The Appearing

I think that it is one of the best books that I have ever rea

Are you eager for Christ's return? Do you worry about how you can survive the tribulation, the plagues described in Revelation 16? Then "The Appearing" is for you. Wheeler is a talented writer (and editor) whose tale of the tribulation is very personal. We follow several people on their path toward Christ as life as we know it in America collapses around them. We soon care about these "everyman" characters. Their heroism is found in their faithfulness and obedience to God in the face of persecution. We don't find, in this book, the clash of empires or cosmic events. We find little people surviving by the grace of God and gradually coming to understand what is happening and gradually surrendering themselves completely to God as their characters are tested and tempered and purified. Characters flee to the country for safety, then flee again, are caught, are imprisoned, or survive uncaught. We find, though, that though persecuted and imprisoned or fleeing, they are not touched by the terrible calamities that are wreaking havoc on the world. They are persecuted by God's enemies, yet protected from the vengeance God is visiting on His enemies because of what they have done to His people. This book is realistic and it is very faithful to the scenario presented in Revelation, but it offers great hope for God's people. It shows that while this time of trouble will be frightening, we will be surrounded by evidence of God's work on our behalf, His protection, His Spirit active among us. It gives us hope that if we surrender to God's grace, we will survive and be delivered.