The Leftovers got me thinking, if the rapture actually happened, would anybody really notice?

[korn469]

So this weekend the Leftovers debuts this weekend on HBO and it got me thinking, if the rapture actually happened would anybody notice? I'm assuming that 144,000 Christians disappear, since that number appears in Revelations, and that it's just the rapture, not the tribulation with fire, brimstone, and stars falling from Heaven, etc. etc. So, if a tiny percent of the world's population just blinked out of existence without explanation, would people be able to figure out what happened? Also, would anything change?

What do you guys think?

[regexcellent]

Depends on which 144,000. Like if they're all in Cameroon probably nobody will even notice.

[Ben Kenobi]

Yes, unequivocally, yes, it would be noticed. 2300 people are reported missing every day in the US. My calculations would have 1/5th of the total Christians in the US alone so roughly 22k missing people.

[Ben Kenobi]

Depends on which 144,000. Like if they're all in Cameroon probably nobody will even notice.

Assuming random distribution across the entire Christian population, yes, people would notice. Partially because so many would be Americans.

[korn469]

Ben, according to this link, the US makes up 11.3% of the world's christian population. So 16,272 Americans would vanish. That's alot, but out of a country of more than 300 million that's not very many. That's maybe 2 or 3 times as many people as die each day on average.

[Ben Kenobi]

Ben, according to this link, the US makes up 11.3% of the world's christian population. So 16,272 Americans would vanish. That's alot, but out of a country of more than 300 million that's not very many. That's maybe 2 or 3 times as many people as die each day on average.

So somewhat lower than I estimated on my back of the envelope. Still way too many. The number you want aren't the deaths. Deaths leave traces. Missing people - 16k people going missing in a day? Even if not all are reported and even if the reporting is staggered - almost all of the reported cases are eventually found. 16k people just going missing without a trace?

You'd likely see an article within 24 hours. Guaranteed.

[korn469]

So somewhat lower than I estimated on my back of the envelope. Still way too many. The number you want aren't the deaths. Deaths leave traces. Missing people - 16k people going missing in a day? Even if not all are reported and even if the reporting is staggered - almost all of the reported cases are eventually found. 16k people just going missing without a trace?

You'd likely see an article within 24 hours. Guaranteed.

Yeah I think there would be articles, I mean look at how much media coverage the missing Malaysian flight received, but really a few months later would people really think their lives have changed because of it. I mean the Asian tsunami of 2004 killed more than 250,000 people. It made me sad and I donated money to charity. It also felt totally surreal. Like a disaster movie came true. However, I never felt like my life changed. It's only rarely talked about 10 years later. So how would the rapture be different?

[Tuberski]

And he finds his next victim...

ACK!

[Aeson]

Would they have internet connections in Heaven? (If they don't, why would anyone want to go?) Raptured people will be posting updates on Facebook. No one will miss them because they've already been put on ignore for always posting images with trite proverbial messages. Except the guy who posted this on my wall ... I'll miss him ...

[Patroklos]

You would notice because a small percentage of them would be giving TV interviews, piloting jet liners, driving big rigs on the highway or otherwise doing activities where their sudden absence would be highly visible of catastrophic to their surroundings.

[Dr Strangelove]

I really wish they would remove Revelations from the Bible. It's pretty well estblished now that the apostle John wasn't involved at all, but instead some unknown John wrote the book.

[Uncle Sparky]

You would notice because a small percentage of them would be giving TV interviews, piloting jet liners, driving big rigs on the highway or otherwise doing activities where their sudden absence would be highly visible of catastrophic to their surroundings.

Wouldn't it be funny if only Chinese & Russian political prisoners disappeared?

[loinburger]

Or only people living in cult compounds

[Fake Boris]

I really wish they would remove Revelations from the Bible. It's pretty well estblished now that the apostle John wasn't involved at all, but instead some unknown John wrote the book.

Why would anyone care about the bible if there weren't any bull****?

[Dinner]

The whole idea of the so called rapture was completely invented by a failed Irish conman turned protestant preacher in the 19th century.