{"id":487,"date":"2012-08-04T18:38:25","date_gmt":"2012-08-04T22:38:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/isittheendoftheworld\/?p=487"},"modified":"2012-08-04T18:38:25","modified_gmt":"2012-08-04T22:38:25","slug":"boneshakers-the-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/isittheendoftheworld\/2012\/08\/boneshakers-the-book.html","title":{"rendered":"Boneshakers: The Book"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cAnd for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie\u2026\u201d (2 Thessalonians 2:11)<\/p>\n

In Christian eschatology, not all details are firmly agreed upon, whether the discussion are among scholars or laity.<\/p>\n

There is little disagreement though that the \u201clast days\u201d will come. Many of us believe those days are here.<\/p>\n

Of all the elements associated with such beliefs, one of the most compelling is the verse in 2 Thessalonians which speaks of a powerful delusion that God will actually send to mankind. Why would He do that?<\/p>\n

As Paul explains in Romans, humans will at some point be \u201cgiven over\u201d to their sin. This has been the pattern throughout history. The question for even the casual Bible reader, though, is: what exactly is the powerful delusion of the last days?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve heard all sorts of candidates proposed. My late friend and mentor, David Allen Lewis, believed it could be UFOs. Others have speculated in other directions.
\nA new book proposes a compelling answer: the paranormal.<\/p>\n

Boneshakers, written by Jeff Patty and just released as an e-book, is a pretty rare offering in the publishing world: an uncommon view. Books often build off previous ideas or concepts; while Jeff\u2019s look at the paranormal isn\u2019t the only time his view has been proposed, I\u2019m struck by the rarity of it, and by his handling of a topic that has gripped the public\u2019s imagination.<\/p>\n

Today, even Christians believe in the concept of \u201cghosts,\u201d despite the biblical view that no such entities exist. What do exist are demons, \u201cfamiliar spirits\u201d that wreak havoc among humans. If the Apostle is to be believed, Paul clearly told us that our world is really controlled by a great unseen spiritual war in the heavenlies.<\/p>\n

Boneshakers refers to a passage in the book of Job (chapter 4) in which Eliphaz has an encounter one night with a spirit. In modern parlance, he saw a ghost. The \u201cghost\u201d even manifested in a shadowy appearance and spoke to Job\u2019s friend. It is quite a chilling passage.<\/p>\n

The Bible absolutely forbids \u201cnecromancy,\u201d or, communication with the dead. In Jeff\u2019s book, he spells-out other biblical passages that speak to this danger. Here is the kicker: Christians are just as fascinated by \u201cghosts\u201d as those of other faiths, or secularists. He even goes into some detail as to why this is the case.<\/p>\n

If the proliferation of television programs is any indication, public fascination with the paranormal is growing by leaps and bounds. Assuming one believes strange things are afoot in our world today, it seems clear to me at least that things that go bump in the night might just be a delusion powerful enough to deceive millions.<\/p>\n

Check out Boneshakers the e-book, at Amazon!.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cAnd for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie\u2026\u201d (2 Thessalonians 2:11) In Christian eschatology, not all details are firmly agreed upon, whether the discussion are among scholars or laity. There is little disagreement though that the \u201clast days\u201d will come. 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