Book Review - Tales of Forever: The Unfolding Drama of God's Hidden Hand in History

Prophecies Modern Christians Know NOTHING About

After reading Part One/Act One, I purchased the full series of W. Kent Smith’s Tales of Forever: The Unfolding Drama of God’s Hidden Hand in History and worked my way through his complete book (Acts 1-3) before meeting with the author personally. I have studied in 4 seminaries and before that, a leading Christian college and was never introduced to any of the material Smith has brought to light in the Tales of Forever. 

 

My initial interest in the Tales was due to my interest in a 5500-year messianic prophecy that I had become aware of in my studies of the Early Church and in particular studying the Septuagint (LXX), the Greek translation of the Old Testament used by 2nd Temple Judaism and the Early Church. The prophecy, known also as "the prophecy of the Great Five and a Half Days", is one of the greatest prophetic words that God ever gave to mankind, and the vast majority of Christians have never heard anything about it. A prophecy that was given to Adam and Eve when they were expelled from Eden informed them that the Messiah would come 5500 years later. 

 

What did the Rabbis do to the Old Testament Canon in the late first and early second century when they "canonized" the Hebrew Bible? Why were so many books ignored and/or left out? Why did the Septuagint (LXX) have different Old Testament books than the Masoretic Text (MT)? Smith's book picks up these themes and digs even deeper with particular focus upon the 5500-year prophecy.

 

According to the Biblical chronology of the Septuagint, the coming of Jesus fit the timing of the prophecy and was one of the reasons so many Jews came to believe He was the Jewish Messiah. The rabbis proceeded to "tamper with" the Hebrew Bible at the end of the 1^st century AD, rejected the Septuagint and finally retranslated their "doctored" Old Testament into 3 new Greek versions for future Jewish use. Why? One of the main reasons was to obscure the 5500-year prophecy in order to stop Jews from coming to Jesus as their Jewish Messiah. 

 

In the same way that Enoch 1 serves as an extensive commentary on Genesis 6:1-4, so too are other so-called Apocryphal/Pseudepigraphal books as they shed light onto aspects of the narratives of Adam and Eve, Abraham and Isaac, and other Old Testament Patriarchs. I didn't realize how important these “excluded” books were/are to understanding many of our well-known Bible stories.

 

Smith additionally introduces us to writings from the New Testament era that while known to the Early Church have been ignored in Church history due to the status of these works not being deemed “canonical”. But these works not only provide more context/commentary to New Testament characters, they attest as well to the 5500-year prophecy.

 

The Tales of Forever traces the other supernatural ways that God preserved for humankind the record of this prophetic word. Sadly, due to the ongoing influence of Rabbinic Talmudic Judaism and the unfortunate influence of the likes of Jerome, many Christians not only remain in the dark as to the prophecy but also end up dismissing the best extant sources of evidence for the veracity of the 5500-year prophecy. When one removes such blinders and is willing to trust the testimony of Early Church writers such as Justin Martyr and Tertullian, then as the Tales of Forever reveals, we see that God Himself 'protected' arguably the most significant messianic prophecy of all time. You may not agree with all of the conclusions the author has reached, but I assure you that your "tradition" will be challenged if you will allow the evidence he presents through the narratives he tells to inspire you and your faith in the God of the Bible. 

 

To inspire millions, movies need to be made about these Tales. I propose Enoch as the main character and narrator of one of the greatest stories that so far has never been told! 

 

As I told the author when we met, I believe that more evidence is forthcoming that will shed long-lost light on these issues and convince countless people that things he contends are in fact true. 

 

Of course, only time will tell. But, in the meantime, read the Tales of Forever for yourself and your fascination with God will grow as will your trust in His promises. 

 

For such a time as this... 

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