I’m a little disturbed that you have based your own salvation on a series of books that are NOT biblically founded. I have searched the bible through and through and have NEVER been able to find evidence supporting a rapture. I believe that when we die, we are dead. In Eccl. 9:5 we are told that “the dead know nothing”. If our souls go to heaven after we die, are we stupid, mindless beings? Jesus refers to death as a “sleep” in John 11:11-14 and the bible refers to death as a sleep over 50 times! In Genesis we are told that we are made of dust and dust we will become again. In Eccl. 12:7 we are told that the spirit returns to God. When I read this I assumed that it was telling me that when I die, my body stays on earth and my spirit or my soul goes up to heaven, or to hell, whichever the case would be. But then as I studied further, Job answered my question for me. He says in chapter 27 verse 3 that the spirit is the same as God’s breath of life or his power. David clears this up even better by saying that when the breath or spirit returns to God, the thoughts perish. (Ps. 146:3,4). And then there is the matter of the reserection. If we’ve been living in heaven as celestual beings, why would we come back here to earth to recieve are broken down bodies. It just doesn’t make any sense. Paul wrote in Romans that the wages of sin is death BUT the gift of God is eternal life. Finally, in Revelation, John tells us that when Jesus comes again in the second coming that he will bring His gift of eternal life WITH him. I took this to mean that we have not already recieved this gift. I apologize for “preaching” but I do hope that I have helped you with some of your questions, or at least given some helpful texts to read and something to think about. :)