Theology & Doctrine
End Times Made Simple: How Could Everybody be So Wrong About Biblical Prophecy - Samuel E. Waldron
23/12/07 18:57
4 out of 5 - One of the sanest books on this subject ever
Does the 'Left Behind' series leave you confused? You maybe have an instinctive feeling that all that 'Left Behind' stuff isn't right, but you're not quite sure how to get to what you do believe about Christ's second coming. Or maybe you've never heard of the 'Left Behind' series and are just looking for some straightforward and convincing explanation of what will happen at the end of the world.
This is one of the sanest books on this subject ever!
With a subtitle of "How can everyone be so wrong about biblical prophecy?" this book lets you know from the start where it's coming from!
It's a great book for a number of reasons:
Instead of starting with the complicated passages in Revelation or in Daniel, it starts with clear and straightforward passages, like Jesus' teaching in the gospels. Once the basics have been established from the clear and straightforward passages the author moves on and uses what he has discovered in the clearer passages to determine what the more complex ones mean. That's a good rule for understanding Scripture.
This book isn't confined to simply looking at post, pre or amillennial viewpoints. It deals with many questions relating to Heaven and Hell, Christ's second coming, the state of believers after their death, the Day of Judgment, eternal punishments, the new Heavens and new earth, etc. On the way through he also deals with some common misunderstandings about Israel and the Church, confusion over which has led many into a mixed up theology on different points. It's a great handbook to have on anything to do with the end times.
It's also a practical book. Throughout the chapters the author shows the practical impact of the Bible's teaching on this subject to different areas of our lives.
It's also a relatively simple book. I was a bit sceptical of the title at first, but Waldron avoids excessive use of technical jargon, and is easy to follow. He throws in a few diagrams along the way to make matters even clearer. The most complicated bits are when he has to explain the complex schemes various men have come up with. It really is the 'end times made simple'.
Personally, I was glad to see such a clear and straightforwardly biblical book on the subject.
PS. Although he doesn't state it explicitly, Waldron is coming from an amillennialist position.
Does the 'Left Behind' series leave you confused? You maybe have an instinctive feeling that all that 'Left Behind' stuff isn't right, but you're not quite sure how to get to what you do believe about Christ's second coming. Or maybe you've never heard of the 'Left Behind' series and are just looking for some straightforward and convincing explanation of what will happen at the end of the world.
This is one of the sanest books on this subject ever!
With a subtitle of "How can everyone be so wrong about biblical prophecy?" this book lets you know from the start where it's coming from!
It's a great book for a number of reasons:
Instead of starting with the complicated passages in Revelation or in Daniel, it starts with clear and straightforward passages, like Jesus' teaching in the gospels. Once the basics have been established from the clear and straightforward passages the author moves on and uses what he has discovered in the clearer passages to determine what the more complex ones mean. That's a good rule for understanding Scripture.
This book isn't confined to simply looking at post, pre or amillennial viewpoints. It deals with many questions relating to Heaven and Hell, Christ's second coming, the state of believers after their death, the Day of Judgment, eternal punishments, the new Heavens and new earth, etc. On the way through he also deals with some common misunderstandings about Israel and the Church, confusion over which has led many into a mixed up theology on different points. It's a great handbook to have on anything to do with the end times.
It's also a practical book. Throughout the chapters the author shows the practical impact of the Bible's teaching on this subject to different areas of our lives.
It's also a relatively simple book. I was a bit sceptical of the title at first, but Waldron avoids excessive use of technical jargon, and is easy to follow. He throws in a few diagrams along the way to make matters even clearer. The most complicated bits are when he has to explain the complex schemes various men have come up with. It really is the 'end times made simple'.
Personally, I was glad to see such a clear and straightforwardly biblical book on the subject.
PS. Although he doesn't state it explicitly, Waldron is coming from an amillennialist position.