Questions for Bible Study based on the book Vanished
1. How is hope portrayed as a driving force in the novel, and what role does it plan in character motivation and narrative progression? If you are familiar with Dr Jeremiah's other works, do you see any correlation between his insights on resilience and looking toward a divine plan?
Answers from participants:
1. Hope is shown as a driving force throughout the book, especially with General Haggarty - first with the task force to solve world problems, which his part was to work on preventing and battling pandemics and contagious diseases. Then worked towards mending his broken marriage and relationship with his daughter. Also, when they were trapped in a cave after an earthquake, with his daughter in critical condition. Then when he was confronted with a hidden bomb that could be nuclear, threatening his hometown and Ohio and probably throughout the USA. A secondary character shows hope in his quest to rescue Haggerty from the cave, praying to God for his power to find them and dig them out. Then eventually when the Rapture came and he lost his family to their escaping this world to the Lord's magnificent kingdom, where he is learning God's divine plan with passing though the tribulation.
2. What significance does faith hold in the narrative? How does Caleb Johnson incorporate spirituality into their coping mechanisms. Did you resonate with a specific character and their relationship to faith?
Answer: Faith is the key to the message. The narrative winds around the subject with General Haggarty and shows how Caleb Johnson effected his faith or lack thereof and the end results. Caleb showed how his strong faith gave him strength to continue working on digging out General and his daughter who were trapped in an underground cave from an earthquake. He called upon the Lord with many bible verses telling how the Lord has given his children strength to persevere.
3. How does the novel show the theme of redemption, especially in John Haggerty's character are and his search for personal reconciliation?
Answer: John Haggerty experienced spiritual growth in the story. He started to have more serious faith as more challenges were overcome. He didn't realize that he was surrounded by God's true believers who would be taken up into the air during the rapture. He no longer had any doubt, losing his wife, daughter and others whose faith was evident when they disappeared. He then began a serious study to understand the Bible and the God he now knows is real. His niece, who was also left behind, worked with him to answer questions. He tried to reconcile with his wife but felt the weight of responsibility to warn others of the danger of nuclear bombs buried secretly. He overcame guilt of what he felt from his sons death, and spent time with his daughter, ultimately saving her from injuries from the cave cave-in from an earthquake while they were visiting.
4. Which characters in this story did you most resonate with? Why?
Answer: I resonated with John Haggerty's x-wife. I can see how her husband couldn't relate to her in her faith. She was skeptical to take him back since he left thinking he had caused their son's death. Eventually, he told about his childhood with his daughter in the cave while they were waiting to get rescued.
5. In what ways is John Haggerty successful? What are the areas you see in which he could grow?
Answer: John Haggerty overcame some obstacles such as communicating severe pandemical diseases and a serious recovery from a cave-in that multiple serious injuries could have been fatal had they not been rescued. He found secret locations of underground bombs that pointed to an invasion of national proportions. He communicated haphazardly with his family and then an abrupt ending of his career in the Armed Forces leaving them in the start of a world war. Then with the Rapture, he denied what he knew what must be happening, so needed to grow with his faith.
6. How do the environmental and natural disasters described in the novel correlate with Dr. Jeremiah's references to signs of the times in his nonfiction work?
Answer: Environmentally there was war, disease, earthquakes, natural disasters with famine, and flooding. The Bible points to signs of the times as in Matthew 24:5-8 "For many will come in my name, claiming, "I am the Messiah," and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains."
7. What themes in the book resonated most with you, and why?
Answer:I could relate to John Haggerty's drive to right the wrongs and save the day, almost to a workaholic life. I can see that his lack of faith drove him to do this not praying to God to help and understand He is the one in control. Consider Proverbs 3: 5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all they ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct they paths." I am learning to pause and pray, wait for his answer, not rushing to fix everything on my own.
8. Were there any moments in the book that surprised or shocked you? How did they shift your perspective?
Yes, several moments such as when Caleb, Haggerty's friend and coworker was at odds trying to move the rescue of those who were trapped in a cave after an earthquake. He was trying to use his own strength and prayed for the Lord to help. He whispered the words of Psalms as he used a prybar under a boulder and said "My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth", "He that keepeth thee will not slumber", "The Lord is thy keeper", "The Lord is thy strength upon thy right hand", "The sun shall not smite three by day, nor the moon by night", "The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil, He shall preserve thy soul." And as when the front loader finally reached them and began digging towards the people trapped in the cave, it broke through and Caleb sent a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord. "You have preserved their lives, heavenly Father, I believe that in faith". "Glory to God!" What was surprising was how prayer was used with bible verses to press forward to give strength and hope for the survivors. It was as if it was a driving force through God and the movement was a manifestation of those prayers that were answered.
Another moment was between Haggerty and his daughter, Sonya, when he shared the secret behind the death of her brother and his feeling of guilt. He also shared how he got the scar on his ear from his father using a pliers on it. Also when they were rescued, Haggerty started slugging Caleb because Sonya and her mother, Marianna, had said they had been having Bible studies with him and he thought he had been seeing his Ex wife. That wasn't true and he cooled down and came to his senses, then Caleb filled him in about what was happening where WW III had started with the destruction of Iran, Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, the Dome of the Rock, The Western Wall and the whole complex in Iran was destroyed. Israel was accused and it wasn't clear, but just that there were terrorists, drones, and bombs.
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