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Left Behind Deconstructed: Why I Left Pre-Tribulation Rapture Behind
APRIL 2025: Expanded, Revised, and Edited!
What if the most popular end-times theory in modern Evangelical Christianity isn’t biblical at all?
Picture it: a car barrels down the street with no driver — only a pile of clothes left behind — before it smashes into a mother clutching her infant. In the park nearby, children cry out in terror as their grandmother suddenly vanishes, seized upward into the sky, leaving them abandoned and unprotected on the grass. In a hospital operating room, a surgeon disappears mid-procedure, leaving a patient lying open on the table as chaos erupts. Across the globe, the same horror repeats: planes fall from the sky into buildings, highways become graveyards, and panic ignites as entire families, coworkers, and neighbors disappear in an instant.
For years, millions of Evangelicals have been captivated by the idea of a secret rapture—a moment when believers will mysteriously vanish before a period of global tribulation. Books like Tim LaHaye's Left Behind turned this view into mainstream theology among evangelicals. But what if the Church has been misled?
As someone who spent over twenty years immersed in the Fundamentalist-Evangelical-Dispensationalist world—and who even earned a doctorate from Dallas Theological Seminary, the very institution that helped popularize the pre-tribulation rapture—I once accepted this doctrine firmly. Ironically, it was during one of my doctorate classes in DTS about the rapture that everything changed.
In this short yet thought-provoking book, I critically examine the top verses and arguments used to support the pre-trib rapture. Using historical context, biblical language, and common sense, I offer an alternative interpretation that’s both faithful to Scripture and anchored in hope—not fear. Whether you're a curious believer, a skeptical reader, or someone who simply wants to know what the Bible actually says about the rapture, this book will challenge, clarify, and equip you.
What if the most popular end-times theory in modern Evangelical Christianity isn’t biblical at all?
Picture it: a car barrels down the street with no driver — only a pile of clothes left behind — before it smashes into a mother clutching her infant. In the park nearby, children cry out in terror as their grandmother suddenly vanishes, seized upward into the sky, leaving them abandoned and unprotected on the grass. In a hospital operating room, a surgeon disappears mid-procedure, leaving a patient lying open on the table as chaos erupts. Across the globe, the same horror repeats: planes fall from the sky into buildings, highways become graveyards, and panic ignites as entire families, coworkers, and neighbors disappear in an instant.
For years, millions of Evangelicals have been captivated by the idea of a secret rapture—a moment when believers will mysteriously vanish before a period of global tribulation. Books like Tim LaHaye's Left Behind turned this view into mainstream theology among evangelicals. But what if the Church has been misled?
As someone who spent over twenty years immersed in the Fundamentalist-Evangelical-Dispensationalist world—and who even earned a doctorate from Dallas Theological Seminary, the very institution that helped popularize the pre-tribulation rapture—I once accepted this doctrine firmly. Ironically, it was during one of my doctorate classes in DTS about the rapture that everything changed.
In this short yet thought-provoking book, I critically examine the top verses and arguments used to support the pre-trib rapture. Using historical context, biblical language, and common sense, I offer an alternative interpretation that’s both faithful to Scripture and anchored in hope—not fear. Whether you're a curious believer, a skeptical reader, or someone who simply wants to know what the Bible actually says about the rapture, this book will challenge, clarify, and equip you.
- GenresTheology
105 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2023
59 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Eitan Bar
46 books58 followersDr. Eitan Bar (born 1984, Tel Aviv) is a Bible scholar, author, and Israeli-Jewish follower of Jesus with multiple advanced degrees in Bible and theology. His unique background—living in Israel, being a native Hebrew speaker, and possessing advanced Christian education—provides a fresh and timely perspective on Christian beliefs and doctrines.
Dr. Bar co-founded ONE FOR ISRAEL Ministry, a Messianic Reformed Baptist non-profit and Bible college. He later left the organization in 2022 and deconstructed his Baptistic-Calvinistic beliefs, becoming an independent author of several books, including a few best-sellers (available on Amazon.com)
Eitan frequently lectures worldwide, primarily in Europe and the U.S., and his Hebrew-language videos, with over 25 million views, have made him a widely recognized figure in Israel for representing faith in Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus).
Dr. Bar co-founded ONE FOR ISRAEL Ministry, a Messianic Reformed Baptist non-profit and Bible college. He later left the organization in 2022 and deconstructed his Baptistic-Calvinistic beliefs, becoming an independent author of several books, including a few best-sellers (available on Amazon.com)
Eitan frequently lectures worldwide, primarily in Europe and the U.S., and his Hebrew-language videos, with over 25 million views, have made him a widely recognized figure in Israel for representing faith in Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus).
