Because the Time is Near [Paperback]

John MacArthur (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2007

The end of the world is coming.From roadside signs to science fiction films, this slogan underscores our society's nervous fascination with the future. Whether it's a giant asteroid, a worldwide plague, or some other global catastrophe, the end of the world is a terrifying prospect-at least for those who have no idea what it will be like. For Christians, however, the end of the world should be anything but dreadful. In fact, it should be something we actually look forward to. Why? Because God has told us how the world will end. And He has assured us that the end of this age will mark the beginning of a new, glorious one in which we will serve and worship Him in sinless perfection. Our eternal hope, as believers, is intimately tied to the end of this world. All of this is laid out in the book of Revelation. Not only is Revelation the inspired Word of God, it is also the only New Testament book that includes a promised spiritual blessing for those who study and apply its message. As such, it is an essential part of every Christian's devotional life. Those who ignore Revelation deprive themselves of a rich treasure of divine truth, and the promised blessings that come from understanding that truth. Join John MacArthur as he explains the book of Revelation in a way that is both doctrinally precise and intensely practical.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

 

The end of the world is coming.

 

From roadside signs to science fiction films, this slogan underscores our society’s nervous fascination with the future. Whether it’s a giant asteroid, a worldwide plague, or some other global catastrophe, the end of the world is a terrifying prospect—at least for those who have no idea what it will be like.

 

For Christians, however, the end of the world should be anything but dreadful. In fact, it should be something we actually look forward to. Why? Because God has told us how the world will end. And He has assured us that the end of this age will mark the beginning of a new, glorious one in which we will serve and worship Him in sinless perfection. Our eternal hope, as believers, is intimately tied to the end of this world.

 

All of this is laid out in the book of Revelation. Not only is Revelation the inspired Word of God, it is also the only New Testament book that includes a promised spiritual blessing for those who study and apply its message. As such, it is an essential part of every Christian’s devotional life. Those who ignore Revelation deprive themselves of a rich treasure of divine truth, and the promised blessings that come from understanding that truth. Join John MacArthur as he explains the book of Revelation in a way that is both doctrinally precise and intensely practical.

About the Author

JOHN F. MACARTHUR pastors Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and serves as president of the Master’s College and Seminary. A well-known Bible expositor and conference speaker, he has written more than six dozen books, including the MacArthur New Testament Commentary series and the MacArthur Study Bible. He is the Bible teacher on Grace to You, an international radio broadcast.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Moody Publishers (March 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802407285
• ISBN-13: 978-0802407283
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58,972 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Widely known for his thorough, candid approach to teaching God's Word, John MacArthur is a popular author and conference speaker and has served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California since 1969. John and his wife, Patricia, have four grown children and fourteen grandchildren.
John's pulpit ministry has been extended around the globe through his media ministry, Grace to You, and its satellite offices in seven countries. In addition to producing daily radio programs for nearly 2,000 English and Spanish radio outlets worldwide, Grace to You distributes books, software, audiotapes, and CDs by John MacArthur.
John is president of The Master's College and Seminary and has written hundreds of books and study guides, each one biblical and practical. Best-selling titles include The Gospel According to Jesus, Truth War, The Murder of Jesus, Twelve Ordinary Men, Twelve Extraordinary Women, and The MacArthur Study Bible, a 1998 ECPA Gold Medallion recipient.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Abridged commentary with solid exegesis and careful detail, March 23, 2007

By 

jay (Castle Grayskull) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Because the Time is Near (Paperback)

This book is an abridged version of Dr. MacArthur's two-volume Revelation commentary. In this book, he takes a verse-by-verse exegetical walkthrough of the book of Revelation using the consistent contextual-literal hermeneutic one would expect from Dr. MacArthur. (Perhaps a more appropriate label for "contextual-literal" would be the "historical-grammatical context" - that is, "How would the original audience have understood the passage at face value?")

This is a great read for the layperson interested in understanding the events foretold by the Holy Spirit through the apostle John in the book of Revelation, as well as for those interested in how a consistent hermeneutic interprets the book of Revelation.

It is also highly recommended for those curious how pre-millennialists interpret Revelation and understand the events of the end times to unfold, as MacArthur's writing is clear, concise, and yet respectful toward brethren of other millennial mindsets while clearly laying out verse by verse what the Scripture says.

As Christian theologians of every millennial leaning tend to agree (including those who ascribe to post-millennial or a-millennial points of view), using a consistent hermeneutic through all of Scripture will lead one to a pre-millennial point of view. Given MacAthur's conviction for a consistent approach to the interpretation of Scripture, you will find his perspective is very much pre-millennial (as opposed to post-millennial, a-millennial, preterist, etc).

Yet when it comes to the most difficult passages to interpret, he avoids making the rash presuppositions and outlandish interpretations that one would find characteristic of the 'Left Behind' crowd. (Perhaps it is irony then that Tim LaHaye provides one of the supporting quotes on the back cover.) I find this one of the most attractive things about the book: I could give this book to anyone with an interest in Revelation with the confidence that the content will educate them on the basics, encourage them to study further, and effect a greater love for the Word of God.

As with his other books, it is written in an easy-to-read style (and typeface) that packs a lot of content yet doesn't tire the mind ( or the eyes). His average book seems to come in around 200-250 pages; this one is slightly longer at 338 pages, but thankfully so as the subject matter warrants every page. At no time did it seem overly verbose for the sake of length - a couple times I would have appreciated even more depth (though for that one can purchase the full-length, two-volume commentary).

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful; essential for Bible study, July 6, 2007

By 

groovapotimus (Athens, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Because the Time is Near (Paperback)

Revelation is a tough book to understand, but this book had some great insight and it really helped to show the broad context of revelation within the rest of the Bible.

MacArthur also has a good way of dealing with passages that are interpreted different ways (or controversial), he explains that one may interpret the passage as such and such but there is more evidence for a certain interpretation and he explains the evidence.

Finally, his exegetical insight is great; such as the order of the letters to the churches is in the order a messenger would travel to those cities on the postal route of the day.

This book is highly recommended for anyone studying the Bible.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The book to get..., September 13, 2007

By 

Skip (Richmond, VA. USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Because the Time is Near (Paperback)

...if you want to understand the book of Revelation. Macarthur breaks it down verse by verse and explains it in a way that is easy to understand. It's no nonsense, but still very enjoyable to read.