Despite its enormous success, "Left Behind" is being criticized on theological grounds by some Christians who say the story of worldwide tribulation following a sudden "Rapture" of born-again believers is based on a faulty interpretation of the Bible.
"Some Christians". Ha ha. Everybody up until the early 19th century (doubtful references to Ephraim--misspelled a variety of ways--the Syrian in the fourth century notwithstanding).
The above quote is faulty in that it says that the criticism is based on "theological grounds". It's not that at all. It's just a simple matter of faulty exegesis, not theology.
From an earlier FR posting on the subject:
The doctrine of the secret rapture of the Christians had its origin as least as far back as 1790 in a book written (published in Spain in 1812 and 1816) by Emmanuel Lacunza who proposed a two stage second coming: once to get the Christians before the tribulation, the second time at the end. Edward Irving was supposed to have published a translation of this book in 1827. This teaching was also part of the prophecies of Mary MacDonald of Glasgow, Scotland in 1830. J.N. Darby, who led the Plymouth Brethren movement, also taught a form of this doctrine. He was supposed to have come up with it in 1827 when he said it "set him free".
The Brethren in Plymouth, England (J. N. Darby's church), were teaching a two-stage second coming by the time of the second meeting their chapel was used in 1831.
The Brethren in Ireland developed the idea of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture in their annual Powerscourt prophetic conferences after it had been introduced at the 1833 session.
The late Dr. Harry A. Ironsides, former pastor of Moody Memorial Church in Chicago, himself a strong pre-tribulationist, and associated for many years with the Brethren assemblies, acknowledged that it was in the Powerscourt meetings in London which began in 1833 that the teaching of the church was brought to light; that is, as he taught, that Jesus would come in the air to take away Christians before the great tribulation began on earth.
Ideas have consequences. It's been said that when the Communists were taking over in China the Christians who heeded Jesus's warning to take off for the hills in the day of trouble were able to survive, whereas those who waited for him to pop down and whisk them out of the way were slaughtered. Too bad it wasn't for their faith that they died but for
a relatively new teaching that is nowhere expressly presented in the Bible.
Now we'll see if Swanks pops up to demonstrate to us all right here in his very own replies how the inability to read is, indeed, the basis of this and many other heterodox teachings.