Customer Reviews

End-Time Visions : The Road to Armageddon

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Richard Abanes, a former cult member himself, takes on apocolyptic ideoligies in his book, "End Time Visions."This is a remarkable work, one that had a great influence on my outlook on several aspects of my own religion. I am a Christian, but I was greatly impressed by Mr. Abanes unmasking of some of the more extreme Doomsday prophets of our times. It is refreshing to see someone throw a proverbial wet blanket on the armegeddon fires raging in several Christian circles today without ridiculing Christianity itself. This is a fascinating, wonderful book that I would highly reccomend to anyone that is suffering from "end of the world tension", or anyone that is interested in making informed decisions for themelves. This book was one of the most delightful finds I ever encountered in my search of non-fiction material.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading End-Time Visions - The Road to Armageddon? The author relates many fascinating stories about end time date setters who have consistently failed to foretell "the end of the world" (i.e. second coming of Christ). Especially interesting were the accounts of Nostradamus, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Heaven's Gate cult. However, the author never presented his own views regarding the end times. In addition, based on the author's own conclusions regarding biblical prophecy, it is evident that he does not have a good understanding of the prophetic scriptures.

For example, in discussing the subject of the coming False Messiah or Antichrist, the author states that "there are a few biblical passages which suggest that biblical writers did indeed have a specific individual in mind..." and then goes on to say: "But this does not mean that a future one world government leader is destined to rise to power. Many historians and theologians theorize that these may be references to Nero..." (page 120). After which the author quotes a lengthy passage from "Doomsday Delusions" by C. Marvin Pate and Calvin B. Haines regarding their theory that Nero may have been the Antichrist predicted in the book of Revelation. The author believes this to be a viable scenario and concludes his argument by stating that "placing the concept of Antichrist in the historical and cultural context of the first century makes a great deal of sense." (page 122)

The Bible declares that the Antichrist will be destroyed with the brightness of Christ's coming (2 Thessalonians 2:8). However, Nero committed suicide on June 9, 68, near Rome. As the author repeatedly points out, the second coming of Christ has not occurred yet, so Nero could not have been the Antichrist. He does not fulfill the prophetic scriptures.

What is even more revealing about the author's view of biblical prophecy is his position on the infamous "mark of the beast" passage (Revelation 13:16-18) in the book of Revelation. Regarding this passage of scripture the author states: "When we allow the Bible to interpret itself, it becomes clear that the mark in Revelation 13:16-18 is a symbolic representation of people who have turned their minds and actions over to beliefs that are against Christ (i.e. anti-Christ). The Revelation passage is addressing where a person's heartfelt allegiance lies. It has nothing to do with a literal mark, but rather a rejection of the Christian concept of God." (page 127)

But that isn't what the Bible says! It explicitly states that a person cannot buy or sell unless they possess the mark. An attitude of the heart does not prevent anyone from buying or selling. Whereas, a lack of the proper currency or credit does.

Despite the apparent misinterpretations of scripture, this book still provides a valuable balanced look at end time date setters.

End-Time Visions by Richard Abanes is an engrossing history of the last 2,000 years of doom sayers. Readers will find the tone of the book especially pleasing not insulting to religions or to skeptics; it is not a scathing indictment of the predictors nor condescending toward their followers. He simply provides the reader with the repeatedly missed predictions by past and current doom criers documented in their own words. He provides insight into the human condition that drives people to follow even after failure. Yet he warns of the creeping intrusions of false doctrines into the belief systems of many of today's fervent Christians. There is great detail in the book's 348 pages of text supplemented with another 66 pages of footnotes, which should be read with along with the text. This book provides surprising, illuminating responses to many of the end-time events cited by all of history's prognosticators. A good read, well indexed, worth keeping as a reference.

Contrary to many reviewers, this is an extremely fair-minded account of doomsday groups and movements (I wonder what he or she would consider fair-minded or impartial). The inescapable fact is that all of the groups and movements covered in this book base their beliefs on a weird, indefensible blend of speculation and misreading of the past. The onus is on these groups to prove that they deserve to be taken seriously and not merely clumped together with the others.

