Symbolic
Perhaps the least understood
area of prophecy is symbolic prophecy, sometimes called prophecy
in type. About half of Herbert Lockyer's book, All the
Messianic Prophecies of the Bible, is dedicated to this
important topic (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1979).
Two books concerning symbolic
prophecy that are easy to read and are full of useful insights
are Christ in the Tabernacle by Louis Talbot (Chicago,
IL: Moody Press, 1978) and Jesus in the Feasts of Israel
by Richard Booker (S. Plainfield, NJ: Bridge Publishing, 1987).
Old Testament Prophets
A magnificent introduction
to all the Old Testament prophets is provided by Leon Wood in
his exceptional book, The Prophets of Israel (Schaumburg,
IL: Regular Baptist Press, 1979).
One of the finest commentators
on the Old Testament prophets is Charles Feinberg, a Messianic
Jew. His works include God Remembers: A Study of Zechariah
(Portland, OR: Multnomah Press, 1965); Jeremiah: A Commentary
(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1982); and The Prophecy
of Ezekiel: The Glory of the Lord (Chicago, IL: Moody
Press, 1969). A good introduction to Isaiah can be found in
the book by Herbert Wolf entitled Interpreting Isaiah:
The Suffering and Glory of the Messiah (Grand Rapids,
MI: Zondervan, 1985).
An outstanding series of
scholarly commentaries on Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel can be
found in volume 6 of The Expositor's Bible Commentary
edited by Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1986).
The commentary on Isaiah is by G. W. Grogan;
Jeremiah is by Charles L. Feinberg; and Ezekiel
is by Ralph H. Alexander.
There are a number of good
books about the Minor Prophets. Two that are designed for the
general reader are Major Truths from the Minor Prophets
by John Hunter (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1977) and Will
We Ever Catch Up with the Bible? by David Hubbard (Glendale,
CA: Regal Books, 1977).
The best scholarly resource
on the Minor Prophets is to be found in volume 7 of The
Expositor's Bible Commentary edited by Frank E. Gaebelein
(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1985). The authors of the commentaries
on the specific books read like a who's who of Evangelical scholars.
A fine single volume scholarly study is the one by Charles Fineberg
entitled The Minor Prophets (Chicago, IL: Moody
Press, 1976).
Israel
The best panoramic survey
of Israel in prophecy is contained in Walter K. Price's intriguing
book, Next Year in Jerusalem (Chicago, IL: Moody
Press, 1975). Another very good overview is Richard Booker's
outstanding study, Blow the Trumpet in Zion (Tulsa,
OK: Victory House, 1985).
An excellent book that relates
prophecy to the history of Israel, particularly modern history,
is called It is No Dream (W. Collingswood, NJ:
The Spearhead Press, 1978). It was written by Elwood McQuaid,
the Director of the Friends of Israel Ministry. Charles
Feinberg has also produced an excellent volume that mixes prophecy
with history. It is titled Israel: At the Center of History
and Revelation (Portland, OR: Multnomah Press, 1980).
Daniel
An outstanding verse by verse
commentary on Daniel is the one by Leon Woods that is simply
entitled, A Commentary on Daniel (Grand Rapids,
MI: Zondervan, 1973). The best one for the general reader is
by Renald Showers. It is titled The Most High God
(W. Collingswood, NJ: The Friends of Israel, 1982). A lighter
book that is both fun to read and inspirational in character
is Daniel: God's Man in a Secular Society by Donald
Campbell (Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House, 1988). It is designed
to serve as a study guide for Bible study groups.
No book of the Bible has
been attacked as viciously by theological liberals as the book
of Daniel. A tremendous defense of the book's integrity can
be found in a volume called Daniel in the Critic's Den
by Josh McDowell (San Bernardino, CA: Campus Crusade for Christ,
1979).
Revelation
Many excellent studies have
been published about the book of Revelation. For the general
reader, the two best are Revelation Illustrated
and Made Plain by Tim LaHaye (Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan, 1973) and There's a New World Coming
by Hal Lindsey (Santa Ana, CA: Vision House, 1973). Lindsey's
book is the best one he has ever written.
