Weird Tract Number 39: "A Tribulation Map: An Explanation For Those Who Miss The Rapture" by Leon Bates

Troy Davis writes:

Evangelist Leon Bates' radio show was my first exposure to weird religion. I was a kid when I first heard his show; it was especially enjoyable because I was reading books on UFOs at the time and Bates warned that flying saucers might be "demon activity" that are the "great signs" that Jesus warned about that indicate that the Great Tribulation was approaching.

"A Tribulation Map: An Explanation For Those Who Miss The Rapture" is classic Bates. In addition to having a tribulation map and timeline, it has a painting of The Rapture that shows a plane with no pilots hitting a skyscraper, multiple car accidents, and the spirits of Christers ascending toward A Giant Jeebus In The Sky. Friggin' awesome! Like other Rapture lit, it gives instructions to those Left Behind on what to do during The Great Tribulation to avoid being sent to The Lake of Fire (though unlike other tracts, Bates' has dim hopes for physical survival for "Tribulation Christians"; Bates writes, "SURVIVAL of the 'Tribulation' IS NOT PROBABLE for you, PHYSICALLY").

In his inimitable style, Daniel Clowes mercilessly lampooned Bates and his worldview in "666: A Preview of the Coming Apocalypse." You can read it here (click on the pages to enlarge).

The Museum of Weird and Demented Religious Tracts is a project of Les Zazous Postmodern Art Galley of Bellaire, Ohio. Read the Welcome Statement of The Museum here.

For more on the gallery, check out the web site here and the gallery's Twitter handle is @ZazousLes.  The Twitter handle for the museum is @WeirdTracts

The index of tracts for the museum's website is here. 

Contributions of weird tracts to the museum can be made by mail: send your weird tracts to Les Zazous Postmodern Art Gallery 3475 Guernsey Street, Bellaire, Ohio 43906.

UPDATE:  Leon Bates' Survival Instructions tract here.