this.  Just because man has repeatedly gotten it wrong doesn't mean crap.  The fact that the bible says there will be many scoffers actually points that it will be a long time before it actually happens. 

Also the rapture couldn't have happened until 1968 anyways because a prophecy says that Israel will have to be back in the land of Palestine and the desert will bloom like a flower...etc...etc...etc...Those are prophecies that are recently being fulfilled.  Anyone been to Israel lately?  The desert is blooming!
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There is no scriptural basis for The Rapture.  One has to jump through hoops to get there.  The fact is thus:  Jesus was murdered...everyone of His Apostles were murdered..(with the exception of Judas who hung himself).  Christians throughout history have been persecuted and murdered.

But today's modern Christians don't want to be persecuted and murdered for their beliefs...

....when the going gets tough...the Christians get to leave........

....I don't think so.....
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Hmm....

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Clarification:
"The Rapture", as it has come to be known, is a corruption of another prophecy.
144,000 ( not 'a billion' ) are to be 'taken up', 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Judea ( not Christians ). They get to spend 70 years being 'reborn' into new bodies and retrained, before being returned to Earth to act as governors over the surviving post-Apocalyptic generation of mankind. The 144,000, in order to qualify for this job, must be pious, virginal, "chosen", and male. ( The latter qualification reeks of the antiquated religious prejudices against women participating in religious ceremony, because of Eve's sin in the Garden. )
The whole process sounds like an alien scheme, involving only 'tagged' male descendants of the original bloodline.

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after all the incorrect predictions and claims, i would not believe the christian rapture occured just because millions of people disappeared.

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First I think that the number of christians in the world are dwindling so there wouldn't be as many missing as you'd think.
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Really, it hasn't been all that long, relatively.  The concept of the Rapture didn't get started till, what, around 1830 by the British evangelical guy, John Nelson Darby. 
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Ok, so what else would you suggest happend if you woke up some morning and millions of people were gone?
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mr amalgamut is pulling a practical joke!!

seriously, i would think lots of people are gone (if they are gone from around my area so i can verify personally).  i would then have to evaluate the situation.
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Clarification:
"The Rapture", as it has come to be known, is a corruption of another prophecy.
144,000 ( not 'a billion' ) are to be 'taken up', 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Judea ( not Christians ). They get to spend 70 years being 'reborn' into new bodies and retrained, before being returned to Earth to act as governors over the surviving post-Apocalyptic generation of mankind. The 144,000, in order to qualify for this job, must be pious, virginal, "chosen", and male. ( The latter qualification reeks of the antiquated religious prejudices against women participating in religious ceremony, because of Eve's sin in the Garden. )
The whole process sounds like an alien scheme, involving only 'tagged' male descendants of the original bloodline.

So, that's my 2 cents. I have to go back to work now. Later! 
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Ok, lets say this happend (millions of people were missing) and a man who was a great leader of a great nation died, but somehow he resurrected himself. And you saw this happen with your own eyes (on TV via live or a reply of the event.)
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This doesnt mean he wrote down the words in Revelation.
The words have been the same since John wrote them, (90 A.D).
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But Jesus said that he would return while some of those living then were still around!
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I also find it strange how Christians can totally ignore what their man-god said and take the word of mere humans over his! - CD 
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But Jesus said that he would return while some of those living then were still around!  That was 2000 years ago, I see no antique disciples around and can easily conclude that Christianity is flawed!
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Hmm...if I recall correctly, Jesus claimed that the world would end within his generation, not that he would return from the dead.
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Matthew 16:28 - (Jesus speaking) "I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom"

Nothing about the world ending.  And Jesus did return.  He walked the Earth for approximately 40 days after his death and resurrection.
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Mat 16:27 "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.". He's talking about the end of time.

And as far as I know, Jesus only said he would return once, not twice....now if you can show me otherwise.......  Of course there is the fact that he didn't come back when he said he would and Christians have be trying to explain that away for nearly two thousand year - CD 
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One could argue that this is the glory spoken of in 16:27.

Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 17How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again. 20If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. 21At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ[c]!' or, 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it. 22For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible. 23So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

    24"But in those days, following that distress,
  " 'the sun will be darkened,
      and the moon will not give its light;
    25the stars will fall from the sky,
      and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'[d]

    26"At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

    28"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30I tell you the truth, this generation[e] will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

And obviously some did see him.

And as far as I know, Jesus only said he would return once, not twice....now if you can show me otherwise....... Of course there is the fact that he didn't come back when he said he would and Christians have be trying to explain that away for nearly two thousand year - CD
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One could, but not very convincely.

Mat 16:15-31

Serously now, this isn't a build-up to a quick little promo spot. We're talking about winters, about famine, about the sky darkening, the moon growing dark, the stars falling from the sky; we are talking about the end of the world here. Jesus isn't doing this alone; he's got angels with him and they are here to work.

Sure, they saw him, but depending on what you read, they saw him for a daw, aweek, for forty days, and they saw him in Jerusalem, at Galilee, or at Mt. Olivet.

In other words, there is no consistent story regarding the ressurection of Jesus Christ. All accounts differ in a few major ways (some minor ones too, but we won't get nit-picky).