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Prophecy and End Times

End times prophecy can be difficult to understand. That's why we've compiled a list of reliable Moody books on the prophets from Scripture who revealed what to expect in God's great plan. So don't be put off by end times prophecy. Instead, delve into the details and find out what the Bible has to say about the future. Whether it's messianic prophecy that predicted Jesus in the Old Testament, or biblical studies of the end of the world, we have the resources that will make end times prophecy a source of joy, hope, and confident assurance for you in our troubled times .

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What Does the Bible Say About the Future?

What Does the Bible Say About the Future?

Charles h. dyer.

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Because the Time is Near

Because the Time is Near

John macarthur.

Revelation 1-11 MacArthur New Testament Commentary

Revelation 1-11 MacArthur New Testament Commentary

Revelation 12-22 MacArthur New Testament Commentary

Revelation 12-22 MacArthur New Testament Commentary

The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy

The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy

Michael rydelnik.

The ISIS Crisis

The ISIS Crisis

The King is Coming

The King is Coming

Erwin w. lutzer.

Daniel

John F. Walvoord

Understanding End Times Prophecy

Understanding End Times Prophecy

Paul n. benware.

Revelation

Philip E. Rawley

Mark hitchcock.

Predicting Jesus

Predicting Jesus

Kim erickson.

Heaven Revealed

Heaven Revealed

A Quick Reference Guide to End Times Prophecy

A Quick Reference Guide to End Times Prophecy

Christ's Prophetic Plans

Christ's Prophetic Plans

Richard mayhue, nathan busenitz.

Revelation- Jensen Bible Self Study Guide

Revelation- Jensen Bible Self Study Guide

Irving l. jensen.

The Best is Yet to Come

The Best is Yet to Come

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‘god’s grand finale’: end times expert says churches know little of the side of jesus in revelation.

End Times expert and author Jeff Kinley.

An author and expert on the End Times has released a new book detailing the nature of God as revealed in the New Testament book of Revelation, with the hope that it will help believers better understand who God is.

Jeff Kinley, co-host of the popular podcast “ The Prophecy Pros ” alongside Todd Hampson, released God's Grand Finale: Wrath, Grace, and Glory in Earth’s Last Days  (Harvest Prophecy).  

“The Bible’s last book is God’s final word to mankind—and the breathtaking revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,” notes the book’s Amazon description .

“Though this letter describes depravity, devils, and destruction, it also provides an incredible portrait of our almighty God, delivering profound insights into who he really is.”

The Christian Post spoke with Jeff Kinley about his book on Friday, touching on topics like how Revelation is often misinterpreted and how Christians should approach the last book of the Bible. Here are lightly edited excerpts from that interview.

CP: You have written other books about the End Times. What would you say makes  God's Grand Finale  different from your earlier works? 

Kinley: Well, this book specifically targets the book of Revelation not from just an apocalyptic standpoint explaining the End Times, but also revealing the character of God throughout the whole book. 

The premise of  God's Grand Finale  is that God's last book that He ever wrote He wanted us to understand what was going to happen in the last days. But He also wanted us to know Who He was, as His final word to the Church. So, that really is the approach that is different from any book that I have ever seen written on Revelation.  

The 2023 book 'God's Grand Finale' by Jeff Kinley.

CP: In Chapter 2, you warned against saying such things as “I don’t do theology. I just love Jesus," writing that "with such declarations, the church is plunged into a new dark age where ignorance and emotions become the guiding principles for the current generation of professing Christians." Would you say that it is also the case with the popular cliche of “Christianity isn't a religion. It's a relationship"? 

Kinley: I'd say there's some similarity and overlap there. The basic idea is that we try to make God into our own image. We customized Jesus, if you will, to fit our preconceived thoughts about Him or emotions. We want to express love for God, but the basic premise of worship is that we cannot worship a God that we do not know. And it goes back to John 4 when Jesus told the woman at the well that God is searching for worshipers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. And so, there has to be a theological foundation for Who God is before we can ever even love that God.

In order to truly love God, we have to first do a little bit of theology. 

CP: Regarding the book of Revelation, you wrote that it is not "a riddle to be solved, but a revelation to be believed. It’s not a metaphoric tale laced with undecipherable symbols, but rather, a literal scene-by-scene depiction of history, to be written down in advance of its fulfillment." Do you believe a lot of churches have this misunderstanding about the book of Revelation?

Kinley: I do. I think people view Revelation as sort of being off limits to Christians because of its apocalyptic language, because some of its symbolism that's in there. Also, it’s ironic because number one, it is the last book God ever wrote, so you'd think that it would be an important book, which it certainly is. But the very word, "Revelation," means to uncover or reveal or to unveil, not to hide. So, the irony is that people think that it’s a book of hidden knowledge when the very title of the book tells us that it is a book that tells us Who God is and tells us what's going to happen.

And with a little bit of study and a little bit of guidance, it really isn't that hard to understand.

CP: You dedicated two full chapters to the topic of the letters sent to the seven churches mentioned in Revelation. Why did you believe that the topic needed to be covered in two chapters rather than just one? 

Kinley: I think because Jesus' heart is for His bride, the Church. He loves His Church, He loves believers very, very much, and the thing He wanted most for those first century churches is for them to get their relationship, their doctrine, and their lives calibrated to Who God is, to God's character. The only way He could do that was to send some messages to them that would rebuke them for their error and then offer them a way back to Himself.

And so, five of the seven churches received severe rebukes from Christ, two did not. But I think they mirror many churches today. And so, that's why it’s so relevant for today because those seven churches, we can look around us today and say, 'Wow, there's that church, there's Ephesus, there's Smyrna, there's Sardis, there's Philadelphia, and so it’s a relevant section of the book. So, I wanted to spend more time on it. 

CP: In the book, you pointed to the fact that John, the author of Revelation, used the word "like" to describe a lot of what he saw, as in comparable to. Do you believe a lot of people who read Revelation fail to consider this when trying to interpret what is written? 

Kinley: I think it’s very important, as with all Bible interpretation, that we pay very close attention to the specific language and word choice that God uses in His Bible.

John does that. He sees things that are very futuristic that are not comparable to his first century experience. And so, he has to use words like "like" and word pictures and that type of thing, and that tells us that we don't exactly know what these things are going to look like or to be like. But then other times, John is very, very specific with his language. He gives us specific numbers, specific places, specific names, and specific descriptions of things, so not everything is vague, but some things for sure John wasn't able to put into his first century language.

CP: In Chapter 9, you described how Jesus will look and act at Armageddon, noting that "The risen Christ is the hero of the ages, a conqueror for all time. The world knows virtually nothing about this Jesus described in Revelation. And sadder still is that the church knows very little of this side of Jesus as well." Why do you believe that the church knows very little about this End Times side of Jesus?

Kinley: Two reasons. Number one, we tend to spend most of our time about Christ in the Gospels. And we get our vision, our image, our view of God from the Gospels. But the rest of the New Testament really tells us more about the character of God and Who Christ is. And when we get to Revelation, specifically chapter one, there's a vision of Christ there, but it's unlike anything we hear preached in most churches today. 

By the time we get to Revelation 19, the close of the age, we see a Christ coming back to essentially, get rid of sin, get rid of sinners, to set the world right again. Which is really something that everybody wants to happen in their heart. They want evil to go away, they want righteousness to reign, justice and fairness, and Christ is going to bring that kind of Kingdom immediately following his second coming.   

CP: At various times in the book, you outlined different perspectives on certain parts of Revelation, such as the identities of the two witnesses who prophesy, according to Revelation 11 . Why did you believe it was important to describe different views on Revelation, even when you have a specific view that you prefer?

Kinley: Basically, because God doesn't fill in those blanks for us in the book of Revelation. So, it is hard to be completely dogmatic about some of our conclusions as to the identity of the two witnesses, for example. I think there are clues, there are hints, there are certain word choices and certain activities of the two witnesses that tend to mirror some of the former prophets like Moses and Elijah. But we're not told exactly, so we can't be 100% sure, but we can have at least some sort of a confidence in coming to that conclusion.

CP: What do you hope people take away from your book?

Kinley: The main thing is that they just know God and love Him more.

That's the last book of the Bible and God wants us to know Who He is. And Revelation was written so that we could know our God better. And so, that's what I want people to do: to know God, to love Him more as a result of this book.

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'Armageddon' shows how literal readings of the Bible's end times affect modern times

Terry Gross square 2017

Terry Gross

Bible scholar Bart Ehrman says interpretations of the Book of Revelation have created disastrous problems — from personal psychological damage to consequences for foreign policy and the environment.

If Jesus Never Called Himself God, How Did He Become One?

If Jesus Never Called Himself God, How Did He Become One?

Author Traces Christianity's Path From 'Forbidden Religion' To A 'Triumph'

Author Traces Christianity's Path From 'Forbidden Religion' To A 'Triumph'

TERRY GROSS, HOST:

This is FRESH AIR. I'm Terry Gross. A lot of people have been nervously joking in the past couple of years that it seems like the End Times - with the pandemic, record-setting floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and fires, environmental crises, war and fears that democracies are becoming more authoritarian. For those who take the New Testament's Book of Revelation literally, they may actually believe this is the End Times. The End Times have been prophesied dating back to at least the time of Jesus, who preached the end was near.

The description of the end in Revelation reads like a horror film, with fantastical, monstrous beasts and giant, surreal insects, as well as plagues, wars, a lake of fire and torture. That's what those who haven't accepted Jesus as the Messiah will face. Believers will rise to heaven to be with God. Revelation is the most controversial book in the New Testament. Many scholars think it shouldn't have been included in the Bible.

My guest, Bart Ehrman, is one of the scholars who thinks Revelation presents a very disturbing and inconsistent vision of God. He explains why in his new book, "Armageddon: What The Bible Really Says About The End." He writes that a literal reading of Revelation has created disastrous problems, including personal and psychological damage and has, quote, "affected our world in ways you might not expect, involving carnage, U.S. foreign policy and the welfare of our planet," unquote.

As his many readers know, he was an evangelical Christian in college and believed the end was near. He studied at the evangelical Moody Bible Institute. But while attending Princeton Theological Seminary, he stopped believing in the literal truth of the Bible. Eventually, he became an agnostic. But he's continued his work as a Bible scholar. He's the author of many books, including the bestseller "Misquoting Jesus." He's a distinguished professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Bart Ehrman, welcome back to FRESH AIR. It is always a pleasure to talk with you.

BART EHRMAN: Well, thank you. Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to be here.

GROSS: So let's talk about the basic story of the apocalypse as told in the Book of Revelation. What brings on the apocalypse and the second coming of Jesus?

EHRMAN: So in this book, we have a prophet named John - who calls himself John. And he says he's on the island of Patmos, off of the west coast of Turkey. And he writes his book about various visions that he has had that he indicates are predictions of what is soon to take place, he says. It's going to happen very soon. He goes up - he's transported up to heaven. And while - when he's there, he sees the vision of God. God himself is sitting on the throne, and in his hand is a scroll that is sealed with seven seals.

This scroll is - appears to be holding the secrets to the future of Earth. And the thing about these seals is that nobody can break them. It turns out that there is one who can. It's a lamb who has been slain - a reference to Christ. What ends up happening is Christ receives the scroll from God, and he starts breaking the seals. There are seven seals. He breaks them, and every time he breaks one, a huge catastrophe hits the Earth - war, starvation, various kinds of calamities, you know, natural disasters.

And when he breaks the seventh seal, we're introduced to seven angels who have seven trumpets. They blow their trumpets. And every time they blow a trumpet, a disaster hits the Earth. And when the seventh trumpet gets blown, we're introduced to seven angels who are carrying bowls of God's wrath. And each one pours out God's wrath on the Earth - more disasters, one after the other.

And so masses and masses of people are being slaughtered and killed in natural disasters and so forth until the end. Finally, God intervenes and there's a big battle between Christ and his opponent on Earth, a figure called the beast, at the battle of Armageddon. And Christ slays the beast and slays the armies and brings in a new kingdom on Earth, a new Jerusalem that descends from heaven, a city made of gold with gates of pearl. And the saints, the followers of Jesus, live there then, forever (laughter). So that's the Book of Revelation in a nutshell.

GROSS: It really reads like the screenplay of, like, an action-horror film.

