These Final Days

Book excerpt: Christian eschatology, or the study of the fate of humankind as revealed in the Bible, is a wide-ranging topic full of controversial opinions. Will the Rapture—the rising of Christians to join Jesus in the air at His return—occur before, during, or after the seven-year Great Tribulation? Who are the so-called Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, what do they symbolize, and have they already ridden? The first in a multipart series, These Final Days: Part 1 undertakes a sober, scholarly, and exhaustive analysis of the Bible's teachings on the End Times and, in particular, the Rapture and how it will come to pass. The Christian view of the End Times is a provocative subject that has certainly captured the world's attention in a bevy of books and movies. In joining this broad conversation, author Ryan Speakman meticulously researches each issue to provide detailed answers that will surprise both Christians and non-Christians alike. With chapters that give specific attention to the book of Revelation as well as the Bible's numerous other references to the End Times and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ,These Final Days is an essential addition to any biblical scholar's library.