The Visitation [Hardcover]

Frank Peretti (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 24, 1999

The sleepy, eastern Washington wheat town of Antioch has suddenly become a gateway for the supernatural--from sightings of angels and messianic images to a weeping crucifix. Then a self-proclaimed prophet mysteriously appears with an astounding message.

The national media and the curious all flock to the little town--a great boon for local business but not for Travis Jordan. The burned-out former pastor has been trying to hide his past in Antioch. Now the whole world is headed to his backyard to find the Messiah, and in the process, every spiritual assumption he has ever held will be challenged. The startling secret behind this visitation ultimately pushes one man into a supernatural confrontation that will forever alter the lives of everyone involved.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A burned-out minister in small town Antioch, Washington, must wrestle with his confusion and cynicism when a self-proclaimed messiah takes over his ministry. The replacement minister looks like Christ. He even heals the sick and performs miracles. Could this messenger of hope and renewal be the real thing?

At first, this small town is abuzz with reports of miracles and religious sightings (a weeping statue of Christ, a disappearing hitchhiker warning of Christ's arrival, a soothing angel). But suddenly there's a twist of evil and demonic mystery in the air. It's up to the jaded minister Travis to track down the real story behind this visitor and somehow find a way to stop him.

Frank Peretti has been a hit sensation in the Christian thriller market but admits that up until now his books have surfed in the shallow waters of pop fiction. In The Visitation, Peretti has worked his craft more carefully--exploring how suffering leads to disillusionment in God as well as deepening his characterization. (The main character is a thinly disguised reflection of Peretti's own bout with doubt.) Fans will be relieved to know that Peretti is still dedicated to suspenseful drama, and there's still plenty of spine-chilling mayhem when all hell literally breaks loose on this small-town cast of characters.

From Booklist

Though there are elements in Peretti's latest novel reminiscent of his contemporary Christian fiction classic, This Present Darkness (1989), this time he tells a quieter, more personal story that reflects some of his own experiences as a minister. It's told from the point of view of a lonely widower named Travis Jordan, who feels he has failed as a minister in the little town of Antioch, Washington. He and his replacement in the pulpit, a fervent and earnest young man, are called upon to do battle against a false christ. Not an Antichrist, but a drifter, "Brandon" has assumed many identities. The false christ heals the sick and the lame, but there are hints that he's under Satan's power and that his miracles are hollow. Travis traces his history back to rural Texas, where the young Brandon, then called Justin, was nailed to a cross by his zealot father. Thus was born the false christ. Events in Antioch grow ever more bizarre and violent, with other christs showing up to denounce each other and a showdown brewing at Brandon's ranch. A fine Peretti effort distinguished for its honest considerations of religious excess: from the zealotry of born-again teenagers, convinced that signs from God are all about them, to the impersonality of a great church in Los Angeles, so big that the minister can only be seen on closed-circuit TV. John Mort

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 528 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; 1ST edition (June 24, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849911796
• ISBN-13: 978-0849911798
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (217 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #896,856 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Frank E. Peretti is one of American Christianity's best-known authors. His novels have sold over 10 million copies, and he is widely credited with reinventing Christian fiction. He and his wife, Barbara, live in the Pacific Northwest. www.frankperetti.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great, albeit different, book from Peretti, January 13, 2006

By 

Joshua Harp (Frankfort, KY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Visitation (Paperback)

First, for all you fans of Frank Peretti, you need to know that this book is not quite like his other works.

I've noticed that many people have given this a less than five-star rating because they feel that this does not meet the par set by Peretti's other books. I hope I can try to explain why that may be.

This book tells about a small community to which a self-proclaimed messiah shows up. This book is not in the same vein as his "This Present Darkness/Piercing the Darkness" duo or "The Oath." I submit that it is just as good--just different.

The people who will appreciate this book the most are those who grew up in, or have had extensive experience with, pentecostal/charismatic churches--especially those in small towns. This prerequisite fits me well--I grew up in the Assemblies of God (still a member) and always attended small-to-tiny churches as a child. In this book, Peretti captures that setting perfectly.

While some others have criticized this book as being overly critical of specific denominations, I must say that this is not what I take from the book at all. In this book, Peretti (in my view) primarily criticizes the ease with which most Christians are manipulated by apparent spirituality. So often many of us have seen an entire congregation agree with one evangelist unanimously, only to also agree with another evangelist a week later--never mind that the positions taken by the two "evangelists" are polar opposites. This book portrays that problem well--not so much in the example I just gave, but in the general sense that people are willing to accept everything that appears to be holy as holy. We were never given such a command by God, nor admonished to do so by the apostles. (1 John 4:1)

This book will encourage you to think on your own; to engage in the Berean exercise (Acts 17:10-11) before swallowing whole whatever the next guy brings to town. Our hope is in God, and He never changes--regardless of what the newest "evangelist" would have you believe. Test everything--1 Thess. 5:21.

63 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complex, layered Christian fiction, June 26, 2000

By 

yarden "yarden" (portland, or) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Visitation (Hardcover)

THE VISITATION was the first book by Christian author Frank E. Peretti that I have ever read. Previously, I avoided Peretti's work because I just wasn't sure that Christian fiction could be worth my time. I was sorely wrong, and I'm glad to admit it. THE VISITATION was a very well-written novel, by Christian OR by secular standards.

THE VISITATION is about an ex-pastor and his grapple with issues of faith and God's faithfulness, his search for the truth surrounding some strange events that occur in his town, and his discovery of a Jesus-like man who suddenly arrives on the scene.

THE VISITATION is a suspenseful thriller written in a well-timed manner. The characters are varied and interesting, and the story is multi-layered and complex. Frank Peretti's writing is honest -- he writes about humanity in all its imperfection and sinfulness; he doesn't skirt around delicate issues, and he never takes the easy or cliche Christian way out.

I would highly recommend this book, and any other Frank Peretti book. I am consistently impressed with his honesty and his skillfully written spiritual thrillers, and THE VISITATION is no exception.

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very healing for people who've gotten lost IN the church, October 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Visitation (Hardcover)

Frank Peretti got right to the heart of many things that happen in the Christian journey. It's fiction, but it is very real life stuff, as he tells the story of a burnt out pastor through flashbacks and through the challenge that gets to him when he'd rather not be reached. I laughed more than ever in a Peretti novel, and at times I thought he was reading my mail or going to the same conferences. He touches on all of us in every different kind of church, and the insights all draw us to love more and point fingers less. It's so accurate it's scary, but I will read it over again many times in spots. His word pictures of the mega-church atmosphere were especially thought-provoking. And the focus on a real relationship with Jesus, rather than your pastor or your denomination's particular church rules and flavors, was profound stuff. Not a perfect ending of the Justin story, but in the last couple of paragraphs I found myself weeping, the book had so moved my heart, and its conclusion was profound in the simplicity of the words. As a pastor, I found this a book that I could recommend to anyone, in or out of the church. Peretti and Randall Arthur are the two Christian novelists most in touch with real world people. They make you want to sit down and have a talk, just regular folk.