EHRMAN: Well, it does. And I think the thing is that most people understand where action-horror films are going, but most people have real trouble figuring out Revelation. It's really - it's one of these books that people know about but almost nobody reads. And the people who start reading it find it so confusing and so bizarre, they just give up, and they never get to the end, with the exception of evangelical or fundamentalist Christians who use it to kind of mine for - to - you know, for pieces of the puzzle that will explain what's going to happen in the future.

GROSS: You include in your book the passage from Revelation that describes the locusts. And it is very creepy and surreal. Do you want to just read that passage for us?

EHRMAN: So what happens in this account is that when the fifth angel blows his trumpet, there are these beasts that come up out of the Earth - locusts - that have the authority of scorpions, and they're told that they can torture people for five months but not kill them. And people will beg to die, but they're not allowed to die. And so they have to suffer just incredible torture for five months without being killed. And then John goes on to describe them.

(Reading) In appearance, the locusts were like horses equipped for battle. On their heads were what looked like crowns of gold. Their faces were like human faces, their hair like women's hair and their teeth like lions' teeth. They had scales like iron breastplates, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. They have tails like scorpions, with stingers. And in their tails is their power to harm people for five months.

GROSS: That is surreal and brutal. And I'm wondering, do you think if this was written today that somebody would be sending John to a psychotherapist for a diagnosis and medication? And I don't mean to be flip about it, but this is the kind of paranoid, detailed story that some people come up with who are really seriously troubled. And my apologies to people who, you know, believe, in the rapture and the Second Coming. I don't mean to take away from their belief. But I'm just saying, today if somebody wrote that and took it seriously, they might be sent for psychiatric help.

EHRMAN: Yeah. I think that's probably right. Or at least the, you know, the police would be - keep their eye on them for, you know, what kind of guns they're stockpiling. But the - I think the reality is that, you know, when we're - we're in such a different culture now that it's hard for us to get our mind around people who are thinking like this.

But John is not unusual in the ancient world. He would not have been thought of being anything like psychotic in antiquity because there were lots of other books like this being written that are using high-level symbolism and very violent imagery to describe what's going to happen in the future. And so he's actually participating in a fairly broad movement. And that's one of the reasons that most people don't understand the Book of Revelation, is because we don't have anything quite like this anymore. Apart from something like science fiction novels, there just isn't something like this.

And in antiquity, it was a common genre among Jews and Christians. And so I'd be hesitant to diagnose him today, but if he were writing this today, I'd be very bothered, yes (laughter). And, you know, you could argue that it was bothersome back then, too, because a lot of this imagery is really very, very not just violent, but sometimes gratuitously violent and attributing this kind of horrible violence to God and to Christ. And I think a lot of people didn't like that in the ancient world, either.

GROSS: So the people who are saved from all these horrors on earth are the ones who are believers and have accepted Jesus as the Messiah, right?

EHRMAN: Well, not - no, not quite. (Laughter) This is the thing. This is this is really one of the surprising things about this. Two things that I'll say that are surprising about the book. One is that this view that there's going to be a rapture is not in the Book of Revelation. This is something that - it's a modern idea of the rapture. We can actually date it. It was originated in the 1830s, the idea that Jesus will come back, take his followers out, and then it's just the nonbelievers who are going to get all this. In fact, the Christians are still here on Earth. And the second thing is that a lot of them suffer very badly and in the end are thrown into the lake of fire. So believing in Jesus isn't going to be enough because for this author, you have to believe just like he himself, John, believes and practice your faith just like he practices it. And a lot of people in the churches - he tells us people in the churches are going to be destroyed with all the pagans.

GROSS: This emphasis on, you know, pearly gates and a city of gold and Christ himself as bejeweled in the image that John describes of him - it seems very counter to the anti-materialistic Jesus of the New Testament. How do you reconcile that?

EHRMAN: Well, I don't (laughter). I don't think you can reconcile it. A lot of people try to. And people always have. I mean, the reality is that in the Gospels, as you say, when Jesus talks about wealth, he's against it. He thinks that people should not live for material things. And so he tells people - a rich man comes up to him and says, you know, what must I do, you know, for eternal life? And Jesus says, if you want to have treasure in heaven, sell everything you have and give to the poor. That's - and that's what Jesus did. He left everything to - for his mission. His disciples left their homes and their families and their jobs. And Jesus praises them for it. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus embraces a gospel of spirituality that is anti-materialistic.

And it's not the way people have interpreted. People today interpret it as saying that Jesus thinks that if you give some away now, you'll have even more material wealth in heaven, you know that treasures in heaven means you're going to have palaces and things. And that's not what he's talking about. The point is the material things are not what you're supposed to live with or live for. And you won't have those in heaven. You'll have a spiritual existence in heaven. So that's Jesus's teaching. But when - that you should give up material things and that wealth is not to be sought after.

The Book of Revelation has just the opposite view in some ways. The Book of Revelation does have a problem with wealth. It has a problem because the enemy of God in Revelation, the city and empire of Rome, is fantastically wealthy. It has exploited all the provinces of the empire. It has accumulated huge amounts of wealth. And so the problem in Revelation with wealth is not that wealth itself is bad. The problem in Revelation is that the wrong people have it. The Romans have it, and, you know, we should have it. We're the Christians. And so what ends up happening is God takes the wealth from Rome, destroys the Roman world, destroys - takes away all their wealth. And the Christians then have a city of gold and, you know, gates of pearl and eternal life living in fantastic wealth. So I don't think that's the gospel of Jesus at all. I think it's contrary to the gospel of Jesus.

GROSS: Let's take a short break here, and then we'll talk some more. If you're just joining us, my guest is Bible scholar Bart Ehrman, author of the new book "Armageddon: What The Bible Really Says About The End." We'll be right back. This is FRESH AIR.

(SOUNDBITE OF ANDREW BIRD SONG, "I")

GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. Let's get back to my interview with Bart Ehrman, author of the new book "Armageddon: What The Bible Really Says About The End." He's a distinguished professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

You used to be an evangelical during your teens and college years. Did you take the Book of Revelation literally?

EHRMAN: Well, yeah, I did. In fact, you know, when I was going off to school, I was 17 going off to Moody Bible Institute after high school. And I - you know, I had read the whole New Testament, but I had avoided the Book of Revelation because I just thought, man, this is too bizarre. I can't get a handle on it. But then I - when I was going to Moody, I knew that there was going to be an entrance exam. I thought, oh, my God, if they ask a question on Revelation, I haven't even read the thing. So I read it, and I couldn't make heads or tails of it. (Laughter) It was so unusual, I didn't know what to say.

But when I got to Moody, everybody there had a pretty good handle on it because there was a book that had been in circulation for a long time at that point - not a long time, a few years at that point - Hal Lindsey's book, "The Late Great Planet Earth." Many people don't know this, but this book, "The Late Great Planet Earth," was the bestselling book of nonfiction in the English language in the 1970s (laughter), apart from the Bible. Oh, really? Yeah. And so this was a book that explained Revelation. And it explained - and the rest of the Bible - to show that it was predicting what was going to happen by the end of the 1980s.

And what was going to happen, according to the Bible, was that Israel was going to take over the Temple Mount and was going to destroy the Dome of the Rock and build the temple there. And this would this would create a - in response, there'd be a coalition of Arab nations that would come together to attack Israel. And a 10-person European commonwealth would then intervene in support of Israel. And then Russia - the Soviet Union back then - the Soviet Union would get involved. And, you know, then China would see its chance. And basically, there'd be hell breaking out in the Middle East. The nuclear bombs would start dropping. And then Christ would come at the last minute before we wiped ourselves off the face of the planet. This was all in the Bible.

And, you know, a lot of people treated this book, "The Late Great Planet Earth," as the 28th book of the Bible. It was just telling the truth. And that's what I thought. I thought Jesus is coming back before the end of the 1980s, and this is all going to happen.

GROSS: So was the addition of, like, nuclear weapons as part of the scenario, like, one of Hal Lindsey's innovations, so to speak, in his books?

EHRMAN: I would say it wasn't an innovation of his, but he's the one who really pushed it. The deal is that as - I try to explain in my book that throughout most of Christian history, to the surprise of readers today - throughout most of Christian history, people did not read Revelation as a prediction of what's going to happen in our future. Since the fourth, fifth centuries, almost everybody read it as an indication of what was already going on now in symbolic language. But in the - it ended up changing, strangely, with the French Revolution.

When the French Revolution hit, the reign of terror was just so incredibly violent that British theologians started thinking that this was a fulfillment of scripture, and they started talking about Revelation as a prediction of what was happening in their day, with the signs now being fulfilled about the end. And after that point, there were evangelical Christians who thought that revelation is predicting our future. That all took a serious change in 1945 because the atomic bombs dropped, showed people that, in fact, we really might put an end to all this. And so that's when nuclear weapons started getting into the picture.

And after 1945, almost all of the scenarios that get painted by all the prophecy writers, who are still publishing all these books, almost always are focused on nuclear exchange as being at - coming at the end. So Lindsey built this up and came up with this scenario that everybody bought for a while. But he didn't invent the idea of the nuclear bombs being the thing.

GROSS: Can you name some political leaders in America who not only believed in the Book of Revelation, but who took Hal Lindsey's interpretation at face value?

EHRMAN: Well, apparently Ronald Reagan did. He apparently actually consulted with Lindsey on occasion. And he and Caspar Weinberger, the secretary of defense, apparently thought that, you know, this is being predicted, that the nuclear bombs are going to fly. And, you know, I'm not saying that they were, like, trying to hasten it, but it's not a very comforting thought if the commander in chief really thinks it has to happen. You'd prefer somebody to think that, you know, we'd - you know, it's not going to happen.

But so anyway, yeah, Reagan apparently did, and Caspar Weinberger and other people especially. I'll tell you, I mean, the one everybody does know about is James Watt, who was appointed by Reagan to be the secretary of the interior, who famously, during one of his confirmation hearings, was asked whether he believed that we needed to preserve our natural resources for future generations. You know, he's responsible for preserving our national resources as the secretary of interior. And he replied that, yes, it is important for us to preserve our resources for future generations. But then he said, but I'm not sure how many future generations there are before Jesus comes back. And, oh, man, did that cause some consternation.

That's not your typical Washington speak, you know, because if you think - even if you don't think he's coming back on Thursday, you know, if you think he's coming back in about 40 years, why preserve your resources? You know, I mean, why skimp? Why not just go for it? Because in 40 years it's not going to matter anymore. And as it turns out, in 2010, there is a survey of Christians in America, and 47% thought that Jesus either certainly or was likely to come back in 40 years. I mean, almost half of the Christians in America. And so if you've got Christians in America who say - you know, half of them don't think, you know, we're going to be around after 40 years, that certainly changes your attitude toward environmental concerns and climate change. And, you know, who cares? It doesn't matter.

GROSS: Especially if you believe that you're one of the people who are going to be raptured.

EHRMAN: Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. No, you're going to be taken out of the world. That's not a problem. But even if you aren't taken out of the world, it'll just be seven more years before - you know, before the whole thing collapses. So it's 47 years.

GROSS: OK. Well, let me reintroduce you again. My guest is Bible scholar Bart Ehrman, author of the new book "Armageddon: What The Bible Really Says About The End." We'll be right back after a short break. I'm Terry Gross, and this is FRESH AIR.

(SOUNDBITE OF RYUICHI SAKAMOTO'S "GERMINATION")

GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. I'm Terry Gross. Let's get back to my interview with Bible scholar Bart Ehrman, author of the new book "Armageddon: What The Bible Really Says About The End." His book interprets the Book of Revelation from a historical perspective and writes about what he finds very disturbing about the image of God in the book and how inconsistent it is with the Gospel's stories about Jesus. He thinks Revelation's depiction of the end times and the wars, plagues, beasts, locusts and conflagrations that will torment those who have not accepted Jesus as their Messiah has created disastrous problems, including personal and psychological consequences. Ehrman is a former evangelical. He's a distinguished professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and is the author of several bestselling books, including "Misquoting Jesus" and "How Jesus Became God."

Let's talk about the role of Israel in the narrative of the end times as described in the Book of Revelation. What has to happen in Israel before the end times are set up and Jesus returns?

EHRMAN: One of the issues I deal with in my book is the historical question of why it is that American evangelicals are so supportive of the state of Israel. And I trace the history of it because it completely relates to Christian understandings, evangelical understandings, of what's going to happen at the end of time. And so people don't realize this because they think, well, of course there are all sorts of reasons to support Israel. We have the issue of, you know, wanting a supporter in the Mideast. You know, they're - got to protect oil issue. You know, there's issues about oil. There's issues about, you know, stability. And all of that's right.

