Book Review of
Through the Prophet's Eye
In this bold and provocative work, Marshall Best delivers a refreshingly original perspective to understanding end-times prophecy.
Christians today are taught many opinions about the Second Coming, yet nearly all are merely variations of the same few theories. Best argues that these theories which have come to dominate our thinking today have arisen from the dark times of ages past; when superstitious men could not possibly have imagined the high-tech world in which we live today. Certain key prophecies could only have been interpreted in those days in terms of imagery or spiritual parallel. The perspective these early theologians embraced sent the quest for the truth of Jesus' return in the wrong direction. Modern theories reflect this bias.
More recently, we have also seen the widespread acceptance of absurd theories which are based upon the flimsiest of justifications. These new ideas have been brought to life by popular Christian novelists who have extrapolated beyond the bounds of reason.
Most Christians today blindly believe what they read in Christian novels or have been taught in Sunday School. Yet, they will oftentimes choose to hold to these ideas simply because that is what they were taught. They have nothing else to believe, so their minds are closed. Tradition can be the most difficult beast to kill. To understand the true promises of the Second Coming, these false starts must be eradicated.
We are now seeing a renewed interest in the end times by Christians. This is coupled with an increased willingness of our society today to creatively seek solutions in a logical manner. Christianity is ready for a fresh analysis of Bible prophecy, with the slate wiped clean and free of preconceived ideas, methodically rethinking all end times prophecy.
This scholarly work challenges modern Christianity's eschatological theology head-on. Interpretive difficulties are exposed, translation errors in critical passages are clarified, and the foundational premises of most popular theories are found to be in error. When these ideas are eliminated as viable alternatives, the scriptures lead us to radically unexpected, but common sense conclusions.
Best provides direction for Christians who have been deprived of a logical hope, and walks them through all the prophetic scriptures in such a way that they can see for themselves what truths the Bible holds concerning the return of our Lord.
Through the Prophet's Eye is essentially Pre-Millennial in nature, but the conclusions from it's detailed analysis are so vastly different from commonly taught theories that popular subcategory names, such as Pre-Trib, Pre-Wrath, and Post-Trib, do not apply. Through the Prophet's Eye deserves a categorization all it's own.
Through the Prophet's Eye reveals that nearly all of Daniel's prophecies have no application to the end times whatsoever. These difficult Scriptures form the backbone of most prophetic theories. You will see how these visions have been fulfilled in their entirety in ages past. Nothing remains for the future. When Daniel's visions are cut away from popular end times scenarios, the accepted theories collapse. What Scriptures remain paint an entirely different mosaic from what we commonly accept.
Popular ideas accepted as biblical truth, such as the revival of the old Roman Empire, the construction of another temple in Jerusalem, the Abomination of Desolations, and the seven year Great Tribulation, will be shown to be based upon the misinterpretation of the visions of Daniel and the misunderstanding of a single sentence uttered by Jesus.
Contrary to popular belief, rather than providing support to the idea of the rise of the great Antichrist, the Bible speaks contrary to it. The very few instances where that term is used in the Bible are shown to be actually statements of instruction and correction to refute a mistaken notion which was inserting itself into the early church. The characteristics commonly attributed to the end times Antichrist character are derived primarily from Daniel and describe the evil of Antiochus Epiphanes at a pivotal point in Jewish history.
The dubious origins of the Rapture theory will be exposed and shown scripturally to be a false theological construct. The chapter devoted to this topic has been described by a prominent end-times writer as the best he's ever seen in print.
The fulfillment of many key components of popular end times theories will come about in a completely different fashion altogether. The Great White Throne Judgment, the New Jerusalem, the Resurrection, the Book of Life, and the Lake of Fire will occur under circumstances unexpected by Christians, and be of a different nature than what we have been taught. Many bizarre elements of the prophecies, which so confound theologians, will not only be interpreted in new light, but will also be shown to be particularly fitting within the scenario described by the prophets. Through the Prophet's Eye is a radical quantum leap forward in the study of Bible prophecy which should prove enlightening to Christians, and devastating to today's popular theories.
Dave MacPherson is widely recognized as the authority on the origins and spread of the rapture teaching. The depth of his outstanding life's work of documentation of original source correspondence and early published literature showing the rapid acceptance of the rapture theology is unparalleled. He is the well known and respected author of The Rapture Plot and several other excellent titles. He has issued the following commendation of Through the Prophet's Eye:
You won't believe what happened! A few days after I was reading Through the Prophet's Eye, a recent Bible prophecy book by Marshall Best that projects the possibility of "the destruction of New York City by radical Muslims," some radical Muslims destroyed the World Trade Center in New York City! You simply cannot afford to be without Best's 750-page work----a veritable encyclopedia of pertinent, Bible-based data written in readable style!
The three discussions listed below provide some further insight into understanding the nature of Through the Prophet's Eye.