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Summary: No passage in the Bible uses the word "Rapture."
Review: 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 our
vision 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.
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Summary: Yet another moron with a preconceived agenda "interpreting"
Review: In a modern context, the Bible is so outrageously absurd that only those brainwashed from birth or the plain delusional could hope to defend it. Our world will never improve unless the fallicy and harm of Christianity and all diety-based religions is exposed and refuted.
Here's all you need to know about the book of Revelation: think this book is the "unerring word of "God?" Take a look at the last paragraph. If there is zero chance that these words could have been altered some time in the past, why was it necessary to threaten anyone who might do so with dire consequences? Sounds like an admission to the fallibility of the Bible to me!
Hey Rossing, do you believe in WITCHES? Are you willing to kill witches as your god commanded in Exodus 22:18? Very good, but how will you identify them? "God" doesn't say how to do that! Ever hear of the Salem Witch Trials? LOL
The Bible is so poorly written it's no wonder people can "interpret" it any way they want to suit their own personal agendas. Clearly, Rossing is incapable of comprehending the vast amounts of evil espoused by her god in the Bible. One more example: How would you like to have to choose (after serving your master as a slave for 6 years) between freedom without your wife and children or a LIFETIME of slavery with them? Could you believe in a god who established such a sadistically evil law? The "LIFETIME of slavery" part clearly supercedes any notion of "indentured servitude" espoused by apologists. Read Exodus 21 and know the truth. Judeo-Christianity and its plethora of offshoots is for brainless, conformist sheep who just want to be lead - which sadly describes most people.
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Summary: Ignorance is Bliss
Review: It's amazing to me how someone with a title behind their name can spout this heretical nonsense as if it is fact! Mz Rossing has no real knowledge and/or understanding of the Bible, when she states that the land of Israel doesn't belong to the Jews. It's time she read the Old Testament prophets such as Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and I could go on! They constantly repeat that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people, even to listing the exact boundaries. As for the rapture, it is well documented in a number of New Testament books. All I can say in closing is as Paul wrote in the first chapter or Romans: "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools" !!
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Summary: Where in the world are our mansions?
Review: John 14:2 - In my Fathers house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
vs. 3 - And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.SO, you guys are saying Jesus will come back to earth, and stay here with us. It doesnt seem that way to me. If so , where are all these mansions? And where is God's house?
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Summary: Good Classic Lutheran Theology At Work
Review: Prof. Rossing shows her Lutheran heritage well as one of the main differences between the Evangelical(Lutheran) Church of the 16th c. and its more radical offshoots was a stout defense against millenarianism/chiliasm which is what the 'LEFT BEHIND' series is all about. Condemned as erroneous almost 500 years ago, this error is still erronous-even in its new 19th c Darby-Scofield manifestation. While some within the Protestant camp (We Catholics have never been afflicted with this curse)may be discomfited; I challenge them to READ the book and then rethink what they have been told.
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Summary: Trust the Bible not man's word.
Review: The pre-tribulation rapture can easily be boiled down to one easy to understand argument: There just simple cannot be a rapture surprise if you know it's coming at the mid point, pre-wrath, or end of the tribulation. "For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will" (Matthew 24:44). In order for it to be a surprise, the rapture must take place before the tribulation starts. It would absolutely silly to apply this to any other view. During the final hour of the tribulation, 2/3 of mankind will be dead from the various judgments and the Church will be under constant threat from the Antichrist. In all this carnage, I can not imagine believers being oblivious to the nearness of the Lord's return. This is why a pre-trib rapture is the only position that makes sense. The author of this book tries to lead us down a conspiracy bunny
tail.
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Summary: Exposing the real message of the Revelation
Review: 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.
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Summary: Exposing the real message of the Revelation
Review: 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.
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Summary: Message of Hope for a Violent World
Review: This beautifully written, accessible book challenges the violent world view of those Christians who proclaim a doctrine of armaggedon as central to the faith. Rossing lovingly disagrees, pointing out that the vengeful Christ portrayed in the Left Behind series and other endtimes fiction is a contradiction to the Biblical image (found in Revelations!) of the lamb that was slain for the sake of the world. I challenge those readers who reject her conclusions to re-read her discussion of Biblical proof texts with their Bible in hand, and with an open mind.
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Summary: Twisting Scripture to Promote an Ideology
Review: This book fails on many levels, because the author misinterprets or selectively quotes scripture to promote her personal ideology. The greatest failure of this book is that it misses the ultimate message of Revelation: people need to respond in faith to the redemptive work of Christ now to avoid the inevitable judgment that is coming. See Revelation 3:20 and 22:17. Other major flaws abound. For example, she uses symbolic interpretations to twist the plain meaning of scripture. Rossing believes that God has no intention of bringing wrath against the evils on Earth, regardless of statements in Revelation to the contrary. She thinks only in terms symbolic threats. The evils, she notes, are not really those stated in Revelation anyway, but those generated by current Israeli government policies, the opponents of environmentalism, the political right, etc. Her symbolism has a clear socio-political agenda in mind, not a Biblical agenda. Significantly, she never addresses any of the key passages, which show Christ as a judge, such as Revelation 6:9, 19:21, 20:11-15, apparently because they oppose her ideology. Worse yet, she contradicts scripture stating, "Prophecy does not mean prediction of the future," even though the Bible contains numerous instances of predictive prophecy. See Genesis Chapters 12:2, 2 Samuel 7:12, Daniel 5:28, Isaiah 53:5, and Acts 9:15. Another obvious flaw is that she never deals with the Greek word signifying the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. The word is "harpazo" or "caught-up," and the thirteen times it is found in the Bible, it always means to take away by force. See John 10:29, Acts 8:39, and 2 Corinthians 12:2 as examples. Conveniently, Rossing's book avoids discussion of this word to avoid undercutting her own views. Clearly, The Rapture Exposed cannot stand up to even a cursory examination against the Bible.
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