Apocalypse, Inc.

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Just days after the tsunami had killed so many in Asia, America's chief lobbyist for the apocalypse explained how it all fit neatly into God's plan.

'For the past five decades, every decade has increased the number of earthquakes, killer earthquakes we're talking about,' said Tim LaHaye, co-author of the Left Behind novel series, speaking in January on MSNBC, as reported on the network's Web site. 'And the good thing about all of this is, it points out that man really has to get right before God, because the time is short.'

A celebrity member of the Christian right, LaHaye is one of many Americans who believe that the biblical battle of Armageddon is near. They're waiting for the so-called Rapture, the moment when the chosen few will be lifted from the troubled planet into heaven. Critics call it a dangerous idea that allows people to ignore and even cheer problems like environmental ruin and war. There's no reason to improve things if you buy LaHaye's case that 'Bible prophecy is history written in advance.'

A recent Gallup Poll suggests that a third of Americans believe the Bible to be literally true, but how that translates into behavior is anyone's guess. Other polls show 'strong backing' for environmental protection across the religious spectrum. The generous public response to the disaster in Asia further clouds the picture. Seeing others suffer can still shock most people out of the end time back into reality.

The odd thing is, the prophecies that drive LaHaye's popular fictions are themselves not literal readings of the Bible. They're 19th-century inventions, a cut-and-paste job from the books of Daniel and Revelation, notes Barbara R. Rossing, an ordained Lutheran minister and author of The Rapture Exposed (Westview, 2004). 'The Bible does not provide a predictive screenplay for worldwide violence,' she writes. Instead, Revelation is God's reminder 'to challenge oppression and to look for signs of hope, even when evil seems overpowering.'

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