Amir Tsarfati, a Jewish believer living in Israel and president of Behold Israel, writes this book to communicate God’s truth with “a desire to wake up the church, warn unbelievers and to speak of the blessed hope that believers have” (p. 28). He agrees with Ed Hindson who wrote “Bible prophecy is not written to scare us. It is written to prepare us” (p. 29). Tsarfati presents a pretribulational understanding of biblical prophecies and is mostly on target theologically. He also details important historical events concerning Israel and dispels a number of modern myths about the current nation of Israel (pp. 95-115).
Unfortunately, the wheels come off when Tsarfati attempts to connect the dots between biblical prophecy and current events. Believing that all of the prophecies found in Ezekiel 37 and most found in Ezekiel 38 have already been fulfilled (pp. 181-201), the author tries to prove the Lord’s return is soon, however, he sets no dates. Still, Tsarfati falls prey to a number of conspiracy theories such as: five wealthy families in America pull all the financial strings of the nation’s economy (too bad he does not name the families) (p. 154); by the time the antichrist is revealed, Islam will be much less a global factor (p. 159); the Illuminati, the Masons and Knights Templar influence end-time events (pp. 168-171); and the world’s economy is in danger of imminently collapsing (pp. 177-178). It is the misinterpretation of the Ezekiel prophecies, coupled with unsubstantiated theories concerning historical groups and current events, that undermine the helpful explanation found throughout the book. As a result, I could not recommend this work.
by Amir Tsarfati (Minneapolis: Chosen, 2018) 220 pp, paper, $8.59
Reviewed by Gary E. Gilley, Pastor-teacher at Southern View Chapel