But American evangelicals are disproportionately in support of Israel. And the reason has to do with the Bible. It's because evangelicals have long read biblical prophecies as - indicating that Israel has to be established and strong before Jesus can return. Israel was destroyed in the second century C.E., and it hadn't been a nation. And so Christian Zionism, the idea that - Christians saying that Israel has to become a state again, that actually started before there was, you know, the Zionism we're all familiar with at the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century. And the Christian Zionists absolutely supported Jewish Zionists because they believed that the prophecy had to be fulfilled. Later, after 1948, which Christians continue to - evangelical Christians continue to see 1948, the establishment of Israel, as a fulfillment of prophecy.

But there's one more thing that has to happen. According - in a kind of obscure reference in the New Testament - it's in Second Thessalonians, Chapter 2 - the author, claims to be Paul, says that Jesus cannot return right away. But there's some things that have to happen first before He returns. The main thing that has to happen is that there's a figure named the lawless one. He's not called the Antichrist, but people identify him as the Antichrist. The lawless one must go into the temple. And he will declare himself God. And after that happens, then Jesus can return. The problem is that, of course, there is no temple. There hasn't been a temple since the year 70 of the common era. And on the Temple Mount today in Jerusalem, the site of the temple, that's where the Dome of the Rock is.

GROSS: Which is a Muslim mosque.

EHRMAN: There are Islamic sacred sites on the Temple Mount. And so for Israel to take over the Temple Mount means they've got to wipe out these Islamic holy sites. And that means that, you know, Israel has become very strong. Evangelicals think that God promised all of the land of Israel to Israel, and so the Palestinian territories need to be taken over. Jerusalem has to be controlled by Israel completely. The Temple Mount has to be taken over. They have to destroy the Dome of the Rock and build the Jewish temple there so the Antichrist can go into it and Jesus can come back. And so all of this is just - this is historically why American evangelicals for the entire 20th century, but especially starting in the 1970s in a big way with the Moral Majority - the Christian Moral Majority with Jerry Falwell and company - that's why they've always been supportive of Israel.

And it's why in the - especially in the 1980s, Israeli politicians realized, you know, there are a lot more American evangelicals than there are American Jews. And that's who we need to go for. And so starting with Menachem Begin, but especially - I mean, Netanyahu in the 1980s was going to evangelical prayer breakfasts and making common cause with evangelicals, saying, you know, we are fulfilling scripture now, you know? And we're all on the same page. You need to support us. And so the support of Israel among evangelicals is driven by this eschatological concern that the temple has to be rebuilt or Jesus can't return.

GROSS: So one of the things that Trump did when he was president back in 2018 was move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. And one of the people who not only spoke at the ceremony for the opening of the embassy in Jerusalem, he actually gave the benediction, was Pastor John Hagee, who is the founder of Christians United for Israel, which is the kind of Christian evangelical pro-Israel group for all the reasons that you just mentioned. It's really all about the apocalypse and the Second Coming. So what does it say to you that Trump moved the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem? Was that because of lobbying from Christian Zionists like the group Christians United for Israel, CUFI?

EHRMAN: Trump, of course, very, very much wanted evangelical support. And so many of his policies, of course, are directed toward getting the evangelical vote. His opposition to abortion is the most famous one, but also his support of Israel. And he wanted to - very much wanted to show the evangelicals that he was on their side. And the evangelicals want Jerusalem to be the capital. It was the capital in the Old Testament. It's the place that deserves to be the capital. It is the place where America should focus its interests. And so, of course, the embassy should be in Jerusalem. So John Hagee, I mean, this fellow who did the benediction, he's a very strong supporter of Israel. He's written books supporting Israel. He's a very strong Christian Zionist. But he's one of these ironies. That he believes in American - he believes absolutely that Israel has to be supported. And he believes absolutely that Jews are going to hell.

GROSS: So we've been talking about John Hagee, the Christian Zionist who founded CUFI, the acronym for Christians United for Israel. I interviewed him in 2006. And among the things he told me was that Hurricane Katrina was God's judgment on the city of New Orleans because, quote, "there was going to be a homosexual parade on the Monday that the Katrina came. And the promise of that parade was that it was going to reach a level of sexuality never demonstrated before in any other gay pride parades."

So Katrina was God's retribution because of this planned gay pride parade. So that's one of the things he believed. And I want to play an excerpt of his audiotape of sermons called "Jerusalem Countdown to Crisis."

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JOHN HAGEE: In two minutes, let me tell you where we're going from here. This prophetic portrait paints the following sequence of event for the future. America and Europe become weakened and cannot respond to Israel in the time that Russia and the Arab invasion begins against Israel. This is God's plan. Why? Because he wants the Jewish people in Israel and around the world to know that He, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saved them, not America. Secondly, Russia, with Arab allies, will plot and plan Israel's destruction. That's happening right now. It has been happening for 10 years. Iran's nuclear weapons have been produced with Russian scientists. The Islamic Arabs are using the road map to peace to get all of the land of Israel they can get.

And when Israel finally says enough, you're going to see the beginning of the implementation of Ezekiel's war in 38-39. The critical point is the church is raptured before this war begins. I am telling you, that makes this message one of the most thrilling prophetic messages you've ever heard in your life. You could get raptured out of this building before I get through finished preaching. We are that close to the coming of the son of man.

GROSS: Among the things I want to point out in that is that he's talking about this, like, horrible war in Israel and nuclear weapons. And he's saying, this is the most thrilling prophetic message you've ever heard in your life. Sure, it's thrilling for the people he imagines, including himself, 'cause I'm sure he expects to get raptured. But, you know, how can you call thrilling anything that involves nuclear weapons and war?

EHRMAN: Well, right. I mean - and, you know, that's right. And, you know, he also, at one point, indicated that the reason for the Holocaust is that it was God's plan. God planned the Holocaust because that would facilitate the establishment of Israel as a state. And so that's why 6 million Jews got slaughtered is so that Israel could be founded again in 1948, because that would fulfill prophecy. And if that fulfills prophecy, then, you know, it's coming soon, and we can just rejoice because we're going to be taken out of here. It's really - it's pretty disgusting. Late - after that, somebody pointed out that maybe that wasn't a good move to talk about God's plan for the Holocaust. But, you know, it didn't even occur to him at the time, apparently.

GROSS: Let's take another short break here. If you're just joining us, my guest is Bible scholar Bart Ehrman, author of the new book "Armageddon: What The Bible Really Says About The End." We'll be right back. This is FRESH AIR.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. Let's get back to my interview with Bart Ehrman, author of the new book "Armageddon: What The Bible Really Says About The End." He's a distinguished professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the author of many books interpreting the Bible.

One of the things about the Book of Revelation is that there are so many references in pop culture that come out of it. And a lot of us don't even realize that it's from the Book of Revelation. Like, I saw the Ingmar Bergman classic film "The Seventh Seal" back in college. I've watched it several times since. It's a remarkable film that has a lot to do with, like, questioning God and a strange, like, religious cult, and playing chess with death is a famous scene. I didn't understand that "The Seventh Seal" was directly out of the Book of Revelation, or "The Grapes Of Wrath" - I didn't know that either - or "A Thief In The Night" or "The Whore Of Babylon" or "The Lake Of Fire" or "The Pearly Gates Of Heaven."

Why do you think that - as you said, so few people actually read the Book of Revelation because it's so mystifying and complicated, and a lot of it doesn't make easy-to-understand sense. Why do you think so many references in pop culture, in songs and movies and books have come out of that book?

EHRMAN: Yeah, I know. And it's - you know, it's gotten more and more. I mean, especially, I think, since the 19 - since 1945, it's become even more of a part of popular culture because people realize that, in fact, we might blow ourselves off the planet or now, you know, we think we might - you know, that we might actually destroy the planet. It's a burning world we're in. And so people naturally think about end-of-the-world things and it turns their head to Revelation. It's been a very influential book throughout history because in the Western culture, of course, this is a - you know, it's a - whether a person is a Christian or not, it's been a Christian culture. And Revelation has had very long tentacles.

In my book, I talk about - here's one people wouldn't expect - D.H. Lawrence. You know, D.H. Lawrence - I mean, he's famous for the racy novels. But his final book was "The Apocalypse." He was very bothered by the Book of Revelation. And he wrote a book - two weeks before he died, he published it, his last book. And it's about it because he found it so disturbing. And I think a lot of the apocalyptic references you get today from even, you know, post-apocalyptic movies and just - you know, you just kind of go down a huge list that most anybody could probably cite. You just - it is tied to this apocalyptic vision.

And it's not just Revelation. It's because the entire Christian tradition has been, from the very beginning, apocalyptically oriented in the sense that the understanding is that God created this world, and he's going to destroy this world, and we're just waiting for it to happen. And so you - in the modern times, you imagine scenarios where it could happen. And the scenarios today are very different from what John had in mind. But it's still - it's the same basic idea. It started with God. It's going to end in God. It started with paradise. It's return to paradise. Humans introduced evil. God's going to destroy evil. And so it's all part of the larger arc of the biblical narrative.

GROSS: It's also very colorful. Like, the language in Revelation is colorful.

EHRMAN: It's hugely symbolic. And it's kind of ironic because the symbols really stand out and make you think that this is a literary genius. But one of the realities is that it's a very badly written book. The Greek of the Book of Revelation is the worst Greek of the New Testament, and most of the New Testament Greek isn't that great. But, you know, he just makes grammatical mistakes. So this - but it's funny because he has all of these images that, as you say - you know, it has these terms that just become huge cultural symbols, really. And - but it's from somebody who doesn't write very well.

GROSS: So a question you ask at the end of your book is, which Jesus do you model yourself on, the Jesus who was anti-materialistic, who said, turn the other cheek, or the Jesus who participates in this incredible wrath and retribution, vengeance, violence, bloodshed, plagues, catastrophes, lakes of fire? That's a really interesting question to ponder because - I mean, can you reconcile believing in both at the same time? And is that a question you asked yourself when you were still a believer?

EHRMAN: When I was a believer, I thought that God was both loving and just and that we could experience his love if we would turn to him, but if we didn't, then, necessarily, he had to implement his justice, so that the Book of Revelation was his justice, and the Gospels were his love. And, you know, I really don't see it that way anymore. I think that the Book of Revelation is not really about God's justice. Justice is not the word that gets used in Revelation. The word is wrath.

The book itself claims that it's about the wrath of God and the Lamb in Christ. The common words in Revelation are not words like love or hope or justice or mercy. The words are wrath, vengeance, revenge, blood, you know? So these are the terms, and they're not the terms that you find on the lips of Jesus in the Gospels. Jesus certainly thought that a destruction of the world was going to come, but he didn't think that God was going to be torturing people for five months without allowing them to die, as in the Book of Revelation.

So I think it really comes down to a choice. And the frightening thing is, I think increasingly in Christianity, especially in American Christianity, people are really more entranced with the violent, vengeful, wrathful Jesus of Revelation, even if they don't read it. That's the side they take, rather than the loving, caring, merciful Jesus of the Gospels.

GROSS: How are you seeing that expressed?

EHRMAN: Well, there's a lot of violence being sponsored by conservative Christians who are in support of, well, taking over the government, for example, who are in support of all sorts of opposition to social policies that might help people - so opposition to immigration, wanting to cut the budgets so that we don't help out the poor. We cut down on helping those who are desperately in need. But let's build up the defense budget, and let's invade some more.

And so I'll just say, you know, there are some wars that I think are completely justified. I think America has been in wars that are not justified. And most of these unjustified wars, in my experience, have been supported by people who call themselves Christian who want to take over the world in one way or another. So I think the violent Jesus of Revelation resonates with people more than the innocent Lamb of the Gospels.

GROSS: Bart Ehrman, it's really been great to talk with you again. Thank you so much.

EHRMAN: Oh, it's my pleasure. I always enjoy it.

GROSS: Bart Ehrman's new book is called "Armageddon: What the Bible Really Says About the End." After we take a short break, John Powers will review a new rom-com he says marks the arrival of a new wave of Black British talent. This is FRESH AIR.

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What Does the Bible Say about the End Times and Last Days?

What Does the Bible Say about the End Times and Last Days?

