The End Times Survival Guide: Ten Biblical Strategies for Faith and Hope in These Uncertain Days

by Mark Hitchcock

We live in a world that seems to be on the verge of coming apart. Shootings. Killer viruses. The threat of nuclear war. All of it is just too real.
Why does the apocalypse craze in movies and video games appeal to so many people so strongly? One answer is it shows us the primal foundations of our existence. In the same way, what's happening in our world today is moving Christians to return to the foundations of our spiritual existence. Believers everywhere must get back to what matters most. We must always remember that our battle, at its most basic level, is spiritual.

So, what are the spiritual tools--the essentials--that Scripture tells us we must remember and use as the end draws near?
In The End Times Survival Guide, you will discover ten spiritual tools the Bible relates directly to our preparation for the Lord's coming--ten biblical survival strategies to live out in these last days so you and your family can prosper in an increasingly decaying, darkening world. These strategies won't guarantee your physical or financial well-being, but they are guaranteed to bring life and vitality to your spiritual health and welfare as you cling to the immovable rock of God's Word.

When life is whittled down to its essence, the real issue is our spiritual condition before God. Discover how you can protect yourself and your family spiritually in these dark days.

Genres: Christian, Christian Non Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

Published November 6, 2018

About the author

Mark Hitchcock was born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He attended Oklahoma State University and graduated from law school in 1984. After working for a judge at the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals for four years, Mark was led to attend Dallas Theological Seminary, graduating in 1991. Since that time, he has served as senior pastor of Faith Bible Church in Edmond, Oklahoma. He completed his PhD at Dallas Theological Seminary in 2005 and serves as an associate professor of Bible exposition at DTS. He has authored over thirty books related to end-time Bible prophecy that have sold over one million copies. His books have been translated into over ten languages. Mark is a frequent speaker at churches and prophecy conferences both in the United States and internationally. Mark and his wife, Cheryl, live in Edmond, Oklahoma. They have two sons, Justin (married to Natalee) and Samuel, and two grandchildren..
You can also connect with Mark on Facebook

Reviews

[Yibbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, I was a little disappointed. It seemed that this book was just a quick overview of what a Christian’s life should be, but there was no special reference to Christ’s return. He talked about the Biblical response to worry, the spiritual warfare surrounding us, our need for a connected church fellowship, and our desperate need for prayer. Each of those chapters is good and very convicting, but rather basic.
Then I started to understand what he was trying to teach us in this book. Hitchcock is trying to focus us on the Bible. He doesn’t want us to succumb to our own indifference or be distracted by false prophets and their hype. So once he has laid the foundation of a strong Christian life in the early chapters, he then goes on and explains the Biblical tools we have to help us survive these chaotic End Times. He also challenges us to understand what God commands us to do in light of His soon return. The last two chapters remind us that we know the end. We know who wins.
This book has an easy conversational style. Hitchcock includes numerous illustration and quotes from numerous Christian authors and speakers. It would be a perfect book for those worried about the future, or those who just wonder how they should live in these increasingly wicked times. By the end, I was deeply comforted and challenged. I believe you will be also.
The only thing that I found unfortunate in the whole book was the author’s choice of Bible translation. The majority of the book quoted the New Living Translation. However, every time he wanted to do an in-depth word study he switches to another version such as the New American Standard Bible so that he is quoting a literal translation and not a dynamic equivalence translation. I would have preferred if they had used the literal translation for every quote.
I received this as a free ARC through NetGalley and Tyndale House Publishers. No favorable review was required. It was my pleasure to provide my honest opinions.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Note:  This book was provided free of charge by Tyndale House Publishers.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.]

This book is a classic example of material that I think to be timely and relevant and advice that I would agree with and view as sensible with regards to issues of prophecy, without having found the author to be particularly likable.  More to the point, the author's somewhat strident and harsh tone about the material led me to think (accurately as it turned out) that the author was a Calvinist, albeit of the 4.5 point variety, and the fact that the author had himself attempted to cash in on the Blood Moons craze lowered him several steps in my estimation.  Despite all of that, though, if you can overlook or forgive the author's immensely harsh and critical approach and simply take his advice for what it is, and view the book as a moderate and sensible approach to dealing with anxieties and concerns over prophetic matters, this book has a lot to offer.  At least the author does not engage in the sort of fear-mongering that is common in this sort of work, and that is well worth appreciating [1].

