Waiting For Antichrist

How can people believe that the supernatural end of the world lies just around the corner when, so far, every such prediction has been proved wrong? Some scholars argue that millenarians are psychologically disturbed; others maintain that their dreams of paradise on earth reflect a nascent political awareness. In this book Damian Thompson looks at the members of one religious group with a strong apocalyptic tradition--Kensington Temple, a large Pentecostal church in London--and attempts to understand how they reconcile doctrines of the end of the world with the demands of their everyday lives. He asks such questions as: Who is making the argument that the world is about to end, and on whose authority? How is it communicated? Which members are persuaded by it? What are the practical consequences for them? How do they rationalize their position? Based on extensive interviews as well as a survey of almost 3000 members, Thompson finds existing explanations of apocalyptic belief inadequate. Although they profess allegiance to millennial doctrine, he discovers, members actually assign a low priority to the "End Times." The history of millenarianism is littered with disappointment, Thompson notes, and the lesson has largely been learned: "predictive" millenarianism--with its risky time-specific predictions of the end--has been substantially supplanted by "explanatory" millenarianism, which uses apocalyptic narratives to explain features of the contemporary world. Most apocalyptic believers, he finds, are comfortable with these lower-cost explanatory narratives that do not require them to sell their houses and head for the hills. He does uncover a handful of "textbook" millenarians in the congregation--people who are confident that Jesus will return in their lifetimes. He concludes that their atypical beliefs were influenced by their conversion experiences, individual psychology, and degree of subcultural immersion. Although much has been written about apocalyptic belief, Thompson's empirically-based study is unprecedented. It constitutes an important step forward in our understanding of this puzzling feature of contemporary religious life.

Damian Thompson looks at the members of one religious group with a strong apocalyptic tradition, Kensington Temple, a large Pentecostal church in London, and attempts to understand how they reconcile doctrines of the end of the world with the demands of their everyday lives.

Despite the popular theology of our day, Christians should not expect to get out of experiencing the tribulation or the end times. Nowhere in the Bible does the Lord promise us this, say Michael Brown and Craig Keener, two leading, acclaimed Bible scholars. In fact, they say, Jesus promises us tribulation in this world. Yet this is no reason to fear. In this fascinating, accessible, and personal book, Brown and Keener walk you through what the Bible really says about the rapture, the tribulation, and the end times. What they find will leave you full of hope. God's wrath is not poured out on His people, and He will shield us from it--as he shielded Israel in Egypt during the ten plagues. So instead of taking comfort in what God hasn't promised, take comfort in the words of Jesus: He has overcome the world, and we live in his victory.

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.

The story you are about to read is told from the perspective of Julien, a young journalist in close proximity to a person the Bible calls the “Beast.” Julien will give us a window into the character of the Antichrist and how our last days could unfold according to Scripture’s ultimate plot. This imagined prophetic narrative will also reveal how this coming prince may alter reality and impact humankind--and eventually transform into the most malevolent human in history. But what can be known about this man? What does the Bible actually say about this nefarious individual? How close are we to his unveiling? More than a suspenseful mystery, however, this speculative account will arouse your prophetic curiosity, whetting your appetite for more information, more solid biblical food on the subject. And you’ll find that in the last section of the book. Your imagination and curiosity will soar in this raw, rugged, often shocking account of the rise of the Antichrist. He is real, my friend. And he is coming.

It’s near the end of the age; the Antichrist and the mark of the beast have burst onto the scene like a lightning bolt on a humid summer night. With the New World Order and One World religion in its infancy, the world is reeling with wars and famines. In a remote town in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, things seem relatively calm. Jimmy Farmer, one of the first babies born into the new millennium, is a recent college graduate. Jimmy lives with his parents while awaiting acceptance into the park service. With the New World Order bearing down, Jimmy will be faced with eternal decisions to pursue God’s call on his life or be lured by the New World Order. His decisions will determine his destiny as he navigates relationships and his lukewarm attitude toward God while the world heads full speed toward Armageddon.

"In 'The Islamic Antichrist', Richardson exposes Western readers to the traditions of Islam and predicts that the end times may not be far away. His book will stun readers unaware of the similarities between the Antichrisst and the "Islamic Jesus." His research on the relationship between Christian end-time prophecy and Islamic expectations of world domination will shock readers and shape the debate over radical Islam for years to come. This is the book to read to understand Islam's potential role in fulfilling the prophecies of the Bible"--Page 2 of cover.

One of philosophy's most accessible and easily understood works, this denunciation of Christianity and organized religion consists of 62 brief chapters, each an aphorism that advances the philosopher's argument.