Every human being today lives at the nexus of the old and the new. 1 The “end times” or "last days" are already and not yet. Like the Early Church, we find ourselves living in that tension of “realization and expectation.” 2 The question of whether we are living in the last days is answered without the slightest vagueness by the New Testament authors: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” ( Hebrews 1:2 ).

“God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days” ( 1 Peter 1:20 NLT).

Learning to live in the tension of “the already and the not yet” of the End Times is no blind faith to be taken lightly, but rather faithful living to be cultivated prayerfully. For Advent, the best lived-in description of discussing the End Times—is a season of waiting. And waiting is not what we do best.

The stilled, Simeon-like posture of simple believers waiting on the Lord is too often juxtaposed with multi-million-dollar bestsellers with kitschy covers of the Apocalypse. Somewhere between the unbridled extremes of neglect and mania lies the unpretentious truth of an ancient memorial acclamation from the liturgy of the Eastern Church: “Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.” 3 That singular and early memorial is often recited today in Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian, and other Protestant congregations, as well as in Roman Catholic and Orthodox communities. Millions recite the words, “Christ has come. Christ will come again.” 4 Millions more distort, ignore, or forget the meaning of the words. The old saying sounds simple, sane, and certain; because it is. But the extremes too often get the headlines and in doing so cloud the otherwise clear Biblical truth for others.

In one extreme corner are the cynics, the unconcerned, and the unmovable. They are like the aging protagonist in Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin:  “But why bother about the end of the world? It is the end of the world every day, for someone." With all due regard to the character in Mrs. Atwood’s novel, this que sera, sera  attitude is part of Peter’s warning to the Church: "Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires” ( 2 Peter 3:3 NIV ). Then, in the other corner, there are sensationalists, who use the “End Times” like stolen Bitcoins for buying publicity to convert their obscurity into spectacle. One late, infamous, modern-day diviner-of-dates sadly deluded into thinking that he had “inside information” on how to use “Biblical mathematics,” predicted the end of the world “no fewer than 12 times.” 5 There is no delight in taunting his tall tales; only pity.

But what does the Bible say about the End Times and Last Days? The little memorial affirmation of faith — “Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again”— is at once simple, satisfying, and correct. 6 But let us examine the depth of that confession by carefully answering common questions surrounding the Last Days or End Times.

What Do the Words “End Times” Mean in Scripture?

One contemporary evangelical theologian gave a succinct response to the meaning of the “end times” or “last days” as used in the Holy Scriptures:

“The end-time period surrounding Jesus’ second coming is variously called the last times, last hour, last days, day of the Lord, day of judgment, day of Gods wrath, time of punishment, end of the ages, end of all things. The temporal finality of these expressions highlights the firm New Testament belief that the present course of history will come to an end when Jesus returns. The certainty of the first advent guarantees the certainty of the second ( Acts 1:7 ). 7

Bible scholars agree that the Early Church adopted the simple framework of “apocalyptic dualism.” Apocalyptic dualism, a fancy phrase for a plain teaching, means Jesus Christ comes to earth twice. His first Advent brought a New Covenant. The Second Advent will bring a New World. Thus, once the first coming was accomplished, the Second Coming is awaited. Such a position is consistent with Scripture. To wit, “Yes, we live in the last days and we have been since Christ returned to Heaven.” No less than the Lord, the Holy Spirit, through the inspired writers of the Old and New Testaments, declares that we are in those last days now. The Apostles Paul, Peter, and the writer to the Hebrews, each support the other in saying that the resurrection and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ inaugurated the end of days.

Key Bible Passages On the Last Days

One must be careful in “rightly dividing the Word” when considering Old Testament teaching on the End Times or Last Days. The writer could be prophesying about the first or second Advent of the Messiah. Two good examples of this are Daniel and Joel. Daniel is an apocalyptic book—that is, a genre of Biblical literature that dispatches imagery, mystery, and symbolism to speak of the end times, or the latter days. The prophet Joel is an Old Testament book that not only speaks to the last days before the end of the world but signals that the last days begin with the Spirit-inaugurated event after Jesus’ ascension. How do we know that? Peter interprets Joel 2:28 in his sermon at Pentecost by applying its truth to that moment:

“And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams” ( Acts 2:17 ESV).

Again, for Peter, in Acts 2:17 , we are in the end times. This passage is important to unlocking the language of the Bible about the end times. New Testament insight is necessary to interpret the Old. Old Testament prophecy gives appreciation for the Plan of God across the Ages.

So, let us focus on a few of the many passages that teach us about the end times.

The Teaching of Jesus

Mark 13 is arguably one of the most vital passages for understanding the last days or end times. In it Jesus moves, sometimes in the same sentence, between speaking of the last days as referring to the destruction of Jerusalem (AD 70, sacked by Rome) and His Second Coming.

“’Do you see these huge buildings?’ Jesus asked. ‘Not one stone here will be left on top of another. Every stone will be thrown down’” ( Mark 13:2 ESV).

“You will hear about wars. You will also hear people talking about future wars. Don’t be alarmed. Those things must happen. But the end still isn’t here. Nation will fight against nation. Kingdom will fight against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many places. People will go hungry. All of those things are the beginning of birth pains” ( Mark 13:7 , 8 ESV).

There is an ebb and flow to the message that should bring humility to the believer in such matters. God knows the timing. We don’t. Yet, the era between the First Advent and the Second Advent of Jesus is marked by precisely what we see today (and throughout history): deceitful pretender-messiahs who claim to know the date!

“Many will come in my name. They will claim, ‘I am he.’ They will fool many people” ( Mark 13:6 ESV).

“At that time someone may say to you, ‘Look! Here is the Christ!’ Or, ‘Look! There he is!’ Do not believe it. False Christs and false prophets will appear. They will do signs and miracles. They will try to fool God’s chosen people if possible.  Keep watch! I have told you everything ahead of time” ( Mark 13:21-23 ESV).

Jesus shows in Mark 13 that we are in the end times. We do not know where we are on that continuum. But we know that various disruptions of the heavens and the earth, continuing catastrophic events will happen, but we are not to be caught like a deer in the headlight by such incidents. But there is a sign. If the end times begin with the inauguration of the missionary activity of the Church at Pentecost, it also will be consummated by the successful preaching of the Gospel to all nations. Then the end will come ( Mark 13:10 ).

The Apostles’ Teaching

As we have noted, the writer to the Hebrews and the Apostle Peter teach that we are now in the last days. In like manner, St. Paul wrote to his protégé, Pastor Timothy, that he was ministering at Ephesus in the last days. When Paul instructed the young pastor about “the last days,” he was not referencing some future date that Timothy would never see. Paul was warning Timothy that the last days were here: “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty” ( 2 Timothy 3:1 ).

What Is the Rapture?

One of the most interesting developments in the history of the Church has been the concept of the Church being secretly removed from the earth. While a millenarian impulse (a literal one-thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ upon the earth, in the presence of sin, and a final rebellion by Satan) has been a minority strain of eschatology (the study of the last things) in the Church’s history, the concept of a secret rapture is relatively new. 8 The doctrine (and the English word used to describe it) emerged from a study of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 . There Paul is speaking pastorally to believers about the state of those who have died in faith and the Second Coming of Christ. Rather than a speculative, sensational presentation of a secret removal of believers, the miraculous revelation is “one of the loudest verses in the Bible.” 9 The passage in question reads:

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.  For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.  For this, we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.  Therefore encourage one another with these words” ( 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 ESV).

For most of church history, the passage sought to bring comfort to those who were awaiting the coming of Christ. In the nineteenth century, John Nelson Darby (1800–1882), an Irish lawyer-turned-priest-turned-entrepreneur, became increasingly involved with the development of a “highly distinctive” ecclesiology and a complex system of eschatology. With an emphasis upon “Futurism” (the study of how events are destined to create a certain future that can be known and prepared for), Darby developed a doctrinal framework that became known as “Dispensationalism.” 10 While there is no scholarly biography on the Irish religious leader (he did not believe in “clergy” or ordained ministers in the Church), it is safe to say that through his booklets and pamphlets his cryptic system of the future that included an arbitrary division of history outlasted his own life and, undoubtedly, became more popular in the United States and Canada than it ever was in the British Isles. 11 Nevertheless, the teaching of 1 Thessalonians 4 certainly includes a sudden appearance of the Lord Jesus and a reanimation and miraculous resurrection of those who have died in Christ, followed by those who are alive at His coming.

The case of the “rapture” and the various eschatological schools of thought tend to reveal the mystery rather than clarity. Much unnecessary division has come upon the Church because of placing schools of interpretation above love. However, all agree to the essential truth—once more to our ancient phrase— Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. 

Revelation, the Antichrist, The Man of Sin, the Beast, and 666

There are, of course, other important matters revealed in the Bible about these last days. The “Man of Sin,” the Antichrist, the “many antichrists,” the Beast, and other apocalyptic persons and images. These all remind us that the letters, e.g., 2 Thessalonians and The Revelation of Jesus Christ to the Apostle John, were written to real people facing menacing powers that threatened their lives, that threatened the Body of Christ in the world. The beastly powers of Statism (the tyrannical rule of human government denying the God-given rights of people)—with the dictatorial the “ mark of the Beast (“666” or “never 7, never 7, never 7”; the Hebrew word for the number seven being the word marking the completion, the resting, of God from creating the cosmos; 666 is “always man, always man, never God’s”). 12 Each and all have meaning, to those under persecution then and now. The symbols move before us in Scripture like a reel on fast-forward. But the background is still and clear: He came. He's coming again. The return of Jesus is the next great event in the unfolding drama of the ages. That is where we are today.

How Shall We Then Wait?

The cross of Christ is the supreme sign staked out by God Himself in the historical pathways of this old world. There was life before Christ, anticipating His first Advent. There is life after Christ— anno Domini, in the Year of our Lord—not only awaiting His Second Advent, but actively fulfilling God’s mission in the world. The entire epic of redemption in the coming of the God-Man, Jesus of Nazareth — His life lived for us, His sacrificial death on the cross for us, His burial, resurrection, appearances, ascension, and the Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples gathered in the Upper Room, catapulting the Kingdom of Christ unto the ends of the earth—inaugurated the final act in the Plan for a New Heaven and a New Earth. We must faithfully seek answers to our questions about the last days in the larger cosmic context of the panorama of redemption. Rather than quarreling over the sequence, details, and apocalyptic imagery designed to say, “whatever you think, it’s greater than that,” we are called to just wait. To borrow a title from Lewis, the End Times is “Mere Waiting.” Holy Waiting. But holy waiting is not passive. Holy waiting is active: living the Gospel, teaching the Gospel, and proclaiming the Gospel, so that there will be a multitude of souls safe in the arms of Jesus when He comes again. To wait by working in the Temples of our lives we fulfill God’s mission. And it is true:

“Mission is not primarily an activity of the church, but an attribute of God. God is a missionary God . . .” 13

When are the End Times? We have always lived in the End Times. Each day is a sacred gift of life at the nexus of time and eternity. We are called to receive the gift of this day, not in futile speculation, but in bowed doxological humility. As C.S. Lewis wrote,

“Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last forever. We must take it or leave it.” 14

And sometimes we are so thrilled with the glorious vision of “Paradise Regained,” that we can’t help but whisper a prayer as we witness the morning sun painting the eastern skies: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” 15

author image for Michael Milton

Michael A. Milton,  PhD (University of Wales; MPA, UNC Chapel Hill; MDiv, Knox Seminary), Dr. Milton is a retired seminary chancellor and currently serves as the James Ragsdale Chair of Missions at  Erskine Theological Seminary.  He is the President of  Faith for Living  and the  D. James Kennedy Institute  a long-time Presbyterian minister, and Chaplain (Colonel) USA-R. Dr. Milton is the author of more than thirty books and a musician with five albums released. Mike and his wife, Mae, reside in North Carolina.

References/Notes:

1. The compelling phrase, “living at the intersection of time and eternity” led me to my own description. I credit Laurence Hull Stookey, Calendar: Christ’s Time for the Church (Abingdon Press, 2011). 2. G. E. Ladd and D. A. Hagner, A Theology of the New Testament (Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1993), 368. 3. Donald S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church: A User-Friendly Reference for Episcopalians (New York: Church Publishing, 2000), 267. 4. Consider the music, Michael Anthony Milton - Topic, Christ Is Risen (Chattanooga: Sound Design Resources, n.d.), accessed December 1, 2018,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fZ5hkuy65U . 5. See Mitchell Landsberg, “Harold Camping Dies at 92; Preacher’s Rapture Forecasts Fizzled,” Los Angeles Times, December 18, 2013, accessed December 1, 2018, http://articles.latimes.com/2013/dec/18/local/la-me-harold-camping-20131218 .

