The End of the World as You Know It: What the Bible Really Says about the End Times (And Why It’s Good News)

I'm reading this book called "The End of the World as You Know It: What the Bible Really Says about the End Times (And Why It’s Good News)" by Matthew L. Halsted, and I'm trying to figure out if it leans towards amillennialism, premillennialism, or postmillennialism. From what I've seen, it doesn't really fit neatly into any of these categories. It's more about challenging the typical end-times narratives and offering a positive, scripturally-based take on the subject. Halsted isn't pushing for one specific view over the others; instead, he seems to be exploring beyond these traditional categories. A breath of fresh air.

So much about what we think we know to be true about end times, has been muddled by opinions and assumptions. A great viewpoint into scripture and understanding its historical context, symbolism, and patterns. Wonderful and optimistic view of end times which is a great change of pace.

The End of the World as You Know It by Matthew L. Halsted is, first and foremost, the good news about the end times. Dr. Halsted goes to extensive effort to demonstrate that the second coming of Jesus and whatever world events may correlate to Christ’s return are, in fact, hopeful promises–the ushering in of the eternal Kingdom of God. It is what we hope for as followers of Jesus. I felt that Halsted’s optimistic tone contributed much to the conversation. He is cordial but critical of what I would call Evangelical Folk Religion (my words, not his)–the predominant view of the end times among Christians. Halsted does not favor any millennial view but does disassemble some of the popular notions regarding a rapture, the Great Tribulation, and the Antichrist, setting these events squarely in their historical context and idealistically allowing for future fulfilments in the symbolic patterning of their historical fulfilments. Hasted’s genre analysis of the book of Revelation was helpful in framing his arguments. One argument he made most coherently was regarding the epistolary nature of Revelation. He argues that the original audience must have understood the general flow of the revelation as it would have been read in the early church and largely disregards any purely futurist notions not framed in the historical context. I felt this careful analysis reflected other NT scholars, such as Beale, Carson, and Wright, who are highly influential in NT studies. I would have preferred to hear Dr. Hasted present a millennial view, although, after hearing him teach personally on the millennium, I now understand his reasons for not doing so in the book. Still, it seems like a hole in an otherwise very complete work. The book has an essence of scholarship to it, which makes sense, given Dr. Halsted’s credentials. However, the book is very accessible to any reader, I would say, who reads at a high school reading level. Very well-written and easy to follow. Overall, this is a 5-star work. Great job, Dr. Halsted, and thank you for your valuable contribution to this popular discussion!

Dr. Halstead has written a fantastic book on eschatology. This is a scholarly level work, but is easily accessible and understandable for the general reader. If you have questions about what the original audience. Chad and what the original author intended the original audience to understand then this is the book for you. If you are tired of just being locked into an eschatological system and presupposing that view on the text then I highly recommend this book.

I recently finished reading Dr. Matthew Halsted's new book with Lexham Press, The End of the World as You Know It. If folks have a R.E.M. song playing in their minds, I'm sorry. 😃 Besides the earworm, I loved Dr. Halsted's book! The book is aimed at folks who have had questions about studying the 'end times,' AKA eschatology, the study of the last things. Dr. Halsted takes the time to dig into the historical and cultural background that the NT writers such as John, Paul, and Peter lived in as they wrote to their various communities. Dr. Halsted's book is an exercise of what good biblical exegesis that takes into account the historical and cultural background of the biblical authors and their audience. Communication is about making a message clear to the intended audience. Materials that often confuse or scare us moderns were meant to comfort and encourage the original NT audiences they were written to. Key topics that Halsted's book covers: Introduction Are We in the End Times? How Should We Understand Revelation? What Is the Mark of the Beast? Will Christians Be Raptured? Is There a Coming Time of Tribulation? How Can We Know When Jesus Will Return? What Can We Know about the Antichrist? Conclusion: What Now? Final thoughts... This is my suspicion, but if Dr. Michael Heiser was still alive, I feel he would have made Dr. Halsted's book one of his immediate recommendations and go-to's for people who asked him questions about eschatology. Dr. Halsted's book utilizes some great scholarly material but distills the material to a level that a layperson can easily understand the point. However the case, Dr. Halsted's book is now one of my favorite go-tos for folks who have questions about eschatology. It challenges the typical "Evangelical-Pop-Culture End Times" scenarios and I found it refreshing to see an application of bringing out the meaning of the text in its original context...and finding that meaning still relevant and powerful in my day today. I highly recommend this book!

Great book on reading Scripture in it's historical context and stoping the lunacy of finding the antichrist around every corner! This will be my number one recommended book to read when people ask me about Revelation. It was a great read thoroughly sourced. If you want a cursory view or to dig deep, this book serves both purposes!!!

In "The End of the World as You Know It," Matthew Halsted brings the book of Revelations to life forcing you to ask hard and compelling questions about what you thought you knew about this prophetic apocalypse. There are some books that cause you to read the bible in ways never thought of, this is one of those books. You'll begin seeing the "end times" as John the Apostle saw them and look beyond well known pop culture ideas of what exactly this sometimes controversial final book in the bible say, bringing you peace and comfort in troubling times instead of fear and dread of tribulations to come. Instead of worrying about missing something you'll be assured that God is and will be with you through any trouble or tribulation you may be facing, just as he did for the first generation churches that this book was written to. I highly recommend getting this book, in fact get two and give one away to someone who may need this good word.