For those who desire to dig
deeper, The Revelation Record (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale
House, 1983) by Henry Morris presents a detailed verse by verse
analysis. Dr. Morris is the distinguished founder of the Institute
for Creation Research.
A very unique study of Revelation
is the one produced by Salem Kirban, a born again Arab. The
book utilizes hundreds of photos, charts and drawings to visually
present the message of Revelation. It is titled, Revelation
Visualized (Huntingdon, Valley, PA: Salem Kirban, Inc.,
1978). What makes it even more unusual is that it is co-authored
by Gary Cohen, a born again Jew!
An outstanding introduction
to Revelation and the various methods of interpreting it is
supplied by Merrill Tenney in his remarkably balanced volume,
Interpreting Revelation (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans,
1957).
Millennial Viewpoints
The best introduction to
the various and often confusing viewpoints of end time prophecy
is a book by Robert Lightner called The Last Days Handbook
(Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1990).
A very thought provoking
book on the topic is one edited by Robert G. Clouse entitled
The Meaning of the Millennium (Downer's Grove,
IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1977). It contains four viewpoints
presented by advocates of those viewpoints. A similar but more
detailed presentation of the four viewpoints can be found in
the parallel commentary by Steve Gregg called Revelation:
Four Views (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1997). A scholarly
presentation and analysis of the various views is contained
in John Walvoord's book, The Millennial Kingdom
(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1959).
For a classic presentation
of the fundamentals of premillennial theology, the book to read
is The Basis of the Premillennial Faith by Charles
Ryrie (Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers, 1953). It is brief and
incisive, and it is written with an irenic spirit.
The Antichrist
One of the most detailed
studies of the Antichrist ever written is the book by Arthur
W. Pink entitled, The Antichrist. It is thoroughly
biblical and very thought provoking. It was originally published
in 1923 but has been recently republished (Grand Rapids, MI:
Kregel, 1988). The best current day study is the book by Ed
Hindson entitled, Is the Antichrist Alive and Well?: Ten
Keys to His Identity (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1998).
The Rapture
The important controversy
over the timing of the Rapture has been best addressed by John
Walvoord in two of his books: The Blessed Hope and the
Tribulation (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1976) and
The Rapture Question (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan,
1979). Walvoord is the former President of Dallas Theological
Seminary. Another fine book on the topic is The Rapture
by Hal Lindsey (New York, NY: Bantam Books, 1983).
Tim LaHaye has written a
very powerful and exhaustive defense of the Pre-Tribulation
Rapture entitled No Fear of the Storm: Why Christians
Will Escape All the Tribulation (Sisters, OR: Multnomah,
1992, later re-published as Rapture Under Attack,
1998).
Signs of the Times
This is a field that attracts
many sensationalist writers. There is an abundance of books,
but few good ones. One of the most fascinating is World
War III: Signs of the Impending Battle of Armageddon
by John Wesley White (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1977).
A volume that is comprehensive
in scope but exceptionally brief is Signs of the Second
Coming by Robert G. Witty (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press,
1969). A more recent study, and an excellent one, is by Henry
Morris. It is titled Creation and the Second Coming
(Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 1991).
One of the best prophetic
writers to emerge in recent years is Ed Hindson of Liberty University.
His books are solidly biblical and down-to-earth, readable by
the average Christian. He has written two outstanding studies
of the signs of the times: Final Signs (Eugene,
OR: Harvest House, 1996) and Earth's Final Hour: Are We
Really Running Out of Time? (Eugene, OR: Harvest House,
1999). Another excellent writer in the field of Bible prophecy
is Dave Hunt of Berean Ministries. He has produced a
very insightful study of the end time signs in his book, How
Close Are We? (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1993).
Heaven
The Eternal State has been
the most ignored area of Bible prophecy, probably because the
Bible says so little about it. The best book on the topic -
one that covers death, resurrection and eternity - is The
Future Life by the Frenchman, Rene Pache, translated
into English by Helen Needham (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1962).