At 200 pages and ten chapters, this book's material is not a particularly difficult or lengthy read.  The author introduces his topic with a reference to the popular craze for Survivor and prepper-related entertainment.  After that the author recommends the 46 defense, a reference to the anti-anxiety point of Philippians 4:6 (1) as well as the need to run the Christian race seriously, as if one's life depends on it, because it does (2).  The author then talks about the need to make connections with other believers (3) as part of a community of faith and the need to put on the armor of God (4).  Then there is advice to keep pushing (5) and to do the best things in the worst times (6).  The author then talks about the need to have a safe "fraidy hole" in God (7) and remain under the influence of the Holy Spirit (8).  Finally, the author urges readers to tune in to heaven's frequency (9) and to wake up and be alert, but to not be overly panicky about contemporary conditions (10).  The book then closes with some notes from other related books and some information about the author.

Ultimately, this book has a lot to offer.  The author shares a lot of stories from books, from popular culture, and from his own life.  The author comes off as someone who is aware of world conditions and also aware of the fact that Jesus Christ could come at any time--whether that means the return of His Kingdom or the death of believers and the end of our own race with God.  Those readers who have at least some interest in the context of prophetic focus within the contemporary Church will find something to appreciate here and welcome words to the wise, and those who have a higher fondness for tough-minded and heavily critical Calvinist approaches may even find much to enjoy in poking fun of the end times madness of others.  To be sure, my own dislike of the author's negativity and my own wariness of the author's own efforts to cash in on the recent craze about blood moons makes me a bit more than usually skeptical about the author's efforts here, but if you take the book as it is without any sort of outside knowledge or concern about the author's body of work as a whole, this is definitely a very excellent book to read about eschatology.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...

[Create With Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever felt like we are living in a world that’s gone mad? Most days, we have to look very hard to find a headline that does not contain another story of the ever-encroaching darkness. The world seems angrier than ever, more confused about essential truths, and increasingly anxious and depressed. How are we, as Christians, supposed to survive living in these last days?

Mark Hitchcock provides these answers in his latest book, The End Times Survival Guide: Ten Biblical Strategies For Faith And Hope In These Uncertain Days.

The End Times Survival Guide is an easy-to-read, user-friendly Christian living book that provides practical biblically-based instruction interspersed with contemporary examples you can relate to and lots of inspiring quotes. Each of the book’s ten chapter’s focuses on key Bible verses and spiritual disciplines that will help you and your family resist the enemy and be a beacon of light during these difficult days!

Above all else, The End Times Survival Guide is a call to pray.

If you are ready to stop focusing on the things in the world that are troubling you and start applying biblical strategies that will bring vitality to your spiritual life, I recommend The End Times Survival Guide to you!

This excerpt is taken from the original review that is published on my blog. To read my review in its entirety, please visit Create With Joy.

[Benjamin Liles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe Mark Hitchcock provides definitive and clear help showing how we can survive the end times, when we get there. He helps us understand what those times look like, but at the same time lets us know, as scripture tells us, "Do not lose heart" (2 Corinthians 4:16, Berean Study).

I know within the full context of 2 Corinthians 4:16 we're told that "[Everything] is for your benefit, so that the grace that is extended to more and more people may overflow in thanksgiving, to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day. For our light and temporary affliction is producing for us an eternal glory that far outweighs our troubles. So we fix our eyes not on what is sen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 14:15-18, Berean Study, italics mine for verse 16).

With that said, Mark is doing his best within the pages of the book to show us what it means to hold on until the glorious appearing of Christ Jesus. In these pages of his book he gives to all of us as fellow believers in Jesus tools, such as prayer, showing us the armor with which we put on (found in Ephesians 6), how we can work and improve our faith, and so forth and so on. He does a great job in my book to show each of us God's ways so that we may be prepared for the days of persecution that awaits each of us. It's not a matter of if, but rather when.

I truly have read this book and will most likely read it again to see if I have missed anything. Suffice it to say that I do believe it deserves multiple readings and is very well written. Mark has also written books such as Russia Rising, which I have in my possession, as well as The Last Hour. Mark Hitchcock serves as the pastor of Faith Bible Church in Edmond, Oklahoma and is also an Associate Professor of Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary where he completed a master's and doctoral degrees.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale Momentum/Navpress so that to give an unbiased and objective review of it.

[Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

A special thanks to Tyndale House Publishers for sending me a complimentary copy of Mark Hitchcock’s book, The End Times Survival Guide.

