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Summary: You look at past, present & posble future events differently
Review: Fascinating look at a look at past, present and possible future events. Makes you think about whether "predictions" or observations can be changed or if it is destiny. A little repetitive in some parts -- but if you get past that, it shows that there are other possible understandings of potentials for humankind long ago and to come.
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Summary: The book is very complex and confussing, yet truthful.
Review: I really enjoyed reading the Bible Code. At first it was very hard to follow along but then I got the general idea. The Bible Code makes you think about alot of things. In a way it is like a big jig-saw puzzle, you just have to find all the pieces to understand it fully. I don't know weather to believe the code or not. If I do believe the code and it is wrong, am I sinning, but if I don't believe in the code and it is true, am I sinning? I recommend this book to other people because it really opens up your mind.
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Summary: Must reading for Jewish and Christian believers
Review: I found The Bible Code to be one of those life changing books for people of faith. You read books like this because you know the Bible is the Word of God or because you want proof that it is. After reading this book, you will have no doubt. No one other than God could have hidden such a complex code in the Bible thousands of years before the advent of computers. The million to one or greater odds that such codes could appear at random, and the astonishing predictions of the codes will convince you that God is the author of the Bible. Moreover, you will come away from this book having an even deeper awe of God. It is must reading for Jewish and Christian believers.
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Summary: The Bible Code is a hoax
Review: How does the Bible Code work? It's a giant 'find the word' puzzle with a number of tricks which make it easier to find words. These tricks should be apparent to someone with even the most rudimentary knowledge of Hebrew, but in the book the Hebrew letters are shown in the code samples, but they are never analyzed. Drosnin never mentions whether the "word" he finds is generally translated the way he translates it, or whether his way is an unusual alternative with many more likely translations. For example, the word he translates "assassin" in connection with Yitzak Rabin's assassination is generally translated "murder" or "murderer" in the Bible. While some of the discoveries seem unlikely, difficult to account for, here are some things to bear in mind when considering the validity of the code:1. Bear in mind that in finding the code, the Torah is placed on the computer-equivalent of a cylinder which can be expanded or contracted until a match is found. With every letter added to the horizontal length of the lines, a whole new set of words becomes possible vertically and diagonally (they remain the same horizontally). The reference to the ten commandments being computer-generated is found in a segment only ten letters wide, whereas some words have letters spaced chapters apart-which can be juxtaposed only by expanding the cylinder to a thousand letters or more in width. 2. The hardest part to find is a person's name, but given that the name can be read in any direction, with any number of equidistant spaces between the letters, and that the computer can adjust the line length, and that any possible variation of spelling is allowed, and that abbreviations, initials, and nicknames are allowed, the wonder would be if any name could not be found (see p. 27). Drosnin generally finds the name vertically by expanding or contracting the line length, then looks for the words around it. 3. The Hebrew used is "unvocalized," it does not use vowel pointings, but Drosnin uses the letters aleph, ayin, waw, and yod as semi-vowels where convenient. These semi-vowels can be used to approximate a number of vowels (yod might represent IH, EE, EYE, EH, EI, for example). Thus, exact spelling is not essential-"sounds similar" is close enough. If none of these semi-vowels occur, the word is simply read without vowels. (For example, President Clinton's name is spelled Q L Y N T W N. "President" is N S Y A which means "leader" or "ruler" and is in fact the Hebrew word for "president" today, though it could also be seen as "Nazi." "Hitler" is found as H Y T L R, and "Nazi" as N A DZ Y. "Shakespeare" occurs as Sh Q S P Y R, "Macbeth" as M Q B T, and "Hamlet" as HMLT. Note the cavelier attitude toward vowels.) 4. In giving the computer names to search for, every possible spelling is used, whether or not the spelling has ever been used. This increases the likelihood of a match. Also, usually the words used are Hebrew, but sometimes they are English (names). 5. Without vowel points, a three letter Hebrew root may have many meanings, thus perhaps quintupling the likelihood of a match. For example, the Hebrew root 'Ayin-Lamed-He, "'LH," with one set of vowels, can mean to ascend or break or excel or fall or offer (and many more), or with different vowels it means "holocaust" or "burnt offering"; or with yet other vowels it means a branch or leaf, or with other vowels it means occasion, or, with other vowels, iniquity. But Drosnin translates words in whatever way seems convenient for the meaning he wants to find. 6. Many modern Hebrew words are based on old words with ancient but related meanings. This makes it easier to find 'modern' words in the ancient text, even though when written, the words did not have the modern meanings. For example, the word for missile. 7. Hebrew has letters which represent different sounds but might be transliterated in English by the same letter. For example, he and heth might both be represented by an H, but the latter has a gutteral CH sound. Kaph and Qoph might be written as K, Q, or C. Taw and teth might both be written as a T. Samech, sin, shin, and zayin all might be seen as S sounds. These are not used interchangeably in Hebrew, nor do scholars who transliterate Hebrew in books and articles use them interchangeably, but they are in the Bible Code, whenever convenient. This increases the chance of a match. 8. The letter field is not made up of random letter, but made up of Hebrew words without vowels. This increases the chance of a horizontal match in Hebrew, of course, even if one rearranges the letters. That is to say, on any page, whatever the line length, there will be many Hebrew words already there, read right to left. Read left to right, some of these words have other meanings. If one begins with the second letter in a word rather than the first letter, one may get yet more words. 9. The dates are based on a letter / number code in which each letter represents a number. As the Torah is all letters, this also makes a match more likely. Also, modern Hebrew dates often leave off the millennium number (1891 would be written, in Hebrew letters, 891). Thus, Drosnin's finding of dates such as "2013" could as well be 1013 or 3013. He never explains this to his readers. 10. Most "pages" have a thousand or more letters to choose from, nearly every three of which constitute a Hebrew word root, in any direction. The chance of finding something somewhat significant on a page with a name on it is quite high. If nothing is found, perhaps the computer might find the name elsewhere.