Over the past few years I have found myself increasingly interested in what might be called (borrowing a phrase from Isaiah Berlin) "the counter enlightenment," which in my opinion embraces a wide variety of attempts to escape the demands placed by rationality and human reason on claims to knowledge. This does not mean that only what is completely rational is meaningful (at the end of the TRACTATUS and in his NOTEBOOKS 1914-1916 Wittgenstein insisted that the more important components of life cannot be encapsulated by that which is rationally demonstrable). But it does point to the fact that an enormous number of people since the 18th century have attempted to escape the demand that our beliefs be grounded upon something solid and demonstrable. New Age religion, esoteric religions, Christian fundamentalism (especially in its more apocalyptic forms), modern astrology (ancient and renaissance astrology in the West, while not in my opinion valid, was based entirely on Greek scientific theories--when those were proven wrong in the early 17th century, astrology collapsed as a belief system, only to be resurrected in its current irrational form in the 19th century), theosophy, psychics, the Christian Identity movement, and all of the myriad of groups discussed by Abanes in this book are by their very nature unassociated with anything that could be described as rational or supported by demonstrable proof of any sort whatsoever (the fact that virtually none of these groups predictions ever come to pass and yet many people continue to adhere to them indicates that proof and disproof are not very important elements in their make up).

I found this book to be fascinating and depressing at the same time. Many of the instances of apocalyptic nuttiness detailed in this book I had heard of before, from Edgar Cayce to the Christian Identity movement to the Heaven's Gate outfit. Too many others I had not, like the Great White Brotherhood in Russia. It is important that we keep abreast of the outer fringe of society. It is depressing to realize that it is so large and varied.

One more word about the previous review. There are no impartial positions on the groups mentioned in this book (the complete lack of specific instances leads me to suspect that he or she did not read the book at all, but merely reacted to what they thought the book was about). You are either a member of the suicidally inclined Great White Brotherhood or you consider it a form of insantiy. You are either a member of one of the Christian Identity factions, or you consider it a silly, irrational, and sad form of organized racism. But don't take my word for it. Read the book.

A new genre has been emerging within Christian publications of late, namely a much needed watchdogging of the countless prophecy merchants. This book is such a watchdog. It is well organized and compellingly written (aside from the one-too-many typos). Abanes is a dedicated researcher who also authored a few of the chapters in the recently updated "Kingdom of the Cults." Although "End Time Visions" traces the history of failed prophecy enthusiasts, it spends more time on the current crop of headlines-chasers. There is also some informative reality-check type data dealing with wars, earthquakes, and etc.

Concerning the review below by "quell," it is true that Abanes does not clearly elucidate his own eschatology. And why should he, when he is writing a book about people who are all-too-quick to spin their eschatological opinions as fact, as "Bible-based" predictions, and as the standards for others to adhere to? There exists a great diversity of opinion surrounding Biblical eschatology, a diversity that goes light-years beyond the typical pre-trib vs. post-trib arguments. In fact, there are four main camps: futurist, preterist, historicist, and idealist; with differing opinions further diversifying each group from within. The fact of the matter is that the ever-bickering pre and posttribbies are BOTH rooted under the futurist family. Therefore, since a meager one out of the four camps gets nearly 100 percent of the spotlight, are you at the very least curious what the other three viewpoints have to say? Why should anyone be foolishly dogmatic about their personal shades of belief? I would venture to say that "quell" is aware of the fact that many hold Nero to be the Beast of Revelation only because Abanes points it out. Therefore, I can only assume (with my apologies) that "quell" does not know all of the reasons WHY those who hold to the Nero idea do so. I don't mean to pick on "quell," but to me he represents many people. So let me ask you by asking him: Do you know the reasoning behind the Nero theory? If not, why not? Why not find out? At least stretch your knowledge beyond the cookie-cutter eschatologies which the prophecy-prognosticators alter every other year and then sell to you at retail prices. You don't have to accept these various views, but why not be challenged by other Christians? Let me recommend for starters that you purchase Steve Gregg's "Revelation: A Parallel Commentary," and Kenneth Gentry's "Before Jerusalem Fell." Five stars for both books, and five stars for Richard Abanes' "End Time Visions."

