The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in The Book of Revelation

by Barbara R. Rossing

The idea of “The Rapture”—the return of Christ to rescue and deliver Christians off the earth—is an extremely popular interpretation of the Bible’s Book of Revelation and a jumping-off point for the best-selling “Left Behind” series of books. This interpretation, based on a psychology of fear and destruction, guides the daily acts of thousands if not millions of people worldwide. In The Rapture Exposed, Barbara Rossing argues that this script for the world’s future is nothing more than a disingenuous distortion of the Bible. The truth, Rossing argues, is that Revelation offers a vision of God’s healing love for the world. The Rapture Exposed reclaims Christianity from fundamentalists’ destructive reading of the biblical story and back into God’s beloved community.

Genres: Religion, Theology, Nonfiction, Christian, Christianity, Church, New Testament

222 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Cat. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm on page 78 and quitting. She's a good writer, and I appreciate that somewhere out there are other Christians who actively loathe the "Left Behind" series, and the theology behind it.

My problem is that I have issues with dispensationalism and the Book of Revelation itself that go back to Hal Lindsey's The Late Great Planet Earth, which I read when I was about 14. It scared me to the point of terrible stomachaches every night (at like 2 a.m.) for about 6 months...to the point of holding my breath during the entire year of 1988 (40 years after Israel became a nation was when the End Times were due to begin)... Of course he's changed his tune repeatedly since then, because the End Times didn't happen on his schedule. duh

I have done a study of Revelation so I now get some of the point of it. I still think it's a terrifying book, and tend to agree with Martin Luther that it doesn't really belong in the Bible. It has been so misused by crazy people that I have great difficulty separating the book itself from the actions of the lunatics leaning on it. Mind you, the lunatics also use the Old Testament book of Daniel, but Rossing reminds us that Daniel is a minor prophet in Jewish eyes, and certainly not writing eschatologically, but about Babylon. V e r y specific in time and place, really.

Having mea culpa'd, I have to say that because I'm not moving through this book at all, I'm quitting. In the back of my head is a little voice saying, "This is like all the books that have come out deriding Harry Potter, and The Da Vinci Code, when they are just stories. Fiction, y'know. Not to be taken as propounding a worldview. Entertainment."

Then another voice says, "Yes, but LaHaye himself says this is his version of what he really thinks the End Times will be like. So it's really not meant to be fiction. J.K. Rowling and Dan Brown both accept and agree that they have written stories, not fact."

Both voices are right. I'm tired of listening to voices argue in my head over this issue. My view: dispensationalist theology is crazy, in the scary WACO-ish sense, and I want nothing to do with it. The people who believe in it don't have the same view of God that I do. Neither benevolence nor love enter the story. Rossing backs me up on this, and that's enough for me; I don't really need to defend myself, knowing that there are sensible Christians out there. If I do feel the need to debate, I'll get this again and read it with intent.

[Tristan Sherwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

*The Rapture Exposed* is a full on exorcism of the damaging theology and practice that arises from adopting the end-times ideas espoused by the (sadly and revealingly) popular *Left Behind* series of novels.

Rev. Dr. Rossing examines the problems caused by adopting a Rapture-orientated, “dispensationalist” reading of the book of Revelation. A view that has become prevalent throughout the works published by Tim LaHaye (The *Left Behind* series) and Hal Lindsey (*The Late Great Planet Earth*). Not only are the recent historical roots of this interpretation exposed (it is not the traditional or only way of reading Revelation), but Rossing also clearly demonstrates how shaky its foundations are in the key scriptures that its students claim as supporting their view. To embrace a “Left Behind” theology is to embrace a hermeneutical approach that is very selective of its key texts, uber-literalistic, and, in most cases, moves beyond its own literalism by exporting into the text ideas and concepts which are clearly not intended by the original authors to their original audiences.

Having recently finished *Reading Revelation Responsibly* by Michael Gorman, I would suggest that the *The Rapture Exposed* makes a great follow on/reading companion to that work. Whereas Gorman’s work provides a more thorough framework to understanding the key symbols and themes of Revelation, Rossing’s work provides a more thorough critique of the ideas purported by Tim LaHaye and alike.

