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Summary: Left Behind by the Jesuits?
Review: "When it comes to the Bible topic of the Anti-Christ... many people are imagining and envisioning one mysterious, evil, wicked man, who will arise up outside of Christianity," explains Wohlberg, "...like a Hitler..." Wohlberg, however, eschews such notions. Steve Wohlberg is an Evangelical Protestant Christian of Jewish decent. He affirms the orthodox Protestant eschatological view of historicism while repudiating dispensationalism (futurism) and preterism. Historicists explain prophetic books like Revelation and Daniel in light of history. Wohlberg explains the Historicist position on: the Little Horn (Daniel 7); The Man of Perdition (2 Th 2:3); the Sea Beast (Rev. 13); and the Woman on the Beast (Rev. 17-18). The last world empire is widely recognized as that of the Romans, the restrainer in the book of Daniel.
Guttenberg's printing press was a profound impetus for the Reformation. With the resulting explosion of Bibles being published, scholars and laity alike could now delve into the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation. Predominant in prophecy was the theme of a persecuting apostate entity delineated as antichrist. The Reformers by and large came to identify the Papacy as the beast and the Pope has the son of perdition in light of Scripture. Wohlberg explains that the medieval church buried the Gospel that saves souls in a sea of ritual and Papal superstitions while the Bible remained a largely hidden book to parishioners. (Wohlberg does not make an in-depth affirmation of Protestant theology, but rather affirms the doctrine of justification by faith alone and the Five Solas.) He posits that they smothered the Gospel in a sacerdotal system of works-righteousness with their dubious unscriptural superstitions. Among these was the notion that the grace of God flows from though the sacramental system of the church and that there is no salvation outside the church. For years, the medieval church kept the Holy Scriptures as a closed book to the eyes of parishioners. They could not even attain Bibles written in their native tongue and if they did, they face persecution. Echoing stories similar to those in _Fox's Book of Martyrs_, dissidents speaking against the teachings of the church, the institution of the Papacy, and the authority of Rome were often tortured and martyred.
He tries to buoy his case for historicism by explaining how the rising influence of Jesuit thinkers has severed Historicism as view amongst modern Protestants-and it is largely supplanted by dispensationalist futurism. Reformation thinkers asserted the ghastly symbol represented the institution of the Papacy situated on the city of seven hills in Rome. To these charges, the Jesuits inaugurated counter-interpretations to the Historicism held by Protestantism. Spanish Jesuit Luis De Alcazar posited preterism, which held that the tribulation had past fulfillment and the antichrist was Nero Caesar. Another Spanish Jesuit Francisco Ribera advanced the case for futurism, (which influenced the forerunners of dispensationalism like Darby and Irving amongst evangelical Christians.) Ribera claimed that a single future antichrist would come into the world to persecute the saints, abolish Christianity, rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, be received by the Jews as their Messiah and ultimately conquer the world. Wohlberg asserts that the intent of both Futurism and Preterism was purely diversionary. It was designed to counter or offset the Protestant Historicist interpretation. At the onset of his books and tapes, in recognizing the predominance of dispensationalist futurism, he sets out to address and repudiate the Left Behind rapture theology of Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. Wohlberg posits and proves Jesuit influence on the intellectual forerunners of dispensationalists. Historicism has some varying interpretations on prophecy. I induct that explaining prophecy in light of history or historicism is theoretically compatible with any number of millennial views ranging from premillenialism to postmillennialism to amillenialism. My inductive guess is that most historicists are postmil.
The accompanying video production _The Anti-Christ Chronicles_ is very professional, and Wohlberg comes across as amiable to the listener and very articulate and thorough in his explanations. Wohlberg does seem to take conciliatory posturing with present-day Roman Catholics. He teaches in the spirit of 2 Timothy 2:24-25, however, much of a bitter a pill his eschatology maybe to swallow for Catholics or Protestants. (One thing you might find fault with Wohlberg over is how he perhaps deceptively titled his book... it seems very dispensational obviously: having rapture in the title! But the reason for doing so is obvious as he makes it a point to address and refute the end times delusions emanating from the most popular hermneutical framework, which is dispensationalism, or a "virus" as Wohlberg calls it.)
When all is said and done, this book is a very soundly presented, albeit succinct overview of historicism. It's a good introduction with sound reasoning that buoys his case.
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Summary: Excellent! Very Biblical!
Review: A tremendous book on End Time Prophecy and a must for every Christian living in these last days. It is not fiction, and coincide with the prophecy as I have found in my Bible. You must pick one up today.
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Summary: End Time Delusions:
Review: A tremendous book on End Time Prophecy and a must for every Christian living in these last days. It is not fiction, and coincide with the prophecy as I have found in my Bible. You must pick one up today.
