4 out of 4 stars
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The Biblical Clock by Daniel Friedmann and Dania Sheldon combines all of Friedmann‘s other works into an easier format. In his three other books, Friedmann shows how the world was created and how we can understand the end times through looking at the Torah and other Jewish sources. I have read one other book from Friedmann, and I can say at times the writing was dense, albeit very interesting. If you didn’t know much about science or Kabbalah, you could have easily gotten lost. What is different about The Biblical Clock is that a fictional narrative is used to describe Friedmann’s complex ideas and make them more accessible. Notable rabbis and other well-known men from history, such as Sir Isaac Newton, are looked at on what they thought about the Earth’s creation and ending. The fictional sections brought to life these men’s lives and showed how Friedmann came to his conclusions. Mixed with this are nonfictional sections where today’s science and theories are expounded upon. The change in style worked for me, and I came away more fully understanding his points.
The book is broken up into three different parts. Part One is on how Genesis (the creation story) gives us a date for the end of times. It also shows how the Torah gives a correct account of how creation began. Friedmann asserts that science and Genesis are complementary to one another and not in conflict. Part Two goes into how we can discern when the world will end by using the Bible as a blueprint. In Part Three, Friedmann ties everything together. He explains more in-depth what Kabbalah is and how this religion believes we can bring the world closer to the end times.
Chapter Ten was one of my favorites to read. It reminded me of the Left Behind series but with a Jewish mindset. This chapter is the only completely fictional part of the book. It conveys what might happen at the end times if you go by the blueprint that the Bible gives us. It was action-packed, and I was sad that it was so short. Friedmann shows he is not only deft at writing in nonfiction but could also excel in a fictional novel.
Although the Kabbalah worldview is used, you do not have to be a believer in it to enjoy this work. I am a Christian, and I didn’t agree with everything that was presented. I found that even though I didn’t share common beliefs with the author, I still found his views insightful and informative. The book gave unique theories and ideas that were backed up with science and research. Not once did one religion get promoted as being better than another, and the book could appeal to anyone, regardless of their background.
I give The Biblical Clock 4 out of 4 stars. There were no negatives for me. I only found two errors in the entire book, and it appeared professionally edited. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about science, religion, history, and end time scenarios.
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The Biblical Clock
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