Book - A History of the End of the World? Have you read it?

by mentallyfree31 6 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  mentallyfree31

  I'm about 80 percent through the book "A History of the End of the World" by Jonathan Kirsch. I have enjoyed it immensely. It focues exclusively on the book of Revelation: who wrote it, the context of what was happening in the times in which it was written, along with the way Revelation has affection generations over a span of 1900 years. It's a very enlightening ride. He discusses in detail the different peole that have risen up and amassed followers from their imaginative interpretations of the book of Revelation. Also it's been entertaining to read of different people's suggestions for the meanings of the visions laid out in Revelation, esp when studied in the context of a Jew in the first century. I certainly recommend this book!

  Have you read this book? What did you think? I also see that he is the author of another book called "The Harlot by the Side of the Road". Has anybody read this one? Please give your opinions if you have.

  Thanks!

  -mentallyfree31-
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  Mad Sweeney

  No, but I will now. Thanks for the recommendation.
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  OnTheWayOut

  Both books, "A History" and "Harlot" are excellent books. One really shows what you can do with the Bible and a little imagination. The other shows how the stories of the Bible were either cleaned up or got ignored when they didn't really fit into the Judean Christian world.
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  mentallyfree31

  I definitely plan on getting the second book in the future.

  -mentallyfree31-
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  mentallyfree31

  OTWO - I never realized until reading this book that Revelation almost didn't make it into the bible canon.

  -MF31-
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  purplesofa

  Sounds interesting, this was good by him as well.

  God Againts the Gods: The History of the War Between Monotheism and Polytheism
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  mentallyfree31

  Update: I only have about 40 more pages left to read. The author carefully traces the pages of history and highlights in one example after another people that have read revelation and thought God was talking to them, and started preaching their message to others. He brings it right up to Charles Taze Russell and other modern day apocalyptics. Very interesting. It makes so much sense when you see hundreds of people over thousands of years reading Revelation and trying to discern it's meaning, then thinking they figure it out and start preaching it to others. Then they gain large amounts of followers and they make a mark on history.

  -mentallyfree31-