The Rapture is the snatching away to heaven of all living believers in Christ. It will occur at the beginning of seven years of global cataclysm and rule of the Antichrist known as the Great Tribulation, a period that will conclude human history as it’s been known. But it will also be a period where untold millions will turn to Christ as Savior. Will you be one of them - affording yourself of a last opportunity for heaven? What will it be like for new believers in this time of unprecedented tumult and persecution? How will they grow in their faith? What will they see in the events and personalities that dominate the last seven years before Christ returns in power and great glory? A return that will see him conquer the forces of evil and establish a reign of righteousness that will last a thousand years.
John Balch served as a pastor in Southern Oregon and has taught the Bible in churches in the Portland area for the last 36 years. He is a graduate of Western Seminary in Portland (M.Div., Pastoral Studies), where he lives with his wife, Hedda. He is retired from over 30 years with the Department of Veterans Affairs (National Cemetery Administration).
James De Young has been Professor of NT at Western Seminary, Portland, OR for 40 years; now retired as Senior Professor he continues to teach distance learning classes. He has taught the book of Revelation for over 50 years from both the English and Greek texts. He published (2000) The Antichrist Is Coming: The Rise of the Antichrist, the Restrainer Removed, and Jesus Christ Victorious at Armageddon. His work in this book draws upon this larger work. John and James have a podcast, Apocalypse Is Coming, at www.anchor.fm/james-de-young