Customer Reviews

End Times: A Report on Future Survival

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Filled with all sorts of good stuff!
This type of book is great for scaring people (25 years ago) and is common among the doomsdayers. I think Chuck Smith decided to stop predicting the end of the world with the next book after this, around 1988, but this is informative anyways.
I like how he begins his premise about the end of the world by stating if he interpretes scriptures correctly this is when he believe the end of the world will occur. He then proceeds to predict that 1981 will be the end.

Most people will agree that the end of the world did not occur, in 1981 unless we missed it.

Three stars, not for accuracy, but for debunkingness.

One must be careful when reading Pastor Chuck Smith's (of Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa) material, especially "End Times." Chuck Smith has criticised others for setting dates for the return of Christ, yet has done the same himself on page 35 of "End Times" and in numerous other books.

For an example of the criticism, in the book "Dateline Earth: Countdown to Eternity," (1989) Chuck Smith criticised Edgar Wisenant for predicting Jesus would return in September, 1988. On page 26, Smith wrote: "He was certainly well-intentioned --- including about his revised prediction of September 1989, when September 1988 came and went --- but he was also dead wrong."

Yet on page 35 of "End Times" (1978) Chuck Smith wrote: "I believe that the generation of 1948 is the last generation. Since a generation of judgment is forty years and the Tribulation period lasts seven years, I believe the Lord could come back for His Church any time before the Tribulation starts, which would mean any time before 1981. (1948 + 40 - 7 = 1981).

For an additional example, in his book Future Survival (1978), page 17 Chuck Smith wrote: "We're the generation that saw the fig tree bud forth, as Israel became a nation again in 1948. As a rule, a generation in the Bible lasts 40 years. ... Forty years after 1948 would bring us to 1988." On page 20 Smith wrote: "From my understanding of biblical prophecies, I'm convinced that the Lord is coming for His Church before the end of 1981. I could be wrong, but its a deep conviction in my heart, and all my plans are predicated upon that belief."

This review is written of Chuck Smith's book "End Times" in an effort to warn others away from this and similar date-setting material by him.

Not only is some of the pseudo science that Pastor Chuck Smith passes off as science absurd, for example he says that scientists were concerned that the planets of the solar system lining up all on the same side of the sun in 1982 could cause massive earthquakes on the earth when in fact any credible scientist from the period said that this planetary lining up didn't mean anything, which proved to be the truth as nothing out of the ordinary happened that year, but even some of his Bible analysis is faulty.

For example, Smith says that Ezekiel 39 shows that after the battle of Gog and Magog that Israel will have to wait seven months to bury the dead bodies struck down in the war due to what Smith says could very well be radiation from nuclear attacks when in fact Ezekiel clearly says that Israel will be burying the bodies for the full seven months and only at the end of the seven months will they hire men to bury the remaining corpses to fully cleanse the land as shown by these passages from Ezekiel below:

Ezekiel 39:11-16

11 "It will come to pass in that day that I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea; and it will obstruct travelers, because there they will bury Gog and all his multitude. Therefore they will call it the Valley of Hamon Gog. 12 For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land. 13 Indeed all the people of the land will be burying, and they will gain renown for it on the day that I am glorified," says the Lord GOD. 14 "They will set apart men regularly employed, with the help of a search party, to pass through the land and bury those bodies remaining on the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make a search. 15 The search party will pass through the land; and when anyone sees a man's bone, he shall set up a marker by it, till the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon Gog. 16 The name of the city will also be Hamonah. Thus they shall cleanse the land."

But even though Smith came dangerously close to setting a date for the end of the world he didn't conclusively say that he thought that in fact it was absolutely going to happen at that time, so we can't really call him a false prophet because of this. Also, the Bible says to be beware of false prophets as we will know them by their fruits and the fruit of Smith's ministry has been leading countless people to the saving grace of faith in Christ which is what he should stick to doing. I think that is what he is best at and he should leave the end of the world commentary to someone else.

Some other reviews here laugh and joke about this book. Even tho the author clearly sets no dates. He does described the world values, morals, and beleifs of the end time generation. Let me tell you people it's time to build an ark!! I very rarely come across people now with anything resembleing morals nowadays.( Because I work with the public) Even if you explain to them in simple english whats going on to were they cannot even dispute the facts, they look at you and say nobody cares!!! This ungodly Earth is going to crash and this book tells you WHY!!!

This book changed my life. I have never been the same. I read this book back in 1980 and now it is 2008. This book was instrumental in drawing us closer to God and experiencing Him forever. Chuck Smith is dear to my heart because of this. A thought provoking book to change ones life and to turn from sin. Yet not a lengthy book, very quick reading.

When writing of end times, there are always things that will set certian people off. However Smith's views are usueally right on, and strictly Biblical. All you really need to do is read the book of Revelations in the Bible, but for further study, this isn't a bad place to start. jst make sure you read Revelations yourself before reading all kinds of End Times books, there is a blessing for those who read Revelations, it says so in the 1st chapter, also the 1st verse in Revelations sums is up "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." Another good book is Billy Graham's "Till Armoggeden."