June 13, 2010

End Times - Are They Really Here? Books to Read

Apocalypse by
Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld
public domain
Jesus warned that the end of things as we know it would come at a time to which even He was not privy -- only God the Father knows the exact time and date.  (Matthew 24:36)  However, He did let us know that there would be signs, hints if you prefer, that things were getting close. (Matthew 24:33)

 
Given that today our country is in two wars, we've got the Oil Spill, a second Great Depression (even if they don't like to use that term), and a red-hot printing press for the U.S. Dollar with an accompanying, incomprehensible level of debt, ... I could go on but you get the idea ... perhaps reading a bit about the End Times Prophecies from reputable authors isn't a bad idea. 

Remember, though, that Jesus warned that there would be those we should most assuredly avoid.(Matthew 24: 24-25)  If you decide to learn more about the End Times, then recognize that you're gonna find some false prophets out there. 

 
Here are three places to start your study:
  1. Storm Warning by Rev. Billy Graham (Thomas Nelson 1995)
  2. The Second Coming: Signs of Christ's Return and the End of the Age by John MacArthur (Crossway Books 2006); and
  3. When Jesus Returns by David Pawson (True Potential Publishing, Inc.; North American edition (2008)) .

I'm not recommending these as the best of the best, just as a good starting point if you're interested in eschatology -- which actually has four different schools, or perspectives, on the Book of Revelation and the End Times themselves: the preterist, historicist, futurist and idealist schools of interpretation.
 
There are, of course, the more popular (best seller) reads available for you, too.  You may recognize them, both for their popularity as books and because each was made into a movie:
  1. The Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins; and
  2. The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey and C.C. Carlson.
Whatever you do, remember fear is your enemy.  Don't study this stuff to fuel fear. 
 
Study this stuff to become stronger, wiser, and more confident in your faith.  God is in control, and everything really is going to be okay. 

1 comment:

Luke said...

As the son of a pastor who also did a lot of traveling to other churches to help, I have seen more than my fair share of churches who focus on eschatology way too much - so much so that their soteriology, ecclesiology, and missiology all suffered greatly!

So needless to say I got burnt out on eschatology for a long time. But I am starting to dip my toes back in this water, because it does affect the way that you see the world, especially if you're in the idealist camp.

So I don't know where I land for sure, but I know where I definitely don't: the left behind, late great camp. All I know right now is that God is sovereign, Jesus is King, He will win, and I'm on HIS team!

Good post - I had never thought about how eschatology and simplicity might interact with each other before!

~ Luke

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