Book Review: Answers to the Most Important Questions About the End Times by Dr. John Hart

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Book Review, Christian, Dr. John Hart, End Times, revelation

Title: Answers to the Most Important Questions About the End Times

Author: Dr. John Hart

Published by: Bethany House Publishers on August 16, 2016

Pages: 192 (Paperback)

Blurb: Everything You Need to Know about the End Times in One Guide

For everyone who is curious, confused, or even fearful about Jesus’ second coming, the Antichrist, the end of the world, the book of Revelation, and biblical prophecy, Dr. John Hart clearly and respectfully offers real, biblical answers. He reveals exactly what God’s Word says as well as what it doesn’t say, explaining how it impacts your family and friends. This slender volume answers everyone’s most-asked questions, and even includes a list of Bible references for further study.

My Take: This was a book that I was very eager to get my hands on as I’ve gone to Bible Studies on and off with some people who are very into the book of Revelation and trying to interpret today’s world as nearing the end times. Having listened to a few audiobooks of the Left Behind series, and knowing Christians with all sorts of conflicting views on how the book of Revelation should be interpreted, I was ready to dive into this one. After all, Dr. John Hart attended the Dallas Theological Seminary and teaches as the Moody Bible Institute. I’d say his interpretations can at least carry some weight for consideration.

I’ve read through Revelation twice in my five years as a Christian. The same with Isaiah and I’ve been through Daniel a few times more than that. I have a fairly good foundation in Scripture that I was bringing to the table before opening this book, but all from a casual reader standpoint. This review will, therefore, not dissect or dispute the information that was presented, but rather be about how things were presented and other aspects.

I loved how the book was broken into twelve chapters, each one answering a question about a different topic regarding the end times, such as what is the rapture, what nations will be in power during the end times, and what is the second coming of Jesus? While not all of these questions were burning questions for me, they all had clear value and some of the early questions helped build upon the information needed to understand a later topic. It was structured quite well, and each chapter ranged from ten to twenty pages in length, enough to approach it devotional-style and read a chapter a day for pacing purposes.

There is a lot of Scripture referenced throughout the book, and many times Dr. Hart provides context for the passages, whether it is the events or phrases surrounding the Scripture quoted or else delving into historical or cultural background necessary to gain a better understanding. All of this is structured to be friendly for both the person who has done a lot of study on Revelation as well as for those who are newer to the study of the end times. That is, I believe, one of the strengths of this book. Dr. Hart presents the information in a way that is neither watered-down nor overly dense and so it holds that appeal across a broad spectrum of readership.  While it would have been nice to have seen more alternative beliefs explored in this book, that isn’t really what this sets out to accomplish. To have exhausted all possibilities on even one or two questions would have swelled this book’s length and made it less reader-friendly.

At under 200 pages, this book is a perfect addition to every Christian’s bookshelf and is likely to be something that is revisited many times over the years. It would also serve as an excellent small group study, allowing time to not only read through the chapter but really dig in as a group and do more digging into the passages and references mentioned throughout. I can see this being a great fit for many people, from lifelong Christians to new believers. Even if you encounter areas where his conclusions don’t quite line up to your own, he at least provides enough background as to why or how he reached that conclusion to make it a worthwhile read.

I was provided a free copy from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

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The Call of Magic

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A Dark Matter, adventure, crush, magic, Master Class, revelation, Trifecta, writing prompt

The great revelations of my adult life began with the shouts of a lost soul in my neighborhood breakfast joint. At first I wrote off his proclamations as the ravings of a deranged lunatic, just like everyone else. But as time went on I couldn’t get his words out of my mind. As crazy as it was, I was starting to believe him.

When I showed up at his house a week later he showed no signs of surprise. Instead he urged me up the creaky stairs and into his rustic home. Odd artifacts cluttered shelves and covered patches of the floor, many of them looking like they belonged in the Middle Ages. Meticulously drawn maps were stacked upon a lopsided table. He gestured to a small stool in the center of the room and sat down on an antique chair that resembled a throne. I looked around without success for a free spot to set down my bag and then sat down with it in my lap.

“You want to know more, I presume,” he said after I situated myself on the hard stool. His face had a hint of a smile that erased years from his appearance.

“I didn’t believe you,” I said.

“No one ever does at first,” he replied.

“But I couldn’t drive the idea from my mind.”

He sat in silence, his gray eyes studying me. He ran a wrinkled hand through his disheveled beard and began to nod his head. “Yes, there is always one that it calls to. Wait here.” He stood up and disappeared into another room. When he returned he held a stone bowl and a pestle in his hands. He grabbed a pouch from a shelf and sat down across from me. He dumped the contents of the pouch into the bowl and began to crush the stones into a fine powder.

“Magic is real, lad. So are elves and other folk. The real question is if you’re brave enough for an adventure.”

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This marks the beginning of a story, fulfilling the writing prompt for both Trifecta and Master Class. This one has strong potential to be continued beyond this, and we’ll see if I can juggle this one in with the Monster Hunter series. I’ve already got some grand ideas for what happens next.

For the Master Class we were to use the first line from Peter Straubs’ A Dark Matter as the beginning of our post. The line was “The great revelations of my adult life began with the shouts of a lost soul in my neighborhood breakfast joint.”

For Trifecta we were to use the third definition of the word CRUSH in a post that is 33-333 words long.

CRUSH (transitive verb)

1a : to squeeze or force by pressure so as to alter or destroy structure <crush grapes>
b : to squeeze together into a mass
2   : hug, embrace
3   : to reduce to particles by pounding or grinding <crush rock>