Earth's Earliest Ages [Paperback]

G. H. Pember (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 1975

(Foreword by G. H. Lang) A study of Genesis 1 to 6, plus an extended discussion of Eastern religions and the occult.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Kregel Academic & Professional; Reprint edition (June 30, 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0825435331
• ISBN-13: 978-0825435331
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #66,695 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #84 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Science & Religion

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very unique but difficult book, October 11, 2006

By 

calvinnme - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Earth's Earliest Ages (Paperback)

G.H. Pember lived from 1837-1910. As a result, this book's language can be quite difficult for the modern reader to follow. However, it is worth it. To begin with, Pember ably reconciles the 6000 year history of man from Adam to the present age with the scientific findings that the earth is much older than 6000 years of age. He also discusses some of the finer points of the book of Genesis, including the time of Noah, and the evil that was taking place upon the earth that was so bad that God felt he had to start over.

Probably the most controversial chapter in the book is the last - "As It Was in the Days of Noah" - which talks about the current age being the last. Pember lays out seven trends that prove that these (in his case, the late 19th century) are the end times. This is where he really gets mocked on various websites I have visited, but he does have some points that are undeniable if you give them some thought.

First Pember says that man has come to regard God - if he regards him at all - as Creator and Benefactor, not as a God that must deal with sinners. In other words the common view among people today is that "God is Love" with no regard for justice, and that somehow nearly all, with the exception of the worst criminals, will escape God's judgement.

Second, Pember quotes "An undue prominence of the female sex, and a disregard for the primal law of marriage." He doesn't discuss much about the first part of this sentence, but the second part he discusses at length as man's willingness to see marriage as a contract that can be ended at any time. This has clearly come to pass.

Third, Pember notes "A rapid progress in the mechanical arts ...Also a proficiency in the fine arts". Here, Pember is noting that the industrial revolution, which had already occurred at the time he wrote this, made life so much easier that man could disregard God due to the mitigation of the original curse put on man at the time of Adam. Pember argues that the fine arts "induce an entire oblivion of God" because entertainment tends to distract man from God. If this was true in 1900, it is so much more true today! In the U.S. people are becoming more and more obese because the world of entertainment and an easy life are killing them physically as well as spiritually as they hardly need to get off of their couches to perform any task or fulfill any desire. Not that anyone would want to go back to carrying water from earthen wells, but the effect of man's reliance on automation for so many things coupled with the ability to fill the resulting leisure time with custom-built entertainment of every kind imaginable undoubtedly makes it easy to ignor God.

Pember's fourth trend is "an alliance between the nominal church and the World". Here Pember is basically saying that the nominal church and the World wed by subverting spiritual things and making their gatherings more of a show devoid of God and His desires. Again, this is still seen in the present age.

The fifth trend is "a vast increase in population". Here, he never really makes a case as to why this is a bad trend, at least in my opinion.

The sixth trend is "the rejection of the preaching of Enoch and Noah". Pember is talking about the rejection of calls to repentence, and the fact that the Lord is tarrying in returning is causing many to mock the preaching ones. At the time Pember wrote this, he mentions a revival that had been going on fifty years. Add another century, and look around, and you can see that getting anyone to take you seriously when you say the end times are here is indeed a problem. However,Pember notes it was 120 years from the time God decided to flood the earth until it actually happened.

The seventh and final trend is "The appearance upon earth of the Principalities of the Air and their unlawful union with the human race." This was something mentioned in the book of Genesis and discussed at length in Pember's book about the times of Noah, although even Pember doesn't make a strong argument for this currently happening.

In summary, even though it is over 100 years old, I really recommend this book. It is hard to read due to the antiquity of the 19th century writing style, but it discusses matters you won't find in any other book. Also, if you think long and hard about what Pember is saying, you'll see that he has many points to make that are relevant to today's believers and the world condition. Of course, if you are not a Christian, you will probably be totally unconvinced by this book, since it is not a beginning book of evangelism.

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A top book dealing with Scripture and Demonology, September 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Earth's Earliest Ages (Paperback)

This book is a higher reading level and requires a good background in scripture along with some background in demonology to fully comprehend. The author assumes the reader is well versed with the Christian Doctrine of the Redemptiom and the Harrowing of Hell. The book, though written in the late 1800's is incredibly pertinent today in that it not only describes and predicts the "New Age" movement but tells us why the New Age trend has grown and what the result will be. The author proves through scripture what we are to expect. A brilliant work all in all.

Y Suzin - Forest Hills, New York City

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars G.H. Pember has alot of discernment!, March 6, 2000

By 

Pam Palmer (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Earth's Earliest Ages (Paperback)

This book has a wealth of information about subjects that are not completely descriptive in the Bible, yet he paints a very rational and thought provoking picture of them. The pre-Adamic earth and the pre-deluge earth scenarios are incredible! A must read.This is just one of the many books that Pember "rightly divides the word of truth" in! I recommend all of his books, as well as those of his fellow scholars...D.M. Panton, Robert Govett, R.E. Neighbour, etc. These men of God knew how to teach the truth of the coming kingdom of God. Get them all!