What is my personal eschatological belief? Vague! I know several views very, very well. And if you loosen your grip on yours just a little, you will enable yourself to learn much, much more. Then you can make a more informed decision later.

This book makes an excellent, and well-researched point, that end-of-the-world predictions have been around for thousands of years and really haven't changed very much. Also has good refutations of many false but popular claims (e.g. earthquakes are on the increase). All in all a good antidote to millenial madness, as the book cover promises. My only complaint is that the language used is not always neutral and unbiased, but still it's at a much higher standard of research and objectivity than the average pro-apocalyptic book.

I enjoy reading much of Abanes' books. I especially enjoyed the one about Mormonism.
I do think that a few evangelical Christians are way too obsessed with the gloom and doom of the end-times. We are to be aware of the possibility we could be living in the end-times, but I do not believe it should be our focus; we should make sure we are "right with God" whether or not the "end-times" are here or not. I do take issue with Abanes though, that he lets his prejudices and biases affect a lot of his work. For example, I have been an Assemblies of God minister's wife for more than 20 years, and Abanes seems to unfairly pick out Pentecostals as having "end-time" hysteria. Excuse me, but I wasn't aware that Tim LaHaye (Southern Baptist, correct?) and Jack VanImpe were Pentecostals. In fact, I would dare say there are as many other doomsday "prophets" that are Baptist or otherwise. I resent the fact the Abanes more or less compares Pentecostals and their "speaking in tongues" as idiotic or cultish. If that is so, why does the Senior Pastor of Abanes' church (Rick Warren of Saddleback) even associate with Pentecostals? I believe he was one of the main speakers at our General Council several years ago. Interesting fact, huh, since Abanes makes fun of Pentecostals in this book.

Wow, where do I start? I wrote a 14-page review on this book that I posted on my personal site, but obviously, I'm truncating it here...

I read with interest a number of reviews by other customers who seem to think that Abanes does not include details of his own particular theology regarding the End Times. This is really not true. While on one hand, he does not come out and directly say that he believes this, that or the other thing, what he DOES do is attempt to slide his theological persuasion in under the radar.

It becomes obvious after reading this book that Abanes is at least sympathetic, if not a full endorser of the Preterist position, which is to say that like most Preterists, the belief is that pretty much all prophecy has been fulfilled, with the exception of possibly the last few chapters in Revelation.

Certainly, I could be wrong about Abanes' views, however one has to asks why the outright attacks on those who find the Premillennial Dispensationalist view viable? Shining the light of discernment on people like Jim Jones, David Koresh and others is certainly admirable, but when he starts to group people like Tim LaHaye and a few others in the mix who, to my knowledge, have never set a date for Christ's return nor have ever referred to themselves as GOD, I have to wonder. He condemns them by accusing them of making a "lucrative career out of doomsday" yet, it apparently does not bother him that he is selling books based on them and their beliefs. This is a tragic jump that Mr. Abanes has taken here. In one swell swoop, whether he likes it or not, or meant it or not, he is lumping all of those who see a real importance in studying the End Times as people who are not really interested in loving God, or loving others. This is truly a terrible statement to have made and by someone who calls himself a Christian too.

The other thing that stands out like a sore thumb is the information he presents to disprove the signs of war, famine, earthquakes, etc. The sad part is that he has left very important information out of the charts that he has created, which if included, would have actually negated his point that these are not real signs after all. Where he indicates that WWI was not actually the first true world war, and quotes one histortian to bolster his argument, it becomes a bit laughable. While the War of Spanish Succession was in a sense a "world" war, it did not include ALL continents, as WWI and WWII did.