6. The memorial was included in the 1979 U.S.A. edition of the Book of Common Prayer, following the Institution of the Lord’s Supper. The affirmation is preceded by the words, “Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith.” See “Holy Eucharist: Rite II,” Book of Common Prayer Online, last modified 1979, accessed December 1, 2018,  https://bcponline.org/HE/he2.html . 7. H. Douglas Buckwalter,  “Time,” Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1996), 775. 8. See Michael A. Milton, “Millenarianism,” in The Jonathan Edwards Encyclopedia (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2017). 9. From Robert L. Reymond, A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith: Revised and Updated (Thomas Nelson, 2010). 10. See, e.g., C. F. Stunt and Jonathan D. Burnham, “JN Darby and the Irish Origins of Dispensationalism,” JETS 52 (2009): 569–77. 11. There is an ambitious and helpful project being undertaken at Darby’s alma mater, Trinity College, Dublin. The Trinity Millennialism Project was established to study millenarianism in the Church.

18. I owe the expression, “Always Man, Always Man, Always Man; Never God, Never God, Never God” to the late Dr. Robert L. Reymond. See, e.g., Robert L. Reymond, A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith: -Revised and Updated (Thomas Nelson, 2010). 19. David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission (Orbis books, 1991), 390-391. 20. C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (HarperCollins-Zondervan, 2001), 65. 21. Revelation 22:20 in the Authorized Version of the Holy Bible: “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

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This article is part of our larger End Times Resource Library. Learn more about the rapture, the anti-christ, bible prophecy and the tribulation with articles that explain Biblical truths. You do not need to fear or worry about the future!

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Discover the Best The End Times Books in the 2024 Updated Edition

Are you fascinated by the concept of the end times and the apocalypse? Whether you’re a religious scholar, a fiction enthusiast, or simply curious about the end of the world, there’s a book on the end times that will captivate you. From religious prophecies to dystopian fiction, the end times books offer a wide range of perspectives on the ultimate fate of humanity. In this article, we’ll explore the 20 best books about the end times that will leave you pondering the future of our world long after you’ve turned the last page.

  • 2 Station Eleven
  • 3 Good Omens
  • 4 The Stand
  • 5 The Leftovers
  • 6 Oryx and Crake
  • 7 World War Z
  • 8 The Book of M
  • 9 The Passage
  • 10 The Fireman
  • 11 The Fifth Sacred Thing
  • 12 The Dog Stars
  • 13 The Year of the Flood
  • 14 The End of the World Running Club
  • 15 The Testament of Jessie Lamb
  • 16 The Age of Miracles
  • 17 The Last One
  • 18 Alas, Babylon
  • 19 The Handmaid’s Tale
  • 20 One Second After
  • 21 Conclusion

best books about the end times The Road

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by Cormac McCarthy

The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a haunting and relentless journey through a post-apocalyptic world. Set in a bleak and desolate landscape, the story follows a father and son as they navigate the dangers and horrors of a world ravaged by an unspecified cataclysm. The novel is a stark and unflinching portrayal of survival, as the duo struggles to find food, shelter, and safety while avoiding roving bands of cannibals. McCarthy’s spare and evocative prose creates a sense of impending doom and desperation, as they face the harsh realities of a world on the brink of extinction. The Road is a gripping and intense exploration of the human spirit in the face of an uncertain and perilous future, making it a must-read for anyone interested in a book about the end times.

best books about the end times Station Eleven

Station Eleven

By emily st. john mandel.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel is a captivating book on the end times. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the novel follows a group of interconnected characters as they navigate a world ravaged by a devastating flu pandemic. The story weaves together their individual experiences before, during, and after the collapse of civilization, exploring themes of survival, hope, and the enduring power of art and human connection. Mandel’s lyrical prose and intricate storytelling create a haunting and thought-provoking narrative that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. This book about the end times is a compelling exploration of what it means to live, love, and find purpose in a world forever altered by catastrophe.

best books about the end times Good Omens

by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Good Omens is a humorous and satirical novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. It tells the story of an angel and a demon who team up to prevent the end of the world, as it is foretold in the Book of Revelation. The book is a witty and entertaining take on the end times, blending fantasy, comedy, and social commentary. The two unlikely allies, Aziraphale and Crowley, navigate their way through a world of prophecies, apocalyptic events, and bureaucratic inefficiencies to try and avert the impending doom. With its clever writing and memorable characters, Good Omens has become a beloved classic for fans of books about the end times.

best books about the end times The Stand

by Stephen King

The Stand by Stephen King is a gripping book about the end times that follows a group of survivors after a deadly virus wipes out most of the world’s population. As society collapses, two groups emerge, one led by the compassionate Mother Abagail, and the other by the ruthless Randall Flagg. The survivors are drawn to these leaders as they navigate the post-apocalyptic landscape, facing both physical and moral challenges. King’s vivid storytelling and complex characters make this book on the end times a compelling and thought-provoking read. The novel delves into themes of good versus evil, the resilience of the human spirit, and the consequences of our actions. The Stand is a thrilling and unsettling exploration of what could happen if the world faced a catastrophic event.

best books about the end times The Leftovers

The Leftovers

By tom perrotta.

The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta is a thought-provoking book about the aftermath of a mysterious event that causes the sudden disappearance of millions of people, leading to a world grappling with grief, confusion, and uncertainty. The novel explores how individuals and communities cope with the aftermath of the event, known as the Sudden Departure, as they try to make sense of the inexplicable loss and find meaning in a world changed forever. The Leftovers delves into the complexities of human emotions, faith, and relationships in the face of tragedy, offering a compelling and poignant exploration of the end times. With its compelling storytelling and rich character development, The Leftovers is a powerful and gripping novel that will leave readers contemplating the profound questions it raises about existence, loss, and the human experience.

best books about the end times Oryx and Crake

Oryx and Crake

By margaret atwood.

Oryx and Crake, a dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood, is a captivating exploration of a post-apocalyptic world. Set in a future where society has collapsed, the story follows the journey of Snowman, the last human survivor, as he navigates a desolate landscape filled with genetically engineered creatures and the ruins of a once-thriving civilization. Through flashbacks, the novel reveals the events leading up to the catastrophic downfall, focusing on the complex relationships between Snowman, his enigmatic love interest Oryx, and his brilliant but morally ambiguous friend Crake. Atwood’s masterful storytelling and thought-provoking exploration of ethical and scientific dilemmas make Oryx and Crake a compelling and unsettling vision of a world teetering on the brink of extinction, a book about the end times that will leave readers pondering its haunting implications long after the final page.

best books about the end times World War Z

World War Z

By max brooks.

World War Z is a gripping book about the end times, written by Max Brooks. Through a series of interviews, the book chronicles the global outbreak of a zombie pandemic, and the subsequent aftermath of the war against the undead. The interviews provide a panoramic view of the devastating effects of the zombie apocalypse on different countries, cultures, and individuals. Brooks weaves together a compelling narrative that explores the human experience in the face of catastrophic events, and the resilience and adaptability of humanity. World War Z offers a unique and chilling perspective on the end times, and serves as a cautionary tale about the fragility of civilization and the potential for societal collapse. This thought-provoking and immersive book is a must-read for anyone interested in apocalyptic fiction or the human condition in extreme circumstances.

best books about the end times The Book of M

The Book of M

By peng shepherd.

The Book of M by Peng Shepherd is a captivating novel that takes place in a world where people’s shadows suddenly start disappearing, causing them to lose their memories and eventually their humanity. The story follows a group of characters who are trying to survive in this apocalyptic world and find a way to reverse the shadow loss. As they journey through a world in chaos, they encounter both dangers and miracles, testing the limits of their own humanity and the strength of their relationships. The book explores themes of love, identity, and the nature of memory, all set against the backdrop of a world on the brink of collapse. With its unique and imaginative take on the end times, The Book of M is a must-read for anyone looking for a thought-provoking and engrossing novel.

best books about the end times The Passage

The Passage

By justin cronin.

The Passage by Justin Cronin is a gripping and epic novel that tells the story of a post-apocalyptic world overrun by vampire-like creatures. Set in a future where a government experiment goes horribly wrong, the book follows a young girl named Amy as she becomes the key to humanity’s survival. With its blend of horror, suspense, and science fiction, The Passage is a must-read for fans of dystopian fiction and apocalyptic thrillers. This book about the end times is filled with heart-pounding action, richly developed characters, and a thought-provoking exploration of human nature in the face of overwhelming adversity. Perfect for readers who love a dark and intense tale of survival in a world on the brink of extinction, The Passage is an unforgettable journey into the unknown.

best books about the end times The Fireman

The Fireman

By joe hill.

The Fireman by Joe Hill is a gripping book about the end times that follows a deadly pandemic known as Dragonscale, which causes people to spontaneously combust. The story centers around a young nurse named Harper Grayson who becomes infected with Dragonscale and discovers a group of infected individuals who have learned to control the fire within them. As society collapses around them, Harper and the group must navigate a world filled with fear, violence, and government-sanctioned quarantine camps. Hill’s masterful storytelling weaves together elements of horror, survival, and hope as the characters fight to survive in a world on the brink of destruction. The Fireman is a compelling and intense end times book that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very end.

best books about the end times The Fifth Sacred Thing

The Fifth Sacred Thing

By starhawk.

The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk is a captivating novel set in a post-apocalyptic world where two contrasting societies clash. In this epic tale of hope, love, and resistance, the story unfolds in a divided city – one side ruled by a tyrannical regime, and the other, a utopian community grounded in peace and harmony. As the two worlds collide, the protagonist must navigate through the challenges of war, spirituality, and personal growth. This visionary book about the end times offers a powerful message of environmentalism, social justice, and the resilience of the human spirit. With themes of magic, nature, and resistance, The Fifth Sacred Thing is both a thrilling adventure and a profound exploration of the human condition.

best books about the end times The Dog Stars

The Dog Stars

By peter heller.

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller is a gripping book about the end times that follows the story of a man named Hig who survives a flu pandemic that wipes out most of humanity. He lives in a small airplane hangar with his dog and a survivalist neighbor, and spends his days flying in his makeshift plane. As he struggles with loneliness and grief, Hig receives a faint radio transmission that leads him on a journey to find other survivors. The novel is a haunting and beautifully written exploration of human resilience and the search for connection in a world that has been ravaged by disaster. Heller’s evocative prose and vivid imagery make this book on the end times a compelling and thought-provoking read.

best books about the end times The Year of the Flood

The Year of the Flood

The Year of the Flood is a dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood set in a post-apocalyptic world. The story follows two women, Toby and Ren, who have survived a catastrophic event known as the “Waterless Flood.” The novel explores themes of survival, environmentalism, and the consequences of unchecked scientific advancement. It is a gripping and thought-provoking book about the end times, offering a chilling glimpse into a future where humanity’s hubris has led to its downfall. Atwood’s vivid storytelling and richly imagined world make The Year of the Flood a compelling read for anyone interested in dystopian fiction or the end times book.

best books about the end times The End of the World Running Club

The End of the World Running Club

By adrian j. walker.

The End of the World Running Club by Adrian J. Walker is a gripping and intense book about the end times. When an asteroid strikes the Earth, causing widespread destruction and chaos, Edgar Hill finds himself separated from his family and fighting for survival. As the world crumbles around him, Edgar must navigate the dangerous aftermath and embark on a treacherous journey to find his loved ones. The novel is a heart-pounding tale of resilience, hope, and the unbreakable bond of family in the face of catastrophe. With vivid storytelling and raw emotion, this end times book is a thrilling and poignant exploration of the human spirit in the midst of an apocalyptic world.

best books about the end times The Testament of Jessie Lamb

The Testament of Jessie Lamb

By jane rogers.

The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers is a gripping and thought-provoking book about the end times. Set in a near-future world where humanity is threatened by a deadly virus, the novel follows the story of Jessie Lamb, a young girl who becomes involved in a radical plan to save the human race. As the virus spreads and the world teeters on the brink of extinction, Jessie grapples with issues of sacrifice, morality, and the value of life. The novel raises important ethical questions and explores the complexities of human nature in the face of catastrophe. With its compelling narrative and rich character development, The Testament of Jessie Lamb offers a unique and powerful perspective on the end times that will leave readers deeply moved and contemplative.

best books about the end times The Age of Miracles

The Age of Miracles

By karen thompson walker.

