[countrydummy]

bump for later

[Tycobb]

I personally believe in the "PreWrath" view of the Rapture. It will take place in the Sixth Seal about two-thirds into Daniel's 70th week (Trib period).

[eccl1212]

"What Tim LaHaye is doing in his 'Left Behind' series has been done before," says Mr. DeMar, a conservative Presbyterian and author of 16 books. "These guys have been predicting the end by reading the newspaper for centuries. ... They all have one thing in common. They've all been wrong."

Kinda says it all for me too. Dittos.

[ppaul]

The Left Behind fiction series implies that the "saved" will be "taken away," while the wicked will be "left behind." That is not what the Messiah said, and I'd rather take his word for it than some blow-dried 20th century best-selling authors'.

Jesus said:

As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.
-- Matthew 24:37-39

I don't care what Hal Lindsey or Tim LaHaye say, are you certain you want to be "taken away?"
Or wouldn't you prefer to be left behind?

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this `coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."

But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.

By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends:

WITH THE LORD, A DAY IS LIKE A THOUSAND YEARS AND A THOUSAND YEARS ARE LIKE A DAY. -- II Peter 3

:

[philetus]

Gary De Mar is an idiot. The books are FICTION.
I`ve read a couple of them and watched the movie. That doesn`t mean I subscribe to the theory.
Edgar Burroughs wrote books about people living on Mars.I read them too,but I don`t really think anyones home there.

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

The books are fiction. They appeal to a "second-chance" wish of many who want to "keep their salvation options open." The New Testament of the Bible says we must choose to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, RIGHT NOW, or be lost at the end.

[TheDeacon]

I am surprised to see the word "unorthodox" used in connection with the pretrib viewpoint. Selling all of your possessions and sitting on top of a hill would be 'unorthodox'.

"In essentials unity, in nonessentials liberty, in all things charity."

[Physicist]

So the Washington Times doesn't like "Left Behind".

I guess "Left Behind" is but half a Moonie.

[DreamWeaver]

Ping

[Jean Chauvin]

My question for the pre-mill's is:

Which of the two millennia mentioned in Rev. 20: 4-6 is considered to be the millennium which Christ rules on the earth??

Jean

[ValerieUSA]

The Left Behind series is a major rip-off - the books are way over-priced and poorly written.

[Mamzelle]

I was brought up into the LaHaye-type view of the End Times. Later, working with some scholars in a publishing company, I came to view these notions of a definitive pattern of events as simply wishful or fanciful reading of the text--The Revelation is simply not that comprehensible. There is nothing so tedious as a Christian obsessed with prophesy--otherwise sensible Christians can get very "hung up" on reading the tea-leaves of John's Revelation.

This Christian's opinion--all of the Bible is a straightforward manual for living, all pointing at the Alpha and Omega of Christ. Think of it as Renaissance art--approachable, understandable and wonderfully beautiful. Revelation is like Picasso--modern art--or the Impressionists. You can get the vision, the impression of a horrible conflagration at the End of the World, but I don't credit those who claim to understand How it will happen.

[aruanan]

Despite its enormous success, "Left Behind" is being criticized on theological grounds by some Christians who say the story of worldwide tribulation following a sudden "Rapture" of born-again believers is based on a faulty interpretation of the Bible.

"Some Christians". Ha ha. Everybody up until the early 19th century (doubtful references to Ephraim--misspelled a variety of ways--the Syrian in the fourth century notwithstanding).

The above quote is faulty in that it says that the criticism is based on "theological grounds". It's not that at all. It's just a simple matter of faulty exegesis, not theology.

From an earlier FR posting on the subject:

The doctrine of the secret rapture of the Christians had its origin as least as far back as 1790 in a book written (published in Spain in 1812 and 1816) by Emmanuel Lacunza who proposed a two stage second coming: once to get the Christians before the tribulation, the second time at the end. Edward Irving was supposed to have published a translation of this book in 1827. This teaching was also part of the prophecies of Mary MacDonald of Glasgow, Scotland in 1830. J.N. Darby, who led the Plymouth Brethren movement, also taught a form of this doctrine. He was supposed to have come up with it in 1827 when he said it "set him free".

The Brethren in Plymouth, England (J. N. Darby's church), were teaching a two-stage second coming by the time of the second meeting their chapel was used in 1831.

The Brethren in Ireland developed the idea of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture in their annual Powerscourt prophetic conferences after it had been introduced at the 1833 session.

The late Dr. Harry A. Ironsides, former pastor of Moody Memorial Church in Chicago, himself a strong pre-tribulationist, and associated for many years with the Brethren assemblies, acknowledged that it was in the Powerscourt meetings in London which began in 1833 that the teaching of the church was brought to light; that is, as he taught, that Jesus would come in the air to take away Christians before the great tribulation began on earth.

Ideas have consequences. It's been said that when the Communists were taking over in China the Christians who heeded Jesus's warning to take off for the hills in the day of trouble were able to survive, whereas those who waited for him to pop down and whisk them out of the way were slaughtered. Too bad it wasn't for their faith that they died but for a relatively new teaching that is nowhere expressly presented in the Bible.

Now we'll see if Swanks pops up to demonstrate to us all right here in his very own replies how the inability to read is, indeed, the basis of this and many other heterodox teachings.

[LibertyGirl77]

Ping--religious talk here!

[asformeandformyhouse]

Historically, the fact is the church has always believed that the book of Revelation was written by the Apostle John in 95 A.D.

More likely written around 65-66 AD.

[N. Theknow]

History reading is quite boring.

Reading John Jakes novels brought history to life and gave it a personal connection.

Reading the Holy Bible can be boring for some.

Reading the Left Behind series brings the Holy Bible to life and gives it a personal connection.

Is the series dead-on accurate? Time will tell.

Is accuracy of the future and the Rapture the most important thing to derive from the books? No way!

What is important? I personally know of five lives changed.

[texpat72]

I'm Pro Millenial! I'm not worrying about when or how, I just want to be ready when Jesus comes!

[Eternal_Bear]

Maybe people should stop worrying about "the rapture" and concentrate on living their lives well? Thinking and talking about it isn't going to make it happen.

[Publius6961]

It is remarkable that anyone would deliberately or purposefully ignore the fact that this is a work of fiction and build a critical article around it.
Isn't that normally called a straw man?

[Marysecretary]

Marvin Rosenthal wrote a great book on the "Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church," after years of scripture study and having had a firm belief in the pre-trib rapture. He was soundly criticized for his change in that belief. He even lost his ministry position because of it. Another book is "The Sign," another pre-wratch rapture book. I believe we will NOT be raptured before the tribulation, but who cares what I believe? Nobody but me, I guess. I love the Left Behind series anyway because people are reading them who have never read christian novels before and are becoming more and more interested in the end times. My son is a corrections officer and he says the prisoners are always reading them. It's a good witness tool if nothing else. Good adventure, too. I haven't read Desecration yet but I've finished all the others. We need to prepare to go through whatever God has purposed for us to go through as believers. Pray and seek His face! He'll be with us. Like Corrie ten Boom, I believe, once said, you get your ticket when you get on the train. And that's the way it'll be with the rapture.