As stated in the book, a poll was taken a few years ago which revealed that most American Evangelicals believe we are currently living in the last days. With globalization and the Great Commission, conflicts in the Middle East, increasing natural disasters and the exponential rise of selfish behavior, we know that “as the end approaches, the enemy is ramping up the attacks in a final onslaught.” Thus, in light of Christ’s soon return, how are we to live?

Hitchcock presents the reader with ten Biblical strategies for Christians to live by as we wait for the second coming of Christ. Payer, community, faithfulness, and trust in the Lord are four clear areas of life that we as believers are to be involved in as active participants. Whether the Father chooses to send Jesus back in our lifetime or wait another hundred years, we are commanded to be filled with His Spirit (Eph. 5:15-18) so that we can wisely make the best use of our time.

The End Times Survival Guide is an incredible book which I would recommend to all Christians. Hitchcock teaches through various passages of Scripture while using everything from historical references, statistics, creative storytelling, and much more for the sake of helping the reader to obtain a greater understanding of God’s Word.

[Patti Whitson Stephenson She Lives to Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an inspiring book. The title might seem to indicate that this book will be about prophecy; however, the focus of the book is how we should live in light of the fact that Christ could return at any moment. He continually points the reader to Christ and the Bible. The ten strategic topics the author covers are meant to help us find grace and hope as we navigate a world that is rapidly moving away from a Christian worldview. The author writes a very personable and readable way. Chapter 7 is entitled “Find Your Fraidy Hole”. That particular chapter, which focused on Psalm 46, was a source of encouragement to me. I also loved Chapter 9, “Tune in to Heaven’s Frequency”. Just those two chapters alone are worth reading the book.

I am going to be reading this book again because I feel that I need to further mine the wisdom that’s here. This would be an excellent book for a book study group or class to read and discuss together.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given this book to review by Tyndale. I have read similar books on end times that Mark Hitchcock has written. There are actually quite a lot of them. What I think he does is just look at the climate of our world today and write on it and perhaps comment on a similar aspect to end times. I have read his books from 10 years ago and the formula hasn’t changed much. Only the things happening in the world, have either intensified or changed slightly. He spends the first chapter on worry and how it has intensified in people’s hearts in this age even more. I like that he started with worry, because it is the major feeling I have about any unsettling thing going on today. I am also glad he has written a ‘survival guide’ to end time’s or modern day craziness. It is better to find joy regardless of a situation and I think that’s really most of what this book wants to do. Help us find end time’s signs and find joy.
I think this book is not a must but good to read for tips on living in this age or in the age of the End Times and will be an encouragement.

[Diane Busch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover - or it’s title. This book cover and title do not hint at the greatness within. This is an important and easy to understand User Guide for Christian Living. Through his ten strategies for faith and hope, Hitchcock gives us the understanding and tools we need to run this race called The Christian Life. His writing is clear and practical as he uses scripture to teach, remind, inspire and challenge us. You may read this book more than once because it is chock-full of so much good content and encouragement. I recommend this book for both males and females of any age and any stage of the Christian journey.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fascinating and insightful book for surviving these very uncertain times. Backed full with biblical principals this book gives one a ton to think and ponder about long after the final page is turned. The 10 chapters in this book are all so very insightful and thought provoking but my favorite chapters was the one about tuning into the heaven's frequency which is an amazing reminder that we need to be keeping our focus on the Lord during these increasingly difficult time.

This book is easy to read and so very good,I highly recommend it.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Yvie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not exactly the Biblical 'prepper' book the cover makes it out to be, this is more of a book about preparing your heart for the end of your life. It implies that our lives are near to ending, whether due to mass shooting, natural disaster, war, or some other disaster that would take us before our natural death, as we are living in the end times. Ok. If I could boil this down to a few sentences, it would be this : Get your life together. Be nice to others. Get a relationship with God.

[Nancy Bandusky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good presentation on attributes that will help the believer stay strong in the end times. An encouraging read for those who recognize where the world is headed. This is an easy read so a reader who isn't familiar with much about end times would find this helpful.

[Valeta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn`t what I was expecting but it did have some good information for living in this time. Thanks for the ARC!

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched and informative! Gave me a lot to think about and do further research on!

[Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting, thought provoking read. Especially so in these exceptional times. Not my usual choice of reading matter, but I enjoyed it.