But I would like to add two questions to the five he offers, questions that are basic to the study of all texts, especially the biblical ones. The first one is: “What does the text actually say?” Anyone who seeks to answer that question will soon realise that Revelation nowhere mentions the rapture: Lindsay and LaHaye imagine it is there and then interpret the book (and other Scripture) as if it is. It isn’t..

The second question is: “What is the best way to understand the texts when they hint at something else?” This has to do with Christian teaching about matters that the texts do not mention clearly, such as the doctrine of the Trinity. While it is not in the Bible, this doctrine best (to date) expresses the Bible’s texts: Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all mentioned explicitly in the New Testament, while in the Hebrew Bible, the Father and the Spirit are, with the Son prefigured, prophesied or hinted at. These things cannot be said of the rapture.

Laurie Guy’s five questions and the two above help us to interpret and understand the God-given Scriptures in ways that steer us away from the Lindsay-LaHaye loopiness. And then we can justifiably ask them and their followers a final question: How then can you show that The Revelation 22:18 doesn’t apply to you?