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

This book is as much about emphasizing the actual teachings of the Book of Revelation as it is debunking the extremely strange beliefs underlying things like the Left Behind series. Ms. Rossing is clearly (clearly, that is, to anyone who has actually sat down and read the book) an extremely devout Christian who is upset that the genuine teachings of the New Testament in general and the Book of Revelation have been obscured by the premillenial teachings that have cropped up in the past 170 years. The book therefore has a twofold purpose: a warning against what can only be considered fringe religious thought and explication of the theology of Revelation. I am part of a rapidly vanishing breed: a politically liberal Christian evangelical. Specifically, I was raised Southern Baptist, though I have left the denomination because of the forsaking of traditional Biblical principles by the convention in the past two decades (specifically, the assertion of the authority of pastors, in contradiction of the centuries old Baptist doctrine of the priesthood of the believers; the recent emphasis on a subservient role of women in the church, to the point of instructing wives to obey their husbands; and the widespread role the convention has played in promoting regressive, right wing politics, whereas Baptist had until the 20th century mainly been politically progressive). In junior high in Little Rock, Arkansas I became a dedicated Bible reader. I first read it from cover to cover in the Living Bible paraphrase, then reread it in the King James Version (still my favorite translation--I've since read it two more times in the KJV), then the NIV version, later the Today's English version, and finally the NRSV. At the same time I began reading many religious books. I learned a great deal from several of the works of C. S. Lewis. I also read Hal Lindsey's THE LATE GREAT PLANET EARTH. I read the latter with some bafflement. It was pretty clear to me that anyone reading the Bible with an open mind was not going to get the kinds of ideas out of it that were found in Lindsey's book. But because so many of the people I knew at church believed in premillenialism, I persisted in reading books about end times, even though the gap between what I found in the Bible and what I read in those books was too profound for me to believe in any of it. For instance, it was crystal clear that the vast majority of Christians who had ever lived did not believe any of the stuff that one found in Lindsey or the Scofield Reference Bible or later in Tim LaHaye's books. Lindsey responded to this criticism by saying something along the lines that only those near the end of time would grasp these things, but that was another argument that I couldn't find in the Bible. On all of the major doctrines of the Christian faith there are a substantial number of verses that are pretty clear. For instance, on the centrality and crucially of the resurrection of Jesus there are multiple pa

In "The Rapture Exposed," theologian Barbara Rossing uses the verb "fabricate" to examine the "Left Behind" series of novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, and brilliantly refute their distortion of God's vision for the world. "The Da Vinci Code," another fabrication masquerading as truth, can easily be de-coded by checking out the Opus Dei and Priory of Sion Hoax sites, or taking a class in "Da Vinci 101," but recruiting people into believing they will be spirited up to heaven "any day now" and citing the Bible as evidence is not even biblical. Jesus himself says in Matt 24:36 that the world's end will come at a day and hour not even the Son knows."THE RAPTURE IS A RACKET" proclaims Rossing in her Chapter 1 opening sentence, then continues, "In place of Jesus's blessing of peacemakers, the Rapture voyeuristically glorifies violence and war." LaHaye's fictional output surpasses that of fellow Rapturist Hal Lindsey, whose 1970 "Late Great Planet Earth" saw the Cold War as an indication of end times. Lindsey found the Antichrist first as Soviet, but now as Muslim. Of particular interest is Rossing's Chapter 3: "The Rapture Script of the Middle East."Rossing points out that no passage in the Bible uses the word "Rapture" -- as LaHaye and Lindsey admit -- and traces this distortion of Christian faith to John Nelson Darby, a 19th century evangelical preacher, who invented "dispensations" -- seven intervals of time that he said were God's grand timetable for world events. Darby's scenarios were based on three verses from Daniel 9:25-27.Rossing's chapter, "Prophecy and Apocalypse," refutes the Rapturists'claim that John's Book of Revelation (or Apocalypse) gives us God's play-by-play prophetic script for the future. She reminds us that, contrary to the association of the word with disaster, apocalypse means "unveiling," and was a popular form of ancient literature. Visionary journeys, such as the one John describes, were not fortune-telling, but calls to repentence and faithfullness, much like Scrooge's visions of the Past, Present and Future changed his life.In Rev 19, Rapturists consider an armed Christ returning to earth to do battle as the culmination of his reappearance, but Rossing considers the Chapters 21 and 22 visions of a New Jerusalem far more revealing. The picture of life together in a new world where God comes down to earth to "wipe away every tear," is the spiritual promise of Revelation. She writes, "The New Jerusalem vision is meant to be God's vision by which we live our lives right now.... First we go in to worship, to the throne of God...to see the Lamb's vision of true power and life and salvation. Second, we return back home to the world, with ourvision transformed in a new way, transfigured in light of the Lamb." This is the message of hope referred to in Rossing's subtitle: God comes down to dwell with us, we are not selectively snatched up.

The Rapture Exposed by Barbara Rossing exposes some of the falicy in our modern way of thinking about the Revelation. Rossing denounces the Left Behind books as exploiters of this "fictional" way of thinking. She is trying to tell the Christian community that Jesus will not come down and damn all the unfaithfull to hell, but will instead save EVERYONE from damnation. He has already saved us by his death on the cross. Her message is one of hope. Rossing does an excellent job of teaching her theory of the Revelation and the "rapture." I would highly recommend that every Christian read this eye-opening book.

If you want to be entertained with an exciting, but very whacky story, then read the LEFT BEHIND series. But if you want to be able to separate solid biblical interpretation from something that has been made up out of whole cloth and then has served as a basis for a money making machine and some very questionable political positions, then read this book first. It is good, solid, scholarly biblical interpretation. I'm just afraid that those who are persuaded that the LEFT BEHIND series is based in "truth" won't bother to read Rossing's book and be thoughtful about this issue. Great book which deserves a lot of attention!

Excellent book. I found it riveting and read it in one day. It is a clear and easy read. It outlines how there is no "Rapture" found in scripture. This is a false theology invented 170 years ago by piecing together unrelated biblical texts and then tossing in some extra stuff. It's not even a literal interpretation of the Bible. Yet one of the challenges of the theology is its impact on foreign policy and the environment today. Having a true interpretation of endtimes, as actually found in scripture, will correct many hurtful and sinful policies currently practiced by those who adhere to the Rapture theology. Rossing also opposes the violence associated with a Rapture interpretation of the book of Revelation. She then goes on to give a very comprehensive and persuasive argument for what Revelation actually says. Violence is of mankind; "Lamb power" and testimony are of God. Jesus is "Emmanuel," Hebrew for "God with us." God does not take us up from Earth, Rapture the faithful away, but comes down to Earth, to be with us and heal our wounds. I think this book is recommended reading for anyone who has ever read the Left Behind series. It will also be helpful for church Bible study and discussion groups.