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker is a gripping novel that explores a world on the brink of apocalypse. Set in a time when the Earth’s rotation is slowing, the book delves into the emotional and psychological effects of this catastrophic event on a young girl named Julia and her family. As days and nights stretch longer, the natural order of the world begins to unravel, causing widespread panic and uncertainty. Against this backdrop, Julia grapples with the challenges of growing up, navigating friendships, and coping with the impending crisis. The novel is a poignant and thought-provoking meditation on change, resilience, and the fragility of life. It’s a compelling and haunting read that offers a unique perspective on the end times.

best books about the end times The Last One

The Last One

By alexandra oliva.

The Last One by Alexandra Oliva is a gripping novel about a reality TV show that takes a dark turn. The story follows a contestant who finds herself in a post-apocalyptic world, believing that the destruction around her is part of the show’s elaborate set. As she navigates the dangerous and unpredictable environment, she must confront the harsh realities of survival and her own resilience. The novel is a thrilling blend of psychological suspense and dystopian fiction, exploring themes of identity, perseverance, and the human spirit. With its unique premise and intense storytelling, The Last One is a must-read for fans of dystopian fiction and those intrigued by the concept of the end times.

best books about the end times Alas, Babylon

Alas, Babylon

By pat frank.

Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank is a gripping novel set in a small town in Florida during the height of the Cold War. This book about the end times follows the residents of the town as they struggle to survive in the aftermath of a nuclear attack on the United States. With power, communication, and supplies cut off, the townspeople must band together to face the challenges of a post-apocalyptic world. The end times book explores themes of survival, community, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of disaster. Pat Frank’s vivid and realistic portrayal of the aftermath of a nuclear war makes Alas, Babylon a compelling and thought-provoking read.

best books about the end times The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is a dystopian novel set in a society where fertility rates have plummeted, resulting in a totalitarian regime that controls women’s bodies and lives. The story follows Offred, a handmaid forced to bear children for the ruling class. Atwood’s portrayal of a bleak, oppressive future is both chilling and thought-provoking, offering a stark warning about the dangers of extreme religious and political ideologies. The novel is a gripping exploration of power, control, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of oppression. With its powerful themes and compelling narrative, The Handmaid’s Tale is a must-read for anyone interested in thought-provoking dystopian fiction or intrigued by the concept of a society on the brink of collapse.

best books about the end times One Second After

One Second After

By william r. forstchen.

One Second After by William R. Forstchen is a gripping book about the end times. Set in a small town in North Carolina, the story follows the aftermath of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack that plunges the world into chaos. The main character, John Matherson, must navigate the collapse of society as food, water, and medicine become scarce, and law and order break down. As the town struggles to survive, Matherson must make difficult decisions to protect his family and community. This heart-pounding thriller explores the devastating consequences of an EMP attack and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of disaster. Forstchen’s vivid storytelling and attention to detail make this end times book a must-read for fans of apocalyptic fiction.

Exploring different perspectives on the end times can be both thought-provoking and entertaining. Whether you’re interested in religious prophecy or dystopian fiction, the 20 best books about the end times offer a wide range of captivating reads. From classic works to modern bestsellers, these books provide an insightful look into humanity’s fascination with the apocalypse.

Which the end times book is best?

The best book on the end times can vary with personal preference, but three widely recommended titles are:

  • The Road by Cormac McCarthy ,
  • Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel ,
  • Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman .

Each offers valuable insights and could be a great starting point.

What are the best books to learn about the end times?

For those looking to learn about the end times, there is a wealth of literature that can provide a comprehensive understanding of the subject. Some of the most highly recommended books include:

  • Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman ,
  • The Stand by Stephen King ,
  • The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta ,
  • Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood ,
  • World War Z by Max Brooks ,
  • The Book of M by Peng Shepherd ,
  • The Passage by Justin Cronin ,
  • The Fireman by Joe Hill

These books offer a range of perspectives on the end times, covering various aspects and approaches to the subject.

What are the best books on the end times?

The best books on the end times include:

  • The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk ,
  • The Dog Stars by Peter Heller ,
  • Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood .

Each offers unique insights into the subject. While these books on the topic of the end times are highly regarded, it’s important to note that any list of ‘best’ books is subjective and reflects a range of opinions.

What are the best the end times books of all time?

Choosing the best the end times books of all time can vary depending on who you ask, but seven titles that are often celebrated include

  • The Fireman by Joe Hill ,
  • and The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk .

Each of these books has made a significant impact in the field of the end times and continues to be influential today.

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Author Jodie Chapman stepped away from her community in her 30s.

‘Fiction opened my eyes’: author Jodie Chapman on growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness

The author was told she was living through ‘the time of the end’ – then Margaret Atwood, Thomas Hardy and George Orwell challenged her understanding of the world

I used to knock on people’s doors and tell them the end of the world was coming. We were born imperfect, I would say, and soon will come the day of Armageddon when we will all be tested. Be good and you could win life in Paradise. Be bad, and your reward is annihilation. No wonder people would see us coming and turn off the lights.

Stories have always been in my blood. Until a few years ago, I based my life on their outcome. Raised in the UK as a Jehovah’s Witness, I was told we were in “the time of the end”, which meant we were in the third act of Life’s story, when I would soon be rewarded with eternal life on a paradise Earth.

John Hurt as Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Every Witness child was given a copy of My Book of Bible Stories, a heavy yellow hardback. From the moment I could listen, I was taught the story of Abraham, who almost murdered his son after God commanded him as a test. The accompanying illustration of Isaac tied up on a sacrificial altar as his father looms over him with a knife was terrifying. Then there was Lot’s wife, who was turned to salt for daring to look back at the fire God was raining down on her hometown. I never questioned these stories or their morals. Why would I? They were taught to me at the same time as my ABC. They were my version of “normal”.

My entertainment was heavily vetted. Anything with ghosts or witches was banned. Christmas and birthday colouring pages were ripped out. Looking back, I struggle to think of books that would have been more shocking than the Bible. Babies’ heads dashed against rocks, entire nations murdered by an angry God, an upcoming worldwide genocide of billions … yet it is a tree with coloured lights that was deemed offensive.

I was allowed to choose my own books, but reading was a pastime that came second to religious activities. I attended a mainstream school, leaving after A-levels, but usually Witnesses attain only the most basic education, and are instead encouraged to direct all effort towards preaching. University is frowned upon. Although I was never forced into full-time preaching, there was little encouragement to take my education seriously. Books have always been the easiest way to travel.

George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four gave a label to the “doublethink” and “thoughtcrime” that I accepted as normal. When I read it in my early 20s, I had a genuine watershed moment. The way that “The Party” alters beliefs and insists followers accept these changes without dispute mirrored my community. The story of Winston, who knows the truth and yet must conform for his own survival, opened a door I had never dared to touch.

The TV adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale.

Margaret Atwood ’s The Handmaid’s Tale opened my eyes to the danger of a patriarchy that positions itself as beneficial to women. I had recently become a mother and so the themes of suppression of women and loss of agency in the name of religion inspired a visceral reaction. I was already having doubts about my faith, and this book made them snowball.

Perhaps because my imagination was forged in such bloodthirsty fire, stories have always felt more alive and memorable than nonfiction. What could be a more devastating teacher on the subject of slavery and its subsequent trauma than Toni Morrison’s Beloved? Parts of the story left me so angry that I had to keep putting down the book to compose myself. I read it after I had stepped away from my community, but it only confirmed my doubts. How could a powerful god stand by and watch this happen and not feel compelled to intervene?

A rule I had always struggled to accept was disfellowshipping, when wrongdoers are cut off and even their family are not to have any contact. Shunning those who simply no longer want to be a member is also normal among Jehovah’s Witnesses. Classics such as Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles and John Galsworthy’s The Forsyte Saga, which feature characters cast out for allegedly going against the accepted morals of their day, helped me realise the unfairness of such a practice.

In my community, shunning was viewed as a loving action that would bring the shamed one to their senses. This is not love, I realised. It is like what a wicked stepmother in stories would do, locking up a child until they begged to be released. Anything, the child would scream, I’ll do anything if you just let me out of this dark and lonely room.

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In my first novel, Another Life, written soon after I stepped away from my community in my 30s and lost many friendships, the character of Anna is cast out of her religion for the sin of no longer believing. In my second, Oh, Sister, I explore the struggles of three women within the confines of a doomsday patriarchal religion based heavily on the Witnesses. Their names – Jen, Zelda and Isobel – form a loose anagram of Jezebel, perhaps the most reviled biblical woman, who was pushed from a window to her death, trampled by horses then eaten by dogs.

In the real-life story of my former community, female characters are not allowed a voice. The elders in charge are men. They make the decisions, and the women (“sisters”) must abide by them. I was often labelled “a sister with opinions” and remained an active member until several years ago, when my doubts became too large to ignore. Despite my ability to speak up, talking about myself and being the centre of attention have never come easily. If you are taught all your life that you are not equal to any man, even the most stubborn must absorb a little of that narrative. Perhaps this is why I wrote these women, so that through their stories, I could process the strangeness of the world that was once my home.

Reviews of Oh, Sister call it “a horror story” and “a dystopian fairytale”, which has been surprising because the world in which these women live was my definition of normal. If not for the power of fiction, perhaps I would still be there now.

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Books for All: Teen Banned Book Club: All American Boys by Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely

Join us at the Hamilton Grange library for an in-person celebration and book discussion of All American Boys by Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely, part of NYPL's Teen Banned Book Club. [Information about sign up and getting a copy of the title]

Throughout the year,  The New York Public Library's Teen Banned Book Club  is offering free, nationwide digital access to young adult titles that have been the subject of bans or challenges as part of our  Books for All  initiative.

Start Reading Now!

You can start reading All American Boys on the Library's free e-reader app, SimplyE, right away!  Download SimplyE to get immediate access to the book —even if you don't have a library card. New Yorkers with a library card (get one here!) can also access thousands of titles, handpicked staff recommendations, e-books in world languages, and more.

ABOUT BOOKS FOR ALL: The New York Public Library stands by the right to read freely. Through our  Books for All initiative , and in response to recent increases in book banning and censorship across the country—particularly targeting books for young people—NYPL is partnering with the American Library Association to provide opportunities for teens across the country to access frequently banned books, participate in events, and exercise the freedom to read.  Learn more.

ABOUT THE BOOK: A New York Times bestseller, 2016 Coretta Scott King Author Honor book, and recipient of the Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature, All American Boys tells the story of two teens—one Black, one white—grappling with the repercussions of a single violent act that leaves their school, their community, and, ultimately, the country  divided by racial tension. Written in tandem by two award-winning authors, the book shares the alternating perspectives of Rashad and Quinn as the complications from the moment when Rashad is mistaken by a police officer for a shoplifter unfold and reverberate.

Free digital access to All American Boys is made possible through the generosity of Simon & Schuster.

About Jason Reynolds

Jason Reynolds (he/him) is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of many award-winning books, including Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks, All American Boys (with Brendan Kiely), Long Way Down, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You (with Ibram X. Kendi), Stuntboy, in the Meantime (illustrated by Raúl the Third), and Ain’t Burned All the Bright (with artwork by Jason Griffin). The recipient of a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, an NAACP Image Award, and multiple Coretta Scott King honors, Reynolds is also the 2020–2022 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. He has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Late Night with Seth Meyers, CBS Sunday Morning, Good Morning America, and various media outlets. He is on faculty at Lesley University, for the Writing for Young People MFA Program, and lives in Washington, DC. Find out more at  JasonWritesBooks.com . Photo by Adebayo "Dayo" Kosoko.

About Brendan Kiely

Brendan Kiely (he/him) is the New York Times bestselling author of All American Boys (with Jason Reynolds), Tradition, The Last True Love Story, and The Gospel of Winter. His most recent book is The Other Talk: Reckoning with Our White Privilege. His work has been published in over a dozen languages, and has received the Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award, the Walter Dean Meyers Award, and ALA’s Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults. A former high school teacher, he is now on the faculty of the Solstice MFA Program. He watches too much basketball and reads too many books at the same time, but most importantly, he lives for and loves his wife and son. Find out more at  BrendanKiely.com . Photo by Gary Joseph Cohen.

