4 out of 4 stars
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Is there a pattern which runs through the timeline of civilization? Is there going to be an end of days? Has history repeated itself? If you are interested in the answers to these questions, then this book is for you. Roadmap to the End of Days by Daniel Friedmann is a very thought-provoking book which attempts to answer numerous questions which have been asked throughout history and attempts to predict when certain events may occur. This is a non-fiction book and considers the Bible as a blueprint which documents patterns of history and outlines the future of humanity.
Friedmann starts this book with a metaphor about entering a glass maze. The goal of such mazes is to reach the exit, however, each way you turn there is another reflection and the maze just seems to keep going. People lose their perspective, sense of direction and can move in many circles before they eventually find their way out. Friedmann notes that a person would be able to view the way to move through a glass maze if they were standing above the maze, which offers far more perspective than moving within the maze. Human history is brought into the discussion and the question is asked whether there is a pattern or rhythm to earth’s history and whether we can rise and view our history from above to observe the way to the exit. Friedmann uses the Bible as a guide to deciphering the pattern of human history and uses many biblical references to evidence his theory. He presents this theory with both statements/ quotes from the Bible, science, and events in our modern history to assist the reader to understand the patterns that he is referring to. After presenting this theory and perspectives of time periods that repeat throughout human history, Friedmann then considers the End of Days that is discussed in the Bible and what this means for humanity and our future.
This was a very interesting way to view human history and the Bible. There were times when I felt that I got a bit bogged down with events and stories from the Bible and feel that I would not have understood this book so well if I did not have a good understanding of scripture. It answered some of my questions regarding creation and the cycles of history, which have also been pondered by other authors throughout the years. I found myself stopping at various stages throughout the book and needing to take a break from reading just to process the information presented. I did not notice any typing or grammatical errors, so I noticed that I was not distracted from the book’s content which can occur if there are errors.
There were some key elements of content that I disagreed with Friedmann on. An example of one of these is the discussion about the snake within the Garden of Eden. Friedmann states that the snake is Esau’s grandson. However, in my learning, the Bible is very clear that the snake is Satan and several other biblical verses also identify the serpent as Satan, the rebellious angel.
I think that the theme of time in this book is very interesting. Time has long been discussed as being such a relative term and the passing of time is measured in different ways. It is interesting to think about the concept of an “Earth day” as meaning a different time frame to a “Creation day”. One “Creation day” is discussed as being about 2.5million years Earth time. This book also shed some light for me on the seven days of creation and why God was able to create the world, in all its complexity, within such a short time frame. It was also an interesting discussion how we define a month as being the time for the moon to orbit Earth and then we have a year which is when the Earth circles the sun, however, the pattern of a seven-day week is not tied to any cosmic pattern. It is noted that the Bible had told people to follow a seven-day week and that this fits within our calendar of months, seasons and years, which is probably why we still use this. These discussions really make the reader think about the concept of time and how we measure, record and create time periods.
There was not much about this book that I did not like. The structure of each chapter is very well done where the author poses a question and then proceeds to slowly answer each question that is posed. This really sets a scene where the reader realizes that they do not have any answers to the questions posed and create a real desire to find out the answers. I really liked how the information was presented in numerous ways, for example, tables, writing, appendices, glossary, and endnotes. Therefore, if the reader became confused in any way, the information to assist with understanding is all provided within the book.
Overall, I would rate this book as 4 out of 4. There were no grammatical errors and it seemed that the book had been professionally edited. I think that the reason that this book is not a 3 is that it is so well researched, presented and evidenced. Also, all the information that you need to understand the book is included in the various chapters or appendices at the end. Therefore, even if a reader has limited knowledge of the Bible and ancient history, the information is all still available. The book opens the door to a completely new way of thinking and makes you question human history and where civilization is going, especially with the separations of religions, cultures, and people in general. The author unpacks many age-old questions about the End of Days and what events may occur in the times to come.
I think that this book would be best-suited readers of any age who enjoy philosophical themes and a historic/scientific approach to understanding humanity. I think that it would assist readers to have, at least some knowledge about the history of civilization as told in the Bible. However, for readers who do not have this knowledge, there is ample information in the endnotes and appendices to assist with their understanding.
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Roadmap to the End of Days
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