Abanes doesn't really try to hide his disdain for anyone who has studied Scripture and that study has led them to a Premillennial viewpoint. In fact, he's quick to refer to the folks who believe in a literal interpretation of Scripture related to the End Times - obsessed. I guess if studying all of God's Words means I'm obsessed, so be it. I take His Word literally and by that I mean I take the text in its most natural sense, unless and until the context forces me to see it as allegory, hyperbole, parable or whatever. For the Preterist, there is only one way to arrive at the conclusions they arrive at and that is through the use of allegory. Spiritualizing or allegorizing Scripture only when it deals with Eschatology is not a viable option.

I think it would have been far better if Richard Abanes had written a book that simply critiqued Premillennial Dispensationalism, instead of attempting to lump all individuals in one camp, irrespective of their integrity and diligent study of His Word. Certainly, no sane person would place Tim LaHaye and Jim Jones in the same camp, yet this is what it appears as though Abanes has attempted to do. His axe to grind is apparent.

Frankly, I'm not sure what qualifies Abanes as a theologian. Nothing he's said in his book so far impresses me as coming from someone who has thoroughly done his homework. On a related note, this is certainly the biggest problem with the Gentile church (and I'm a Gentile). We Gentiles have this propensity to attempt to understand Scripture apart from any Jewish context at all, as if the Bible was written by Gentiles and for Gentiles. It was not.

This one particular statement from Abanes I think likely says it all, as far as I'm concerned, "Given the prevalence of doomsday beliefs in antiquity, it is understandable that today's religions (e.g., Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity) all provide their own versions of how history will conclude." Did you catch what he did here? His claim is that all the supposed doomsday beliefs from antiquity have even AFFECTED Christianity and the Bible upon which it those views are based. Sounds to me like he's saying that the Bible is not really authoritative.

Richard Abanes obviously feels that all End Times scenarios (unless its his particular viewpoint) do not merit any real attention. So much for unbiased journalism.

If you are really and truly interested in a very well put together book on the End Times, I would suggest Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum's "Footsteps of the Messiah" published by Ariel Ministries. It's available through Amazon or Ariel Ministries. Dr. Fruchtenbaum was trained as a Jewish rabbi, converted to Christianity and has spent many years offering commentary on God's Word from a Jewish perspective - the only perspective that is applicable to the Bible; both Old and New Testaments.

I have read several of the most recent examinations of "Apocalypse Culture" and Apocalypse prediction including this book. I must tell you that I am astonished by reviews stating that this book is well researched since the Author makes a number of very glaring errors and mis-statements. In some cases, it appears these mis-statements have been to further the author's own biased view of Catholicism and other Christian faiths which have openly discussed the theological implications of Biblical prophecy concerning Armegeddon and The Apocalypse.

For instance, he alleges, quite incorrectly, that the Catholic Bible contains books which were added to the Bible. Apparently he is not as familiar with the chronology of the consolidation of the Hebrew texts (the "Old" Testament) and the Greek texts (the "New" Testament). While most of the currently "approved Gospels" came together in the first hundred years following Christ's death, the consolidation of what is now considered the Catholic Canon took place not very long after that and was made official at Nicea.(324 CE if memory serves me)during the famed Nicean Conference at which, the present Catholic "testament of Faith or "Apostles' Creed" (you know, the one that starts with: "We believe in one God etc etc) was introduced into the Liturgy virtually as it stands today. So, the Catholic Bible with all it's books was established then and remains the same today. Protestants and other newer Jerusalem-sects reject certain of these books based on the Jewish closing of the Canon. A better explanation of this could be obtained from any local Kingdom Hall, since Jehovah's Witnesses tend, as a group, to be very knowledgable about the complicated issues of what got put in when , why and what got taken out and why. Keep in mind, I say this and I am not a member!