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A Clever, Joyless Look at the ‘Commonplace Horror’ of Marriage

Lyz Lenz opens up about an unhappy union, and what she learned from it, in “This American Ex-Wife.”

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By Judith Newman

Judith Newman is the author of “To Siri With Love: A Mother, Her Autistic Son and the Kindness of Machines.”

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THIS AMERICAN EX-WIFE: How I Ended My Marriage and Started My Life, by Lyz Lenz

When friends asked why I married a man 30 years older who didn’t have any money, I had three answers: 1) I loved him. 2) I’m an idiot. 3) I knew I couldn’t be married forever and this way, nature would take care of that problem for me (which it did).

I always thought getting divorced would be the worst thing to happen. But Lyz Lenz has straightened me out. The worst thing is being married in the first place. At least for her. And, she maintains, for most women on the planet.

“This American Ex-Wife” is a clever, well-argued and thoroughly joyless examination of what Lenz calls the “commonplace horror” of marriage. After growing up in an evangelical household, she chose a conservative Christian hard-working man who loved God, “Star Trek” and doing his own home renovations. He liked Trump, didn’t like gay people and didn’t like to cook or clean. Did I mention he was bad in bed? Because she did. After reading that, I hoped another thing he doesn’t like to do is read.

To Lenz — who has written books about faith and pregnancy — it was a marriage that made sense. But that was before she had two children, moved into a house she hated and discovered that she didn’t share most of her husband’s values. There was no infidelity, nothing dramatic, just quotidian misery and the impulse to be free. (The words “misery” or “miserable” appear 42 times in this book.)

Why, Lenz wonders, do so many of us assume that we need to “work” at marriage? What is equality in marriage? And what is a good man? Citing claims that 40 percent of marriages fail, Lenz writes: “If 40 percent of Honda CR-Vs had engine failures, Honda would issue a recall.”

Yet in making her case, Lenz sometimes fails to consider counterarguments. Are rings a symbol of bondage, as Lenz says, or a symbol of unity? Do comedians “normalize the quiet misery of marriage” or do they make us laugh at our occasional pettiness and ridiculousness? She’s dismissive of studies that show divorce can be detrimental to children, and she omits whole bodies of research indicating that married people are happier than unmarried ones.

Lenz is also fairly certain that same-sex couples have “found fuller ways of living” outside of marriage. (Maybe inside it too, since she seems to conclude that same-sex marriages are an emotional Shangri-La.) But love is love, and conflict is conflict, no matter the couple.

“This American Ex Wife” ends with a wedding dress burning party, a new house that Lenz finally loves and a pat explanation to her kids: “Sometimes the only way to get to the good things is through hard things.”

With divorce comes lots of sex, which Lenz says is empowering, though she doesn’t seem to be having much fun. I hope I’m very wrong. I hope her happy ending is, indeed, filled with happy endings.

However, there is something I can’t help thinking about. Of course there are many, many times that a marriage is insupportable — and a bad marriage, as Lenz notes, is one of the loneliest states imaginable. Thank God, and the law, that we can be free. But is this really an argument against marriage in general? What if freedom is not most people’s goal? Lots of us need to be needed, even if being needed is sometimes a pain in the neck. Ask a pal whether she prefers freedom or connection. In that choice lies the answer of why so many in less than perfect unions choose to stay.

THIS AMERICAN EX-WIFE : How I Ended My Marriage and Started My Life | By Lyz Lenz | 288 pp. | Crown | $28

When a Marriage Comes to an End

Divorce is often hard. but there are still ways to ease the transition and learn to embrace your changing reality..

The end of a relationship can be an opportunity to  reclaim control over your life.

From grand gestures to small acts of kindness , experts say that there are many ways  to help those slammed by the shock and pain of a separation.

Can a divorce be affordable? There are ways to reduce the expense of ending a marriage , but they require both parties to want to end the relationship civilly.

When parents go their separate ways, children can have a tough time adjusting. These tips can help them with the transition .

Women who have gone through a divorce often see their savings and retirement depleted. Building back means careful planning .

Sharing a home after a split? Some divorced couples living together  for the good of their kids and finances  are finding it to be the way to a true partnership .

Did Alex Bowman beat William Byron to the flag? NASCAR justifies controversial Daytona 500 finish.

DAYTONA BEACH — William Byron beat Alex Bowman to the start-finish line. Of that, there is no doubt .

Was he ahead at the time the caution flag flew? And why did the caution flag not fly earlier?

Those answers get a little murkier.

NASCAR proclaimed Byron the winner shortly after the final yellow occurred, citing the fact Byron was slightly ahead of Alex Bowman at the right time. The organization justified that decision via X.

However, the photo evidence seems to contradict a video that circulated on the internet, riling up some fans.

And then there was the timing of the caution flag. Had it come out before Byron got to the start-finish line to take the white flag, the race would not have been over since an overtime restart would've been necessitated.

Mike Forde, managing director of racing communications for NASCAR , also took to X to explain the timing of the caution. Referring to the photo NASCAR tweeted, Forde said, "You can also see the No. 2 car coming back up the racetrack. That's why the yellow was called. Had hoped it would have stayed down on the apron like the 1 did and end under green."

Had Austin Cindric (2) and Ross Chastain (1) kept their cars in the grass , the caution may never have come out, allowing the field to race it out to the end. But once they came back up in harm's way of the field, the yellow had to fly.

Let's go through the gears:

Daniel Suarez endures forgettable Daytona doubleheader (First gear)

Daniel Suarez scheduled himself for 800 miles of racing.

He didn't make it. Not even close.

The Trackhouse Racing full-time Cup driver was involved in the 'Big One' with nine laps remaining in the Daytona 500 while running in the top 10. In a spot start in the Xfinity Series , he made it just 22 laps before being collected in the night's first crash along with Hailie Deegan and Kyle Weatherman.

Suarez finished 34th in the Daytona 500 and 35th in the United Rentals 300.

Natalie Decker, not Hailie Deegan, leads Xfinity Series laps (Second gear)

While Monday's United Rentals 300 was hyped in part for being the full-time series debut for Hailie Deegan , it was another female driver that made history.

Natalie Decker became just the third woman to ever lead a lap in the Xfinity Series and the first to do it since Danica Patrick in 2013. Decker and Patrick are the only women to have led an Xfinity lap at Daytona.

Decker had to make the field via qualifying time Saturday afternoon and her 18th-place finish is her best career showing in 11 Xfinity starts, with three DNQs.

"For anyone that's watching this right now, when things are going wrong and you want to give up, don't give up because the last three years were really hard on me and tonight was a turn around," Decker said. "I want to cry."

Who won the Daytona 500 last night? (Third gear)

None other than Byron, who seemingly wins just about everything these days.

Byron's victory gave him seven wins in the last 35 Cup Series events, meaning he's won a cool 20% of races since taking the checkered flag in back-to-back races at Las Vegas and Phoenix early last season.

Atlanta betting odds, statistics, trends (Fourth gear)

Byron has two wins over the past six races at Atlanta, with Ryan Blaney holding the best average finish over that time at 7.3. Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch each have two wins at Atlanta, joining Byron with the most among full-time, active drivers.

Daytona 500 final results

  • William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
  • Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
  • Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
  • Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
  • Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
  • AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
  • John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
  • Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
  • Noah Gragson, No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
  • Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
  • Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
  • Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
  • Zane Smith, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
  • Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
  • Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
  • Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
  • Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
  • Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford
  • Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
  • David Ragan, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
  • Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet (-1)
  • Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford (-1)
  • Ryan Preece, No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford (-1)
  • Riley Herbst, No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford (-1)
  • Josh Berry, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford (-1)
  • Justin Haley, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford (-1)
  • Anthony Alfredo, No. 62 Beard Motorsports Ford (-2)
  • Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Toyota (-4)
  • Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota (-8)
  • Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford (-8)
  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG Daugherty Chevrolet (-8)
  • Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford (-9)
  • Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford (-9)
  • Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet (-9)
  • Todd Gilliland, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford (-9)
  • Michael McDowell, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford (-24)
  • Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (-54)
  • Kaz Grala, No. 36 Front Row Motorsports Ford (Accident, Lap 5)
  • Harrison Burton, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford (Accident, Lap 5)
  • Carson Hocevar, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet (Accident, Lap 5)

Blog Despatch for driver and rider trainers

https://despatch.blog.gov.uk/2024/02/07/how-driving-test-waiting-times-are-looking-at-the-end-of-january-2024/

How driving test waiting times are looking at the end of January 2024

Towards the end of last year, I spoke at a number of different approved driving instructor (ADI) events to update you on the work we are doing to reduce the driving test waiting times. This includes asking more manager and admin colleagues with a driving test warrant card to do driving tests full time from October 2023. This will help us to reduce driving test waiting times.

We’re now come to end of the fourth month of our 6-month plan and I wanted to give you an update on the progress we have made so far.

Looking at the data in detail

Since October 2023, we have provided 100,436 extra car driving tests towards our target of 150,000 extra tests by the end of March 2024.

This was helped by the busiest December on record for driving tests, with 152,474 being carried out – a 24.2% increase compared to December 2022.

This chart shows how October, November and December 2022 and 2023 compared.

Chart showing number of driving tests carried out. 146,399 in October 2022 and 169,906 in October 2023, 163,143 in November 2022 and 196,481 in November 2023, and 115,641 in December 2022 and 152,474 in December 2023.

To help us manage our teams at DVSA, we split Great Britain into 4 zones – A, B, C and D. Each of those zones is then made up of smaller areas. This map shows the zones and areas.

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All of the work we’ve been doing has helped bring the average waiting time for a driving test down from 20.6 weeks at their peak in August 2023, to 15.1 weeks at the end of January 2024. This chart shows the waiting time over the last few months by the different zones.

Chart showing the driving test waiting times at 29 January 2024. Nationally it was 15.1 weeks. Zone A was 9.9 weeks, Zone B was 12.3 weeks, Zone C was 17.6 weeks and Zone D was 21.4 weeks.

So I hope that many of you are starting to see this reduction in waiting times at the driving test centres you use regularly. The number of test centres with waits of 24 weeks has also fallen from 148 in October 2023 to 67 in January 2024.

But as the chart clearly shows, driving test waiting times are still longer in highly populated areas and in the south.

Volunteers working away from home to help lower waiting times

To bring times lower we continue to ask our examiners from areas with lower waiting times to travel and test in test centres with longer waiting times, such as London, and other highly populated areas of the country.

They include Emily, Suzzanne and Alan.

Emily, who is a driving examiner who usually tests from Hartlepool driving test centre and is one of the examiners who has volunteered to test at other sites, said:

When the opportunity arose, I was more than happy to help contribute to DVSA’s aims in reducing driving test times. Although it involves being away from home, it gives a variety of testing in different locations and also allows me to meet fellow colleagues from around the agency. I am happy that I can improve the service we offer to our customers and help to reduce our current waiting times.

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Suzzanne, who is a driving examiner who usually tests from Pembroke Dock, said:

I started detached duty in Southall yesterday, all the way from Pembroke Dock in West Wales. I had happily volunteered to assist in another test centre and only 2 days in, I’m really enjoying the experience. From meeting new colleagues, who have been so welcoming, learning other test routes and also knowing that I am making a difference towards the test waiting times and people’s lives. I have volunteered to be at Southall for the whole month, with a trip home after 2 weeks. That wouldn’t be for everyone, but I enjoy new challenges and working away at different test centres provides me with that, making memories along the way.

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Alan, who is a driving examiner who usually tests from Bridgend driving test centre, said:

I’m really looking forward to this exciting opportunity to work with my colleagues from a different zone and to support in reducing waiting times in their area.

books on end times

As well as volunteers like Emily, Suzzanne and Alan working away from home, we also continue to focus our ongoing driving examiner recruitment in the areas where waiting times are highest.

More tests are still available to book

As John Selbey explained in his blog post about what driving test waiting times actually mean , it’s not just the driving test waiting time that we monitor.

We measure and track the percentage of all the appointments in the booking service within the next 24 weeks that are still available to book. As John explained in his blog post, at 24 April 2023, 5.9% of tests within the next 24 weeks were still available to book.

This chart shows how that percentage has grown since the start of September 2023 to the end of January 2024. Nationally, 21.0% of appointments were still available to book within the next 24 weeks as at 29 January 2024. In zone A, it was even higher at 34.1%.

