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The author analyzes various scriptural passages and concludes that the pre-tribulation rapture, in which faithful Christians are snatched up to heaven seven years before the return of Jesus, is a myth. Instead, he argues for a “post-tribulation” rapture. There will be a period of dire suffering under the Antichrist, at the end of which Jesus will return physically to reign from Jerusalem. At his second coming Christians will be raptured, clothed in new bodies as with a garment. Heeren then lays out how he thinks the end times will unfold based on his long-time study of prophecy. Because the Bible warns of global persecution, he believes Christians in the U.S. will face torture and murder on a scale never before witnessed in American history. He takes issue with those who claim that an asteroid will strike the earth in the last days. An asteroid, he says, “would have minimal if any worldwide effect.” Instead, he thinks an encounter with a comet will prove fatal to many.
The most moving portions of the book are those in which Heeren, now eighty-six, describes the death of his beloved wife after two years of incurable illness. No matter one’s religious persuasion, it’s hard not to feel sympathy for the long-married couple. He also has an enjoyable habit of casually tossing out provocative statements to grab the reader’s attention, such as labeling Hal Lindsey a “false prophet,” suggesting that President Trump was chosen by God, denouncing “self-control” as a concept, and informing the reader that “reliable sources” have shown only half of American pastors are Christians. Readers may be surprised to hear Islam, a religion with a famously low tolerance for idolatry, is called an “idolatrous” religion. These occasional swerves from his main thesis into personal commentary help make the book a thoroughly pleasurable reading experience.