The Day and The Hour (Book Review)

Back in December I wrote an article called "Spurgeon on End Times Foolishness" where I addressed how aggravated I get with all the so-called prophecy teachers and their predictions and wild assertions. At the time, my eschatology was Dispensational Premillennial. However, right after I wrote the article, I started looking at some other eschatological options and now I'm currently undecided.

Recently, I obtained a copy of Francis X. Gumerlocks "The Day and The Hour: Christianity's Perennial Fascination with Predicting the End of the Word." I just finished it today and I have to say it was quite a fascinating read! It is basically a chronicle of End Times predictions that have been made from the first century and up to (and beyond) our present day. Also included are all the false predictions of the Watchtower, Moonies, Mormons, and other cults.

With hardly any commentary from the author, the book clearly shows how every generation has had both gifted scholars and wacko nut-jobs who tried to use current events to predict the 2nd Coming, the identity of the Antichrist, the 144,000, the Two Witnesses, etc, etc,...

I was surprised to learn that Puritan minister Cotton Mather predicted that Christ would return in 1717! One of my favorite stories was about how Pat Robertson planned to go to Israel and film/broadcast the 2nd Coming back in 1979!

The book shows that from the orthodox to the heterdox, way too many people have erred by trying to predict "the day and the hour;" and they all have one thing in common: THEY WERE ALL WRONG!

Regardless of your eschatological persuasion, I highly recommend this book. It's really interesting, fun to read, and will probably help you to be bold in crying foul the next time some clown writes another book setting a date for our Lord's return!

"It is not the one who asserts that He is near, nor the one who asserts that He is not near, who loves the coming of the Lord, but the one who waits for Him with sincere faith, firm hope, and ardent love, whether He be near or far." -Augustine of Hippo, 419 AD