Ok, I only got through chapter 1, but both parts!

And I had 3 pages of handwritten notes of things that were either misuse of scriptures, speculation with no historical basis, historical facts" based on outdated and 3rd hand sources, info dumps that simply confused the issue at hand, choosing to ignore certain sources when they conflicted with the authors own opinion and general fear-mongering in tone and language.

The author even admits, on page 63, for it is still not clear this number of doom, 666, will keep God's people from buying and selling. Now if he doesn't have an answer, why is he confusing the answer by throwing more chaff into the maelstrom of this subject?

Now, if this man wanted to simply speculate, I would simply have ignored this book and gone on about my life. However, he purports to be a "Christian Authority" and as such is invoking much greater weight than he actually has.

For a couple of new Christians in our church, this book brought nothing but guilt, condemnation and fear. It did not draw them nearer to Jesus or to create in them the desire to be more Christ-like. 2nd Timothy 1:7 states for God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control. ESV

That is damning enough for me.

Feel free to read for fun, but as a serious theological book, this is a joke and gives Christians a bad name." ( )