Rapture Under Attack, Book Review

by John K. McKee
editor@tnnonline.net

http://www.tnnonline.net/tribnews/media/rap-und-at/
Review In PDF Format

Pre-tribulation author Tim LaHaye attacks anyone who does not believe his teachings in his book Rapture Under Attack.


I’ll be honest, I have never been impressed by Tim LaHaye’s writings or books. But in Rapture Under Attack, new lows are reached that I never thought could be attained by pre-tribulationists, even by ones as dogmatic as him.

LaHaye opens this book by explaining how deeply “concerned” he is for Christians who are denying “the blessed hope” and becoming post-tribulationists. He explains the story of a close friend of his who began to search the Scriptures for himself and became a post-tribulationist. This “inspired” LaHaye to begin a quest for his own [pre-trib] rapture truth. Supposedly after reviewing over 10,000 pages of materials, LaHaye is now “more convinced than ever” of the pre-trib rapture and in Rapture Under Attack he insists that all Christians believe it.

The reader who is well versed in post-tribulational truth will find that many of LaHaye’s arguments can be easily refuted by Scripture. Much of his scholarship is contingent on errant dispensational theology and antiquated KJV/NKJV renderings, with a few “dynamic equivalent” NIV verses thrown in which supposedly validate his claims. He accuses post-tribulationists of invalidating Jesus’ promise to preserve “us” from the hour of testing, forgetting that this promise is made to the assembly at Philadelphia (Revelation 3:10) and does not apply to all Believers. He also fails to properly exegete this verse especially when the testing (peirasmos) that John writes about is the same testing that Yeshua experienced in the desert, not “the Tribulation.”

Probably the most disturbing statements I saw made were when LaHaye makes distinctions between “our Lord” (Jesus) and “the Lord” (YHVH). He tells us things like “the Lord God established Israel, but Christ Himself founded His church,” almost forgetting that both YHVH and Christ are the same! In doing so, he subtly denies Jesus’ divinity. LaHaye also strongly attests that “the Church is not Israel!” invoking some thoughts of anti-Semitism among certain readers.

I must say that while reading Rapture Under Attack I felt attacked. After reading this book twice, I am not convinced in the validity of the pre-tribulation rapture. If we truly seek dialogue between those who hold to a different position than ours concerning the Messiah’s return, we do not attack, and Rapture Under Attack is a perfect example of how not to do it.

Bibliography
LaHaye, Time. Rapture Under Attack: Will You Escape The Tribulation?. Sisters, OR: Multomah Publishers, 1998.