If you truly want to grasp the true message of Revelation—a message that doesn’t endorse violence but subverts it—then I would highly recommend this book!!

[Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you ever see a Left Behind book on my list, this book will be responsible. So far, this implies the Left Behind stuff may be even worse than I thought, which is saying a lot. But there is also the likelihood that Left Behind is even more hilarious than I thought, once you get past how much more disturbing it turns out to be.

[John Valdez · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a time I attended a megachurch that pushed Tim La Hayes Left Behind end times saga of books hard. I read a few and found they were terrible books consisting of characters I loathed (supposedly the “good guys”). Roughly based on the book of Revelation and other verses found throughout the Bible, The Left Behind books predict a not-too-distant future in which born again Christians suddenly vanish from the earth in an event called the Rapture. After this, the books portend a time of tribulation in which Jesus himself leads a brutal assault on the earth annihilating his enemies and anyone who has not adopted a fundelementalist version of Christianity, thereby destroying the earth in the process

In this book The Rapture Exposed, Barbara Rossing seeks to counter the message in the Left Behind series and other similar viewpoints from dispensationalist theology by offering an alternative interpretation of Revelation. Her primary argument is that Revelation does not predict a violent future for the earth or God’s children (everyone). Instead, John wrote Revelation to give the Jews hope as they continued to live under Roman oppression highlighted by the destruction of the temple.In her view, Revelation does forecast a future existence but it is one where Jesus, a loving compassionate lamb restores the existing earth to an ideal state and then lives in peace with all his creation.

For Rossing, the apocalyptic signs in Revelation that the Left Behind books rely upon to predict a violent conclusion for the earth should be viewed as the plagues in the book of Exodus - things that could occur should Rome continue its oppression of the Jews and not full scale cataclysmic events. To back up her assertions, she focuses on viewing Scripture in full context while the Left Behind authors and other dispensationalists take certain verses as piecemeal to support their claims of Armageddon. She also points out that the Rapture and Tribulation didn’t even exist as concepts until the late 1800s and started as a result of a young girl discussing a dream with a pastor.

For Rossing, the events of the Book of Revelation are not something to be feared because they simply don’t lead to a a violent end but rather they point to the fulfillment of God’s love for all his creation.

[Elliot · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up at the library as background reading for the Sunday School class on Revelation that I'm teaching this month. Rossing, a professor and ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, apparently wrote this book to counteract the dispensationalist theology that is found in the Left Behind novels and the writings of Hal Lindsey, among others. I found it a quick read, and Rossing certainly has some talent as a writer. The main message of the book can be found on page 86:

"The Left Behind novels follow the pattern of other apocalypses as they take readers on a vivid journey and wake them up to a sense of urgency about God. That is the novels' strength. Their failing is the dangerous conclusions about God and our life in the world that grow out of the Left Behind version of the apocalyptic journey... Left Behind's characters spend more time in airplanes and helicopters, or in underground bunkers, than they do walking the earth - illustrating the dispensationalist view of the world as a place from which to escape. Their high-tech gear, satellite phones, custom Range Rovers and stadium-size rallies cannot be reconciled with the heart of Revelation, because more than any other biblical book Revelation speaks to marginalized and powerless people."

A later criticism, elaborating on the difference between her interpretation of Revelation and that of dispensationalists, I thought was particularly insightful as well:

"The heart of our difference is this: dispensationalists do not seem to believe the Lamb has truly "conquered" or won the victory when he was slaughtered. They preach the saving power of the blood of the Lamb in Jesus' crucifixion, but it is not quite enough saving power for them. They need Christ to come back with some real power, not as a Lamb but as a roaring lion. Jesus has to return so he can finish the job of conquering." (137)

