What do you think?
Rate this book
The Rapture: Misunderstood
Eschatology is a popular but notoriously difficult area of theological study. The scriptures explain the end of the world with prophecies and symbolism that can be mind-numbing and confusing. If you are searching for an unbiased, uncomplicated overview of the end times, this book is for you. When finished reading it, you will go away better prepared to talk about what you know and what you believe about the end times.
92 pages, Paperback
Published June 30, 2016
59 people are currently reading
235 people want to read
About the author
Jason E. Royle
7 books34 followersWriting, for Jason, is a way to express the ongoing story of theology. With every book or article, he hopes readers get a sense of the complexity of God and the necessity of faith. Captivated by the spiritual component of life, Jason loves to read everything from the Greek classics to the Sunday comics.
Unafraid to tackle topics many people don't want to talk about, Jason has a concise, lighthearted style of writing about difficult subjects. From the serious to the humorous, Royle weaves stories that make you grin, ponder, and perhaps plunge anew into your own leaps of faith.
Unafraid to tackle topics many people don't want to talk about, Jason has a concise, lighthearted style of writing about difficult subjects. From the serious to the humorous, Royle weaves stories that make you grin, ponder, and perhaps plunge anew into your own leaps of faith.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 6, 2016
As I'm not a Christian you may well be wondering why this book. Well ....
Fascinated by the different faiths and beliefs, I admit to wanting to know more on this subject ever since watching Left Behind with Nicolas Cage.
Written by a social worker come pastor. The Rapture Misunderstood, is one of several books (the other two I believe being Christmas Misunderstood and Judas: Hero Misunderstood) in which the author takes a 'none-preachy' look at certain aspects of 'Christian theology'.
Two halves to the book, part story, part what I'd describe as a study guide. Proceeding a letter from the author there is a short story of 50 or so pages followed by a guide to Understanding the Rapture which, amongst other things, takes a look at scripture supporting the 'End Times'.
What proved to be an enjoyable enough short read - I'd personally have preferred it a little longer, the characters gone into in more depth. Whilst not a parable as such but certainly a story with a message at its heart, The Rapture Misunderstood is the tale of Pastor Bill and his small band of followers, one of whom is a terminally ill man, who set out to bring about the Rapture as a means of stopping the devil (and his wife) in his tracks and eradicating evil.
Followed by what Mr T thought a concise but all too short (but then the author never intended it to be anything but) explanation of the 'End Times' suitable for Bible study groups.
For myself, I certainly found the explanation of relevant terms and the piece on the key beliefs, the similarities and differences between the four Christian views, interesting and thought provoking all whilst being easily understood.
Copyright: Tracy Terry @ Pen and Paper
Disclaimer: Received for review from the author, no financial compensation was asked for nor given.
Fascinated by the different faiths and beliefs, I admit to wanting to know more on this subject ever since watching Left Behind with Nicolas Cage.
Written by a social worker come pastor. The Rapture Misunderstood, is one of several books (the other two I believe being Christmas Misunderstood and Judas: Hero Misunderstood) in which the author takes a 'none-preachy' look at certain aspects of 'Christian theology'.
Two halves to the book, part story, part what I'd describe as a study guide. Proceeding a letter from the author there is a short story of 50 or so pages followed by a guide to Understanding the Rapture which, amongst other things, takes a look at scripture supporting the 'End Times'.
What proved to be an enjoyable enough short read - I'd personally have preferred it a little longer, the characters gone into in more depth. Whilst not a parable as such but certainly a story with a message at its heart, The Rapture Misunderstood is the tale of Pastor Bill and his small band of followers, one of whom is a terminally ill man, who set out to bring about the Rapture as a means of stopping the devil (and his wife) in his tracks and eradicating evil.
Followed by what Mr T thought a concise but all too short (but then the author never intended it to be anything but) explanation of the 'End Times' suitable for Bible study groups.
For myself, I certainly found the explanation of relevant terms and the piece on the key beliefs, the similarities and differences between the four Christian views, interesting and thought provoking all whilst being easily understood.
Copyright: Tracy Terry @ Pen and Paper
Disclaimer: Received for review from the author, no financial compensation was asked for nor given.
July 16, 2016
The Rapture: Misunderstood is the third in Royle’s Misunderstood series, where he takes a well known aspect of Christianity and breaks it down into fact from fiction. This time around Royle divides the book into two parts; one a short story to help ease the reader into the subject and the second touches on some basic scripture and doctrine from four different views of the Rapture itself amongst the Christian community.
The opening story is about 53 pages long and tells the story of a pastor who wants to bring about the Rapture sooner than later. We follow him and his five followers on their journey to achieve their goal and learn along the way. At each step of the journey we learn a truth and then see the pastor make a decision. Ultimately the reward is in his grasp. What does he do next? What he does may surprise some, may not others, but ultimately we learn a lesson straight from the Bible itself.
After the story you get the views of four views on the end times based on the interpretation of scripture. Royle states from the beginning this is not an in depth look at end times prophecy, it would take more than the 23 pages given to it here. His goal to give you a good starting place and an understanding of where the four thoughts are coming from. He’s also quick to note many of us are not entirely one or the other view but instead a mix and match set. Royle’s style and approach has always been open and welcoming to his readers. He’s a good first step in any journey to discovery you may wish to take. He also provides a list of books at the end of the book to further your reading and understanding.