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Summary: Sound arguments for a different point of view
Review: Based on the popularity of various books and ministers these days you would think that everyone is on the same page when it comes to the basics of the end times. The sequence is pretty straight forward - rapture, seven years of tribulation, Christ's second coming, establishment of God's kingdom on earth. While that seems to be the program that sells the most books, it is not the only opinion on the end times. Some people believe the rapture will come before the tribulation, others that it will come half way through the tribulation, others that it will occur at the end of the tribulation, and still others that there will be no rapture at all. Why all the different opinions? Prophecy is open to various interpretations. In "End Time Delusions" author Steve Wohlberg provides a solid and convincing case for questioning if there will be a rapture as it is traditionally taught. He also discussed exactly what the tribulation is, the problem of the antichrist, Christ's second coming, and various other ideologies related to the end times. Throughout the book he points out that for the first century and a half or so nobody interpreted the rapture or tribulation the way it is done now. That is not to say they did not consider end times events the way it is taught today. Quite the opposite, some of the early church fathers that he quotes point out why they believe the way they do and why other beliefs are in error. These beliefs that they considered erroneous include concepts like a pre-tribulation rapture. This book is important because it provides a logical explanation of an alternative view of prophecy. Well organized and well-presented, "End Times Delusions" is a solid argument against the mainstream position on the end times and a recommended read to anyone who wants to understand alternative theories.
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Summary: Scripturally Sound - Compelling Evidence
Review: I was recently listening to a Christian radio program and the discussion was about embedded computer chips and their possible relation to the biblical mark of the beast. A number of people called in to ask the program host questions about this issue. He unfortunately wasn't able to provide any real answers and admitted that he did not really know. I tried to call in to the station but I couldn't get through because as the host said the lines were full because there are so many people who are searching for answers to these questions. I am going to send a copy of this book, End Time Delusions, to the host of that radio program. There is no longer any reason for people to remain ignorant of the biblical and historical answers to all of the questions about the antichrist, the beast power, the rapture, Israel's place in history and the future, the battle of Armageddon, or the 144,000. It is all presented in a comprehensive grand mosaic of biblical and historical fact that is undeniable and overwhelming. If you don't read this book, you must not really care.
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Summary: Excellent! Very Biblical!
Review: If people are truly looking for what the Bible says about the end of the world, this book is for them! It is very easy to follow, Biblically and historically factual, and shows what we really need to know concerning the soon coming of Christ!
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Summary: An unfortunate conglomeration of deception.
Review: It is a great pity that many will be misled into thinking this book worthy of study. It is, in all truth, a travesty not only of the actual Biblical text it purports to be dealing with, but any serious scholarship. I could not but ask myself after every page, "has this man ever received a proper Biblical education?" It appears not. His conclusions skip over many relevant verses, and thus his account loses the systematicity required for any complete study of the Bible. The approach this author takes to the Bible is an allegorical one - viz., he interprets verses according to a meaning not derived from a proper literal interpretation. Thus, for example, he claims the Church replaced Israel, and that the latter's promises (ex, the territorial promise) have been transfered to the Church. Not only does this interpretation (shared by many strands of Christianity, most notably the Catholic Church - who has, incidentally, defiled the name of Christianity throughout history) betray the true meaning of the Word, but it blatantly disregards passages in the Bible - for example, Romans 9, not to mention God's everlasting promises to Israel made in the Old Testament. The author cautions his readers to read the Bible for themselves to grasp its true meaning. I do the same. And when anyone will do so, they shall see how erroneous are the conclusions that this man draws. If you want a complete, comprehensive, and literal interpretation of prophecy in the Bible, I recommence Dwight Pentecost's 'Things to Come', or Arnold Fruchtenbaum's 'Footsteps of the Messiah': these men have done some real studying, and thus merit our attention. I unfortunately cannot say the same for Mr. Wohlberg.
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Summary: A solidly Biblical book.
Review: The things I liked most about this book are: its easy to read style, effective use of illustrations, its friendly, irenic tone, and faithfulness to the Bible as the Word of God. A good, easy to read presentation of the Historicist view of Bible prophecy.
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Summary: Right on the Mark!
Review: This book is long overdue. With all the fiction being written today that passes so easily among people as Bible truth, Pastor Wohlberg has brought to light the truth of these long misunderstood subjects such as the Antichrist, Rapture, and end-time events. Done with a common sense Biblical approach, the author nails down the connection between these subjects with powerful clarity of thought and abundant Scriptural support. A book to set the record straight at last!
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Summary: This Book Has Snatched Truth From the Jaws of Rapture
Review: Why all this mania about Rapture? Because men want to know where we are going! "End Time Delusions...", in contrast to other books on the subject, first shows where we have been (history) - for it zeros-in on the developmental history of the concept of being "caught up" to be with Christ at his Coming. This book shows how the Rapture concept ("catching up") developed from the Early Church through the Protestant Reformation, but also explores how it has been "taken off the rails" by, first, wild speculation and Dispen-sensationalism on one end of the spectrum, and, second, off the other end by the Past-erists who get stuck in the mire of 70 A.D. and don't know where to go from there. The Jesuit origin of the two extreme ends of the spectrum is well documented. The book clarifies the muddle surrounding the modern-day novelty of the so-called Secret Rapture by showing not only what IT IS, but also by what it IS NOT - what the Bible DOES SAY about the subject, and what it DOES NOT. For instance, the book discusses the three seminal Rapture passages: 1) 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (where the KJV uses "caught up"); 2) Matthew 24:40-42 (where it uses "parousia"); and, 3) 1 Corinthians 15:52 (involving the last trumpet). Chapter 30, "When the Euphrates Runs Dry", is a good summary of the difference between the LITERAL and the SYMBOLIC uses of language in the prophetic Scriptures. Weaknesses? Some of the chronology is incomplete and should be developed in another book. This book however will remain a reference source when most of the other Rapture books have gone down the "memory hole".
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