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

About this book

The idea of "The Rapture" - the return of Christ to snatch born-again Christians off the earth - is an extremely popular interpretation of the Book of Revelation in the Bible and a jumping-off point for the best-selling Left Behind series of books. However most Christian churches and biblical scholars condemn rapture theology as a distortion of Christian faith with little biblical basis. Yet this interpretation based on a psychology of fear and destruction guides the daily acts of thousands if not millions of North Americans and people worldwide.In The Rapture Exposed professor of theology and ordained minister Barbara Rossing argues that the Left Behind novels script for the worlds future distorts the Bible is disingenuous and flat out wrong. There is neither "rapture" of Christians off the earth nor does Revelation predict a seven-year tribulation culminating in war in Israel and the Middle East. Rather Rossing argues Revelation offers a vision of Gods healing love for the world - a love that will not be left behind. The Rapture Exposed makes the case for reclaiming Christianity from fundamentalists destructive reading of the biblical story and back into Gods beloved community.