Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding Book! What a surprise!, September 23, 2003
I am not a fan of Tim LaHaye, but this is an exceptional book that credibly presents furturism and does great damage to the preterist view. After being happy to learn that LaHayes duties of this book were limited to writing the introduction and editing the works, I was even happier to see what gem of a book this is. Despite your own view, buy and read this book...it is truly a well presented, thought out and researched work.In reading the naysayers' response here it is probably the case that they are "full preterists", as the book does a bang up job of addressing the partial preterist view, and discussing why full preterism is heretical. [It should be noted that partial preterists such Dr. Ken Gentry, also believe that full preterism is heretical and it is for this reason this book focuses the bulk of discussion towards partial preterism, as most of the eschatological world (again including partial preterists) believe that full preterism is false.] This book meets preterism on its own ground and shatters the already brittle architecture of the view. The Olivette Discourse, when Revelation was Written, the time texts that preterism proclaims as evidence, Nero, the Church Fathers, historical evidence, Josephus, the list goes on...and yet the book addressses each point from a clear and concise biblical persepective that will simply leave you wondering why such eschatology is taught. As for all the "errors" claimed by the naysayers, I did see two typos but it did absolutely nothing to detract from the point being conveyed, nor do they inhibit the reader from understanding it. Great book, great value, get and read it.
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9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Calm, Systematic Refutation of Preterism, August 17, 2003
I have never begun a book review in this way before, but I feel constrained to do so now. The pro-preterist reviews you read below are written by people either so fanatically devoted to preterism that they are incapable of assessing a book against it, or the only other possibility is that they are just out-and-out lying to you. The latter is highly possible, since one large branch of preterism has taken on a directly-cultic form (in its denial that there is a future visible second coming, a future general resurrection of the saints, or a future new heaven and earth). Cultists lie to people about what they believe. The partial-preterists are flailing around trying to refute the heretical consistent-preterists, but will never be able to do so since the cultic form is just preterism following its controlling precepts through to a completely consistent conclusion.This textbook -- which is really what it is -- is a compilation of authors in which each deals with a specific area of preterism. Many of the chapters are written by Dr. Thomas Ice, but there are other notable contributors (including Dr. John MacArthur). There is a great deal of highly-detailed material dealing with historical accounts of antiquity, archeological facts, as well as theological exegesis. One of the features that stands out most starkly in this book is the muck-raking job it does in exposing how guilty of special pleading is Kenneth Gentry (a prominent preterist). In several different chapters Dr. Gentry is demonstrated to have suppressed and omitted critical material, used partial-quotations (from material that actually contradicts preterism), flip-flops back and forth in his interpretive methods depending on what "works" to promote preterism, and so on. Ken Gentry is the Dave Hunt of preterism. If you are interested in Biblical futurology and want to read a non-ranting refutation of preterism, this is a very good book to consider buying. You should realize that all the wild raving against Tim LaHaye below is just rhetoric. LaHaye doesn't even contribute a chapter to this project. He only contributes an introduction, and let the publisher put his name on the cover .This is most assuredly nothing more than a marketing device, to attract people who wouldn't otherwise read a theology book. This is a calm, non-attacking book that does not smear, libel, or name-call against preterists. It also does not promote dispensationalism, so even traditional amillennialists could read it with some profit (even though it's authors are pre-millennial). There is no kooky "ripped from the headlines" , Jack Van Impe prophecy-junk here. In reality, you had better be someone who enjoys reading dry theological journals, to get into what this book presents. Perhaps in the end you will conclude that you do not agree with it, but I hope you recognize that it is a carefully-written, intelligent text. Calling it names, ridiculing Dallas Seminary, and bloviating about the supposed imminent demise of pre-millennialism are all deceitful tactics driven by wild partisanship.
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9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Answers to the Preterist Position, November 18, 2005
THE END TIMES CONTROVERSY is a book with a series of chapters written by various theologians of the futuriest viewpoint of the Book of Revelation and the second coming of Jesus Christ. The book is written in response to the heavy output of material that has been coming out over the past few years from the preterist position. Many in the Reformed and Restoration movements of the Church of Jesus Christ hold to a preterist view of the book of Revelation meaning that much of what John wrote in Revelation has already been accomplished by A.D. 70 with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.
I found the book to be well written and quite easy to follow. The terms will not leave you wondering what the authors are addressing nor will you find a mean spirited book. While the authors disagree strongly with the preterist view, they do so in much grace and love. The chapters deal with one aspect of the preterist position or with a certain biblical passage such as Matthew 24-25 or Jesus' Olivet discourse.
In conclusion, this book is highly recommended. I first bought this book because I had been reading many preterist books and they oddly enough were beginning to make sense to me. Having been a futurist for my entire Christian life, I struggled with providing biblical answers for the rapture, the second coming, and the future 1000 year reign of Christ. Thankfully I am now armed and ready with the authors of this book. A good read!
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