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 16, 2023
Fantastic little book that helps navigate readers at all levels through the tumultuous ideology of rapture theology and dispensationalism. Bar addresses the subject head on, giving a clear and concise history of this theology, addressing each passage that dispensationalists cling to, and doing so with a charitable tone. Highly recommend as an accessible resource to help readers clearly see the lack of biblical evidence of this view within a concise and articulate package.
June 6, 2024
Was disappointed there was no mention of alien abductions.
This sermon (Doorstep Theory) from Christ Covenant Church in Colorado may be of interest to readers of this book.
https://christcovenantchurch-co.subsp...
This sermon (Doorstep Theory) from Christ Covenant Church in Colorado may be of interest to readers of this book.
https://christcovenantchurch-co.subsp...
August 9, 2025
Left Behind Deconstructed: Why I Left Pre-Tribulation Rapture Behind by Eitan Bar
Bar is a Messianic Jew whose original exposure to Christian education was through a classical dispensationalist school in Israel. He gives a brief history of dispensationalism beginning with Darby and the Plymouth Brethren movement and identifying modern proponents. He takes a brief look at Jewish and early Christian pseudographia for any parallels to a rapture and finds no good parallels with modern dispensationalist pre-tribulation rapture concepts. He finds only that God divinely shields the persecuted through the trial, similar to Noah in the Ark or the Israelites in Egypt.
Bar then walks through six passages most frequently cited by pre-tribulation rapture dispensationalists, examines their context, and demonstrates how it’s problematic to apply them to a pre-tribulation rapture such as popularized in the Left Behind series of novels in the late 1990s that were rather popular. (Note: He misidentifies the actor Kirk Cameron as Nicholas Cage.) He offers good footnotes and further reading.
The book is not intended to be a thorough refutation, nor will you find anything about preterist, historicist, or futurist interpretations of Revelation. This book is a simple beginning and includes a bit of his own journey towards skepticism of the construct. He includes this challenge: “I’ve reflected deeply on what my eschatology says about my understanding of God, creation, and humanity. Does it resonate with Jesus’ profound love for the world, or does it depict a vengeful angry deity bent on destruction? I pose this question as I believe it’s crucial for all followers of Christ to ponder.” Four stars and I look forward to future writings from the author.
Bar is a Messianic Jew whose original exposure to Christian education was through a classical dispensationalist school in Israel. He gives a brief history of dispensationalism beginning with Darby and the Plymouth Brethren movement and identifying modern proponents. He takes a brief look at Jewish and early Christian pseudographia for any parallels to a rapture and finds no good parallels with modern dispensationalist pre-tribulation rapture concepts. He finds only that God divinely shields the persecuted through the trial, similar to Noah in the Ark or the Israelites in Egypt.
Bar then walks through six passages most frequently cited by pre-tribulation rapture dispensationalists, examines their context, and demonstrates how it’s problematic to apply them to a pre-tribulation rapture such as popularized in the Left Behind series of novels in the late 1990s that were rather popular. (Note: He misidentifies the actor Kirk Cameron as Nicholas Cage.) He offers good footnotes and further reading.
The book is not intended to be a thorough refutation, nor will you find anything about preterist, historicist, or futurist interpretations of Revelation. This book is a simple beginning and includes a bit of his own journey towards skepticism of the construct. He includes this challenge: “I’ve reflected deeply on what my eschatology says about my understanding of God, creation, and humanity. Does it resonate with Jesus’ profound love for the world, or does it depict a vengeful angry deity bent on destruction? I pose this question as I believe it’s crucial for all followers of Christ to ponder.” Four stars and I look forward to future writings from the author.
January 4, 2024
A former pre-tribber and Dallas Theological Seminary student, Eitan Bar, deconstructs Bible passages that pre-tribbers claim support their doctrine. Among those verses are the days of Noah (Mat 24:37-41, Luke 17:26-37) where some are taken and some are left behind. Interestingly enough, Darby didn't think these passages were about the rapture either. He believed this was after the rapture, and those taken were in Israel and would be taken in judgment. The average pre-tribber probably doesn’t know this.
https://sacred-texts.com/bib/cmt/darb...
Dr. Eitan is no fan of spiritual salvation.
“While Gnosticism is more complex and varied than just this aspect, an overemphasis on spiritual salvation at the neglect of the physical realm can indeed have Gnostic overtones.” Loc. 566
I love the book cover.
https://sacred-texts.com/bib/cmt/darb...
Dr. Eitan is no fan of spiritual salvation.
