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Great Prophecies of The Bible

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In a very convincing, well documented way Ralph Woodrow makes clear what is often confusing in the context of the very young futurist approach to explain Biblical prophecy. He instead uses the historical approach, a method which has stood the test of time. The book answers those unresolved questions for a reader curious about a more historical explanation of what has already happened to fulfill Biblical prophecy and what Christians can expect to happen in the future of the Church. Well worth reading.

Mr. Woodrow has pointed out that many people have departed from the purity of the simple Gospel (page 165). He uses organized facts to refute "dispensational" misinformation. Woodrow uses details in a clear manner to expose modern false teachings about Daniel's 70th week. He clearly shows that there is not a 2000-year gap in the 70-week period described by the prophet Daniel. Every Bible student should own this book and give it as a gift to anyone they care about. Although I have not agreed with all of Ralph Woodrow's books, I highly recommend the scholarship in "Great Prophecies of the Bible."

"Great Prophecies" looks at four critical end-times topics from a viewpoint that is little discussed today, but which was the dominant viewpoint prior to the explosion of futurism in the early 1800s. This view is called "historicism," or sometimes "the fulfilled prophecy" interpretation, and takes the position that many of the key prophecies, such as the rise of the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, and Daniel's 70th Week, have already been fulfilled.

Over the years, I have done some research on the "fulfilled prophecy" position, but I was left with more questions than answers. Woodrow, however, has done an outstanding job of both explaining the position - marrying together scripture and historical fact - and anticipating readers' questions or rebuttals and responding to them in the text. Almost as soon as you say to yourself, "Yes, but what about...," he anticipates the question and responds to it a few sentences later. You may not always agree with his answers, but they are always well-reasoned, which is a welcome relief from much of the skin-deep scholarship we read today.

The "fulfilled prophecy" view does not suggest that the Second Coming is also fulfilled, but it does separate the 70th Week, the Great Tribulation, the rise of the Antichrist, and other prophecies commonly accepted as future from the Second Coming. In this view, the Second Coming is the only prophecy yet to be fulfilled - thus fulfilling the prophecies that "no man knows the hour or the day" and that Jesus will return "as a thief."

While there are many elements to the fulfilled prophecy view that I struggle with, particularly certain imprecision in the fulfillment of Matthew 24 and Revelation, I acknowledge that this is a powerful presentation of an alternative view. I do wish that Woodrow had covered Revelation and the fulfilled prophecy's position on these prophecies, but he did not.

Still, as Woodrow has written, "Right or wrong...should we not at least inquire why these men [such as Wyclif, Huss, Luther, Calvin, Knox, Zwingli, Tyndale, Foxe, Newton, and Wesley] felt this way?" I agree. As true students of scripture, with open and humble hearts before the Lord, I believe that, when arguments are well presented, biblical, and historical, they should be considered. If we reject historicism in favor of futurism, let us do so with full knowledge of the scholarship and history behind this position.

Therefore, even if one walks away disagreeing, at the very least, this book deserves a serious read.

- H. L. Nigro, author of "Before God's Wrath: The Bible's Answer to the Timing of the Rapture"

Annals of the World: James Ussher's Classic Survey of World History

I had borrowed Woodrow's book several times and it was wearing out, so I bought three copies: one for me; one to replace, and one for a friend.

Great Prophecies of the Bible is written for layity and scholar. At one level it is an enjoyable race through biblical history and propecy at the other it provides great references for indepth study. Woodrow clearly lays out the events and linkages surrounding the prophecies and lets the reader draw conclusions. For those who enjoy biblical chronology and event sequence this book is a must have.

Ralph woodrow has done a great job with 90% of this book ,I found a coulpe of errors in his thinking . but this book is a must read as it explains the seventy weeks of daniel so well and in doing so you will see that the 7 year trib as false teaching

Woodrow is a historicists he believed at the time of writing this book that all the prophecies in the Bible both Old and New testament have been fulfilled except the second coming of Christ. I don't buy the Historicists position at all. They do not take the prophecies literally, they have to bend and twist the scriptures to fit there beliefs and they state categorically that the anti Christ is the office of the papacy. Something He refutes in a later work of his. I don't buy the anti Christ as being an office of anything, but an actual individual who will be tossed into Hell before the Millennium starts. You cannot toss an office into hell its a person. Also He did not take into account the false prophet of Israel (a reconstituted Israel) and blends him with Anti Christ. No historicists take the prophecy's of a reconstituted Israel literally, but try to say the Church is Physical Israel (we were graphed in as spiritual Israel but we are not Physical Israel) and Yet hear Israel is, reformed in 1948, Jerusalem reestablished under Jewish control in 1967. We see The EU Lining up to be the last reformed Roman empire based on democracy as the scriptures predicted. We see the Russia bear with all her arms arming all the Muslim nations as the scriptures predicted. We see China with a HUGE military as the Scriptures predicted and we see Israel surrounded by her enemies and being a stumbling stone to the whole world as the scriptures predicted. To ignore the prophecy's of a reconstituted Israel is to ignore Moses' Prophesy, Ezekiel's and Daniel's as well as all the major and minor prophets of the Old testament and of the Lord Jesus Himself. There were 300 prophecies of the Christ first coming and 500 of the second, there is just to much to ignore and we must take them literally. If this does not convince you read Matthew 24 and hear Christ's words. Also read all the prophecy's in the Old testament with the DAY OF The LORD mentioned and tell me when a war like that ever happened. Read the Book of revelation in the new testament and you will see that the Historicists position does not hold up. One thing historicists never seem to understand is that there are multiple fulfillment's of prophecy's and also partial fulfillment's. Jesus said this himself about John being a type of Elijah, he said Elijah was still to come (after John) but to those that can accept it John was an Elijah (so a multiple fufillment). If we take the scripture literally on salvation through grace by faith, then we must take the prophecy's of the second coming just as literally.