The Apocalypse Code: Find Out What the Bible Really Says about the End Times . . . and Why It Matters Today

I go to Hank Hanegraaff alot for info, advice, and study concerning Christian doctrine and the cults thereof. I don't agree with Hank on all topics, but this book hits the bullseye concerning end-times theology. In the intro, Hank emphasizes that a true "Jew" is a person who has been circumcised of the heart. "Scripture emphasizes faith, not geneology." This is a major point, and an issue which most millenialists are mistaken on. As a backdrop, Hank makes an example of the 'Left Behind' series, pointing out that today's views of eschatology are based on racism, not Christ. Hank cites this quote, also in the intro: "Israeli historians now talk about the mass and planned expulsion of the Palestinians, an early form of 'ethnic cleansing.' The most troubling national confession has been the destruction of at least four hundred Palestinian villages, the ruin of dozens of Arab urban neighborhoods, and several massacres that would motivate the Arab population to flee". Hank then points out that three years after the Holocaust ended in 1945, the Israeli paramilitary slaughtered an entire village of two hundred fifty men, women, children, and babies. Ironically, the Arab population that the Israeli's cleared out of their "Promised Land" contained a number of Christian believers as well. Former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is quoted bluntly by Hanegraff, "Our claim to this land is based on the greatest and most incontrovertible document in creation -- the Holy Bible." And, of course, this is false. Today's church and its superfluous theology has made a mockery of Christ's cross yet again. The judgments that Christ made on those who would choose to make Mosaic law their path to God is well recorded. When Jesus states that "this generation shall not pass until..." He is clearly refering to the generation of Jews when Christ makes the statement. The old covenant is gone, never to return, being made obsolete by the blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. And now a new one is in effect (see Heb. 8:13, 10:9-10). In 'The Apocalypse Now', Hank Hanegraaff explains clearly what Rev. 1:7 declares when it states "Look, he is coming in the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him." Christ's judgment came upon that generation of 'Israel' that was responsible for crucifiying him (see Acts 2:36). Today's Israel is nothing more than a cult nation, having very little to do with end-times drama. The verbage that is spewed from the pulpits today concerning revelation is nothing more than a reflection of the bigoted political and social views of 'super-apostles' who claim that now God's secrets are finally coming to light. Indeed, claims that "Jews" are God's chosen people -- or that today's nation of Israel is revelation being fulfilled -- is nothing more than misguided heresy, supported by peer pressure within the Christian church, propped by misapplication of mosaic law for control over those in the pews ...financi

As a Christian born in Lebanon, raised in the United Arab Emirates, and now living in the United States, I am very excited about Hank Hanegraaff's new book, The Apocalypse Code. I had been thinking about writing a book like this myself in my native Arabic. Now I'm dedicated to translating The Apocalypse Code for my Arabic Christian and Muslim friends and neighbors who have been offended by the inherent racism of much of Western Christianity. Hanegraaff clearly and simply explains the biblical teaching that God does not show favoritism (Acts 10); rather, before God, all people of every ethnicity are in desperate need of the redemption that comes only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, which God offers freely to each and every person regardless of race; and in Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female, but we are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). The harsh reality is that the Arabic church experiences constant persecution, and it takes a tremendous amount of patience and perseverance to live as a Christian in the Middle East today. If you are going to reach people for Christ in the Middle East, especially Muslims, you have to know why the popular dispensational view of Jesus favors one race above others, and how to present the true teaching of the Bible that God has only one people (one covenant community, not two) who are all branches in one olive tree, as the apostle Paul puts it (Romans 11). Hanegraaff lays it all out beautifully. Hanegraaff's message is certainly not popular, and he will be persecuted for what he believes; but he is willing to put his credibility on the line for the sake of the truth -- something we all must do. To prepare yourself to stand for truth, seek the Lord Jesus, read the Bible, and fellowship with believers who are committed to truth. And for guidance from a sound Bible teacher, read The Apocalypse Code, too.