I thought she was spot-on in her critique of dispensationalist readings of Revelation, but nevertheless I could not recommend this book. One reason is her uncharitable characterization of dispensationalists as "using it [dispensationalism:] to further their particular social and political agenda" (41). Another reason is that her interpretation of the New Jerusalem that comes to earth at the end of the book didn't have enough tangibility in it. She writes, "The mystical journey into the 'Aha' presence of God's New Jerusalem and its river of life can happen in many ways for you: through nature, when you behold a mountain or stream so beautiful that it transports you to God's riverside; through music that connects you mystically to heavenly chorus; or through other powerful experiences of community or presence that take you outside of yourself" (160). I agree that we can experience the presence of God in the stuff of this earth, but I'm not convinced that this is what the vision of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21-22 is all about. The final chapters of this book, once Rossing is finished criticizing dispensationalists, turns into insipid, over-realized eschatology.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you think that the rapture is Un-Biblical hearsay, then this book will help put in words why the rapture is dangerous distortions of the Bible. those who believe in the rapture would be less inspired by this. One of the arguments is that believing in the rapture means that one has to believe in an allegorical rather than a literal view of scripture. That argument could have been made stronger, but I suspect that this book is more meant for those who discovered the rapture through the "left-behind" books. Your interest or lack thereof would depend on your view of the rapture....

[Keith Homstad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rossing exposes the professional fear mongers who throw around quotes from the Book of Revelation - seemingly because it's a cheap way to drum up business for their "churches" financial demands. She is a first rate theologian in the mainstream of Western Christianity, with a good solid Lutheran head on her shoulders.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is for a Sunday school class on Revelation. The first class was so enthralling, I stayed late and got to work late. We'll see if the book is as good as the class.

Struggled through the first chapter. I'm not appreciating the harsh, "they are wrong" attitude. I understand that is her point of view, but it's annoying to have it stated every paragraph. This one may not be completed.

Ok, decided that since this author was dead set against the Left Behind books, that I would re-read the first book of the series and then read this book to see if Dr. Rossing was right or fanatical herself. All I have to say is...WOW. The Left Behind book was so poorly written and didn't follow any Bible I've ever read that I had to force myself to finish it. The whole idea of Rapture is not Biblically sound at all and I was actually ashamed to be seen reading Left Behind in public.

I have to say, if you want to understand more about the book of Revelation and how Rapture is a 19th century invention, this is a very good book to read to learn more about both topics. A phrase that particularly stuck in my mind after reading this book was, "For God so loved the world that He gave it World War III." Rapture is about God's "chosen" people being spirited away and given a ring-side seat while the non-believers are left behind to suffer, be tormented and brutalized, while the believers watch in safety. How sick is that?

God loves us all, even those who don't believe. Yes, those who don't believe will suffer the consequences, but not for the viewing pleasure of those saved! Revelation is a WARNING of what will happen if we don't change our ways, not what WILL happen no matter what. As Dr. Rossing states, it's akin to A Christmas Carol when Scrooge views his past, present and POSSIBLE future if he doesn't change his path in life, not what will happen no matter how much he repents and changes.

For her Biblical story that illustrates the same thing, think Jonah. He got pretty ticked off when the destruction of Nineveh didn't happen because the people repented. He had a good seat to view the destruction and everything.

Long story short (too late) great book and not written above the regular person trying to make sense out of a very touchy and confusing topic.

[Sandra D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always thought of these Rapture-ready folks as "fringe," but when your rug is over 50% fringe, it gets a bit unwieldy, doesn't it?

Anyway, I did enjoy Rossing's book and gained some new perspective from it, but for my more immediate purposes -- finding weapons to use in winning back some of my Left Behind-seduced loved ones -- I don't think it'll make a good loaner, for two reasons: Rossing injects some of her own lefty political views into the text, and also she dedicates the book to her husband. Whose name happens to be Lauren.

Here in blood-red Oklahoma, that's enough for the entire book to be rejected out of hand as left-wing anti-Christian propaganda. I'm very sad about that, but I'm just stating facts here. This is what I've got to work with. I'm just a tiny blue fish in a red, red sea and this is the tide I swim against every day of my life.

Sometimes I wish I had the ability to do Vulcan mind-melds, so that people would walk away from me going, "Oh, now I get it!" I'd be such a busy, busy girl.