“While Gnosticism is more complex and varied than just this aspect, an overemphasis on spiritual salvation at the neglect of the physical realm can indeed have Gnostic overtones.” Loc. 566
I love the book cover.
April 8, 2025
I’ve read better.
I do not disagree at all that the pre-tribulational rapture is unbiblical and frankly a bunch of hooey. But I think the case could have been more strongly made by telling us what the author thinks the Bible actually teaches about the end times , and then defending it. Just picking a few passages and teaching what they don’t say, doesn’t really help me.
I have a dear friend who is struggling right now to understand what the Bible teaches about the end times. I thought this book might help him, but I think it would only confuse him. I was disappointed. This book could have been much more without being much longer.
I do not disagree at all that the pre-tribulational rapture is unbiblical and frankly a bunch of hooey. But I think the case could have been more strongly made by telling us what the author thinks the Bible actually teaches about the end times , and then defending it. Just picking a few passages and teaching what they don’t say, doesn’t really help me.
I have a dear friend who is struggling right now to understand what the Bible teaches about the end times. I thought this book might help him, but I think it would only confuse him. I was disappointed. This book could have been much more without being much longer.
October 16, 2025
Finally!
I have finally read a succinct, clear and straightforward treatment of a common belief, perhaps doctrine, of many Christians I know. Pretrib or Midtrib rapture have an appeal. And why wouldn’t they? Over the years I’ve found myself wanting to believe that IF we are closing in on the Great Tribulation period there would be a supernatural escape. But I’ve never been able to whole-heartedly accept these beliefs. Dr. Bar expresses scripturally what my spirit knows. Now my understanding can catch up!
Most important, he approaches the topic and its proponents in love. Not in religious debate and judgement. I will read much more from this author.
I have finally read a succinct, clear and straightforward treatment of a common belief, perhaps doctrine, of many Christians I know. Pretrib or Midtrib rapture have an appeal. And why wouldn’t they? Over the years I’ve found myself wanting to believe that IF we are closing in on the Great Tribulation period there would be a supernatural escape. But I’ve never been able to whole-heartedly accept these beliefs. Dr. Bar expresses scripturally what my spirit knows. Now my understanding can catch up!
Most important, he approaches the topic and its proponents in love. Not in religious debate and judgement. I will read much more from this author.
April 2, 2025
Scripture may not support pre-trib theory
I really appreciate Eitan Bar elucidating the scriptural basis for those who embrace a pre-trib view, but more importantly, pointing out why he has come to reject that view. I want to consider the relevant scriptures more, but his logical explanation is powerful and persuasive. I think I'm starting to agree with more of a post-trib perspective, which would be consistent with Christian experience through the ages (where God shields us in the midst of difficulties, yet allows suffering). I recommend everyone to read this book!
I really appreciate Eitan Bar elucidating the scriptural basis for those who embrace a pre-trib view, but more importantly, pointing out why he has come to reject that view. I want to consider the relevant scriptures more, but his logical explanation is powerful and persuasive. I think I'm starting to agree with more of a post-trib perspective, which would be consistent with Christian experience through the ages (where God shields us in the midst of difficulties, yet allows suffering). I recommend everyone to read this book!
February 2, 2025
Clear and straightforward read outlining arguments against a pre-trib rapture.
This little book addresses the passages most commonly utilized to defend a pre-trib rapture and explains them clearly and contextually. I appreciate the emphasis on sound exegesis and the author’s willingness to embrace uncertainty where the Bible is unclear. Very helpful book for challenging fundamentalist eschatology !
This little book addresses the passages most commonly utilized to defend a pre-trib rapture and explains them clearly and contextually. I appreciate the emphasis on sound exegesis and the author’s willingness to embrace uncertainty where the Bible is unclear. Very helpful book for challenging fundamentalist eschatology !
April 27, 2025
You need to read this book.
Bar’s eloquent, simple exegesis is accessible to any and all. He is clear and straightforward. He asks honest questions of rapture theology and ultimately points readers to think critically of their eschatology and soteriology. I felt both challenged and encouraged to be faithful in my walk with Christ!
Please read this so we can stop the epidemic of escapism and comfortable Christianity which both ignore the very core of the Gospel!!
Bar’s eloquent, simple exegesis is accessible to any and all. He is clear and straightforward. He asks honest questions of rapture theology and ultimately points readers to think critically of their eschatology and soteriology. I felt both challenged and encouraged to be faithful in my walk with Christ!
Please read this so we can stop the epidemic of escapism and comfortable Christianity which both ignore the very core of the Gospel!!
June 18, 2025
Great Read!
