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The Thousand Years #3
The Fourth Thousand Years From David to Christ
The Fourth Thousand Years From David to Christ. Cleon Skousen
712 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1966
62 people are currently reading
345 people want to read
About the author
W. Cleon Skousen
153 books179 followersW. 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
January 4, 2021
I loved this book, as I read it in college. Professor W. Cleon Skousen was my professor, and he was I loved this book I have read it twice now, once in college and once recently. Gained more the second time reading it. I love the history and the religious history. I thoroughly enjoyed the questions at the end of each chapter. The maps were very helpful. At the end of the year but I enjoyed the index because it was very detailed and I could go back and read material I wanted to recheck. Flow of the book made very easy reading.
He helped write a new constitution for Canada and the proposed United States of Latin America, and he published a model constitution that could be adopted by nations everywhere. He served in the FBI for 16 years, four years as Chief of Police in Salt Lake City, and ten years as a university professor. He was a prolific writer and produced three national best sellers, The Naked Communist, The Naked Capitalist, and The Five Thousand Year Leap. Eight of his books were used as college texts, and several were translated and published in other countries. Fascinating man.
This book covers the timing from David the Prophet through our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ. I had Dr. Skousen as a professor when I was at BYU. He was a phenomenal man and one that I admired for a very long time. I'm a huge admirer of his works. He was a really good teacher as well. Recommend.
The time of Christ's birthday which we just celebrated his life and his crucifixion. He has been a
wonderful example and still is for our whole lives. With things as serious as they curiously are,
are. I can't help but ponder the coming of the Savior's second coming he will be coming soon
to usher in his coming. The signs are all around us. With Covid 19 in our lives it is a huge test for us to work through. Best wishes for a happy, healthy 2021. Happy New Year!!
wonderful.
He helped write a new constitution for Canada and the proposed United States of Latin America, and he published a model constitution that could be adopted by nations everywhere. He served in the FBI for 16 years, four years as Chief of Police in Salt Lake City, and ten years as a university professor. He was a prolific writer and produced three national best sellers, The Naked Communist, The Naked Capitalist, and The Five Thousand Year Leap. Eight of his books were used as college texts, and several were translated and published in other countries. Fascinating man.
This book covers the timing from David the Prophet through our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ. I had Dr. Skousen as a professor when I was at BYU. He was a phenomenal man and one that I admired for a very long time. I'm a huge admirer of his works. He was a really good teacher as well. Recommend.
The time of Christ's birthday which we just celebrated his life and his crucifixion. He has been a
wonderful example and still is for our whole lives. With things as serious as they curiously are,
are. I can't help but ponder the coming of the Savior's second coming he will be coming soon
to usher in his coming. The signs are all around us. With Covid 19 in our lives it is a huge test for us to work through. Best wishes for a happy, healthy 2021. Happy New Year!!
wonderful.
February 28, 2021
This book is an excellent resource for those who are studying the Old Testament. Cleon Skousen brings the past alive through his storytelling and extensive research. I have enjoyed studying all four of his Old Testament books, and I have gained a deeper appreciation for the scriptures.
June 4, 2024
This was a wonderful commentary on the OT where I feel I had a fairly large gap in historical understanding. I know the stories of Jonah, Esther, David, Elijah etc, but to have them laid out chronologically with a historical perspective gave me better insight as to why the prophets taught what they taught to their people. Skousen is entertaining, and I appreciate his perspective. I found so much to love about this commentary and feel my study has been enriched greatly by this book.
March 22, 2017
I LOVE learning the backstory of the scriptures. History is absolutely fascinating to me. It took me a couple months to read this book (it's verrry long) but I'm so glad I did. I understand the children of Israel so much better now. They were NOT good people, for the most part. God gave them chance after chance, prophet after prophet. They just kept wanting to worship idols. The story of Jonah was great (no WONDER he didn't want to go to Ninevah after what I learned about that city!) and it's so neat that the Roman control, and them giving Judah religious freedom, made it possible for Jesus to come and teach his religion. Anyway-learned so much.
November 3, 2022
This has always been the most challenging section of the Bible for me to understand. With so much history and crossing timelines, it has been hard to grasp. Skousen laid it out in a chronological order that made the sweeping epic of the Bible make more sense. He included other historical figures to fix the time of the events so I had a frame of reference for what was going on in the rest of the world. I often study the Bible in a vacuum, separate from the rest of world history and sometimes apart from other parts of the Bible. Adding an understanding of the broader context of those sections has increased the value of my scripture study. Now that I have a greater understanding of the overarching story, the necessity for those revealed doctrines becomes more apparent. Skousen's writing is engaging and understandable while also presenting questions that require further study.
June 18, 2023
3rd Book in the" thousand years" series, covering the Old testament; from a Latter-Day Saint perspective.
Though an entertaining read, it lacks an understanding of The Jewish Sabbath and erroneously promotes Sunday is the day of worship.
"The covenant specifically committed the signatory to obey the law of Moses, not to intermarry with the heathens, not to buy or sell on Sunday, to fallow (refrain from cultivating) the land every seventh year, and to release and forgive all indebtedness every seventh year. The supplying of wood for the altar was delegated, so was the gathering of the first-fruits and the garnering of temple supplies".
(Chapter 28)
I do believe that if you're going to read a book such as this, you should have keen understanding of your source material; knowing that the Old testament was written by the Jewish people...
Though an entertaining read, it lacks an understanding of The Jewish Sabbath and erroneously promotes Sunday is the day of worship.
"The covenant specifically committed the signatory to obey the law of Moses, not to intermarry with the heathens, not to buy or sell on Sunday, to fallow (refrain from cultivating) the land every seventh year, and to release and forgive all indebtedness every seventh year. The supplying of wood for the altar was delegated, so was the gathering of the first-fruits and the garnering of temple supplies".
