Koke offers a balanced, concise, well-documented account of speculation and concern about the millennium that necessarily is also a history of the end of the world. Beginning with the early church fathers, Koke shows that Christian eschatology has never been seamless. He documents the problems of those who have precisely prophesied the end of the world, which then doesn't happen, such as the Millerites of 1844 (forerunners of Seventh Day Adventists) and psychics who envision the world will not end, exactly, but be cleansed of evil, ushering in a new golden age. He particularly focuses on the eschatology of the Jehovah's Witnesses, who maintain that nonbelievers will be annihilated instead of going to Hell, and their concern with the "last days." Koke also addresses the theology of time: What calendar does God use? Are events predicted in the Bible on a timetable? He cites arguments that God does not use our concept of time in determining the course of events. Quite an absorbing book.
Jeff Ahrens
About the Author
Stephen Koke was born in Eugene, Oregon. He studied architecture and then received a degree in philosophy at San Francisco State University. Formerly an editor at Blue Dolphin Publishing, Koke has written numerous articles for theological and philosophical publications.