I have a Doctorate in Apologetics and am the co-author of a couple of apologetics books, including I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist. In my doctrinal program I was taught the dispensational eschatological view popularized in the Left Behind series. While I knew that view had its problems--including its treatment of "this generation" in Matthew 24:34--it wasn't until I read the The Apocalypse Code did I understand the key to interpreting end-times prophecy. It is this: we cannot understand NT prophecy unless we have the background music of the OT playing in our minds. In other words, the key to interpreting the NT's prophetic passages is often the OT. Matthew 24 is a prime example. For their model to work, dispensationalists must change the meaning of "this generation" in verse 34 to mean something other than the people standing before Jesus at the time. Why? Because in addition to predicting the destruction of the temple (which we all know occurred in 70 AD), Jesus appears to be predicting his second coming ("The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky. . . . They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory."). Dispensationalists will say that part obviously didn't happen in 70 AD, so "this generation" must mean something other than "this generation." The problem is, on all four earlier occasions in Matthew, Jesus's use of "this generation" always refers to the people alive at the time. It never refers to a future generation. Hank's treatment of this passage is eye-opening--in fact, it provided me with a complete paradigm shift. The key to interpreting the passage rightly is the Old Testament. When Jesus refers to the sun being darkened and the moon not giving its light, he is actually quoting from Isaiah 13. How did Isaiah use that imagery? Isaiah used it to refer to the destruction of Babylon nearly 600 years earlier. Now we know that the moon and sun didn't literally stop giving their light in 539 BC--Isaiah was using hyperbolic language to communicate the severity of the judgment. Jesus is using the same language to refer to the coming judgment in 70 AD. Such language communicates judgment more richly that flat literal prose. But what about "the Son of Man coming on the clouds?" Jesus is NOT referring to his second coming, but his coming in 70 AD (the end of the age) on a cloud in judgment. In the OT God rode a cloud in judgment (Is. 19:1). (Besides, why would it make any sense to "flee to the mountains" if Jesus was referring to the end of the world?) Again, the key to the NT is the OT. Hank also applies this principle to many other passages. He points out that two-thirds of the verses in Revelation allude to passages in the Old Testament. The parallels are never more striking than between Revelation and Ezekiel (e.g. the four living, creatures, the mark on the foreheads, the measuring of the temple, Gog and Magog,

Hanegraff presents a detailed and scholarly approach to studying Revelation. This is the opposite of the emotionally wild, unbiblical claims of the "Left Behind" movement. It's informing to know that they have so much in common with classic crackpots like Hal Lindsay. Hanegraff focuses a lot on Tim LaHaye, who has made a career at promoting unbiblical and outrageous end times theories (which he is always adjusting). Hanegraff is right to focus on him for this reason and the fact that LaHaye has made viscious attacks against Hanefgraff. I see LaHaye's cheerleaders are already making their unchristian attacks on this book. Did they read it? I doubt it. Hanegraff doesn't attack LaHaye, in fact far from it, but details rationally why he is wrong. This book is also a great primer in exegeis. Maybe you young-earth creationists out there should pay attention as well. As the book writes, why do so many treat Revelation as a special case and throw the rules of exegesis out the window? For example, two-thirds of the verses in Revelation allude to OT passages. Doesn't proper exegesis require interpreting Revelation in light of those passages? Many (most?) end times theories don't do that. This book is a great place to start for end times studies or in common sense biblical interpreting.

Hank Hanegraaff has been a close friend for many years, but even if I didn't like him half as well as I do or a third as much as he deserves, I would highly recommend this book. If you are a Christian & think you don't have an "End Times" slant, but "just believe the Bible," you need these principles for accurately understanding prophetic scripture just as much as I did more than 30 years ago when I thought the same thing about myself. Unlike most popular End Times pundits, Hanegraaff is not insisting that HIS interpretation of the Bible's prophecies is unique, new, never-before-disclosed, or inspired. To the contrary, he insists that the closer we can get to understanding the text as it was meant by its original authors, delivered to is original audience, & believed by the earliest church, the better we will understand God's plans for the future. Hanegraaff has become exemplary for his ability to take a complicated, hotly disputed subject (word-faith movement, Y2K, the resurrection, etc.) & bringing the best of biblical knowledge, experience, & scholarship into a closely focused, easily remembered instructional paradigm. More than once, beginning probably a decade or more ago, my late husband Bob Passantino & I expressed to Hank that we believed his treatment of this subject could well be the most important service of his entire life. Read this book to gain the PRINCIPLES for understanding prophetic scripture so you can understand for yourself & no longer be dependent on some self-appointed Bible prophet to let you in on the secret.