(Chapter 28)
I do believe that if you're going to read a book such as this, you should have keen understanding of your source material; knowing that the Old testament was written by the Jewish people...
November 23, 2018
Whew! Finally finished this last of Skousen's books on the Old Testament. This one had it's exciting and also boring parts but overall I'm very glad to have made my way through it. As I think back to all three books in this series, the author has enlightened my mind to think about the Old Testament stories with much more color and vividness. The stories and characters are now more real to me. Perhaps one of the biggest advantages of these books will to be used as future reference material when I have to study or teach the Old Testament. Nice little accomplishment getting through these books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2022
great content. I was a little disappointed with how it was laid out. It goes chronolically which is too be expected but not every prophet was given his own chapter and it was kindof hard to reconcile with my scripture study at times. but it is easy to read and taught me a lot.
December 22, 2021
God's
The best increase about JESUS THE CHRIST AND GUIDING HAND FROM START TO FINISH. WHEN THIS EARTH WILL MOVE TO CELESTIAL GLORY.
The best increase about JESUS THE CHRIST AND GUIDING HAND FROM START TO FINISH. WHEN THIS EARTH WILL MOVE TO CELESTIAL GLORY.
May 27, 2022
Very helpful for getting a more plain-English breakdown of what was going on in Old Testament stories
April 21, 2024
Slightly less dry than The Third Thousand Years, it is still a monumental read! I am grateful for this glimpse into the history of the Old Testament - I got much more out of the OT with this!
April 30, 2025
The last book in Skousen's series takes the reader from King David to Christ. Using the Bible as the timeline, Skousen looks at history and adds details for the Bible scholar. A great resource.
October 21, 2025
Great book, excellent read. Would highly recommend.
August 5, 2016
First, this is commentary.
Doctrine is often referenced and interpreted in the absence of credible authority (where authority remains silent), but that still does not make commentary doctrine.
Point being made, the works of Skousen reflect a lifelong search for the intricate dialogue found in the scriptures. The Old Testament is the toughest nut to crack due to so many conflicting accounts and historical revisions and translations and on and on.
There comes a point where you have to say, this is what I will consider and seek the spirit of understanding to illuminate the rest. I enjoy his works because his background as a lawyer, FBI investigator, chief of police, and teacher, gives him the ability to objectively look at things in different light.
That does not mean that you have to agree. I for one find most all of what he treats in the Thousand Year series as very will done. Much of the language and metaphor in the Old Testament cannot be understood today as we have no cultural or linguistic reference. Thus the need for this historical and spiritual guide.
Anyone wanting to understand this rich history with find this worth the investment.
Read back around 2000. Rereading in 2014 and even more comes out now.
Doctrine is often referenced and interpreted in the absence of credible authority (where authority remains silent), but that still does not make commentary doctrine.
Point being made, the works of Skousen reflect a lifelong search for the intricate dialogue found in the scriptures. The Old Testament is the toughest nut to crack due to so many conflicting accounts and historical revisions and translations and on and on.
There comes a point where you have to say, this is what I will consider and seek the spirit of understanding to illuminate the rest. I enjoy his works because his background as a lawyer, FBI investigator, chief of police, and teacher, gives him the ability to objectively look at things in different light.
That does not mean that you have to agree. I for one find most all of what he treats in the Thousand Year series as very will done. Much of the language and metaphor in the Old Testament cannot be understood today as we have no cultural or linguistic reference. Thus the need for this historical and spiritual guide.
Anyone wanting to understand this rich history with find this worth the investment.
Read back around 2000. Rereading in 2014 and even more comes out now.
February 10, 2017
Love these books there is so much history and background given.
July 31, 2008
The second work by Skousen that I read was his study of the Old Testament, of which this is the third volume. This volume gets from 1 Kings or 2 Chronicles to the start of the New Testament via the Apochrypha. Like Hidden Treasures from the Book of Mormon, he treats his own theories as fact and, like the former work, it gets four stars.
June 4, 2011
I really enjoyed this series. Very well written and easy to read. It is well documented and researched. I don't know why it took me so long to get around to reading them. I need to buy my own copies. DI here I come!
September 19, 2016
I'm sad that this series is at its end. Great insights and connecting of the dots in the book. I appreciate that Skousen was not afraid to speculate where appropriate, and he usually does a good job of making it clear where he is doing so.
June 18, 2022
Fourth thousand years
I thoroughly enjoyed reading and reviewing these passages in conjunction with the Bible. I am grateful for our Jewish brothers and sisters in bringing their histories forward.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading and reviewing these passages in conjunction with the Bible. I am grateful for our Jewish brothers and sisters in bringing their histories forward.
February 8, 2008
I got this to read a couple specific sections on Isaiah and they were good. Now I think I may have to read the whole thing. Skousen's knowledge on the OT is amazing.
March 7, 2008
I love this series, and am just finishing this last one. It has helped me to put the Old Testament history into chronological order.
May 21, 2009
Wow! I decided to read this book because it is the only book I remember my Gpa reading when I was young. It puts the whole Old Teastamnet together in a way I can actually understand
February 17, 2022
I used to be Mormon. But now that I'm not, I can't really recommend this one.
February 25, 2011
Loved it! I learned so much old testament history. It took forever to read, but it was really interesting.
October 23, 2011
I love this series! Skousen has great insight and information. I am looking forward to reading more of his books.
May 20, 2012
These books are great as companion study guides to the Old Testament. As the biblical text is difficult to study, these give invaluable insight as you read.
April 21, 2014
Also GREAT! from the series
October 9, 2008
Very informative
December 6, 2010
I love these books. We will definitely have to get them for our home library.
November 27, 2010
Have autographed copy.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews