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It's Best to Approach This As A Work Of Fiction


I've been a Christian for nearly fifty years, and as I do not happen to believe in the pre-tribulation Rapture, approaching this movie as a work of fiction seemed wise. And as it turned out, I must say I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

As storytelling goes, it isn't half bad, and the acting is serviceable and even touches the heart or chills the bones at times.

By now even those who have never seen it (and wouldn't if you paid them) probably know the basic plot: the Rapture, which is basically the sudden disappearance from the face of the earth of everyone who was "right with God" (meaning of course the sort of Christian who reads the Bible as if it were a "Dick and Jane" reading primer), leaving behind friends and loved ones to muddle about in confusion until they figure
it out for themselves.

The principle players are reporter Buck Williams (Kirk Cameron), airline pilot Rayford Steele (Brad Johnson), Steele's daughter Chloe (Janaya Stephens), and the Reverend Bruce Barnes (Clarence Gilyard), the obligatory minister who finds himself "left behind" and thus forced to face up to his inadequacies as a man of God.

There's nothing inspired in the casting; the characters are stock and the actors inhabit them surprisingly well, Johnson especially (his grief when he comes home and discovers that his wife and son are among those taken is one of the more genuine moments in the whole picture).

Since this is taken from the novel by Tim LaHaye, a proponent of the pre-tribulation Rapture, we all know what comes next: the tribulation and the rise of the Antichrist. It's all muddled up with a man in Israel attempting to combat world hunger and the move towards a single world currency (which is never explained; Christians who follow this
theology have this particular theory about money but how it ties in to the return of Christ they can never really satisfactorily say).

In addition, the nations of the world are declaring peace, which is a good thing, right? Not on your life. It takes a while to find it out but what this world peace really means is that there is no God so no need for any of the religions of the world.

The United Nations takes a real beating in this movie; it is painfully obvious that the people who wrote this thing suffer from a xenophobia so deeply ingrained that anyone who does not look, speak, walk, or think as they do is at the very least suspicious and probably headed for the lake of fire.

As for the Antichrist, this is where the movie slips, and slips badly. He arrives in the form of Nicolae Carpathia (Gordon Currie), a rather blank-faced man with a pronounced Russian accent. (Well of COURSE it would be Russian; remember those damn Commies??) The scenes in which Currie appears are the silliest ones in the film and frankly he comes across as comic relief most of the time.

The film doesn't really end; the credits just roll. Two more films followed this one and they're all fun to watch if you do not take them too seriously.

Haven't seen the remake yet (Good God, Nicolas Cage must have been desperate for money), but I'll review it when I do.



Oh God. There's nothing more inconvenient than an old queen with a head cold!

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I am so scared that when the rapture happens that I will take the mark of the beast. I know that right now I dont live for God. I love God but I dont go to church like I should and I like getting drunk.If I cant live for God now, how am I going to live for God when they start cutting Christians heads off?

I am Supper Man: Man Of Meals https://twitter.com/slouchypaul/status/649912297373040640

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I am so scared that when the rapture happens that I will take the mark of the beast.



I wouldn't worry too much. The "mark of the beast" in Revelation is in fact a reference to the Emperor Nero and he has been dead for quite some time.




Oh God. There's nothing more inconvenient than an old queen with a head cold!

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"I am so scared that when the rapture happens that I will take the mark of the beast."

==I guess quite a lot of people are in your situation. From discussing the issue with christians, quite a few of them fear hell.

If you want, watch some videos that criticize this religion, such as
watch?v=lWZifSXlzlI (ou Youtube)
watch?v=ZlpAW848BCA

Good luck and good mental health.

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Relax it won't happen matey.
Love God and enjoy life without worrying about this rapture speak.

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But he didn't come back to life, as it is predicted that the Antichrist will after three days, when he is assassinated

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But he didn't come back to life, as it is predicted that the Antichrist will after three days, when he is assassinated


Can you cite the chapter and verse, please? I assume it's in Revelation but I could not find it.

Oh God. There's nothing more inconvenient than an old queen with a head cold!

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Revelation 13:2-4

"And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?"

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And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed;


That's a healing; it isn't a resurrection. I found an article that you might find interesting:

https://www.thebereancall.org/content/question-idea-antichrist-will-be-resurrected-dead-satan-seems-be-prevailing-opinion-among-ev

Oh God. There's nothing more inconvenient than an old queen with a head cold!

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I agree. The Bible is full of metaphors and this is especially true of the Book of Revelation. The Roman Empire essentially died around the 4th century (AD) and was replaced (healed) with the Holy Roman Empire (beginning with Constantine). I believe that years later, Charlemagne eventually became the most prolific expression of Pope/King. Whenever the Book of Revelation refers to "beasts" it always means an earthly empire run by human beings (not devils or demons). Benito Mussolini tried to revive the Roman Empire in the 20th century and failed. Additionally, 666 is the "Mark of the Beast" and not the Devil's Mark at all.

Without a cursory knowledge of secular history much of the Bible's prophecies will be extrapolated, misinterpreted and misapplied. The Rapture itself is an example of this.

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I agree with you. This rapture talk is total science fiction!
Hey imagine if the rature happen centuries ago? You never know.

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"As for the Antichrist, this is where the movie slips, and slips badly. He arrives in the form of Nicolae Carpathia (Gordon Currie), a rather blank-faced man with a pronounced Russian accent. (Well of COURSE it would be Russian; remember those damn Commies??) The scenes in which Currie appears are the silliest ones in the film and frankly he comes across as comic relief most of the time."


It is NOT a Russian accent, it is supposed to be a Rumanian accent.

BTW, the Nicholas Cage version is the worst film I have ever seen. Stick with the 2000 version. 😉


Cheers, John.

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It is NOT a Russian accent, it is supposed to be a Rumanian accent.


Blame that one on Gordon Currie; I know what it was supposed to be but he sounded Russian to me. Of course, to a Western ear, Eastern European accents do have a tendency to blend into one another.



Oh God. There's nothing more inconvenient than an old queen with a head cold!

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Oh I agree, all slavic languages sound the same to me! I did think Gordon Currie made a great Nicolae though. Having read all sixteen books, I have to say that I was disappointed with the third film though.

BTW I was deadly serious about the Nicholas Cage version. Nobody should have to sit through that garbage!

Cheers, John.

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