An exegetical argosy of information, Len Woods’ “Bible Prophecy and You” offers a comprehensive study of biblical prophecy and how it pertains to the past as well as the present and the future. Although this is a relatively short book with large print, it took me longer than I anticipated to read it. While it is written for the layman and is very explicative, I found myself reading slowly and often re-reading sections to absorb all of the information, and this is not a complaint. Akin to a textbook, “Bible Prophecy and You” offers a detailed examination of the topic beginning with a definition of terms and plenty of background about prophets and, specifically, biblical prophets. There are plenty of colored illustrations that connect to both historical and contemporary events. Chapter one was the most difficult to get through for me because it was an info-dump outlining terms and laying the foundation for the rest of the book. I was interested to read that an estimated one-quarter of the Bible is prophecy, and that the two types of prophecy include foretelling and forthtelling, the latter of which is the present facet of prophecy, as demonstrated by preachers such as Billy Graham. Appendices include brief notes on the prophets of the Bible and art credits for the numerous illustrations.
Along with being easy to read, “Bible Prophecy and You” provides a straightforward and relatively unbiased approach to biblical prophecy. Even non-Christians can benefit from reading it, and regardless of affiliation, readers will likely not feel pressured to accept a certain viewpoint or stance. For the believer, this is a great reference to looking deeper into your own beliefs, and for the nonbeliever, it presents a factual explanation of Christian prophecy and eschatology that will hopefully speak to and convict their hearts. Something that I very much appreciated was that when a Scripture account is referenced, the chapter and verse are given, and all of the statements made in this book are backed up with Scripture. Of course, different interpretations exist, and Woods’ book elucidates these, including the four main interpretations of the book of Revelation and the four main schools of thought regarding the millennium, with sufficient clarification of each. It is interesting to see what you believe and what others believe according to how each interprets the Scripture. Literal versus figurative interpretations are also discussed. The final chapter ties everything together with what can be known definitively regardless of interpretation and states that the fulfillment of biblical prophecies is not coincidental but divinely ordained, noting that the messianic prophecies could not have been pre-arranged to come to fruition because other people (besides, of course, Jesus) were involved, and also some elements simply can’t be controlled by humanity.
A few points stood out to me and really enhanced my appreciation of and for the Bible. For instance, the prophetic connection between the Psalms of David and the Messiah (Jesus). I also thought that this book did well in demonstrating how several prophets predicted the same events in different words and in comparing biblical prophecies with one another, which reinforces the prophecy of the Bible. Considering the historical context is also imperative, and I enjoyed learning that Paul's words on the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4 emulates the custom of ancient people when welcoming a dignitary. Also, I was interested to learn that the Bema seat had a historical significance in the first century that reflects what Paul describes the judgment seat of Christ as being like.
In summation, “Bible Prophecy and You” provides a thorough exposition of biblical prophecy that has already been fulfilled and that which is forthcoming. The second-to-last chapter succinctly answers twenty common questions about the end of the world as described in the Bible, and the final chapter focuses on what we can know definitively. Undeniably, as Woods expresses, “The prophecies already fulfilled in scripture about the first coming of Christ are more than enough to convince us that He is coming again.” Maranatha!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.
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