Are We Living in the End Times?

About eleven years ago when I was a new Christian, I read Tim LaHayes books; “The Left Behind Series”. These are volumes of books ranging at around fourteen now. When I started reading them, I had not yet read the book of Revelation and had no understanding of end time prophesies. I think I was in Deuteronomy at the time I started reading these books.

The first book started out with people disappearing on an airplane and people going crazy trying to find them. It was then discovered that this incident did not only occur on the airlplane but all over the world. People came up missing, cars crashed into each other, airplanes fell from the sky, and complete chaos was happening throughout the world. No one knew what happened. It was the most catastrophic event that had every occurred in the world.

The only things left behind from these missing people were their clothes and jewelry. The media was in a frenzy and people were looting stores, houses and anything they could get their hands on. Can you imagine this happening in our time? Can you imagine the coverage CNN and Fox news would be saying by covering these event? What could they say that would calm the fears of the people who were left behind? Some thought that aliens came for these people while others had no clue to their disappearances.

Then a man came on the scene that was the antichrist. In order to buy or sell anything you had to take the antichrists number and put it on your forehead or hand. The number was 666. If you didn’t have the number you could be arrested, jailed, and even beheaded.

I could not put these books down because even though they were fiction, a Christian friend of mine told me that these books were taken from scriptures in the Bible, namely Revelations. As I continued to read the books I became fearful that I would have to go through the tribulation period and probably be beheaded for by faith. I was very disturbed by this until I was told that God’s people will not be on this earth while these things take place. I didn’t understand why when until I read Thessalonians 4: 16-17 which says that “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall be with the Lord forever”. And as a believer, I wouldn’t have to suffer this wrath and persecution.

I looked into this further and found a scripture that Paul says, “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1Thessalonians 5:9. This tells me that believers will not have to go through the tribulation period but will be caught up in the clouds with Christ. That calmed my fears.

These books are so true to life that I learned so much about Revelation and end time prophesies that after I completed these books I consumed as much as the Bible as I possibly could. I read the whole Bible in 3 months and when I got to Revelation, I understood what the book was talking about. The Bible is the true word of God written by his prophets and through the Holy Spirit these prophets wrote down what they witnessed.

Whether you’re a new believer or have been a believer for some time, I recommend reading these books and aligning them up with scripture. Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins did a wonderful job telling us of the things that are coming and what to watch out for.

If you are interested in the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins than please view my website at: http://www.truelifelivingbooks.com

Thank you and God Bless...