Along the way, however, various break-away sects subtracted a number of books from this complete Bible for a variety of reasons. Most of the excised books were cut during and after the Protestant reformation and even up til present day, many protestant sects even slice out chapters or verses for what they consider very good reasons. Incidently, several other Modern Christian faiths, including Jehovah's Witnesses have more or less retained the complete "Catholic" Bible as the book upon which they base their theology concerning the end of the world. However, they do not include the "Extra Canonical books" of the Old Testament which have slid in and out of various approved version of the Catholic Bible over the past 1,700 years. This is a scholarly issue that appears to be beyond the scope of this author but can be easily explained to readers in other works. The JW's use a Bible translation referred to as The New World Bible and, by the way, more than just the JW's use this translation as their approved text. It is quite a remarkable modern translation worth perusing if you are unfamiliar with it.

Now, all that history that said, I must state also that in this book, the Author fails to accurately reveal the motivations behind the cuts, slight verse alterations and outright slices that were made including some of the Anti-semtic reasons for some of them (like The Book of Maccabees for example which many modern Faiths consider innapropriate for promoting Zionism.)Other sects object to one of the "Non-Canonical" books such as TOBIT due to it's alleged use as a source of witchcraft and Angel-worship. so you see, to talk about the current understanding of belief in an Apocolypse, an author needs to cover how we have arrived at the texts now used to describe what form that event might take.

More importantly, I feel that the author reveals a very strong bias against Orthodox Christian theological interpretations as well as mislabeling as "Cults" some Christian sects that have long overcome their modest beginnings as break-away groups at which time they might have espoused some beliefs considered rather odd at the time. Some of the groups maligned have now amassed millions of members world-wide. To me, this seriously mars the credibility of his conclusions.

Another point I feel I must raise is the authors flip-flops on Biblical Prophecy. This is very common today but in a world where we accept "Spin" as an everday event but "Spin" doesn't cut it when you are treading upon people's core religious beliefs. For example, when it suits his argument, he invokes certain prophecies to support a point and then later, he debunks the same prophecy as proof of the entire point of this book. A real scholar cannot have it both ways.

Look, there are better works out there which many of the below reviews list and Amazon carries. Please consider flipping downwards thru these rewviews for reference and checking outthese other sources as well if you are seriously interested in gaining a balanced perspective on the subject of belief in an eventual Apocalypse.

Also, consider buying or renting an A&E production called WHO WROTE THE BIBLE, available here. It's a Two video tape set of four episodes of MYSTERIES OF THE BIBLE which reveals much more accurately the history of the Bible. It clearly tells you when which books were written, by whom when possible and when they came to be included in what we call the modern Bible. This series does not contain the clear Anti-Catholic tone that this book seemed to me to be riddled with. In fact this production doesn't favor any one faith above any other which is a strength.

Belief and/or concern about an eventual Apocalypse is a nearly Universal concern or at least a Global concern and it behooves any reader interested to look beyond this flawed work for better answers if you really desire to gain an understanding of WHY this issue concerns so many people and WHY so many faiths and sects have attempted to fervently ferret out predictions of the exact date. I'll leave you with a reminder that the New testament tells us that "No one knows the day or the Hour" of the Apocalypse.

Thank you.

I agree with most of the other reviews but was dissapointed with Abanes dismissal of the validity of Near Death Experiences which he writes off as subjective brain activity caused by the process of dying. Nonesense. There are documented cases of NDE's in which the patient has accurately recalled all the steps in the operation on herself/himself from an ABOVE vantage point that would be impossible to recount from someone lying down. This was told to the doctors amazement within minutes of recovery and the information was not obtained any way else. Another mistake by Abanes is when he mentions that the books (still retained)in the Catholic Bible were "proven false by Christians hundreds of years ago." Wrong again. They were not proven false but were removed by Protestants because these books in the Bible did not agree with their philosophy. These books were absolutely used by the early Christians for centuries. Were Christians wrong for fifteen hundred years? By what authority did these men remove these books? What's to stop men from removing more books now from the Bible because they have decided that there are still more false books in the Bible? Read some of the book "Don't Know Much About the Bible" and other sources from historians who will tell you without a doubt that the Catholic Church did not add these to the Bible but the Prostestants removed them from the Bible. No doubt Mr. Abanes has alot of truth in his book but he didn't look deeper into some very important areas that deserve it. 23,000 + Protestant demoninations--is something wrong--you bet!