Prophecy and Modern Times

After reading an 800+ page book by the same author, reading Prophecy and Modern Times by W. Cleon Skousen was a welcome read (it was only 150 small pages). A portion of his book The Fourth Thousand Years was dedicated to this same topic, so much of the material I had already read.

Rather than listing prophecies in his book, Skousen has attempted to write out the future of the earth as if he were writing its history. He begins by talking about prophecy and what we can learn about it from the scriptures where prophecy has been fulfilled. From these instances we can learn that rarely does the Lord state exactly when a prophecy will come to pass, but when it does, it is fulfilled in complete detail according to the Lord's word.

After this little lesson, the author begins talking about the future destiny of America and the establishment of the New Jerusalem. Typical of Skousen, he reads very closely into the scriptures to help determine the timetable of the events. He talks about the warning to the gentiles who reject the Gospel, how they will be scourged if they do not repent, and how room will be prepared for the lost ten tribes.

From there, the author goes on to talk about the other nations of the world, focusing especially on Jerusalem and the Jews in that area. After relating the events that lead up to the Second Coming, Skousen does something unique that I found quite interesting. He gives the Second Coming from the perspective of three groups: those in Zion, the Jews in Jerusalem, and the forces of the world combined against the Jews. This painted a neat picture in my mind.

The book concludes with a picture of the Millennium and then ends. I was a little disappointed that the author did not go into any detail about events following the Millennium, such as the Battle of the Great God, after which the final judgement occurs and Satan and his hosts are cast off forever. But overall the book was good. I would not suggest it as a stand-alone book in studying the signs of the times, but I do think it is a good springboard for a student of scripture.