The Third Thousand Years: From Abraham to David

The Thousand Years #2

by W. Cleon Skousen

The Third Thousand Years were ten turbulent centuries filled with pathos and drama. This is the era of the amazing life of Moses, and the flood of miracles that exceeded any other epic until the ministry of Jesus Christ. He was followed by Joshua, the great Ephraimite general who conquered Palestine, the prophets and judges Gideon, Deborah, Samson, Ruth, Eli, Samuel and the tragic biography of the famous King Saul. All of these belong to the provocative and dramatic unfolding of events during the exciting third thousand years. This eBook includes the original index, footnotes, table of contents and page numbering from the printed format.

Genres: Religion, History, Lds, Nonfiction, Church, Historical, Mormonism

584 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 1964

About the author

W. Cleon Skousen (1913-2006) was a popular teacher, lecturer and author in the United States for over 40 years. Born in Raymond, Alberta, Canada on January 20, 1913, Dr. Skousen’s growing up years were spent in Canada, Mexico, and California.

At age 17 he was called to serve a two-year, LDS mission to Great Britain for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He later attended college at the San Bernardino Junior College where he was elected Student Body President.

With scholarships and encouragements, he left California in 1934 to work as a government aid in Washington DC. Later Dr. Skousen applied and was hired as an FBI agent.

Dr. Skousen married his sweetheart, Jewel Pitcher of San Bernardino, California, August 1936. During the past 69 years, they have raised 8 children and are the grandparents of 50 grandchildren and over 69 great-grandchildren. He resided in Salt Lake City, Utah, the remainder of his life.

Dr. Skousen served the FBI for 16 years (1935-1951), and worked closely with J. Edgar Hoover. In 1951 he was asked to join the faculty of Brigham Young University. Here he headed up the Student Alumni organization. In 1956 he was asked to serve as Chief of Police of Salt Lake City. During his 4 year service, he also wrote his national best seller, "The Naked Communist." He also was the editor of the nations leading police magazine, "Law And Order." In 1960 he left the police force and began speaking tours around the country on the political crisis during that time period. He also ran for the governors office in Utah, but narrowly missed the primaries.

In 1967, Dr. Skousen returned to BYU as a professor in the Religion Department. He taught classes on The Book of Mormon, The Old Testament, and early LDS Church History. He continued that assignment until his retirement in 1978.

In 1972 Dr. Skousen organized a non-profit educational foundation, named "The Freemen Institute." Later changed to "The National Center for Constitutional Studies" (NCCS), Dr. Skousen and his staff became the nation’s leading organization in teaching seminars on the Founding Fathers and the U.S. Constitution. His book, "The Making of America" has been used nation-wide to educate students on the original intent of the Founders.

His many books and recordings include subjects from raising boys to principles of good government, to prophetic history. Listed in this web site are all the books and tapes which are still available today; Dr. Skousen shares a wealth of knowledge and optimism--a "diamond dust" of exciting history and eternal principles of hope, that calms the sea in today's stormy world of seemingly chaos and uncertainty.

Dr. Skousen passed away peacefully in his home on January 9, 2006, of natural causes incident to age, just 11 days shy of his ninety-third birthday. He was lovingly surrounded by his family and wife Jewel, with whom he was anticipating their 70th wedding anniversary in August. He will truly be missed by many.

Reviews

[Jeff Birk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series that I've read. I have found this book to be very helpful in my understanding of not just Old Testament material but also how all the characters link together (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, etc). It has also been a great resource to comprehending the years and timelines associated with all the historical happenings during the time period covered in this book. For years I've heard this story or that story without a context of where they fit in the big picture. This book has cleared that up for me and it has opened up my mind to an appreciation of the Old Testament that I didn't have before. I'm really enjoying this series, especially the twenty questions at the end of each chapter to test your comprehension. Although it takes longer to finish the book by answering these questions, it's worth it as I've used these notes in Sunday School.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This period of time has some of the most dramatic and well-loved stories in the Old Testament. This book added a richness to these stories that I never considered. Having heard these stories so many times I tend to focus on the events, but not the complex people involved, or the historical setting, or the spiritual implications of the story. This book did an excellent job of making me want to study the stories of the Bible more and think through these questions. I learned the stories as a child, and I understood them as a child. Skousen provides a mature analysis of the stories and helped me look at the deeper meanings behind the stories. Anytime he shared something that had me scratching my head, there was a clear footnote or reference telling me where it came from, so I could research it myself and come to my own conclusions.