[Sam McCabe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. Having said that, the reasons I didn't give it the full five stars was because it's at times pretty repetitive, and the author seems to be argue against the dispensational position in a very personal way that for some reason diminished the effect of what she was saying. I would recommend it for anyone looking to get into end times theology.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

there is no rapture

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always found myself weirdly fascinated by Left Behind and other Christian end times fiction. The way they turn the apocalypse into a techno-thriller that's obsessed with horrible things happen to millions of people and the fact that from what I can tell they fall into the trap of fiction that's first and foremast didactic for a particular cause and second at best about being good. So when I came across this book online as something that pushes back against the end of the world craziness, I was interested.

And having now read it, I also really appreciate the time and place it was written in. This book came out in 2004 and from the first page is clearly a product of the early Bush years. The author is arguing against Rapture theology not just because she disagrees with it's interpretation of the Bible, but because she sees how it's causing real harm. Really, crappy Christian airport books is the least of the problems with the Rapture. It's clear that for many people it had a huge influence on their views of the War on Terror and what should happen to the people of the Middle East. And this is an influence that can still be seen to this day, and the way that certain people are slavishly devoted to a vision of apocalyptic destruction designed to bring back Jesus - and a Jesus who is obsessed with bringing more violence and destruction - is decidedly not good.

Of course, I'm not quite in Rossing's target audience. I'm not a Christian, and so when much of the book is devoted to analyzing the text of Revelation and showing her own interpretation, I lose interest to some extent. I mean I like seeing this as somebody who enjoys textual analysis, but I've never read Revelation and what it means doesn't hold any metaphysical weight for me. So I definitely enjoyed the first 100 pages more than the rest of the book. It's clear that Rossing's mission here is first to tear down Rapture theology and then build up her own vision of Revelation, and I'm only really interested in the former. I liked reading this, but I can't help wondering how well this would convince somebody deeply tied to Rapture theology, and in the end for me this was simply an interesting and sometimes disturbing peek at something I don't much think about most of the time.

[Richard Erney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally finished reading “The Rapture Exposed”! It was the longest 200 pages that I have read in recent memory. That was mainly because I was reading it in the evenings before bed & on a lot of occasions I would only read two maybe three pages before I fell asleep.
Overall, I thought it was a good read and yes, I particularly appreciated the message of hope at the end. It makes me want to re-read Revelation and compare it with the notes in the book.
I think that Barbara does a good job of debunking the dispensationalism theology promoted in the “Left Behind” series. Unfortunately, it seems that people are mistaking entertainment for theology. It also highlights the general illiteracy of the Bible in our culture today. If I understood the book correctly, outside of some evangelical protestant churches dispensationalism is not widely taught as theology in our churches. dispensationalism seems troubling & dangerous mainly because it promotes unrest in the Middle East. Dispensationalists seem to be a little too eager to get to Armageddon and the subsequent “rapture”.
From what I can tell, the ELCA and the LCMS view of the book of Revelation are very similar if not the same. However, I think Barbara’s book has a message of hope that goes a bit further than the official LCMS position but I’d have to do some more reading to confirm that.
I certainly prefer the hopeful message found in “The Rapture Exposed” & believe that I came away with a little better understanding of the book of Revelation as a whole. It’s a complicated book & before now, I really haven’t given it a lot of attention and focused on other parts of the Bible instead. Having read “The Rapture Exposed”, I believe that I will be able to recognize & debunk dispensationalism when I hear it & see it. Surely , I prefer the message that Jesus came to save the world and not condemn it! I’m glad I read the book.

[Matt A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rock solid analysis of the words of God. My only criticism is that Rossing just needs to read like the simplest book on economics, as she has a great misunderstanding of the scientific field.

Strong points include interpreting often misunderstood Greek words by pointing to other uses within the Bible (this technique might have been the most valuable piece of the book for me, personally) and evaluating Scriptures (specifically in this case, eschatology) as written, rather than as a patchwork quilt.

I have come to the conclusion I would never play board games with a dispensationalist. The slicing and splicing they do with the plain, written word and inserting years, centuries, and millenia between verses (and in the case of Daniel 9, even inserting an INTRAverse millenium!) is just sloppy and irreverent.

