Product Description

A weeping crucifix brings healing to a severely crippled man. A mysterious visitor appears to a distraught woman, assuring her that God has heard her plea for a miracle. A group of worshippers see Christ in the clouds. Are these miracles a sign that God is speaking to His people in the last days?

In 'The Visitation', Frank Peretti weaves the story of a small farming town in eastern Washington that is turned upside-down by supernatural occurrences and visitations of a new messiah. Told in first person narrative, through the eyes of a burnt-out pastor, 'The Visitation' offers a chilling look at the battle for our minds through one man's crisis of faith.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32757 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 560 pages

About the Author
Frank Peretti, whose books have sold more than 7.5 million copies, is the author of international best-sellers 'The Oath' and 'This Present Darkness', as well as numerous children's books. 'The Oath' was awarded the 1996 Gold Medallion Award for best fiction title. Peretti lives with his wife Barbara in the Pacific Northwest.

Customer Reviews

Matthew 24 comes to life.
Many Christians are familiar with Christ's prophecy in Matthew 24:4-5,11,24 that false prophets will come in the last days, proclaiming that they are the Christ, performing miracles, and deceiving many. Few Christians have stopped to reflect on how Christ's prophecy about these last days could become a reality in our own world. Peretti does the job for us, by painting a vivid fictional picture of how this could conceivably come about. His false Christ is initially so convincing, that I found myself reading with a strong sense of disbelief, thinking "This Messiah looks like the real thing, acts like the real thing, but something is not quite right!" It is this sense of disbelief that kept me reading, intensely curious as to how Peretti would unravel the plot!

The plot is intriguing and entertaining. Peretti sustains interest by working with a story-line composed of twin strands that are intertwined throughout the novel: one being the protagonist's past, the other being his present. Although the plot is not always convincing (the conclusion falls somewhat flat since several loose ends are left hanging), on the whole it is engaging and suspenseful.

Yet at the same time Peretti is very introspective. He takes the reader on a fast ride, but not so fast that you don't get to enjoy the scenery on the way. The main character, Travis Jordan, is very believable, and his struggles and development are superbly portrayed. In the process, Peretti shares thoughtful insights about the state of church-life in contemporary North America. His careful attention to characterization enables him to create an effective satire on the hypocrisy of emotion-driven charismatics, as well as the superficiality of factory-style big city churches. At one point he goes somewhat too far, in my view, by creating a false dilemma between membership in Christ's church and having a personal relationship with Christ. His endorsement of Arminian theology is also one I personally do not share.

But you don't have to agree with Peretti in every respect to find this novel stimulating. While being entertained by an original story-line, I found myself gaining a heightened awareness of the dangers of false prophets in the future, and of the dangers of superficial church life in the present. It is this quality that makes this novel much more than a story with a token Christian touch, but a novel with a genuinely Christian and thought-provoking message.

My favourite so far
Having read just about every adult Peretti so far, I was intrigued when I received this one as a gift. As far as I'm concerned, this is his best yet. It's definitely a break away from some of his more suspensful books, but that's certainly not a detraction. I simply enjoyed reading about a man who, like most Christians, has gone through a low patch in his walk with Christ and the events that rise up to change everything. Chapters regarding time spent at Bible College were particularly fun as I have some fond memories of my own from that time. The one spot I keep turning back to,though, is when Travis (the main character) tells some stories about the people he got to know over the years as a pastor and made it all worthwhile. I guess that's what I enjoy so much about this one - it's just about people and that every one of them counts.

addictive and enlightening
I would not recommend starting this book unless you have a few days to spare as I found this book to be addictive. Although not the best of Frank Peretti he is as always an excellent story teller and this book is well worth reading.