Rapture Rupture

The immensely popular Left Behind novel and movie series, along with non-fiction books advocating the 'blessed hope' of the rapture are believed by many evangelicals to be the only truly biblical understanding of the end times. Tim LaHaye, co-author of the Left Behind series and leading spokesman for the 'pre-trib' movement touts a much-imitated chart of fiteen allegedly irrefutable proofs for that position. Here, in thorough but readable fashion, theologian Nathanael Lewis refutes each and every one. With special focus on Jewish background to the New Testament, among other things this book shows how: * Rabbi Paul's Jewish approach points directly to Jesus' teaching on the timing of the rapture* Jesus left no room for anything other than a 'post-tribulation' position* Dispensationalism and the 'pre-trib' teaching has become and idolatrous prism that distorts the word of God and will have deadly consequences for the church* The pre-trib deception will likely be a major factor in the last days 'great apostasy'* LaHaye and co, like the Pharisees, use the traditions of man to nullify the word of God, specifically the clear and consistent teaching of Jesus on the last days* LaHaye misrepresents the 'thief in the night' teachingRomans 11 is in direct opposition to dispensationalist teaching* LaHaye rips passages out of context, and on occasion essentially makes things up* LaHaye gets even the most basic facts wrong on Revelation 20* LaHaye abuses a passage that doesn't even refer to the Second Coming as foundational for rapture teaching* To be truly consitent, LaHaye must either support and anti-Christian Jehovah's Witness teaching or teach outright heresy about God to justify his interpretation of a key 'blessed hope' passageIn a series of useful appendixes and additional material, Nathanael goes on to show: * How and why Paul derived from the actual words and teaching of Jesus his doctrine that the dead will be raised before the living saints are transformed to meet Jesus* Why Jewish wedding practices do not at all support a pre-trib rapture position* What Jesus meant by 'pray that you might be able to stand before the Son of Man'* Why pre-trib teaching on 'not under wrath' is contrary to the true bible teaching* How a core component of pre-trib and dispensationalist doctrine was condemned by one of the first church leaders after the apostles as 'blasphemy against the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob'Nathanael Lewis has an MTheol (Hons) from St Andrews, Scotland's oldest university. In addition to writing on theology, he is a poet, composer & musician, and is active supporting Pakistani Christians. A mimumum of 6.25% of the sale price of this book will go to charities and NGOs, mainly those helping persecuted Pakistani and/or Middle Eastern Christian