A very worthwhile, exhaustive study of the Eternal State can
be found in Bob Chambers' book, Heaven (Joplin,
MO: College Press, 1991). This is an unusual book because Chambers
is an Amillennialist who spiritualizes the prophecies about
the Millennial while interpreting the prophecies about Heaven
literally!
Children
Only one book has ever been
written for pre-school and elementary children concerning end
time prophetic events. It was written by David Reagan and is
entitled Jesus is Coming Again! (Eugene, OR: Harvest
House, 1992). The book emphasizes the positive promises of God
regarding the Millennium and the Eternal State.
Media
Dave Reagan and Chuck Missler
have both produced cassette tape albums that contain verse-by-verse
commentaries on the book of Revelation. Reagan's Revelation
Overview (Lamb & Lion Ministries) contains 12 tapes.
Missler's Revelation Commentary (Koinonia Ministries)
consists of three albums with eight tapes each. Jack Van Impe
has produced an excellent series of video commentaries on Revelation
called Revelation Revealed (Jack Van Impe Ministries).
Ray Stedman's outstanding
commentary on Revelation can be found posted on the Internet
in 23 messages at www.pbc.org/stedman
(Peninsula Bible Church).
The best illustrations of
Revelation have been produced by Pat Marvenko Smith. She has
illustrated every main scene of the book and has made the pictures
available in a variety of forms -- slides, posters, overhead
transparencies, video, and PowerPoint (Revelation Illustrated
Ministries).
Fiction
The "Left Behind"
series of books by Tim LaHaye and Larry B. Jenkins present a
fictionalized story about the Rapture and the Tribulation that
is based upon biblical prophecies. This series is published
by Tyndale House and has broken all sales records for prophetic
books. The series of novels has become a best seller even when
compared to secular books. The books have been made available
on audio tape, and special edited versions have been published
for teens. The first of the volumes, entitled Left Behind,
was published in 1995.
Bibles
The very first study Bible
ever published came out in 1909. It is still one of the best
selling study Bibles in the world. It was produced by a Dallas
pastor named C.I. Scofield and is called The Scofield
Study Bible (Urichsville, OH: Barbour Publishing, 2000)
It has been revised and updated regularly over the years by
an editorial committee representing a premillennial, pre-tribulational
viewpoint.
A newer study Bible that
presents the same view of the passages related to end time prophecy
is The Ryrie Study Bible (Chicago, IL: Moody Press,
1976). Both the Scofield and Ryrie commentaries are available
in a variety of translations. The latest and most up to date
study Bible that focuses on the interpretation of prophecy is
The Tim LaHaye Prophecy Study Bible (Chattanooga,
TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).
The Living Bible Paraphrased
(Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1971) though not a typical study
Bible, is nonetheless an interpretive Bible that reflects a
premillennial interpretation of all key prophetic passages.
Classics
The greatest and most enduring
classic on the return of Jesus is William E. Blackstone's book,
Jesus is Coming. It was written in 1878. The
third revised edition of 1908 has been recently republished
with an introduction by John Walvoord (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel,
1989).
A foreign book that has come
to be considered one the great classics of end time prophecy
is The Return of Jesus Christ by Rene Pache, translated
into English by William S. LaSor (Chicago, IL: Moody Press,
1955). It is must reading for any Bible prophecy enthusiast.
The 20th Century American
classic is, of course, Hal Lindsey's book, The Late Great
Planet Earth (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1970). The
New York Times has certified that it was the number one best
selling book in the world (with the exception of the Bible)
for ten years, between 1970 and 1980!
Perhaps the most unusual
book ever published on Bible prophecy is Dispensational
Truth by Clarence Larkin (Philadelphia, PA: Reverend
Clarence Larking Estate, 1920). Larkin was a draftsman who devoted
his talents to illustrating prophetic concepts with fascinating
charts and diagrams. This is a classic that will keep you up
all night!