Chart showing the percentage of driving tests still available to book within the next 24 weeks as at 29 January 2024. Nationally, 21.0% of tests were available to book. In Zone A it was 34.1%. In Zone B, it was 28.5%. In Zone C it was 14.2%. In Zone D it was 7.4%.

This means that learner drivers are starting to see a wider choice of test appointments when they book their test.

How our recovery work is affecting our other services

Although this outstanding effort means we’re on target to meet our extra 150,000 tests target, it’s not all completely positive news.

We know that some of the services we provide have been affected, such as ADI part 2 (driving ability) and part 3 (instructional ability) tests. It has taken longer than usual to get these tests as our enforcement examiners have been doing more car tests.

We’re working to make more ADI part 2 and 3 tests available from April 2024. We’ll be in touch with people with an ADI test that is currently on hold to offer them a test date. In the meantime, I thank you for your patience if you’re affected by this.

Making progress, but more to do

We’ve made some good progress, but we still have long way to go.

It’s challenging work, and we’ve been up against unforeseen circumstances, such as the continued increase in demand and changes to customers' booking behaviour. There are also factors beyond our control, such as impact of bad weather, seen most recently with Storms Isha and Jocelyn.

I know many of you will be keen to know what measures we’ll be taking to reduce waiting times from April. We’ll update you on this as soon as we can.

Thank you for your continued support

While we continue to work towards reducing the waiting time, we know that it’s not something we can achieve without your support, patience and understanding.

We know that you continue to emphasise the importance of only taking the test when your pupils are ready, and many of you are using the Ready to Pass? campaign resources to help.

I want to say a big thank you for helping to promote the campaign as its helping us to change learner drivers behaviour.

I hope this blog post has helped to show you the progress that is being made to reduce driving test waiting times and the work that still needs to be done. I will continue to keep you up-to-date over the coming months.

About commenting on this blog post We know that there are lots of different views about driving test waiting times. We'll only publish new questions and comments that have not come up on previous blog posts. We cannot answer individual questions about the latest driving test waiting times. The driving test booking service will always have the latest information. This is not about censoring your views. It’s to make sure comments keep on topic and help to answer any questions about the progress we’re making.

An incorrect figure in the blog post was updated on 9 February 2024.

You may also be interested in:

  • What the driving test waiting time actually means
  • What is causing the long driving test waiting times?

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End Times: A Brief Guide to the End of the World

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End Times: A Brief Guide to the End of the World Hardcover – August 27, 2019

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  • Print length 416 pages
  • Language English
  • Publisher Hachette Books
  • Publication date August 27, 2019
  • Dimensions 6.55 x 1.6 x 9.35 inches
  • ISBN-10 031644961X
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  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hachette Books (August 27, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 031644961X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316449618
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.4 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.55 x 1.6 x 9.35 inches
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IMAGES

  1. The End Times in Chronological Order: Free Delivery at Eden.co.uk

    books on end times

  2. End Times Bible Prophecy by Brian Godawa

    books on end times

  3. The End Times

    books on end times

  4. The End Times: A Guide to Bible Prophecy and the Last Days (English

    books on end times

  5. The End Times Saga Box Set: A Christian Fiction Series by Cliff Ball on

    books on end times

  6. Charting the End Times

    books on end times

VIDEO

  1. This Biblical End-Time Prophecy Is Being FULFILLED THIS YEAR, But People Don't Realise It

  2. Bible Study: Book of Joel

  3. End of the Year Reading Wrap-Up!

  4. The End Times in Chronological Order Video 1

  5. The Book of Genesis

  6. End Times...is the Bible real?

COMMENTS

  1. Thought-Provoking Books on the End-Times (143 books)

    Thought-Provoking Books on the End-Times (143 books) Discover new books on Goodreads Meet your next favorite book Join Goodreads Listopia Thought-Provoking Books on the End-Times Many are the people who believe humanity is currently living in the END-TIMES.

  2. The most recommended end time books (picked by 78 authors)

    The most recommended books about the end times Who picked these books? Meet our 78 experts. Neil A. Cohen Author Ricardo Henriquez Author Jeremiah Franklin Author +72 78 authors created a book list connected to the end times, and here are their favorite end time books. Shepherd is reader supported.

  3. End Times Fiction Books

    Showing 1-50 of 56 Left Behind (Left Behind, #1) by Tim LaHaye (shelved 3 times as end-times-fiction) avg rating 3.85 — 232,094 ratings — published 1995 Want to Read Rate this book 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars Gone to Texas (Cross Timbers Romance Family Saga #1; Thanksgiving Books & Blessings Collection One) by

  4. The End Times in Chronological Order

    The End Times in Chronological Order: Rhodes, Ron: 9780736937788: Amazon.com: Books Books › Christian Books & Bibles › Bible Study & Reference Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery Kindle $10.44 Available instantly Audiobook $0.00

  5. End Times and Prophecy

    End Times and Prophecy Store > Series > End Times and Prophecy; 1-16 of 33 results in End Times and Prophecy. Previous Page. 1 2 3. Next Page Sort By: 30th Anniversary Prophecy Collection ... Explore books. Our collection of books serve as valuable resources that can be added to your library and used to enhance your walk with the Lord. Study ...

  6. Amazon.com: End Times Prophecy Books: Books

    96 Paperback $1709 List: $18.99 FREE delivery Fri, Feb 9 on $35 of items shipped by Amazon Or fastest delivery Wed, Feb 7 Great On Kindle: A high quality digital reading experience. Other formats: Kindle , Audible Audiobook , Hardcover The Prophecy Pros' Illustrated Guide to Tough Questions About the End Times by Jeff Kinley and Todd Hampson 214

  7. What's Next for Max Lucado? An End Times Book

    News of Lucado's book comes nearly two years after a spike in books on biblical prophecy in 2022. Lucado was compelled to study the end times due to increased levels of disappointment among ...

  8. End Times & Eschatology Books

    Your trusted source of Christian resources since 1891, providing your family and church with Bible studies, books, Bibles, church supplies, events, and more.

  9. Best Books on End times Prophetic Revelations (Christian)

    27 friends 10 books based on 5 votes: The Day Approaching: An Israeli's Message of Warning and Hope for the Last Days by Amir Tsarfati, Humanism: The Whore of Babyl...

  10. Amazon.com: End Times Fiction: Books

    69 Paperback End Times (The End Time Prophecy Series Book 1) Book 1 of 3: The End Time Prophecy Series 348 Kindle $000 Free with Kindle Unlimited membership Join Now Available instantly Or $0.99 to buy Other formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback End Times: Book Four of the Phoenix Cycle Part of: The Phoenix Cycle (4 books) 32 Kindle $000

  11. End Times Prophecy

    The Best is Yet to Come. Tony Evans. Paperback $18.39 $22.99. Add to cart. 1. 2. End times prophecy can be difficult to understand. That's why we've compiled a list of reliable Moody books on the prophets from Scripture who revealed what to expect in God's great plan. So don't be put off by end time prophecy.

  12. End Times Prophecy Books

    Showing 1-50 of 105 The Harbinger: The Ancient Mystery that Holds the Secret of America's Future (Paperback) by Jonathan Cahn (shelved 3 times as end-times-prophecy) avg rating 3.98 — 25,700 ratings — published 2011 Want to Read Rate this book 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

  13. End Times by Peter Turchin review

    In a series of books - War and Peace and War (2006) and The Ages of Discord (2016) - he has used his datasets to try to establish the basis on which all human civilisations in the era of cities...

  14. 'God's Grand Finale': End Times expert Jeff Kinley on Revelation

    An author and expert on the End Times has released a new book detailing the nature of God as revealed in the New Testament book of Revelation, with the hope that it will help believers better understand who God is. Jeff Kinley, co-host of the popular podcast " The Prophecy Pros " alongside Todd Hampson, released God's Grand Finale: Wrath ...

  15. 'Armageddon' by Bart Ehrman: How the Bible's end times affect ...

    For those who take the New Testament's Book of Revelation literally, they may actually believe this is the End Times. The End Times have been prophesied dating back to at least the time of Jesus ...

  16. Understanding End Times Prophecy in the Bible

    The Bible is a prophetic book. Approximately thirty percent of the Bible was prophetic when the writer wrote it. These prophecies address events that have already happened and things still to come, such as end times prophecies. In Matthew 24, the disciples asked Jesus a question about the signs of his coming and of the end of the age.

  17. Amazon.com: Christian Books About End Times

    The End Times Bible Prophecy Box Set: 3 Books in 1 - The End Times, Signs of the Second Coming, and Racing Toward Armageddon by Britt Gillette 540 Kindle $799 Available instantly Great On Kindle: A high quality digital reading experience. Bible Prophecy for Everyone: What You Need to Know About the End Times by Tim LaHaye 60 Paperback

  18. What Does the Bible Say about the End Times and Last Days?

    "The end-time period surrounding Jesus' second coming is variously called the last times, last hour, last days, day of the Lord, day of judgment, day of Gods wrath, time of punishment, end of the ages, end of all things.

  19. End Times Books

    1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars. Soul Harvest: The World Takes Sides (Left Behind, #4) by. Tim LaHaye. (shelved 20 times as end-times) avg rating 3.98 — 34,834 ratings — published 1998. Want to Read. Rate this book. 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars.

  20. Christian Books on End Times/Eschatology

    A list of the best books on End Times/Eschatology ranked by scholars, journal reviews, and site users. Tools. Export: RIS CSV JSON. Add to Logos Bible Software. All Books on End Times/Eschatology. Score Cover Author Title Pages Series Year Tags Links; 5. Koester, Craig R. Revelation and the End of All Things: 226:

  21. Discover the Best The End Times Books in the 2024 Updated Edition

    This book about the end times is filled with heart-pounding action, richly developed characters, and a thought-provoking exploration of human nature in the face of overwhelming adversity. Perfect for readers who love a dark and intense tale of survival in a world on the brink of extinction, The Passage is an unforgettable journey into the ...

  22. Are We Living in the End Times?: Biblical Answers to 7 Questions about

    And with the increasing chaos, division, and war happening today, it is right to ask, "Are we living in the end times now?" In this book, Dr. Robert Jeffress provides biblical answers to seven frequently asked questions about the future: 1. What Does the Bible Mean by the End Times? 2. What Role Does Israel Play in the End Times?

  23. 'Fiction opened my eyes': author Jodie Chapman on growing up as a

    The author was told she was living through 'the time of the end' - then Margaret Atwood, Thomas Hardy and George Orwell challenged her understanding of the world Jodie Chapman Sat 17 Feb ...

  24. Books for All: Teen Banned Book Club: All American Boys by Jason

    End times are approximate. Events may end early or late. Location. Hamilton Grange Library. Fully accessible to wheelchairs. For ages 13 to 18 years. Event Details. ... ABOUT THE BOOK: A New York Times bestseller, 2016 Coretta Scott King Author Honor book, and recipient of the Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children's Literature, All ...

  25. End Times: Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political

    End Times: Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration: Turchin, Peter: 9780593490501: Amazon.com: Books Books › Politics & Social Sciences › Politics & Government Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery Kindle $14.99

  26. Book Review: 'This American Ex-Wife,' by Lyz Lenz

    The worst thing is being married in the first place. At least for her. And, she maintains, for most women on the planet. "This American Ex-Wife" is a clever, well-argued and thoroughly joyless ...

  27. Daytona 500: Natalie Decker leads Xfinity laps; NASCAR explains ending

    Daytona 500 final results. Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG Daugherty Chevrolet (-8) Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (-54 ...

  28. How driving test waiting times are looking at the end of January 2024

    This will help us to reduce driving test waiting times. We're now come to end of the fourth month of our 6-month plan and I wanted to give you an update on the progress we have made so far. ... Nationally, 21.0% of appointments were still available to book within the next 24 weeks as at 29 January 2024. In zone A, it was even higher at 34.1%. ...

  29. 'Dune: Part Two' review: Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya ...

    If David Lynch's 1984 "Dune" movie raced through the book, the second half of director Denis Villeneuve's version at times moves as if it's walking in sand, figuratively as well as ...

  30. End Times: A Brief Guide to the End of the World

    End Times: A Brief Guide to the End of the World: Walsh, Bryan: 9780316449618: Amazon.com: Books Books › Science & Math › Biological Sciences Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery Kindle $14.99 Available instantly Audiobook $0.00