Jesus, Jihad, and Peace by Dr. Michael Youssef

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Worthy Publishing in exchange for honest review. 

Having watched Dr. Youssef before, I was very curious to read his book on Islam, the Middle East, and Bible prophecy.

First, Dr. Youssef goes into the history of terrorists groups, their beliefs, and then how these group plan on carrying out their plans. This brought a lot of light to present-day issues when you read the reasons behind attacks and killings.

From there, Dr. Youssef, goes into the history of Islam, staring with Mohammed,  and working his way into the various sects, and sub-sects of Islam. I really enjoyed this section as it shows that not all Muslims believe the same; similar to denominations in Christianity.

Finally, Dr. Youssef ties this altogether with the possibility of Islam playing a role in Biblical prophecy. For some time now I have thought that Islam would play a role and it is interesting to get Dr. Youssef's take on the matter. 

This is a great starter for those unlearned in Islam and its history who want a firsthand account of living with Muslims but from someone who eventually came to Christ.

Four Blood Moons by John Hagee

Does the sky point to upcoming events? Have the celestial bodies pointed to major events in the past? Are there important events in the night sky in the near future? If so, what could that mean?

John Hagee discusses these questions and more in his newest book: Four Blood Moons. Hagee is addressing the upcoming four blood moons that will begin in 2014 and end in 2015. He details in the book why he believes that this event will be the sign of something major to happen to the nation of Israel and its implications for Bible prophecy.

First, Hagee lays the foundation of why he believes the blood moons will foretell important events in the first three chapters of the book. He gives his history on why he began to look at the night sky and relate it to Bible prophecy. He gives accounts such as the Star of Bethlehem and the sun standing still in the book of Joshua as two examples of the sky showing God's power and control.

The next section goes into detail about major Biblical prophecies that have yet to take place but will take place. Hagee gives many Biblical references for his beliefs as he lays the groundwork for what he believes may shortly take place. He discusses the rapture, the role of the land of Israel, what the end of days will look like, and ultimately the return of Jesus Christ as Lord of the world. With this foundation laid, Hagee then goes int the blood moons.

The final section gives the reader foundation for why the blood moons are so important. Hagee recounts the last three occurrences of the four blood moons in the last 500 years and what happened to Israel during that time. By giving the events, Hagee then makes his case that the next set of blood moons upcoming in 2014 and 2015 should give warning that something HUGE is about to happen to Israel and potentially the world.

A few comments that I must make. First, the book has a lot of foundational teaching with that comprising almost 70% of the book. For those that are new to biblical prophecy this a good thing but for someone that has studied it for a few years this was mostly repeat. Second, I was surprised at how much was not discussed about other celestial signs and what happened during those occurrences. I felt that this would have given more validity to the book and encouraged a more thorough look at the night sky and how God uses it.

Lastly, I found that much of the material was repetitive and was not needed. I know this works well for a sermon but for a book it was a bit much. Thus the content was lessened in my opinion as I kept thinking, "you've said this already, get to the point." more than once.Overall it was a decent book with some good information but could have done away with the repetition and more on supporting content.

* I received this copy from Worthy Publishing for my honest review. I was not influenced to write a positive or negative review and the words are my own.*