TERRY JAMES, Harvest House, 292 Pages, Paper, $13.99

Many seeing a subtitle like Is the United States in Bible Prophecy? would want an immediate yes or no to the question. The author, however, is more thorough than that, and rightly so. Understanding the issue and coming to a proper conclusion should involve studying background perspectives, melding current events, discerning the lineup of various global forces at work, and knowing how all of these will culminate in future prophetic events and timetables.

James does a great work here, emphasizing such trends as the irreversible move toward a one-world government, a rising hatred toward Israel and born-again Christians, hints of a coming superpower and world dictator, and efforts at peace that seem only to bring more conflicts and wars. One of the most interesting parts of the book is the author’s version of the probable scenario that will begin with the rapture of believers.