The Footsteps of the Messiah by Arnold Fruchtenbaum is a comprehensive look at the sequence of prophetic events. The book is a must-read for people who want to know the timeline about how the future events will unfold before, during, and after the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Fruchtenbaum’s analysis is sound. He uses Scripture to interpret Scripture, and not current events interpreted back in the Scriptures. As a result, the reader will find enormous amount of references. He starts with a Scripture, tells the reader what it means, and then makes commentary related to prophetic events. I have read many commentaries and this is by far the most balanced and thorough commentary on the subject.
As a result, Fruchtenbaum thoroughly covers subjects which you won’t see in any other book about prophecy. These subjects include:
Chapter 1:Introduction – an introduction to prophecy, eschatology, as well as Revelation 1.
Chapter 2:The Times of the Gentiles – an explanation of the Gentile Empires in prophecy.
Chapter 3:The Eschatology of the Visible Church: the Things Which Are—the Seven Churches of Revelation
Chapter 4:The Sequence of Pretribulational Events
Chapter 5:Other Pretribulational Events
Chapter 6:The Eschatology of the Invisible Church – discussion of the rapture, judgment and rewards for the church
Chapter 7:Events in Heaven Prior to the Tribulation – Revelation 4-5
Chapter 8:The Great Tribulation: Introduction
Chapter 9:The Beginning of the Tribulation – an analysis of Daniel 9:24-27 and Isaiah 28:14-22
Chapter 10:The Events of the First Half of the Tribulation – Revelation 6-9, 11 and 17
Chapter 11:The Events of the Middle of the Tribulation – Revelation 10-14
Chapter 12:The Events of the Second Half of the Tribulation – Revelation 15-16
Chapter 13:The Great Tribulation: Additional Features and Facts
Chapter 14:The Campaign of Armageddon and The Second Coming of Jesus the Messiah
Chapter 15:The Seventy-five Day Interval
Chapter 16:The Basis for the Belief in the Messianic Kingdom
Chapter 17:General Characteristics of the Messianic Kingdom
Chapter 18:The Government of the Messianic Kingdom
Chapter 19:Israel in the Messianic Kingdom
Chapter 20:The Gentiles in the Messianic Kingdom
Chapter 21:The Aftermath
Chapter 22:The Eternal Order – Revelation 21-22
Chapter 23:Conclusion – Revelation 22
As a bonus, Fruchtenbaum has included ten appendices which add to the topic. Because prophecy refers to the Second Coming and the following events. The study naturally leads to the end of time and end of things including death, and the afterlife in Heaven and Hell. The author provides more explanation, teaching, analysis, and commentary about these other matters in the appendices. The amount of material could have been used to produce a book in itself. However, I am glad these studies were included. Here is a list of what is included in the appendices:
Appendix I:The Six Abodes of Satan – a thorough chronological analysis of the places where Satan will reside.
Appendix II:2 Thessalonians 2:1–12 – an analysis and exposition of the passage about the AntiChrist.
Appendix III:The Wife of Jehovah and the Bride of Messiah – this chapter talks the metaphor of the wife/husband between God and His people in the Old and New Testaments.
Appendix IV:The Shechinah Glory in History and Prophecy – A thorough recollection of all of the passages that talk about the glory of God and how He manifested Himself in the past and the future.
Appendix V:The Olivet Discourse – an analysis of the words of Jesus concerning prophecy
Appendix VI:The Eight Mysteries of the New Testament – an analysis of the eight times the word “mystery” is used in the Bible along with a explanation of its significance.
Appendix VII:Immortality – an excellent discussion concerning what Bible says about immortality.
Appendix VIII:The Intermediate State Between Death and Resurrection – another excellent discussion about matters between death and the resurrection.
Appendix IX:The Place of the Dead – an excellent explanation about where we go when we die. This chapter clears up the misunderstanding many people have about the words associated with death in the Bible.
Appendix X:The Remnant of Israel: Past, Present, and Future – an explanation about this important concept in Israelology.
Appendix XI:Old Testament References in the Book of Revelation – a nice cross-reference list of all of the Old Testament verses in Revelation.
I acquired this book for use with Logos Bible Software. It is an excellent addition to my library. I would recommend this book for pastors, teachers, and students of prophecy. You can see my review of A Passover Haggadah for Jewish Believers as well.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In