Left Behind Vs. Jesus
On the Timing of the Rapture In the Bible

An excerpt from the book End Times Explained by Marc Speed

Millions of people around the world have read the books in the “Left Behind” series, in which Christians are raptured away just before really bad things start happening on earth. The “Left Behind” or “pre-tribulation” version of the rapture is the one most commonly believed by Christians. The only problem is, it’s dead wrong.

“How can you be so sure?” you may ask.

Well, all you have to do is read Jesus’ simple description of the rapture in Matthew 24. Let’s compare Jesus’ description of the rapture with the commonly believed “Left Behind” version.

As anyone who has ever read the "Left Behind" books, watched the "Left Behind" movies, or bought the "Left Behind" bobblehead dolls (OK, I made that up) can attest to, the “Left Behind”/“pre-trib” version of the rapture goes like this:

"The rapture will occur before the tribulation. At the rapture Christians will mysteriously disappear and the rest of the world will have no clue what happened or why the Christians disappeared. Then the world (those who are 'left behind') will go through cataclysmic and incredibly tough times."

Now let’s compare that with Jesus’ version of the rapture as recorded in Matthew 24:29-31. Take special notice of the first four words (this is so obvious you’ll wonder why you never saw it before):

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light and the stars will fall from the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

Can you see the discrepancy here? Who’s right – Jesus, or “Left Behind”? This is why “Left Behind” is in the fiction section of the bookstore!

How can anyone believe that the rapture is going to occur before the tribulation when Jesus plainly stated that it’s going to occur after the tribulation? How can anyone believe that the rest of the world is going to have no idea why all the Christians disappeared when Jesus plainly stated that the whole world is going to see Him in His power and glory when He appears in the sky to gather us?

In Matthew 24, Jesus made it ultra-clear that the rapture will occur after severe tribulation and that whole world is going to see Him when the rapture occurs. The world is going to know exactly why they’re being left behind. Yes, of course they’ll be left behind, but not when, or in the mysterious “where did all the Christians go?” way, the Left Behind books claim.

I guess the only way you can believe the “Left Behind”/“pre-trib” nonsense on the timing of the rapture in the Bible is if you’ve never read Matthew 24:29-31. Tim LaHaye, the co-author of the “Left Behind” series, has also written non-fiction books on the end times. It’s no wonder he avoids mentioning Matthew 24:29-31 in his books! (How can you write whole books on the rapture and the end times and yet never mention Jesus’ plain description of the event? It’s beyond me.)

It’s stunning to me how millions of believers fail to see that the Left Behind books directly contradict Jesus’ simple words. All they have to do is read Matthew 24. Unfortunately, many Christians spend more time entertaining themselves with fiction books than they do reading the Word of God for themselves and asking the Holy Spirit to lead them into all the truth. They foolishly rely only on popular, well-spoken pastors, teachers, “experts”, and marketing campaigns while completely neglecting to read Jesus’ account of the rapture for themselves, straight from the Bible.

These believers will pay a high price for failing to read Jesus’ words and believing in a pre-tribulation rapture instead. In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-10 the apostle Paul makes it abundantly clear that the rapture will not occur until after the antichrist arises and a great falling away from the faith occurs. This passage vividly describes what will happen to many who call themselves believers when the tribulation hits - they will fall away from the faith, blindsided by the traumatic events and persecution of the tribulation and confused because their ear-tickling Christian leaders did not warn them about it.

In my E-Book End Times Explained: 7 Little-Known Keys To Understanding the Book of Revelation ($7) I explain exactly where the rapture is found in the book of Revelation. I also explain how at some point in the future as events unfold the wise will be able to narrow down the exact timing of the rapture to either of two specific days. (Remember, Jesus said “no one knows the day or the hour” – but He didn’t say we couldn’t eventually know the week or the month or the year. This specific phrase used by Jesus had a special meaning to the ancient Israelites that most modern Christians are not aware of.)

The End Times Explained E-Book includes:

* The exact location of the rapture in the book of Revelation (you’ll be amazed you couldn’t see it all along!) and its timing relative to other end time events proven logically from Scripture with five undeniable concurring Scripture passages.

* Marc’s 7 Little-Known Keys To Understanding the Book of Revelation

* Marc’s easy-to-understand Revelation Timeline in “this will happen, then this…” story form – a logically provable explanation of virtually every passage in Revelation, including many of the most confusing sections

* The secret to understanding the non-chronological “Interludes” at key points in Revelation, why God included them – and each “Interlude” explained

* Why God will allow the crazy events of the end times to occur

* The rarely-talked-about Old Testament passage that reveals how and why God sent the “4 Horsemen” of Revelation

* The watershed event that will be known as “the end of the world as we know it”

* Why a “2012 Planet X Conspiracy” isn’t too far from the truth according to the book of Revelation

* What the modern economy has to do with Revelation, and how its leaders are already planning the mark of the beast

* The most likely living candidate for the antichrist – a man that fits more literal Biblical criteria for the antichrist than any man in history (and no, it’s not Obama!)

* The shocking dual identity of Mystery Babylon – proven with logic and common sense from the Scriptures

* Why “aliens” could be a part of the great end times deception – and where they may be revealed in the Book of Revelation

* What to watch for, what to do, and where to go (when the time is right) – the Bible’s instructions for wise end-time believers to escape the effects of the most traumatic end time events

* Packed full of unique insights you won’t hear anywhere else

Click on the book below to purchase or learn more:

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