Pocket Guide to the Apocalypse: The Official Field Manual for the End of the World

by Jason Boyett

Book Overview

The Pocket Guide… takes a humorous look at our culture’s ongoing love affair with the "End Times." A handful of anecdotes, acknowledgements of the phenomenon in pop culture and insights from the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0976035715
• Release Date: March 2005
• Publisher: Relevant Books
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.0" x 0.5" x 5.1"

Customer Reviews

Silly eschatological fun

I bought this book on a whim and really enjoyed it. It's a sort of Dave Barry's Travel Guide to the End Times. There's not much else I can say that hasn't already been said by the other reviewers, but this book really was a treat. Boyett's "snarky" tone is perfect for the material, and like the others have said, it's never mean-spirited. And it's irreverent, yeah, but never blasphemous. An interesting thing to me was that I could never put my finger on the author's own beliefs, as he gives unusually even-handed coverage to an issue which usually polarizes opinions in the Christian community (but is usually, in the end--no pun intended--unimportant). One minor complaint is that, while one certainly shouldn't expect a book like this to be uminmpeachably fault-free, the author is clearly not an historian (as I am). As such, I noticed a few errors he made that stand correction. His dating on the life of Zoroaster is way off, and he lists Nero as the son of Marcus Aurelius (who died well over 100 years after Nero did--oops). Nero was actually the adopted son of emperor Claudius (and may have had him killed in order to take the throne). Marcus Aurelius's son is the ever-popular Commodus, one of the few Roman emperors almost as hated as Nero. Overall, a nice, funny way to spend a few idle hours.

Funny and Informative

This book is a humorous look at the prideful attempt of humans to predict the mind of God, and particularly when and how God will end the world. Boyett clearly shows that it is funny, and somewhat pathetic, when humans claim they have a complete understanding of God and His timing. Lots of laughs here as Boyett takes us back in time surveying the many failed predictions. I can't beleive I missed that picnic at 3 a.m. on Long Island in 1925 waiting for Gabriel! And how many times can one man (Chuckie T. Russel) make predictions and still get people worked up? A bunch. I'm no scholar on the end times, but I found this book informative. It was a good start on understanding the terminology and the general flavor of the "end times gang". The Apocolyptionary, or glossary, was particularly helpful, and at times just plain funny. Where else can you get a brief understanding of chiliasm, and learn to use the name Abaddon (the chief fallen angel of Satan) in a sentence! Subsequent reading shows me Boyett has a good understanding of his subject, with some surprising insight and much clarity for the un-initiated. Before purchasing this book, I read the reviews on this site. Those who criticized the book for being irreverent, I think, generally missed the point. Like some of those who posted reviews, I consider myself a devoted Christian, and take the Bible very seriously. It seems to me that Boyett wasn't finding humor so much in the subject itself, but rather in the vain attempts of people to explain the mysteries of God. Sure his writing is a little edgy, but I smiled a lot and learned something too. The measure of any good intro book, such as this pocket guide, is that it gives you a good understanding of the subject, yet urges you to pursue a deeper understanding elsewhere. That is what this book did for me, with several really good laughs along the way. Its a quick read, and well worth the effort.

You must read this book

What an incredible combination of humor and information. I was impressed that even Jerry Jenkins of the "Left Behind" series recognizes that Jason is an up a comer in the world of eschatology. If you have read any of the "Left Behind" books, then you need to read this book also. This book goes into why people believe what they believe, and what to look out for when people talk about end times prophesy while being funny at the same time. I warn you, you will laugh out loud when reading this book. My favorite section is the timeline of doomsayers. The research for this section must have taken years. It covers everything from ancient Persia to modern day Indiana, California, and Texas. It is amazing how many things have happened in our country over the past thirty years that people just don't talk about. I'm glad Jason has exposed so many things that the mass media has tried to keep hidden. I appreciate Jason's ability not to take himself too seriously. This book has an obvious respect for The Bible while taking to task people who try to distort what it says, or doesn't say. I can see where simple minded people might miss the point of this book, and try to be critical of the author, but overly critical people usually have a hidden axe to grind, so I rarely take their opinions too seriously. Great work Jason, I can't wait to see what you come up with next.

Jason out does himself!!!

This book absolutely rocks!!! I've never read anything so funny in my life. I've read other books by Boyett, but this one takes the twinkie!!! Boyett pokes fun at just about everyone in this pocket guide. From Pat Robertson to Abaddon (read the book and you'll understand), Jason spares no one. With his usual dry humor, Boyett guides the reader through a humorous ride of the end times, past and present!!! (That was my attempt at Boyett humor) It was ride I wished would never end. My ultimate fear is that people will read this book and take it seriously. To those that do, all i have to say is...SHUT UP!!! (Read the book and you'll understand!!!) Seriously, come on people. Everyone has to learn to laugh at themselves. That's what this is all about. Even Jesus had a sense of humor, why else would all those people invite him over to their houses to eat??? I feel like the end time loonies (and you know who you are) have taken themselves too the extreme. To them I say, "Quit looking at the sky!!! Look at yourselves and laugh!!!" I applaude Boyett for his hard work and courage to take on this controversial topic. This is an obviously well researched piece of material. From the glossary to the grab bag, this was a book I couldn't put down. Each false prediction kept getting better and better. Jason, you deserve a pat on the back and a kick in the butt!!! Well done good Sir!!!!

A Great Display of the Folly of End Times Date Setting

Jason Boyett is the author of A Guy's Guide to Life, Things You Should Know By Now, and a few others. With this new book he is branching out into the field of end times prognostication and date setting. Or, maybe I should say that with this book he is branching out to show the folly of those who would try to be end times prognosticators and date setters. Jason's books are targeted at a younger audience, those in and around the quarter-century age range. As such, while I was reading his book I felt very old, almost as if I was in my forties or something. The book is full of youthful slang and otherwise hip language. It's not what I am used to or the way I usually speak, but ol' gramps here can understand that it communicates especially well to youngsters. Which is not to say that it doesn't communicate well to us old timers, because it does. But the style is definitely aimed at a younger audience. In fact, after I read it I came home one day to find my 13 year old son reading it. My son is an avid reader of sci-fi, especially the Star Wars books. He will read 2-3 Star Wars books in a week at times but he has never been excited about reading religious books. But he is enjoying this one very much. The book is written in a very snarky, comedic tone. But, Jason has done a remarkable thing in being snarky without being mean spirited. I have to admit that, when I started reading the book I had my antennas up a bit, thinking he might go overboard. But, though he poked fun where fun needed to be poked throughout the book, there was no malice in any of it. While some may want to scold Jason for being so flippant, the truth is that all of the date-setting and anti-Christ predicting that goes on these days is quite ridiculous and there is something to be said for treating these things as the ridiculous things they are. Because of the slang, the hipness and the snarkiness of the book you might be tempted not to take it seriously. And while this may never be a Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society Book of the Month selection, you would be surprised at the depth of material he has included here. There is a good deal of research beneath the humor. Jason has done an excellent job of describing all of the major eschatological positions and has fairly outlined their positions, along with their strengths and weaknesses. I particularly appreciate this, because when you are talking eschatology, it is easy to caricature the different views, especially the ones you disagree with. The book is most effective in chapters 2-3 where he gives an extensive catalogue of end times date setters throughout history. I'm no eschatological scholar, but I've done a fair amount of research into eschatology and he has found a bunch of date setters that I was unaware of. I say that these chapters are the most effective because this is where his snarkiness is most appropriate. If there is one group of people throughout history who deserve snark, satir