I liked that this is written candidly, but with respect. As someone raised in a southern Baptist church, this book was so enlightening to understand where the rapture theology came from. Bar does a great job at keeping verses in context and intentionally NOT reading between the lines of scripture. Loved it. Would recommend for anyone looking for a quick, but informative book about the basics of an end times theology not based on the rapture.
I liked that this is written candidly, but with respect. As someone raised in a southern Baptist church, this book was so enlightening to understand where the rapture theology came from. Bar does a great job at keeping verses in context and intentionally NOT reading between the lines of scripture. Loved it. Would recommend for anyone looking for a quick, but informative book about the basics of an end times theology not based on the rapture.
June 10, 2024
well thought out and clear presentation
This book is done well and honors all sides of the debate of pre,mid, and post tribulation. This is not a hill to die on- but if you have questions- this book is very balanced in its approached, thorough in its examination and loving in its presentation. A short- and understandable read on a difficult subject!
This book is done well and honors all sides of the debate of pre,mid, and post tribulation. This is not a hill to die on- but if you have questions- this book is very balanced in its approached, thorough in its examination and loving in its presentation. A short- and understandable read on a difficult subject!
February 21, 2025
Thought provoking
I own and have read the Left Behind books. I saw this book and was curious. Took me a few hours to read because I researched the Bible verses and as my headline states it is thought provoking. It has not changed my mind on the rapture pretribulation half way through or post. If you don’t do the Bible verses this is a quick read about an hour.
I own and have read the Left Behind books. I saw this book and was curious. Took me a few hours to read because I researched the Bible verses and as my headline states it is thought provoking. It has not changed my mind on the rapture pretribulation half way through or post. If you don’t do the Bible verses this is a quick read about an hour.
November 14, 2025
A quick and easy read that will challenge your view of rapture ideology. A must read for any Christian in my opinion, especially those living in a western culture. Great if you have questions about end times and the rapture specifically. Some understanding of end times and the book of revelation is helpful when reading this.
November 28, 2023
1 Corinthians 15:52
Your thoughts are unconvincing. This is our blessed hope. I do not live in fear. I will be with my Lord either by death or rapture whatever he has planned for me. Maranatha !
Greig Forkey
Your thoughts are unconvincing. This is our blessed hope. I do not live in fear. I will be with my Lord either by death or rapture whatever he has planned for me. Maranatha !
Greig Forkey
March 29, 2024
concise yet impactful
Great book makes you reconsider some of things we are taught about eschatology. “Brevity is the soul of wit.” Although, concise the book was provocative and insightful.
Great book makes you reconsider some of things we are taught about eschatology. “Brevity is the soul of wit.” Although, concise the book was provocative and insightful.
April 28, 2025
Wrestling Ahead
I wasn’t taught much about end times in general, but mostly surrounded by pre-trib believers. My first dive into post-trib, and definitely leaves me thinking. I’ll definitely be wrestling with God on some of these points
I wasn’t taught much about end times in general, but mostly surrounded by pre-trib believers. My first dive into post-trib, and definitely leaves me thinking. I’ll definitely be wrestling with God on some of these points
July 8, 2025
So much important information!
Excellent read- Thank you Eitan Bar for a wonderful, concise explanation of why belief in a pre tribulation rapture isn’t biblically sound. I highly recommend this book!
Excellent read- Thank you Eitan Bar for a wonderful, concise explanation of why belief in a pre tribulation rapture isn’t biblically sound. I highly recommend this book!
December 23, 2025
Concise and focused examination of End Time theory
As with all of Eitan Barr’s books this one gets right to the point and doesn’t waiver throughout the entire book. Easy to read. Profound to contemplate.
As with all of Eitan Barr’s books this one gets right to the point and doesn’t waiver throughout the entire book. Easy to read. Profound to contemplate.
February 13, 2024
Very good book
I came the same conclusions. Very week written and in plain language. A must read for anyone seeking the truth
I came the same conclusions. Very week written and in plain language. A must read for anyone seeking the truth
April 8, 2024
Helpful
Very helpful. Eitan has taken a lot of material and meaningfully made things concise for understanding. A very good resource.
Very helpful. Eitan has taken a lot of material and meaningfully made things concise for understanding. A very good resource.
March 11, 2025
excellent analysis that asks important questions
A very well argued little book. Very easy to read and gets straight to the heart of the issue. Recommended.
A very well argued little book. Very easy to read and gets straight to the heart of the issue. Recommended.
January 23, 2025
A short book with some strong arguments against the pre-trib rapture concept/interpretation to be considered carefully.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews