Customer Reviews

The Sign (Third Revised Edition)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

First, I must apologize for the review by David Haggith. His review is wholly inaccurate and disgruntled. Take for example his first paragraph, re- "hard to overemphasize." Haggith says it is overemphasized about 100 times. Really! I have read it through now and that statement is really only stated in the book one time, at the beginning. Evidence that the review has a biased and unprofessional opinion, based wholly on in-accuracy. I believe it is intended to mislead. His whole review ought to be removed by Amazon, and if they compare his review to the actual book, they will find that it was probably planted, or in the least, Haggith has not read the book. What is the reason for his attack? Not a clue, but know this - it is wholly misrepresentative of the book.

As for my review, the book is well written and scholarly. The author quite rightly points out areas where there is uncertainty as to an interpretation. This is the correct approach. Too many authors create interpretations without backing them up with biblical evidence, while this author is careful not to do that.

His illumination of the letters to the churches is extremely insightful and a great cause for thought. Most authors and I myself gloss over that section, not fully understanding its relevance. I think this authors approach was extremely insightful.

His comparison of historical lines of ancestry from Noah down to the ancestry of the anti-Christ is indeed illuminating. I am not sure I agree fully with his conclusion of the location of origin of the anti-Christ, however, if you are looking for a book that does not make you think and investigate, then really you're in the wrong place anyway. No book on this subject has every answer. You must read them all.

In conclusion, this book is well written, scholarly, and insightful. It will make you think and add a vault of knowledge to your understanding of end time's prophecy.

I thought this book does an excellent job of addressing all the end times issues, and puts them in a very logical and biblical sequence. I do think he stretches somewhat on some of his arguements-i.e. his belief that Hitler will come back to life and be the anti-christ. But overall I found his arguements very compelling. A very good read for those interested in the end times.

Robert Van Kampen has given us an extremely valuable and important work - one of only a handful of books that present the prewrath rapture position of the church. If you are completely new at endtime studies, it will be a tough read, but it will be worth it. Don't let the length put you off. This book is a milestone in Biblical Prophecy. Some may try to discourage you from reading it, knowing that you may never find a book with this view again on your own, because the bookstore shelves are basically saturated with only one view. You may however wish to start with "The Rapture Question Answered Plain And Simple" by the same author, or "The Prewrath Rapture Of The Church" by Marvin Rosenthal. Both of those books are concise and logically presented, and will still give you a firm foundation upon which to build your escatological studies.

This is a very well organized book. He has taken a much controversal subject and put all the cards on the table (or should I say the cork board, you will get it if you read it) and puts it all together in a way that will jump out at you. This is a book that ALL Christians should read. It has really helped and encouraged me to understand and dig deeper into the Word of God. I am ordering the study guide now so I can dig a little deeper. .... Thanks Mr. Van Kampen.

Whether or not you agree with his conclusions, you'll have to admit that the author does a good job of carefully presenting his case and showing how he arrived at them. Well researched and thought out. I'm not sure I agree with everything he said, but he really made me think. Definitely something to check out if you are studying Revelation

This book does a very thorough job of pointing out and explaining the "last days" prophesies of the Bible. It is not light reading. Reads much like a college textbook. However, if you are interested in the subject, I don't think you will find a more informative or thorough reference. I highly recommend it for anyone who plans to be here for Christ's return.

Praise the Lord!! I've never read any book on the end times which it's content is so accurate and backed up by scriptures. The author has done a superb job of laying out the events in the end times, leading up progressively, answering many questions most people have a hard time understanding- such as: when will the antichrist show up, who will he be, what events MUST happen before others occur, explainations of details organized well, etc etc. There is no way you can deny the scriptures he uses to back up his interpretations. Keep up on prophesies being fulfilled before your eyes, most importantly- to prepare yourself.

Despite David Haggith's unfair review, I found The Sign to be more scripturally based then Haggith's End-Time Prophesies of the Bible. At least Van Kampen attempts to explain and confirm the Pre Wrath position with all scriptures explained Hermeneutically. Haggith just leaves things out of his explaination all together in his book or symbolizes events that he cannot explain. Also I don’t think it is fair for an author to sling mud at another author's book simply because he also has a book coming out around the same time. This makes the Christian community think that maybe Haggith is in it for the money and not the edification of the body. I give The Sign many more stars then those which can be listed because it is the only view according to Dr Walter Kaiser, former dean at Trinity Seminary (who is considered one of the finest OT scholars of our day) that best understands and properly applies OT prophecy concerning the Day of the Lord as it relates to the 2nd coming of Christ. If the fathers of dispensationalism had been able to choose between the pretribulation and the pre-wrath views, the pre-wrath position would have received their vote, hands down. Why? Because Jesus Christ taught the Pre Wrath Position as did His disciples.

This book is well researched and well written. This should be required reading for any Christian who is awaiting the return of Christ. Much of what we have been taught regarding end times prophecy is incorrect. This book by Robert Van Kampen along with Marvin Rosenthal's "Pre-wrath Rapture of the Church" delves deeply into the prophetic books of Daniel, Isaiah, Matthew chapter 24 and Revelation, comparing scripture with scripture to lay out for us what the scriptures say about the end times and the return of Christ. It is important for us to know what to expect not based on someone's opinion, but on the living word of God.

Van Kampen has written what I believe to be the most scholarly work on Biblical end times. Most books written on this subject start with a 19th century doctrinal invention called "the pre-tribulation rapture" to explain end times. Van Kampen, on the other hand, simply researched the Scriptures to see what they say about end times. The results are refreshing and a very good read for anybody not locked into the 19th century doctrine.