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Summary: The premise of a hidden Bible code is earth-shaking news.
Review: If, indeed, this exciting revelation is true, it should be the headline of every newspaper in the world. However, Mr. Drosnin wastes space repeating the same, tired information again and again (eg., events leading up to the Rabin assassination). According to the author, the names of many great people in history have been found in the hidden Bible code. I am fascinated to know what about the greatest Man of all, Jesus Christ. What was discovered when His name was run through the computer?
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Summary: This Book Means Nothing
Review: True? Not true? Irrelevant. It doesn't change the Great Commission for the Christian, and it's upsetting to me that it takes so many Christians' eyes off of what they should be focussing on, what Paul focussed on 2000 years ago, that Christians should always live as if these were the last days.
For the Christian: Does it scare you? Ignorance. Does it urge you to work harder? Good. It should. After that, forget about it and do what you know you should do. You have already been given whatever tools you need to do whatever job God calls you to do, and the Bible Code does absolutely nothing to increase the power of the Holy Spirit within you. For the non-Christian: still the same age-old question. Do you believe there is hope for you for eternity, or do you stay in your fragile world, which will vanish with you when you die? There is no point to life without hope, and there is only hope in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and asking/receiving His eternal forgiveness, which the book deftly avoids. Wouldn't you say it's strange that the book doesn't mention Christ, since He is the most influencial character in all of history, affecting more lives than any other man, and is prophesied to return? What does the "code" say about his return? I'll tell you what the Bible says straight out: "no one knows the day or the hour..." Satan knows the scripture better than any one but God. If there is a way to take both Christian and non-Christian eyes off of God by twisting God's words, you can bet that he will do it, and only with the advent of computers would be able to do it in this manner. Logic says toss this book in the fire and take hold of the hope made available to you. Stop living your life in fear and claim victory in Christ the Messiah every day. One additional point to ponder: if this code doesn't work in any other translation, what does that say about belief in the inerrancy of the scriptures and the ability of God to keep His message intact from language to language? For Christians to think about.
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Summary: Seemingly mathematically sound, but not really. Still fun.
Review: I enjoyed reading this book, but it reminds me, in tone and substance, of "celestine prophecy", largely capitalizing on people's desire to find hidden meaning in things. After I read it, I nearly decided to write some computer programs myself to see these codes, but having seen mathematical rebuttals on the internet, I think the book is foolishly misguided. But I did enjoy reading it.
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Summary: This book is the way for unbeliveers to see God's Word
Review: Any one that hasn't read this book needs to get it and read it as the facts are reaveled for you to see, when you can pin point things that have happened, and begin to see what is going to take place this should be enough to make even the unbeliver see that GOD'S WORD IS THE SAME TODAY AS IT WAS IN THE PAST AND WILL NEVER CHANGE may you read this and be SAVED for their is no other way JESUS said you must come in at the door may GOD BLESS YOU AS you read these words and change your life forever (ONE SOUL IS WORTH ALL OF THIS WORLD SO YOU ARE IMPORTANT) Amen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Summary: He who has eyes will see, and ears will hear.
Review: The Bible Code was not a fine or well polished piece of literature, but the subject matter was astounding! As I read along, I thought "this couldn't be true"; to see so many historical items encoded in the Bible in a manner that could only be discovered by the use of a modern computer was absolutely amazing, and down-right frightening. I am a Christian, and although I believe that God communicates with all of his children in some way, it was hard for me to believe the code evidenced. Actually, I think everyone should read this book, and then spend some time thinking about it. God, the great "I AM", should we be face to face with him today, would probably make us feel a little like the rodent in Robert Burns' "To A Mouse". The Bible code points to a writer who knows the end from the beginning; who has perhaps written all of our reality, our existence, our world, life--which is far too much for most of us to comprehend.
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Summary: The best book I've read since I first read the Bible.
Review: This book shows that the Bible is much more than anyone could have imagined. Through the eyes of a secular jewish american we find astonnishing truths about the history, in the past, present and future in a 3000 years old book - the Bible. Noone can be left untouched by the conclusion we have to draw, that someone knew all about what will happen today, some 3000 years ago. What more does he know about you and me? Did He plan our lives in detail? Is He still out there looking for our responce to this revelation? For me personally this makes me overly convinced that there is a God that cares for me and wants the best for me and my family. God bless you Michael for writing this book.
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