3 out of 4 stars
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Roadmap to the End of Days
By Daniel Friedmann
As a Christian, I have often heard of and read about different theories on the end of time as we know it. This book by Daniel Friedmann is an interesting perspective from the view of a Jewish scholar. In Christian literature, authors usually use the book of Revelation to describe the end of time with some references to Old Testament prophets. Mr. Friedmann uses Old Testament references exclusively. So, the perspectives are somewhat different.
Mr. Friedmann begins, in Chapter 1, with acknowledging the Creation story happened over billions of years. He justifies this by stating God’s timing is different than human timing. This corresponds with scientific evidence and can be verified by both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Psalm 90:4 states: “A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night” (NIV, 2011). 2 Peter 3:8 states: “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day” (NIV, 2011). Thus, one day in the Creation story can be equivalent to at least a thousand years, or, as Mr. Friedmann states, 2.5 billion years. This part of the book was intriguing and captured my interest as most Christians tend to adhere to six 24-hour periods of the Creation story. I tend to agree more with Mr. Friedmann’s perspective on this point.
In Chapter 2 and beyond, Mr. Friedmann lays out his theory about human history and God’s Blueprint of said human history. This Blueprint includes God’s cosmic purpose to draw people to himself. I can agree with the concept that God wants to reestablish a relationship with us. However, Mr. Friedmann indicates God is hiding himself until we follow certain moral codes—the 7 Noahide Laws and the 613 commandments. His concept of free will is that we can either expedite God’s return or jeopardize it by our actions. As a Christian and an open theist, this tends to go against my concept of free will. First, I understand God is very present and is drawing us to himself through his grace and mercy. Second, I do feel we have the choice to accept or reject this drawing. I also do believe our actions are taken into consideration by God. However, I do not believe our actions will thwart God’s plan or his love for us. I believe, as a Christian, our faith and trust in Jesus is our salvation, not how moral and good we are.
Mr. Friedmann indicates there is a set time when human history must end. He also indicates there have been four critical periods where history could have ended, but humankind neglected to follow God’s moral laws and commandments. Still, he indicates that time, as we know it, will end at a set time, give or take 40 years, despite our obedience. It is unclear to me how he arrived at the date he did, but he continues to insist that it is the absolute predetermined time frame.
As Mr. Friedmann begins to lay out this said timeline, he breaks history into seven time periods. The seventh period of time is the 7th millennium which restarts God’s timing (as during the “days” of creation) rather than human timing. The remaining six periods of time are each 1000-years in length, or 6000 years total. He further breaks each 1000-year period into six periods. At this juncture of the book, things get confusing to me. He attempts to cross reference and make parallels between the different periods of time. However, these parallels seem forced at times. For example, in Chapter 6, he states that Joseph was named as viceroy in 2229 (by the Jewish calendar), but he should have been named viceroy two years earlier in 2227. He does not really give an explanation as to why he surmises this. Then, he uses the year 2227 to make a parallel with 5727 (1967 CE) when Jerusalem came under Israeli rule. What one has to do with the other is unclear to me. Anyway, the parallel seems forced. The book continues with these sorts of supposed parallels in history. He uses these parallels to support his theory that history repeats itself. So, as I stated, it becomes quite confusing. In the final two chapters, Mr. Friedmann explains the future after the end of human history. These two chapters were interesting, and he gave some plausible explanations. However, he still dwells on how our actions and obedience will play a role even then.
Overall, I would give this book a 3 out of 4 stars. I found the Jewish perspective of the end of time quite intriguing. It helped give me some insights into the Jewish mindset. While I do not quite understand or agree with many of his theories and explanations, I do feel it is an interesting read. Others who are interested in end-time theories will probably enjoy it and comprehend it better than I did.
I noticed some punctuation errors that could have been omitted when the book was digitalized. For example, in the first sentence in Chapter 1, there was not question mark (or period). This was the main error I found—no period or punctuation after some of the sentences. Other than that, the writing appeared to be grammatically correct and fairly easy to read.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission.
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Roadmap to the End of Days
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