Book Review: 40 Questions about the End Times

From Hannah:

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40 Questions about the End Times. By Eckhard Schnabel. Edited by Benjamin Merkle. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2011. 321pp. ($17.99)

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I have never felt comfortable studying Revelation or the end times, even though I grew up in the church. The subject seemed irrelevant and confusing. 40 Questions about the End Times has made me feel more comfortable reading the apocalyptic sections of the Bible. I still don’t know exactly how to interpret each symbol and vision portrayed, but I have a framework and basic principles for understanding what the author is saying.

Schnabel approaches the end times primarily from an amillennial viewpoint, although he does present other views in a fair and balanced way. Before I read the book, I thought amillennials over-simplified Revelation. Now I find that I agree with the majority of their viewpoints, although I still disagree with them about the millennium.

In each chapter the author summarizes the issue(s) underlying the question before going through the Bible to find an answer. Although he sticks pretty close to the Bible, at times he uses ancient Jewish and Christian texts to help the readers understand the genre of apocalyptic literature. Some answers also reference historical texts, especially if a prophecy relates to a historical event. At the end of each chapter reflection questions help summarize and analyze what we have learned.

One of the most helpful parts of the book is how the author explains what prophecy is. I always thought I had to tie prophecy to a specific event at one time in history, but this book taught me that it sometimes has a historical fulfillment (similar to typology) and a future fulfillment. For example, many ‘antichrists’ have arisen throughout history (1 John 2:18). He lists several historical figures that fit the antichrist description. There will be more antichrists, ultimately leading up to one antichrist at the end of this present age.

Finally, I especially appreciated the author’s concern for practical application. He carefully examines how the Biblical authors and their readers, especially the apostle John, would have thought about the prophecies in their time. Those who like to talk of microchips and tanks have left the arena of interpretation and jumped full-swing into speculation.

Overall, this book is helpful to anyone who has serious questions about the end times. It is not the type of book to read from cover to cover in one sitting, but I would recommend it as a reference. It could also make a meaningful Bible study for a small group using the reflection questions at the end of each chapter.


I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Boldness of Micah

Micah was an unpopular prophet. Even in our day, as a member of the “Minor Prophets,” his book is often glossed over in favor of something more exciting and dramatic like Isaiah or Jeremiah. If it weren’t for Micah 5:2 in which Bethlehem is singled out as the birthplace of the Messiah, it is likely few of us would come into much contact with this book.

Micah’s unpopularity stemmed from his message. Although his detractors are nameless, even to this day, at the time they were the kings of cool. For a fee they would say the most wonderful things about their listeners—stating that their message was coming directly from God. Micah also claimed his message was from God. But unless God is guilty of doublespeak (Titus 1:2 says He’s not), that would mean that either Micah or his opponents were lying.

Micah’s message did not come with a price tag, and it didn’t contain the most positive words for his hearers. He recognized that his opponents were popular, but he argued their message was false—flattering compliments in exchange for a full belly and comfortable clothes. Micah’s message was entirely unflattering and he likely suffered for it. In comparison to the false prophets, he said,

As for me, however, I am filled with power by the Spirit of the Lord, with justice and courage, to proclaim to Jacob his rebellion and to Israel his sin. [Micah 3:8 HCSB]

In our day, a message about sin and rebellion is not popular. Instead preachers are encouraged to proclaim a message about the power of positive thinking. That kind of thinking will not lead to true repentance and faith that our righteous and holy God demands from us rebels and sinners.

We must stand firm to proclaim the gospel—all of it. Without recognition of our sinful condition, we can never trust in Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf. There is no grace where there is no acknowledgment that it is needed.

The false prophets required food and drink, money and material things, before they would share their message. Micah required one thing—the Spirit of the Lord. It was the Spirit of God that gave him power, justice, and courage to stand firm with the message that Judah and Israel were under the condemnation of God for their sin.

People Reaching People

The book of Acts chronicles the advancement of the gospel from "Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (NIV) If I were to chronicle the history of my home church, or any random church in the Big Rapids area, would the story follow the advance of the gospel? The building up of discipleship and fellowship? Or would it simply chronicle the additions and subtractions to the membership?

I mentioned before that it bothered me that a church would have a class on prophecy when the congregation had never been trained how to share their faith. I still hold to that conviction. As interesting and exciting as end time events can be, there is something more urgent than the study of the future. It is the practical application of missions and outreach in the culture today. Like the believers in the Thessalonian church, it appears many believe that Christ is coming back in this generation. I find myself to be a minority in this view, but I don't see his coming as totally imminent, and I base that conclusion on this verse: Matthew 24:14. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the verse, but please don't misunderstand me. I eagerly await the arrival of our Lord. However, I don't spend my time looking at the sky!

Being ready for His return has nothing to do with that.

Please, study prophecy. Whether Christ returns before or after the tribulation is of great importance to the believer, and much can be learned beyond that. But the heart of the issue in waiting for His return is to grow more and more into the image of Christ. Part of that is obedience, and part of obedience is reaching people. I went on a mission trip to Costa Rica in 2005. The church we worked with had many traditional elements, but it was an active and growing church. Part of the reason for that was evangelism. Every day we went out to distribute the gospel and share about Christ, people from the church assisted us. One such individual, whose name I forget, was quite young. I asked him, "when did you get saved." His response? Two weeks before! In two weeks he had already learned the importance of sharing his faith, and although he may not have known much about the Bible, theology, or any of the questions people may pose, he knew that God had done something in his life and he would never be the same. You can't teach that. You can't replicate it. That type of commitment flows from a heart that is turned over to God.

Churches can send people on mission trips to places far away. Part of the vision that came out of the SBC annual gathering this year in Indianapolis was "every believer sharing." That is my dream too for my church. Sharing the gospel is not the responsibility of the select few. When Christ says the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few, he doesn't mean that should be the norm. If I shared my faith with just one person every week, I would reach 52 people a year. When I was in high school we had a bible study that met every Wednesday at lunch. We averaged anywhere from 25 to 30 people. If we had each shared our faith with one student every week, we would have reached 1560 people. We'd have actually had to reach out to other schools because our school didn't even have that many people! When it comes to sharing our faith, we tend to be shockingly silent. We don't want to turn people off to the gospel, but it ends up being an empty excuse when week after week, month after month, and year after year, the number of people we've spoken to about Jesus doesn't go up. Part of being ready for Christ's return is people reaching people.