This novel tells the story of the chaos and confusion of the end times very realistically, as witnessed by one American family and narrated by their guardian angel, Michael, always referring to the relevant Bible verses. Very interesting as the book was written 30 years ago, and he mentions a cashless society, euthanasia, etc

I have mixed feelings on this one. On one hand this was an interesting take on the end times as prophesied throughout the Bible. As a Christian, I do believe that Jesus will return at some point in the future and that many of the fictional accounts, such as this one, may hold a bit of truth to them. However, we can never know, until it happens, just how much truth is in these style of books.

On the other hand, I really felt that I was reading a version of Left Behind, scaled from 15 books down to one. I realize that this novel came before the Left Behind books, but Left Behind took the concept and made it so much more accessible to the general reader. Paul Meier's version, while covering the main events throughout the Tribulation, skips so much between events that I almost felt I was reading more of a history book (albeit one looking into the future) than a novelization of prophecies found in the Bible. It was difficult for me to become attached to the characters as I did when I read through Left Behind. I also found that the rise of the Antichrist, where he comes from and how he comes to power, less believable than the method deployed in Left Behind. Meier's version of the Antichrist seems to be less Antichrist and more of just a brutal dictator.

Overall, while I didn't enjoy this as much as Left Behind, I still like this type of fiction and enjoyed this short time it took me to read through this book. ( )