The opening story is about 53 pages long and tells the story of a pastor who wants to bring about the Rapture sooner than later. We follow him and his five followers on their journey to achieve their goal and learn along the way. At each step of the journey we learn a truth and then see the pastor make a decision. Ultimately the reward is in his grasp. What does he do next? What he does may surprise some, may not others, but ultimately we learn a lesson straight from the Bible itself.
After the story you get the views of four views on the end times based on the interpretation of scripture. Royle states from the beginning this is not an in depth look at end times prophecy, it would take more than the 23 pages given to it here. His goal to give you a good starting place and an understanding of where the four thoughts are coming from. He’s also quick to note many of us are not entirely one or the other view but instead a mix and match set. Royle’s style and approach has always been open and welcoming to his readers. He’s a good first step in any journey to discovery you may wish to take. He also provides a list of books at the end of the book to further your reading and understanding.
August 9, 2022
This is what the blurb says:
Eschatology is a popular but notoriously difficult area of theological study. The scriptures explain the end of the world with prophecies and symbolism that can be mind-numbing and confusing. If you are searching for an unbiased, uncomplicated overview of the end times, this book is for you. When finished reading it, you will go away better prepared to talk about what you know and what you believe about the end times.
I thought this was something a little different that I might find interesting. It was actually really boring and not very informative. Not worth bothering with. One * star only.
Eschatology is a popular but notoriously difficult area of theological study. The scriptures explain the end of the world with prophecies and symbolism that can be mind-numbing and confusing. If you are searching for an unbiased, uncomplicated overview of the end times, this book is for you. When finished reading it, you will go away better prepared to talk about what you know and what you believe about the end times.
I thought this was something a little different that I might find interesting. It was actually really boring and not very informative. Not worth bothering with. One * star only.
October 29, 2020
GOOD OVERVIEW OF THE LAST DAYS
I thought that the story in the first half of the book was actually unnecessary and a diversion from the main message of the book. It was cute, but rather nonessential .
I thought that the story in the first half of the book was actually unnecessary and a diversion from the main message of the book. It was cute, but rather nonessential .
February 14, 2022
NOT WHAT I WAS EXPECTING
Part 2 of this book is much more interesting and breaks down the different perspectives of the Rapture and of the final return of Christ... (Part 1 is just a little too much fantasy...)
Part 2 of this book is much more interesting and breaks down the different perspectives of the Rapture and of the final return of Christ... (Part 1 is just a little too much fantasy...)
July 26, 2020
I was not expecting this book to be the way it was. The short story at the beginning was not very fluid and I didn't care for it. The second part was very confusing and had no real information.
September 10, 2016
If you want a short book on the three or four theories of the end times from the Christian perspective, then check out Jason E. Royle's The Rapture: Misunderstood. It is 92 pages long and a quick read. Like the minister he is, the author begins the book by telling a story of Pastor Bell and a terminally ill man who Bell recruits to join his team to bring about the end of the world. Bell’s purpose in trying to bring about the end of the world is to stop evil in its tracks, to subdue the devil, and bring about the second coming of Christ.
The story is interesting in that it is a mix of different types of ministries, the pastoral, the prophetic, and the liturgical. Among the characters are two archangels, Michael and Raphael, a Catholic priest, the Pope, the devil and his wife, and many others. It is not a doom-and-gloom story. It is also not a fire-and-brimstone type of story. There are some elements of humor in it and some are tongue in cheek, though I do not believe Royle's intent was to be sacrilegious. Far from it. The humor was a way in today’s soundbite world of keeping the reader interested in the story while also being a way of keeping the preachiness out. The end I kind of saw coming. The story as a whole reminded me of how parables were told.
A poem follows which was a nice segway to the expository “sermon” which is more like an essay. Here Royle gives the reader a concise explanation of the various views of Christian apologists on the end times. He defines certain relevant terms, show where they appear and do not appear in the Bible and the similarities between the approaches. The author then invites the reader to study through reading many different authors from all walks of life for a balanced approach. Royle does not preach what the reader’s conclusion should be. At the end is a works cited section with resources for further study.
The section “How Jesus Will Return” brought back a pleasant memory of a time when this reader played an angel in a scene featuring the ascension of Christ into heaven in The Atlanta Passion Play. I could almost hear the crowd “choir” singing the Hallelujah Chorus while I was reading this part.
***Copy provided by author for honest review
The story is interesting in that it is a mix of different types of ministries, the pastoral, the prophetic, and the liturgical. Among the characters are two archangels, Michael and Raphael, a Catholic priest, the Pope, the devil and his wife, and many others. It is not a doom-and-gloom story. It is also not a fire-and-brimstone type of story. There are some elements of humor in it and some are tongue in cheek, though I do not believe Royle's intent was to be sacrilegious. Far from it. The humor was a way in today’s soundbite world of keeping the reader interested in the story while also being a way of keeping the preachiness out. The end I kind of saw coming. The story as a whole reminded me of how parables were told.
A poem follows which was a nice segway to the expository “sermon” which is more like an essay. Here Royle gives the reader a concise explanation of the various views of Christian apologists on the end times. He defines certain relevant terms, show where they appear and do not appear in the Bible and the similarities between the approaches. The author then invites the reader to study through reading many different authors from all walks of life for a balanced approach. Royle does not preach what the reader’s conclusion should be. At the end is a works cited section with resources for further study.
The section “How Jesus Will Return” brought back a pleasant memory of a time when this reader played an angel in a scene featuring the ascension of Christ into heaven in The Atlanta Passion Play. I could almost hear the crowd “choir” singing the Hallelujah Chorus while I was reading this part.
***Copy provided by author for honest review
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews