Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (April 3, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0736917411
ISBN-13: 978-0736917414
Book Description
IT’S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD—WHICH COULD BE A PROBLEM…
Mark Hogan has it all. The job. The family. A position on the board at church. All he’s missing is a boat. Not just any boat—a 2008 Bayliner 192.
When Reverend Daniel Glory announces that the Rapture is taking place on October 17 at 5:51am, Hogan realizes his boat–buying days are numbered. So he does what any man in his situation would do—he borrows a load of money from the mob.
Not that there’s any risk involved: After all, when the Rapture comes, Hogan will be long gone. The mob will never find him.
But when Jesus fails to come back on schedule, Mark Hogan finds the mob is in no mood to discuss the finer points of end–times theology…
Chris Well’s laugh–out–loud Christian thrillers appeal to the millions of readers who gobble up the rollicking crime fiction of Janet Evanovich and Elmore Leonard.
===========
This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I’ll probably be reading more in the future. He has a humorous style that’ll keep you laughing, yet he has a deep inspirational message woven into the story.
I think the most important message of all is that we can’t let ourselves be like Mark Hogan and forfeit all aspects of our daily lives because we are certain about the day and hour of Christ’s return.
There were a few aspects to this book that reminded me of a few religions/cults that I’m somewhat familiar with. These aspects include:
1. The prediction Christ’s return. The scriptures state that nobody knows the day or the hour, so it’s wrong to try and prophesy the date of the rapture!
2. Since the rapture is coming, there is no reason to run for office. Reverend Daniel Glory appeared to be opposed to governmental elections since it took away precious time from the work that needed to be done…work that needed to be done before Christ appears in 2007!
3. Mark Hogan was opposed to his son taking the SAT test and going to college. When the rapture fails to happen at Daniel Glory’s predicted date, Mark is stunned and he wonders why his son is still going to school, living his life as if he’s known all along that the rapture was not going to happen. Why did his son not get caught up in the euphoria of the impending rapture?
4. It was just funny and sad at the same time when Mark and his wife haphazardly spend all of their savings and college funds since they will not be needing these things in the rapture. I’ve heard of other religions doing the same thing, selling possessions like houses in order to use up the money since they will not need money in Christ’s kingdom.
The dumb thugs were humorous as well. And I think another lesson we need to learn from this is that Mark Hogan’s zeal about the impending rapture made him lose sight of his Christianity. Amid all of the turmoil, he sinned, big time! He borrowed money from the mob to get his boat “knowing” he would not have to pay it back since the due date for the repayment of funds would occur have he’d been “raptured.” This is equal to stealing if you ask me, and Mark didn’t seem to think of it that way.
Cecelia Dowdy
www.ceceliadowdy.com