How do the end times all work out? Who knows. But I can assure you that it happens as the BIBLE says, rather than as LaHaye or Linsey or Scofield or Darby says. And her testament to that truth is Rossing's strongest proposition in this short, decisive text.

[Don Harton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barbara Rossing is laser-focused on undoing the harm she feels the Left Behind series and similar books have done to Christian culture. She takes exception to to the idea that the Biblical prophecies of Jesus’ second coming lay out any sort of ‘rapture’ of the church ahead of an earthly ‘tribulation’ punishing the unredeemed.

Rossing makes her point and defends her claim effectively. If you are open, you may find yourself in agreement. For my part, I would prefer she spend more time explaining how she reads end-time prophecies and less explaining how LaHaye and Hagee and Lindsay have it wrong.

On reading Revelation myself, I have to agree with this: the church is in for a bit of trouble. Of course, that should be obvious given that our brothers and sisters have suffered and are suffering even now. I pray persecuted Christians today will see God and the Lamb on the throne and know the victory He has promised in this life and in the next.

[Joel Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barbara R. Rossing presents a well thought out alternative to the popular dispensationalist theology of the end times. In contrast to the rapture and violent 7 year period of tribulation, Rossing presents a theology of peace, in which the book of Revelation calls people to seek out God's justice in the midst of the evil in our world, especially that evil perpetrated by human empires. In this she seeks to redirect the Christian church from a tendency towards apathy in regards to our world. Instead, she calls the church to care compassionately for God's creation and the people who inhabit it. Revelation seeks to direct the church towards a life of obedience and worship marked out by living in God's image. Revelation also calls the church to allow God's Spirit to inhabit us so that as God's dwelling place, we offer blessing, grace, and love to a broken world.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a "revelation" to me! John of Patmos had no intention to predict future end times.Dispensationalists base the rapture story on a few scriptures misinterpreted by many. John Darby started it about 180 years ago. The Left Behind series is a work of fiction based upon these distorted readings of the original intent of Revelations. I wish everyone, and especially Christians, would read this. God will not leave anyone behind! The countdown to Armageddon from 1948 is based upon this delusion.

[Janis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our congregation used The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation for an adult Bible study. New Testament professor and ordained minister Barbara R. Rossing published this book back in 2004, partly in response to the Left Behind books and movies. Although our study group didn’t know much about that popular series, Rossing’s book prompted many deep discussions about Revelation and the end times, especially in light of the current situation in the Middle East.

[Teri Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second half of this book is excellent.
The first half spends more time describing what it’s refuting than actually dealing with biblical text...I can see why that was important in its time and place but ultimately that first half feels very bound to its context. The second half, though, where she talks about Revelation itself rather than repeating why dispensationalists are wrong, is great.

[Sheryl Melvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the Left Behind series years ago, but was puzzled because I couldn’t find the timeline spelled out in Scripture. Rossing does a nice job of explaining the premise and contrasting it with Scripture itself. Jesus was not urging us to find a secret coded message— His message was to love God and love our neighbor.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting and plausible argument on the Rapture. There are so many theories on it and the end times. I've talked to my pastor about this and instead of taking a stance, he simply said just to be ready. Good advice. 😊

[Joseph Nicolls · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely read, especially for someone like me who doesn't have a strong background in biblical scholarship. Very hopeful vision/interpretation of revelation, although some of the political background here is a little dated.

[Katherynne Boham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this. I think it would be a good resource for anyone questioning The Rapture doctrine. The last chapter addresses the scriptures used the most to prove The Rapture which would be valuable and there is a Group Discussion Guide.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book exposing the garbage concept known as 'the rapture.' Well-written and not dry at all. Read it and educate yourself on how people in the ancient world interpreted the symbolism in this most perplexing book of the New Testament.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When reality is not good enough- or not persuasive enough- realistic fiction will often be used to convince people of a position. This tendency has worked wonders for those who espouse premillennialism with the Left Behind series written by LaHaye and Jenkins. The premillennialists have certainly seemed to gain a major victory with those books over the past few years, and even though they loosely claim to be fiction, not a few have followed after the premillennial view on account of the influence of these books. Even those who are not convinced are asking many questions because of the contents of these books, and often these people receive entirely unsatisfactory answers and therefore buy in to the premillennial view of Revelation and other texts.

