Greetings,

I am Daniel Schaffer.  I have had a long-time interest in End Times Prophecy.  Growing up in the Methodist Church in the 1950s and 1960s, I had never been exposed to much talk of “The Last Days.”

My father died in 1974, and even though I had strayed from the faith of my childhood, I was confident that I knew where my father was.  He had been a strong believer all his life.  I came back to the faith of my childhood.  I then fully understood the parable of the Prodigal Son.

After returning “home” in late 1974, I had a very vivid dream that I couldn’t explain.  In that dream, I had just left work and was sitting at a traffic light when without explanation, I physically left my car and found myself being quickly transported upward at a very fast rate.  I looked ahead and saw that I was in line behind thousands of sheep.  Their short tails were wagging from side to side as we all kept climbing from the bright sunshine and into the darkness of space.  The bleating of the sheep began to get quiet, but we did not slow down. 

I then saw a wedge-shaped group of people, all dressed in white, coming toward the sheep and me.  Leading them was a brown-skinned, bearded man.  I knew it was Jesus.  In my excitement, I began to change my direction and go to him.  He reached his arm, pointed at me, and gestured over his shoulder, directing me to join the white-robed group. 

A few days later, I shared this dream with a friend of mine who attended a Charismatic Church.   Her face lit up, and smiling broadly, she said, “Praise the Lord!  You had a dream about the Rapture!” 

“A dream about the… what?” I said.  I had never heard of the Rapture.  She explained to me that just before Jesus returns to Earth, believers in Christ would be snatched up to heaven, not facing death here on Earth. (I had learned about Jesus’ pending return and was familiar with that teaching). 

These verses in the New Testament have led people to believe in the Rapture: 1 Thessalonians 4:17, “Then we who are alive, who are left will be caught up together,” and 1 Corinthians 15:52, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”

I am aware that since the beginning of the Church, believers have thought that Jesus’ return would happen very soon.  Therefore, in our thinking, “Maybe it will never happen” is tempting to contemplate. 

However, when we hold fast to the belief that He will return, we will be overcomers because we continue to believe.  In late 1974 and early 1975, I read The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsay.  I was fascinated by his teaching. 

In recent months I have become more interested in various news reports of UFO sightings by military and civilian aviators and reports of radio “signals” from deep space.  Scientists believe these signals have a pattern indicating they come from possible intelligent life.

I began to think about the Rapture.  If it were to happen, might the enemy try to explain away the mysterious disappearance of millions of people as a massive alien abduction?

That was the seed from which my story germinated.  In 2018 I began writing “The Missing: The Andromeda Connection.”  It is written not as a Bible study nor to spark debate about when, if, or how the Rapture will happen.  I know that Christians have many differing views about “Pre-Tribulation” or “Post Tribulation” timing for the Rapture. 

Please read the story as I meant it to be, a story to entertain as well as a story that might encourage deeper thoughts about your relationship with Christ.

I hope and pray that if you read “The Missing: The Andromeda Connection,” you will enjoy the story, and if you do, please leave a brief review on my Amazon page. 

Blessings,

Daniel Schaffer