book review
Bible Prophecy Should be Studied by Every Christian
A SURVEY OF BIBLE PROPHECY
by Arthur E. Bloomfield
Bethany Fellowship, Inc.
Minneapolic, Minnesota
I remember quite vividly that autumn evening at the home prayer meeting and Bible study we attended on Thursday evenings in Billerica, MA. The only announcement I can recall was something about an Israeli victory in the War that began on Yom Kippur. What comes to mind clearly was the thunderous applause - mighty for such a small group.
On the drive home two very young and immature Christians - my wife Eloise and myself - asked one another: "What was that all about?" We had, at that time, barely begun to grasp what it meant to be "born again", let alone understand the role of the Chosen People in God's glorious plan of Redemption. But all that was soon to be rectified. In the kitchen of that same old white farmhouse on Boston Road was a "lending library" of sorts. The publications offered barely covered the top of a small table. Our Christian friends loaned us a few booklets that comprise the Revelation Series by Gordon Lindsay.
I've forgotten when and where we bought his books, but I'm sure it was the young Bible teacher, fresh out of Trinity Bible College in Oklahoma, who introduced us to the writings of Arthur E. Bloomfield.
We owe a lot to others whether or not they are aware of it and even if it takes nearly twenty years to acknowledge. I wouldn't even have my copy of A Survey Of Bible Prophecy if it wasn't for the generosity of my stepdaughter, Holly. I was so impressed with Bloomfield's books on Revelation (All Things New) and Daniel (The End Of The Days) that I snapped up an abridged copy of The Survey under a different title, not realizing I had purchased a mere condensation. While visiting Holly in Pittsburgh, these many years ago, I realized the error of my ways when she showed me her copy of The Survey, complete and unabridged. Without a blush I boldly asked her to sway, taking brazen advantage of her all-too-generous nature. She graciously complied and I've had the advantage of returning again and again to a volume that gives as complete an overview of the Plan of Redemption as you can possibly get.
The Scriptures, nothing more and nothing less, have been the mainstay of our study of Prophecy. We realize the danger of human error even in quite clever and brilliant Bible scholars and in the most lucid, convincing and enlightening writers. Besides, it's an innate component of long-term prophecies that their implications are not clearly seen nor fully comprehended until the events have actually come to pass. Without the quickening to the heart that the Holy Spirit's tutoring brings, the lengthiest studies, the deepest intellectual understanding of the most complicated charts, graphs and schemes will lead to conclusions and solutions that are prophetically misleading and spiritually damaging. Unfortunately, too many Christians act on the axiom that "ignorance is bliss" when it comes to a discussion or study of the End Times. For such, Bloomfield has this to say:
"Most people who call themselves Christians have nothing but contempt for what God will do; they are concerned only with what God has done. The time is not far away when world events will divide the church between those who will follow the greatest deceiver of all time, and those who will hold to the faith which is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. All those who do not have a real love for the truth will believe the lie" (p.26).
I feel I owe a debt of gratitude to Arthur Bloomfield's Survey not only for the above reminder, but also;
- for adhering strictly to the literal meaning of the Scriptures even when it runs counter to long-standing church traditions and flamboyant presumptions that make for exciting speculations.
- for emphasizing the GOALS of Prophecy: the united, common goal of Redemption and the separate, individual goals that pertain to the Church, the Nations, and the Jews.
- for holding fast to the often unpopular truth that a scriptural prophecy will be fulfilled in its entirety no matter what upheavals may be involved or no matter how long its completion may take.
In his forthright manner, Bloomfield states: "There are two ways of approaching a passage of Scripture. One way is to make it prove something you have already decided: the other way is to find out exactly what it says regardless of your own belief' (p.83).
As Christians we will do well to be as straightforward as Mr. Bloomfield. Though this is a brief book review of his Survey and an all too inadequate introduction to a rather limited field of really worthwhile prophetic literature, it is equally important, that this writing be a testimony of thanks for those who have aided us in our enthusiastic excavation of the truths of Bible Prophecy and our quest for the riches of the Kingdom of God. It is a search that in very deed excites all the high adventure of a mysterious treasure hunt and the noblest dignity of skillful and exacting labor on a masterpiece.
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