Read Online The Rapture: In The Twinkling Of An Eye by Tim Lahaye, Jerry B. Jenkins - Free Book Online
Authors: Tim Lahaye, Jerry B. Jenkins
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think Jesus was either crazy or a liar or telling the truth.”
“Oh, it doesn’t have to be that cut-and-dried, Son.”
“Sure it does. Paster Billings has talked about this. You said Jesus was a great teacher, but He said He was the Son of God and the only way to His Father. If that’s not true, He was either lying or thought He was something He wasn’t, right?”
Rayford pretended to be more interested in the traffic. “Well, like I say, Raymie, we can’t be totally sure He was quoted exactly, can we?”
“If we can’t,” Raymie said, “how do we know what to believe?”
“That’s my point, Son. Don’t be so quick to assume that everything you read and hear, even in church, is the whole truth.”
“So you don’t believe Jesus is coming back either, right?”
“Coming back?”
“Mom was going to talk to you about what Pastor Billings has been preaching about. Jesus coming back.”
So that’s what she was trying to get to. “Uh, no, we haven’t gotten a chance to discuss that yet. I’ve been real busy.”
“Tell me about it. We were supposed to do this weeks ago.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. Now that we’ve got this stuff, we can get out together more.”
“Now that we’ve got this stuff? How does that give you more time?”
“Hey, are you hungry?”
“Soon. Right now I’m just kinda worried about you.”
“You don’t need to worry about me. I said I was sorry, and I promise to carve out the time for us. Okay?”
“That’s not what I’m worried about. Okay, it is a little, because sometimes it seems like you just promise me to keep me from bugging you, but then it never happens, and—”
“Never happens!? What are we doing right now?”
“I know. But what I’m worried about is that when Jesus does come back, you won’t be ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“To go to heaven with Him. You should really come to church Sunday. Pastor Billings is finishing his series on this, and it’s really great. Even I can understand it.”
Good for you. “So Jesus comes back and everybody goes to heaven with Him?”
“Not everybody, Dad. That’s just it. You have to believe in Him.”
“I do. I’ll be okay.”
“You don’t really.”
“Okay, can we just disagree about this and still love each other, Raymie? I don’t want to spoil our time together with arguing.”
“I do love you, Dad. That’s why I’m worried.”
“Well, don’t worry about me. If good people are floating up to Jesus someday, I’ll be right with you.”
“But it isn’t good people who go. It’s forgiven people.”
He sounds just like his mother! “All right, end of discussion, okay? As you get older you’ll realize there are all kinds of ways to look at this stuff, and each person is free to come to whatever conclusions he wants.”
Raymie fell silent, and while Rayford hoped he hadn’t hurt the boy’s feelings, he was relieved to take a break from all the religious mumbo jumbo.
At home Raymie helped get the vehicles off the trailer, but as Rayford finished putting them up in the garage, he overheard the boy talking with Irene, who had asked how things went.
“Dad’s going to hell,” Raymie said. “He doesn’t think he is. He thinks he isn’t. But he doesn’t believe in Jesus. Not really.”
“He’s at the top of my prayer list,” Irene said. “Yours too?”
‘“Course.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Though Leon Fortunato was licking his wounds over having to prove himself to his boss anew daily, he couldn’t deny that Carpathia treated him well in many respects, not the least of which was the exquisite apartment he enjoyed. Nicolae had given him his choice between lavish quarters within Carpathia’s own estate or the entire top floor of a palatial apartment building in downtown Bucharest. Leon had chosen the latter.
He lounged next to a dancing fire and before the TV, watching today’s staged presidential event that depicted the gregarious Gheorghe Vasile being serenaded
“Oh, it doesn’t have to be that cut-and-dried, Son.”
“Sure it does. Paster Billings has talked about this. You said Jesus was a great teacher, but He said He was the Son of God and the only way to His Father. If that’s not true, He was either lying or thought He was something He wasn’t, right?”
Rayford pretended to be more interested in the traffic. “Well, like I say, Raymie, we can’t be totally sure He was quoted exactly, can we?”
“If we can’t,” Raymie said, “how do we know what to believe?”
“That’s my point, Son. Don’t be so quick to assume that everything you read and hear, even in church, is the whole truth.”
“So you don’t believe Jesus is coming back either, right?”
“Coming back?”
“Mom was going to talk to you about what Pastor Billings has been preaching about. Jesus coming back.”
So that’s what she was trying to get to. “Uh, no, we haven’t gotten a chance to discuss that yet. I’ve been real busy.”
“Tell me about it. We were supposed to do this weeks ago.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. Now that we’ve got this stuff, we can get out together more.”
“Now that we’ve got this stuff? How does that give you more time?”
“Hey, are you hungry?”
“Soon. Right now I’m just kinda worried about you.”
“You don’t need to worry about me. I said I was sorry, and I promise to carve out the time for us. Okay?”
“That’s not what I’m worried about. Okay, it is a little, because sometimes it seems like you just promise me to keep me from bugging you, but then it never happens, and—”
“Never happens!? What are we doing right now?”
“I know. But what I’m worried about is that when Jesus does come back, you won’t be ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“To go to heaven with Him. You should really come to church Sunday. Pastor Billings is finishing his series on this, and it’s really great. Even I can understand it.”
Good for you. “So Jesus comes back and everybody goes to heaven with Him?”
“Not everybody, Dad. That’s just it. You have to believe in Him.”
“I do. I’ll be okay.”
“You don’t really.”
“Okay, can we just disagree about this and still love each other, Raymie? I don’t want to spoil our time together with arguing.”
“I do love you, Dad. That’s why I’m worried.”
“Well, don’t worry about me. If good people are floating up to Jesus someday, I’ll be right with you.”
“But it isn’t good people who go. It’s forgiven people.”
He sounds just like his mother! “All right, end of discussion, okay? As you get older you’ll realize there are all kinds of ways to look at this stuff, and each person is free to come to whatever conclusions he wants.”
Raymie fell silent, and while Rayford hoped he hadn’t hurt the boy’s feelings, he was relieved to take a break from all the religious mumbo jumbo.
At home Raymie helped get the vehicles off the trailer, but as Rayford finished putting them up in the garage, he overheard the boy talking with Irene, who had asked how things went.
“Dad’s going to hell,” Raymie said. “He doesn’t think he is. He thinks he isn’t. But he doesn’t believe in Jesus. Not really.”
“He’s at the top of my prayer list,” Irene said. “Yours too?”
‘“Course.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Though Leon Fortunato was licking his wounds over having to prove himself to his boss anew daily, he couldn’t deny that Carpathia treated him well in many respects, not the least of which was the exquisite apartment he enjoyed. Nicolae had given him his choice between lavish quarters within Carpathia’s own estate or the entire top floor of a palatial apartment building in downtown Bucharest. Leon had chosen the latter.
He lounged next to a dancing fire and before the TV, watching today’s staged presidential event that depicted the gregarious Gheorghe Vasile being serenaded
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