[James Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this book for background in teaching my Sunday School calling in church. It is a good layman's version of the Old Testament. Face it - scripture can be hard to understand sometimes. Skousen places all the events (when possible) in chronological order and gives appropriate geopolitical comments of what is happening during those events. It is written from the perspective of a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints so that must be kept in mind. This volume covers the period from the death of Abraham to the birth of Samuel the prophet.

[Corby Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic explanations of Old Testament stories

This book does a fantastic job of explaining the setting in which the Old Testament stories take place. It also catches all the small details that I miss because I don't understand the writing.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skousen frames the Bible (the Old Testament) as an epic tale, with big surprises every dozen chapters! I loved reading his history of the ancient world, and would recommend it to any Christian student of antiquity, or of scripture.

[Karie Schatz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made the first several chapters of the Old Testament much more interesting

[Marla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Been working on this for awhile. Good study guide for making sense of the Old Testament

[TAMMY · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing

[Elaine Gardiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inlighting

You must read these book by W. Clean Skousen. They, the books will help you understand the Holy Bible better. It brings the people to life.

[Carol Nicolas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent resource for those who wish to study the Old Testament. Cleon Skousen brings the past alive through his storytelling and extensive research.

[ArlaJean Wickes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third Thousand Years

Very informative. Helps me understand the Bible better and helps me understand the Jewish standards as well. Would recommend this reading to all.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for the 52 books in 52 weeks reading challenge. I used the 2021 prompt read a book you would rate five stars. this series has really helped me understand the old testament as i study come follow me.

[Ilene Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I suppose it cannot be helped that the Law of Moses is so dry, but this book helps one navigate the Old Testament!

[Gena Lott · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second in Skousen's series about the origins of the world and history from the perspective of the Bible. Interesting and fills in blanks.

[David Jenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, excellent read. Would highly recommend.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!!! What a book! I really liked it. Normally, you'd think that something that is a commentary on the Old Testament to be boring and slow. This was great! I couldn't stop reading it. It takes you from the time of Abraham through Moses leading the Children of Israel out of Egypt all of the way through the Judges and to the time of King Saul.

Now, I need to go and find some more Skousen books to read.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

We used this series of manuals as a supplement to our Old Testament studies this year in our homeschool. They were really helpful in giving us the historical background to the ancient world. I loved the story about the guy who was swallowed by a whale in more modern times and lived to tell the tale... that really helped us to understand what it may have been like for Jonah. Worthwhile series overall.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish there were different categories for rating things...genres don't always translate over. But, that said, I LOVED this book. It literally made the Old Testament come to life for me. I understand so much more now and feel connected in a way I didn't think possible. Can't wait to read the other books he's written on this text.

[Sheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cleon Skousen can make Accounting interesting. (I hate numbers.) I would listen to anything he said. He can take the driest subject and bring it to life. I learned to love the Old Testament through Cleon's eyes.

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second work by Skousen that I read was his study of the Old Testament, of which this is the second volume. This volume gets through 2 Samuel or 1 Chronicles. Like Hidden Treasures from the Book of Mormon, he treats his own theories as fact and, like the former work, it gets four stars.

[Ginger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful resource for reading along with the Old Testament. It expands on the characters, setting, culture, history, and geography of the era. It's helping me understand more than ever before and makes me love the Old Testament even more.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked the part about how Moses wrote the entire book of Genesis and how he included all his weaknesses and imperfections to show that prophets aren't perfect. Love reading Cleon's books to get sooooo much deeper into the scriptures.

[Ger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight with flowery language into the lives of the Bible Characters. A must read.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, a must read for anyone interested in gaining insite to biblical history.

[Hollybori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great to read along with the old testament

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot!

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

reading with my husband.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has helped me learn so much about the bible.