I’ve never been much of one to get really excited about studying prophecy. Since it’s generally predictive, that has always struck me as being to speculative. As a result, I’ve never really had much of an interest in reading much on the subject.
On a whim, I picked up and read The Holy Land Key, by Ray Bentley. Frankly, I was stunned. And captivated. I’ve always assumed that most prophecy books dealt with trying to establish a future timeline and find a date for the end of the world, or the return of Christ, or some other cataclysmic event.
The Holy Land Key is nothing like that… At all.
The basic concept is the idea that, as Americans, we look at prophecy as a forthcoming event or series of events. But Bentley approaches it from the point of view of the Jewish people. To them, they are living in the midst of prophecy. They are seeing prophecies from thousands of years ago being fulfilled around them, almost daily.
From the very first pages, I was intrigued. So I continued.
Bentley describes a reality in our world that I’ve noted for years, and I think he nails it. The conflicts that occur, even in our times, are the result of an age-old collision of two worlds. If you go back to the book of Genesis, you’ll find that Abraham had two sons. Isaac, the son of the promise, and Ishmael, another son who was given a promise as well. Isaac was given to Abraham, and from this line, the Jewish nation came to be. But from Ishmael, most of the Arab nations arose. And the conflict between two brothers has resulted in the world we face today.
Reading prophecy in light of this reality reveals things that I’ve never considered before. And Bentley takes the time to make these issues understandable.
After identifying how prophecy needs to be studied from the Jewish perspective, and how it is being revealed today, and why the Jewish people are hated by so many others, Bentley does delve into some “signs of the times.” This is the part that has always made me leary of books on prophecy. However, Bentley examines such as topics as the Sphinx, the signs of the zodiac, and blood moons, as well as such biblical topics as Daniel’s seventy weeks, the Old Testament Feasts and seasons, and more. He does so in a way that doesn’t belabor the point, making me wish I was reading something else. In fact, a few of the resources he mentioned I added to my wish list, in order to read more on the topic at a later time.
Even though I was a little fearful of reading a book on prophecy, in the end I was fascinated. Bentley has masterfully created a book that leaves you wanting more, without feeling like you need to stand on a street corner with a cardboard sign proclaiming “The End Is Nigh!”
If you’ve never read much on the topic of prophecy, The Holy Land Key would be a good place to start. If prophecy is your passion, then this would be an excellent book to add to your library as well. For more information on the book, Ray Bentley’s blog, and a list of prayer points for Israel, check out The Holy Land Key website.
Question: Have you ever read much on the topic of biblical prophecy? If so, what books did you find captivating, and would recommend? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
I received this book free from Waterbrook/Multnomah Media as part of their Blogging For Books blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.