Left Behind: Separating Fact from Fiction

by Gary Demar

Publisher:

American Vision

, 2009

Overview

Will anyone actually be left behind? You might think so, if you’ve read Tim LaHaye’s Left Behind series (written with Jerry Jenkins). You can be convinced that the Bible specifically teaches that in the end times Christians will be rescued from a terrible seven-year tribulation period while unbelievers will remain on earth to be subjected to countless horrors at the hands of the antichrist.

In Left Behind: Separating Fact From Fiction, Gary DeMar takes a critical look at the theology behind this popular fiction series and challenges readers to consider a different interpretation. With confidence based on years of biblical study, DeMar carefully examines 11 major components of the pre-tribulation rapture theology and offers clear, convincing alternatives to the interpretations of Bible prophecy presented in Left Behind.

What difference does it make what we believe about the end times anyway? DeMar addresses that question as well, showing how our point-of-view regarding end-times prophecies affects the way we live each day. In addition, DeMar answers skeptics who use failed end-times predictions to disprove the Bible. Giving us a different perspective on the end times, this approach to Bible could revolutionize the life of the church.

Since Left Behind: Separating Fact from Fiction is fully integrated with Logos, Scripture passages are linked to your favorite translation for quick reference and to your Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts for original-language study! You can also read this volume along with your Bible dictionaries, encyclopedias, and the wealth of other Bible study tools in your digital library.

Key Features

• Foreword by R. C. Sproul
• Examination of 11 major components of the pre-tribulation rapture theology
• Clear, convincing alternatives to the interpretations of Bible prophecy

Contents

Top Highlights

“At the same time LaHaye gives the impression that the pretrib Rapture doctrine is self-evident to anyone who reads the New Testament, he has to admit that the doctrine was not discovered until the nineteenth century. All attempts to find a pretrib Rapture any earlier than around 1830 do not stand up to historical scrutiny.” (Page 20)

“‘The end of the age’ (not the end of the ‘world’ as some translations have it) refers to the expiration of a period of time that specifically applied to Israel in Jesus’ day (Dan. 9:24–27; Matt. 15:24; Luke 24:27, 44). The old covenant age came to an end and was made ‘obsolete’ because of the work of Christ (Heb. 8:13). This resulted in the ‘age to come’ (Matt. 12:32), which incorporated believing Jews and Gentiles into the blessings of the ‘new covenant in [Jesus’] blood’ (Luke 22:20; cf. Jer. 31:31; Acts 10; Rom. 9–11; 1 Cor. 11:25; 2 Cor. 3:6; Eph. 2; Heb. 8:8, 13).” (Page 76)

“Where in Revelation are we told that the seven literal churches represent seven historical ages of the church throughout history?” (Page 30)

“For centuries, Christian writers have understood that 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 is describing the general resurrection of believers when Jesus returns,¹⁷ as the Apostles’ Creed states, ‘to judge the living and the dead.’ Nothing is said about Jesus coming again to rapture His church in a separate invisible event. The text describes the raising of those who are ‘in Christ,’ both living and dead (1 Thess. 4:16). No mention is made of the church being raptured before, in the middle of, or after a Tribulation period. In fact, 1 Thessalonians mentions the ‘church’ only once in the entire book, and its reference is to the ‘church of the Thessalonians’ (1:1), not to the church in general.” (Pages 23–24)

Praise for the Print Edition

In Left Behind: Separating Fact From Fiction, Gary DeMar brilliantly skewers all the current pretentious prophecy claims, showing how they have no biblical support, and returns sanity to Christian hopes for the future.

—Paul L. Maier, professor of ancient history, Western Michigan University

Product Details

• Title: Left Behind: Separating Fact from Fiction
• Author: Gary DeMar
• Publisher: American Vision
• Publication Date: 2009
• Pages: 224

About Gary Demar

Gary DeMar is the president of American Vision, and has authored over 27 titles including Last Days Madness: The Obsession of the Modern Church and Is Jesus Coming Soon?