Visions Of The End Of Days

In the Bible many dreams and visions forecast the distant future and the coming of the Messiah. Dreams and visions are part and parcel of the experience of the prophet. Yet, more than prophets have experienced them. The Biblical Daniel was one such seer. What he saw and recorded in his book has mystified readers and scholars for many centuries. Once the Hebrew book of Daniel was embraced in Gentile hands, many of its hidden teachings became out of reach to those not trained in the Biblical way of prophetic reception (Kabbalah). The secrets concealed in Daniel have thus remain hidden, until now.This book discusses the path and way of the Biblical prophet and seer; how they were trained to understand the symbolic metaphorical language of picture imagery that is the form and essence of every dream and vision.This book brings to the English-speaking audience exposure of the ancient Biblical prophetic ways, and even gives guidance how some of these ancient practices may still be used today.Going beyond Daniel there are many other Biblical and later Judaic and Kabbalistic teachings about the coming of the Messiah. Some of these issues, such as Gog and Magog, are also addressed here.As a special bonus, there is included an essay that many might find to be controversial. The topic is: Can a Torah-faithful, Orthodox Jew believe that Jesus was (or will be) the Messiah of Israel? Written from the perspective of Torah Judaism, this essay addresses the topic in a non-polemic manner, in the hope that it might serve as a bridge of understanding between Jewish and Christian communities.All in all, this book reveals secrets, both ancient and modern, that once you have been enlightened by them, you will never look at Biblical prophecy or Kabbalistic revelations in the same light of simplicity again.Prepare to see what you have not seen before!

The final book of the Bible, Revelation prophesies the ultimate judgement of mankind in a series of allegorical visions, grisly images and numerological predictions. According to these, empires will fall, the "Beast" will be destroyed and Christ will rule a new Jerusalem. With an introduction by Will Self.

A startling exploration of the history of the most controversial book of the Bible, by the bestselling author of Beyond Belief. Through the bestselling books of Elaine Pagels, thousands of readers have come to know and treasure the suppressed biblical texts known as the Gnostic Gospels. As one of the world's foremost religion scholars, she has been a pioneer in interpreting these books and illuminating their place in the early history of Christianity. Her new book, however, tackles a text that is firmly, dramatically within the New Testament canon: The Book of Revelation, the surreal apocalyptic vision of the end of the world . . . or is it? In this startling and timely book, Pagels returns The Book of Revelation to its historical origin, written as its author John of Patmos took aim at the Roman Empire after what is now known as "the Jewish War," in 66 CE. Militant Jews in Jerusalem, fired with religious fervor, waged an all-out war against Rome's occupation of Judea and their defeat resulted in the desecration of Jerusalem and its Great Temple. Pagels persuasively interprets Revelation as a scathing attack on the decadence of Rome. Soon after, however, a new sect known as "Christians" seized on John's text as a weapon against heresy and infidels of all kinds-Jews, even Christians who dissented from their increasingly rigid doctrines and hierarchies. In a time when global religious violence surges, Revelations explores how often those in power throughout history have sought to force "God's enemies" to submit or be killed. It is sure to appeal to Pagels's committed readers and bring her a whole new audience who want to understand the roots of dissent, violence, and division in the world's religions, and to appreciate the lasting appeal of this extraordinary text.

From millenarists to Antichrist hunters, from the Sibyls to the Hussites, Visions of the End is a monumental compendium spanning the literature of the Christian apocalyptic tradition from the period A.D. 400 to 1500, masterfully selected and complete with a comprehensive introduction and new preface.

In this look at doomsday madness--its history, leaders, followers, and dogma--Abanes cites historical antecedents from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and discusses in detail the myriad of popular doomsday prophets, including Japan's Aum Shinrikyo, and other international movements. Illustrations.

The idea of the complete annihilation of all life is a powerful and culturally universal concept. As human societies around the globe have produced creation myths, so too have they created narratives concerning the apocalyptic destruction of their worlds. This book explores the idea of the apocalypse and its reception within culture and society, bringing together 17 essays that explore both the influence and innovation of apocalyptic ideas from classical Greek and Roman writings to the foreign policies of today's United States.

For centuries, controversy has raged over the authorship and genuineness of the book of Daniel. Is it an authentic document from the sixth century before the Common Era with a message from God to postexilic Israel; or is it a forged document written centuries later to encourage Israelites being oppressed by the Seleucid king, Antiochus Epiphanes? Robert Johns addresses these issues and more in his thesis on Daniel's visions. Importantly, Johns establishes when Daniel was provided with his visions, and he defines why God provided Daniel with the visions. The Visions of Daniel the Hebrew Prophet examines the metal image, the beast with eleven horns, the Seventy "sevens," chapter eight's little-horn, and the 2,300 evening-mornings. It demonstrates that the enigmatic 1,290 days and 1,335 days are anything but enigmatic, and it identifies the reason why Daniel's fifth and final revelation is so detailed. Appendices address issues of general nature, such as the historicity of Jesus the Christ, the popularity of dispensationalism, the identity of "the abomination that desolates," and the integrity of novels representing the Christian-fiction genre (which focus on a seven-year tribulation period at the end of history). This book will be of value to every Christian who has an interest in Bible prophecy and eschatology.