In this climate it is good to see challenging responses to this premillennialist trend, and Barbara Rossing's The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation in many ways does a great service in combating the spread of premillennialism.

The author has done very well at refuting many of the claims of the premillennialists and has done well to expose premillennialism for the recent fabrication that it is. She spends the first couple of chapters speaking about the dangerous consequences of premillennialism and its origins. She demonstrates clearly how premillennialism is not two millennia old but two centuries old- originating in the thought patterns of John Darby and the Plymouth Brethren and receiving popularity from the Scofield Bible. Far from being a harmless oddity, premillennialism is also exposed for how it has governed American foreign policy in the highly factious area of Israel, has led to apathetic attitudes toward maintenance of the environment, and, most importantly, has posited a return of Christ that is entirely inconsistent and incompatible with the presentation of Jesus Christ throughout the rest of the New Testament.

She spends those chapters and the next two chapters analyzing the Biblical claims of the premillennial position. She rightly demonstrates how the idea of the rapture, time gaps in the prophecies of Daniel, and the seven-year tribulation are not present in the Scriptures, and also demonstrates how the hodgepodge interpretive methodology of the premillennialists is inherently flawed.

While those refutations are well and good, perhaps the best thing about Barbara Rossing's work is how she does not just show why premillennialism is false but also presents an alternative view of Revelation that is, on the whole, more consistent with the rest of the New Testament than the standard premillennial view, as she does in the rest of the book. As opposed to wrenching the book of Revelation out of the first century Asia Minor context in which it was written, as premillennialists are wont to do, Rossing firmly keeps the context in view and posits how John presents a message of hope to the persecuted Christians of Asia Minor in the late first century. Furthermore, Rossing demonstrates the limited view of the nature of prophecy as believed by premillennialists- prophecy is not a fixed view of what must come, but a warning to repent so that what is prophesied will not come upon the people. She uses the persuasive example of Jonah, who prophesied a message that did not come to pass because of the repentance of the Assyrians; I would add also the prophecies of Paul in Acts 27. When the purpose of the book of Revelation is considered- to encourage the saints of Asia Minor in the late first century- and the understanding of the nature and purpose of John's vision as just explained are combined, it becomes extremely clear why premillennialism is a dangerous fallacy.

Rossing also works with the details of the imagery along with parallels in the Old Testament prophets to present some viable views on what exactly John is talking about. John constantly uses language and imagery from the prophets of old, and his message against Rome is spoken in many of the same terms as Isaiah's against Assyria and Babylon. Rossing particularly focuses on John's reversal of the idea of nike, victory. The idea of victory and conquering by military prowess was deified in Rome, and Rossing explains how John uses the idea of victory to show how the victory will really be God's in the end. While Rome may vaunt in their current victories, God will be the end victor against Rome. Likewise, Rossing focuses on John's quick change in Revelation 5 from referring to Jesus as the Lion to Jesus as the Lamb, and how from then on Jesus is not portrayed as the Lion but the Lamb. The image of the Lamb as the powerful ruler of the universe overthrows normal conceptualizations of power, just as Jesus' teaching of the last being first overthrew standard conceptions of power in the Gospels (cf. Matthew 19:30). Overall, Rossing presents many views of Revelation that are more consistent with the New Testament and the first century Mediterranean world than what the premillennialists would posit.

Worth consideration to come to an understanding of Revelation.

[Chuck Storla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does a great job exposing the flaws in the rapture theories.

Unfortunately, tries a bit too hard to make the book of Revelation about ecology.

[Shiloh Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend this highly if you've ever been curious about the evangelical, theological idea of the Rapture and would like to dive deeper into the theology behind it.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, and great church bookclub discussion. Dr. Rossing is an excellent New Testament scholar and gives a message of hope.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The idea of the rapture and tribulation as the Baptists believe has only been around for about 200 years. The book made me really made me examine what scripture says to support the idea of rapture.

[Robert Lee Bennight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exposes the Left Behind and dispensationalist theology for what it is: a racket that comes from a perversion of scripture.