[.ca] Understanding End Times Prophecy: A Comprehensive Approach (ISBN 0802490778)

Simple and Direct:
A quick and easy run down of the basics of Eschatology. Mr. Benware did a fine job providing us with a concise "map" of the end times.

Prophecy must be literal why then so much confusion.:
The authors make a very good point that Biblical prophecy must be interpreted 'literally' as is all the Bible. With that in mind I had hoped to read a book that would actually 'explain' the Revelation. However, reading further I discovered the authors merely reiterate the same old information; although they did it very well and at a level which is easily understood, I think that is commendable. I know God did not give the Revelation to John as a cruel joke to humanity, something we could never possibly hope to understand correctly. The authors do explain that God is perfect and so His word is perfect, therefore, if there are inconsistencies in teaching it must be human beings who make the errors because God does not make mistakes. It was refreshing to hear it from that perspective because then at least I have hope there is an answer to this current enigma in God's word.

Compelling Analysis:
This book addresses issue of differing views of future events (end times) with the readability of a typical high school book. Dr. Benware manages to be thorough while at the same time to keep moving. He begins with a basic review of the principles of interpretation and why people's views differ. (If you have always assumed that scriptures are difficult to understand, otherwise there wouldn't be such varied opinions, this section will be very valuable to you. Scriptures are not so difficult to interpret; it is simply that each person approaches scripture with a particular set of rules for interpretation. Different rules give different results.) Next he goes through all the major issues of end-time prophecy, presenting each significant view of the issue. For each view, he presents the arguments for it, and why others reject such an argument. While he treats each view evenly, he makes no pretense of hiding his own opinion. This frankness allows the reader to understand clearly what is being said without needing to wonder about hidden agendas. It seems to me that he is fair in his assesments, but I admit to being of the same school in terms of rules for interpretation. (Dr. Benware approaches scripture assuming that it says exactly what it means. This literal approach permits figures of speech when obvious and allegories where indicated. However, if the plain sense of a passage makes sense, then the approach is not to seek some mystical meaning instead of what it plainly says. The first section of the book gives the clearest explanation I've ever read of how the allegorical approach to scriptural interpretation developed from an effort to reconcile Biblical teaching to Greek Gnosticism. This section alone is worth the price of the book, without consideration of end-times prophecies.)